Love Letter Leads the Way, Danger Lurks

Zhu Shen grabbed Tang San, who was about to give chase: "Don't move, something's wrong!"

He stared fixedly at the red dot on the map; the source of the evil energy was moving rapidly.

"Teacher, what is that pink light?" Tang San had just asked when an inhuman roar erupted from the depths of the forest.

The ground shook violently, and trees snapped in rows.

Zhu Shen's expression turned grim: "The love letter has been drawn in by the evil energy!"

He dragged Tang San and ran in the opposite direction: "Retreat! We can't afford to mess with that thing!"

Tang San looked back as he ran: "Are we just going to abandon the love letter?"

"Our lives are more important!" Zhu Shen's heart bled; that item was the key to raising his favorability.

The two had barely run a hundred meters when the bushes ahead parted with a rustle.

A man in a dark red robe blocked their path, his face as pale as paper.

He held the pink love letter in his hand, the evil energy radiating from him thick enough to make one nauseous.

"Found... you..." the man's voice was hoarse, his eyes fixed on the purple mark on the back of Tang San's head.

Zhu Shen shielded Tang San behind him, instantly releasing his Dragon God Martial Soul.

Two purple and two black soul rings flared with brilliant light.

"Give the love letter back!" Zhu Shen roared, though he felt incredibly hollow inside.

This Evil Soul Master was at least at the Soul Emperor level; he couldn't win.

The man tilted his head and brought the love letter to his nose to sniff it.

"The Pope's scent... interesting..." He grinned, revealing pitch-black teeth.

"What is your relationship with Bibi Dong?"

Zhu Shen's mind raced: "None of your damn business! Give it back!"

The man tucked the love letter into his robe: "Come back to the Holy Temple with me, and I'll let you die quickly."

He raised his hand, and dark red evil energy transformed into a giant claw, reaching for them.

Zhu Shen exhaled dragon breath, the golden flames colliding with the evil claw and exploding in a shower of sparks.

"Run, San!" Zhu Shen shoved Tang San and charged forward himself.

Tang San didn't run; he summoned the Clear Sky Hammer and swung it at the man's side.

The man didn't even look, simply swatting Tang San away with a wave of his hand.

Tang San broke two trees before coming to a stop, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"San!" Zhu Shen panicked, his dragon claws tearing toward the man's face with all his might.

The man caught the dragon claws with effortless ease, the evil energy spreading up Zhu Shen's arms.

Zhu Shen felt as if his Martial Soul were being corrupted and hurriedly pulled back.

"Teacher, don't worry about me!" Tang San scrambled up, his Blue Silver Grass growing wildly to entangle the man's feet.

The man released a pulse of evil energy from his feet, and the Blue Silver Grass withered instantly.

The gap in strength was too great.

Zhu Shen gritted his teeth: "System! Is there any way out of this!"

[Host detected in encounter with a powerful enemy, triggering emergency mission: Escape Alive]

[Mission Reward: Evolution Points +200, one drop of Dragon God Essence Blood]

[Failure Penalty: Death]

"No kidding! I know I'll die!" Zhu Shen cursed internally.

The man approached step by step, his evil energy sealing off the surrounding space.

"The Holy Child needs nourishment... you two are perfect..." He reached out his withered hand.

Just then, the love letter in the man's robe suddenly erupted with a blinding pink light!

"What?!" The man was startled; the letter was so hot it made his chest smoke.

He hurriedly pulled out the letter, and the envelope unfolded on its own, scattering countless pink light particles.

The particles coalesced in the air into a line of text:

"I am watching you."

The handwriting was elegant and magnificent, exuding a cold, majestic aura.

The man's expression changed drastically: "The Pope's mark?!"

He looked up at the sky abruptly, as if someone were truly watching him.

Taking this opportunity, Zhu Shen grabbed Tang San and ran.

"Don't think you can escape!" The man reacted, a giant hand of evil energy reaching out to grab them.

The love letter lit up again, this time exploding outright!

A pink shockwave scattered the evil aura, forcing the man to stumble back three steps.

Zhu Shen glanced back to see the love letter turn into drifting ashes.

My item! He felt like his heart was bleeding, but his feet moved even faster.

The two of them sprinted through the forest, the evil aura in hot pursuit.

Tang San panted as he ran, "Teacher, why did he call you the Holy Child?"

"How would I know!" Zhu Shen roared, "It's definitely nothing good!"

A cave appeared ahead, and Zhu Shen dove inside without a second thought.

The cave was deep and pitch black inside.

The two hid behind a giant boulder, holding their breath.

The evil aura lingered at the cave entrance for a while before gradually fading away.

"Did they leave?" Tang San whispered.

Zhu Shen shook his head, "They might be waiting for us to walk right into their trap."

He checked Tang San's injuries; fortunately, they were only superficial.

"That love letter saved our lives," Zhu Shen sighed, "What a pity it's gone."

Tang San hesitated, "Teacher, what exactly is your relationship with the Pope..."

"Stop right there!" Zhu Shen interrupted, "Now is not the time for this."

He opened the System Panel; the red dot was still near the cave entrance.

"He's camping us," Zhu Shen frowned, "We need to find a way to slip out."

