Corpse Explosion Technique, Sacrifices

After locating the Hand of Death Bandit Group's encampment, everyone took some time to change into the standard-issue equipment of the Shrek Monitoring Group.

Everyone wore dark green fitted combat gear. Shrek Academy had not made absolutely no progress over the past ten thousand years, at least—they had slightly revised their shit-green aesthetic.

However, this set of leather armor issued by the Shrek Monitoring Group merely granted physical capabilities roughly equivalent to those of a Soul Elder. Better than nothing.

Although the areas covered by the leather armor did provide a certain degree of defense against physical blows and Soul Power attacks.

When facing tricky, strange, or all-pervasive Soul Skills, however, clothing made purely by relying on superior materials was far less protective than a genuine Soul Tool Protective Shield, since it was not a fully integrated whole.

Besides the fitted leather armor and cloak, they were also equipped with capes with the same defensive capabilities. But in Huo Yuhao's view, the cape hindered movement far more than the defense it could offer was worth.

As for the mask on their faces, it truly served no purpose beyond concealing their appearances. It might have been somewhat better if it had been made into a gas mask that completely sealed them off from the outside.

Only after everyone had finished equipping themselves did the operation officially begin. Changing gear right outside the enemy's lair—if the enemy's scouts had been even slightly more competent, the Shrek group would probably have been wiped out already.

"This mission will be led by the Main Team. Dai Yueheng, you will command the frontal battle. I will command and protect the Reserve Team."

"Understood, Teacher Wang." Dai Yueheng nodded. Apart from Ma Xiaotao, the other Main Team members promptly began moving under Dai Yueheng's lead.

The strongest among them, Ma Xiaotao, remained at the center of the formation. Given Ma Xiaotao's strength and personality, she had always been this self-centered whenever she was not serving as captain.

Naturally, she would never obey the command of Dai Yueheng, someone weaker than herself. She had absolute confidence in her own strength.

Everyone activated their Martial Soul Possession and, with the aid of Soul Power, silently and swiftly approached their target.

The night had faded, and dawn was close. The sky was beginning to brighten, the time when humans were physiologically at their sleepiest. Though their physical structures differed, ordinary people on the Douluo Continent followed the same pattern.

Using the Eye of Truth, Huo Yuhao saw through layer upon layer of obstructions and watched the Main Team ahead slaughter every bandit standing guard or keeping watch.

At the same time, Huo Yuhao silently activated his Spiritual Erosion, gradually influencing and suggesting things to Dai Yueheng.

He did not directly control Dai Yueheng's actions. Instead, he gradually affected Dai Yueheng's subsequent judgments and fighting style through his subconscious.

Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and Xixi led the charge. Ma Xiaotao provided support from the center, while Gongyang Mo stood behind Ma Xiaotao and used Soul Skills to strengthen everyone. Ling Luochen and Yao Haoxuan remained at the rear of the group.

As for the Reserve Team, Xu Sanshi stood at the very front, with Beibei and Jiang Nannan positioned to the left and right. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Ning Tian, and Xiao Xiao were in the middle, while Wang Yan followed closely behind the four of them, guarding the rear and protecting the four weakest members.

Five or six bandits lay sprawled at the cave entrance. Their wounds were charred black, though they were not burns. Xixi had likely killed them instantly.

Intense sounds of battle echoed from within the cave. Seeing this, Wang Yan said in a deep voice, "We've probably been discovered. Go in. Everyone, be extremely careful."

So what was the point of all that sneaking around and keeping quiet earlier? Among seven Soul Masters, there's only one Agility Assault Type Soul Master, and she's even a lightning-type one. If she were something like a Hell Spirit Cat that could hide and lurk, that would be one thing. Why not just charge in head-on?

Huo Yuhao was speechless. And with this kind of lineup, it's only because the Death God's Emissary is such a fool that he actually showed himself and fought you. If he were a genuinely crafty bastard, wouldn't he have run away already? And they didn't arrange anyone else to surround the place or stand guard against escapees?

The saying about a dog catching mice and meddling in matters that were none of its business described the Shrek Monitoring Group perfectly. Shrek students' Martial Soul configurations and Soul Skill combinations were all designed for frontal combat—the kind commonly called arena fighters. Yet they had been sent to suppress bandits in terrain this complicated. No wonder their casualties were so severe.

