Things Got Complicated

In the mist, Hu Liena gave a cold laugh. Just like that, three of the lackeys had been eliminated in the blink of an eye.

Qian Yun stole a glance at Yake Entu's fight. As he adjusted his position, he said to Hu Liena, "We need to hurry. Their leader seems tougher than we expected!"

"Mm!" Hu Liena understood. If the enemy's four-ring Evil Spirit Master escaped—or even defeated Yake Entu—then they would all be in danger.

Meanwhile, Yake Entu's fight with the Evil Spirit Master leader had also reached a stalemate. The man was clearly tougher than the intelligence had suggested. Not only had he advanced to the four-ring level, but his Blood Wolf Martial Soul was also bizarre. Although it was a Beast Martial Soul, it gave him abilities usually found in control-type Spirit Masters.

Whenever Yake Entu's attacks were about to hit him, a viscous substance covering his body would intercept them. Even when Yake Entu risked closing in, the man would leave behind a blood-red afterimage and escape unharmed.

By now, the man even seemed entirely at ease. Facing Yake Entu, he smiled. "Heh, friend, you and I have no quarrel. Why fight so desperately? Is it for the Spirit Hall behind you?"

Yake Entu gave a cold laugh. "Hmph. You know someone wants you dead. Instead of thinking about how to stay alive, you've got the nerve to linger here?"

He didn't rush to attack again. He was waiting for Qian Yun and the others to finish their fight.

But the man seemed to have seen through Yake Entu's intentions. He glanced at his subordinates, who were falling like stalks of wheat, and his smile widened. He was waiting too—for Qian Yun's fight to end.

Over on Qian Yun's side, the last Evil Spirit Master fell. As he quietly breathed a sigh of relief, he smiled at their leader, who was still waiting.

"Xiao Na, do it!" Qian Yun once again placed his hand on Hu Liena's shoulder.

"Mm. Leave it to me!" Empowered by Qian Yun's Crown, Hu Liena released a Spirit Skill once more. This time, her second Spirit Skill began to glow.

Just how powerful was the boost from Qian Yun's Crown? Almost instantly, pale white flames erupted from the bodies of the Evil Spirit Masters who had already died.

One, two, three... The white flames swept through like a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, the room was engulfed in a sea of fire.

While flames filled the room on one side, the other side was cold as iron. The Evil Spirit Master leader stared at the pale flames. For the first time in his life, he felt true dread creeping up from the soles of his feet.

Seeing him frozen in place, Yake Entu sneered. "What's wrong? Your fourth Spirit Skill doesn't work anymore, does it? Heh, kid, you must rarely have faced our Enforcement Team."

At that, the eyes beneath the wolf's head flickered. Yake Entu was right. His fourth Spirit Skill, Soul Explosion, was incredibly powerful—powerful enough to kill the great ape before him in a single blow.

But he needed sacrifices to activate it, so he'd had to wait until all his subordinates were dead. He hadn't expected his opponent to seem to know what was coming and burn the corpses in advance! Now his prized fourth Spirit Skill was useless!

By then, Qian Yun and Hu Liena had joined Yake Entu. It wasn't that they wanted to reveal themselves; their presence had already drawn the man's attention. To avoid facing an unknown threat, they were undoubtedly safer beside someone powerful.

Faced with three Spirit Masters—especially when two of them had unknown abilities—the Evil Spirit Master leader was utterly despairing.

He shook his head, dismissed his Blood Wolf Martial Soul, and raised both hands. "Fine, I surrender. You didn't come all this way just for me, did you? I guess your real target is the hostage you're holding. Spare my life, and I can restore him to normal."

Qian Yun looked at Yake Entu. If they stuck to their original plan, they would kill the man without hesitation, take the hostage, and complete the mission.

But now the hostage had suffered an unexpected turn. Based on what Qian Yun had overheard earlier, the hostage might already have been infected. His condition didn't affect their objective, but if there was a chance to restore him, it was worth trying.

The three exchanged glances. Yake Entu stepped forward, seized the man by the shoulder with his broad hand, then swung his fist into the man's stomach as he watched in terror!

"Ugh!" Blood gushed from the man's mouth. Forget escaping—even summoning his Martial Soul would now be extremely difficult.

After the punch, Yake Entu looked at the Evil Spirit Master curled up on the ground like a shrimp and showed no sympathy. He found some rope and tied him up tightly.

Now the Evil Spirit Master had no chance of escaping.

Yake Entu dragged him through the door and toward another room where the hostage was being held.

