151: Chapter 151 Full of Twists and Turns

The moment the spirit car rushed through the rift, Zhang Wen caught a glimpse of a faint silver light out of the corner of his eye, darting from the direction of the eastern cliff wall into the depths of the clouds, as fast as a passing meteor.

The light was too faint, blending into the residual purple-black lightning of the baleful thunder formation, vanishing in an instant; if not for the lingering sensation from his newly unlocked "Lightning Vision" skill, he would never have noticed it.

Was it the light of a sword?

As soon as this thought flashed through his mind, the spirit car had already rushed up the steep slope, leaving that battlefield far behind.

Zhang Wen stared fixedly at the rearview mirror until the figures of the Black-Robed Figures became small black dots, yet he never saw that silver light reappear.

Perhaps it was just an illusion.

He told himself this, yet his fingertips unconsciously rubbed against his palm.

The sensation from that moment was too clear; besides the evil baleful Qi, that silver light contained pure Sword Intent, identical to Li Feiyuan's sword aura.

[System Prompt: Detected residual faint Sword Intent; status currently unconfirmable.]

The System prompt was like a thin needle, piercing through the dense fog of despair.

Zhang Wen's heart gave a sudden jolt; what did this mean?

Was it a fragment of Teacher Li's sword? Or... was she really not dead?

"Hold on tight! There's a mountain road ahead!"

Wang Wude's roar came from behind, interrupting his thoughts.

The spirit car swerved left and right on the winding mountain road, the screeching of tires against the ground almost piercing their eardrums.

In the rearview mirror, the Sword Qi was still flickering within the black Qi, but that crimson streak was growing dimmer, like a candle in the wind.

Wang Wude gritted his teeth and pushed his spiritual power output to the limit—every second gained now meant a greater chance of survival for Zhao Yingming, and if Li Feiyuan was truly still alive, a greater chance of her being rescued.

After driving for who knows how long, Qinglan University finally appeared ahead, its pale green light barrier enveloping the mountain peak like an eggshell, exuding a comforting fluctuation of spiritual power.

But just as the spirit car was about to drive in, Zhang Wen suddenly saw a familiar figure standing at the edge of the light curtain.

It was Chen Mingda!

Why was he here? Wasn't he supposed to be reinforcing the formation patterns at the camp?

Just as Zhang Wen was about to shout out, he suddenly realized something was wrong—Chen Mingda's face was deathly pale, blood hung from the corner of his mouth, and his right hand was pressed against the formation eye of the barrier's light curtain, with faint black Qi lingering at his fingertips!

"Not good!"

Zhang Wen realized in an instant; the formation eye that Dean had destroyed wasn't the main point at all, the real killing blow was here!

They wanted to destroy the academy's barrier from the inside, allowing the people from the Shadow Department to charge straight in!

"What are you doing?!"

Both men roared, simultaneously jerking the steering wheel, and the spirit car grazed past Chen Mingda.

Chen Mingda seemed not to hear, mechanically driving the black Qi, as the purple-black baleful Tribulation Thunder Qi seeped inward along the cracks.

It wasn't until the spirit car was less than ten zhang away that he slowly turned his head, his eyes as hollow as a dry well.

"Save... save me..."

His lips trembled, a rattling sound came from his throat, and a thin black line was climbing up his neck along his veins—it was the Heart-Erosion Curse!

Dean had even controlled him!

Zhang Wen's heart felt as if it had been tightly gripped.

No wonder Teacher Chen hadn't returned to the camp, no wonder he could appear here; he wasn't here of his own volition, but had been cursed by Dean and used as a tool to destroy the barrier!

[System Prompt: Controlled target detected; you may attempt to purify with Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.]

"Old Wang! Help me steady the car!"

Zhang Wen shouted, simultaneously condensing the Lightning Radiance within his body.

Pale golden electric currents danced in his palm; this time, they were no longer gentle little snakes, but thunder poised to strike!

