One hour later.
Inside the Shrek Academy dormitory, Ma Hongjun lay on his bed, his entire body wrapped in bandages, barely an inch of skin visible, like a living mummy.
Flender, standing by the bed, frowned and looked at Ma Hongjun with a pained expression, then turned to the Master, who had a slightly gloomy face, and asked in a low voice:
"Xiao Gang, after you examined Hongjun's body, is he alright?"
Hearing this, the Master shook his head and said in a very low voice:
"The flesh in Ma Hongjun's lower abdomen is completely necrotic. Even a Titled Douluo-level healing Soul Master wouldn't be able to restore it. To prevent infection later, it must be completely removed."
"What?!" Flender was greatly alarmed, his face suddenly changed, and his voice involuntarily rose a few octaves: "Is there no other way?"
The Master shook his head again and said with a solemn tone: "No. This is already the most conservative and safest way to handle it."
Just then, Ma Hongjun on the bed seemed to have heard their conversation.
"Woo woo—"
He, who had been in a daze, suddenly opened his eyes wide, shook his head desperately, his eyes full of terror and pleading. He struggled to raise his hand but found himself completely unable to move, only able to emit weak and urgent whimpers, clearly protesting vehemently.
After a long silence, Flender looked at Ma Hongjun, who was lying motionless on the bed like a broken rag doll, with a complicated expression.
Finally, he slowly took out a cold, gleaming dagger from his Soul Tool on his waist.
Immediately after, Flender walked step by step towards the bed with the dagger. With each step closer, Ma Hongjun's eyes grew more terrified, his face filled with despair.
Looking at Ma Hongjun's current miserable state, Flender frowned tightly. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He then sighed and handed the dagger in his hand to the Master, who was standing by, and whispered:
"Xiao Gang, Hongjun is, after all, my direct Disciple whom I personally taught. For me to do it myself... I really can't bring myself to. Why don't you do it?"
Hearing this, the Master took the dagger, his brows tightly furrowed. He was silent for a moment, then finally nodded and looked at Ma Hongjun: "I'll try to be quick. Bear with it."
After speaking, the Master slowly walked to the bed, bent down, and gripped the dagger in his right hand.
At this moment, Ma Hongjun's eyes were filled with fear. He shook his head desperately, tears streaming down the edges of the bandages. His body trembled, but he didn't even have the strength to struggle, only able to emit low whimpers, full of resistance, but it was all in vain!
Taking a deep breath, the Master flicked his wrist, and the dagger flashed with a cold light.
"Ah—!!!"
A shrill scream immediately echoed throughout the dormitory.
At this moment, the Master did not know that because of this incident, Ma Hongjun would hold a grudge, leading him to suffer the exact same fate as the latter in the future.
......
A few minutes later, the atmosphere in Shrek Academy's headmaster's office was exceptionally solemn.
The Master and Flender sat side by side in the main seats, both with grim expressions. Below them, Zhao Wuji, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and others stood in order.
At this moment, Zhao Wuji was solemnly reporting the details of the previous battle with the Golden-haired woman.
As if hearing something unusual, suddenly, the Master and Flender frowned almost simultaneously, then abruptly stood up and exchanged glances.
"What did you just say? That Golden-haired woman can devour her opponent's life force in battle?" the Master asked in a low, heavy voice.
Zhao Wuji was stunned, then nodded and said: "Yes, when her golden long spear pierced me, I clearly felt my life force rapidly draining away."
"Could it be a Fallen?" Flender's eyes narrowed, a hint of shock flashing within them.
"Yes, the long spear in the Golden-haired woman's hand can indeed devour life force. I'm sure of this; there's no mistake," Zhao Wuji affirmed again.
Hearing this, the Master's expression immediately turned somewhat gloomy, and he said:
"If that's the case, then it makes sense. No wonder Dai Mubai and Little San weren't a match for these two; it turns out they are Fallen."
Tang San frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask: "Teacher, what are Fallen?"
