Toji carefully stowed the poison and antidote in his Storage Soul Tool, then hurried out of the hall.
Although he had scared the Soul Emperor off for the moment, his opponent was still a Soul Emperor-level expert. If the man realized he had been intimidated, he would likely strike back immediately.
After all, Toji had exposed too many flaws earlier. First and foremost, he could not break through the man's defenses at all.
It could be said that the man had scared himself.
So, before the man realized what had happened, Toji had to get Father Zhang and his family out of there and find a safe place as quickly as possible.
Toji turned and headed out of the hall. Poisonous gas still filled the hall, but to Toji, it was nothing more than a useless decoration.
Outside the hall, Father Zhang had already collapsed on the ground, his face ashen and his breathing faint.
"You were already in this state, and you still wanted to come outside and throw a Soul Skill to back me up."
Toji hurried over to Father Zhang, crouched down, and checked his injuries.
The poisonous gas had already invaded Father Zhang's body and severely damaged his meridians. Without prompt treatment, he probably would not last long.
Toji took a bag of antidote from his Storage Soul Tool, poured out a pill, and slipped it into Father Zhang's mouth.
"Uncle, this is the antidote."
Father Zhang was barely conscious, already close to meeting his great-grandmother, but he seemed to hear Toji's voice faintly.
Out of an instinct to survive, he swallowed the antidote pill with difficulty. Before long, his complexion improved slightly.
He even had the strength to open his eyes.
Father Zhang looked at Toji and spoke weakly:
"Thank you, young man. If it weren't for you, my family would probably have..."
Toji quickly helped Father Zhang up. "Let's not talk about that now. Let's get out of here and find somewhere safe before we talk."
He then helped Father Zhang stagger out through the back gate of the Zhang residence.
The antidote worked extremely well. Before long, Father Zhang had regained a good deal of strength. From up close, Toji could sense Soul Power belonging to a Soul Emperor cultivation level beginning to circulate.
"Young man, you don't need to hold me up anymore... Much of the poison has dissipated, and I've recovered thirty percent of my strength."
Father Zhang looked at Toji, finding him somewhat familiar, and asked:
"May I ask your name, young man? You came to our aid today, and my Zhang Family will do everything we can to repay you."
"Uncle, it's me, Toji. I used to come over and play at your house all the time five years ago." Toji explained again, "I guess I really have changed a lot. Five years have passed, and none of you recognize me anymore."
"Is it... Toji? So it's you." Father Zhang breathed a complete sigh of relief. "That's right. You've gone from a child back then to nearly an adult now. It's only natural you've changed so much."
When Toji was a child, he had gotten to know the family through selling goods, and Zhang Lexuan often invited him into the house to play.
Over time, they all became acquainted. In particular, when they heard that Toji's family had paid such a great price to awaken their child's Martial Soul, only for him to receive a Martial Soul with no Soul Power, they had felt some regret for him.
Before Father Zhang could say anything more, the two had barely stepped through the back gate when the sight before them made their hearts sink as they were catching up.
Mother Zhang and Zhang Lexuan had been taken hostage by two Soul Masters standing not far away. Five rings flickered around each of them, and their Soul Ring Configurations were identical: white, yellow, yellow, yellow, and purple. They were utter trash.
But no matter how trashy they were, they still had Soul King cultivation.
Mother Zhang's face was full of terror as the two Soul Kings held her and Zhang Lexuan captive, while Zhang Lexuan bit her lip tightly, tears glistening in her eyes.
The two Soul Kings wore cold smiles as they stared at Toji and Father Zhang with icy gazes.
"I really didn't expect anyone to escape from that poison user's hands," one of the Soul Kings said with a cold smile, a trace of mockery in his voice. "Toji, we've worked with you for five years. No matter how well we know your abilities, we still can't help but be awed by the miracles you create."
The moment Toji saw them, he couldn't help closing his eyes and adjusting his state. He released Father Zhang, quietly took a step back, then opened his eyes and signaled to him.
These two Soul Kings were Liang Wu's bodyguards.
He had known they would follow him, so when he went out, he had deliberately shaken them off to keep them from tracking him.
But they knew his ultimate destination. Even if he shook them off, all they had to do was get to the Zhang Family ahead of him and lie in wait.
And now, sure enough, they had come.
That could also be considered to have achieved Toji's goal.
"You're pretty good at counter-surveillance. As soon as you left the Soul Fighting Arena, you spent so long going around in circles. For a piece of trash without Soul Power to shake off two Soul Kings like us, you've got some skill, I'll give you that," the other Soul King snorted.
"But the boss wants you dead in the struggle at the Zhang Family. Since you managed to drive off that poison-using Soul Emperor, I assume you paid quite a price yourselves."
Color had returned to Father Zhang's face. Though he had only recovered thirty percent of his strength, he was still a Soul Emperor, and dealing with these two trash Soul Kings would be as easy as reaching out to grab them.
But... they held his wife and daughter in their hands. How could he dare act rashly?
The fury in his heart was burning fiercely.
"Let's talk terms. What do we need to do for you to let them go?"
Six Soul Rings instantly lit up beneath Father Zhang's feet. The perfect configuration of two yellow, two purple, and two black displayed his formidable strength as a Soul Emperor.
"Oh, you didn't waste a bunch of words telling us to let them go. Dealing with the head of the Zhang Family really is much quicker and easier. Smart." One of the Soul Kings grinned, then continued, "A Soul Emperor with a perfect Soul Ring Configuration-how scary. Normally, I doubt us brothers would even be qualified for you to look us in the eye, would we?"
Father Zhang's face darkened.
"Cut the nonsense. If a single hair on their heads is harmed, I'll take the dog lives of you two pieces of filth!"
The two Soul Kings sneered, the Soul Power in their hands clamping tightly around Mother Zhang's and Zhang Lexuan's throats.
"Let me warn you, you'd better not get too cocky. If we accidentally squeeze a little too hard, these two fair, tender beauties will be like jade shattered and flowers faded."
"What do you want me to do?"
Father Zhang stepped forward, his body completely blocking Toji from view.
At that moment, the two men's unspoken, seamless coordination was on full display.
"Cripple your own Martial Soul, and we'll let your wife and daughter go."
Father Zhang gritted his teeth. "Will you keep your word?"
"Of course."
"I want you to swear on your Martial Souls!" Father Zhang added.
"What a bother." The two Soul Kings found it troublesome, but did as he asked.
"I-"
But just as the first word left their mouths, a blade appeared in one Soul King's chest, having pierced all the way through him from behind.
"Pfft!"
The Soul King's eyes widened as he stared at the blade protruding from his chest in disbelief.
When did Toji get behind me...?
He watched helplessly as the blade sliced through his Soul Power protection, breaking his defenses as easily as cutting tofu.