Hearing the shout, Wang Wude immediately snapped to, using his giant blade to brace against the ground, forcing the spirit car to a halt: "Hurry up! The scumbags behind are catching up!"

Zhang Wen took a deep breath and leaped from the car window, the Lightning Radiance exploding beneath his feet; using the recoil, he lunged toward Chen Mingda, pressing the thunder at his fingertips fiercely onto the black line on his neck!

"Sizzle—"

The Lightning Radiance collided with the black Qi, emitting a harsh sound.

Chen Mingda convulsed violently as if burned, a flicker of clarity flashing through his hollow eyes: "Quick... sever... sever my Meridians..."

"No!" Zhang Wen gritted his teeth, increasing the output of Lightning Radiance, "Teacher Chen, hold on!"

The curse power on the black line rapidly faded in the Lightning Radiance, but Chen Mingda's expression grew increasingly painful, just as the black line was about to be completely purified.

He suddenly coughed violently, spraying black blood onto the back of Zhang Wen's hand—within the blood, there was half a broken silver needle!

"It's... Feiyuan... she..."

Chen Mingda's voice was intermittent, a trace of relief flashed in his eyes, then they completely lost their luster, and his body slumped down limply.

"Look out!" Wang Wude's roar sounded again.

Zhang Wen turned back abruptly to see three Black-Robed Figures who had caught up, their curved blades wreathed in black Qi, aiming straight for his heart!

And behind him, the unconscious Zhao Yingming in the spirit car was exposed to the enemy's attack range!

At the critical moment, a white shadow shot in from the side, a powerful sweep of spiritual power creating a gust of wind that sent the three Black-Robed Figures flying; the person who arrived was none other than Principal Gongsun.

"Principal!" Zhang Wen was both shocked and delighted; he hadn't expected the Principal to step in at such a critical moment.

Principal Gongsun didn't turn back; with a wave of his right hand, a pale golden halo instantly expanded, shielding Zhang Wen behind him.

"A bunch of petty scoundrels, daring to run wild in Azure Mist."

His voice was not loud, but carried an unquestionable pressure as his gaze swept over the Black-Robed Figures struggling to get up.

"I failed to completely eradicate you remnants of the Shadow Department back then; it seems that has given you some nerve."

The Black-Robed Figures clearly recognized Principal Gongsun; the leader's Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he shouted, feigning composure: "Old thing, don't think we're afraid of you! Today, we'll let you and this brat..."

Before he could finish, Principal Gongsun moved; his spiritual power coiled around the leader's wrist like a spirit snake, and with a gentle twist, the curved blade in the opponent's hand clattered to the ground.

Following that, he flipped his wrist, and the end of his staff precisely struck the man's chest; the Black-Robed Figure let out a muffled groan and flew backward, hitting the rock wall and passing out.

The other two saw this and tried to flee, but were circled by the staff shadows of the Principal, and within a few moves, they both collapsed to the ground.

"Principal, you arrived just in time."

Zhang Wen looked at Principal Gongsun, who had swiftly dealt with the enemies, still somewhat dazed.

Principal Gongsun withdrew his imposing aura and turned to check his injuries, his brows furrowed slightly: "I sensed evil fluctuations on the west side and guessed that you had run into trouble."

His fingertips brushed over the spot on Zhang Wen's arm scorched by the black Qi, and as the pale golden halo flowed, the burning pain immediately subsided.

"The people from the Soul Devouring Hall have become increasingly rampant in recent years, and they've actually joined forces with the remnants of the Shadow Department; it seems some plans must be brought forward."

At this moment, the unconscious Chen Mingda suddenly coughed lightly; Principal Gongsun bent down to examine him and pulled half a shattered jade pendant from his clothes, his gaze darkening.

"This is the 'Fate-Linking Pendant' of the Shadow Department; it seems they have had their eyes on the academy for a long time."

He put the jade pendant away and helped Zhang Wen up, "Let's return to the main building first; this matter requires careful deliberation—sooner or later, we will settle today's score with the Shadow Department and the Soul Devouring Hall."