Caught You

Zhu Shen rushed toward the orb once more. This time, he was even more cautious, constantly altering his flight path to ensure Blood Shadow could not lock onto him.

Blood Shadow's attention was indeed drawn away, firing several bursts of evil energy that Zhu Shen narrowly dodged.

"Annoying fly!" Blood Shadow roared. Just as he prepared to focus his full strength on Zhu Shen, Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer arrived again.

"Your opponent is me," Tang Hao said coldly. He swung the Clear Sky Hammer with such density that not even a gust of wind could pass through, pinning Blood Shadow down.

Now is the time!

Tang San's eyes narrowed. He raised his right hand, and five poison needles coated in paralyzing powder flew from his grasp.

The needles traced five faint silver lines through the air, shooting silently toward the orb at the top of the altar.

Blood Shadow sensed them, but it was already too late to stop them.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!"

All five needles struck the orb.

The dark red light on the orb's surface faltered for a moment before beginning to fluctuate violently. Although the paralyzing powder had limited effect on the evil energy, it still disrupted the orb's stability.

"Damn it!" Blood Shadow bellowed in rage. He forced Tang Hao back with a punch and turned to destroy the needles.

But how could Tang Hao give him the chance?

"Ninth Spirit Skill: Clear Sky Hammer, Chaotic Cloak!"

The red spirit ring on Tang Hao's body flared brilliantly. The Clear Sky Hammer transformed into countless hammer shadows, raining down upon Blood Shadow like a violent storm.

This was Tang Hao's full-force strike.

Blood Shadow was forced to halt his advance and defend with all his might.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

The hammer shadows and the evil energy collided frantically, creating a continuous chain of explosions.

Zhu Shen seized the opportunity to fly beside the orb, extending his dragon claw to grab it.

It felt ice-cold to the touch, and the evil energy began to corrode his palm frantically. His dragon scales hissed as they started to melt away.

"Shatter for me!"

Zhu Shen gritted his teeth, pouring all his spirit power into his dragon claw.

"Crack!"

A fissure appeared on the surface of the orb.

The crack spread rapidly, covering the entire orb in the blink of an eye.

"No!" Blood Shadow let out a desperate shriek.

The orb exploded, turning into countless dark red fragments.

As the orb shattered, the dark red mist surrounding the altar began to dissipate rapidly. The evil energy on Blood Shadow's body also began to weaken, his spirit power level plummeting from eighty all the way back to seventy-three, and it continued to fall.

"My power..." Blood Shadow's face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror.

Tang Hao seized the opening, slamming the Clear Sky Hammer heavily into his chest.

"Pfft!"

Blood Shadow spat out a mouthful of black blood and flew backward, crashing into a large tree before falling unconscious.

The battle was over.

Zhu Shen landed on the ground and let out a long sigh of relief.

He glanced at his right hand; a large patch of dragon scales had been corroded away, leaving the flesh mangled. Fortunately, with his Dragon God Bloodline, he should recover quickly.

"Teacher, are you alright?" Tang San ran over, his expression changing when he saw the injury on Zhu Shen's hand.

"I'm fine, just a minor wound." Zhu Shen waved his hand and looked at Tang Hao. "His Excellency Haotian, thank you."

Tang Hao put away the Clear Sky Hammer and walked over to Blood Shadow to inspect him.

"He's still alive, but his spirit is crippled," Tang Hao said. "The evil energy backlashed; he will never be able to cultivate again in this lifetime."

Zhu Shen nodded and looked toward the children on the altar.

Forty-seven children were still tied together, trembling in fear. A few of the younger ones had already cried themselves into a faint.

"Let's get the children down first," Zhu Shen said.

Tang San immediately ran over, using his hidden weapon techniques to sever the ropes.

The children regained their freedom, yet they remained too afraid to move, huddled together in a ball.

"Don't be afraid, we are here to save you," Zhu Shen said, trying to make his voice as gentle as possible. "The bad man has been defeated; you are safe now."

A slightly braver boy looked up and asked timidly, "Re... really?"

"Really." Zhu Shen walked over and patted his head. "Once dawn breaks, we will send you all home."

The boy burst into tears.

The other children began to cry along with him.

In an instant, the Soul Hunting Forest was filled with the cries of children.

