"The evil soul masters we are about to face are a group of cruel, brutal, and murderous individuals. So, don't hold any thoughts of mercy, understood?"
Beside the campfire.
The flickering firelight illuminated Ma Xiaotao's solemn face, making it appear and disappear in the shadows.
The many Outer Academy disciples also wore serious expressions. When it involved evil soul masters, they naturally wouldn't take it lightly...
Ma Xiaotao scanned the circle, only to see Lu Cheng looking composed, lightly picking up a broken piece of firewood to poke the bonfire, resting his chin in thought.
As for this one...she naturally had nothing to advise.
In her memories, Lu Cheng had infiltrated and gone undercover in the Holy Spirit Cult for a long time. No matter how vicious those evil soul masters were, in front of this Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult, they were just a bunch of green recruits, played with effortlessly in the palm of his hand.
Back when she joined the Holy Spirit Cult, she too had been shocked by Lu Cheng's sinister nature at the time.
In terms of cruelty and brutality...even if you added up all those so-called evil soul masters, they probably couldn't match this Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult.
She was lost in thought for a moment. When she looked again, she saw Lu Cheng raise his head, a smile curling on his lips, revealing a gentle, warm expression.
In that instant, her throat tightened, and a chill ran down her spine.
It was as if he were slowly merging with the memory of that excessively cruel and sinister Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Gulp~
No matter how much time passes, the things from memory can never be completely forgotten. They are simply too deeply ingrained.
Ma Xiaotao turned her head somewhat stiffly.
She recalled some unpleasant memories, such as the fear of being dominated by that true devil king, Lu Cheng.
That one really did beat her up.
A ruthless person who used his own life as capital and treated all living beings as chess pieces.
"What are you thinking about?"
Lu Cheng raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise on his face.
"Ahem, ahem...Senior Brother, in the future, when you become stronger and surpass me in power...you won't beat me up, right?" Ma Xiaotao sneakily leaned closer, her narrow phoenix eyes looking a bit guilty.
She had been having too much fun earlier, and it took this sudden cold breeze to sober her up.
Just what kind of person was this Senior Brother she had been teasing and "playing" with? Apologizing now...it shouldn't be too late, right?
If she waited until later to be hung up and spanked, it would probably be too late. Even Sister Lexuan wouldn't be able to save her then.
"Heh..." Lu Cheng chuckled lightly.
Poking the bonfire, he said in a flat tone, "Perhaps."
Ma Xiaotao: "…"
Can we settle this peacefully?
Or...take advantage of his weakness to finish him off, or maybe have a child with him in advance. That way, if he dares to hit me, I'll hit his child."
The many inner and outer academy disciples around looked on with surprise.
Clearly, they hadn't expected Ma Xiaotao, the inner court maniac who usually feared nothing, to be so cautious and thoroughly subdued in front of this Junior Brother Lu Cheng.
Truly, there's always someone to keep you in check.
"What exactly is the relationship between Xiaotao and Junior Lu Cheng?" Gongyang Mo asked flirtatiously while elegantly cleaning his nails, his expression "enchanting."
"Ew~" Yao Haoxuan, beside him, shifted away, his face full of disdain.
"It should be pure friendship," Dai Yueheng said with a beaming smile.
"Pure friendship...tsk tsk," Ling Luochen stood to the side, arms crossed, her beautiful eyes casting a cold, somewhat contemptuous glance at Ma Xiaotao.
An old cow eating young grass, utterly shameless.
Of course, whether she felt a bit of envy was unclear.
"Gongyang Mo, stop staring at my Xiao Cheng!" Ma Xiaotao blocked Gongyang Mo's line of sight, her eyes turning unfriendly.
"Oh my, I'm just admiring how handsome this little guy is. What's the harm in looking a bit more? Why so stingy?" Gongyang Mo said coquettishly.
"You damn sissy, I knew there was something off about you!" Ma Xiaotao's eye twitched, her anger flaring like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
"Alright, everyone, gather around.
Wang Yan waved his hand.
He called the bickering group over.
"We have now fully entered the Mingdou Mountains, stepping into the area where those bandits have been active. The only difficulty is finding them and then completely exterminating them. We don't have much time...we need to report back to the Star Luo Empire promptly."
All the disciples nodded, relaxed smiles on their faces.
After all, with this lineup, wiping out a few Soul King-level evil soul masters was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
The terrain of the Mingdou Mountains was treacherous, variable, and complex. Once inside, their traces were concealed by tall, dense foliage. Those evil soul masters were caught between the Sun, Moon, and Star Luo armies. When one side came to suppress them, they would flee to the other's territory, and vice versa. With the two armies constantly clashing, these guys were left to run rampant.