Tang San thought for a moment, "I can use Blue Silver Grass to scout the path."

He released his martial soul, and several strands of Blue Silver Grass crept along the ground and out of the cave.

A few minutes later, the Blue Silver Grass sent back information.

"There is evil aura behind three trees to the left of the entrance and behind two rocks on the right," Tang San said, "We can't go out the front."

Zhu Shen looked toward the depths of the cave, "We have no choice but to go deeper."

The two moved forward in the dark; the cave was cold and damp, with loose gravel underfoot.

After walking about a hundred meters, a fork appeared ahead.

A breeze blew from the left, while the sound of dripping water came from the right.

"Take the left," Zhu Shen said, "If there's a breeze, there must be an exit."

They chose the left path, but the tunnel grew narrower and narrower until they finally had to crawl.

After crawling for a dozen meters, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

It was a natural karst cave with moonlight filtering through cracks in the ceiling.

In the center of the cave was a pool of water, clear enough to see the bottom.

"Let's rest for a moment," Zhu Shen plopped down on the ground.

Tang San also sat down to regulate his breathing; the previous impact had left his internal organs churning.

Zhu Shen opened the System Panel: 240 evolution points, enough to upgrade his bloodline twice.

Upgrade! he thought to himself.

A warm current surged through his entire body, and the purity of his Dragon God Bloodline rose to 23%.

His bones crackled, and his strength increased by another notch.

[Congratulations to the host for upgrading your bloodline, unlocking a new form: Dragon-Man Transformation]

[Dragon-Man Transformation: Temporarily transform into a half-dragon, increasing all attributes by 50%. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: one day.]

"Good stuff!" Zhu Shen's eyes lit up.

He felt a bit more confident now.

He looked at the rewarded Dragon God Essence Blood—a drop of golden liquid suspended in the system space.

[Dragon God Essence Blood: Consuming this permanently increases Dragon God Bloodline purity by 5%. Only effective the first time.]

Zhu Shen consumed it immediately.

An even stronger warm current washed over his body, and his bloodline purity jumped to 28%.

He felt his martial soul become more solid, and his dragon might had grown significantly stronger.

"Teacher, what happened to you?" Tang San noticed a flash of golden light on Zhu Shen.

"It's nothing, just had a sudden realization," Zhu Shen brushed it off.

He calculated the time; they had been inside for nearly half an hour.

"That guy might still be guarding the cave entrance," Zhu Shen said. "We need to come up with a plan."

Tang San looked around the limestone cave. "There doesn't seem to be any other exit here."

Zhu Shen looked up at the fissure, where moonlight shone down from above.

The crack was not large, but it was big enough for a person to squeeze through.

"Can you get up there?" he asked Tang San.

Tang San tried a pole vault using Blue Silver Grass, but he couldn't reach the height.

"Just a little short," he said.

Zhu Shen thought for a moment. "I'll boost you up, then you pull me."

Tang San nodded.

Zhu Shen crouched down to let Tang San step on his shoulders, then slowly stood up.

Tang San wrapped Blue Silver Grass around the edge of the fissure and pulled hard.

He made it up.

"Teacher, give me your hand!" Tang San lay at the edge of the fissure and reached out.

Just as Zhu Shen was about to jump, footsteps suddenly echoed in the cave.

"Found you..." that cold, sinister voice rang out.

The Evil Soul Master walked out from the passageway, a cruel grin on his lips.

"You ran quite fast, didn't you?" He approached step by step.

Zhu Shen pushed Tang San upward. "Go! Don't worry about me!"

"No!" Tang San refused to let go.

The Evil Soul Master raised his hand and struck, evil energy surging directly toward Zhu Shen's back.

Zhu Shen turned and met the attack with a Dragon Claw, a boom erupting as the shockwave exploded.

He was knocked back three steps, crashing into the stone wall.

"Teacher!" Tang San panicked and prepared to jump down.

"If you dare come down, I will expel you from the sect!" Zhu Shen roared.

He activated his Dragon-Man Transformation, his entire body covered in golden dragon scales, his eyes turning into vertical slits.

"Oh? This is interesting." The Evil Soul Master raised an eyebrow.

Zhu Shen roared and charged forward, his Dragon Claw Rending the air.

The two clashed in the limestone cave, sending gravel flying everywhere.

Tang San watched from above, his heart burning with anxiety.

He looked around; this was the other side of the forest, a hundred meters away from the cave exit.

"I have to help Teacher..." Tang San gritted his teeth and pulled the last few poison needles from his robes.

He aimed at the Evil Soul Master's back and threw them with all his might.

The poison needles flew toward the target in silence.

The Evil Soul Master sensed them, a ripple of evil energy knocking the needles away.

"Little bug, stop getting in the way!" He flicked his hand, and evil energy shot toward the fissure.

Tang San dodged in a hurry, the evil energy grazing his cheek and leaving a bloody scratch.

Zhu Shen seized the opportunity to claw at the Evil Soul Master's shoulder, tearing away a chunk of flesh.

"You're courting death!" The Evil Soul Master was enraged, an explosion of evil energy sending Zhu Shen flying.

