Dark figures suddenly darted out from all around the dense forest.
More than thirty Soul Masters surrounded the Shrek Academy students, with the leader being an evil Soul Master at the Soul Douluo level. Black mist surged around him, and violent Soul Power swept in all directions.
"Shrek's little brats, you're all staying here today!"
The evil spirit master's sinister laughter rang out, and the spirit masters behind him simultaneously activated their martial spirits, their spirit rings rising, and various spirit skills poised to be unleashed.
The Shrek members turned ashen-faced.
Exhausted of their soul power and riddled with injuries, even standing was a luxury for them. At this moment, they had no power to resist whatsoever.
Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth and channeled her remaining soul power, the flames flickering weakly, unable to even condense the most basic soul skill. Dai Yueheng clenched his fists, the excruciating pain of his wounds reopening sending shivers down his spine. The reserve team trainees were filled with despair, their eyes devoid of any fighting spirit, only the fear of death remaining.
"It's over...we're completely finished..."
One of the trainees murmured softly, his voice filled with despair.
Wang Yan stood in front of the trainees, his body straight, but he knew it was all in vain. With suspicions of an internal traitor still lingering and an external enemy on the horizon, this Shrek reserve team was likely to be wiped out today.
"Let's do it!"
At the command of the Evil Soul Douluo, all sorts of soul skills erupted, with flames, ice, shadows, and poison raining down on the Shrek Academy members.
The piercing whistling sound of the soul skill tearing through the air instantly enveloped everyone. They closed their eyes, having given up resistance, awaiting their final moment.
At this critical moment, a faint yet incredibly cold aura suddenly rose from the back of the group.
Huo Yuhao, who had been standing silently in the crowd, pale-faced and unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes.
Those once clear eyes had now turned into a deathly gray-black, devoid of any emotion, only an eternal, unyielding coldness and desolation. A faint necromantic mist swirled around him, seemingly weak, yet it instantly lowered the surrounding air to freezing point.
A powerful pressure emanating from the depths of one's soul quietly spread out.
The various soul skills that were about to descend suddenly stopped in mid-air under this pressure, unable to advance an inch.
The attacking Soul Masters' expressions changed drastically, staring in horror at Huo Yuhao's sudden transformation.
"What kind of aura is this?!"
The Evil Soul Douluo tensed up, a chill running through his soul, as if he were facing a death god from hell, not a young Shrek Academy student.
"Even ants dare to act so presumptuously."
A cold, hoarse voice, devoid of any human warmth, came from Huo Yuhao's mouth. It was not Huo Yuhao's voice, but belonged to another ancient soul.
The Necromancer, the Scourge of the Undead—Electra.
To save Huo Yuhao's life and protect the remaining members of Shrek Academy, he ultimately chose to expose himself and forcibly take control of Huo Yuhao's body.
Electrolux raised his hand, his fingertips flicking slightly.
There were no powerful fluctuations of soul power, no dazzling soul rings lit up, only pure necromantic power quietly spreading.
In mid-air, those powerful soul skills instantly disintegrated, turning into specks of light and disappearing without a trace.
"Impossible! Who are you?!" Evil Soul Douluo roared, his soul power surging as he recklessly unleashed his eighth soul skill, blasting it towards Huo Yuhao.
Electrolux's eyes were indifferent; he didn't even glance at the soul skill, but simply flicked his sleeve.
The necromantic mist surged, instantly engulfing the incoming soul skill. Then, the mist transformed into countless tiny necromantic chains, sweeping towards the group of soul masters on the opposite side.
Wherever the necromancer chains touched, whether it was an ordinary soul master or the evil soul douluo, their soul power instantly froze, their martial soul power was completely suppressed, their bodies were unable to move, and their faces showed extreme pain and fear.
They could clearly feel their life force and soul power being rapidly devoured by this strange force.
In the blink of an eye, all thirty-odd Soul Masters were bound by the Necromancer's Chains. Before they could even scream, they lost all life and collapsed to the ground, turning into dried corpses.