"There is a type of tree here called the Wenlan tree. Its nature is Yin-aligned, and its heartwood is a favored food for many evil soul masters. Consuming it aids in cultivation..." Wang Yan took out a half-section of pale blue tree heart.
"And right around here, I detected many hollowed-out tree trunks and half-sections of tree hearts."
The implication was clear. Those evil soul masters were most likely nearby.
Everyone looked at Ma Xiaotao, their eyes blazing with fervor and excitement.
"Everyone, spread out with a ten-meter interval. Use the Wenlan trees Teacher Wang Yan mentioned as reference points to search for the targets..." A cold glint flashed in Ma Xiaotao's phoenix eyes as she commanded.
Lu Cheng: "..."
Has she changed? Is this something that the single-minded brain of Ma Xiaotao's could come up with?
But upon second thought, in the simulated memories, she had served as the Pavilion Master of the Sea Gods Pavilion for over twenty years, gaining much experience. It seems time really can change a person.
Lu Cheng revealed a gratified smile.
"Clap, clap, clap." He applauded, "Not bad reasoning, not bad command."
Everyone looked stunned.
"But you all seem to have forgotten...I am a mental-type soul master."
Lu Cheng said meaningfully.
In the dark night sky, his blood pupils shimmered with light.
Everyone: "..."
"Coordinates: thirty degrees east of due south, a cave at the foot of a slope three hundred meters away," Lu Cheng slowly stated.
Wang Yan:
The range of his current mental detection had long exceeded a diameter of over two thousand three hundred meters. If focused in a single direction and extended infinitely, it could also reach a distance of two thousand meters. In his eyes, nothing could hide.
The next moment, he shared his mental perception with everyone present.
They were all shocked by the tip of the iceberg Lu Cheng revealed regarding his mental detection. After all, back in the arena, this mental sharing was already considered a divine artifact-level skill, making battles overwhelmingly advantageous. And now...
In terms of detection, it was also this heaven-defying.
Within a one-kilometer diameter, it was like a god's-eye view, presenting the entire forest in a three-dimensional form within everyone's minds.
The originally pitch-black night sky lost all concealment under Lu Cheng's mental detection. The complex, dense jungle seemed to have been stripped bare. Hundreds of light points emitting a dark aura almost instantly attracted everyone's attention.
The originally hidden evil soul masters now stood out to the many Shrek students like they were carrying signal beacons.
"Incredible."
Yao Haoxuan gave a thumbs up.
"Let's go."
Lu Cheng waved his hand, signaling for Ma Xiaotao to lead.
At least on the surface, this girl seemed quite "reliable," showing some leadership qualities.
They arrived outside the cave.
Just as Lu Cheng was feeling gratified, waiting for Ma Xiaotao to show some change, the latter simply roared, "Follow me in, kill the enemy!"
Immediately, crimson divine phoenix flames spread like wildfire. Wings sprouted from her back as she charged headlong into the cave.
Behind her followed the many Inner Academy disciples, their battle intent boiling.
Lu Cheng: "..."
Alright, there was change...but not much.
In the simulator, she hadn't experienced this tragedy either. After all, the Mingdou Mountains were directly flattened by the Sun-Moon Empire, and she had joined the Holy Spirit Cult, becoming the Holy Maiden, so she missed it.
It seemed the tragic ending couldn't be avoided. However, out of camaraderie, he would intervene to change the fates of those destined to die or be severely disabled. That would be enough to clear his conscience.
After all, he was always a kind-hearted person.
Battle erupted fiercely, the front line pushing deeper inside.
Ma Xiaotao and the others killed gods if gods blocked them and killed buddhas if buddhas stood in their way.
With the enhancement of Lu Cheng's mental sharing, they had already seen through the entire cave. There were only three soul kings at most; the rest were just small fry, easily defeated.
The only unsettling sight was the corpses hanging from the cave walls—men, women, old, and young alike. There were headless bodies, ones dried into human skin, and various other gruesome sights, enough to make one's scalp crawl.
"You beasts, die!"
Ma Xiaotao's crimson wings blazed behind her. Her seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul True Body, roared within the cave, emanating terrifying power.
"Damn it, what kind of monsters are these..." The Death Messenger looked stunned, but a sinister, cold smile flashed in his eyes. "You're all in, are you? Then I won't hold back."
"For me, explode!"
"Be careful!"
Lu Cheng, expressionless, shouted lightly.
Simultaneously, his mental sharing reached its peak. The flow of time around them seemed to slow down. Ice shields rose before them. He mainly protected the rear line, namely the reserve team—Wang Dong'er, Ning Tian, and the others.
As for Ma Xiaotao at the front, she was in a bit of a sorry state.
Even with Lu Cheng's warning, she could only manage to save herself.
Ma Xiaotao's wings trembled and contracted, doing her utmost to shield herself. Dai Yueheng activated White Tiger Vajra Transformation. Chen Zifeng used "Defense." Xi Xi had an ice shield cast on her by Ling Luochen...
