Elder Zhang's withered fingers suddenly twitched as if in a spasm, and with all his strength, he squeezed out two words:
"Don't... move..."
Toji's fingers suddenly stopped an inch from the shackles.
Elder Zhang's unconscious words made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
"A trap?" He lowered his voice, his gaze sweeping over Elder Zhang's entire body like a blade.
Elder Zhang's Adam's apple bobbed laboriously, and his chapped lips parted slightly.
Upon hearing Toji's voice, his breath hitched slightly, and then, very slowly... he nodded.
"... Le... Xuan...?"
His lips trembled as he managed to squeeze out two words.
"She's still alive and safe for now," Toji replied briefly. "I've come to take you away."
Elder Zhang's eyelids twitched violently, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only shook his head almost imperceptibly.
But then, as if remembering something, his breathing suddenly quickened, his chapped lips trembled, and his voice became barely audible:
"These... shackles..."
Toji immediately leaned closer, his ear almost touching Elder Zhang's lips.
He smelled a mixture of medicine and blood.
"They look ordinary," Elder Zhang said with difficulty, his eyes gesturing towards the metal shackles, "But they're actually sensing Soul Tool."
Toji frowned slightly, his gaze carefully sweeping over the devices binding the old man's limbs.
In the dim light, the seemingly rough metal surfaces faintly revealed Soul Power patterns as fine as hair.
Soul Power flowed slowly within the shackles, like a living thing.
"The moment a stranger touches you," Elder Zhang's fingertips twitched as he pointed to his wrist, "An alarm will immediately be triggered throughout the Shrek Academy."
Toji, his pupils contracted.
No wonder this place is unguarded.
It turns out that the entire confinement was the most deadly sentinel!
If he had touched it rashly just now, he would probably be surrounded by enemies by now.
No wonder Elder Zhang doesn't need a guard, but Zhang Lexuan does.
It's likely that because of Zhang Lexuan's strength, these restrictions simply cannot restrain her.
"Not to mention, the outside world is a vast and inescapable trap, filled with the Shrek Academy's meticulously laid snares for you."
"You managed to sneak in..." Elder Zhang suddenly forced a smile, a hint of admiration flashing in his cloudy eyes, "That's quite impressive."
"Go back now. It's not worth it to save me."
The rustling sound of the night wind blowing through the treetops outside suddenly became clearly audible.
Toji he remained kneeling on one knee, his muscles were taut to the extreme.
"Walk."
Elder Zhang managed to utter a single word, his eyes filled with pleading.
"Don't worry about me, save Lexuan."
Toji remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up.
"Rest assured."
His voice was deep and cold, carrying an undeniable determination.
"You and your daughter..."
Not one will be missing.
Outside, night had fallen.
Toji's figure disappeared back into the darkness, but his eyes were sharper than ever.
This is arguably his most dangerous moment.
Zhang Lexuan and Elder Zhang were imprisoned in different locations.
They are still very far apart.
Moreover, Elder Zhang possesses Soul Tool; if it is touched, an alarm will sound throughout the entire Shrek Academy.
He can't touch it or take it apart.
With Titled Douluo in charge on Zhang Lexuan's side, he can come and go as he pleases.
But what should Zhang Lexuan do?
In other words, given the current situation, neither side can take anything away.
If you insist on taking it, you can only choose one of the two options.
In that case, he would have to face the powerful figures of the Sea God Pavilion directly!
Toji stared at the Soul Tool on Elder Zhang's body, his brows furrowed, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knees.
This is troublesome.
This is just too much trouble.
Although these Soul Tool are not high-level, their design is extremely insidious.
They weren't meant for defense at all; they were meant for alarms.
Once the alarm sounds, it will instantly spread throughout the entire Shrek Academy.
At that point, let alone saving people, he himself might be besieged and attacked by the powerful members of the Sea God Pavilion.
"Tsk..."
He felt a rare sense of unease, raised his hand and scratched his hair vigorously, making his black hair messy.
what to do?
Should we give up on saving them?
Absolutely not.
He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the cramped stone room, his steps extremely light, yet revealing a sense of anxiety.
There must be a way...
His mind raced as he recalled all the information he possessed.
"Use your brain! See if there's any way to save both of them at the same time."
"Move faster!"
Suddenly, he remembered something, paused, and his eyes immediately cleared.
etc.
What just occurred to you?
Oh, right.
In the original story, the Body Sect did invade Illustrious Virtue Hall once.
If Huo Yuhao hadn't interfered, they could have won a complete victory in that invasion.
Not only did they severely damage Illustrious Virtue Hall, but they also managed to take away the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo.
It's just a pity that it ended up going to Huo Yuhao for free.
" The Body Sect... they're very good at digging tunnels."
Toji's gaze fell on Elder Zhang.
"If we had dug a tunnel beforehand... we would have dug a path leading to where Elder Zhang and Zhang Lexuan were standing."
Toji bent down and carefully examined the ground.
That's enough!
A new plan is taking shape.
Next, we need to carefully consider the details and how to execute the plan.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he prepared to tell Elder Zhang.
But in the next moment, Toji sensed the aura of a high-level Soul Master suddenly coming from afar.
This is...
Did you spot me?
No, that's impossible. If they wanted to find it, they would have found it long ago. Besides, there aren't any Soul Tool here at all. Shrek Academy doesn't place much importance on Soul Tool...
"BOOM!!!"
As Toji was thinking quickly, the door to the stone house was pushed open, sending wood chips flying and dust billowing up.
Toji's reaction was also astonishingly fast. The instant the door was pushed open, his body had already flashed to the corner of the wall, his whole body blending into the shadows, his breathing, heartbeat, and breath all restrained to the limit.
He was like a Life stone, so much so that even the movement of air bypassed him, as if he had never existed.
The next second.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Heavy footsteps entered the room, accompanied by the rattling sound of a wine gourd.
Xuan Zi!
The Taotie Douluo had a gloomy face, his turbid eyes scanning the interior of the stone house, his Soul Power spreading like a tide, trying to detect any abnormalities.
"Strangeness..."
He frowned, his gaze finally settling on Elder Zhang.
"I clearly sensed a slight unusual fluctuation just now..."
Elder Zhang had also closed his eyes in perfect unison, his breathing weak, seemingly still unconscious.
Xuan Zi snorted coldly, stepped forward, grabbed Elder Zhang by the collar, and roughly lifted him up.
"Stop pretending to be dead, I know you're awake."
Elder Zhang remained unresponsive.
Xuan Zi narrowed his eyes and probed Elder Zhang's body with his Soul Power to check. Only after confirming that the Soul Tool had not been damaged did he relax slightly.
"It seems I was overthinking it... The unusual aura I sensed earlier must have been him."
He released his grip, letting Elder Zhang fall back onto the bed, and began to scan his surroundings with his Spiritual Power.
"Hmm, it seems that young man still hasn't come."
Xuan Zi sat down on the ground and began to drink.
"I'll have to stay here from now on; that kid will definitely show up."
Upon hearing this, Toji, hiding in the corner, cursed inwardly.
Is this old guy just going to stay here and not leave?
What should I do then?!