The black market was in chaos. In this place with flames shooting into the sky, staying any longer could lead to unexpected dangers at any moment. Many shops didn't even have time to collect their goods before quickly fleeing.
Of course, this was only a portion of them. What they truly feared wasn't being suddenly hit by a spirit tool shell, but being investigated.
The origins of the goods in such shops were generally shady.
Su Ming and the others were also swiftly looting these shops.
Simultaneously, they targeted shops previously operated by Evil Spirit Masters.
Bringing these four out for this purge, besides exposing them to a large-scale operation, was also to give them a chance to get rich.
It wasn't just Su Ming's group of four; members of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy team in other black market purge squads were also participating.
However, in terms of protection level, Su Ming's group of four clearly had the highest.
"Hmm, didn't come for nothing."
After just half an hour of looting, Su Ming felt astonished.
The amount of rare metals, contraband, and spirit tools of various grades in this black market was truly immense.
He roughly calculated that his harvest in this half hour almost matched the annual quantity the Su family shipped to the Blacksmith Association headquarters.
"Watch out!"
In Su Ming's field of vision, a bloody figure suddenly appeared. Hiding behind a window, it lunged out at this moment, attacking Xiao Hongchen.
Six spirit rings rose at its feet; it was clearly a six-ring Spirit Emperor. It condensed a blood blade in its hand, its six spirit rings igniting. Black flames attached to the blood blade as it slashed down fiercely.
Thump!
A vermilion-red barrier appeared, blocking this strike.
Xiao Hongchen snapped his head around, looking at the Evil Spirit Master who had been repelled and was stumbling backward, enraged.
"Despicable!"
He quickly activated his martial soul fusion. His body grew enormous, and five spirit rings rose at his feet.
That's right, he had already broken through to Spirit King.
Su Ming glanced at the vermilion-gold barrier around Xiao Hongchen, feeling his warning might have been unnecessary.
Vermillion Blessing, the most excellent defensive ninth-level spirit tool in the Douluo 2 era so far.
He looked at the Evil Spirit Master, charged straight over, and shouted, "Surround and kill him!"
Meng Hongchen and Ma Rulong also reacted, each activating their martial soul fusion and taking out the light-attribute spirit tool cannons specially prepared for this operation.
Su Ming's body became enormous, transforming into a giant tree. Pieces of armor appeared, binding the tree's trunk and branches, initially gathering them into a humanoid shape.
The Star Tree giant swung its arm, slamming down fiercely and forcing the fleeing Evil Spirit Master back.
"None of you will get away unscathed!"
The Evil Spirit Master's eyes turned blood-red. His entire body's blood and qi boiled, transforming him into a blood-man.
Su Ming's pupils contracted.
"His martial soul is related to blood."
Was it a Body Martial Soul?
"Take that for ambushing me!"
Xiao Hongchen shouted angrily. One hundred and eight spirit tool cannons on his body fired spirit tool rays incessantly.
Meng Hongchen released a cloud of ice mist, rapidly spreading it forward.
The blood-colored Evil Spirit Master glanced at Old Ma, who hadn't made a move, and gave up struggling.
No escape.
He directly self-destructed.
"All of you, die with me!"
Xiao Hongchen's pupils contracted. He directly activated the Vermillion Blessing. The vermilion-gold barrier around him expanded, enveloping all four of them.
Simultaneously, the spirit tool cannons on his body rapidly shrank and softened as if withering.
His face turned deathly pale.
The Vermillion Blessing contained Spirit Power pre-charged by Jing Hongchen, which could trigger upon encountering an attack. But if he actively controlled it, the consumption was too great for a Spirit King like him.
As the blood-colored aura dissipated, all four sat on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Are all Evil Spirit Masters like this?"
Old Ma, seeing the four were unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief and answered Xiao Hongchen's question.
"He just couldn't escape and wanted to take you down with him. The four of you weren't a major threat to him. He might even have been confident of escaping from me. But once exposed, he definitely couldn't escape the encirclement and suppression outside."
He was going to die anyway, might as well take out a few geniuses.
"Xiao, you didn't need to do that. They all have Invincible Protection Barriers." Old Ma looked at Xiao Hongchen's pale, drained face and said helplessly.
Xiao Hongchen snorted.
"I was just worried Meng would get hurt."
"Quickly use a Milk Bottle to recover your Spirit Power," Su Ming reminded.
Xiao Hongchen was severely depleted. Su Ming and the other two weren't in a hurry to explore other directions either.
Su Ming found a spot to meditate.
Sea of Consciousness.
"As expected of Elder Yi, you could intercept even this."
Su Ming looked at the additional light sphere in his Sea of Consciousness and couldn't help but praise Electrolux.
"It's also because he died from self-destruction. After self-destructing, the martial soul automatically replenished, making it easier for me to intercept it," Electrolux said.
Su Ming focused his attention on the new light sphere.
Inside the light sphere was a very bizarre scene: a mass of blood that had taken preliminary shape. The blood flowed as if bound by invisible meridians, circulating along a specific path.
Su Ming was certain this wasn't a Blood martial soul because above this mass of blood, there was a mosquito.
"His martial soul should be this Blood Mosquito. As for the blood circulation below, it's an acquired modification, using all the blood sucked by the martial soul to create this set of blood circulation."
Electrolux analyzed it and offered his conjecture.
"He was probably trying to imitate a Body Martial Soul."
"Imitate a Body Martial Soul? Why?" Su Ming was puzzled.
"Probably for the Second Awakening. The abilities of an Evil Spirit Master combined with the Second Awakening of a Body Martial Soul... if he had truly succeeded, he would have been extremely powerful among his peers."
Hearing this, Su Ming slowly let out a breath.
Why did it feel like everyone was researching Body Martial Souls?
Shrek was researching them, and among the Evil Spirit Masters, there were those trying to transform themselves into Body Martial Souls.
"Elder Yi, can this martial soul now be considered a Blood martial soul?"
"Yes. He was actually semi-successful. During the fight just now, he only used the blood's abilities."
A Blood martial soul...
Su Ming had some ideas.
He didn't stay long in the Sea of Consciousness and returned to reality.
After Xiao Hongchen recovered forty percent of his Spirit Power, they began looting again.
Zhang Wei sat dejectedly inside a shop.
Nearby, two Spirit Engineers were watching them.
Yes, them.
In this shop, Zhang Wei and other Shrek personnel working together in the Xishui Alliance had been captured, except for the shop owner, who was their superior.
By the time Su Ming arrived in this area, the fighting was mostly over, and the sounds of explosions had faded from his ears.
He交涉ed with the two Spirit Engineers and brought Zhang Wei out.
"Do you understand now?"
As they walked, Su Ming asked Zhang Wei a question.
Zhang Wei's lips moved, but he didn't open his mouth, merely nodding.
"When you came within the borders of the Sun Moon Empire, you were already pawns to be sacrificed."
Su Ming's words stabbed into Zhang Wei's heart.
"I know," Zhang Wei said in a low voice. "I just didn't expect him to have information and not reveal a single word to us. He knew long ago. Two days ago, he found an excuse not to come to the shop. He knew the news back then but didn't give us any warning."
Zhang Wei didn't have much loyalty to Shrek, but he felt he had contributed significantly.
Yet, in a situation where a few words could have clearly avoided their capture, that shop owner still decisively abandoned them.
And the other companions... just discarded like that.
Why?
***
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(Chapter End)