If Huo Yuhao himself were the Death God's Emissary, he would have set up more traps to ambush people in addition to the Corpse Explosion Technique. He could probably have kept this entire group here without losses, and he certainly would not have confronted the Shrek Monitoring Group head-on.

After all, to the members of the Hand of Death Bandit Group, everyone besides the Death God's Emissary was essentially a puppet under his control.

Even the other Soul Masters within the bandit group were the same. He would not care if they all died. As long as the Death God's Emissary remained alive, he could casually gather another batch.

After entering the cave, they found it quite spacious. After proceeding some distance, they came across more scattered corpses lying on the ground. Judging by their clothing, they were clearly members of the bandit group.

Besides these fresh corpses, there was also an intense stench of blood. Its source was the stone walls on both sides of the cave, where more than a dozen sheets of human skin hung.

But under Huo Yuhao's Eye of Truth, that human skin was merely human skin. Unlike the corpses with foreign Soul Power buried within them, it was probably just some bizarre hobby of the Death God's Emissary.

Apart from the human skin, fresh infant corpses had been pierced and hung from the stalactites overhead. Blood flowed from the bodies and happened to drip onto Jiang Nannan.

Everyone except Huo Yuhao changed expression at the sight, while Jiang Nannan let out a scream.

But to Huo Yuhao's Eye of Truth, corpses? Human skin? Blood? All of it had been directly broken down by the Eye of Truth. Who would have a physiological reaction to an image of cells piled together?

This infant corpse has no Soul Power fluctuations either. Everything is normal. But to an Evil Soul Master, shouldn't this kind of thing be a resource? What a waste. No wonder he's only a Soul King.

In truth, the Reserve Team members and Wang Yan had seen plenty of corpses and blood. Battles between Soul Masters could not possibly be bloodless, and they had seen even more corpses while hunting Soul Beasts.

Their reaction now was more of an instinctive response—mourning the death of their own kind.

But for Soul Masters, how were the things they did to Soul Beasts any different from Evil Soul Masters? Hunting Soul Beasts to obtain their flesh and blood for nourishment, absorbing Soul Rings to advance their cultivation—was that not also tearing out sinews, stripping skin, refining souls, and seizing spirits?

Yet as Soul Masters, as members of the privileged class, they did not care. All they sought was an ideal they themselves approved of.

There was nothing wrong with that. Or rather, that was the reality of the Douluo Continent—a social structure that could not be defined by the standards of other worlds.

For the powerful who had grown up in this world, the stronger they became, the more their true selves swelled beneath their insufficient character.

The more they would twist things to satisfy their own values. I could never be wrong. Only others could be wrong.

Soon, everyone composed themselves, though their eyes remained filled with rage. Whether that anger truly came from their hearts, or whether they were merely angry because they were supposed to be angry, no one could say.

Wang Yan said, "Stay sharp. These people are all evil. Do not show mercy. Killing one of them may save countless others."

As they ventured deeper, the traces and sounds of battle grew increasingly intense. Everyone became more nervous, and Wang Yan's words gave them all a jolt, yet also calmed them down. They were no longer quite so tense.

When they reached an open area ahead, they should have been near the center of the cave. Soul Rings and Soul Skills flashed in succession, illuminating the dim, cramped cavern so brightly that it was dazzling.

At that moment, Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao were killing with the greatest ferocity.

Golden-red blazing flames erupted madly around Ma Xiaotao. Every eruption took several, or even more than ten, lives.

How could the weak, insignificant Soul Masters of the Hand of Death Bandit Group—or the bandits who were simply ordinary people—possibly be qualified to confront the Main Team head-on?

Dai Yueheng had charged the deepest, holding back dozens of bandits alone. Under his command, the others remained close to the cave passage without advancing too far, providing only support.

Colored light burst from Gongyang Mo and landed upon Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao. Since he only needed to support two people, he appeared quite relaxed.

Ling Luochen and Yao Haoxuan coordinated with Dai Yueheng to suppress the charging bandits, forcing them to cluster at the passage entrance and preventing them from breaking out.

