The Soul-Releasing Blade flashed with a cold light, shattering the deathly silence of the valley.
Jiang Li's eyes were as cold as ice. He suddenly exerted force with his wrist, and the blade, carrying unparalleled power, slashed straight towards Xuan Zi's neck.
Xuanzi was covered in blood, his aura was extremely weak, and the pressure of a level 97 Super Douluo had long since vanished.
The suppression from Tian Nimu never dissipated, and he was unable to activate his martial soul. Even mobilizing a trace of soul power was extremely difficult, and he could only watch helplessly as the deadly blade light approached.
His eyes were bloodshot, and a hoarse roar escaped his throat, his heart filled with resentment and regret.
He shouldn't have left the team so easily, shouldn't have fallen into the enemy's trap, and failed to protect the younger generation of Shrek.
He tried to struggle and fight back, but his severely injured body was no longer under his control. He felt a tearing pain in every part of his body, and every muscle was trembling.
puff--
A crisp, piercing sound rang out, and blood splattered.
Xuanzi's head rolled off with a thud and slammed heavily onto the ground, his eyes wide open, filled with hatred and resentment.
The towering body crashed to the ground, completely lifeless. The soul rings around it dissipated one by one, and the dazzling 100,000-year soul light was finally extinguished in the valley.
Xuanzi, a super Douluo of his generation and one of the pillars of Shrek Academy.
He died there.
Jiang Li sheathed his sword, the blade untouched by blood. He glanced down at the corpse on the ground, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if he had merely slain an insignificant ant.
He raised his hand to wipe away the blood droplets on his fingertips, then turned around and disappeared into the shadows of the valley, vanishing without a trace in an instant, leaving only a mess and cold corpses, testifying to the decisive and suspenseful killing just now.
Meanwhile, deep in the dark forest, the Shrek team's desperate situation continued.
The night was so dark it was almost impenetrable, and a chilling wind blew through the forest. The stench of blood mingled with the dampness of the vegetation, creating a pungent and unpleasant smell.
The team repelled the attacking evil spirit masters once again. Everyone slumped against the tree trunks, panting heavily, with barely any strength left to stand.
Ma Xiaotao leaned against a tree, her face as pale as paper, her forehead covered in cold sweat. Her martial spirit had long since lost its luster, and her soul power was almost exhausted, making it difficult even to maintain the possession of her martial spirit.
Her arms were covered with burns and knife wounds, her clothes were soaked in blood, and her once sharp eyes were now filled with exhaustion and weakness.
Dai Yueheng's chest wound burst open, and blood soaked through his clothes. Every breath he took was accompanied by excruciating pain.
His defensive soul skills were no longer sufficient; he could only barely stand by his willpower, his eyes were cloudy, and he could collapse at any moment.
The trainees in the reserve team were in an even worse state. They were all covered in injuries, their soul power was exhausted, their legs were trembling incessantly, and some of them collapsed to the ground, unable to even lift their hands, their eyes filled with despair.
Exhaustion, pain, and despair enveloped the entire team.
From midnight to dawn, they had no respite as wave after wave of ambushes came.
Evil Soul Masters, Desperate Soul Masters, Bounty Hunters—they seem endless, and each battle drains their remaining life force.
Wang Yan supported the injured Yao Haoxuan, whose face was as pale as paper and whose lips were dry and cracked.
His gaze swept over the disheveled crowd, and his unease grew stronger. His previous doubts were instantly answered.
These ambushes were too suspicious.
The route was decided on the spot, and the entire journey was a rapid overnight trip without any stops.
But the enemy always seemed to be able to accurately predict their movements, setting up ambushes on their usual routes every time, as if someone was transmitting the team's location to them in real time.
There's a mole within the team.
The moment this thought crossed Wang Yan's mind, his heart sank to the bottom.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, but he ultimately didn't say those words.
The team is currently in a state of panic, everyone is exhausted, and on the verge of collapse.
If it were revealed at this point that their whereabouts had been leaked and that there was a traitor within the team, the already fragile team would instantly fall apart.
When morale collapses, they will crumble completely on their own without the enemy even having to lift a finger.
He could only suppress this guess in his heart, forcing himself to speak, his voice hoarse and weak.
