Six Dead, One Escaped!

"Boss, how did seven living people just suddenly disappear? We searched the entire outer forest, but we couldn't find a single trace of anyone."

Outside the camp.

The seven mysterious black-clad figures who had previously entered the Star Dou Forest found a spot and sat down.

"It is indeed strange..." After pondering for several seconds, the leader of the black-clad men removed the hood from his head.

Could it be that the seven of them went deeper into the forest?

But the information His Majesty sent us said that five of them were twelve years old.

Their Soul Power should be around that of Soul Elders, and this trip wasn't for obtaining Soul Rings.

But if they weren't obtaining Soul Rings, why would they risk entering the depths of the forest?

How strange!

Raising her index finger to her lips, Qian Renxue gently nudged Little Gray's knee and pointed behind him.

Seeing Qian Renxue's gesture, he frowned in confusion and turned to look in the direction she indicated.

The mysterious black-clad man leading the group was leaning against the same tree as him.

There was only the length of one person between them.

Setting down the skewer in his hand, Little Gray slowly picked up the vegetable knife from the carpet, preparing to deal the black-clad man a fatal blow!

Seeing Little Gray's instinctive movement, Qian Renxue tugged at his clothes and whispered.

"Let's first find out who they are. If they're here for us, it won't be too late to act then."

Taking a big bite of the grilled meat in his hand, Xie Yue, who sat beside Hu Liena, said with amusement.

"Your Highness, there's no need to speak so quietly. If they could hear us, they would've acted long ago. Didn't you see that our grill is still burning?"

As he spoke, Xie Yue raised a hand and pointed at the barbecue rack a meter away from the carpet.

The middle-aged instructor was enthusiastically fiddling with all kinds of grilled meat.

Every gesture he made carried the faint air of a master barbecue chef!

"Wow! This is way too amazing! What kind of formation did Xiao Jun set up?"

Qian Renxue stood and walked over to the leading black-clad man, calling out curiously.

"Can you really not hear me?"

The three people sitting on the carpet, including Hu Liena, also walked over curiously.

They shouted at the black-clad man standing only a few dozen centimeters outside the camp.

"Are you here to kill us?" Xie Yue shouted like an idiot.

"Holy shit! Lord Zijun is incredible! This formation is godly!"

Seeing that the black-clad man did not react, Xie Yue could not help praising him with a face full of admiration.

At that moment, Qian Renxue and the other five seemed to be in a completely different space from the black-clad man.

No matter what they said, the seven black-clad men outside could not hear them.

Smack!

A hand slapped the leading middle-aged man on the shoulder, then suddenly vanished again!

He shot to his feet!

The leading middle-aged man in black turned around in panic and stared at the space behind him!

"Stay alert! Watch the surroundings!"

The middle-aged man in black shouted at the other black-clad men without daring to turn his head back.

"Boss! Wh-what did you find? This is the middle of nowhere, don't scare us!"

One of the subordinates standing behind the middle-aged man in black scanned the surroundings in terror.

Yet throughout the entire forest, there was nothing besides the rustling of grass in the wind and the occasional cry of a Spirit Beast.

Above the camp, Zijun looked down at the seven black-clad men, whose nerves were stretched taut.

He muttered to himself in confusion.

Why did these people come to the outskirts of the camp?

They don't look like they came to hunt Spirit Beasts. Who exactly are they?

"I'm not trying to scare anyone! There really was something just now! No! It was more like a human hand—it slapped me on the shoulder!"

His Adam's apple bobbed as the middle-aged man in black stared solemnly at the tree he had been leaning against.

"Boss... Boss! How about we head out first and look again after dawn?"

A black-clad man standing to his left urged nervously.

Hearing his subordinate's words, the middle-aged man in black shook his head and refused.

"Perhaps they discovered us long ago and merely hid themselves. If we leave now and fail to complete the task His Majesty assigned us, what face will we have left to return to the Heaven Dou Empire?"

The middle-aged man in black turned to look at the members who had followed him and smiled confidently.

"Besides, we have two Title Douluos and five Spirit Douluos! Even if we encounter a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, we'll have the strength to fight it!"

Listening to their argument, the black-clad man at the back of the group stood up from the rock where he had been sitting with his arms folded.

"This old man doesn't have the energy to indulge your wild suspicions. The one in the sky—since you're here, why hide?"

A hoarse, low voice rang out. As he spoke, the black-clad man removed his hood.

A cold-looking face was revealed, belonging to a man past fifty with medium-length white hair.

"Oh! Isn't this Poison Old Ghost? What, is your mission this time to deal with yours truly?"

As he spoke, Zijun slowly descended from the sky.

Upon seeing Zijun land, Poison Douluo Dugu Fu's face filled with disbelief!

It was as if he had seen something utterly terrifying!

"A... a Title Douluo!"

Poison Douluo and the others exclaimed in shock as one.

Ten platinum-white Soul Rings slowly appeared behind Zijun!

The Soul Rings, formed from intricate Inscription Realm patterns, resembled ancient formations.

They rotated in orderly fashion through the air!

Looking at the person before him, Poison Douluo immediately summoned his own Soul Rings.

Two yellow, two purple, five black!

"Kill everyone except the white-haired old man."

Zijun smiled at Poison Douluo without looking back.

As Zijun's words fell, the surrounding black-clad men exchanged looks and stared at him in bafflement.

Whoosh!

A white figure appeared out of thin air!

Moving at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, he darted back and forth among the six black-clad men!

Red divine power clung to the five fingers of his right hand!

Thud!

Six terrified heads rolled to the ground!

Flicking the blood from his fingers, Little Gray, the God of Pride, stood behind Zijun with a crazed expression.

A savage gleam flashed in his brownish-yellow pupils!

"As you command... Young Master! Hehehehe!"

Seeing the six headless corpses on the ground, Poison Douluo's pupils contracted in terror!

His feet instinctively retreated several steps!

Thud!

"Y-you... who exactly are you?!" Tripped by a stone behind his foot, Poison Douluo fell to the ground and asked shakily as he sat there.

Turning around, Zijun kicked Little Gray in the butt and scolded him displeasedly.

"Can't you laugh normally? Do I look like I'm supposed to be some villain? You're dragging down the whole team's image!"

Little Gray awkwardly scratched the back of his head and muttered with a wronged expression.

"B-but Lord Master used to laugh like that all the time when facing enemies. I think it's pretty cool..."

Sighing helplessly, Zijun turned back toward the terrified Poison Douluo.

He adjusted his expression, putting on the smile of a sunny young man as he said.

"You can go! But you'd better keep everything about me secret! Otherwise, your end will be very miserable! Heh... pfft! Hehe!"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously and nodded in agreement.

Without time to think further, upon hearing that his life would be spared, Poison Douluo scrambled to his feet on all fours and bolted toward the exit of the Star Dou Forest.

That retreating figure looked as though he feared Zijun might change his mind.