"Martial Souls, strictly speaking, have no distinction between good and evil. However, some people's Martial Souls, after Awakening, will exhibit some extreme characteristics, such as being able to devour others' life force, flesh, Soul Power, or even their Soul... To become stronger, these people embarked on a nearly insane path of Cultivation, eventually becoming cold-blooded and cruel. Their Cultivation speed is extremely fast, and their strength far exceeds that of Soul Masters of the same rank, but the methods they use go against common sense. Such Soul Masters are called Fallen, also known as Evil Soul Masters," the Master explained in a deep voice.
At this point, his expression became even more solemn, and his gaze swept over everyone as he slowly said:
"However, I remember that the Evil Soul Masters on the continent were already completely wiped out by Spirit Hall many years ago, or driven into the Land of the Fallen. Logically, they shouldn't be appearing in the outside world again. But now two have suddenly appeared, and there's probably more to this than meets the eye."
Hearing this, Flender's expression darkened. He turned to the Master with a solemn look and whispered: "Xiao Gang, do you mean... these two Evil Soul Masters might have been intentionally released by Spirit Hall?"
"It's not impossible." The Master didn't answer immediately but frowned slightly, as if pondering his words. After a moment, he slowly nodded.
"Today's Spirit Hall is no longer just an organization that maintains the order of Soul Masters. They are ambitious and have plans to unify the entire continent. To achieve their goals, what wouldn't they do?"
"Perhaps they deliberately released a group of Evil Soul Masters from the Land of the Fallen to harm the common people and disrupt order, and then they would step in to eliminate them, thereby winning over public support and undermining the prestige of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires... It's a classic case of a thief crying'stop thief,' a common tactic of Spirit Hall."
As the Master's words fell, Tang San's expression suddenly changed. He stepped forward, his voice filled with anger, and said:
"Teacher, Spirit Hall is too wicked, isn't it? For their own ambition, they actually allow Evil Soul Masters to come out and harm the innocent!"
The Master first nodded, then raised his hand and gently patted Tang San's shoulder, his tone slightly heavy but full of expectation:
"Little San, you must seize the time to Cultivate. If one day in the future, Spirit Hall truly threatens the entire continent, then someone must stand up and stop them. I hope that person is you."
"Teacher, I will!" Hearing this, a determined light flashed in Tang San's eyes. He nodded heavily, his tone resolute.
At this point, he thought for a moment and then asked:
"By the way, Teacher, how should we deal with these two Evil Soul Masters next?"
"They injured so many people from our Shrek Academy; we absolutely cannot let them continue to harm the Soul Master world."
Hearing these words, Flender's eyes flickered, and Ma Hongjun's image, wrapped in bandages and lying on the sickbed, barely alive, immediately came to his mind.
His heart suddenly tightened, and his face instantly turned gloomy.
"You're right, Little San."
"Hongjun is the best example. If we don't act now, only more Soul Masters will suffer. As part of the Soul Master world, we absolutely cannot sit by and do nothing!" Flender said in a deep voice, his tone carrying a hint of anger and gritted teeth.
The Master and Flender exchanged glances, their eyes becoming sharper and more decisive. Then, he said: "Since we've confirmed they are Evil Soul Masters, we definitely cannot let them go unpunished. The reason Evil Soul Masters are evil is because their path of Cultivation is destined to be built upon the flesh and Soul of countless people."
"If they are not eliminated in time, they will surely become a great disaster in the future."
Flender also nodded, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes, and said: "Today's Spirit Hall has probably long been in cahoots with Evil Soul Masters. It's impossible to expect them to act. If we report this matter, it might even alert them."
Nodding slightly, the Master continued: "So we must act ourselves!"
"How about this: tomorrow morning, all teachers and students of our Shrek Academy will set out and search for these two in Soto City. Once found, immediately fire a signal, and we will gather to encircle and annihilate them. No matter how strong they are, they won't be able to defeat so many of us working together!"