What the hell?
The bandit leader aimed his Soul Guidance Ray at the bomb on the wall, hesitating to press the fire button.
Seeing that none of the bandits intended to speak, the cluster bomb on the wall changed its expression.
"Why are you all so aloof? How about I show you some fireworks?"
The moment the words fell, without giving them time to react, the soul guidance cluster bomb on the wall suddenly turned bright red.
Others might not have known, but the bandits knew better than anyone: this was the sign of the final seconds ticking down before an explosion.
"Get the controller!"
The bandit leader practically roared at his underling.
The underling in charge of the controller hurriedly pulled it out of his pocket.
He immediately pressed the off button!
Beep!
The air conditioning in carriage five switched off in response.
The group stared fixedly at the metal box in his hand.
At some point, the soul guidance cluster bomb controller had turned into an air conditioner remote.
The bandits could only watch helplessly as the countdown changed.
Three!
Two!
One!
The red light instantly went out. Nothing happened.
"Just kidding!"
That infuriating voice rang out again.
The bandits' trousers were already half-soaked.
"Wow, so it was piss. I thought it was sweat."
"I was just thinking, with how brave you all are, how could you possibly be drenched in sweat?"
Seeing that face still mocking them, the bandit leader flew into a humiliated rage.
"Enough of your tricks! I'll kill a few hostages first. Let's see you keep this act up!"
He raised his Soul Guidance Ray and aimed it at the chest of someone in front of him.
Under Mo Lan's horrified gaze, he pulled the trigger with a savage grin.
Bang!
The Soul Guidance Ray instantly pierced a shoulder.
"Aah!"
One of the bandits fell, clutching his shoulder.
"Bad news, boss! I'm under attack!"
"They've abandoned the hostages! Let's retreat!"
Clearly, not all the bandits were brave and fearless.
"No retreating! They dare break the agreement? They must not want this train full of hostages anymore!"
The bandit leader spoke in a furious rage.
"Everyone, I'm going to teach them the most painful lesson!"
At his command, even the three bandits in carriage four ahead came in.
Mo Lan covered her mouth. What she least wanted to see was about to happen.
"No need to hold back!"
The bandit leader laughed loudly and raised his Soul Cannon.
Strangely, one after another, all eight people aimed the soul guidance weapons in their hands at their own teammates.
Bang, bang, bang!
A string of weapons firing rang out.
All nine bandits fell, leaving only a bewildered Mo Lan and the equally stunned hostages in carriage five.
Space rippled gently, and a young man stepped out of the void.
Looking at that familiar figure, Mo Lan's voice trembled with excitement.
"You're that Shrek student! Did you do all this? On behalf of everyone on the train, I thank you."
Mo Lan bowed deeply to Yan Qing.
"No need for thanks."
Yan Qing pointed at a box that had appeared in the carriage at some unknown point.
"I suspect this box contains important secrets. I need to take it back to school for testing. I hope you understand."
Mo Lan naturally agreed, but then again, wasn't that box holding the million Federation Coins they had just scraped together?
As soon as the Soul Guidance Train reached the station, a large number of law enforcement officers surrounded it and took control of the scene.
However, Yan Qing's status was special. They merely registered his student number before letting him leave first.
Walking down the road, Yan Qing felt that even the air tasted sweet.
A million Federation Coins. Now he finally had enough for travel expenses. He was returning fully laden.
But the final exam really was a headache. How was he supposed to find a Soul King and fight them for no apparent reason?
Yan Qing looked back. Mo Lan was still directing the crowd in an orderly manner. Her brave, fearless performance earlier had left quite an impression on him.
Speaking of a Soul King opponent, there really was one, and nearby, too.
Not far from the train, a thin, small man's entire face was shrouded beneath a hood.
He had received the latest notification: all nine of his subordinates who had hijacked the Soul Guidance Train had been wiped out.
They had not even managed to cause much damage to the train.
To ensure that nothing could go wrong with the mission, he had been watching since the departure station. There had not even been any passengers with cultivation above Soul Elder. How could they possibly have failed?
He was lingering here now because, unless he did something to make up for it, he would have no way to answer to the higher-ups.
He was still pondering a plan when he faintly sensed something wrong with his surroundings.
It was too quiet!
The thin, small man had deliberately avoided the crowds, but with the train stopped nearby, there should certainly have been plenty of noise.
Now, there was not even a trace of sound.
A petite girl with her long hair tied into two buns appeared before him without warning.
Seeing the familiar insignia on her clothes, the thin, small man knelt on one knee in salute.
"Greetings, Lady Bell."
Although Bell was not his direct superior, he had heard of her as a candidate for the Four Heavenly Kings.
She supposedly operated mainly in the Star Luo Empire. He had no idea why she had appeared here.
"Do you know where your subordinates went?"
Dark Bell's voice was soft and sweet, tapping lightly against the thin, small man's face.
The thin, small man dared not raise his head and said quietly:
"This subordinate does not know."
Dark Bell was not at all surprised by his answer.
"Well, now you know. Because they wouldn't behave, I..."
The girl clenched her hand, her voice suddenly growing forceful.
"So, do you understand what I mean?"
"I swear to follow the Holy Spirit Cult to the death."
The thin, small man grew even more terrified and dropped to both knees. Those subordinates of his had actually offended this formidable lady.
"I didn't say the Holy Spirit Cult. I meant following me!"
Hearing this, the thin, small man's face instantly went pale.
His expression shifted several times before a vicious look finally surfaced. Six Soul Rings appeared behind him, and a faint green light burst forth.
Martial Soul: plague.
Dark Bell had actually betrayed the Holy Spirit Cult and wanted to recruit him as well.
That was utterly impossible, even if he agreed to follow Dark Bell in defecting from the Holy Spirit Cult.
The instant he nodded, the neural lock planted by the cult would immediately explode.
He was dead either way this time. He might as well risk everything and fight for that thread of a chance at survival.
"It seems you've made your choice."
Dark Bell's face was full of amusement as she gently stirred the bell in her hand.
Four purple, four black, and one red-four Soul Rings flashed behind her.
Despair appeared on the thin, small man's face.
Greenish-purple light emerged from the void and poured straight into his eyes.
As though struck by lightning, the thin, small man collapsed unconscious to the ground and fell completely still.
Dark Bell had no interest in even checking. With a soft laugh, she turned into an eerie ringing and drifted away.
Before long, fine green light slowly gathered around the thin, small man, and his faint signs of life began recovering bit by bit.
His plague Martial Soul gave him tremendous recuperative abilities.
Half an hour later, the thin, small man abruptly sat up. He really had managed to snatch his life back.
He no longer intended to assassinate Mo Wu according to his original plan. The most urgent matter was to report immediately.
He took out his soul guidance communicator and dialed the number at the very bottom.
"Reporting to Lord Underworld Emperor: Dark Bell has betrayed us!"