Boom!!!
A terrifying roar of explosions erupted from the cave.
Countless corpses of civilians and evil soul masters suddenly swelled, then burst with horrifying force. Bone fragments, foul yellowish blood, and thick green corpse poison mixed with the place into a living hell. The explosions weren't a one-time event. During the first corpse explosion, many evil soul masters were still fighting. They were caught in the blast and killed, becoming the fuel for the second wave of corpse explosions.
Immediately after, another earth-shaking explosion swept through the entire cave.
Hearing the explosions,
Xuan Zi, who was drinking wine above the cave and somewhat dissatisfied with the dullness of this bandit suppression mission and unable to teach that little brat a profound lesson, suddenly froze.
His heart began to pound violently.
Not good; under his leadership, the team was in trouble again!!!
When he finally saw clearly what was inside the cave, his eyes gradually went blank.
Even though Lu Cheng had warned in time and supplemented with mental sharing,
The many Inner Academy disciples who charged at the front, caught in the core of the blast, were still severely injured. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, being the strongest, weren't contaminated by corpse poison. The former barely stabilized herself, coughing up blood, while the latter was slammed against the wall by the powerful shockwave and knocked unconscious.
Xi Xi, Yao Haoxuan, and Chen Zifeng were in slightly worse shape. Their bodies were tainted with corpse poison, but fortunately, they weren't missing limbs. Their faces were just turning purple, clearly in urgent need of treatment.
Gongyang Mo and Ling Luochen were positioned further back. The former had another ice shield cast on him by Ling Luochen, so he only sustained light injuries. However, he couldn't use soul power for the time being and needed recuperation...
In other words, under his leadership,
That little brat hadn't even suffered at the hands of the evil soul masters' brutality yet. Instead, the entire Shrek Academy's main team, which had been placed with high hopes, was the first to be crippled...
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
Xuan Zi's eyes turned blood-red, filled with hatred, as he glared fiercely at the Death Messenger trying to flee in the distance.
"You beast, I'll kill you!"
The phantom of a taotie bull slowly materialized behind him. Thick, steady, earthy-yellow solar power surged from his body. Xuan Zi stretched out his hand towards the distant Death Messenger, and a terrifying suction force abruptly appeared.
It violently pulled the latter's figure towards him.
"..."
The Death Messenger's pupils constricted sharply, his face bitter. There's another expert?!
But in this life-or-death moment, he happened to glance at the corpse of another soul king-level evil soul master. An idea flashed in his mind.
"Hah!"
So, while sliding, the Death Messenger touched the eye of the corpse of the Soul King Evil Soul Master, R-flashed to adjust position, colliding the corpse of the Soul King Evil Soul Master into Xuan Zi, effectively switching places.
Boom!!!
The corpse explosion obscured Xuan Zi's vision.
The person he had sucked into his palm had been replaced by a bomb.
Bones and flesh splattered filth all over Xuan Zi's face.
Though the damage wasn't high, the humiliation was extreme.
By the time Xuan Zi wiped his vision clear, he discovered that the Soul King had long disappeared.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
Only Xuan Zi's furious roars remained in the cave.
On the other side.
Having executed a gorgeous display of skill and escaped beautifully, the Death Messenger savored his operation with lingering satisfaction. However, a shadow also crossed his eyes: "Damn old beast, you've destroyed years of my savings. But fortunately, these things can hold them off..."
He glanced at the end of the cave, where over a dozen corpse slaves, humanlike yet not quite, stood. With them there, self-destructing simultaneously, they should be able to block that old man who seemed to be a Super Douluo.
"When I make my comeback, even Titled Douluo will only be fit to be made into corpse slaves..."
Wait.
The Death Messenger's pupils constricted sharply again.
At the edge of his vision, at the very center of the twelve corpse slaves, stood a figure dressed in shit-green attire, clearly one of those intruders from earlier. But as he saw the face clearly, it became increasingly bizarre.
That impossibly handsome youth was now leisurely sitting on the shoulder of a burly corpse slave, looking at him with a mocking gaze.
A pair of blood pupils full of evil charm.
Looking at it this way, it was as if the other party was the murderous demon king, while he himself seemed like an honest, simple man.
"No... why aren't the corpse slaves attacking him?!" The Death Messenger's eyes trembled. Even his fleeing speed slowed slightly, his expression filled with suspicion.
Those corpse slaves only obeyed his commands. Anyone else who approached would be torn to shreds instantly.
But this youth...was so at ease.
Just as he tried to manipulate the corpse slaves, it felt like a hammer blow to the head. His spirit shook violently, pain spreading through his mind.
His control over the corpse slaves had long been stolen without him realizing it.
When did this happen?!!