The night was deep, and the academy area was unusually quiet under the curfew, with only the orderly footsteps of the patrol teams and the occasional cold beams of soul-guided searchlights sweeping across the area.
Toji and Du Busi, like two intangible ghosts, perfectly avoided all visible and hidden sentries and Soul Tool, silently landing deep in a secluded, almost desolate back alley of the academy.
At the end of the alley, right next to the high wall of the college, is an inconspicuous courtyard.
With its blue bricks and gray tiles, low lintel, and mottled courtyard walls, it looks like the retirement home of an old professor, even carrying a sense of disrepair.
If Du Busi that Limit Douluo's perception, combined with the top-secret information provided by Toji, confirmed the claim...
No one could have imagined that beneath this seemingly abandoned courtyard lay the core of the Sun Moon Empire's vast wealth—one of the secret entrances to the national treasury.
At the entrance of the academy stood two guards. They wore ordinary academy security uniforms, but their eyes were sharp, their aura was steady, and their temples were slightly bulging, clearly indicating that they were Soul Master, and of considerable cultivation.
They stood seemingly casually, but in reality, their muscles were taut, and their Spiritual Power was like an invisible spider web, constantly scanning for any slight movement around them.
"Tsk, they've kept it well hidden, and they're quite the actor." Du Busi chuckled softly, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"Let's get started." Toji didn't waste any more words.
Du Busi grinned, and his figure vanished in an instant!
In the next instant, he Teleportation behind the two guards, his two large, fan-like hands, carrying an irresistible and terrifying power, precisely gripping the back of their necks like iron clamps.
"Uh." The two guards didn't even utter a sound. They felt an overwhelming force instantly seal off their Soul Power and mobility. Everything went black before their eyes, and their consciousness was extinguished like a candle flame. They instantly fell into a coma.
His body went limp and he was about to collapse.
Du Busi them one in each hand, lifting them like chicks, his burly body blocking the courtyard gate like an iron tower, cutting off any possible view from the outside.
Toji's figure, like flowing water blending into the shadows, silently slipped into the courtyard.
The courtyard was small, overgrown with weeds, and contained only one dilapidated tile-roofed house.
He walked straight toward the dilapidated wooden door of the tiled house.
If you don't have the key, then force your way in.
He extended his finger, his fingertip swirling with an extremely refined, almost invisible Bloodline Power, and gently pressed it into an inconspicuous recess in the door frame.
Click... creak...
A dull creak of machinery turning came from deep underground, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
Inside the tiled house, the dusty, dilapidated wooden bed, along with the stone slab beneath it, silently slid to the side.
A deep, dark staircase leading downwards reveals an entrance, just wide enough for one person to pass through.
A chilling aura, a mixture of metal, soul energy, and ancient dust, emanated from the cave entrance.
Du Busi, carrying two unconscious guards as if they were two bags of garbage, strode in.
He gazed at the deep entrance, his eyes gleaming with excitement:
"Hey, the door's open."
Toji glanced at the cave entrance and then at the bottom of the stairs, confirming that there were no trigger traps or alarms near the entrance for the time being.
He stepped into the darkness, his voice low and deep:
"Take them with you; they'll be useful."
Du Busi understood, grinned maliciously, and, carrying the two limp guards, followed Toji down.
The steps were steep and long, and the walls were made of cold alloy, inlaid with soul guide stones that emitted a faint, eerie light, barely illuminating the way ahead.
The air grew increasingly cold and dry, carrying a metallic smell.
After walking down for about several tens of meters, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a small underground platform.
In front of the platform was an incredibly heavy, massive door with a dark metallic sheen.
The door was engraved with extremely complex soul guidance circuits, and powerful energy could be faintly seen flowing and circulating within them. Beside the door, there were no guards, only a complex soul guidance control panel embedded in the wall, covered with buttons, knobs, and Soul Power sensing crystals.
Clearly, this door cannot be opened easily by brute force; it requires specific authorization and operation.
Du Busi casually tossed the two unconscious guards onto the cold alloy floor like sacks, making a dull thud.
He walked up to the massive soul-guiding gate, stretched out his thick fingers, and tapped the cold metal surface, producing a dull thud.
"Sturdy enough, good stuff." He looked at the complicated control panel, his thick eyebrows furrowing. "This thing... it's giving me a headache just looking at it. Hey kid, you know how to do this weird scribbles?"
Toji didn't answer, but walked to the control panel, his gaze calmly sweeping over the complex buttons and circuits.
He didn't understand the structure of Soul Tool, but he understood people.
He bent down and lifted one of the guards up like a chick, then pressed his finger heavily on the guard's philtrum.
The guard groaned in pain, slowly regaining consciousness, his eyes still filled with confusion and the afterglow of excruciating pain.
When he saw his surroundings clearly—the cold, alloy-encased chamber, the heavy, terrifying soul-guided gate, and the two figures in front of him exuding an aura of primordial beasts—he was instantly terrified, his face turning deathly pale.
"Who... who are you? Where is this...?"
He wanted to scream in terror.
"Hush." Toji's voice, along with the cold blade, instantly froze all his sounds.
Toji's hand gripped his throat, leaving him only able to gasp for breath.
"Open the door." Toji stared directly into the guard's fear-filled pupils, his tone devoid of any threat, carrying only an unquestionable statement, "Or, you die."
"Choose one."
Another unconscious guard was also Du Busi by the same method used on him, and he was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, trembling like a leaf.
"I... I..." The guard, whose throat was being choked, felt the terrifying force on his neck that could easily crush his throat bones, and saw the cold, emotionless look in Toji's eyes, which was like an abyss. Overwhelmed by fear, everything else collapsed instantly.
He didn't want to die.
"The right, the right to grant... the key, it's in my arms..." He managed to squeeze out a few words, his eyes filled with terror as he gestured to his chest.
Toji loosened his grip slightly, the guard, his hand trembling, pulled a uniquely shaped soul guide key from the inner pocket of his uniform.
"Insert... insert it into that... groove..." The guard pointed to an inconspicuous, perfectly shaped socket below the control panel, his voice trembling with tears, "Then, input your Soul Power, verify your identity..."
Toji took the cold golden key, not even glancing at the guard's despairing eyes, and casually tossed him back to the ground.
He walked to the control panel and precisely inserted the gold key into the groove.
The control panel lit up with a ghostly blue light, and countless soul guidance circuits began to flow as if they had come to life.
"Input Soul Power." Toji's gaze fell once again on the guard who had provided the golden key, the command concise and clear.