The sky had only just begun to pale, and Green Mountain Town was still shrouded in a thin morning mist.
At the inn, most of the students taking part in the mission were still asleep. The day of travel yesterday had exhausted everyone, and this was when they slept the deepest.
Huo Yuhao opened his eyes.
He had not slept. He had merely spent the night meditating with his eyes closed.
A few rooster crows sounded outside the window. A new day had begun.
The change came in an instant.
Boom—!
A violent explosion shattered the morning's peace. The entire inn trembled, tiles rattled down, and the window frames splintered apart.
"Enemy attack—!"
Someone screamed at the top of their lungs.
Huo Yuhao sprang up and swept his gaze outside. Fires had erupted all across the town, thick smoke billowed into the air, and screams and cries rose one after another.
Countless black figures surged in from beyond the town like a tide, flooding the streets. They threw out one black object after another. The moment they hit the ground, they exploded. Eerie blue poison-light flashed amid the blasts, and wherever it passed, houses collapsed and flesh and blood flew.
Evil Soul Masters.
A large force of Evil Soul Masters.
Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted slightly.
Where was Xuan Zi?
He quickly released his spiritual power and swept it across the entire town—there was no trace of Xuan Zi's aura.
The old man was not here.
"Xuelian!"
The door was kicked open, and Ma Xiaotao rushed in. Her hair was disheveled, and she wore only a thin inner robe, but her Martial Soul was already in her hand.
"Move! The Evil Soul Masters have broken into town!"
Huo Yuhao nodded, and the two rushed out of the room.
The