Death's Hand

A Death's Hand

The seven reserve members of Shrek were Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, He Caitou, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Xie Huanyue.

During the freshman assessment, Xiao Xiao had been eliminated early after being matched against Xie Huanyue's team because she hadn't found a good team of her own. So, despite her considerable ability, she had missed out on becoming a core disciple and was only a candidate. That meant she had no part in this selection or the missions that followed.

Perhaps that was a good thing for her.

The seven official team members were now leading the reserve team toward the Mingdou Mountain Range. Since all the reserve members except He Caitou struggled to use Flight Soul Tools, they had to ask Xuan Zi to carry them part of the way.

After reaching the foot of the mountain, they first paid their respects to Duke White Tiger. When Dai Hao saw that both his sons were serving in the Supervision Corps, he felt greatly comforted.

After this tournament, Dai Yueheng would graduate from the inner court and join his army to make a name for himself. Dai Huabin, though still young, had already caught the inner court's eye, and his future looked just as bright.

With two such outstanding heirs in his generation, Duke White Tiger could rest easy for the next hundred years.

Especially Dai Huabin. Zhu Lu was by his side, too. With their ability to perform the Hell White Tiger, they seemed destined to become the leading figures of the Dai and Zhu families.

But even Zhu Lu, who was closer to Dai Huabin than anyone, hadn't noticed that he'd been spacing out more often lately. Sometimes, when she called his name, it took him a while to respond. Zhu Lu simply assumed he was thinking through some complicated matters. After all, he was the future heir to Duke's Mansion.

No one connected Dai Huabin's condition to that battle during the freshman assessment.

Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin chatted happily with Duke White Tiger, while Ma Xiaotao even dared to speak rudely to him. Watching them, Wang Yan couldn't help feeling that his role as team leader was nothing but a formality.

He reassured himself that his talents lay elsewhere. Then, after receiving the intelligence brought by the White Tiger Guards, he set off with the others for their target.

Once they entered the forest deep in the Mingdou Mountain Range, Wang Yan took the lead and had everyone follow close behind while he searched carefully. At first, Ma Xiaotao and the other inner-court students refused to listen to him. It wasn't until he pieced together Death's Hand's movements that they finally began to take him seriously.

Without any detection skills to help him, Wang Yan had to search step by step, relying on his experience. Fortunately, the knowledge he'd built up over the years wasn't for nothing. After a while, he spotted the crucial clue.

"Death's Hand should be just below this slope." He turned to Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng. "Yueheng, you'll lead the attack. Xiaotao, you'll direct the battle. I'll take charge of the reserve team."

Before they set out, Yan Shaozhe had told Wang Yan that Ma Xiaotao's Sea of Consciousness had been frozen for a time because of an accident. Her teachers had eventually helped her thaw it, and she had rejoined the team, but she was still recovering. That was why Wang Yan had assigned Dai Yueheng to lead the attack.

Wang Yan wasn't high-ranking enough to learn what had caused the accident.

Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng nodded, then crouched and rushed toward the spot Wang Yan had indicated. The other inner-court students quickly followed in formation. Wang Yan watched them for a moment before waving the reserve team onward. "Stay with me."

The reserve team fell into formation as well. Bei Bei took the lead, Xu Sanshi brought up the rear, and Xie Huanyue stayed in the middle to protect the others. Wang Yan walked along the side, keeping an eye on their surroundings so he could warn them if necessary.

As they pressed on, a cave hidden behind a curtain of vines came into view. Five or six bodies lay sprawled across its entrance. Wang Yan lowered his voice. "Bei Bei, release your Martial Soul. We're going in."

Bei Bei responded by summoning his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. At the same time, they heard the sounds of fighting and angry shouts from inside.

Jiang Nannan suddenly let out a scream. Wang Yan followed her gaze upward and saw human skin hanging from the cave ceiling. His face paled, and a bad feeling stirred within him.

Death's Hand truly seemed to be guilty of every kind of evil. But their brazen behavior made him uneasy. Anyone daring enough to act so recklessly had to have something up their sleeve.

According to the intelligence, though, the organization was led by a Five-Ring Soul King. His cultivation was only on par with Wang Yan's, while the inner court had sent two Soul Emperors and several Soul Kings. In theory, this shouldn't have been difficult.

So where had this unease rising from deep within him come from?

