With a loud explosion, Elder Xuan made a dazzling appearance!
Elder Xuan, shirtless, exposed his bronzed skin, exuding an overwhelming aura so terrifying that the very wind and clouds seemed to change in response.
At this moment, Elder Xuan's gaze was almost blazing with fury. As a ninety-eighth level Super Douluo, he had actually been toyed with by a mere Soul King, an insult he had never experienced in his entire life.
His body flickered, and in an instant, he appeared beside Huo Yuhao. The scene before him momentarily made his rage pause. The Death God Envoy had vanished, leaving behind only piles of bones on the ground, along with a putrid stench. Meanwhile, Dai Yueheng had been cast aside nearby.
"Huo Yuhao, what happened? Where is that vile evil soul master?" Elder Xuan asked urgently.
"I killed him," Huo Yuhao shrugged and pointed at the frozen chicken on the ground. "I was just heading back after finally catching these two Lanqiu chickens when my mental detection picked up an evil soul power aura in the air. I figured it was some fish that slipped through the net while you guys were having a great time killing, so I took him down."
Elder Xuan's face twitched upon hearing the slightly mocking tone in Huo Yuhao's voice. Still skeptical, he asked, "You took him down? And killed him?"
"He had already consumed a large amount of soul power and was further weakened by constantly using his flying soul tool. His strength was greatly diminished. I managed to sneak attack him with a mental shock and then took the opportunity to finish him off."
This was the truth.
"But right after he hit the ground, he cruelly severed Senior Dai's legs and even tried to kill him. I arrived just in time to save his life, but I couldn't stop the evil soul master from injuring him. I can only apologize for that."
This was a lie!
"Dai Yueheng..." A flash of sorrow appeared in Elder Xuan's eyes.
Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were the only two Soul Emperor-level powerhouses in this generation of the inner courtyard. Though they didn't get along, they were both capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities in times of crisis, making them highly valued by the academy.
But now, Dai Yueheng had lost his legs on this mission, and previously, Dai Huabin had lost both arms after trying to assassinate Huo Yuhao. It seemed the White Tiger family was on the verge of extinction.
Unless Dai Hao, the White Tiger Duke, managed to have another child in his later years, the White Tiger Duke's lineage was on the verge of being cut off.
And given that Shrek Academy had just severely punished the White Tiger Duke's household, this new incident put the academy in an awkward position.
Though they had some legal document signed about life and death risks, that sort of thing only worked with students who lacked strong backgrounds. It wouldn't hold up against a noble family like the White Tiger Duke's.
Suddenly, Elder Xuan's body trembled as a thought struck him. He quickly asked, "Huo Yuhao, did you see Xiaotao? Where is she?"
"Xiaotao? Ma Xiaotao?" Huo Yuhao was confused. "What happened to her?"
"Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were both captured by that evil soul master. Didn't you see her?" Elder Xuan's urgency increased.
Losing Dai Yueheng was manageable for the academy. If necessary, Shrek Academy could use moral pressure on the White Tiger Duke's household, perhaps erect a memorial or award a medal honoring Dai Yueheng's heroic deeds, making it difficult for the White Tiger family to pursue retribution.
But Ma Xiaotao was a different matter. Huo Yuhao was now part of the Body Sect, leaving Ma Xiaotao, with her Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, as the academy's treasure. After all, she was a potential Ultimate Fire user!
Most importantly, Ma Xiaotao was the disciple of Yan Shaozhe, the head of Shrek Academy. She was a genius nurtured by the academy itself!
Shrek could afford to lose outsiders, but not their own people!
"Damn it! That evil soul master even got rid of my soul bone supplier. No wonder I killed him; he deserved to die!" Huo Yuhao felt a wave of anger rise within him. Of course, it wasn't because of Ma Xiaotao's disappearance, but because he had lost his source of free soul bones.
"You take Dai Yueheng back to the group. I'm going to search for Xiaotao," Elder Xuan instructed before his body flashed and disappeared from sight again.
In the Death God Envoy's cave, Wang Yan, Ling Luochen, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan were all gathering the dismembered limbs and body parts scattered across the ground.
Just fifteen minutes ago, these were their comrades, with whom they had laughed and talked. But now, even their corpses were incomplete.
Suddenly, the blocked passageway of the cave was blasted open by a terrifying force. The explosion startled everyone, and they nervously looked towards the entrance.
The sound of footsteps echoed, and soon, Huo Yuhao and the others appeared in the cave. On Huo Yuhao's back was the unconscious Dai Yueheng.
"Urgh..."
Upon seeing the gruesome scene inside the cave—blood covering the ground like a red carpet and dismembered limbs everywhere—even Ning Tian couldn't hold back and started retching.
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were even worse, vomiting bile as they trembled in fear. They had never witnessed such a horrifying scene before.
"Yuhao, you're here?" Wang Yan forced a bitter smile, his body finally collapsing to the ground.
Huo Yuhao rushed forward to support Wang Yan, quickly retrieving a calming medicine he had made and giving it to him.
"Thank you."
Wang Yan nodded, but after a moment of silence, he suddenly broke down, covering his face and crying. His breakdown led Ling Luochen and the others to cry as well.
It was too overwhelming, too tragic! Even Ling Luochen, a student of the inner courtyard who had executed some missions before, had never witnessed such a brutal scene.
Even Huo Yuhao was inwardly amazed. Without his protagonist's halo, the Death God Envoy had wiped out six members of the current generation of Shrek's Seven Devils in a single stroke.
Well, technically, Huo Yuhao was the one responsible for Dai Yueheng's injury. But dead men tell no tales, and the blame for Dai Yueheng's severed legs would fall squarely on the evil soul master.
"Yuhao, what do we do now?" Ning Tian asked, finally stopping her retching and walking over to Huo Yuhao.
What to do? Handle it thoroughly, of course! They had planned to celebrate after their victory, but now, it seemed like they would be attending a funeral instead.
"We have no choice but to temporarily suppress our grief and rest for a while. Then we'll head to the Northwestern Army's camp. After a brief stop there, we'll proceed immediately to Star Luo City," Huo Yuhao said gravely.
However, inside, he was practically gleeful.
Before, he had been reluctant to meet Dai Hao, that old dog, but now, he couldn't wait to see the look on Dai Hao's face.
Shrek Academy: "Duke, guess what? What is something that breathes but has no legs and can't walk?"
Dai Hao: "I have no idea!"
Shrek Academy: "Haha! It's your son!"
Now that's what you call a surprise, a damn surprise!