Huo Yuhao's voice carried a trace of spiritual power, and with the echoing structure of the valley, his warning reached everyone clearly.
On the perimeter, Lang Shan turned toward the eastern side of the valley. His Blood Wolf Martial Soul wasn't known for perception, so he couldn't tell whether Huo Yuhao's warning was accurate.
But having survived decades in the Spirit Master world as a Spirit Elder, he was still inclined to trust his companions.
After all, mutual suspicion was the greatest taboo for mercenaries.
Lang Shan didn't hesitate for even a moment. Almost the instant he heard Huo Yuhao's shout, he bellowed:
"All Spirit Grand Master, except for Lang Yan and Danzō, immediately go to the east of the valley to defend!"
"Lang Yan and Danzō, take the Dingyi Merchant Association members to the southern exit of the valley to secure the rear!"
Although the average Spirit Power Rank of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group members was not high, their execution was formidable.
The two other Spirit Elders besides Lang Yan, along with the seven Great Spirit Masters, quickly found their positions and formed a defensive formation.
The twenty one-ring Spirit Masters of the Dingyi Merchant Association positioned themselves on the inner side, ready to support any mercenary at a moment's notice.
Huo Yuhao led Xiao Xiao and the other core members of the association toward the southern exit of the valley.
Shasha—
From the distant forest came a sound—whether wind or Spirit Beast—it was unclear. But it approached with frightening speed, like the footsteps of death itself.
In the silent valley, the sound was especially crisp. Huo Yuhao could clearly see beads of sweat forming on Lang Shan's forehead; the other mercenaries' expressions also grew increasingly grim.
The mercenary group had wandered together across the continent for over twenty years. Though not strong enough to take high-risk missions, they were familiar with the speeds of various classes of Spirit Masters.
In their experience, only an agility-type Spirit Elder—or even a Spirit Ancestor or Spirit King—could move at such speed.
Lang Shan stared unblinking at the eastern forest, veins bulging on his forehead as he prayed silently:
"Please don't be enemies…"
He knew that whether a Spirit Ancestor or a Spirit King appeared, they were not opponents the likes of Spirit Elders and Grand Masters could hope to fight.
If it came to a life-or-death battle, their casualties would be catastrophic.
At some point, the shasha sound suddenly stopped. Four black-robed Spirit Masters burst out of the forest.
A cold, sinister aura spread around them. That pitch-black, almost tangible energy seemed to carry the faint cries and wails of wronged spirits.
A chill from nowhere made everyone's scalp tingle.
Lang Shan's last sliver of hope died. If they were bandits, negotiations might have been possible.
But against Evil Spirit Masters, there was only one path left—battle to the death.
To these people, the lives and souls of others were more valuable than wealth.
Lang Shan's facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, leaving an ugly expression.
He roared:
"Evil Spirit Masters!!! Prepare for battle!"
As his shout fell, two yellow and one purple ring rose around him.
Blood-red fur instantly covered his body, his pupils turning a ghostly green. Fangs protruded from his mouth, and icy, sharp claws extended from his fingertips. His frame bulked up, muscles nearly tearing through his clothes.
Immediately afterward, Spirit Rings began appearing throughout the valley—mostly yellow, with a few purple.
One of the Evil Spirit Masters let out a harsh, grating laugh beneath his hood.
"Hehehe, Third Brother, your senses were right. There's so much fresh blood food here."
The one called "Third Brother" also chuckled.
"My Martial Soul is the Heart-Eating Rat. I'm very sensitive to scent—I smelled these delicacies from far away."
The leader of the black-robed group snorted coldly, cutting them off:
"Save the chatter. Finish them quickly—we need to restore our injuries and Spirit Power. That damned Golden Crow woman will catch up soon!"
"If you don't want to die in her hands, move fast!"
Hearing this, the people in the valley felt their hearts sink. They understood—they were about to fight for their lives.
Lang Shan clenched his fists tightly, fanged mouth opening wide as the purple soul ring behind him lit up.
"If you want my life, come and take it!!"
"Third Spirit Ability—Blood Wolf Break!"
A crimson energy wave gathered in Lang Shan's mouth, then erupted forward with a screeching roar of air, aimed at the leading black-robed figure.
The black-robed Spirit Masters didn't dodge. They simply stared coldly as Lang Shan charged and released his ability.
Just as the crimson wave was about to hit the leader, the evil Spirit Master slightly lifted an arm and opened his palm. It looked like dried bone—gray, bloodless skin stretched tight over grotesque joints.
At the moment of impact, there was none of the explosive effect Lang Shan expected. The energy wave didn't blast the hand apart.
It simply vanished.
Not even a breeze stirred, as though Lang Shan had never released a Spirit Ability at all.
The leader lowered his hand and said coldly:
"Done showing off?"
"Then obediently become food."
The four black-robed figures dove down the valley slope and released their Spirit Rings.
