Chapter 89 The Grim Reaper Unleashed His Power! Xuanzi's Defenses Were Broken!
Xuanzi's bold words echoed through the valley, inspiring the Shrek Academy's regular team members to fight with high morale.
Ma Xiaotao patted the corner of her clothes, her eyes revealing a burning confidence.
In their view, with Xuan Lao, a level 98 Super Douluo, in charge, this cleanup operation was just a way to earn extra battle merits.
However, Huo Yuhao, who was standing at the back of the group, frowned slightly.
He activated his spiritual eye. Although his mental detection range couldn't yet cover the distant cave, the faint stench and oppressive feeling in the air made him extremely uneasy.
Huo Yuhao ran a few steps to catch up with Xuanzi and Wang Yan, who were walking ahead, and whispered:
"Elder Xuan, Teacher Wang, according to the information we just received, this Death Messenger must have some special methods to have been able to infiltrate the border of the Star Luo Empire for so long."
"After all, the opponent is an evil spirit master, and their methods are often extremely insidious and ruthless. Should we send the reserve team to conduct peripheral reconnaissance first, or wait for the scouts to bring back more accurate information before taking action?"
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Ma Xiaotao turned around and smiled dismissively: "Yuhao, you're just too cautious."
"Evil Soul Masters are indeed troublesome, but that's only in a contest between equals."
"Now that we have so many elites from the inner court, and Elder Xuan is backing us up, even if the other side has extraordinary abilities, they won't be able to cause any trouble."
Xuanzi stopped and looked back at Huo Yuhao.
He took a swig of wine, chuckled, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Yuhao, you're new to the inspection team. You haven't seen much of the world yet, so it's normal for you to be afraid of this and that."
"But you must remember that you are a member of Shrek Academy. If you don't even have this much courage when facing a group of bandits and evil soul masters, how will you establish your authority in the Continental Soul Master Competition? Just stay in the back with Wang Yan and watch. Don't worry about these useless things."
Wang Yan opened his mouth, thinking that it wouldn't hurt to be cautious in such a gloomy environment, but seeing Xuanzi's nonchalant look, he swallowed his words.
After all, in Shrek Academy, Xuanzi's status and strength give him absolute authority.
The group continued onward and soon approached the entrance to what was marked on the map as "Death Valley".
Just then, Xuanzi's gaze was suddenly drawn to a strange light in the bushes to the side.
He stopped, sniffed, and his previously cloudy eyes suddenly lit up.
Deep within that dense jungle, a golden-yellow chicken-like spirit beast, exuding a rich aroma, was foraging for food.
That was no ordinary bird, but an extremely rare "golden wild pheasant" whose meat was so delicious that it was considered a delicacy among soul beast ingredients. Even a glutton like Xuanzi, who had eaten his way across the continent, had not encountered it for decades.
Xuanzi could no longer move his feet. He swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the pheasant.
"Elder Xuan, what's wrong?" Dai Yueheng noticed Xuanzi's unusual behavior and asked in confusion.
Xuanzi withdrew his gaze, coughed twice in a mock manner, and waved to Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng: "Xiaotao, Yueheng, the bandits' cave is just ahead. I suddenly sensed a faint, unusual fluctuation of soul power around me, and I suspect it is a hidden sentry that the other side has set up. I have to go and deal with it myself."
"You don't need to wait for me. Just rush in according to the plan and make it quick. I'll come to meet you as soon as I've finished dealing with this little matter."
Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng exchanged a glance, not giving it much thought. In their view, wiping out a bandit group whose highest cultivation level was only Soul King was indeed not something Xuanzi needed to do personally.
"No problem, Elder Xuan, please go ahead with peace of mind. By the time you return, we'll probably have already brought out that Death Messenger," Ma Xiaotao replied confidently.
After saying that, Ma Xiaotao led the six members of the main team—Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, Gongyang Mo, Yao Haoxuan, Xixi, and Ling Luochen—into six streaks of light and rushed straight toward the dark cave.
After the team members disappeared from sight, Xuanzi immediately changed his expression, drooling, and disappeared into the bushes nearby.
In his view, this golden pheasant was far more valuable than those evil spirit masters.
The cave was cold and damp.
Ma Xiaotao took the lead, her body wreathed in flames that illuminated the dim tunnel.
Dai Yueheng followed closely behind, his White Tiger Martial Soul already possessing him, his hands transforming into enormous claws as he vigilantly sensed his surroundings.
