"Those bastards…"
Bèi Bèi ground his teeth and slammed his fist into the rocky wall.
"They deserved to die! But even that won't bring peace to the souls of their victims!"
The swaying human skins stirred a stench of rot.
As they ventured deeper, more corpses of the Death's Hand bandits littered the ground, and the sound of battle grew louder. Though the bodies were grotesquely contorted, none felt pity—for the innocents slaughtered by these fiends suffered far worse.
The cavern suddenly opened into a vast chamber. Within it, Mǎ Xiǎotáo, Dài Yàohéng, and the others—though restricted by space—still unleashed their immense power to suppress the bandits. The attackers fought desperately, but their numbers could not overcome Shrek's strength. Within moments, the band's Soul Kings were taken down and countless thugs fell.
Bloodied bodies fell in heaps. Once over a hundred lie strewn across the floor, a chilling voice echoed from the depths:
"Who dares oppose the emissary of death? You will all join the ranks of my corpse-slaves!"
Rather than rallying, the remaining bandits panicked and fled. Jiang Qingtong narrowed her eyes and quickly shielded Jiāng Nánnán, Wáng Dōng, and Xiāo Xiāo.
Suddenly, all the bodies on the cavern floor erupted—bloody flesh exploding outward with horrifying force. The seven Inner‑Court members stood at the center of the carnage, forced to endure bone-shattering shockwaves.
The explosions thundered throughout the Mingdou Mountains and echoed into the camp of the Star Luo Empire's garrison.
From his tent, Elder Xuan—mid-bite and drink—heard the deafening blast. He immediately dropped his food and charged toward the sound.
Inside the cave, aside from the trio protected by Jiang Qingtong, the rest of the prep-team and Wáng Yán suffered minor wounds. But the seven Inner members were not so fortunate.
Ling Luochan fared better physically, but Chén Zǐfēng was blown away, his leg shattered, screaming in pain. Yáo Hàoxuān was cleaved in half—already dead. Gōngyáng Mò lay with a massive chest and thigh wound, his poisoned blood seeping out, sucking away his life. Xi Xi survived as well, but a large patch of flesh on her back had been mangled to bone.
Even Mǎ Xiǎotáo and Dài Yàohéng, at Soul Emperor level, escaped unscathed only physically; the explosion had still affected them deeply.
A mere Soul‑King evil soul master, using the terrain, had inflicted such devastation. Wáng Yán was stunned—this wasn't just a fight.
"Retreat! Everyone, pull back!" he shouted, corraling the prep-team as he covered the wounded Inner members.
Ma Xiaotao and Dài Yàohéng, bearing pain, led Chén Zǐfēng, Xī Xī, and Gōngyáng Mò to safety, with Ling Luochan holding an ice shield of protection.
Suddenly, a thin, black-robed figure emerged from the cave, sneering at Jiang Qingtong faction.
"Running? Did you ask for permission?" he taunted.
He then hurled several freshly exploded bodies toward the group. Ma Xiaotao and Dài Yàohéng—protecting the wounded—were caught by the secondary burst and sent flying, along with Wáng Yán!
The prep-team now stood defenseless before the evil Soul‑King.
At that moment, Elder Xuan's murderous aura, approaching at tremendous speed, reached the bandit lord's senses. Instantly, the Soul‑King surged forward, seizing a prep-team student as a hostage.
The prep-team froze in horror, but Jiang Qingtong stepped forward, commanding,
"Everyone, take cover behind me!"
Ma Xiaotao and the others tried to resist—but how could they stop him?
The Soul‑King grimaced at the young Jiang Qingtong who'd stepped forward and spat,
"Little brat, you want to act heroically? I'll show you the power of an evil Soul‑King!"
He lunged, snatched Jiang Qingtong, and fled into the darkness. Wáng Yán, Ma Xiaotao, and the rest stood in shock as she was taken.
"Qingtong's been taken! What do we do?" Xiāo Xiāo screamed.
"Stay calm! She has a Soul‑Guided tool for protection—she'll be fine!" Wáng Yán rose painfully, his right hand caked in poisoned blood and trembling.
Moments later, Elder Xuan arrived. Observing the wounded Inner team and fallen bandits, he unleashed his overwhelming power. His nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—flared as the Gluttonous Divine Bull soul manifested around him. He roared,
"Fall back! I'm going after Qingtong!"
"Wait, Elder Xuan!" Wáng Yán begged. "You have to help these boys!"
Elder Xuan's brow tightened. Seeing the grievously wounded Chén Zǐfēng, Xī Xī, and Gōngyáng Mò, he made a tough call:
"I'll bring them back to the Star Luo garrison first!"
"But Qingtong…" Wáng Dōng, Xiāo Xiāo, and Jiāng Nánnán pleaded.
Elder Xuan waved decisively:
"Don't worry! Qingtong has a level‑9 Soul‑Guided tool—she's safe. Once I return them, I'll come back for her!"
Without further protest, he took the wounded aloft and flew out of the cave.
No sooner had they emerged than they saw a group of young figures standing quietly in a depression before the cavern. One stood center-stage: a handsome youth with silver hair and dark-gold eyes.
At sight of him, Xiāo Xiāo and the others gasped instinctively:
"Qingtong?!"
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