Zhu Shen felt a headache coming on.

He was worst at coaxing children.

Fortunately, Tang San had more experience; he walked over to comfort them one by one, slowly helping the children calm down.

Tang Hao stood to the side, watching Tang San's busy back with a complex look in his eyes.

"Grandmaster," he began, "how did you know there would be a ritual here tonight?"

Zhu Shen had already prepared his explanation: "I discovered traces of Evil Soul Masters in Nuoding City a few days ago and followed the clues here. As for the full moon, that was a guess. Evil Soul Masters usually prefer to hold their rituals at such times."

Tang Hao glanced at him and did not press further.

"How should we handle these children?" he asked.

"Send them back," Zhu Shen said. "The Evil God Temple only captures orphans and children from the slums; their families must be frantic. Once dawn breaks, we'll let the people from the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City handle it."

Tang Hao nodded.

The two fell silent for a moment.

"How much do you know about that Evil God Temple?" Tang Hao asked.

"Not much," Zhu Shen said truthfully. "I only know they are an organization of Evil Soul Masters, and their leader is called Blood Shadow—the one lying on the ground there. They operate near Nuoding City, kidnapping children for rituals to summon some kind of Evil God Projection."

Tang Hao frowned. "An Evil God Projection?"

"Yes," Zhu Shen pointed to the ruins of the altar. "That thing you shattered earlier was what they summoned. Although it was only a projection, it possessed the strength of a Soul Douluo. If you hadn't arrived in time, I might have met my end here today."

Tang Hao was silent for a moment before saying, "I will continue to investigate this matter. The appearance of an Evil Soul Master organization within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire is no small affair."

Zhu Shen's heart stirred.

Was Tang Hao going to intervene?

That was good news!

With His Excellency Haotian stepping in, the days of the Evil God Temple would certainly be numbered.

"By the way, His Excellency Haotian," Zhu Shen remembered something, "Su Nuo, the dean of Notting Academy, is also a member of the Evil God Temple. He helped Blood Shadow collect children and provided them with intelligence."

Tang Hao's eyes turned cold. "The dean of Notting Academy?"

"Yes," Zhu Shen said. "I saw him meeting with Blood Shadow with my own eyes. Furthermore, I checked and found evil energy within his body; although the concentration isn't high, he is definitely practicing evil arts."

"I understand," Tang Hao nodded. "I will handle this."

Zhu Shen breathed a sigh of relief.

With Tang Hao's word, that old man Su Nuo was finished.

The horizon began to turn a pale, fish-belly white.

Dawn was approaching.

Zhu Shen watched the sky gradually brighten, feeling a sense of emotion.

This night had truly been thrilling.

From infiltrating the Soul Hunting Forest to being discovered, clashing with Blood Shadow, Tang Hao's arrival, the descent of the Evil God Projection, and finally destroying the orb and defeating Blood Shadow...

Every step had been fraught with danger.

Fortunately, they had won in the end.

"Teacher," Tang San walked over. "The children have all been comforted. A few sustained minor injuries, but I've treated them simply."

Zhu Shen nodded. "Well done."

He looked at Tang Hao. "His Excellency Haotian, what shall we do next?"

Tang Hao glanced at Blood Shadow on the ground, then at the children.

"You take the children back to Nuoding City and hand them over to the Spirit Hall Branch," he said. "I am going to deal with Su Nuo."

"Understood," Zhu Shen had no objections.

Tang Hao turned and vanished into the depths of the forest.

Zhu Shen watched his retreating figure, silently lighting a candle for Su Nuo in his heart.

Of all people to provoke, he had to provoke Haotian Douluo.

He deserved it.

"San, let's go," Zhu Shen called out to Tang San. "Take the children and head back to Nuoding City."

Tang San nodded and organized the children into a line.

Forty-seven children formed a long queue. Although they were still afraid, they had calmed down significantly under Tang San's reassurance.

Zhu Shen walked at the front, Tang San brought up the rear, and the group headed toward Nuoding City.

They hadn't gone far when a cacophony of noise suddenly erupted ahead.

A group of people rushed out from the woods, led by the portly old branch master of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall. Behind him followed over a dozen Spirit Masters, all fully armed.

