"Woohoo!"
A thousand meters above the Ming Dou Mountain Range, March 7th spread a pair of pink flying soul tools and soared freely through the sky, having a blast. She sometimes dived rapidly, sometimes climbed vertically, and then drew dazzling arcs in the air, shouting excitedly, her face beaming with childlike innocence.
Beside her, Dan Heng and Ye Guyi flew side by side. Dan Heng was enveloped by a faint green current of wind, which seemed alive, gently supporting him, allowing him to float steadily in the void. His posture was elegant and free, but his expression remained as calm as still water. Ye Guyi, on the other hand, spread a pair of golden wings, each feather shimmering with sacred light, luxurious and solemn. A hint of helplessness showed in her eyes as she quietly watched March 7th, who was like an unbridled wild horse.
Watching March 7th play so uninhibitedly and joyfully in the air, Ye Guyi's lips twitched slightly. Although she already knew March 7th was lively and particularly mischievous, witnessing this scene firsthand made her realize she had still underestimated March 7th's level of exuberance.
"Dan Heng, this flying soul tool is so much fun! Are you really not going to try it?" March 7th called out to Dan Heng, flipping agilely in the air. This exclusive flying soul tool was a gift from Lu Jingming. Not only was its performance excellent, but it was also her favorite pink color, making her absolutely adore it.
"No thanks, I don't need it," Dan Heng replied indifferently, shaking his head slightly. The green current of wind around him seemed to echo his words, gently drifting.
"Alright, you're really boring," March 7th pouted, a hint of disappointment on her face. Seeing Dan Heng fly freely without any external aid, March 7th pouted, finding him too uninteresting.
Ye Guyi watched all this quietly, a strange feeling welling up inside her. She wasn't familiar with Dan Heng; she only knew he was the librarian of St. Freya Academy, yet also a genuine Title Douluo. However, from how March 7th interacted with Dan Heng, March 7th showed no reverence for him. Their interactions were more like companions. Dan Heng looked very young, but Ye Guyi knew in her heart that how could someone who could become a Title Douluo truly be young? On the Douluo Continent, Title Douluo were existences at the pinnacle of soul masters, revered by all. Yet, March 7th could call him by name and act so casually, which was simply incredible to the people of the Douluo Continent.
"Little March 7th, stop playing around. We've arrived," Ye Guyi looked down at the map in her hand, then carefully compared it to the terrain of the Ming Dou Mountain Range below, and called out to March 7th. Although she was slightly younger than March 7th, everyone was used to calling March 7th "Little March 7th," and after spending time together, Ye Guyi naturally adopted this affectionate address as well.
"Ah! We're here so soon?" March 7th abruptly stopped flying, saying in surprise, her eyes still holding a hint of lingering enjoyment.
"Yes, after all, Sea Abyss City isn't far from the Ming Dou Mountain Range," Ye Guyi nodded gently, explaining. This time, she was the main force in suppressing the evil soul masters. March 7th was purely there for fun, and Dan Heng was dragged along by March 7th to act as a "bodyguard" for courage.
"I heard this evil soul master is a Soul King. Are you sure you're okay, Guyi? Do you need my help?" March 7th asked with concern. She had some understanding of Ye Guyi's strength. While Ye Guyi was powerful, she had only recently broken through to the Soul Sect realm. Facing a Soul King level evil soul master still worried her a bit.
"Don't worry, my martial soul naturally counters these evil soul masters," Ye Guyi said with a confident smile. "My Holy Purification power is their nemesis. A mere evil Soul King is nothing to fear. Even a Soul Emperor level evil soul master, I can put up a fight!"
"Then you must be careful," March 7th nodded. With Dan Heng there, even if Ye Guyi encountered real danger, Dan Heng could save her, so there wasn't too much to worry about.
"Found it, it's right here!" Ye Guyi carefully re-examined the map in her hand, then looked around the surroundings. She quickly discovered a cave hidden on the side of the mountain slope. To aid Ye Guyi's growth, Lu Jingming had specifically dispatched the Wuchang Division to collect intelligence. Thus, the hideout of this evil soul master group, named "Hand of Death," had long been pinpointed by the Wuchang Division; they just hadn't acted yet. After all, Ye Guyi wanted to personally eliminate evil soul masters with her own strength. She had the pride of a Holy Angel and didn't want to always passively receive spoils of war from others.
