Xuan Zi noticed this too. Resentful spirits were a major headache for ordinary soul masters: they polluted the mind, and one wrong move could leave someone crippled.
"What exactly is going on with these people? Could they really have been sent down from above, just as I suspected?"
That was how things worked on the Douluo Continent. Anything people could not understand was easily attributed to the gods, especially at places like Shrek Academy, which knew that gods and the Divine Realm truly existed.
The players had no idea Xuan Zi was watching them in secret, nor did they know what he was thinking. Bearing the resentful spirits' debuff was actually pretty uncomfortable for them too.
I Am an Angel: "Third soul skill: Sacred Rain of Fire!"
A wide-ranging rain of fire fell, with considerable destructive power. More importantly, these flames had a sacred attribute that dealt extra damage to resentful spirits.
The resentful spirits caught fire and let out another chorus of ghostly wails and wolfish howls.
"What?!"
The Evil Soul Master had not expected anyone among the players to possess an angel martial soul, an existence that completely countered Evil Soul Masters.
Ten-Year Veteran had already charged up to the Evil Soul Master.
"Third soul skill: Overlord Carries the Cauldron!"
This was a status skill that greatly increased his strength attribute.
Ten-Year Veteran immediately swung the Formation-Breaking Overlord Spear at the Evil Soul Master's head.
The Evil Soul Master wanted to run, but Agile Dog in the Mountains had immobilized him-or, more precisely, a dog had bitten his ankle.
With no other choice, the Evil Soul Master raised his black flag to block, only for it to be cleaved in two.
In the instant the Evil Soul Master froze in astonishment, I Am an Angel charged over too.
"First soul skill: Light Slash!"
The blow landed squarely on the Evil Soul Master, instantly stripping away one-tenth of his health bar.
I Am an Angel: "That only took off this little health? This Evil Soul Master has one thick health bar."
Ten-Year Veteran: "It's not that he has a thick health bar. Our damage is too low. The level suppression is there, after all."
Wang Zhongwang: "You can't rush a boss fight. Just take it slowly."
Qian Xixi: "Wait, this guy's trying to run! We have to stop him. First soul skill: Fearless Charge!"
Qian Xixi charged over but hit nothing. In the blink of an eye, black mist engulfed the entire mansion.
At the same time, the players heard the Evil Soul Master's sinister laughter. "Hahaha! Lose yourselves completely in the darkness, then become puppets in my collection!"
The black mist cut off sight and hearing, but the players had team voice chat.
Wang Zhongwang: "It's pitch-black. I can't see anything. What do we do?"
Primordial One: "Does this count as being blinded? Can we dispel it?"
Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior: "He hasn't run off, has he? If he gets away, won't all our efforts fall short at the last hurdle?"
Spirit Hall Eternal: "He probably won't run. He did say he wanted to turn us into puppets."
Agile Dog in the Mountains: "I say we go big. We can't see where the enemy is, right? Then let's blow up this whole area."
Ten-Year Veteran: "You mean we all blow ourselves up with C4 at once? And gamble on blowing up the quest target along with us?"
I Am an Angel: "It's risky, but it does seem feasible."
Wang Zhongwang: "If there's no other way, let's do it. Worst case, we fail the quest. There's no penalty anyway."
The players voiced their agreement with the plan one after another.
Qian Xixi: "All right, since everyone agrees, let's do it. I'll count down. When the countdown ends, everyone blows themselves up with C4 together."
Every player carried C4, and now they all took it out.
The Evil Soul Master had trapped all the players in black mist, intending to savor their panicked expressions.
Yet not a single player showed any fear, and now they had all taken out the same object, something he did not recognize-C4.
"What are they trying to do?"
Watching this, Xuan Zi emptied all the wine in his flask into his mouth.
"Looks like they can't handle it after all. They're only at three-ring strength, after all. Doing this well is already quite impressive..."
As he spoke, Xuan Zi prepared to barge in and put on a proper display.
Just then, Qian Xixi's countdown in the players' team voice chat ended.
Boom! A tremendous explosion rang out, and orange-red flames instantly engulfed the entire mansion.
The whole mansion was destroyed in an instant, and the Evil Soul Master was blown to pieces on the spot.
Xuan Zi, who had been about to rush inside, was also hurled back by the blast wave, leaving him covered in dust and grime.
He stared blankly at the huge crater left behind after the explosion.
"What happened? Where did that explosion come from? Were they all blown to death?"
Countless questions swirled through Xuan Zi's mind. He could not make sense of any of it.
Naturally, such a huge commotion alerted Star Luo City's city defense forces.
Before long, Xu Jiujiu, princess of the Star Luo Empire, arrived with her people.
"Isn't this Elder Xuan of Shrek Academy? What are you doing here? What happened?"
"An Evil Soul Master was hiding here. I discovered him by chance."
"What?! An Evil Soul Master was hiding in the city? Damn it! So this was your doing?"
"You could say that!"
Xuan Zi took credit for it. He wanted to investigate this matter himself and did not want the Star Luo Empire's people interfering.
He had a hunch that those people from the New Tang Sect were still alive, though even he had no idea how anyone could have escaped an explosion like that.
Xu Jiujiu gave Xuan Zi a doubtful look. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion here had seemed more like the work of a soul tool bomb.
If Xuan Zi wanted to deal with an Evil Soul Master, there was no need for him to use a soul tool bomb, much less cause such a huge commotion.
Still, although she had her doubts, Xu Jiujiu did not raise them to his face. Given Xuan Zi's standing, he was not someone she could casually question.
"Thank you for your concern, Elder Xuan. You've rid our Star Luo City of a great menace. However, please don't cause such a huge commotion next time. It could easily frighten the city's people."
"Hehe... I failed to hold back for a moment! I'll leave this place to you, then. I'll head back first."
"Take care, Elder Xuan."
Only after seeing Xuan Zi off did Xu Jiujiu order her people to investigate the area more thoroughly. They had to get to the bottom of what had happened.
Meanwhile, the players had already respawned at the respawn point. When they arrived in Star Luo City, they had unlocked its teleportation and respawn points.
Wang Zhongwang: "Quick, check if we completed the quest!"
Ten-Year Veteran: "I've already checked. The quest is complete."
Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior: "All that C4 exploding together was really spectacular. We should do it a few more times if we get the chance."
Qian Xixi: "Let's not. I don't know whether this counts as a bug, but if we keep doing it, the game system will definitely punish us."
Primordial One: "True. Hurry up and turn in the quest. The rewards this time should let us gain another level."
Ten-Year Veteran immediately turned in the quest. Once the quest rewards were distributed, most of the players gained a level.
Before you continue