Zhu Shen crashed into a pool of water, splashing a large spray of water.

He struggled to climb up; there were only three minutes left for his Dragon-Man Transformation.

"That's enough..." The Evil Soul Master grinned hideously and formed seals with his hands.

Dark red patterns lit up on the cave floor—a formation that had been set up long ago.

"I originally wanted to take you alive, but now... I'll just sacrifice you directly!"

The formation activated, and evil energy surged from all directions, coiling around Zhu Shen.

Zhu Shen felt his martial soul being suppressed, and his dragon scales began to fall off.

"Teacher!" Tang San prepared to jump down again.

"Don't come down!" Zhu Shen roared. "I have a way!"

He looked at his System Panel; he had enough evolution points to upgrade his bloodline one more time.

But it would take time.

The evil energy coiled tighter and tighter, and Zhu Shen found it difficult to even breathe.

Tang San paced back and forth anxiously above, when suddenly, he spotted a glimmer of light not far away.

That was... a campsite?

He squinted and realized it was a Spirit Hall patrol team!

"Help! Someone's down here!" Tang San shouted at the top of his lungs.

Hearing the voice, the patrol team quickly rushed toward them.

The Evil Soul Master's expression shifted. "People from Spirit Hall?"

He glanced at Zhu Shen, then back at the rapidly approaching lights.

"Consider yourself lucky..." He snorted coldly, dissolving into a black mist and vanishing.

The formation ceased, and the evil energy dissipated.

Zhu Shen collapsed to the ground, his Dragon-Man Transformation fading, his body covered in wounds.

Tang San jumped down to help him up. "Teacher, are you alright?"

"Still... not dead yet..." Zhu Shen gasped for air.

The patrol team arrived at the edge of the crevice, led by a Spirit Saint.

"Who is down there?" he demanded sternly.

"Notting Academy teacher Yu Xiaogang, and student Tang San!" Tang San replied. "We were attacked by an Evil Soul Master!"

The Spirit Saint jumped down, frowning as he saw the extent of Zhu Shen's injuries.

"Let's get back up first."

Once everyone returned to the surface, the patrol team's healing Spirit Master provided basic treatment for Zhu Shen's wounds.

"Where is the Evil Soul Master?" the Spirit Saint asked.

"He ran," Zhu Shen said. "He headed north."

The Spirit Saint immediately dispatched men to pursue, then turned to the two of them.

"How did you end up here?"

Zhu Shen recounted the mission given by the Pope, omitting the part about the love letter.

"The abnormal energy in the Soul Hunting Forest was the work of that Evil Soul Master," he said.

The Spirit Saint nodded. "We will report this to the Pope Palace. You two should return to the city to recover."

He assigned two Spirit Masters to escort them back to Nuoding City.

On the way, Tang San whispered, "Teacher, what do we do about the love letter?"

Zhu Shen gave a bitter smile. "We'll think of something... but honestly, we owe our lives to it this time."

He recalled the final line of the letter: "I am watching you."

Was Bibi Dong truly watching?

Back at the academy, the work-study students gathered around upon seeing Zhu Shen's injuries.

"Teacher, what happened to you?"

"It's nothing, I just took a tumble," Zhu Shen waved them off.

Wang Sheng had a sharp eye. "You get like that from a tumble?"

Zhu Shen glared at him. "You talk too much!"

That night, as Zhu Shen lay in bed, the system notification chimed.

[Emergency mission complete: Escape Alive]

[Reward received: Evolution Points +200, Dragon God Essence Blood has been issued]

[Current Evolution Points: 440/1000, bloodline can be continuously upgraded]

Zhu Shen was delighted; despite the danger, the harvest was significant.

He upgraded his bloodline consecutively, his purity jumping from 28% to 32%.

A new skill was unlocked: Dragon God Body Protection.

[Dragon God Body Protection: Passive skill, automatically generates a dragon scale shield when attacked to mitigate a portion of the damage]

"I'm much more durable now," Zhu Shen noted with satisfaction.

He looked out the window at the bright moonlight.

The Evil God Temple, the Holy Child, Bibi Dong's Love Letter...

There was surely a greater conspiracy behind all of this.

"I must get stronger as soon as possible," Zhu Shen clenched his fist. "Next time we meet, I'll be sure to peel that guy's skin off!"

In the next room, Tang San was also cultivating.

He felt the External Spirit Bone at the back of his head, his mental power now several times stronger than before.

"Teacher almost got himself killed again today..." he sighed, "but I've grown stronger, too."

He looked out the window, his gaze resolute.

I must protect Teacher well; I cannot always let him stand in front.

The next day, people from Spirit Hall arrived.

It was a Cardinal directly under the Pope Palace, bringing an oral decree from Bibi Dong.

"Master Yu is commended for his meritorious investigation; he is awarded ten thousand Gold Soul Coins and several rare medicinal herbs."

"Furthermore, the Pope summons you. Please proceed to Spirit City immediately upon your recovery."

Zhu Shen accepted the rewards, muttering to himself, "What should I use to build rapport when I see the Pope this time?"

Zhu Shen looked at the System Lottery Wheel.

"How about... I pull one more time?"