"Hmm? It seems someone has been here before!" Dan Heng's gaze was sharp. He immediately noticed the messy footprints at the cave entrance, which was covered by vines. These footprints varied in size and depth, clearly not left by someone just passing by. Also, judging by the characteristics of these footprints, the people who left them were not very old. Furthermore, this group of evil soul masters had always been cautious in their actions and would never normally leave such obvious traces. It seemed someone had beaten them to it.
"Oh, did someone else come to eliminate the evil soul masters first? Could we be late?" March 7th also discovered the broken vines and the string of messy footprints at the cave entrance, exclaiming in surprise, a hint of anxiety on her face.
"Let's go in and check the situation first!" Ye Guyi frowned slightly and led the way into the cave. At the same time, a platinum-gold holy sword appeared in her hand, its blade shimmering with golden holy light. Although she was confident in her strength, facing evil soul masters, who used strange and ruthless methods, she would not be careless in the slightest, maintaining a high level of vigilance at all times.
"Be careful, Guyi!" March 7th also quickly took out a pink longbow and followed closely behind Ye Guyi. Dan Heng silently followed behind the two women. He closed his eyes, subtly sensing the surrounding wind. The wind was like his ears and eyes, clearly transmitting every subtle movement and change in aura from within the cave to him. He already had a rough idea of the situation inside the cave, but he also knew that this was Ye Guyi's trial and battle. Unless it was a desperate crisis, he would never intervene easily.
The entrance to the cave was not wide, but the deeper they went, the wider the space became. After advancing only about fifty meters, a strong, pungent smell of blood assailed them, making them feel nauseous.
"Ah!" Suddenly, March 7th let out a scream, her face instantly turning pale as paper, her body trembling slightly, her eyes filled with anger. Ye Guyi and Dan Heng followed March 7th's gaze and saw more than a dozen human skins hanging densely on the cave walls. The bloodstains on the skins had long dried, appearing an eerie dark red. Even more horrifying, an infant's corpse was impaled on a sharp stalagmite. The infant's small face had long lost its color, its eyes staring blankly forward, as if narrating endless grievances.
"These insane bastards!" Ye Guyi tightly gripped the hilt of her sword, her knuckles turning white from the force. She cursed through gritted teeth, her beautiful face now filled with anger and killing intent, wishing she could tear these evil soul masters to shreds immediately. Even Dan Heng, usually calm and composed, could no longer maintain his composure, a hint of uncontrollable rage flashing in his eyes. Around him, the green current of wind gently surged, seemingly furious at the horrific scene before them.
"They didn't even spare infants. Is this what evil soul masters do?"
March 7th no longer had that faint curiosity about evil soul masters; it was replaced by deep disgust. Just then, they vaguely heard sounds of fighting and killing coming from deep within the cave. Although the sounds were faint, they were clearly audible. Evidently, a fierce battle was taking place deeper inside the cave.
"Let's go quickly! Not a single one of these evil soul masters can be let go!" Hearing the sounds of battle, Ye Guyi's heart was burning with impatience, and she immediately quickened her pace. No matter who had entered the cave first, since their goal was also the evil soul masters, then they were not enemies.
The three continued onward, seeing many corpses of evil soul masters along the way. These corpses were gruesomely mutilated; some were torn in half at the waist, some had their heads missing, and limbs were scattered everywhere, making it unbearable to look at. Clearly, those who had come to eliminate the evil soul masters before them also hated these evil soul masters to the core, showing no mercy in their attacks, every move filled with fury and determination.
"Boom, boom, boom!" Suddenly, a series of deafening explosions rang out, and the entire cave shook violently, as if it could collapse at any moment. Countless broken rocks fell from the cave ceiling, raising clouds of dust. At the same time, a dazzling yellow light burst into the cave entrance from behind them like lightning.
Dan Heng reacted extremely quickly, a long spear instantly appearing in his hand, its shaft gleaming with cold light. He swiftly shielded Ye Guyi and March 7th behind him, his eyes vigilantly fixed on the yellow light. With his keen perception, he immediately realized that this yellow light enveloped a powerful Title Douluo. Strangely, the sword intent emanating from the person felt familiar to him, yet he couldn't recall where he had sensed it before.
