An Zhen looked at Huo Yutong.
The cute girl's face was expressionless, as if the person before her was not her biological father by blood, but a stranger unrelated to her. However, the hand intertwined with An Zhen's five fingers was gripping tightly. On the other side, Wang Dong allowed Huo Yutong to hold her hand, while her other hand gently patted Huo Yutong's back, comforting her.
Wang Yan and the Inner Court Seven Freaks bowed slightly, "Greetings, Duke."
An Zhen didn't move, and the other girls also made no gesture of greeting.
Firstly, because An Zhen had previously been ambushed by Dai Huabin's men, leaving her with a poor impression of the White Tiger Duke. Secondly, given their identities, if the Dai family were still the Star Luo Emperor, except for Gu Yuena and Wang Dong, they might perform a junior's bow out of respect for his age, but the Dai family had already declined.
White Tiger Duke Dai Hao's gaze shifted from the Inner Courtyard disciples. When his eyes swept over Zhang Lexuan, his pupils suddenly constricted slightly. The intuition honed by countless battles made him sense a dangerous aura from this seemingly young girl. His gaze finally settled on the handsome young man with a faint smile.
The disciple of Dragon God Douluo, with a four-ring cultivation, capable of severely wounding his eldest son, a six-ring Spirit Emperor, with a single blow.
Even Dragon God Douluo himself wasn't so monstrous back then, was he?
"My apologies!"
Under the astonished gazes of the Inner Court Seven Freaks, the White Tiger Duke suddenly bowed ninety degrees, saying with a tone full of apology, "It is my fault for not raising him well, allowing that beast to commit such a grave mistake."
"As long as he doesn't leave the military camp to harm others, everything will proceed as Dean Yan said," An Zhen said calmly.
"Of course."
The White Tiger Duke's attitude was very humble. He even apologized for what happened at the barracks entrance earlier. An Zhen also exchanged a few polite words. As for what everyone truly thought privately, perhaps only they knew.
Next was Wang Yan's negotiation with the other party. After a few polite exchanges, the White Tiger Duke left.
"Yu Tong, how are you?"
An Zhen's Soul Impact resonated in Huo Yutong's mind.
The blue-haired girl leaned half her body into An Zhen's embrace. Hearing An Zhen's words, a faint, forced smile appeared at the corner of her lips, and she gently shook her head, indicating that she was fine.
An Zhen gently pulled the young girl into her arms.
Even after killing the White Tiger Duke's wife, the culprit, the shadow of childhood trauma couldn't completely disappear so quickly.
"About half a month ago, our target, the Evil Soul Master who called himself Death God Emissary, led his team to rob a group of merchants and then fled deep into the Mingdou Mountain Range."
After a simple meal, Dai Yueheng took out a map and reported the intelligence they had gathered. "The Hand of Death bandit group has about three hundred people, nearly one-tenth of whom are Spirit Masters."
"Having a general location is enough," An Zhen nodded lightly, looking at the marked position on the map. "With flying spirit tools and Spirit Detection, it won't be difficult to locate a group of bandits in this area."
After a rest, when all members had fully recovered their spirit power, An Zhen led the team deep into the Mingdou Mountain Range. Her first Spirit, Reflection, and her Spirit Eye Spirit were activated. Powerful mental force combined with a spiritual Spirit.
Although the core of the mountain range was not small, it was, after all, just a group of insignificant bandits. They were only able to rely on the strategic location at the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire, which deterred people from both Empires from easily stepping foot here. There were also quite a few people, and under Spirit Detection, it was easy to find many subtle, normally hard-to-detect traces of human activity.
"There's a slope three hundred meters away, and a cave below the slope. The footprints nearby mostly converge towards this cave."
An Zhen found the target.
"Amazing," Wang Yan exclaimed.
He had also just discovered some clues, but he hadn't expected An Zhen to directly find the bandits' hideout so quickly.
"Let's move."
For this mission, the reserve team and Wang Yan would assist from the rear, doing odd jobs, essentially as an internship. The main action was to be carried out by the Inner Court Seven Freaks. In fact, An Zhen's direct discovery of the enemy's lair was already somewhat like cheating for the Seven Monsters, as the leader of this group of bandits was merely a Spirit King, while the Inner Court Seven Freaks included two Spirit Emperors.
Wearing the Inspector's Ring.
From it, they took out their suits: an inner armor covering the entire body including the head, a set of dark green outer garments, cloaks, and masks that provided relative concealment in the jungle. There were distinctions for male and female, with both sides changing clothes.
Once ready, the Inner Court Seven Freaks rushed into the cave. After confirming the identity of the opposing bandit group as the one they were looking for, a noisy battle immediately erupted.
"Teacher Wang," An Zhen handed a fifth-grade spirit tool to Wang Yan, "You are not skilled in combat, so it's better to be prepared. Safety first."
"Thank you," Wang Yan took it. This was his first time on such a mission, and having something to protect his Life made him feel a little more secure.
An Zhen and the others, along with Wang Yan, entered the cave, while Zhang Lexuan waited on the slope.
"Bastards!"
The sight within the cave instantly made Wang Dong and the other girls' faces turn pale. Many human skins hung on the cave walls, and there was even the impaled corpse of an infant.
"Students, you must never sympathize with any Evil Soul Master. Every bit of their strength is piled up with countless human lives. Killing one could save countless innocent common people," Wang Yan's expression was also furious upon seeing this bloody scene.
