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At this moment, Ma Xiaotao and the others marched into the cave with an air of confidence.
They didn't even bother to conceal themselves.
Though this group of evil soul masters only had one true evil soul master—and their strongest member was merely a Soul King—this level of recklessness was still excessive.
Without drawing attention, Ye Wen scanned and documented the physical conditions of the seven individuals, preparing for his eventual intervention.
Standing atop the mountain peak, Ye Wen soon detected faint tremors beneath his feet. It seemed the battle had begun.
Suddenly, Ye Wen's thoughts took a sharp turn as he recalled Tang San's Poison Chapter, hidden within the Ice-Fire Twin Extremes Eye.
This continent had suffered not only from the Spirit Hall's extermination but also from the near-total destruction of the Tang Sect over the years. Otherwise, it wouldn't have deteriorated to its current state.
Perhaps Tang San had been right about one thing: hiding the Poison Chapter. Once such knowledge was leaked, given the depravity of human nature and the arrogance and ignorance of this continent, there would undoubtedly be even more horrific incidents of mass poisonings and city-wide massacres.
Du Busi could also use poison to massacre entire cities, but since he was on their side, Ye Wen refrained from criticizing him.
Speaking of which, wasn't using poison to silently eliminate or incapacitate enemies holed up in tight spaces the most efficient combat strategy?
Alas, Shrek Academy hadn't learned Tang San's hypocritical yet effective dual-standard fighting methods.
At this moment, the mountain beneath Ye Wen's feet began to violently shake. The tremors lasted for over ten seconds, as if a chain of explosions had occurred.
"How laughable—the so-called chosen ones of heaven! Seven Soul Emperors defeated by a single evil soul master who hasn't even reached the rank of Soul Emperor.
Shrek's disdain for soul-guiding tools is understandable, but did they have to reject them so completely? Even without relying on soul-guiding tools for combat, wouldn't an invincible shield be equivalent to an extra life?
Come to think of it, perhaps this incident will finally push Shrek to undertake significant reforms. These so-called inner court prodigies are nothing more than NPCs meant to drive the plot forward." Ye Wen shook his head.
Nearby, Xuan Zi, who had been drinking leisurely, first froze in shock before his expression turned furious. In an instant, he transformed into a streak of light and shot into the cave.
Ma Xiaotao and her group were arrogant, but Xuan Zi was no different. He had let his guard down, thinking the enemy was just a lowly evil soul master without even a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Now, it seemed, the hunter had become the hunted.
"Kukuku—
How do you like the taste of my Corpse Explosion?! No matter how strong you are, you're all doomed in the face of my chain explosions! If the explosion doesn't kill you, the poison will!" The Death Messenger cackled maniacally, embodying the quintessential villainous demeanor.
Among the group, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were the strongest. Upon sensing something amiss, they immediately activated their defensive soul skills, narrowly avoiding being splattered by the poisonous blood from the corpse explosion. Even so, their internal organs were displaced, leaving them severely wounded.
The next best off was Lin Luochen, Ma Xiaotao's close friend, whose ice-based martial soul provided some defensive capabilities. She managed to block most of the damage with her physical defenses.
As for the remaining four… their situation was dire.
These seven inner court students had been assembled as a team to participate in the upcoming Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament.
Lacking defensive soul skills, and with some being support-type soul masters, the others were either crippled or critically injured. Moreover, their wounds were rapidly worsening due to the corpse poison, putting them at risk of death at any moment.
In fact, one of them had already perished.
It was only now that Xuan Zi finally arrived, albeit belatedly.
Ignoring the nauseating stench of blood, Xuan Zi's eyes widened in horror as he took in the gruesome scene before him, recalling past tragedies caused by his own mistakes.
"AAAAH—" Xuan Zi let out a mournful roar, his overwhelming soul power erupting in response.
"Bastard! You'll pay for this!"
With his immense mental strength, Xuan Zi instantly locked onto the evil soul master and used his soul power to drag him over.
In the original storyline, this evil soul master was supposed to serve as the catalyst for Huo Yuhao's third martial soul awakening. But in his current rage, Xuan Zi completely immobilized him, crushing him to death with a single hand.
Such was the terror of a superpower…
Ye Wen found it strange. How could a mere Soul King possibly escape Xuan Zi's grasp in the original story, even taking Huo Yuhao with him? The only explanation was that the author must have been having a brain fart.
Still, Xuan Zi was truly pitiful, always serving as a cautionary tale of a failed supreme powerhouse.
But killing this evil soul master changed nothing. Xuan Zi's eyes were filled with sorrow and desolation as he gazed at the carnage around him.
Ma Xiaotao struggled to her feet, her gaze dazed as she surveyed the scene.
As a direct descendant of Ma Hongjun, one of the original Shrek Seven Monsters, Ma Xiaotao had never faced hardship greater than the occasional flare-up of demonic flames. Her life had been smooth sailing—she had never witnessed such devastation.
"Elder Xuan…" Ma Xiaotao wanted to say something but found herself at a loss for words. She could only stand there, disoriented and heartbroken.
The failure of this mission was secondary. The sacrificed students had been her close friends, companions she interacted with daily.
For the first time, Ma Xiaotao confronted the pain of loss.
Dai Yueheng, too, looked grim as he surveyed the surroundings. However, unlike Ma Xiaotao's emotional response, he quickly assessed the situation with the cold-blooded pragmatism inherited from Dai Hao.
"Elder Xuan, we don't have time to waste. That evil soul master said his technique was poisonous. Please hurry and treat the other students!"
Dai Yueheng's words struck Xuan Zi like a thunderclap, snapping him out of his stupor.
"Right, right… Healing! We need to heal them immediately!"
Xuan Zi scrambled to retrieve antidote pills from his storage soul-guiding device and administered them to the surviving students.
However, Xuan Zi, as the foremost combat-focused elder of Shrek Academy, was another muscle-brained individual. While the antidote pills could counteract poison, they weren't a universal cure.
Moreover, aside from the corpse poison, the students' critical injuries were far more life-threatening.
Seeing the limited effectiveness of the antidote pills, Xuan Zi resorted to using his own soul power to forcibly suppress the toxins ravaging the bodies of the fallen students.
"This isn't sustainable. I need to bring them back to the academy for treatment."
At this point, Xuan Zi had finally regained his composure and made the most reasonable decision. After all, he was a fighter, not a healer. Staying here any longer would only waste precious time.
But just as Xuan Zi moved to lift the injured students and leave, he suddenly froze, his gaze locking onto the passageway.
Tap, tap, tap…
The footsteps were slow and deliberate, starkly out of place in this hellish scene.
Yet Xuan Zi tensed up as if facing a formidable foe.
Finally, the figure came into view.
It was a young man who appeared refined and handsome, clad in a simple ivory-colored windbreaker.
"It's you!" Xuan Zi exclaimed in shock!
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