Lin Xiuya and the others instinctively retreated, unwilling to clash head-on. Hearing the Snow Demon sky Ape's words, their expressions hardened. Lin Xiuya cast a glance at Yan Hao, then gave a faint smile.
"Now you believe me? The Snow Demon sky Ape has confessed itself."
"Then what are we waiting for? Attack!" Yan Hao was straightforward. Since the information was reliable, it was worth the risk.
The battle erupted in an instant. Eight figures blurred into motion, each unleashing fierce and domineering force. Their combined strikes, like dazzling beams of multicolored light, crashed toward the towering Snow Demon sky Ape. If the treasure truly existed, it was worth wagering their all.
"Roar!"
Blood-red eyes glinting with even deeper malice, the Snow Demon sky Ape pounded its massive chest with a thunderous boom. With a deafening bellow that seemed to split stone, it shook the air itself. Under that terrifying roar, Han Yue and the others faltered, their movements visibly slowed. Then, with a single stomp, the entire valley trembled. Borrowing the explosive force, the ape shot forward like a white cannonball. Its frost-laden claws gleamed with deathly cold light, and in the blink of an eye, it appeared before a young cultivator.
Shhk!
One brutal swipe, and blood sprayed through the air. The Dou Spirit youth screamed, his body hurled like a broken arrow into the ground, smashing open a deep pit. Vomiting blood, he was left grievously wounded—felled in a single strike.
Han Yue and the others paled in shock. Yan Hao, nearest to the beast, roared furiously and swung his massive black hammer with all his strength, tearing through the air toward the ape's skull.
But the Snow Demon Sky Ape spun with startling speed. In its crimson eyes flickered a disturbingly human sneer. Its claws slashed out to meet the hammer.
Boom!
A thunderous collision sent icy shards flying. One razor-sharp icicle tore through Yan Hao's left shoulder, punching a bloody hole straight through. At the same time, an overwhelming force blasted into his body, hurling him backward. He crashed through more than a dozen thick trees before finally smashing into the ground, coughing blood, his aura in disarray.
In the span of a few breaths, two of them were already seriously injured.
The others, rushing in to strike, recoiled in horror. Their faces turned grim, Han Yue's brows furrowing in disbelief.
"What's going on? Why has the Snow Demon Sky Ape's strength increased so much? It's only been two days since last time—it was nowhere near this powerful then!"
"Han Yue, you've doomed us!" Lin Xiuya's usual calm cracked, his face darkening. "This isn't a Dou King-class beast anymore—it's advanced into a Dou Emperor-class Rank-Six beast! With our strength, this is suicide!"
"I… I don't know either. Two days ago, it was indeed only at the Dou King level. Otherwise, we would never have escaped alive. But how could its power rise so quickly…?" Han Yue's face turned ashen. A Dou King was already a deadly challenge; a Dou Emperor-class beast was no different from certain death.
"Jie jie… because I used a secret art to forcibly raise its strength by one rank."
A shrill, eerie laugh echoed through the valley. At the Snow Demon Sky Ape's side, a roiling black mist condensed into the figure of a cloaked man. His presence was sinister and oppressive, sending a chill crawling across everyone's skin.
The sudden appearance of the black-robed man made Han Yue and the others' expressions change drastically. Their faces, already pale, grew even uglier. From his body radiated a chilling and terrifying aura—far stronger than the Snow Demon Sky Ape's, even greater than Elder Su Qian's.
"Who are you? Did you deliberately set this trap, waiting for us to fall into it?" Han Yue demanded, her face grim. She knew clearly: everyone present had walked into danger because of her.
"Jie jie~~ Such a sharp little girl." The black-robed figure's laughter was grating and unpleasant. "Entering the Inner Academy is troublesome for us… but fortune smiled when we discovered this Core Quenching Body Milk. And then you children came sniffing after it as well. So, I merely borrowed the opportunity—turned your greed into my bait."
"You staged such an elaborate farce—are you targeting the Inner Academy itself? Do you think our Jia Nan Academy is so easily bullied?" Lin Xiuya had steadied his nerves by now, his voice cold as he glared at the cloaked man.
"In our eyes, the Inner Academy is nothing at all. Were it not for that person…"
"You talk too much."
A chilling voice cut him off before he could finish. The black fog churned again, and another black-robed figure emerged. With his arrival, a dense stench of blood filled the air, and Han Yue's group went white with shock, their hearts pounding wildly. Whoever these two were, they were facing enemies far beyond anything they could handle.
"Oh? You're finished already? In that case, I shouldn't delay either." The first black-robed man glanced at his companion, then turned his eerie gaze back toward Han Yue and the others.
"It's simple. We want you to do something for us—confirm something. That's all. Simple, isn't it?"
"What do you want us to confirm?" Han Yue's cold eyes stared directly at him.
"Jie jie~~ Don't even think of playing tricks. You only need to do as I say."
"And you think we'll do your bidding? A pack of cowards hiding behind cloaks?" Lin Xiuya sneered. They were all geniuses, proud and unyielding—how could they bow so easily, even before overwhelming power?
"Wrong, wrong, wrong~~ I'm not asking for your agreement. I'm giving you an order. You don't have the right to refuse." The black-robed man's twisted smile deepened, sending chills crawling over their skin.
"Scatter! Whoever can escape, do so! We must get this news to the Grand Elder!" Lin Xiuya roared. In a flash, their figures blurred, splitting in all directions into the dense forest.
