Questioning

Taking advantage of the moment when Xue Protector was dragged into the Soul Illusion Realm by the "Dreamshock" and his consciousness was in a daze, Huo Yuhao suppressed the dizziness caused by the consumption of his soul, took a deep breath, and quickly circulated the Spirit Condensation Formula to restore his mental strength.

A moment later, Huo Yuhao rapidly formed hand seals and chanted a mysterious and obscure incantation, from which a hazy gray mist emanated from his fingertips.

[Necromancy - Soul Control]!

Huo Yuhao did not stop. He repeated the incantation several times, and multiple wisps of gray mist overlapped at his fingertips, their color becoming increasingly deep.

The gray mist, like living tentacles, silently merged into the spiritual threads extended by Huo Yuhao, and together they burrowed into the unsuspecting depths of Xue Protector's soul.

[Mental Control]!

With the combined use of the two control methods, Xue Protector's soul, which was at the Dou Zong level, was subtly altered, and soon, his consciousness was taken over by Huo Yuhao.

A moment later, the empty, bewildered look in Xue Protector's eyes faded, replaced by a fanatical obedience. He bowed deeply towards Huo Yuhao: "Master!"

"Hiss----" The Qian Lao beside him released the spatial confinement he had been maintaining. Witnessing this bizarre and domineering scene, even he, with his vast experience, couldn't help but gasp. His aged face was filled with shock.

"Your soul-binding technique—I've never heard of it before!"

Huo Yuhao did not respond to Qian Lao's astonishment. His face was pale, but his eyes were sharp as knives. Without hesitation, he launched Soul Search on Xue Protector. A massive flow of information flooded into his mind, and he quickly sifted through the key intelligence.

"Qian Lao!" Huo Yuhao's voice was urgent. "He has an accomplice! He's also a Soul Hall Protector, Three-Star Dou Zong. He's the one who led the attack on the Inner Academy!"

Qian Lao raised a snow-white eyebrow. "No need to worry, Su Qian and Bai Lao are more than capable of handling this!"

"What if he senses the situation is bad and tries to escape?" Huo Yuhao interrupted him, his tone resolute. "I urge Qian Lao to go to the Inner Academy immediately! Make sure everything is absolutely safe!"

Before the words were finished, the space around the two people fluctuated violently. As if a curtain had been torn open, the figures of Bai Lao and Su Qian, the Grand Elder of the Inner Academy, stepped out.

Bai Lao's face was contorted with rage, his hair and beard bristling, clearly seething with Child Flame: "Damn it! Those rats are so slippery! They scattered and ran away before I even arrived!"

"They all ran away?" Huo Yuhao's heart sank, and his brows furrowed.

Su Qian's expression was also not good. He continued, "I joined forces with Bai Lao and killed several Dou Emperor, but the leading Soul Hall Protector, seeing that things were not going well, tore through space and escaped."

His gaze turned to Huo Yuhao, his eyes filled with heartfelt gratitude and lingering fear. He disregarded his status as the Grand Elder of the Inner Academy and bowed deeply to Huo Yuhao: "Elder Huo, the academy's collapse this time was entirely due to your efforts in turning the tide!"

Su Qian —On behalf of all the faculty and students of the college, thank you!

"Elder, you flatter me." Huo Yuhao didn't stand on ceremony. His remaining spiritual energy, like an invisible tide, was relentlessly enveloping the entire Outer Academy, carefully scanning every corner.

Only when he saw Xiao Yi Xian, Han Yue, Lin Xiuya and others emerge safely from the Library Pavilion, and confirmed that all the students in the Outer Academy were still alive, did his heart finally settle down, and he breathed a long sigh of relief.

Just then, Bai Lao's stern rebuke rang out. "Su Qian! What kind of elder are you! The academy has suffered such a calamity, and you cannot shirk your responsibility! Even dying ten times wouldn't be enough to atone for your sins!"

Bai Lao's sharp gaze swept over Su Qian like a knife, his calm tone concealing a thunderous rage.

"Bai Lao, Qian Lao!" Huo Yuhao's voice was like ice shattering, his unprecedented severity and anger instantly overwhelming Bai Lao's accusations! He turned around abruptly, his gaze piercing the two guardian elders.

"Who should be held accountable?"

He pointed at the teachers and students lying unconscious all over the teaching building, like soulless shells, his anger almost bursting out. "You knew that Xiao Yi Xian and the others hid in the Library Pavilion! They begged you for help, but what were you doing?"

"Your Soul Power swept over them, and you thought everything was fine just because everyone Outer Academy? Have you ever considered that the souls of these thousands of teachers and students outside have already been controlled by someone?"

Huo Yuhao's words grew increasingly harsh. "Even the vice-dean, all the elders of the Outer Academy, were controlled! When Xue Protector made his move, it wasn't that no one resisted! But did you notice anything?"

"We don't know whether what these trainees are saying is true or false!" the Qian Lao argued.

"Should we thank you for not kicking out the last of these students?" Huo Yuhao sneered.

"If I hadn't foreseen this, the entire Outer Academy of the Canaan Academy would be a wasteland by now! Is this your way of protecting us?"

"What exactly have you two, as guardians of the academy, been protecting?!" Huo Yuhao's roar could be clearly heard throughout the entire Outer Academy.

Bai Lao was choked by the barrage of questions, his face flushed red, a surge of shame and anger rising to his head, the spatial power around him fluctuating violently, and he subconsciously wanted to lash out. But he knew he was in the wrong, so he suppressed his anger, his beard trembling, but ultimately did not make a move.

Su Qian quickly stepped forward to stop him, trying to protect Huo Yuhao, the young elder who had done so much for the academy, despite Bai Lao's anger. "Bai Lao, please calm down. Elder Huo was just saying that in anger—"

Only Qian Lao, who knew his old friend's temperament well, immediately stepped forward, standing between the two, his tone heavy and sincere. "Elder Huo, please calm down! This matter—it was indeed our negligence that prevented us from seeing through this bizarre soul control technique. Bai Lao was also extremely anxious and his words were too harsh—"

"Hmph!" Bai Lao snorted heavily, which was considered an admission of Qian Lao's statement, but his face was still extremely ugly.

Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of Huo Yuhao like Gui Mei, firmly protecting him behind him! It was Ling Ying! His eyes were as cold as iron, and he tightly gripped a silver scroll that emitted terrifying spatial fluctuations in his hand.

"I am Ling Ying, a member of the Ancient Eight Clans Ancient Clan!" Ling Ying's voice carried an undeniable authority. "I am here on the orders of the Clan Chief to protect Young Master Huo Yuhao! If Jia Nan Academy dares to do anything to harm him, don't blame the Ancient Clan for disregarding Mang Tian Chi's feelings!"

The spatial runes on the scroll glowed slightly, and an aura above the Dou Zong emanated from it, instantly creating a tense atmosphere!

"Senior Ling!" Huo Yuhao immediately spoke up, grabbing Ling Ying's arm. "We're just discussing how to resolve the current crisis!"

He looked at the Qian Lao Bai Lao, his eyes still filled with anger, but his tone softened slightly. "The most urgent task is to save these teachers and students!"

Great Elder Su Qian quickly tried to smooth things over, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Elder Huo is absolutely right! The Soul Hall's silent, large-scale manipulation of souls is truly unheard of, and impossible to guard against! We—"