After Ghost Douluo left the great hall, he set about carrying out the mission the Supreme Pontiff had assigned him.
A few days later, Spirit Hall's party appeared in the mountain forest. Aside from Ghost Douluo, who protected them from the shadows, a Soul Saint and two Soul Emperors led the party. Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan accompanied them, though the three mostly watched and learned from the rear. It was not yet their turn to take part in the actual fighting.
Spirit Hall's party advanced through the mountain forest. The sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze blew, and the shadows of the trees swayed. Everything was so quiet.
"Nana, are you thirsty? Would you like some water?" Yan asked Hu Liena fawningly.
"I'm not thirsty. Could you be quiet?"
Their conversation reached Xie Yue's ears, and all he could do was shake his head helplessly.
Suddenly, the advancing party stopped, and Hu Liena and the other two immediately went on guard.
"What happened?" Xie Yue asked a soldier returning from the front.
"We found bandit corpses in the bushes, each killed with a single cut. There's more than one, too. Someone probably clashed with the bandits before we did. We need to pick up the pace now."
After that, Spirit Hall's party quickened its pace. Along the way, they discovered more and more bandit corpses, leaving Hu Liena and the other two uneasy.
When the party approached the stronghold, Hu Liena and the other two saw the two frozen corpses in front of its gates. Their severed necks had been reattached with ice, a sight that made the three feel slightly sick.
When the party opened the stronghold's gates, there were no bandits inside, only some women. A Cat Girl explained to the leader that they were slaves