For now, he could only tell himself not to overthink it and focus on his duty as the teacher in charge. He barked, "Everyone, watch your step. Reserve team, do what you can. Every bandit you take down could save countless lives, but don't put yourselves in danger."

He'd said that only to the reserve team because he couldn't control the inner-court students once they started fighting!

Ma Xiaotao had clearly forgotten she was still recovering. Her phoenix wings spread wide, and the entire cave grew hotter as her power surged. Dai Yueheng's hair turned white, and his hands became White Tiger claws. He tore a bandit apart, sending flesh and blood flying.

Jiang Nannan watched, her face as pale as paper, while Dai Huabin grew visibly excited. Seeing his older brother unleash his power made him eager to join the fight.

"Xu Sanshi and I will cover everyone. Let's go," Bei Bei said. "Xie Huanyue, please protect the others at the back."

"No problem." Xie Huanyue nodded and released his Martial Soul. Dai Huabin could no longer hold back and charged forward.

Just as Bei Bei was about to rush in and fight the criminals trying to flee in their direction, a strange, sinister shriek rang out from deep within the cave:

"Who dares oppose the Messenger of Death?! You'll all die! You'll all become my Corpse Slaves!"

At the sound of that voice, the bandits didn't cheer. Instead, they quickly retreated, trembling from head to toe.

Without warning, the corpses and chunks of flesh on the ground began swelling and turning red at an astonishing rate, as if something were about to burst out of them—

A series of terrifying blasts erupted through the enclosed cave.

The moment Bei Bei realized there was an explosion, he sprang backward. Xu Sanshi shielded Jiang Nannan with one arm and lunged back, his face grim.

Dai Huabin had charged too far for either Bei Bei or Xu Sanshi to reach him in time. At the crucial moment, Xie Huanyue lunged forward. All three of his Soul Rings shone brightly as he slammed Dai Huabin to the ground.

Wang Yan rushed forward and shielded Zhu Lu, who had nearly charged after Dai Huabin and hadn't managed to react in time.

He Caitou's advantage as a Soul Engineer came into play. Several of the trigger-activated Defensive Soul Tools on his body sprang open. Three layers of Soul Tool Shields shattered one after another in the blast, but they bought him enough time to retreat and blocked much of the flying gore from reaching Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan.

Even the reserve team, protected by Wang Yan's cautious instructions, had barely made it through. The inner-court students had fared far worse.

With no warning, almost none of them had reacted to the explosion. Aside from Dai Yueheng, who already had White Tiger Vajra Transformation active, not one of them had managed to use a defensive Soul Skill.

The blast hurled Ma Xiaotao against the cave wall. She spat out a mouthful of black blood, but somehow managed to stay conscious. Poisonous blood drenched her, but her powerful Martial Soul had kept the corpse poison from entering her body—for now. It looked like only a matter of time.

Dai Yueheng, protected by White Tiger Vajra Transformation, had also suffered serious injuries. The blast had knocked him to the ground, and poisonous blood had eaten away large patches of his skin. But with Soul Power shielding his body, the corpse poison had only caused external injuries.

Chen Zifeng, however, had no protective skill and hadn't been prepared. He now lay nearby, a mangled mess. Caught off guard, he hadn't merely lost a leg—his entire lower body was gone, and his organs were faintly visible through the torn wound. The corpse poison was still spreading inward. There was probably no saving him.

Ling Luochеn's Soul Power had also provided some protection, but she had still been badly injured and was now unconscious. Yao Haoxuan and Gongyang Mo... amid the wreckage, it was already hard to tell them apart from the other corpses, except for Yao Haoxuan's half-body, which still stood out.

Xi Xi had been exceptionally quick and agile. The moment she sensed something was wrong, she darted toward the reserve team, which was closer to the cave entrance. But when she saw a fragment about to explode hurtling toward them, she turned back without hesitation and used a Soul Skill, trying to keep the blast in front of her.

Now she lay before the reserve team, the arm she'd used for her Soul Skill mangled down to the bone. Fortunately, she was only unconscious. Bei Bei and He Caitou had been close by and suffered less of the blast; as soon as they reacted, they used their Soul Skills to shield her from some of it.

Wang Yan's back was a bloody mess from protecting Zhu Lu. But he had no time to check his own injuries.

He stared at the carnage before him, his eyes filled with cold fury and grief—

Xuan Zi, where are you?!