Explosion

Chapter 37: Explosion

Early in the morning, a group slowly emerged from the main gates of Shrek Academy, still shrouded in a layer of morning mist. None of them wore school uniforms. Some wore plain clothes, while others wore splendid attire, each dressed differently.

Splendid attire did not necessarily mean one looked good, nor did plain clothes mean one was ordinary. The most representative examples were Yao Haoxuan and Jiang Nannan. Though Yao Haoxuan wore luxurious clothing, his small, thin build still made him look somewhat wretched. Jiang Nannan, meanwhile, remained peerlessly beautiful even in plain clothes.

Ye Qingchen wore a fitted white outfit, his silver-white long hair cascading down his back. The dozen or so people walked in groups of two or three.

Xuan Zi was still dressed as usual: messy hair, a wine gourd, and a chicken leg. His food seemed to constantly alternate between chicken legs and chicken wings, yet he never seemed to grow tired of them.

If certain things were not deliberately influenced, the predetermined plot would not change at all. Huo Yuhao was cultivating alone, while He Caitou and Xiao Xiao had begun practicing the Yin-Yang Creation Art Ye Qingchen had taught them.

Not long after setting out, Ye Qingchen was dragged in to serve as labor. While Xuan Zi reminisced about Shrek Academy, Ye Qingchen was occupied with something else—communicating with the Ice Empress in the Small World. Ever since that incident, the Ice Empress had never sought out Ye Qingchen again.

"Looks like Bing Er is still angry. I'll have to coax her later." Ye Qingchen shook his head and sighed.

"Before we left, we already notified the Star Luo Empire's garrison near the Mingdou Mountain Range. They will provide us with detailed maps and accurate intelligence when the time comes. If there are no problems, we'll set off at full speed. Keep your Observer's Rings secure. You may only wear them while carrying out missions."

Everyone indicated that they were ready. Ma Xiaotao said, "Those of you with lower cultivation are likely to slow us down, and we can't accommodate you. This way: I'll take Huo Yuhao. Dai Yueheng, you take Wang Dong. Ling Luochen, take Xiao Xiao. Move out."

"That's too slow, and it wastes stamina besides. Leave it to me." Ye Qingchen raised a hand and made a grasping motion through the air.

The previously calm space shattered like a mirror. Before long, Ye Qingchen had created a spatial passageway.

"Let's go."

Ye Qingchen stepped inside first. Seeing him enter, the others followed one after another. An hour later, they finally arrived at the border between the Heaven Soul Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Ahead of them, a vast military camp blocked their path.

Dai Yueheng entered the camp alone. Before long, everyone learned the reason: Dai Yueheng had borrowed over a dozen military-grade Flying Soul Tools from the camp. For Soul Masters to fly, they either needed a flying Martial Soul or had to reach a cultivation level beyond seven rings. But even then, relying purely on Soul Power only allowed for short-distance flight. Only super experts at the level of Titled Douluo could fly over longer distances.

Dai Yueheng being able to borrow more than a dozen Flying Soul Tools at once was not something an ordinary person could do. This left Huo Yuhao with mixed emotions. Right—Dai Yueheng's father, the White Tiger Duke, was the commander-in-chief of the Star Luo Empire. Given his status as the eldest legitimate son, what did borrowing a few Flying Soul Tools amount to?

At the thought of that man, Huo Yuhao's fists clenched tightly in secret.

The Inner Courtyard Disciples were not using Flying Soul Tools for the first time, and Dai Yueheng patiently explained their operation to the Outer Courtyard students.

The most important step in using a Flying Soul Tool was takeoff. To take off, one injected Soul Power into the soul tool and sprayed it toward the ground. Once the body rose high into the air, the folded wings would be spread open. Then, using the buoyancy provided by the air currents against the wings, they only needed to use the soul tool to change the downward thrust into horizontal thrust, allowing them to accelerate through the air. However, they were still somewhat difficult to control, and one needed at least four rings of cultivation to use them. Only Soul Masters above Rank 40 possessed enough Soul Power to propel themselves high enough into the sky.

This made Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao's cultivation a problem. Wang Dong's situation was relatively simple, as she could already fly, so it would not be too difficult. The real problem lay with Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao. Ye Qingchen and He Caitou did not use those tools. Both were soul engineers, and Ye Qingchen could fly even faster on his own.

When the group charged toward the Evil Soul Masters' encampment, the bloody scene before them was horrifying. As they continued forward, the number of corpses steadily increased, and the sounds of battle within grew increasingly fierce.

The terrain ahead suddenly opened up, and they finally saw the battle underway. Soul ring lights flashed brilliantly, dazzling their eyes. Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul was the most conspicuous, its scorching flames erupting wildly.

The battle ahead had gradually become more intense. Since the Inner Courtyard Disciples were bearing the greatest pressure, the reserve team was completely crushing their opponents in a one-sided assault.

However, at that moment, Huo Yuhao had just finished vomiting when he suddenly shouted, "Watch out—"

"Move!"

Everyone shot rapidly toward the cave entrance.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom... Violent explosions rang out one after another within the cavern. Terrifying blasts sent blood and flesh flying in all directions through the cave.

The bones, muscles, and blood vessels of the corpses all became weapons after the explosions. The stronger the corpse had been in life, the greater the explosive power.

When the explosions subsided, Xuan Zi had already arrived. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng had been blasted aside, both coughing up blood. Yet, protected by their own Soul Skills, they had fortunately avoided being contaminated by the poisonous blood. Ling Luochen had ice to defend her entire body. Though she had also been blown away, her condition was not too bad.

Because Ye Qingchen had teleported them through space in time, Chen Zifeng and Gongyang Mo had not suffered life-threatening injuries. However, the explosion's shockwave still injured them. The Inner Courtyard's Seven Monsters were all wounded, but all remained intact. Not one had fallen!

By the time Xuan Zi acted, the enemy had already vanished without a trace. Because of the necromantic magic, Electrolux within Huo Yuhao's sea of spirit stirred slightly.

(End of Chapter)