Outside, Ge Yan and the others had been waiting for a long time. When they saw their captain finally drag someone out, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Captain, you're finally done. Are you hurt?" Ge Yan stepped forward and asked.

Yake Entu shook his head. "No. Things went fairly smoothly on our end. How about you?"

At that, Ge Yan let out a sigh, his expression complicated. "We found the hostage without trouble, but the situation's a little complicated. He..."

"All right, this guy has already explained what happened. Let's go take a look," Yake Entu said, shaking his head. So it was just as he'd thought.

"Yes!"

"Wait!" Qian Yun called to Ge Yan and the others. "Don't rush. Just bring the hostage out. I'm worried this guy might try something again if we go inside!"

"Huh?" Ge Yan looked confused.

Yake Entu slapped his forehead in frustration. "Oh, right. I almost forgot. Ge Yan, go bring him out."

"Okay."

Ge Yan went inside and soon came back out, supporting a blond man. His hair was disheveled, his clothes looked as though they hadn't been changed in ages, and a foul stench clung to him.

This was the target of Qian Yun's mission—Yabojin!

Frowning, Ge Yan brought him over and tried to help him sit down. But as soon as Ge Yan let go, Yabojin collapsed to the ground like a boneless heap. His eyes held none of the emotions of a living person; he looked like a walking corpse.

Ge Yan kindly tried to help him up, but Yake Entu said, "Ge Yan, leave him alone!"

Yake Entu could clearly sense the aura of an Evil Spirit Master coming from Yabojin...

Yake Entu crouched beside the Evil Spirit Master, who was bound like a dumpling, and said coldly, "Restore him to normal, or you die!"

The Evil Spirit Master nodded frantically.

"Restore... him to normal, heh..." Just then, Yabojin, who had been collapsed on the ground, seemed to regain a little strength.

Yabojin's vacant eyes fixed on the panicked Evil Spirit Master nearby. His heart was filled with grief, but strangely, he felt no urge to take revenge.

For more than a dozen nights, he had cursed the man nonstop and sworn to the gods that he would grind him to dust. But now that his enemy was right before him, all desire had left him. His heart was already dead.

He knew there was no restoring him. He had become an Evil Spirit Master! He would be one forever!!

Yabojin's chilling laughter brimmed with mockery and contempt.

"What are you laughing at?" Qian Yun asked with a frown.

"Heh, I'm already an Evil Spirit Master! Just kill me," Yabojin said with a resigned smile. His calm tone made it sound as if he were inviting them over for a visit, welcoming them to take his life.

"Don't be like this. You're the general's son. He can restore your Martial Soul. You have to pull yourself together!" Yake Entu said.

But the hollow words clearly had no effect. Yabojin suddenly grew agitated. His golden mane bristled, making him look like an enraged lion. "It can't be restored! It can't!"

As he spoke, he suddenly activated Martial Soul Possession. His hair turned red, his arm muscles swelled, and in the blink of an eye, he looked like a lion, radiating a powerful pressure.

This was his Martial Soul: War Lion!

But unlike its usual imposing majesty, his Martial Soul was now wreathed in bloody light. A crimson hue stained its golden mane, and an evil aura emanated from his entire body.

"This..." Yake Entu was dumbfounded. Having seen the old general's Martial Soul, he knew just how much the lion had changed. It was almost as if they were two entirely different Martial Souls!

"You see? There's no restoring me. He told me the truth himself: no Spirit Master infected by his Blood Wolf can ever be restored," Yabojin said, revealing a desperate truth.

Everyone fell silent. No one had expected things to turn out this way.

"So come on, kill me." After dismissing his Martial Soul, Yabojin closed his eyes in despair. Only he knew how torn and hopeless he felt.

When no one reacted, he roared, "Come on! Kill me! It's your duty to eliminate Evil Spirit Masters. I can't bring shame on my family!"

"Sorry, but we have no right to take your life. We came to bring you back," Qian Yun said, voicing what they were all thinking.

Qian Yun's words struck like a heavy blow, shattering the last of Yabojin's dignity. In that moment, the glories of his past seemed like fleeting clouds, all drifting far away.

The muscles all over his body began to swell, and a deep red surged through his golden mane. In the blink of an eye, the haggard man had become a lion poised to pounce.

Yake Entu's gaze turned grave. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

Perhaps because his Martial Soul had changed, the War Lion now seemed even more ferocious than usual. But what made everyone's blood run cold was the lifeless look in his eyes.

Qian Yun watched him warily. Although Yabojin wasn't facing him, Qian Yun could feel danger closing in.

Without a word, he reached out and pulled Hu Liena along, leading her farther away.