79: Chapter 78 Regrouping

Dawn broke, and all things began anew.

Ma Xiaotao, who had slept through the night, finally awoke from her deep slumber. Her pair of pink eyes blinked gently, and after a moment, she sat up, a look of pain appearing on her face.

"Where... am I?"

Her peripheral vision caught sight of Ling Luochen and Xixi lying beside her. At this moment, their breathing was very steady, showing no signs of serious injury.

After a moment of recollection, Ma Xiaotao recalled everything that had happened last night. They had fallen into the trap of an Evil Soul Master, their companions had suffered heavy losses, and even she had sustained significant injuries.

But now... Ma Xiaotao reached out and touched her body. Her skin, which had been covered in wounds, had miraculously returned to a porcelain-white smoothness. Aside from the fact that she was quite exposed, there was nothing unusual about her body, and even her internal injuries had vanished without a trace.

As Ma Xiaotao stood there in a daze, her eyes immediately scanned her surroundings with vigilance. She remembered being knocked unconscious by that detestable Evil Soul Master. Where was the Evil Soul Master?

Just then, Ling Luochen and Xixi also gradually woke up. The tense look on Ma Xiaotao's face relaxed slightly. She walked over to them, crouched down, and looked at them with wide eyes:

"How are you holding up? Are your injuries severe?"

The two shook their heads. Ling Luochen looked around and said slowly, "What on earth happened? How did we end up here?"

Ma Xiaotao frowned. She had originally assumed that Ling Luochen and Xixi might know something, as she had been the first to lose consciousness and the first to wake up. Even she had no clue at the moment.

"I don't know. I only woke up a minute or two before you..."

"Let's all talk about the last thing we remember before losing consciousness last night. If we piece the clues together, we might find an answer."

Ling Luochen and Xixi exchanged a glance and immediately recounted the last thing they remembered from last night. Ma Xiaotao also confessed that she had been abducted by the Evil Soul Master, which had intended to commit an unspeakable act.

Upon hearing this, Ling Luochen and Xixi's expressions changed instantly. They hurriedly looked down to check themselves, and only after confirming that they had not been defiled did they feel relieved.

Ma Xiaotao sighed softly, "There are no clues here. The only thing we can do now is to find the main group first to confirm the situation!"

Ling Luochen and Xixi nodded slightly, stood up, and began to check their own conditions and equipment.

They only had a partial understanding of what happened last night; they only knew that after a powerful shockwave from an explosion, they had drifted into a semi-conscious state and had no perception of the outside world.

But one thing was clear to them: they must have sustained severe injuries last night. The fact that they had fully recovered upon waking up this morning was truly incredible.

Ling Luochen's heart stirred, and she looked at Ma Xiaotao, saying softly:

"Could it be that some passing Senior saved our lives? Not only did it rescue us from the Evil Soul Master, but it also healed our injuries?"

Ma Xiaotao thought for a while and finally nodded affirmatively, "What you described is the most likely scenario. Otherwise, could it be that the Evil Soul Master had a change of heart, not only releasing us but also healing our injuries?"

"That Evil Soul Master was a lecherous devil. It's not like I'm bragging, but the moment it saw me, it wanted to have a 'deep exchange' with me..."

Ling Luochen and Xixi opened their mouths, looking at Ma Xiaotao with shock. Ling Luochen's voice even began to tremble, "Could it be that you... have already been violated?"

Ma Xiaotao rolled her eyes and huffed, "No, this young lady is still a maiden. That's exactly what I find most strange. We were almost certainly saved by someone..."

Xixi was silent for a moment and then said slowly, "Alright, there's no point in us guessing wildly here. Regardless of the reason, our injuries have recovered, and we should set off immediately to find our Shrek team."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen stopped their bickering and unanimously agreed with this decision.

After discussing it, the three had no choice but to take it one step at a time, starting to follow the traces of Qi left from last night in an attempt to return the way they came.

The surrounding area was surrounded by mountains and overgrown with trees; it should still be within the range of the Star Dou Great Forest. As long as they followed the path, they would surely find help.

On the other side, Elder Xuan, who had been searching for the three of them all night, was flying in their direction.

Last night, Elder Xuan, based on the chaotic traces left by the Death God Messenger, had been darting around the Star Dou Great Forest like a headless fly, occasionally unleashing powerful energy bursts at the mountains to vent his anger, attempting to force the Death God Messenger to show himself in this way.

However, he had been fighting against thin air all night, and the three of them had basically fallen into a coma with very weak vital signs. If he hadn't searched carefully, he might have truly missed them.

Half an hour later.

Ling Luochen looked at the figure flying in the distant sky, her face suddenly excited, "It's Elder Xuan! Xiaotao, Xixi, we've found the team!"

Hearing this, the other two who had been searching for a way out immediately came to Ling Luochen's side. Looking at the approaching Elder Xuan, a look of relief appeared on their faces.

At the same time they spotted Elder Xuan, Elder Xuan also spotted them.

Seeing that Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and Xixi were safe and sound, Elder Xuan's old face stiffened for a moment, followed by tears of excitement welling up in his eyes, "Thanks to the protection of our ancestors, it's truly wonderful that you are all okay!"

Hearing this, Ma Xiaotao froze in place, her fingers trembling slightly, her voice hoarse, "We? What about the others? What happened to them?"

The expression on Elder Xuan's face suddenly froze. He opened his mouth and looked at the three quietly, not knowing where to begin...

After a moment of silence, he finally cleared his throat and said hoarsely, "Besides you three, only that group of little ones from the Outer Court remains!"

Ling Luochen and Xixi's eyes widened, their gazes trembling violently. Dead, they were all dead...

"Why? How did things end up like this?"

Ma Xiaotao's body went limp, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. She supported herself with her hands on the ground, her eyes dull and lifeless, as various memories of the past surfaced in her mind one by one.

Dead... They were comrades fighting side by side one day, and the next, they were separated by life and death!

Ling Luochen and Xixi's faces were filled with sorrow and bitterness. If they hadn't been a little luckier, would they also not have escaped the fate of death?

Seeing the three of them with low morale, Elder Xuan suppressed his sorrow and said, "All the blame lies with me. It was us who failed to protect the children."

"However, from the day you joined the Shrek Inspection Team, you had to be prepared to sacrifice yourselves. This is the glorious mission of our Shrek for ten thousand years, and it must not be desecrated by anyone!"

Hearing this, a glimmer of light finally reappeared in the three's unfocused eyes.

Ma Xiaotao took a deep breath, stood up, and pulled herself together. She looked at him with determined eyes, "Elder Xuan, what should we do next?"

"Continue to complete your mission and win the championship of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament!"

"Yes!!!" (*3)