Douluo Continent: Dragon's Journey Across the World

Chapter 172 The Past of Li Gui

Yang Ping'an and Li Gui spent a full month in the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest, but they couldn't find any suitable soul beasts. Either their age was too young, or their attributes didn't match.

Of course, quite a few good soul beasts were indeed discovered in this month, including several dragon-type soul beasts, but none of them were quite to Yang Ping'an's liking, and some were even below expectations.

Even with Li Gui, a Soul Douluo, and the Purple Gold Mastiff's powerful sense of smell, they still encountered danger many times and were even besieged by various Soul Beasts. Each time, Li Gui led Yang Ping'an to escape in a panic.

That day, Yang Ping'an and Li Gui were chased by a pack of Gale Wolves. The pack leader was 50,000 years old and was one of the biggest overlords in the mixed zone.

Fortunately, Li Gui was extremely fast and quick-witted. He and Yang Ping'an transformed into a ghostly shadow and hid underground. Before the Gale Wolf could even dig, they had already quickly left along the underground currents and shadows.

However, this time it was quite tragic. Yang Ping'an and Li Gui were both scratched by the Gale Wolf, and the injuries were quite severe.

To Yang Ping'an and Li Gui's surprise, there was an underground river beneath the Star Dou Great Forest, and there were also some hollows, as if no one had ever set foot in this place.

That's right. Originally, Li Gui was already fleeing for his life regardless of the danger, and he had no direction at all. He didn't even know where he was. He only knew that he was in a desperate situation.

However, judging from the location and the density of the aura, Yang Ping'an estimated that this was already the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest.

However, Yang Ping'an always felt that there was something he desperately wanted deep in the dark river, especially something that could make the Purple-Gold Mastiff feel a little excited.

The two were panting heavily by the dark river, quickly consuming medicine in an attempt to recover their bodies and lost soul power as soon as possible.

It must be said that Li Gui's martial soul is indeed very good. Whether at night or in some dark places, his strength can basically be doubled, and his detection ability is extremely strong. No wonder he is a person that Ghost Douluo focuses on cultivating.

Yang Ping'an asked, somewhat puzzled, "Uncle Li Gui, based on your strength, you should be able to serve as a bishop in the Spirit Hall, or even have a higher position."

Just as Yang Ping'an said, Li Gui has special abilities and is a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse. At night, he can even contend with top Soul Douluos, making him a big shot who can definitely be heard throughout the region.

Li Gui just sneered: "Heh, I don't feel much of a sense of belonging to the Spirit Hall, and I'm not even one of their people."

Yang Ping'an was surprised: "How is this possible? With your abilities, Uncle Li Gui, you would definitely be a key person to be cultivated even in the two great empires. By the way, where is your hometown?"

Li Gui's face turned cold: "I have no hometown, nor any relatives, so I am not part of the Spirit Hall's organization; I am just a ghost."

Yang Ping'an immediately became interested: "This shouldn't be the case. Even if someone is secretly trained by the Spirit Hall, they should still have an identity. Even if they are not born into nobility, they should still have their own family."

Upon hearing this, Li Gui was momentarily dejected, and after a long pause, he finally spoke: "I am not a commoner trained by the Spirit Hall, but rather born a slave."

Recently, Li Gui has been following Yang Ping'an. Yang Ping'an's mysterious and unpredictable nature surprised him. However, he always felt that Yang Ping'an was different from ordinary people. He did not have the aloofness of a Soul Master, nor did he look down on commoners. He had never even used any maids or slaves. He seemed to be somewhat out of place in this world.

However, Yang Ping'an's many schemes were right in front of him. It was hard to imagine that an eighteen-year-old youth could do so many things to become stronger, and most of these schemes were successful. He even dared to use a mere Soul Master to plot against a Title Douluo.

When Yang Ping'an heard that Li Gui was born as a slave, he was also shocked. Normally, nobles would buy a lot of slaves, but they would usually choose handsome or beautiful boys and girls. Ordinary slaves would just be hard laborers for life. They would not even help these slaves awaken their martial spirit, after all, they were afraid that these slaves would take revenge on them in the future.