"There it is!"
With a sharp shout from Chen Zifeng, the group rushed into a spacious underground palace.
In the center of the underground palace, a man dressed in a blood-red robe with a sinister face stood before an altar made of piled bones. He let out a series of piercing, cold laughs; he was none other than the messenger of death.
"Foolish creatures, how dare you come here!" The Grim Reaper's voice was hoarse and distorted. "Since you're here, you'll all become my sacrifices!"
"Enough with the nonsense, prepare to die!" Ma Xiaotao summoned her martial soul, her fourth soul ring shone, and a blazing phoenix fire pillar rushed straight towards the altar.
However, the Grim Reaper did not dodge.
He suddenly pulled a black bell from his pocket and shook it violently.
The seemingly ordinary corpses that had been piled up around the underground palace suddenly began to swell up strangely, their skin turning bluish-purple and emitting a dark red glow from within.
"Not good! It's a corpse explosion! Retreat!" As a control-type Soul Master, Yao Haoxuan reacted most acutely. He instantly sensed the violently fluctuating destructive energy in the air and shouted loudly.
But it was too late.
The Grim Reaper grinned menacingly, then crushed the bell in his hand and roared, "Explode!"
"Long——!"
The entire underground palace was instantly covered by a blinding dark red light.
This was no ordinary explosion; it was a chain reaction triggered by the Grim Reaper's messenger using evil magic to refine the corpses of high-level Soul Masters over several years. Each corpse was equivalent to the self-destruction of a Soul King, and the simultaneous explosion of hundreds or even thousands of corpses generated a power that was beyond comprehension.
The terrifying shockwave and highly toxic corrosive liquid instantly engulfed the Shrek team.
"boom!"
The underground palace collapsed violently. Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, screams could be heard intermittently.
When the aftershocks of the explosion subsided, the once-fierce Shrek Academy team was reduced to a scene of utter devastation.
Yao Haoxuan, who was standing at the very front, took the brunt of the impact because of his strong physique and his position in front of his teammates.
Half of his body had already disappeared in the horrific explosion; he died instantly before he could even scream.
Chen Zifeng lay in the ruins, his legs mangled and bloodied from the explosion, his legs below the thighs gone. The intense pain caused him to gasp for breath, and his blood stained the surrounding rubble.
Gongyang Mo and Xixi were hit by the powerful shockwave and slammed heavily against the stone wall. They lay on the ground, their faces covered in blood, in a deep coma, their breaths so faint they were almost inaudible.
Even Ma Xiaotao, who was protected by flames, and Dai Yueheng, who had extremely strong defense, were in a very sorry state at this moment.
Ma Xiaotao's long dress was burned to shreds, a huge wound was blown into her back, and black blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth.
Dai Yueheng's White Tiger Vajra Transformation was shattered, and his left arm was bent at an odd angle, clearly indicating that it was broken.
"Hahahaha! This is the Shrek Academy of Ten Thousand Years? Nothing special!" The Grim Reaper stood on the altar ruins, laughing maniacally.
Just then, a powerful aura surged in from the cave entrance.
Xuanzi finally returned. He was carrying a leftover bone in his hand, his face glowing with the afterglow of a hearty meal. However, when he stepped into the underground palace and saw the scene before him, the bone in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud."
Xuanzi froze, his pupils contracted sharply, and his mind went blank, as if the sky had collapsed at that moment.
"Xiao Tao... Hao Xuan... Zi Feng..."
Xuanzi's voice trembled violently.
He looked at the severed limbs scattered on the ground, at those once spirited elites of the inner court now lying in pools of blood like tattered sacks, and especially at Yao Haoxuan, who was completely lifeless. He felt as if the blood in his body was about to freeze.
"This...how is this possible? I was only gone for a moment..."
Xuanzi completely broke down.
His breathing became extremely heavy, and his originally rosy complexion instantly turned deathly pale.
He staggered toward his disciples lying in pools of blood, not even bothering to chase after the retreating Death Messenger.
"No--!"
Xuanzi looked up at the sky and let out a mournful cry, a sound filled with despair, regret and endless fear.
He knew very well that because of his greed, one of Shrek team's main players was dead, another was crippled, and several were seriously injured. This price was enough to make him the biggest joke in Shrek's ten-thousand-year history, and enough to make him unable to explain to Moon!
(End of chapter)