Huo Yuhao's mindset was rather complex at the moment. From his current standpoint, he would undoubtedly be in a somewhat adversarial position against Shrek Academy in the future. These inner court disciples, or rather the current generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters, were destined to become the backbone of Shrek Academy in the future.
Logically speaking, Huo Yuhao shouldn't be saving them; watching them perish would serve his purpose better.
However, this time, he wasn't viewing these characters from a detached perspective like he had in his previous life, as a mere reader of the story. Now, he was seeing them through his own eyes, from a first-person perspective.
These were real, living people, many of whom he had interacted with—eaten meals together, exchanged words, shared harmless jokes.
Though he didn't share deep relationships with most of them, except for Dai Yueheng, they hadn't wronged him in any significant way.
Knowing each of their tragic fates in the future and doing nothing to prevent it exerted a subtle mental pressure on Huo Yuhao. He was now contemplating whether or not to offer them a word of advice.
Suddenly, a few red birds darted out from the nearby bushes. Their bodies were a fiery red, and their tails were adorned with vibrant, multicolored feathers, resembling something akin to kun-kun.
"Lanqiu chickens?" Ning Tian said, somewhat surprised.
"Ning Tian, what did you say?" Elder Xuan, hidden in the shadows, transmitted his voice to them.
"That's a Lanqiu chicken, a rare and valuable delicacy found only in deep mountains. It takes about two and a half years to mature, and its meat is incredibly tender, with a unique aroma when chewed. It's known as the divine gift from the God of Food and is regarded as a top-tier gourmet dish," Ning Tian explained.
"I remember seeing records of them in my sect's ancient texts when I was young. I originally thought they had been hunted to extinction a thousand years ago due to overhunting by humans, but to my surprise, they still exist in the Mingdou Mountain Range."
There was a distinct sound of someone slurping, though it was brief, everyone heard it clearly.
"Ning Tian, are you sure about this Lanqiu chicken?" Elder Xuan asked eagerly.
As everyone knew, while the grilled fish and skewers made by young Huo were delicious, Elder Xuan had a particular fondness for roasted chicken wings and legs. After all, his favorite food was chicken.
Now, after Ning Tian's description, Elder Xuan's mouth was practically watering. Even though he was the "Chicken-Leg Douluo," he had never tried this Lanqiu chicken before, and there was no way he was going to miss out on it now!
"Huo Yuhao, stop watching and find a few helpers to prepare the ingredients for today," Elder Xuan commanded. "After we finish the mission, we'll return for a celebratory feast!"
"What?" Huo Yuhao was taken aback. He pointed at himself and asked, "You want *me* to help you catch chickens? Are you sure?"
"Just go already! Why are you still talking?" Elder Xuan scolded.
Huo Yuhao shrugged and nodded helplessly.
Well, since you've asked so sincerely, I won't bother with spoiling things for you.
Abandoning his thoughts of helping others, he chose to respect their fates.
"Ning Tian, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, come with me. We'll help Elder Xuan catch some chickens!" Huo Yuhao ordered, leading Ning Tian and the others away.
Meanwhile, Elder Xuan assigned Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan to the team executing this mission. Led by Ma Xiaotao, they began exploring the area ahead.
With the help of a few inner court disciples, Wang Yan was able to find some subtle traces—broken branches, shallow footprints, torn pieces of cloth on tree branches, and tiny amounts of blood left on thorns.
Following these clues, they gradually made their way out of the forest. For more than half an hour, they moved forward at a slow, steady pace.
"Stop," Wang Yan suddenly raised his hand. The students following behind immediately crouched down and quickly gathered around him.
Wang Yan spoke in a low voice, "We're on the right track. There are a lot of messy footprints ahead, indicating frequent movement. The enemy should be close by. Everyone, adjust your state and prepare for battle."
After some searching, the group reconvened. Dai Yueheng stretched out his right hand, pointing in a certain direction.
Wang Yan nodded. "If that's the case, the enemy should be down the slope. If I'm not mistaken, they should have a hiding place in a cave nearby. Once we act, we need to first confirm their identities. If they are indeed members of the Hand of Death, you know what to do. The reserve team will stay with me to provide support. Xiaotao, the main attack is up to you."
"No problem, leave it to us." Ma Xiaotao's pink eyes glowed with a fierce fighting spirit.
Everyone changed into their standard-issue Shrek Monitor green outfits, donning inner armor and equipping the Monitor rings, before gathering together again.
At Wang Yan's command, Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Chen Zifeng—the three strongest fighters—rushed forward as the vanguard. The others followed closely behind, maintaining a tight formation as they silently moved out.
Before long, they spotted the cave where the Death God's Hand bandit group was hiding.
Six bandits were already lying lifelessly at the cave's entrance, clearly having been confirmed as members of the Hand of Death and killed by Ma Xiaotao and the others.
Just then, a dull explosion echoed from inside the cave. Chaos ensued, as shouts and curses filled the air, along with loud thuds and powerful fluctuations of soul power.
The thick scent of blood filled the air. Apart from Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, the other five members of the team looked pale.
Entering the cave, they discovered that the walls on both sides were covered with the skins of at least a dozen humans, and the body of a baby had been pierced through and hung on a stalactite.
"Bastards!" Bei Bei roared in anger. "These wicked soul masters are so vile that they even kill babies! They're worse than animals!"
As they pressed forward, more corpses began to appear, and the sounds of battle grew fiercer.
The bandits in the cave had died in horrific ways, but none of them stirred the slightest sympathy in the group. The cave walls continued to display even more human skins—at least a hundred by now—some of which had even dried out.
The terrain ahead suddenly opened up, and the reserve team members caught sight of the fierce battle taking place.
The Shrek main team displayed overwhelming strength as they faced bandits whose power did not exceed that of Soul Elders. In the center of it all, Gongyang Mo was providing powerful support soul skills for his teammates.
"White Tiger Meteor Shower!"
"Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
"White Tiger Meteor Shower!"
"Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
Their hearts filled with rivalry, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, bolstered by Gongyang Mo's soul power recovery, unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks, transforming into human Gatling guns as they poured firepower onto the evil soul masters inside the cave.
The other main team members, along with the newly arrived Bei Bei trio, displayed their own strengths, turning the cave into a scene of utter carnage, with bodies piled high and bones strewn everywhere.
Killing brings with it a strange thrill, one that can cloud the mind and strip away reason, causing one to forget the need for calm reflection.
This was why Electrolux had repeatedly reminded Huo Yuhao to remain level-headed, to avoid letting hatred and bloodlust take over his mind.
The group had been pushed to the brink of losing control due to the grotesque sights in the cave and the overwhelming killing that followed, losing sight of the situation as a whole.
Meanwhile, the ever-playful Elder Xuan, disliking the stench of blood, had retreated to the other side of the mountain, munching on a chicken leg and sipping some wine, thoroughly enjoying himself.
And so, tragedy quietly unfolded in that moment.
A sharp, high-pitched shriek echoed from the depths of the cave: "Who dares defy the Death God's emissary? You will all die! You will all become my corpse slaves!"
The bodies of the dead evil soul masters on the ground suddenly began to swell and turn red at an alarming rate. Then, in an instant, they exploded.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The violent tremors sent debris flying in all directions, as the terrifying shockwaves from the explosions swept through the entire area, engulfing the Shrek students entirely.