78: Chapter 77: The Fall

"Huo Yuhao, how are you?"

Wang Dong looked at the somewhat pale and weak Huo Yuhao, immediately reached out to embrace him, and asked in an urgent voice.

"I'm fine. How are the others?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head, then swept his gaze over the others. Only after confirming that his companions were safe and sound did he finally feel relieved.

"Whoosh."

Elder Xuan's face was grim, and with a face full of sorrow, he carried four intact severed heads as he flew out of the cave. The others from the Outer Court quickly gathered around. Watching the heads in his arms, they all fell into a deep silence...

"Elder Xuan, this... how could it come to this?!"

"They were still so young, with such a long road ahead of them, yet now, they have left their lives here forever..."

Wang Yan looked at the heads of the four Inner Court Disciples with a pained expression, his heart feeling as if it had been struck heavily by an iron hammer, his voice choking.

Elder Xuan, who was releasing his Spirit, had a face so grim it seemed as if water could drip from it.

Ever since that incident in the Star Dou Great Forest where they encountered a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast, resulting in heavy casualties among the Inner Court Disciples, this was yet another major loss under his leadership.

The "pain in his heart" was something ordinary people could not understand...

Elder Xuan painfully closed his eyes, tears streaming down as he said: "They were all good children who sacrificed their precious lives for the cause of Shrek. Their deaths are glorious!"

"Elder Xuan, don't you want to explain your actions? Why didn't you appear at the most critical moment just now?"

Hearing the high-sounding platitudes coming from his mouth, anger welled up in Wang Yan, and he sternly demanded an answer from Elder Xuan.

Could a mere phrase like 'their deaths are glorious' cover up the mistakes and responsibilities behind this?

The others from the Outer Court also stared at him fixedly; they too wanted to hear an answer as to why Elder Xuan still hadn't appeared in such a dangerous situation.

Did he have no heart? Did he not care whether they lived or died?

Elder Xuan was silent for a long time before slowly saying: "At the moment the explosion rang out, I was prepared to come and save you all, but I was blocked by a mysterious powerhouse. His cultivation strength was on par with mine, and I couldn't Breakthrough his blockade for the time being."

Wang Yan opened his mouth, as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind. "Could it be that from the very beginning, this was a complete conspiracy?"

"I'm afraid so!"

Elder Xuan painfully closed his eyes, his eyes red as he said: "Their goal from the very beginning was very clear: to hold me back while hunting down our students as much as possible. If they hadn't retreated in time, I'm afraid even you all would have met with disaster."

"Whoosh—"

Hearing this, the other seven couldn't help but gasp, a sense of lingering fear rising in their hearts. They had walked on the edge of death...

Seeing the injured reserve team from the Outer Court, Elder Xuan sighed heavily and took some porcelain bottles out of his storage spirit tool to hand to Wang Yan.

"Distribute these detox pills. They can temporarily stabilize your injuries. As for the deeper corrosion, you will need to use your Soul Power to force it out."

Wang Yan took the bottles and distributed them to the other seven. He also took one himself, and the burning sensation of his injuries eased slightly.

Elder Xuan closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again. His determined gaze showed that he had already made a decision.

"Wang Yan, a difficult task is about to fall upon you. Take them back to the military camp first, and once these little ones from the Outer Court have stabilized, immediately head to Star Luo City to participate in the tournament."

"As for me, I still need to go look for Ma Xiaotao, Chen Luochen, and Xixi. The three of them are missing; they must have been abducted by the Evil Soul Master. We will split into two groups and act immediately!"

"What?!"

Wang Yan's eyes widened. Even after all this, Elder Xuan still wanted them to participate in the tournament?

A flash of anger crossed his eyes, and he said coldly: "Elder Xuan, I think this is inappropriate. No one knows if the Evil Soul Master has truly left. If you leave and the Evil Soul Master returns, we could all be in mortal danger."

"I believe our top priority right now is to return to the academy together to treat our injuries and check for hidden dangers. As for the Spirit Master Tournament, we should give it up!"

