True and False Assassins? (Testing the waters, seeking reads and comments!)

In the blink of an eye, two days passed.

The four-person carriage had traveled far from Spirit City, nearing the outer perimeter of the Sunset Forest.

Lin Ze'an leaned against the carriage window, curiously observing the increasingly dense woods outside.

Suddenly, Hu Liena and Xie Yue sprang to their feet.

"Watch out!"

The two grabbed one of Lin Ze'an's arms each and exerted force simultaneously—

"Jump!"

Before Lin Ze'an could even react, he was swept off the speeding carriage.

At almost the same moment, Yan, who had been driving, leaped as well, landing steadily on the ground.

The next second, dozens of black, thorn-covered vines erupted from the earth, instantly binding the entire carriage in a tight grip.

The soul beast pulling the carriage didn't even have time to roar before its body was pierced by the sharp thorns.

Under the constriction of the vines, the carriage was torn to pieces in the blink of an eye.

Lin Ze'an landed safely, carried by Hu Liena and Xie Yue, and looked up to see the horrifying scene.

Immediately, the three shielded Lin Ze'an behind them, three soul rings appearing beneath each of their feet simultaneously: "We're being ambushed."

Lin Ze'an regained his composure, standing in the center as he sized up the enemies closing in from all sides.

Are you kidding me? Why are there assassins everywhere? And these are actual assassins.

One four-ring, three three-rings, and six two-rings... that's quite a crowd.

The leader, a tall, middle-aged soul ancestor, walked over slowly and sneered, "Tsk tsk, shall I do it, or will you die by your own hands?"

"Or..." he leered at Hu Liena, "let her keep me company, and perhaps I'll let you live."

At these words, the flames on Yan's body surged violently: "You trash think you can handle us? You're courting death!"

Hu Liena and Xie Yue's expressions darkened as well.

The two exchanged a glance, then whispered to Yan, "Yan, buy us some time!"

In this situation, their only chance was to use Demon Charm.

But with their current soul power, they couldn't activate it instantly; they needed time to build up their strength.

Watching Hu Liena and Xie Yue, Lin Ze'an understood their intent immediately.

He raised his hand, and a verdant green light suddenly bloomed from his palm.

Mo Ruier appeared behind him at the same time.

Following that, two purple soul rings rose slowly from beneath his feet, and a rich aura of life spread out like a tide.

Seeing this, Hu Liena froze, her eyes wide: "A... a thousand-year soul ring?!"

Yan and Xie Yue also whipped their heads around to look at him: "This...?!"

They knew Lin Ze'an had talent, but what kind of madness was this—having thousand-year rings for both his first and second? Was that even logical?

The surrounding enemies were stunned as well, the lead soul ancestor's face filled with bewilderment: "How is this possible?!"

Listening to their repeated exclamations, Lin Ze'an felt his heart go cold; he was utterly speechless.

Are these teammates idiots? Never mind the enemies being stunned, why are the three of them standing there like statues?

If you don't use your ultimate while the enemy is distracted, are you waiting for them to use theirs?

He turned to Hu Liena: "Stop staring, hurry up!"

The next second, massive emerald vines rose from the ground at Lin Ze'an's command, rapidly weaving and intertwining.

In an instant, they formed a sturdy barrier, firmly shielding the four of them within.

Spurred by Lin Ze'an's words, Hu Liena and Xie Yue snapped out of it and hurriedly began to channel their power.

Seeing this, the soul ancestor reacted, waving his hand violently: "Attack!"

At the order, the remaining enemies unleashed their soul skills simultaneously, and lights of various colors slammed into the barrier.

Immediately, ripples of pale green appeared.

After only a moment, the barrier shuddered violently under the fierce assault and shattered with a loud crack!

But the moment the barrier broke, new vines grew rapidly, not only reconstructing the defense but also lashing out at the enemies.

"Damn it! What is this monster thing!" a grand soul master exclaimed as he retreated, only to have his ankles ensnared by vines that had suddenly burst from the ground.

Just then, a flash of malice crossed the soul ancestor's eyes.

Spotting his chance, he leaped into the air and charged straight toward Lin Ze'an.

Black thorns grew wildly from his hands, piercing toward Lin Ze'an with sharp, murderous intent.

"Watch out!" Yan roared, his scorching flames surging instantly as he stepped in front of Lin Ze'an without hesitation, preparing to take the hit head-on.

At this critical juncture, Lin Ze'an's eyes lit up.

His small face darkened as he barked at the Soul Ancestor, "Insolence!"

Following this angry shout, a shocking scene unfolded.

"Crack—"

The black thorns thrusting toward him began to shatter inch by inch, falling to the ground as fragments.

Seeing this eerie sight, the Soul Ancestor hurriedly retreated, his eyes wide as he stared at Lin Ze'an in disbelief. "What the hell?"

Lin Ze'an looked at him with disdain and raised his hand, causing vines to erupt from the ground and shield his body.

His martial soul, Mo Ruier, was the Elf King of the plant type; using plants to deal with him was nothing more than serving himself up on a platter.

Before the Soul Ancestor could make another move, a thick red mist spread without warning, instantly shrouding the entire battlefield.

The mist carried a strange, sweet fragrance, yet it concealed a murderous intent.

"Not good!" The Soul Ancestor's expression changed drastically as he realized something was wrong with the mist, but it was already too late.

Due to the effects of the red mist, the surrounding enemies were suppressed and lost their vision, suddenly turning into headless flies running about in confusion.

Even their bodies began to feel heavy, and the circulation of their soul power slowed, as if they had fallen into a quagmire.

"W-what is this hellish thing?!" a Soul Venerable shouted in terror, unable to unleash his soul skill because his soul power had stagnated.

It was precisely within this chaotic red mist that a tall figure slowly emerged.

The figure was much taller than an ordinary person, and one could faintly see a pair of massive moon blades held in its hands, flickering with a cold, icy light amidst the red mist.

Seeing this, Lin Ze'an breathed a sigh of relief; these two teammates were finally reliable.

Even if he wasn't afraid of plant-based attacks, it would be very difficult for him if that Soul Ancestor realized the situation and attacked directly with soul power.

After all, a soul power gap of over twenty levels was a reality he had to face.

Thinking of this, Lin Ze'an raised his hand without hesitation, and the first soul ring beneath his feet lit up: "First Soul Skill: Everlasting Fragrance!"

Emerald light flowed from the scepter in Mo Ruier's hand toward Demon Charm, who was within the red mist.

"Hum—!"

Instantly, the red mist surrounding Demon Charm shuddered violently, and that pair of massive moon blades began to spin at high speed.

"Such a powerful boost!" Demon Charm's voice rang out from within the red mist. "Little junior, you've worked hard."

As the words faded, Demon Charm's figure flickered in and out of sight within the red mist, the rapidly spinning moon blades trailing streaks of cold light.

"Moon Blades!"