Yang Ping'an then carefully observed Li Gui's face. Although Li Gui looked like a thin old man, he was obviously not very old, probably in his early fifties. However, his face was extremely thin and bloodless. In particular, there was a mark on his forehead that looked like the mark on the face of a slave he had seen before.

At that moment, Yang Ping'an seemed to have thought of something: "Uncle Li Gui, now that you have the strength, why don't you think about your own affairs? Haven't you ever thought about making a name for yourself openly and honestly?"

Upon hearing this, Li Gui muttered to himself, seemingly averse to being open and honest and to fame. After a long while, he slowly spoke: "Ping An, do you know that I am only forty-one years old? The reason I look old is because I have always lived in darkness. I dare not face the sunlight, dare not face anything, and even dare not face Elder Gui."

"Actually, Elder Gui has told me many times that if I'm willing, he can let me work in the Spirit Hall, and the position will definitely not be too low, but I have always refused."

Yang Ping'an thought for a long time before speaking: "Uncle Li Gui, are you resenting something? Or are you afraid of something? You should know my past very well. You can tell me anything, and maybe I can help you change your fate."

Li Gui simply sighed: "I have no regrets. I was born in the Star Luo Empire and grew up in Star Luo City as an ordinary minor nobleman. However, when I was young, my family offended the Star Luo royal family, and everyone in my family was killed. I became a slave at a young age."

"I was originally sold into working in a private mine. I was only five years old at the time. A five-year-old child would spend a lot of time in the mine or in an iron cage, facing only whips and bloodshed."

"It was Elder Ghost who saved me. Elder Ghost traced the mine to a murder case targeting the Spirit Hall. He gave us, these skinny children and miners, hope."

"But because I have lived in darkness for a long time, I am afraid to interact with people, afraid to see the sunlight, and unwilling to accept the arrangements of the Spirit Hall. It was Elder Ghost who took me in. All these things I have were given to me by Elder Ghost, so I am willing to do anything for Elder Ghost."

Yang Ping'an remained silent upon hearing this. Indeed, the world of Douluo Continent was not peaceful. Various forces would stop at nothing for some so-called good talents. The Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire had fought wars many times, causing countless people to be displaced and many to become slaves.

However, Yang Ping'an seemed to say with amusement, "Uncle Li Gui, according to this logic, you should be considered Uncle Gui's disciple, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Gui paused for a moment: "I am merely a wandering ghost; I dare not become a disciple of the Ghost Elder."

Yang Ping'an was speechless for a moment. It seemed that his guess was right. Elder Gui probably really intended to train Li Gui as a disciple. After all, the two had very similar martial souls and even had similar personalities.

Moreover, Li Guicai had already reached the Soul Douluo level at the age of forty-one. In terms of talent, he was absolutely outstanding. You should know that many core members of major sects could only reach this level. It seems that Ghost Douluo had put a lot of effort into him.

After resting for a while, the two continued walking deeper into the underground river.

Normally, no one would enter such a place. Its width and height are simply not enough to accommodate two adults. Whenever they want to rest, they can only dig a small cave with their claws.

All of this was thanks to Li Gui's ability to transform into a ghost and even carry Yang Ping'an at high speed.

As the two ventured deeper into the area, Yang Ping'an felt a growing sense of fear. The soul beasts that could live in such a place were definitely not simple; they might even be extremely terrifying.

As the two ventured deeper, a powerful aura suddenly emanated from the dark river, and there were so many of them that their minds were filled with the perception of soul power.

It's obvious that they've encountered a large group of spirit beasts, and they're definitely high-level spirit beasts, otherwise there wouldn't be such a powerful pressure.

Li Gui quickly pulled Yang Ping'an along, transforming into a ghostly figure and swiftly hiding in the dark river.

A dense swarm of insect-like soul beasts flew out from above the riverbank. They appeared to be moving at great speed, and their entire bodies were golden, making them exceptionally bright even in the darkness.

Yang Ping'an couldn't help but swallow hard: "These look like Gold-Eating Insects. I never imagined there would be so many Gold-Eating Insects of such high age."

(End of this chapter)