A Desperate Day for the Chosen Players

Ma Xiaotao with her voluptuous figure and long fiery red hair, Dai Yueheng with his golden hair and double pupils, the cool senior sister Ling Luochen, Chen Zifeng gripping his Soul-Chasing Sword, the confident Yao Haoxuan, the slightly effeminate Gongyang Mo, and the somewhat forgettable Xixi.

The seven official members of Shrek Academy all fixed their gazes on the pitch-black cave before them, vines hanging over the entrance, obscuring the true scene within.

But the sinister aura inside the cave was undeniable; ribbon-like black mist drifted out from it, and all the surrounding vegetation had withered away.

"Just as I thought—an Evil Soul Master's doing!"

Ma Xiaotao's pretty face was frosty as two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings appeared beneath her feet. Taking the lead, she charged straight into the cave.

"Xiaotao!"

"Don't be reckless!"

Seeing Ma Xiaotao take point, the others couldn't help but feel a jolt of alarm. With such dense sinister energy ahead, if this was a trap laid by the enemy, weren't they walking right into it?

Immediately after, a clear phoenix cry rang out from within the cave, and scorching phoenix flames illuminated the entire cavern.

Standing outside the cave, Dai Yueheng, Xixi, and the others could feel the heat on their faces—Ma Xiaotao had already made her move.

Dai Yueheng's muscles bulged as his six soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—flared to life. His golden hair shifted to black and white, and the character for "king" emerged on his forehead.

The group exchanged glances. The other five were all Soul Kings without exception, and they followed Dai Yueheng as he charged into the cave, launching a full-scale slaughter.

Inside the cave, the bones of skeleton soldiers were scattered everywhere.

"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line."

Ma Xiaotao grew a pair of blazing phoenix wings on her back as her first soul ring lit up. She spat out a stream of orange-red phoenix flame from her mouth.

The skeleton soldiers blocking the way let out crackling, chattering wails as their bones began to melt, their broken weapons dissolving into molten iron that fused with their remains.

"You're all too slow! I could wipe them all out on my own without you." Ma Xiaotao griped even as she fought.

"Is that so? Watch your back." Dai Yueheng smiled faintly as his second soul ring lit up. A milky white orb condensed in his mouth, and White Tiger Blazing Light Wave fired instantly.

Behind Ma Xiaotao, a skeleton archer had drawn its bow, a gleaming arrow aimed at her head.

The next moment, White Tiger Blazing Light Wave struck true, and the skeleton archer exploded on the spot, bones flying in all directions.

"Hmph!"

Ma Xiaotao wasn't grateful. She snorted coldly, her jade hands burning with fierce phoenix flames as she clenched her fists and charged alone into the ranks of skeleton soldiers.

Wherever she passed, bones flew everywhere. With wide, sweeping strikes, the phoenix flame seeped into every gap, quickly clearing a path forward.

"Everyone be careful! Every one of these skeleton soldiers has the strength of a Soul Ancestor. The Evil Soul Master we're up against this time must be terrifyingly powerful." Ma Xiaotao's expression grew serious as she spoke in a low voice.

"Then why didn't we ask the Soul Hall for help before we left? They specialize in dealing with Evil Soul Masters." Xixi was struggling to hold on as skeleton soldiers kept pouring out of the cave without end.

"As inner courtyard students of Shrek Academy, we don't need outsiders to help us. Don't say things like that again—if people hear, they'll mock Shrek Academy for being incompetent." Ma Xiaotao's sixth soul ring suddenly blazed to life.

"Sixth Soul Skill, Phoenix Meteor Shower."

At the same time, Ling Luochen's third soul ring lit up, and the purple ring merged into the ice staff in her hand.

In an instant, the skeleton soldiers charging from ahead were separated one by one, trapped in cages of ice, unable to move. Even when they hacked with their weapons, they only left small chips on the inside.

"Boom—"

Blazing fire meteors fell from the sky. The phoenix flame on Ma Xiaotao's back burned with a temperature that made hearts tremble, warping the very space around it.

The moment the fire meteors landed, they melted the ice cages and smashed into the skeleton soldiers, inflicting heavy casualties.

The group fell silent as they gathered together, their eyes fixed ahead.

When the dust settled, the skeleton soldiers before them dissolved into streams of gray mist that sank into the ground, vanishing completely.

Silence. Dead silence. The entire cave was utterly still.

"Something's off. Everyone be careful." As the captain, Ma Xiaotao stood at the front, her soul power surging. She shot out two lines of fire with her bare hands, illuminating the path ahead.

Instantly, they gasped, witnessing a sight they would never forget.

Hundreds of skeleton archers had drawn their bows, the strings pulled taut like full moons.

"Swish, swish, swish—"

Bright arrows tore through the air, screeching like vengeful ghosts as they sliced through the wind.

It was at that moment that Dai Weisi stepped forward. His fourth soul ring lit up, the purple glow casting a cold, sharp light across his face.

"Fourth Soul Skill, White Tiger Meteor Shower."

Countless yellow fist lights materialized behind him, clashing with the rain of arrows in a clattering din.

"How dare you! Coming to my territory—since you're here, none of you are leaving." A sinister, mocking laugh echoed from deep within the cave, drawing closer until it reached everyone's ears.

"Damn Evil Soul Master, I'll kill you!" Ma Xiaotao burned with fury and tried to rush forward, but Dai Yueheng blocked her.

"What are you stopping me for!" Ma Xiaotao's brows furrowed as she shot Dai Yueheng a fierce glare.