Xixi stayed beside Gongyang Mo to support him. Clearly, the current tactical situation gave an Agility Assault Type Soul Master like her no chance to intervene.

Dai Yueheng alone blocked the passage through which the bandits were charging. Together with Ma Xiaotao's ranged attacks, he slaughtered the bandits at will.

By now, the ordinary bandits without Soul Power had nearly all been massacred. Corpses piled around Dai Yueheng, and blood flowed like a river. Yet in Huo Yuhao's eyes, a dark and sinister Soul Power lurked within the bodies of these ordinary bandits.

The remaining bandits all had blood-red eyes. They had clearly been stimulated by some Soul Skill. Even as large numbers of their companions died around them, they continued fighting desperately without retreating.

Meanwhile, while watching from the sidelines, Huo Yuhao continued to intensify the Spiritual Erosion affecting Dai Yueheng.

Because Dai Yueheng blocked the passage through which the bandits could emerge, although the bandit group held a numerical advantage, they could not break past him alone. The Reserve Team members could not easily step forward either.

After all, aside from the weaker bandits, there were three Soul King-level powerhouses among them. Though their Soul Rings were all of trash-tier age—starting with white rings, mostly yellow rings, with purple rings as decoration and no black rings.

For safety's sake, Wang Yan said to the Reserve Team, "Provide ranged support. Do not disrupt Dai Yueheng's arrangements. Use this opportunity to adapt to a real battlefield."

The Reserve Team nodded. Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan, who lacked ranged attack methods, protected the four weaker second-year students, Huo Yuhao and the others. Xiao Xiao split her Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron into three, positioning it around those at the rear and preparing to respond at any time.

Ning Tian, like Gongyang Mo, supported Dai Yueheng. Though in this battle, it could only be considered better than nothing. Ma Xiaotao had no need for enhancements to strength or speed at the moment.

Beibei and Wang Dong imitated Ma Xiaotao, launching ranged Soul Skills to bombard the bandits trapped at the passage entrance. Both had quite exceptional Soul Ring configurations, and their attacks dealt no small amount of damage.

But as Huo Yuhao watched the restless Soul Power stirring within the corpses on both sides of Dai Yueheng through the Eye of Truth, he knew something big was coming.

After charging in, aside from the corpses primarily piled along both sides of the passage, there were also several scattered corpses in the cavern where the Shrek group stood. However, the amount of Soul Power within those bodies was too limited to have much effect on everyone in their intact condition, even if it erupted.

As a large number of bandits were slaughtered and a Soul King-level bandit leader died at Dai Yueheng's hands, a cold and shrill voice rang out from the depths of the cave.

"Damn it! Who are you people? How dare you oppose me, the Death God's Emissary!"

"You will all die! You will all become my Corpse Slaves!"

The speaker's words clearly revealed that he was the very target of the Shrek Monitoring Group's mission—the leader of the Hand of Death Bandit Group, the Death God's Emissary.

But upon hearing that voice, the remaining bandits began trembling all over. The blood-red light in their eyes faded, and once the effects of the berserk-type Soul Skill receded, terror took hold of their bodies and minds.

Ignoring the Soul Skills of the Shrek group, the bandits hurriedly retreated into the passage. They were willing to take injuries and endure attacks head-on just to flee back inside as quickly as possible.

The corpses of the bandits Dai Yueheng had killed and tossed aside because they were in the way began to rapidly swell at an astonishing rate.

This... I seem to remember something. Electrolux's aged voice sounded within Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea. At the same time, it meant that Electrolux had recovered the most crucial portion of his memories.

But Huo Yuhao had no time to respond to Electrolux's will. He activated his fourth-grade Soul Tool, the Glazed Shield, with Soul Power. A spherical blue Soul Power barrier completely enveloped the Reserve Team members behind him.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom... After the corpses swelled came violent explosions, concentrated mainly in the front half of the cave, near the passage entrance.

Beyond the explosions' direct destructive force, even more terrifying was the dark black blood mist that spread from the blown-apart corpses. It contained exceptionally horrifying Corpse Poison.

If someone died after being contaminated by this Corpse Poison, their corpse would also become new material for the Corpse Explosion Technique.