These Evil Spirit Masters were all Rank 40-plus, with one exception whose first ring was white. The rest had the optimal configuration accessible to normal Spirit Masters.
Upon seeing this, Lang Shan activated all his Spirit Rings, roared, and charged toward one of the Evil Spirit Masters.
The others also activated their Spirit Abilities and attacked their respective opponents.
Each evil Spirit Master was being assaulted by three to five Spirit Masters at once.
Even though it was obvious the Evil Spirit Masters were not in peak condition, the difference in level wasn't something that could be bridged so easily.
Every swing of an evil Spirit Master's arm sent blood splattering. They didn't even need to use Spirit Abilities.
Only when the few Spirit Elders like Lang Shan released their third Spirit Rings did they bother to dodge.
It was a one-sided massacre.
At the southern exit, Huo Yuhao and Lang Yan shielded the Dingyi Merchant Association's core members as they watched the slaughter unfolding inside the valley.
Lang Yan's face flushed red with anxiety—he wanted to rush in and help. His talent was clearly better than his brother's, but he lacked experience.
His brother had sent him to the southern exit precisely so he could escape.
Xiao Dingyuan covered Xiao Xiao's eyes, his face ashen.
He knew that if Lang Shan and the others died, they would not escape either.
Huo Yuhao turned to Xiao Dingyuan and shouted sternly,
"President Xiao, this is the time to retreat!"
Xiao Dingyuan shook his head helplessly.
"It's useless. We can't run. The Heavenly Soul Empire isn't like Star Luo. The nearest city is about two hundred miles away."
"On the way it's either plains or mountains—no place to hide. And you heard them—one of them has the Heart-Eating Rat Martial Soul. He's built for tracking."
Huo Yuhao sighed and looked back toward the valley. His newly acquainted friend Li Fei was already lying on the ground clutching his arm.
At the current pace, everyone inside would be dead in at most ten minutes.
Huo Yuhao turned to Lang Yan.
"We're going to help. If we can't escape, then we can only fight for our lives!"
Before he finished speaking, Lang Yan had already activated his Martial Soul and charged in to help his brother.
The corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. He wanted to say something, but could only shake his head.
"Idiot."
Huo Yuhao stopped holding back his spiritual power and locked onto the evil Spirit Master with the Heart-Eating Rat Martial Soul. Then he quietly crept toward him.
"I have to take him out. Otherwise we won't even have a chance to run."
The Heart-Eating Rat Spirit Master, intoxicated by the slaughter, did not notice the small, weak "mouse" approaching him.
Huo Yuhao easily circled around and came right up beside him.
Only then did the evil Spirit Master notice an extra person standing next to him.
"Hehehe, another one."
He cackled, raising his hand to claw Huo Yuhao's head apart.
"Now!"
Huo Yuhao waited for the exact moment their eyes met and immediately cast his illusion.
The specialized spiritual power of the Spirit Eye Mangekyō pierced into the evil Spirit Master's spiritual sea like an iron nail.
Through that "nail," he disrupted the target's spiritual and Spirit Power, breaking down the body's defenses and slowly seizing control of his senses and thoughts.
By consuming nearly two-thirds of his spiritual power and almost all of his Spirit Power, Huo Yuhao completely collapsed the enemy's consciousness, turning him into a puppet entirely subject to his will.
Thanks to the faceless mask, no one could see that Huo Yuhao's face was deathly pale.
Draining two-thirds of one's spiritual power in an instant would be a huge burden for anyone.
In truth, most of that spiritual power was wasted.
The illusion technique inherited from the Mangekyō Sharingan was a half-formed instinct, not a complete system. If it truly came with a full illusionist system like in Naruto, Huo Yuhao wouldn't have had to waste so much energy experimenting on the fly.
"At least the result was good," Huo Yuhao sighed with relief as he looked at the now soulless-eyed Heart-Eating Rat Spirit Master.
Then, through the spiritual "nail" in his mind, Huo Yuhao gave a command:
"Go give your big brother a little surprise."
Light returned to the puppet's eyes, and he charged straight toward the evil Spirit Master leader who was fighting Lang Shan and Lang Yan.
"Hmph, if that damned Golden Crow woman hadn't injured my Martial Soul, you wouldn't even last a minute!"
The leader grew irritated—he couldn't believe two Spirit Elders and a few one-ring Spirit Masters had held him up this long.
Soon, he caught an opening. His mummy-like hand shriveled into claw form and raked violently across Lang Shan's chest.
A chunk of flesh and skin was ripped clean off, blood gushing like a fountain.
"Brother!!!" Lang Yan's eyes went bloodshot as he watched his brother gravely wounded. His attacks instantly fell into chaos.
The leader sneered, licking the fresh blood and flesh on his hand. Before their eyes, his dried, corpse-like body began to show a faint flush of color.
"Such high-quality meat," he said with satisfaction, staring at Lang Shan as the latter knelt on the ground clutching his chest.