Explosion, Second Soul Spirit!

"This is a level-five fixed soul guidance shell. Its power is immense, sufficient to cause catastrophic damage to the soul guidance defensive shield of a small city..."

The academy students were all in the weapons exhibition area, and the person giving them the introduction was none other than the warehouse manager from earlier: Chen He.

He was responsible for this batch of munitions, so naturally, he was also in charge of the exhibition.

Adolf stood at the entrance of the exhibition area. He had been listening intently to Chen He's lecture on fixed soul guidance shells when his peripheral vision caught a figure at the entrance. His heart skipped a beat.

A sense of foreboding rose within Adolf. Just as he stepped forward to ask what was happening, the words still stuck in his throat, he saw Shen Yue's cold expression. Without a moment's hesitation, she waved her hand and issued a crisp, decisive order: "Take him down!"

Before the words had even faded, the soldiers behind her were already in motion.

These were elite soul masters carefully selected by the North Sea Legion, possessing extensive combat experience. They moved in total silence, yet with lightning speed, instantly forming a pincer movement as they lunged toward Chen He in the center of the hall. The sudden eruption of soul power distorted the very air in the room.

Chen He, who had been holding the manual and chatting away to the students, froze, his gentle, professional demeanor vanishing in an instant.

However, his reaction was swift. In a split second, he grabbed the student closest to him—who happened to be Ye Xi.

He seized Ye Xi by the shoulder with immense force, instantly injecting his soul power into her body to immobilize her.

Ye Xi felt a wave of suffocation wash over her. Her body went limp, and the sensation of impending death flooded her mind. Her small face turned deathly pale, and she couldn't stop trembling.

No matter how much she had been raised by the legion, she was still only a ten-year-old child; it was only natural that she couldn't handle such a sudden crisis.

"Don't come any closer!" Chen He's voice was strained to the point of desperation. He realized, of course, that his cover had been blown.

Shen Yue's expression darkened slightly. She raised a hand to stop the soldiers and barked, "Chen He, do you realize what you are doing? If you release the hostage now and confess, you might still receive a lenient sentence."

"Vice Commander, I have no way out!" Chen He shook his head bitterly, his grip on Ye Xi tightening.

"Have you truly aligned yourself with the Evil Soul Masters?"

Shen Yue had only sent people to bring him in for questioning out of trust for Shen Nanxun.

But now that the fact was confirmed, she still felt a chill run down her spine. This meant the Evil Soul Masters had managed to infiltrate the legion—the extent of their ambition was terrifying.

Chen He's voice was hoarse and pained. "They captured my wife and son. Xi'er is only four! Four years old! When I left the camp yesterday, they let me see them from a distance. Xi'er was in their arms, tears on her face. When she saw me, she called out 'Daddy' until her voice went hoarse."

"I understand your pain, but there are things we can face together. There is always a way. You must know that even if you sell your life to the Evil Soul Masters, the end result will not be good. How could a bunch of outlaws ever keep their word?"

Shen Yue advised him calmly; she was unwilling to resort to brute force until the very last moment. After all, there was more than just Ye Xi in the room—there were other children as well.

Chen He shook his head bitterly. The hand gripping Ye Xi's shoulder was trembling violently, his tone growing increasingly desperate. "It's not just that. Those Evil Soul Masters are ruthless. To prevent me from betraying them, they planted a Blood Curse in my body! If I show the slightest defiance or if the matter is exposed, the curse will instantly detonate my soul power, causing me to self-destruct on the spot! Everyone in this hall, all these innocent children, will be buried with me!"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire room erupted in panic.

The students turned pale with terror and scrambled backward, their breathing becoming shallow and cautious. The elite soul masters behind Shen Yue also wore grave expressions, instinctively shielding the students, yet they dared not move forward, fearing the curse within Chen He.

Shen Yue's heart sank. She had never expected the situation to involve the lives of his family and a lethal curse. Her brows furrowed as she fell into a dilemma.

Just as everyone was at a loss, a clear, steady voice rang out from the entrance of the hall.

"I have a way." Shen Nanxun instinctively shielded Na'er behind him before speaking up. "Sister, I have a way."

"Xiao Xun." There was a hint of worry in Shen Yue's eyes. If there were any other choice, she would never want her younger brother to put himself in danger.

"Trust me!" Shen Nanxun replied, then took a step forward.

"I might be able to remove the curse in your body."

"Angel Power is pure and untainted; it is the natural nemesis of the sinister curses used by Evil Soul Masters. As long as you are willing to cooperate, I can attempt to purify the Blood Curse in your body and free you from the threat of self-destruction."

Hearing this, Shen Yue also stepped forward and said to Chen He in a deep voice, "Chen He, my brother's Angelic Purification is incredibly powerful; he is not speaking empty words."

"As long as you release the hostage and let him remove the curse, the legion will spare no effort to help you rescue your wife and son. We will definitely wipe out those Evil Soul Masters who are holding your family captive!"

Chen He's entire body shuddered. He stared blankly at the warm holy light surrounding Shen Nanxun, then thought of his wife and child suffering in the hands of the Evil Soul Masters. A crack finally appeared in the wall of his despair. He did not want to betray the legion, nor did he want to implicate these innocent children, but the lives of his family and the curse within him had forced him onto this dead-end path.

After a long silence, he slowly loosened his grip on Ye Xi's shoulder. The ferocity in his eyes faded, leaving only exhaustion. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Fine... I believe you. I will go with you. I can die, but I beg you, you must save my family..."

Shen Nanxun and Shen Yue exchanged a glance. He then stepped forward slowly, golden light emerging in his hands, just as he prepared to act.

But at that very moment, a sudden change occurred!

Chen He's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes rolling back into his head. A thick, pitch-black aura of evil instantly swirled around him. His previously gentle aura vanished completely, replaced by the cold, violent malice unique to an Evil Soul Master.

His limbs twisted uncontrollably, and a strange, eerie smile curled his lips. The soul power within him began to churn frantically, and black, grotesque patterns spread wildly across his skin.

It was the Evil Soul Masters!

They had bypassed the distance to manipulate the Blood Curse, directly seizing control of Chen He's body.

Chen He's consciousness was still struggling desperately. He used his last ounce of strength to roar, his voice filled with pain and despair: "No... don't! I don't want to hurt you, stop me!"

But his body was completely beyond his control. His soul power surged, the black power of the curse condensed, and the signs of self-destruction became increasingly obvious. A suffocating aura of death enveloped the exhibition hall.

A catastrophe was about to descend.

It all happened in an instant. Shen Nanxun pulled Ye Xi, who was closest, and pushed her behind him, then turned around to embrace Na'er.

Na'er gasped, her pupils dilating, for if the explosion were to happen now, it would be Shen Nanxun who took the brunt of the impact.

The explosion occurred in a heartbeat!

"Sister Xue, save me!"

The reason he dared to do this was because he had Qian Renxue as his safety net.

But at that moment, what acted before Qian Renxue was a breakthrough in soul power. Over the past month and a half, Shen Nanxun's soul power had successfully climbed from level twenty-eight to level twenty-nine, just a step away from a breakthrough.

Unexpectedly, that breakthrough happened at this very moment.

Shen Nanxun's eyes instantly transformed into vertical pupils. His aura became heavy and dull, and a long, lingering dragon roar echoed from within his body.

Nine-colored light erupted from his body!