"Grandmaster!" The stout old man's eyes lit up when he saw Zhu Shen. "Are you alright? We received the letter Wang Sheng sent saying you had come to the Soul Hunting Forest to save people, so we rushed over with men..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the long line of children behind Zhu Shen and was instantly stunned.

"So... so many children?"

"Forty-seven," Zhu Shen said. "They were all captured by the Evil God Temple to be used for sacrifices. We arrived just in time to save them."

The stout old man gasped. "Forty-seven? Those god-forsaken Evil Soul Masters!"

The soul masters behind him were also filled with righteous indignation.

"Hall Master, where are the Evil Soul Masters?" one soul master asked.

"They were taken down," Zhu Shen pointed behind him. "Over by the altar, knocked unconscious. Go and capture him, but remember to use the special shackles. Even though his martial soul is crippled, his evil aura remains."

The stout old man immediately sent men over.

Soon, two soul masters returned, escorting the unconscious Blood Shadow.

The stout old man inspected him, confirmed he was indeed an Evil Soul Master with a high soul power level, and became even more respectful toward Zhu Shen.

"Grandmaster, we owe this all to you. Otherwise, so many children..." The stout old man sighed. "I will report this to my superiors and request a commendation for you."

"No need for commendations," Zhu Shen waved his hand. "Just make sure these children are sent home safely."

"Certainly, certainly," the stout old man nodded repeatedly.

The group made their way back to Nuoding City in a grand procession.

By the time they returned to the city, it was already broad daylight.

The stout old man took the soul masters to settle the children, while Zhu Shen and Tang San returned to Notting Academy.

As soon as they reached the academy gate, they saw Wang Sheng waiting there with the work-study students.

"Teacher!" Wang Sheng's eyes lit up when he saw Zhu Shen. "You're back! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Zhu Shen smiled. "How was your picnic?"

"It was great," Wang Sheng said. "We bought plenty of meat and ate our fill. We were just worried about you..."

"What's there to worry about? Your teacher is quite formidable," Zhu Shen patted his shoulder. "Alright, go back and get some rest. You have the day off today; training continues tomorrow."

The work-study students cheered and dispersed.

Zhu Shen and Tang San returned to their dormitory.

As soon as he entered, Zhu Shen collapsed into a chair and let out a long breath.

"I'm exhausted."

Tang San poured him a glass of water. "Teacher, the wound on your hand..."

"It's nothing, it'll heal in a couple of days," Zhu Shen took the water and drank. "What about you? You haven't slept all night, go get some rest."

Tang San shook his head. "I'm not tired."

"Even if you aren't tired, you need to sleep," Zhu Shen put on a stern face. "Go, that's an order."

Tang San had no choice but to return to his room.

Zhu Shen sat in the chair, reflecting on last night's battle.

Blood Shadow, the Evil God Projection, Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Hammer...

Every scene was still vivid in his mind.

He raised his right hand, looking at the corroded wound, and felt a lingering fear.

If Tang Hao hadn't arrived in time, if Tang San hadn't used his poison needles to interfere with the orb, if...

There were too many "ifs."

"My strength is still not enough," Zhu Shen muttered to himself.

A level 45 Soul Ancestor facing a Soul Saint-level opponent was still too much of a stretch. Even with a configuration of two purple and two black soul rings, the Dragon God Bloodline, and an external spirit bone, it couldn't bridge the massive gap in soul power levels.

He needed to increase his strength as soon as possible.

He opened the system panel.

[Host: Zhu Shen (Yu Xiaogang)]
[Martial Soul: Dragon God (Bloodline Purity 40%)]
[Soul Power: Level 45]
[Soul Rings: Purple (3,000 years), Purple (3,000 years), Black (10,000 years), Black (10,000 years)]
[Soul Bones: Dragon God Left Arm Bone (10,000 years), Dragon God External Spirit Bone (10,000 years), Evil Phoenix Torso Bone (Purified)]
[Evolution Points: 0/100]
[Current Task: Expose the mole in Notting Academy (Completed)]

The task was completed?

Zhu Shen was stunned, then immediately realized.

Su Nuo was the mole, and he had now been exposed. Since Tang Hao went to deal with him, the task was naturally completed.

[Congratulations to the Host for completing the Opportunity Task: Expose the mole in Notting Academy. Reward obtained]