The newcomer was precisely Xuan Zi, whose face was now filled with extreme anxiety, his forehead covered in large beads of sweat. He had no time to spare for Dan Heng, March 7th, and Ye Guyi, these three strangers, and rushed straight into the depths of the cave. After discovering the hideout of this group of evil soul masters, he had carefully investigated and found that the strongest among them was only a Soul King level evil soul master, which wouldn't pose much of a threat to the official members of Shrek Academy's team. So, he confidently let Ma Xiaotao lead the team into the cave to eliminate the evil soul masters, while he went into the forest to hunt some wild game, planning to improve his own meals. After all, this generation's Shrek Academy team was exceptionally strong. Ma Xiaotao, freed from the evil fire's troubles, had broken through to the Soul Sage realm at only nineteen years old, coupled with the Soul Emperor level Dai Yaoheng, and the Soul King level Ling Luochen and others. This battle seemed like a sure victory.
However, unexpectedly, an accident still happened. Xuan Zi was filled with remorse. This was the third time he had encountered such a situation, after the incidents with Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming, and then Huo Yuhao. Even he felt utterly ashamed and wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
"What happened?" March 7th struggled to steady herself in the violently shaking cave, her face bewildered.
"Something's definitely happened. Let's hurry up and see," Ye Guyi's expression was grim. She had also just seen the fleeting yellow light and genuinely felt the powerful Title Douluo aura it contained.
The explosions lasted for a while. As the cave's shaking gradually stopped, the explosions also slowly subsided.
"Hehehehe, how does my corpse explosion taste? Even if it doesn't blow you up, it will poison you to death."
A sinister, eerie laugh, full of villainous aura, echoed from deep within the cave, a chilling sound that sent shivers down March 7th's spine.
"Huh! That laugh is too purely villainous!" March 7th actually had the presence of mind to quip in such a tense atmosphere.
"Bastard!" Immediately after, a gloomy roar rang out, followed by an incredibly powerful aura that suddenly erupted, and yellow light instantly illuminated the entire cave. Within that light, a roaring sound, like a dragon or an ox, could vaguely be heard, shaking their eardrums painfully.
The three of them quickly rushed towards the source of the sound and soon arrived at a spacious cave. The scene before them was extremely gruesome. The cave was filled with the pungent smell of blood and green poisonous gas. The ground was littered with the remnants of exploded corpses, bloody and mangled, with dismembered limbs scattered everywhere, making it unbearable to look at. At the center of the explosion, several figures lay haphazardly. Some had half their bodies blown to bloody pulps, exposing white bones. Some had lost an arm, some had their legs missing, and others had severely mangled backs, with skin and flesh ripped open. The scene was chaotic and heartbreakingly tragic. Only three people had relatively minor injuries, but they had also inhaled a lot of poisonous gas, their faces pale and expressions pained.
In Xuan Zi's hand, he tightly gripped a person dressed in a black robe. Due to the black robe, his face was obscured. Judging from the five soul rings flashing on him, this was only a Soul King. Ye Guyi recognized at a glance that this person was her target—the evil soul master known as the "Messenger of Death." However, a mere Soul King level evil soul master could cause such a terrifyingly tragic scene, which made Ye Guyi gasp. She secretly warned herself that indeed, the methods of evil soul masters were insidious, bizarre, and unpredictable. When facing them, one must never relax or be complacent in the slightest, otherwise, the tragic state of these people before her would be the best lesson.
Chapter 115: Herta's Prestige
Although the scene appeared rather grim, the presence of Titled Douluo meant the situation was already resolved; they had simply arrived a step too late. While they didn't recognize this group, the heavy losses incurred while fighting evil Soul Masters were, at the very least, worthy of respect. Ye Guyi had no intention of claiming the spoils, even if personally purifying the evil Soul Master could have elevated her soul power level.
"Watch out!"
Just then, the corpse in the field, with half its body blown apart, suddenly began to swell rapidly. March 7th cried out in alarm, quickly giving a warning. Although they were strangers, her kind nature instinctively made her want to save them. The explosively manipulated corpse was right next to the severely injured individuals; if it exploded again, a few more might die. Dan Heng gathered the flowing wind in his hand, but then stopped his action, as Xuan Zi had already intervened. A yellow light instantly enveloped the expanding corpse, firmly containing the explosion within the light.
"Senior Yao!"
