There were only the painful groans of the injured students and Ma Xiaotao's heavy breathing.
...
Swoosh—
Just then.
A yellow figure rushed into the cave like a meteor chasing the moon.
It was Xuan Zi, who had only just "returned from eating."
He was still clutching half an unfinished roasted wild boar leg, and the grease on the corners of his mouth hadn't even been wiped clean.
Just a moment ago, he had been feasting in the distance when he suddenly heard the earth-shattering explosions and saw the soaring Phoenix flames. He was scared out of his wits and came scrambling back.
When he saw the scene of devastation inside the cave, he froze completely.
The roasted boar leg in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud."
Rubble covered the ground, along with residual green corpse poison.
There were also Chen Zifeng, Xi Xi, and the others lying on the ground, covered in blood.
Even someone as strong as Dai Yueheng was currently leaning against the rock wall with a haggard face, his chest heaving.
"This... this..."
Xuan Zi's voice was trembling, and his cloudy old eyes were filled with terror.
"What happened?! What on earth happened?!"
"Didn't that bandit group only have one Spirit King?!"
"How did it turn out like this?!"
Yuhao looked coldly at this late-arriving lead teacher, a sense of indescribable absurdity rising in his heart.
But he still suppressed his emotions and briefly recounted everything that had just happened, from the sudden onset of the Corpse Explosions to the shattering of the spirit tools, and finally Ma Xiaotao's desperate protection of everyone.
After hearing Yuhao's account.
Xuan Zi's gaze fell upon Ma Xiaotao.
At this moment, although Ma Xiaotao was injured, she still stood perfectly straight, like an unyielding god of war.
Xuan Zi stepped quickly to Ma Xiaotao's side and looked her up and down. After confirming she only had spirit power exhaustion and some shock injuries that didn't harm her foundation, the heart that had been in his throat finally settled back into his chest.
"Phew..."
Xuan Zi let out a long breath of turbid air and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Good... good!"
"Xiaotao, well done!"
Xuan Zi patted Ma Xiaotao's shoulder hard, his eyes full of relief and praise.
"If you hadn't activated your Martial Soul True Body in time to protect everyone, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
"Although there was a slight mishap in this mission, your performance was perfect!"
Xuan Zi praised Ma Xiaotao incessantly, as if doing so could cover up the fact of his dereliction of duty.
Deep within his heart, the feeling of relief from surviving a disaster almost overwhelmed him.
"That was too close... truly too close..."
Xuan Zi looked at Chen Zifeng and Dai Yueheng, who were receiving treatment, feeling a wave of lingering fear.
"That Evil Soul Master actually knew such a vicious technique as the Corpse Explosion Art..."
"If Xiaotao weren't already a seven-ring Spirit Saint, and if she hadn't used her Martial Soul True Body to protect the others..."
"Then these few talents from the Inner Court would probably have perished here today."
At that thought, Xuan Zi couldn't help but shudder.
Total annihilation?
If the Shrek Supervisory Group were to be wiped out under his leadership, or even if just one or two main forces were killed or crippled...
Then what would happen to the upcoming All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament?
Would Shrek's ten thousand years of glory be ruined in his hands?
How could he explain it to Elder Mu? How could he explain it to the Academy?
Just thinking about those consequences made Xuan Zi's scalp tingle and his spine go cold.
"No... I absolutely cannot let such a mistake happen again."
Xuan Zi glanced at the roasted boar leg on the ground and kicked it away.
He made a silent vow in his heart.
"For the rest of the journey, this old man will absolutely not leave their side for even half a step."
"I must bring these little ancestors safely to Star Luo City."
"The championship of this tournament must be Shrek's!"
"Only in this way can I once again completely cover up my mistake!"
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