Death Hand

Led by Du Leisi, the group passed one military tent after another.

A green military tent appeared a short distance away. Much larger than the ordinary tents around it, it was hexagonal, with few guards nearby-only two squads of thirty White Tiger Guards on patrol.

The group entered, and the first thing they saw was a huge sand table. It displayed a simple, clear map of the Douluo Continent and the Sun Moon Continent, with cities across both visible...

On the left stood a wooden rack bearing a suit of gleaming white armor, with white tiger patterns on both shoulders.

On the right stood a row of weapons, including sabers, spears, swords, and halberds...

The rear of the tent was screened off with black cloth, concealing whatever lay behind it.

Five meters behind the sand table stood a desk. A blond man with a resolute face sat at it, leafing through a book before him.

The man wore only a thin, close-fitting shirt, through which his scar-crossed skin was faintly visible.

Without a doubt, this man was the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao-Huo Yuhao's biological father, the pioneer of lying flat all the way to godhood...

Du Leisi stepped forward and bowed. "Marshal, your eldest son and his companions have arrived."

The others from Shrek saluted with cupped fists. After all, they were not people of the Star Luo Empire.

Dai Yueheng stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and called respectfully, "Father."

Dai Hao nodded slightly, signaling for him to rise, then turned his gaze toward Chen Tianyuan and the others.

Everyone immediately felt as though a savage beast had fixed its eyes on them. When his gaze swept over Chen Tianyuan, it paused briefly...

Dai Hao rose. "Welcome, Teacher Wang Yan of Shrek, and all you outstanding students. Thank you for coming to help eliminate the bandits. I'll have someone deliver the detailed intelligence and a thorough map of the Mingdou Mountains shortly."

"You all look weary from your journey. I've already had tents prepared for you to rest in. Once you've recovered, we can discuss the bandit operation in detail."

Wang Yan cupped his hands. "Sorry for the trouble, Duke."

Dai Hao waved a hand and chuckled. "Not at all. I'm merely doing my duty as your host."

After eating and taking a break, the group was led to a military tent where beds and bedding had already been prepared.

Wang Yan looked at everyone and said, "Rest for six hours, then we'll set out into the Mingdou Mountains. The intelligence and maps should be ready by then."

After yesterday's journey, Chen Tianyuan had never felt so exhausted. He never wanted to experience that feeling of almost vomiting up his internal organs again in his life.

After six hours of meditation and rest, his physical exhaustion had been swept away...

By then, noon had already passed.

After lunch, Du Leisi handed all the intelligence they had gathered to Wang Yan.

According to the intelligence, the Death Hand Bandit Group operated mainly in the central stretch of the Mingdou Mountains. Only when a particular target appeared would they descend from the mountains at top speed to plunder it.

The bandit group had roughly three hundred members, one-tenth of whom were Soul Masters. However, their true leader's identity remained unknown. All they knew was that the leader was an Evil Soul Master whose cultivation was at least at the Soul King level. His abilities were unknown as well.

Chen Tianyuan frowned. He knew that the Evil Soul Master possessed the Corpse Explosion ability. The higher a corpse's cultivation had been in life, the more powerful its explosion would be...

Wang Yan continued explaining the intelligence. "The latest report is from half a month ago. They robbed a group of merchants, then vanished into the depths of the Mingdou Mountains."

"That's all the information the military has provided."

"Since we may have to fight within the Sun Moon Empire's borders, the military can't provide us with manpower. We can't even take the Flying Soul Tools we borrowed into the Mingdou Mountains, or it could be interpreted as an invasion by an enemy nation..."

Everyone frowned, not because the mission was particularly difficult, but because time was so tight. The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament would begin in just a few days...

Under Wang Yan's lead, the group used Flying Soul Tools to reach the outskirts of the Mingdou Mountains, then returned them to the accompanying White Tiger Guards. Afterward, they headed deeper into the mountains with the military's meticulously drawn map.

The paths through the Mingdou Mountains were extremely difficult to traverse. A moment's carelessness could result in a twisted ankle, preventing the group from moving quickly.

Although Wang Yan was nominally the teacher leading the team, Ma Xiaotao was now the one giving orders.

"Maintain formation. Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and I will take the front, ten meters apart. Control System and support types in the middle. Huo Yuhao, follow me, and keep Spiritual Detection running. Chen Tianyuan, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, you three bring up the rear."

With Chen Zifeng's Soul Chasing Sword clearing the way, along with the two Soul Emperors, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, cutting a path through this mountain forest was relatively easy. At least Chen Tianyuan, farther back, was no longer getting scraped by branches or plants.

Time ticked away, and by sunset, the group had reached the depths of the Mingdou Mountains.

Watching the sky gradually darken, Wang Yan finally spoke. "Let everyone eat something and rest for a while. We'll be better able to kill the enemy if we stay in peak condition."

Ma Xiaotao nodded and immediately ordered everyone to rest where they were.

Chen Tianyuan, who had been walking at the very back, kept looking around, searching for Xuan Zi. But no matter how he probed with his spiritual power, he could not detect anyone else.

"Elder Yi, is Xuan Zi near us?" Chen Tianyuan asked inwardly.

Electrolux's voice sounded in Chen Tianyuan's mind. "I haven't sensed anyone nearby. At least within a kilometer, there's no one..."

Chen Tianyuan's expression stiffened at those words. He thought to himself, "Could Xuan Zi really be the Holy Spirit Cult's supreme grand elder?"

Seeing that Chen Tianyuan's expression was off, Gongyang Mo assumed he was afraid of having to kill people next. He immediately came over. "Don't worry, Junior Brother Chen. I was much the same on my first oversight mission. Many of the people we kill are scum who commit atrocities against heaven and humanity. There's no need to burden your conscience. If we don't kill these beasts, more innocent people will fall victim to their vicious hands."

Chen Tianyuan chuckled. "Don't worry, Senior Brother Gongyang. I was just thinking about something else."

Gongyang Mo patted his shoulder and advised him, "Don't overthink it. The oversight mission comes first right now."

Just then, Wang Yan's voice rang out nearby.

"Children, come here."

Hearing him, everyone gathered around.

Wang Yan said gravely, "I just examined our surroundings, and together with what I observed along the way, I've made a few discoveries."

"Wenlan Trees have begun appearing nearby. The Wenlan Tree is a relatively rare species, and its heartwood can be used medicinally. However, it has extremely strict requirements for air quality and only grows in places with abundant vegetation."

Ma Xiaotao frowned. "Teacher Wang, please get straight to the point."

Wang Yan glanced at her and said, "Wenlan Trees have a cold yin nature and aid the cultivation of Soul Masters with cold yin attributes. So what I'm saying is that the bandit group is very likely nearby."