Two figures suddenly emerged from nowhere—a man with a red glove and a plaster on his face, and a girl with short green hair.
They were, naturally, the missing Li Feng and Ji Baixi.
"Where are you all going?" Li Feng's cold voice sounded.
The team members turned back, startled.
"Where have you guys been? You abandoned your teammates when we needed you the most!" a man shouted, frowning at the duo.
"Li Feng and Ji Bai," meng xuan continued, "if you don't have enough reasons for your absence, we will consider reporting you to the academy authorities."
Meng Xuan, still in Xiao Long's embrace, just Like what fiend monk had said, he could feel his body slowly healing.
He had purposely asked that question, though he already knew those two were the villains here. He still didn't know their main purpose, but he was sure of one thing—they were here to kill him.
Lifeng sneered,"You won't have the opportunity to see the outside world anymore..."
His words sent a chill down the spines of the other team members.
"Such a tenacious cockroach..." Lifeng sneered again. "Since you are won't die easily, I am oblige to do it the hard way. The rest of you can perish alongside him."
"I'm not part of them! I was just passing by!" a guy cried out, his voice tinged with a desperate wheeze.
Meng Xuan stood silently, brows furrowed, someone that didn't care for academy authority and would instead silence the remaining team members just because of him. He must have a powerful backer behind him to possess such confidence...
He had previously brought the idea that the Jiao clan was trying to assassinate him, but it now seemed he was wrong. There truly was a formidable force targeting him.
The Jiao clan wouldn't dare to act so openly against the academy.
A surge of killing intent erupted from Lifeng's body as he steadily walked toward the group.
...
"Since you possess the beast fragment of the Abyssal Spider, as long as you remain in this demonic zone, you should be able to control a hundred Abyssal Spiders," Fiend Monk explained calmly.
"How?!" Meng xuan asked, eyes wide with a mix of shock and curiosity. He had been with this demon for a short period of time, and had seen the impossible become possible before—but this still stunned him.
"I'll guide my demonic energy to control the remnants of its will. It just won't be a mutated spider anymore—it'll return to the initial rank of the master stage," Fiend Monk said.
The two talked to each other for what felt like a long time, though in reality, only a few seconds passed. Their souls seemed to resonate, linked by the moment.
"Do it. As long as I can keep this petty life of mine..."Meng xuan muttered.
The tattoo mark on his hand suddenly glowed, turning bright.
At that moment, the sand began to ripple. With it, countlessAbyssal Spiders began to emerge.
They listened to the remnant will of the dead abyssal spider as they enshrouded Lifeng and Ji baixi with thier massive number.
"What the hell is happening?!" someone screamed.
"let retreat for now," Mengxuan spoke coldly, his voice breaking through the dazed silence of his team.
They quickly activated the return coin. Mengxuan knew those hundred of Abyssal Spiders wouldn't kill Lifeng and his partner—not yet. The mission was likely over, but they had survived, and for the moment, they could retreat to the academy, back under its protection.
The scene of the transporting hall came into view.
The group let out a collective sigh of relief. They had all teetered on the brink of death back in the Abyssal Spider Demonic Zone.
A small room-sized space slowly opened, revealing six boys and two girls, all battered and worn from battle. They instantly became the center of attention, the focus of all eyes present in the transporting hall.
The teachers present in the transportation hall all stepped forward, their eyes locking on the returning group with a mixture of confusion and concern.
How could they have suffered such heavy casualties in a low-tier demonic zone?
In situations like this, the team leader was responsible for giving a full account of what transpired inside the demonic zone.
"What exactly happened back there?" asked one teacher, a man in his late fifties, his voice curious but firm.
Meng Xuan tried to stand straight but stumbled, falling back into Xiao Long's waiting hands.
"Don't worry, you can talk like this," Xiao Long said gently, holding Meng Xuan in his embrace.
Fiend monk cleared his throat and muttered, "Your acting is really realistic. If I didn't know your current situation, I might have been fooled.
"You can't stand properly because you want to stay with her, right?"he teased playfully.
"What do you always think about in that head of yours,idiot?, If they know someone with no holy force like me survived an upper-tier zone, they would instantly be suspicious."
"Master is truly the wisest,"he muttered.
"We encountered a mutated master-stage Abyssal Spider," Meng Xuan finally said.
"How did it happen? Weren't you all following the guide map?" The elder stepped forward, turning to look at the man with the amputated leg. Golden light had already sealed the wound—a healer's work.
Meng Xuan slowly shook his head. "I'm also confused… but I think the Abyssal Spider Demonic Zone is already at the brink of evolution."
"Evolution?" The teacher's brows furrowed. "The evolution of the Spider Demonic Zone is estimated to take four more years. Why would it already be showing signs of evolution?" he asked, utterly bewildered.
"Old Chu, haven't you heard? Even goblin zones that had no hope of evolving have already started showing changes recently," another teacher interjected.
"It seems a major change is about to happen to the world soon," Meng Xuan muttered, startled by the information he had just received. He had only gone to the goblin demonic zone… Was it because of him?
"You were ten altogether. Where are the remaining two?" another teacher asked, his strange gaze sending a shiver down Meng Xuan's spine.
Meng Xuan stared at him, conflicted. "When we were fighting the master-stage Abyssal Spider, there were also two master-stage cultivators among us. They were the ones fighting the beast head-on and were benevolent enough to create an escape route for us."
He clenched his fists. "They are still fighting the beast as we speak. I just pray they come out safe and sound." Meng Xuan spoke in a heartfelt tone.
The group looked a little surprised at Meng Xuan's unusually emotional voice. He had already explained everything to them before they came out of the main transportation room, also announcing that they would take an equal share of the resources. They grinned, happy and willing to cooperate with him, though they didn't understand why he had gone to such lengths to protect these so-called villains. Weren't they gaining more benefit instead?
"You are a liar! These two won't—"
The teacher, whose mouth was already open to say something, quickly shut up.
"Teacher Kai," he began again, voice low, "you seem to know these two students. Do you have any relationship with them?" Elder Chu asked, narrowing his eyes.
Teacher Kai looked to be in a dilemma.
"I was just...worried about them. But don't you all find it strange that this meng xuan, without any holy force, came out unscathed?" he spoke, deliberately diverting their attention.
The teachers present all stared curiously at Mengxuan.
How did someone without holy force emerge with his body intact from such a dangerous demonic zone, when another cultivator had to be teleported out in pieces? It was truly shocking.
"I should be grateful to these two," Mengxuan said calmly. "They protected me. Besides, Ji Baxi is a master healer. I was being treated the whole time."
"Oh, that's it," someone muttered, though the teachers didn't find any obvious lies in his words. Except Teacher Kai, who still stared at Mengxuan.
"You should drop your loot at the counter for refining. Someone will lead you to the healing hall," Elder Chu said before turning away.
The other teachers began leaving as well. They would be called later to give a detailed account of what had happened in the demonic zone.