Elder Xuan glared, clenched his fists tightly, and said in a deep voice to the eight Outer Court members: "The responsibility for this sudden disaster lies entirely with me, but this concerns the ten-thousand-year honor of Shrek. Even if it means death, we must defend it with our lives!"

"As for the enemy, you don't need to worry. I will do my best to hold them off and will absolutely not let the Evil Soul Master pose a threat to you."

Speaking to this point, Elder Xuan bowed deeply to the eight of them. When he stood up, his old face was already filled with tears: "Children, the honor of the academy can only rely on you. I beg you to hold on until the academy's reinforcements arrive, even if you fail in the end, it doesn't matter!"

"Victory and honor belong to you; failure and shame belong only to me."

After saying this, Elder Xuan lifted his head, held back the hot tears in his eyes, stored the four heads separately in his storage spirit tool, and then chased in the direction the Evil Soul Master had left.

Wang Yan opened his mouth, ten thousand grass mud horses galloping through his heart...

...

On the other side, after the Death God Messenger left the cave with the three women, he fled north, not daring to stop for a single moment along the way.

It was only after taking many turns and confusing his trail that he set off in a single direction again.

Not long after, Lin Feng walked out from the darkness.

Seeing him appear, the Death God Messenger's face revealed a look of respect. As if presenting a treasure, he wrapped them in black mist and sent them before Lin Feng, saying in a fanatical tone: "My great Master, the task you gave me has been completed!"

Looking at the three unconscious people before him, Lin Feng's lips curled up slightly, then he glanced at the Death God Messenger out of the corner of his eye, feeling somewhat hesitant.

Should he kill him now, or use him as a chess piece to be planted into the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult?

Although this guy's Aptitude was limited, and his spirit ring configuration was only the most ordinary three rings, two purple, under the enhancement of his own power, the other party had gained a portion of the black mist engulfing ability, which could compensate for the limitations of his Aptitude.

Not to mention, the Death God Messenger also had a miraculous Corpse Explosion technique; if used well, it was an existence not inferior to the Ice Explosion technique.

After weighing the pros and cons, Lin Feng decided to keep him. In any case, the other party's Soul was already under his control; it wouldn't be too late to throw him away after squeezing out his remaining value.

"You did well. There is another arduous task for you next. Are you confident you can do it?" Lin Feng said with a serious expression, staring straight at him.

"Please rest assured, Master. I will definitely serve you to the best of my ability, even if it means death~" The Death God Messenger's eyes were firm, and he lowered his head to give a heavy guarantee.

"Very good. Next, you will infiltrate the Sun Moon Empire. Once you have settled down, I will give you the next set of instructions!"

"Yes!"

The Death God Messenger did not ask further. After confirming the time and place, he hurried away to complete the task Lin Feng had given him.

After he left, looking at the three women lying on the ground, Lin Feng rubbed his chin, a strange smile appearing on his face.

He summoned with his right hand, and the Shadow Wraith Scythe instantly emerged and submerged into his palm. Three strands of black mist instantly transformed into chains, drilling out from the blade and turning into a wisp of black light that shot toward the three people.

"Ugh..."

After the three made contact with this black mist, their bodies suddenly trembled, and immediately after, their eyes opened unconsciously, a jet-black luster suddenly rising in the depths of their eyes.

With the Dark Chains' protection, Lin Feng had now planted a brand in their minds. From now on, they would unconditionally obey him.

"A thousand-mile dike is destroyed by an ant nest. I wonder what they will think when Shrek is destroyed by its own people in the future?"

Lin Feng laughed secretly in his heart.

After controlling the three, he used the Blade of Life's Watch to treat them. After all, he still needed them to act as moles to participate in the tournament later.

If he didn't treat their injuries, given the stubbornness of the protagonist group, they would definitely be able to hold out until Shrek sent reinforcements.

Rather than adding unstable factors, it was better to simply keep the outcome under his own control.