The extreme cold easily severed the head of the ten-thousand-year-level Eclipse Moon Demon Wolf. Simultaneously, the aura of Ultimate Ice manifested alongside a terrifying soul ring configuration: one yellow, one purple, four black, and one red.
The battlefield fell into an instantaneous, deathly silence.
The crimson rage in the eyes of the 100,000-year-level Eclipse Moon Demon Wolf slowly receded, replaced by a very human-like look of gravity.
"Leave now—otherwise, this ends only in death."
Huo Yuhao spoke calmly. He then retrieved a Grade 9 Stationary Soul Tool shell from his storage ring, confronting the Eclipse Moon Demon Wolf from a distance.
—Of course, this was mostly a show for Ms. Zhang Lexuan and the others.
Huo Yuhao's spiritual sense flickered, and the silver bite mark left by the gluttonous Dragon King on his shoulder released its aura. In an instant, the gravity in the wolf's eyes turned into sheer terror.
A phantom of a silver-white dragon, visible only to soul beasts, manifested behind Huo Yuhao. Its amethyst-like dragon pupils stared down at the wolf without a shred of emotion.
A terrifying pressure swept through the area, and primal, biological fear shattered the wolf's remaining reason.
Without the slightest hesitation, the Eclipse Moon Demon Wolf obeyed Huo Yuhao's command. It let out a long howl toward the sky, calling for all the surrounding wolves to retreat.
Ms. Zhang Lexuan sat paralyzed on the ground, staring blankly at the figure standing before her, completely at a loss.
—Everything had happened too fast.
From the appearance of the wolves to the heavy casualties of her teammates, to Ms. Qi Minyue sacrificing herself to save her... countless events had battered her sanity. Only now, with the sudden arrival and rescue by this black-robed figure, did she manage to pull her consciousness back.
"Can you still move? If you can, give them these. One pill each to keep them alive."
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered as he threw a bottle of medicinal pills to Ms. Zhang Lexuan. He then flew rapidly toward Lin Le in the distance.
Huo Yuhao's words snapped Ms. Zhang Lexuan back to reality. Looking at the pills in her hand as if they were her last hope, she hurriedly took one out and stuffed it into the mouth of Ms. Qi Minyue, who was on the verge of death.
A faint aura of life surged through Ms. Qi Minyue's mangled body. Under Ms. Zhang Lexuan's watch, her breathing returned; her life was temporarily stable!
Without hesitation, Ms. Zhang Lexuan pushed herself up and rushed to Wang An, intending to give him a pill as well. However, Wang An had long since stopped breathing...
She unconsciously gripped the white porcelain bottle. The feeling of powerlessness was so palpable, so utterly despairing.
"Eldest Senior Sister..."
Lin Le's voice came from behind. He was being supported by a teammate who was still relatively intact, followed by two other blood-stained survivors.
"Lin Le..."
"I'm sorry, Eldest Senior Sister... it's all my fault... I didn't protect them! I didn't..."
"Is crying useful? Will crying bring them back to life?"
Huo Yuhao's voice rang out, cutting off the impending tragic drama. He looked directly at them and asked sharply:
"Who was your lead teacher? Where is he?!"
There had been twelve people in total: four Soul Saints, two Soul Emperors, and six Soul Kings.
Now, one Soul Saint was dead, and two of the others were crippled. The two Soul Emperors were heavily injured. Of the six Soul Kings, five were dead, and the last one was also severely wounded!
If he hadn't appeared in time, this twelve-person team would likely have been completely annihilated!
And yet, these people were all wearing Shrek uniforms! This team even included Ms. Zhang Lexuan, a genius whom Shrek Academy focused on cultivating!
How could Shrek Academy not provide one or two Titled Douluos to ensure their safety?
But where was the person?!
"It was Elder Xuan. Our lead teacher for this trip was Elder Xuan..."
Ms. Zhang Lexuan recognized Huo Yuhao's identity. She didn't hide anything and explained the entire sequence of events.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao's brow furrowed deeply.
If he remembered correctly, in his previous life, he had heard Elder Xuan mention this incident.
Twelve Inner Court disciples went to the Star Constellation Great Forest for training while the lead teacher went missing. Consequently, they encountered a 100,000-year-old soul beast, and only four survived...
And now, the number of people in this team was exactly twelve, and the lead teacher was likewise missing. The only difference was that if Huo Yuhao hadn't appeared, no one here would have survived.
How did that fellow Xuan Zi have the nerve to use this incident as dinner conversation in his previous life?!
Did he truly feel even a shred of remorse in his heart?!
For the first time, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel genuine rage.
Shaking his head, he suppressed his emotions and looked at the survivors, whose eyes were filled with gratitude. Huo Yuhao spoke:
"I will take you back to Shrek City for treatment first. As for other matters—"
Just as he was speaking, Huo Yuhao suddenly sensed something. He looked up at the distant sky.
A yellow ball of light was wobbling through the air. After seemingly detecting their location, it shot down and landed in front of them.
As the light dissipated, Xuan Zi appeared. He held a steaming chicken leg in one hand and a wine gourd in the other, his face flushed with the redness of intoxication.
The expected cries of "Elder Xuan" or "Teacher Xuan Zi" did not happen. This caused him to frown slightly. Half-opening his bleary eyes, Xuan Zi looked at the crowd, preparing to give them a lecture.
However, when he saw that almost everyone was injured—some even missing limbs—Xuan Zi snapped awake.
ilHe immediately sensed his surroundings and instantly picked up the lingering aura of a 100,000-year-old soul beast. Then, he looked further away, where six corpses were neatly laid out, their life force long gone.
"They..."
"They are dead," Huo Yuhao said, staring coldly at Xuan Zi.
"What?" Xuan Zi was dazed.
"He said they are dead! Are you satisfied now?!"
The sole surviving Soul King screamed at Xuan Zi, near a total breakdown.
"Why didn't you come to save us when that 100,000-year-old soul beast appeared?!
"Aren't you our lead teacher?! Why didn't you come?!"
"Xiao Yu died right in front of me! Right in front of me! He could have lived! He clearly could have lived! Why didn't you show up?! WHY?!"
The heart-wrenching interrogations tore through Xuan Zi's state of mind. Finally understanding what had happened, he opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, not a single word came out.
What could he say?
Could he say he thought the Mixed Zone wasn't dangerous, so instead of protecting his students, he decided to go get some delicious food to reward himself?
Could he say he ran far away just for the few thousand-year-old mountain pigs and mountain chickens in his storage ring?
Could he say he suddenly felt hungry, so he spent time roasting a chicken, drinking some wine, and taking a nap?
He looked at the corpses in the distance, their eyes wide in death. Inexplicably, he felt as if those eyes were watching him... staring at him with a deathly intensity!