Witnessing the complete annihilation of the corpse after the explosion, Huo Yuhao and the other reserve team members cried out in grief. Wang Yan, a black-haired youth wearing glasses, clenched his fists, his eyes filled with self-reproach and regret.
However, another unforeseen event occurred. The evil Soul Master, who had been restrained by Xuan Zi, seized the moment Xuan Zi was distracted controlling the explosion. His fifth soul ring suddenly shimmered, and he transformed into a peculiar black mist, escaping from Xuan Zi's grasp. Even more unexpectedly, he didn't flee but brazenly charged towards Huo Yuhao.
It happened so suddenly that Huo Yuhao was caught off guard and instantly enveloped by the black mist, being dragged into the depths of the cave. Everyone was stunned. No one had expected that a Soul King could escape from a Super Douluo and even abduct someone in the process.
"Yuhao!"
Wang Dong and the others cried out in alarm, their voices filled with anxiety and worry.
"Elder Xuan!"
Wang Yan also shouted, reminding Xuan Zi to save him. Xuan Zi finally regained his composure. Having just controlled the corpse's explosion and witnessed his student's body being utterly destroyed, his mind had taken a huge impact, making him a half-beat slow. He instinctively threw a punch, the force of which whistled, but only created a large pit in the cave. The black mist had long since vanished.
"Hmph, Holy Light's Radiance!"
Ye Guyi snorted coldly, her golden wings instantly unfurled, and her four soul rings shimmered with light. Behind her, a massive female angel phantom slowly appeared, and a sacred hymn resonated in the void. Dazzling golden holy light illuminated the entire cave.
"Ah!"
A shrill scream pierced the air. Under the illumination of the holy light, the black mist that the evil Soul Master had transformed into rapidly dissipated. He didn't even have time to revert to his true form before vanishing without a trace under the purification of the divine power. This was the absolute suppression of evil Soul Masters by the Holy Angel Martial Soul, overbearing and undeniable. Even though this evil Soul Master, known as the Reaper's Emissary, had at least ten levels more soul power than Ye Guyi, he was no match for the holy light. Of course, this was also due to him being in a mist-like state at the moment; if he were in his true form, he might have lasted a bit longer.
As the black mist dissipated, Huo Yuhao fell from the air. He was still somewhat dazed, having been ready to rely on the power of the Ice Empress and Skydream Iceworm to protect himself, but unexpectedly, he had been saved.
"An angel!"
Everyone's gazes turned to Ye Guyi, their eyes filled with admiration. Under the holy light, the scent of blood and the green poisonous gas rapidly dissipated, as if cleansed by a sacred baptism. However, they soon had no time to spare for Ye Guyi and her companions, as they rushed towards their fallen comrades.
"Teacher Wang Yan, what's the situation?"
Xiaoxiao and the others looked panicked. This time, they were representing Shrek Academy in the Soul Master Grand Competition, and such an accident happening to the main team members left them at a loss.
"Yao Haoxuan is dead, Xixi is severely injured, Gongyang Mo has both legs broken, and Chen Zifeng lost an arm!"
Wang Yan's tone was incredibly heavy. Out of the seven main team members, only Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yaohang, and Ling Luochen were still capable of fighting. Although Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaohang were at the center of the explosion, they withstood it with their powerful strength. Ma Xiaotao suffered minor injuries, and Dai Yaohang's were a bit more severe, but not critical. Especially Ma Xiaotao, who had already broken through to become a Soul Saint, so her injuries were not serious, only weakened from inhaling the poisonous gas. Ling Luochen was protected by her Frost Ice Armor and wasn't at the center of the explosion, so her injuries were lighter than Dai Yaohang's, similar to Ma Xiaotao's. Now, only three main team members could participate in the Soul Master Grand Competition, and they wouldn't be able to exert their full strength in the short term.
"It's all my fault, I was too reckless!"
Ma Xiaotao's face was filled with pain, her eyes brimming with self-reproach.
"Now is not the time to assign blame. The most urgent task is to get Xixi and the others back to the academy for treatment, otherwise, their lives are at stake!" Wang Yan said with a grave expression.
"You must be here for the Soul Master Grand Competition, right? This place is very close to Haiyuan City. If you don't mind, we can provide them with the best treatment." March 7th recognized the school emblem on their uniforms; the unique green Shrek head was one of a kind on the Douluo Continent.