The whole process took only a breath.
Electrolux dealt with all the attacking enemies without the slightest pause.
He raised his hand and unleashed a necromantic light barrier, enveloping all the Shrek members within it. The barrier was gentle yet incredibly sturdy, isolating them from all external soul power probing. At the same time, it carried a gentle power that slightly alleviated everyone's injuries and fatigue.
"Hold on tight, break through."
As the cold voice fell, Electrolux controlled Huo Yuhao's body and stepped forward.
The necromantic mist cleared the way ahead, obliterating any hidden Soul Master aura in the forest. Along the way, the dense forest withered instantly under the sweep of the necromantic aura, leaving it lifeless.
His speed was extremely fast, yet incredibly steady. Those enveloped by the necromantic light barrier felt as if they were floating on air, being carried forward at high speed without experiencing any bumps or jolting.
Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Wang Yan, and the others stared blankly at Huo Yuhao in front of them, filled with shock and disbelief.
They had never seen such a bizarre and powerful force. Without spirit rings or spirit skills, it could annihilate a group of Soul Douluos and Soul Masters with a wave of its hand. Such strength far exceeded their understanding.
No one knows why such a terrifying power exists within Huo Yuhao.
Electrolux remained silent, focusing solely on leading the group to break through the encirclement at full speed.
His remnant soul was already residing in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, leaving him with very little power. This time, his forced exposure, using necromancy to eliminate powerful enemies and lead others to break through the encirclement, greatly depleted his remaining soul power.
Huo Yuhao's face grew increasingly pale, and his body began to tremble slightly. Electrolux's soul aura also became weaker and weaker.
Any Soul Masters who tried to ambush him along the way were all wiped out with a wave of his hand, without the slightest hesitation.
We sped along, and the sky gradually began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
Finally, led by Electrolux, the group rushed out of the dark forest and saw the flag of the Star Luo Empire's border guard post in the distance.
Upon reaching safety, the necromantic light curtain slowly dissipated.
Electrolux controlled Huo Yuhao's body, stopping his steps. His lifeless gray-black eyes gradually regained their original clarity.
"Young man, you'd better watch yourself in the future."
A final, faint voice echoed within Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
The next second, Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and collapsed, falling into a complete coma.
Meanwhile, Electrox, who resides in his spiritual sea, exhausted his remaining soul power in the process of breaking through. To avoid being completely destroyed, he could only fall into an endless deep sleep, and it is unknown when he will awaken.
Wang Yan rushed forward and supported the unconscious Huo Yuhao, his expression complex.
Looking at the safe encampment before them, and recalling the terrifying and mysterious power they had just witnessed, everyone was filled with mixed emotions.
The relief of escaping death, the awe of the unknown power, and the lingering suspicion within the team were all intertwined.
Ma Xiaotao frowned as she looked at the unconscious Huo Yuhao. The power she had just witnessed was definitely not Huo Yuhao's own; he was hiding a secret they didn't know about.
Dai Yueheng said in a deep voice, "Let's go to the camp to rest first. We'll report the team's affairs and Huo Yuhao's abnormality to the academy after we get back."
Everyone nodded and, dragging their wounded and exhausted bodies, headed towards the border guard's post.
The ambush in the mountains and forests finally ended, but the gloom in the hearts of the Shrek members did not dissipate at all.
With Elder Xuan's fate unknown, the traitors within the team unclear, the mysterious power emanating from Huo Yuhao, and the sudden aura of death, one thing after another plunged this team, which had already faced life and death, into an even deeper fog of mystery.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining on the blood-stained clothes of the crowd, but it could not warm the coldness in their hearts.
This desperate escape, seemingly a victory, left behind countless mysteries. The unconscious Huo Yuhao could no longer sense the ancient soul within his spiritual sea, which had fallen into a deep slumber.
Electrolux sacrificed his own slumber to save everyone's lives, but the crisis facing Shrek Academy was far from over.