Looking at the expressions of the people beside her, the expressionless Gu Yuena imagined the human organs here as true dragon organs, and her anger immediately surged.
The group continued forward, and the view suddenly opened up. Fierce battles were unfolding here, with flames dancing and ice and snow falling. A pair of tiger claws directly smashed a bandit's head, a blood-colored rapier danced in the air, and lives were being reaped one by one. The Inner Court Seven Freaks each used their abilities, and bandits who tried to approach them died in the blink of an eye.
"Let's try starting with killing," An Zhen looked at the bandits rushing towards them. They were very weak, suitable for practice.
A Soul Impact hit, and Huo Yutong was the first to act. Her powerful mental force directly caused a bandit's head to explode like a watermelon, making Wang Dong and the others feel a wave of nausea. However, with Huo Yutong's demonstration, and remembering that these guys were all despicable people, Wang Dong's Light Goddess Butterfly glowed with golden light, and a rain of light points like bullets instantly pierced through the bodies of several bandits.
"Ugh."
The Three Lives Soul Caldron surrounded the group, acting as a guardian. Xiao Xiao was still a bit hesitant.
"It's alright, don't force yourself," An Zhen gently stroked Xiao Xiao's little head. Given Xiao Xiao's personality, making her kill was still a bit too much to ask, but the young girl was still young. She should be able to do it when she grows older.
Ning Tian took out a third-grade offensive spirit tool. spirit power was injected, and blue light rays shot out from it, directly piercing through the bodies of several bandits.
By the way, where was that leader?
An Zhen's mental force bypassed the three Spirit King bandits on site and continued to probe deeper into the cave.
"Hehehehe~"
A strange sound rang out.
Found him!
Soul Impact!
That should be enough, right?
Although she hoped the Inner Court Seven Freaks would learn a lesson from this incident, they were acquaintances after all, and the price in the original work was too cruel for them. However, she believed that in the upcoming Spirit Master Tournament, after absorbing the Immortal Herbs, Xiao and Meng would completely shock these geniuses.
In An Zhen's Spirit Detection, a thin figure in a black robe fell straight to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices. In his dying moments, his eyes were filled with an expression of utter astonishment.
"?"
An Zhen sensed something was amiss.
This guy didn't die immediately after taking her Soul Impact. He paused for half a second, and then his soul was shattered.
"Careful! The corpse is problematic!"
An Zhen's Soul Impact echoed in everyone's ears.
Huo Yutong and the other girls activated their defensive spirit tools at their fastest speed. A faint blue glow formed a spherical protective shield, completely enveloping their bodies. An Zhen activated her Xuan Ming Turtle Spirit, pulling Wang Dong into her embrace, and a black Xuan Ming Shield array blocked in front of the girls.
On the other side, the Inner Court Seven Freaks, hearing An Zhen's voice, didn't hesitate. The Chasing Soul Sword pushed away the already expanding corpse, phoenix flames incinerated the corpse, and they each used their strongest body-protecting Spirit Abilities. Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, and Yao Haoxuan also quickly rushed towards the others closest to them.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom…" Violent roars echoed in the cave, with flesh and blood flying everywhere, as if the area had been shelled.
"Bastard!"
Powerful Bright Light Phoenix spirit power descended, instantly suppressing the aftermath of the explosion. A furious figure rushed into the cave, the refined middle-aged man now wearing a ferocious expression.
"Senior Brother, the culprit has been killed by me," An Zhen's Soul Impact brought some rationality back to Yan Shaozhe. The Bright Light Phoenix now illuminated the cave like the warm sun in winter. The light fell upon everyone, feeling warm to An Zhen and the girls, their spirit power even seeming to recover. But for some surviving bandits, it was like sharp blades, directly piercing their bodies.
An Zhen looked at the girls beside her; they were all fine. They already had spirit tool protection, and there were fewer corpses on their side. The Xuan Ming Shield array also blocked most of the explosion's force.
"An… An Zhen."
Wang Dong, in An Zhen's arms, lifted her small head. The sudden explosion had momentarily stunned the young girl.
A tall figure appeared beside An Zhen. Zhang Lexuan looked at An Zhen and the girls, seeing that they were unharmed, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The explosion just now had truly frightened her.
Zhang Lexuan went to check on the Inner Court Seven Freaks' condition.
"An Zhen." A black sphere dissipated, revealing Wang Yan's figure within. Wang Yan handed the fifth-grade spirit tool back to An Zhen, a hint of relief in his eyes. "I didn't expect it to actually come in handy."
An Zhen and the others went to check on the Inner Court Seven Freaks' condition.
Fortunately, the one leading the team this time was Yan Shaozhe and not Old Xuan. Yan Shaozhe's Bright Light Phoenix had some healing abilities. Although not as good as a professional's, having it was better than not, especially when the situation had just occurred.
"Senior Brother, how are they?"
"I have already used spirit power to clear the poisoned blood and stabilize their injuries. They have also taken the corresponding healing pills," Yan Shaozhe said with an angry expression, but with the culprit gone, he could only blame himself and do nothing else.
"Yao Haoxuan's Life is not in danger, but he lost two legs. Chen Zifeng lost half a leg. Gongyang Mo and Xixi have serious internal injuries and poison. The academy has treasures, so after a year and a half of recuperation, the long-term impact will be minimal. Xiao Tao and Dai Yueheng have high cultivation but were at the center of the explosion. Fortunately, they were not affected by the poisoned blood and only have internal injuries. Ling Luochen, on the other hand, is fine."