"Thank you for your assistance just now. And you are?" Wang Yan shifted his gaze to the trio, first expressing his gratitude, then asking for their identities.
"We are students from St. Freya Academy. I'm March 7th. We also came here to eliminate evil Soul Masters, but we were a step behind you," March 7th explained.
"St. Freya Academy!"
Hearing this name, everyone was startled. Before departing, they had learned about this Soul Master Grand Competition and were informed that their biggest rivals, apart from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, would be St. Freya Academy, which had ended Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year glory by winning the previous Soul Master Grand Competition. They had never expected to encounter students from St. Freya Academy here, let alone have them witness their disheveled state.
"Elder Xuan, let's go to Haiyuan City. Xixi and the others can't hold on much longer, and it's too far from the academy here," Ma Xiaotao said quickly upon hearing that the other party was from St. Freya Academy. She was very familiar with Haiyuan City, having followed its developments. Besides, their destination for this trip was Haiyuan City anyway, as they were going to participate in the Soul Master Grand Competition.
"That's right. Since Haiyuan City is hosting the Soul Master Grand Competition, they must have professional healing-type Soul Masters and soul tools prepared to treat them promptly," Dai Yaohang also spoke up. As the next White Tiger Duke, he also knew about Haiyuan City and believed that the medical facilities there could save their comrades' lives.
"Alright, we'll depart immediately." Xuan Zi seemed a bit disoriented, having lost his assertiveness, and offered no objections.
"Brother, is this really a city in the Star Luo Empire, and not our Sun Moon Empire's?" Meng Hongchen, the white-haired girl with a captivating beauty, now had her crimson lips slightly parted, her beautiful eyes filled with shock, staring directly at the two-hundred-meter-tall, luxurious and grand hotel before her. From the moment they stepped into Haiyuan City, Meng Hongchen and her companions were deeply shaken, speechless with astonishment.
What greeted their eyes were towering buildings, soul-tool electric trams zipping back and forth on tracks, constantly flickering and changing soul-tool projections on high-rise walls, and soul-tool airships suspended high in the sky, with large posters promoting the Soul Master Grand Competition hanging beneath their hulls, gently fluttering in the wind. These unprecedented sights left them, who hailed from the Sun Moon Empire, exclaiming in wonder. In their hearts, Ming Dou was the continent's foremost city, the supreme pride of the Sun Moon Empire. But now, Haiyuan City, compared to it, showed no signs of inferiority.
When did a coastal city in the original Three Douluo Empires catch up to the capital of the Sun Moon Empire? Although Haiyuan City was far smaller in scale and less prosperous than Ming Dou, its display of soul tool technology was very likely superior.
"When did the Star Luo Empire's soul tool technology develop so rapidly?" Xiao Hongchen's expression was a little grim. In the Sun Moon Empire, their greatest pride was soul tool technology. But now, seeing that the Star Luo Empire also possessed such advanced soul tool technology, his heart couldn't help but tighten. If even the Star Luo Empire's soul tool technology had reached this level, where would the Sun Moon Empire's pride be placed?
"So that's how it is. Since it's Ms. Herta's city, it makes sense. It's just a shame that Ms. Herta is always unwilling to come to our Sun Moon Empire," Xiao Hongchen said with a sigh of regret. The Sun Moon Empire had sincerely invited Herta to join them, even expressing their willingness to honor her as a distinguished guest of the Sun Moon Empire. Even the Silver Moon Douluo Kong Deming was willing to give up his position as Grand Elder. But who would have thought that they would be mercilessly rejected without even meeting Herta.
Despite the rejection, Herta's prestige in the Sun Moon Empire remained extremely high. Unlike the original Three Douluo Empires, which didn't pay much attention to soul tools, the Sun Moon Empire placed the utmost importance on them. In their view, soul tools represented the future and were the key to everything. Therefore, all soul engineers held great respect for Herta, who could create the Simulated Universe, which helped soul tools develop rapidly, even though she was not from the Sun Moon Empire. In the hearts of many soul engineers who were dedicated to research, Herta was undoubtedly a pioneer and trailblazer in the field of soul tool technology. As for which force she belonged to, it seemed less important. After all, the very act of disseminating the great creation that was the Simulated Universe made Herta worthy of their respect.