Chapter 500: Elder Xuan, Are You Trying to Get Us Killed?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed across the sky.
Flames surged, thick smoke billowed, completely obscuring Huo Yuhao and his group's vision. However, thanks to his Spiritual Detection Sharing, even though the smoke and fire hadn't fully dissipated, the situation inside the Silver Moon Divine Light Barrier was transmitted into everyone's minds with perfect clarity.
Aside from Xuan Zi, who was plummeting downward while desperately squeezing out the soul power stored in his martial soul to try and continue flying, all the other elders had been injured in the explosion. Their faces paled, blood trickled from the corners of their mouths, and their auras had visibly weakened.
None of them had expected Xuan Zi, their strongest pillar, to fail them at such a critical moment.
Given their strength, if they had been fully prepared, they wouldn't have suffered so severely from the Evil Monarch Soul Engineer Regiment's sudden barrage of soul cannon fire.
But because they trusted Xuan Zi, they had let their guard down, leaving most of the defense to him and that cost them dearly.
"Elder Xuan, are you trying to get us killed?!"
Yan Shaozhe's furious roar shattered the tense silence.
He couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
They were all working together to break out of the barrier, but at the most crucial moment, Elder Xuan didn't even give a warning he just stopped, even withdrew his Martial Soul Avatar!
That left everyone exposed, resulting in them getting ambushed and injured.
If Elder Xuan didn't explain himself properly, Yan Shaozhe was not going to let this go.
And he wasn't the only one.
Many other elders shared the same sentiment.
At this moment, a crisis of trust was beginning to unfold.
Just then
Xuan Zi suddenly felt the seal on his soul core was lifted.
A surge of dense, solidified soul power erupted from his soul core, flowing like a tidal wave, nourishing every part of his body.
It was as if he had been plunged into a hot spring, an overwhelming sensation of comfort and power returning to him.
With his soul power restored, Xuan Zi stopped his fall and shot back up.
But as he looked at his injured comrades, guilt flashed across his face.
No matter what, he had to give them an explanation.
After all, their injuries were his fault.
Dodging through the continued barrage of soul cannon fire, he hurriedly explained, "How could I possibly try to get you all killed?!"
"I had no choice but to stop I was attacked by Huo Yuhao!"
"My ability to channel soul power was drastically weakened, and without enough soul power to sustain my attacks, I was forced to stop! I couldn't even maintain my Martial Soul Avatar! That's why this disaster happened!"
"Huo Yuhao attacked you?"
Yan Shaozhe laughed in anger.
"Do you take me for a three year old, Elder Xuan?!"
"I admit, Huo Yuhao is an unparalleled genius. Among all the soul masters under twenty years old in the entire Douluo Continent, his talent and strength are unquestionably number one!"
"If he were still in Shrek Academy, he could've had even greater opportunities, maybe even one day becoming the Sea God Pavilion Master."
"But tell me what is Huo Yuhao's current strength compared to yours?!"
"Even if he is at the Sun Moon Empire's border, do you seriously expect me to believe he could put you in this condition?!"
"The Sun Moon Empire claimed in their propaganda that you were captured by Kong Deming and Huo Yuhao working together, but I always thought that was just fabricated nonsense to glorify Huo Yuhao."
"Elder Xuan, instead of making up such a ridiculous lie, why don't you tell us the truth?"
"What exactly were you doing?"
"We need honesty, not deception!"
"Exactly!"
Cai Mei'er also expressed her displeasure.
And the other elders all voiced similar demands.
Xuan Zi's face darkened.
He felt frustrated and helpless.
He really was telling the truth!
Technically, he had been attacked by Huo Yuhao otherwise, the seal on his soul core wouldn't have activated.
But he couldn't tell them that.
If they found out he had a soul core seal placed on him, it would only further damage their trust in him.
And if distrust spread, it could jeopardize his position as the next Sea God Pavilion Master.
Of course, when he was first released by the Sun Moon Empire and returned to Shrek Academy, he had considered asking Elder Mu for help in removing the seal.
But after careful thought, he realized that Elder Mu wouldn't be able to do anything.
He had known Elder Mu for decades.
No one understood Elder Mu's strength better than he did.
If it were a battle, Elder Mu could still fight fiercely though at the cost of his life rapidly deteriorating.
But when it came to removing a soul core seal?
That was far beyond Elder Mu's capabilities.
Taking a deep breath, Xuan Zi finally spoke.
"Fine. You want the truth? Here it is. I was ambushed by Kong Deming."
Yan Shaozhe's expression eased slightly, but he still looked dissatisfied.
"Elder Xuan, you should've told us that earlier!"
"Why did you have to falsely accuse Huo Yuhao?"
"I know you're resentful about him winning the championship, but is that a reason to slander him?!"
Xuan Zi was utterly exasperated.
You're the one saying all the right things, huh?!
But he chose not to argue.
Instead, he sent a private mental transmission to the other elders.
"Everyone, ignite the Flames of Life."
"Once we do, our strength will soar."
"Kong Deming has proven more formidable than expected if we want to escape, we must be willing to pay a price."
"I swear on my honor this time, we will break free!"
The elders hesitated only briefly before nodding.
The longer they remained trapped, the more dangerous the situation became.
Although burning the Flames of Life would come at a steep cost, it would temporarily amplify their strength.
Meanwhile, Xuan Zi had another thought.
Compared to last time, his body had recovered somewhat.
If he ignited his Flames of Life, he would briefly reach the power of a Limit Douluo.
At that point, could the soul core seal really hold him back?
But to minimize risks, he decided to carefully control the duration of burning his life force.
Above, hidden in the clouds
Huo Yuhao had been observing everything through his Spiritual Detection Sharing.
He smirked.
The time was ripe
It was time to let Feng Ling make her move.
His next target
Yan Shaozhe.
He sent a private mental transmission to Kong Deming.
"Elder Kong, I will have Feng Ling step in shortly."
"In front of everyone, she will extract Yan Shaozhe from the Silver Moon Divine Light Barrier."
"When the time comes, I need you to 'accidentally' open a door for her."
Kong Deming chuckled knowingly.
"Understood."
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