"Everyone, hang in there a little longer. If we go another ten miles, we'll reach the border garrison of the Star Luo Empire. We'll rest for a bit and then continue on our way."
No one answered; the group simply moved forward with difficulty, each step feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Even though Wang Yan tried to hide it, the unusual behavior in the team had already been noticed by the others.
After being precisely intercepted several times in a row, even the most oblivious person would realize something was wrong.
The group had only traveled a few miles when the fluctuations of soul power emanated from the forest again, and another wave of soul masters came to ambush them.
The crowd, already exhausted, could no longer hold on, and many collapsed to the ground, their faces showing despair.
"Enough!"
A cold shout suddenly rang out. Ma Xiaotao, supporting her weak body, slowly walked out, her eyes sweeping coldly over everyone in the group. Her soul power flickered weakly, but it carried extreme anger.
"Since we set off, we've changed our route three times, and each time we've been precisely intercepted. Don't you find that strange?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, instantly shattering the previously subdued atmosphere of the group.
The crowd's expressions changed, and they exchanged glances, their eyes filled with suspicion and doubt.
Dai Yueheng frowned and said in a deep voice, "Ma Xiaotao, what do you want to say?"
"What do I want to say?" Ma Xiaotao sneered, her tone sharp. "Our whereabouts have been constantly leaked to the enemy. There's a traitor within our team, who's been sending messages to people outside!"
The words "traitor" exploded like thunder in the crowd.
The group, who were originally exhausted, suddenly tensed up and looked at their comrades with wary eyes. The camaraderie they had once shared in the fight was instantly replaced by suspicion.
The atmosphere suddenly plummeted to freezing point, becoming extremely tense.
"A traitor? How could that be? We're all Shrek's people, how could we betray the academy!" Gongyang Mo exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.
"But apart from this, there's no other explanation for why the enemy always manages to find us! Wherever we go, they block our way. It's clear that someone is giving us real-time updates!" Chen Zifeng roared, his eyes red. The days of fighting and despair had already caused him to lose control of his emotions.
Immediately, the crowd began to discuss amongst themselves, and suspicious glances swept over each other, causing cracks to appear in the once close-knit group.
Some looked flustered, some were furious, some were full of doubt, and some remained silent.
Wang Yan's expression changed drastically, and he immediately stepped forward to try to ease the tension: "Everyone, calm down and don't make wild guesses. The most important thing right now is to break through the encirclement. We can investigate this matter when we get back to the academy!"
"Investigate? How do we investigate?" Ma Xiaotao turned to look at Wang Yan, her eyes icy cold. "If this continues, we'll all die in an ambush before we even get back to the academy! We'll never escape this pursuit unless we find the traitor!"
She knew that if the person who leaked the information was not found, they would be trapped in an endless siege, and no one would be able to escape death.
Dai Yueheng said in a deep voice, "Ma Xiaotao, without any evidence, don't try to sow discord and undermine morale!"
"Without any evidence?" Ma Xiaotao pointed to the surrounding dark forest, her voice filled with anger.
"These continuous ambushes are the best evidence! Who but our own people can accurately track our route?"
Furthermore, Elder Xuan's sudden disappearance, followed immediately by the enemy's attack, is no coincidence!
These words deepened the suspicions in everyone's hearts.
Everyone stopped in their tracks, no longer in a hurry to get somewhere, but wary of each other. Comrades who had fought side by side had now become objects of suspicion.
Suppression, suspicion, anger, and despair intertwined in the mountains and forests, chilling people to the bone even more than the attacking Soul Masters.
Looking at the tense and ready-to-fight team, Wang Yan felt utterly powerless.
His worst fears came true.
With the suspicion of a mole exposed, the team completely lost trust, and not only was breaking out impossible, they were likely to fall into internal strife at any moment.
Outside the mountains and forests, the fluctuations of soul power drew closer once more, and another wave of ambush was about to begin.
The expressions on everyone's faces changed drastically, but the suspicion between them did not diminish in the slightest. Their eyes met with wariness and distance.
The Shrek team, already on the verge of collapse, now faces not only endless attacks from the outside world but also the collapse of trust within the team.
The Shrek team is in an unprecedented predicament.
.........