"What kind of energy fluctuation is this? What's happening?"
Shui Yue Ruo looked toward the direction the battle sounds were coming from, and what she saw shocked her.
Not far ahead, two powerful soul masters were fighting fiercely.
One of them appeared to be in his forties or fifties, his body surrounded by flames, partially transformed into a dragon. Red dragon scales covered him, and his golden-red ornate clothing was stretched tight over bulging muscles, giving him a bold, heroic appearance.
The other figure was shrouded in black mist, his features obscured. Within the mist, the wails of trapped souls seemed to echo, sending chills down one's spine.
At the same time, both combatants noticed the group from Tianshui Academy.
The middle-aged man with red dragon scales, upon seeing Shui Yue Ruo in the crowd, rejoiced and immediately shouted toward her, "Dean Shui Yue Ruo! Come quickly and help me! This person is a Fallen!"
"A Fallen?!"
Hearing this, Shui Yue Ruo's expression immediately turned serious.
Shui Wuhen also turned his gaze toward the figure cloaked in black mist.
A Fallen—on this continent, that was no trivial term.
It referred to those who, in pursuit of power and personal gain, abandoned all morals, treated life as nothing, and threw away their humanity—madmen all.
Understanding the severity of the situation, Shui Yue Ruo wasted no time. She activated her martial soul and charged forward. "Dean Huoyang Yan, don't worry, I'll help you!"
Shui Yue Ruo's martial soul, Moon in Water, had strong illusion abilities, making her a control-type soul master.
With her aid—a Peak Soul Grandmaster at level seventy-nine—the situation turned instantly. The Fallen was suppressed by Shui Yue Ruo and Huoyang Yan together, and the advantage he had vanished.
Seeing the situation under control, Huoyang Yan pointed in a direction and shouted toward Shui Wuhen and the others, "Quick, go help my students! They're not far ahead on the main road. There's more than one Fallen!"
Shui Wuhen and the others nodded and quickly ran forward.
Shui Wuhen was the fastest. Soon, he heard the sounds of battle ahead. Glancing back to see Shui Bing'er and the others were a safe distance away from the Fallen, he increased his speed, rushing toward the noise.
After a few breaths, a scattered convoy appeared before him.
Around it, seven or eight students in red-and-gold uniforms stood back-to-back, forming a protective circle around two support-type soul masters. They were barely holding off two two-meter giant wolves emitting ominous black aura.
Among them, two stood out. One was a young man in his early twenties; judging by the red dragon scales on his body, he was clearly related to the previous Huoyang Yan.
The other was a tall girl, around eighteen or nineteen, with dark red wavy hair. Behind her floated a fiery orange shadow, nearly identical to her form—illusory yet solid, radiating fire-element energy.
Upon seeing Shui Wuhen and the others arrive, the red-scaled young man immediately warned, "Be careful, these two black giant wolves are creations of the Fallen! Each has the power of a Soul King!"
But he was a little late. The moment he spoke, one of the black wolves, radiating a sinister aura, shot forward like an arrow—its target was Shui Wuhen!
Shui Wuhen flicked his hand, summoning an ice-blue long blade, its edge gleaming with frost.
Frost Slash: Instant Triple Strike!
In an instant, three dazzling blade streaks appeared, slicing through the black wolf from three directions simultaneously.
"How… How is this possible? I…"
The wolf's eyes widened in shock. A Soul King-level powerhouse, yet it was instantly defeated by a student!
Its consciousness plunged into darkness. Its body shattered into pieces and fell to the ground.
After death, its remains reverted to human form. There was no blood gushing; a layer of frost coated every cut, freezing the blood.
Silence—deathly silence!
Everyone present—the struggling students and the remaining black wolf—stared at Shui Wuhen in disbelief.
Dead. A Soul King-level fighter, a small faction leader, a pillar of a larger force… gone so easily. And at the hands of a boy who looked only sixteen or seventeen!
But Shui Wuhen's attack was not finished. Five soul rings—two yellow, two purple, one black—glowed around him. As the third ring lit up, Shui Wuhen seemed to vanish from his original spot.
"Not good!"
The black wolf suddenly felt an icy chill and tried to change direction to escape.
But it was too late. Shui Wuhen appeared in front of it, swinging his blade!
Three brilliant streaks of light cut into the wolf's eyes like natural scenery, peaceful and beautiful in their perfection.
Shui Wuhen's ice-blue blade vanished, and he casually walked past the black wolf toward the students.
Behind him, the black wolf collapsed like a set of disassembled blocks, clattering against the ground.
At this moment, Shui Bing'er and the other girls arrived. Seeing the wolf's corpse, their faces filled with shock.
It's already solved… and they hadn't even acted!
"Are you all… okay?"
Shui Wuhen approached the red-scaled young man and the red-haired beauty, asking.
The red-scaled young man deactivated his martial soul, reverting to an ordinary-looking young man. He said, "We're fine. Thank you for your concern. I am Huowushuang. May I ask your name?"
"Shui Wuhen," he replied simply.
Upon hearing this, the red-haired girl's eyes flickered, and she looked him over critically, a hint of hostility in her gaze.
"You're Shui Wuhen?"
Shui Wuhen glanced at her, wondering why she would be hostile when they had never met before.
Huowushuang sighed and pulled her behind him apologetically, patting his head. "Sorry, my sister Huowu's mind isn't always normal. Please don't mind her, Wuhen."
He then urged her, "Hurry and thank Brother Wuhen. If you hadn't arrived, who knows what would have happened to us? Do you want people to think we're ungrateful?"
Hearing this, Huowu snapped out of it. The hostility in her eyes vanished. She pulled out a purple crystal card from her soul storage device, bowed, and said, "I apologize for my previous attitude. This is all the gold soul coins I have. Not much, but please accept my apology."
"No need."
Shui Wuhen didn't take the card. He was more curious about the source of Huowu's hostility, since they had never met before.