Feng Piaoling patted his chest, activating the Earth Escape Talisman pinned there. Pressing his left hand onto Huang Chutian's shoulder, he raised his right hand, extending his index and middle fingers together as a cyan glow emanated from his fingertips.
He addressed the group, "To avoid any further complications, Nannan, grab my shoulder. The rest of you, hold hands with Nannan. I'm taking everyone out of here via Earth Escape."
Hearing this, everyone followed his instructions. An earthy yellow halo quickly enveloped the group before they sank into the ground and vanished.
Not long after they disappeared, three figures streaked toward the location at high speed from the direction of Shrek Academy.
The trio—one man and two women—consisted of Mu Jin, Wang Yan, and Zhou Yi.
Upon seeing the severed trees, the terrifying sword scars stretching over ten meters long and several meters deep across the grass, and the twelve charred marks on the ground still smoldering with wisps of green smoke, the faces of all three turned incredibly grim.
Zhou Yi's heart skipped a beat, and she staggered backward, her steps faltering.
"Zhou Yi, look at what your meddling has done!" Mu Jin's eyes were bloodshot, her breathing heavy with rage as she glared at Zhou Yi.
In the past, the two had merely been at odds due to differing teaching philosophies and the fact that Fan Yu, whom Mu Jin liked, had chosen Zhou Yi. But now, Mu Jin truly loathed her.
After questioning the students on duty at the academy gates, they already knew that Jiang Nannan had left with Feng Piaoling. Furthermore, Jiang Nannan had once been Mu Jin's student.
Because of Zhou Yi's reckless and willful behavior, a total of nine students, including Feng Piaoling, had been ambushed. Given the devastation of the scene, it was highly likely they had met a tragic end.
"Nine core disciples and geniuses with core disciple status—all ambushed outside the academy with their fates unknown, all because of your arrogance. Zhou Yi, you will bear full responsibility for this!"
Wang Yan was equally grief-stricken.
The glares from these two were so terrifying that even Zhou Yi, with her haughty and overbearing personality, became flustered and incoherent under the weight of her guilt.
"I... I didn't know it would turn out like this..."
In that moment, Zhou Yi, wearing her old woman mask, looked as helpless as a frightened child.
"What's the use of saying that now? Hurry up and search for clues. Even if the chance of their survival is slim, we must do everything we can."
Mu Jin's eyes were already rimmed with red.
Wang Yan nodded, and the two immediately began scouring the area. However, no matter how thoroughly they searched the surroundings, they could find no trace of Feng Piaoling and the others.
A moment later, Du Weilun arrived, accompanied by Yan Shaozhe, who was dressed in white. Following them was a group of Inner Court students, including Zhang Lexuan.
They had come specifically to bring Feng Piaoling and the others back. After all, allowing such geniuses to wander off was not only a loss for Shrek Academy but also a potential disaster, as they might grow to resent the academy.
If they were willing to return, all would be well. If they refused, Yan Shaozhe would have to consider "silencing" them to prevent future trouble. When that time came, someone would act from the shadows.
Upon hearing that Feng Piaoling and the others were likely dead, Yan Shaozhe was struck by a mix of shock and fury. His expression darkened instantly. Clearly, the situation had spiraled out of his control and was far worse than he had imagined.
If they were dead, that was one thing. But if they had survived, they would almost certainly blame this ordeal on Shrek Academy.
"Check everything! Who dared to act at the gates of Shrek Academy and ambush our students? I will make them pay in blood!"
At Yan Shaozhe's command, the Inner Court students began investigating the area.
A short while later, Zhang Lexuan returned and reported, "Dean, based on the traces left behind, the battle ended very quickly. There were six ambushers, but judging by the marks on the scene, there should be twelve casualties. Which means..."
Because Feng Piaoling had killed the six ambushers in such a short time, bisected them, burned the remains, and then escaped underground, Zhang Lexuan had miscalculated the results. After all, such a powerful enemy lineup was beyond what Outer Court students should be able to handle.
Mu Jin's eyes lit up. "Does that mean Feng Piaoling might still be alive?"
Zhang Lexuan nodded. "Given his second soul skill—which is a superlative life-saving technique—and his exceptional perception, the probability of his survival is quite high."
As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but be reminded of her own past. Back then, when she had just broken through to Level 80, she had traveled to the Great Star Dou Forest with eleven other Inner Court disciples and Elder Xuan. Midway through the journey, Elder Xuan had separated from them due to his gluttony and alcoholism.
Soon after, they encountered a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Though she had luckily survived and obtained a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and soul bone against all odds, eight of the twelve Inner Court disciples had perished.
The scene today bore a haunting resemblance to that tragedy.
At the same time, Zhang Lexuan recalled the look in Feng Piaoling's eyes the first time she saw him. It was the look of someone recognizing a kindred spirit.
Zhang Lexuan sighed inwardly. She wasn't sure if it was a hallucination, but back then, in addition to the empathy of shared suffering, his gaze had seemed to hold a hint of pity. He seemed to feel sorry for her.
"Perhaps he also has a past that no one knows about," she mused.
Mu Jin was unaware of Zhang Lexuan's internal monologue. Hearing that Feng Piaoling might still be alive brought her instant relief. As long as he was alive, that was enough.
He was her most valued student. As long as he grew up, she didn't need him to rival that controversial "Grandmaster" Yu Xiaogang from ten thousand years ago—who had somehow taught a genius like the Sea God Tang San—but he could certainly make her famous across the three empires of the Douluo Continent.
Most importantly, Zhou Yi had used backroom connections to steal the position of Class 1's head teacher from her. In the future, she could use Feng Piaoling to shove that failure right back in Zhou Yi's face.
Actually, considering the disaster Zhou Yi had caused today, her face had already been thoroughly slapped.
Zhou Yi also breathed a sigh of relief. Although many core disciples had seemingly perished, at least the academy's most prized genius, Feng Piaoling, might still be alive. There was still a chance to salvage the situation.
In contrast, Yan Shaozhe's expression turned grim upon hearing that Feng Piaoling might have survived.
"Zhou Yi, look at what you've done!"
It was unclear whether he was worried that Feng Piaoling would resent the academy for this or if he was genuinely enraged by the "death" of so many core disciples. He glared at Zhou Yi, his eyes bloodshot and his breath hitching in anger.
It was the first time many had seen Yan Shaozhe this furious. Their hearts hammered in unison. Zhou Yi's eyes reddened as she stammered:
"I... what did I do? Isn't Feng Piaoling still alive?"
With her old woman mask, her expression made her look exactly like a wronged, ninety-year-old grandmother.
"Feng Piaoling might be alive, but are the lives of the other students not lives? Zhu Lu, Nanmen Yun'er, Xiao Xiao, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Huang Chutian, Cui Yajie, and the fourth-year core disciple Jiang Nannan—every single one of them was a genius with a limitless future! Some were even from great clans, yet now they have been killed because of you, with not even their bones remaining! Zhou Yi, you will take full responsibility for this!" Yan Shaozhe roared in a towering rage.
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