Dai Yueheng shook his head helplessly. Her temper was just as explosive as her Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul.

"We can't break through this arrow barrage right now, and you're the strongest here. If you charge in and something goes wrong, we're done for." Dai Yueheng looked at Yao Haoxuan.

The latter understood immediately. Yao Haoxuan's body swelled to enormous size, and he pounded his chest with both fists. He stepped forward to stand in front of the group, crossing his arms to catch all the incoming arrows.

The arrows couldn't tear his thick skin, leaving only white marks behind.

Yao Haoxuan gritted his teeth and held on with all his might, while on the other side, Gongyang Mo was shielded behind Ling Luochen as streams of multicolored light continuously poured into Yao Haoxuan and the others holding the front line.

"Chen Zifeng, you're the only one among us with a tool soul. Use your greatest advantage to the fullest. We'll carve a path out soon—don't worry about us. Kill any Evil Soul Masters you encounter directly. We scouted ahead before coming; that Evil Soul Master is only a Soul King at most. Don't forget, you're an inner court disciple of Shrek Academy."

After Dai Yueheng finished speaking quickly, he exchanged a nod with Ma Xiaotao. The two swiftly adjusted themselves, unleashing their current peak strength as soul power surged through their bodies.

White Tiger Meteor Shower and Phoenix Meteor Shower—two massive area-of-effect soul skills—rained down on the skeletal archers ahead, sending them scattering in disarray, weapons and armor cast aside.

Chen Zifeng seized the moment to charge into the skeletal archers' line of sight, his Soul-Chasing Sword in hand, cutting through them as if no one could stop him.

Just as the skeletal archers ahead tried to nock arrows and draw their bows, a pale sword light flashed by. Chen Zifeng darted past, the gleaming Soul-Chasing Sword glinting coldly, and behind him, the skeletal archers fell one by one, their heads severed from their bodies, bones clattering to the ground.

Chen Zifeng dared not let his guard down. He sprinted swiftly toward the deepest part of the cave.

Inside the cave, eerie green ghost fires burned. Qin Chuan, draped in a black robe and holding the Rakshasa Demon Scythe, sat cross-legged with his knees folded.

"Tap, tap, tap—"

Footsteps approached from ahead.

Qin Chuan opened his eyes, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Soul-Chasing Sword Chen Zifeng. Today, your head will mark the beginning of the oath I made a year ago."

Chen Zifeng stepped into the cavern. Before he even saw Qin Chuan, a ghostly purple blade light swept toward him.

Instinctively, Chen Zifeng raised his Soul-Chasing Sword with both hands as the fifth soul ring beneath his feet lit up.

"Fifth Soul Skill... Ah!!!"

Chen Zifeng's Soul-Chasing Sword was cleaved in two. The Rakshasa Demon Scythe effortlessly cut it apart. With his soul severed, Chen Zifeng felt a tightness in his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.

In the next instant, the Rakshasa Demon Scythe pressed against Chen Zifeng's neck. In the fleeting moment of his panic and blank mind, Qin Chuan gently pulled the blade to the left.

Chen Zifeng was decapitated!

A jet of blood shot skyward. His fine head was severed, the cross-section clean. The headless corpse stood frozen for two seconds before collapsing straight to the ground.

"Ding-dong. Host has used the Rakshasa Demon Scythe to kill Shrek Academy inner court member Chen Zifeng. Reward: 8,000 Snow Hatred Value."

Current Snow Hatred Value: 563,000

Qin Chuan looked at the headless corpse lying in a pool of blood and sneered coldly. "Chen Zifeng, you're the first, but by no means the last. A ten-thousand-year blood feud—settled today, starting with you."

Qin Chuan picked up Chen Zifeng's head, its eyes still wide in death, tore a strip of cloth from his clothes, and hung it on the Rakshasa Demon Scythe. Then, with leisurely steps, he walked toward where Ma Xiaotao and the others were.

"Rumble—"

The sound of hooves thundered. Skeletal knights astride skeletal warhorses, spears in hand, trampled over scattered bones as they charged toward Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and the others in a deathly assault.

"Ugh—"

Dai Yueheng spat out bitter bile, his chest heaving violently. At that moment, a massive horse's chest rammed into him, driving him backward as he ran. The skeletal knight seated atop aimed its spear, ready to pierce through his brow.

"Sixth Soul Skill, White Tiger Annihilation Kill!"

The sixth soul ring beneath Dai Yueheng blazed to life. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and a massive "kill" character cleaved the skeletal knight—horse and rider alike—into pieces.

"Why won't these damned things stop coming!" Gongyang Mo, sheltered in the center of the group, shouted.

The remaining six had formed a circle, surrounded by charging skeletal knights on all sides. Exhausted from fending them off, their soul power was running dangerously low.

"Hasn't Chen Zifeng finished yet?" Xixi Fu frowned and asked.

But the next second, a shadow flickered through the darkness.

All the surrounding skeletal knights halted, encircling the six of them.

"Are they stopping? Did Chen Zifeng succeed?" Gongyang Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, a cold voice came from behind.

"Yes, Chen Zifeng succeeded. He succeeded in sending himself to the afterlife."

The group was stunned, a chill of terror running down their spines. That wasn't Chen Zifeng's voice.

Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Xixi Fu, Ling Luochen, and Yao Haoxuan scattered in all directions.

They saw a figure draped in a black robe, holding a scythe, standing exactly where they had been a moment ago.

And Gongyang Mo—his chest had been pierced through. The scythe jutted out from his back, and he had already lost all signs of life.