"Jie jie~~ Do you really think you can escape before my eyes?"
With a grotesque laugh, the man's black mist surged. From his body shot out pitch-black chains, hissing like vipers as they darted into the woods. Within moments, the forest echoed with agonized screams.
"Don't overdo it," the second black-robed man said flatly. His cold, detached voice carried an edge of murderous intent. "This batch of Inner Academy elites is valuable. Only they can confirm whether the aura we sensed was genuine."
"Relax. I know my limits." The first man chuckled darkly, shrouded in rolling fog. As the chains recoiled with a harsh shh-shh, the sight became even more grotesque.
When the chains returned, some dripped with blood. Three others, however, bound captives: Lin Xiuya, Yan Hao, and Han Yue. The rest had all been slain. These proud prodigies of the Inner Academy had been slaughtered as easily as ants.
The three survivors, faces pale, glared with bitter hatred. They had watched their juniors pierced through by merciless chains, and yet they were powerless to act.
"I'm sorry… this is all my fault…" The proud Han Yue shed tears of regret. In her heart she blamed herself—if not for her, perhaps they wouldn't have died. Unbidden, an image rose in her mind: the tall, unyielding figure who had once saved her.
'If he were here… surely he could handle even these monsters.'
"You'd better kill us too," Lin Xiuya spat, eyes blazing with fury. "Otherwise, today's hatred will be repaid a thousandfold!" His fear had already been replaced by boundless killing intent.
"Jie jie~~ We welcome it!" The black-robed man cackled. With a flick of his hand, black mist surged into Lin Xiuya's brow. Lin Xiuya screamed in agony, struggling desperately, but before such overwhelming power, resistance was futile.
"Bastards! What did you do to him? The Inner Academy will never forgive you!" Yan Hao roared, face twisted in fury.
"Patience. Your turn is coming soon…" The man sneered.
The black mist invaded completely, and Lin Xiuya fell silent. Released from the chains, he staggered—but when he raised his head, Han Yue and Yan Hao's hearts dropped.
His once-dark eyes were now shrouded in writhing black fog, eerie and unnatural. The haze flickered, then his gaze cleared again—but his next action made their eyes widen in horror.
"Lin Xiuya greets the honored masters!"
He dropped to one knee, voice brimming with reverence.
"Snap out of it! What did you do to him? Damn it, Lin Xiuya! Do you know what you're doing?!" Yan Hao shouted, struggling against his bindings. But Lin Xiuya stood unmoving.
"Jie jie~~ My Puppet Technique is effortless against weaklings like you." The black-robed man's ghastly laughter echoed. He turned his gaze toward Yan Hao. "Now then—it's your turn."
"Puppet… Technique?!" Han Yue and Yan Hao's pupils shrank in horror.
"Better to die than be enslaved!" Yan Hao roared, biting down on his tongue in a desperate attempt at suicide. With their Dou Qi sealed, this was his only option.
"You think I'll allow that?" The black-robed man grinned cruelly, seizing Yan Hao's jaw. Black mist surged into his mind, drowning out his final resistance.
"And now… only you remain."
Han Yue's face went deathly pale as the cloaked figure advanced. At this point, even dying was beyond her reach.
As the black mist invaded her mind, her consciousness blurred. Her body weakened, her will fading. At the edge of her fading awareness, an image rose unbidden—the tall, invincible figure she longed for.
'If possible… please save me one more time… I don't want to become someone else's puppet…'
---
In a dark and oppressive hall, a group of figures cloaked in black robes gathered. Each exuded a chilling, formidable aura, but at this moment, every one of them wore a trace of tension and anticipation. They were waiting—for news that would decide the fate of the Soul Hall.
The suffocating silence stretched endlessly until one of the elders finally broke it. Raising his gaze to the figure seated at the head— Hun Tiandi—he spoke uneasily:
"Clan Leader, I believe this is unwise. You know better than any of us what kind of being that man is. To scheme beneath his very eyes… do you truly think it possible?"
"Impossible," the Hun Tiandi replied flatly, his calm gaze sweeping across the elder. His tone was absolute.
The elder frowned in confusion. "If you know it is impossible, why still send them?"
"Do we have another choice?" Hun Tiandi's voice remained calm, unshaken.
"This…" The elder faltered. Indeed, they had no choice left.
"We are out of time. If we continue waiting, the Soul Hall faces annihilation. This chance may be our only lifeline. Half a month ago, I sensed an ancient and scorching aura from Jia Nan Academy. That aura may have stirred because of that man's actions. It was fleeting—but unmistakable. That place may very well hide the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion. But to be safe, we must confirm it first."
"Confirmation… Puppet Arts… no wonder Elder Kurong was dispatched."
---
Warm sunlight spilled through the window, chasing away the dimness of the room. Goku slowly awoke, his arms wrapped around something soft and warm. Looking down, he saw Xun'er's delicate face, flushed with exhaustion. The memory of last night's frenzy brought a faint smile to his lips.
Who would have thought? The girl who seemed as pure and flawless as a lotus in bloom could become so wild under the backlash of fusing Heavenly Flames. If not for his body's absurd resilience, perhaps he would be the one unable to rise today.
Xun'er stirred, her long lashes fluttering. Slowly she opened her eyes, lifting her head to meet Goku's smiling face.
"Morning, Xun'er."
"Mm… morning…"
Her cheeks flared crimson, her heart racing. Memories of last night's passion burned vividly in her mind, making her breath hitch. She had never imagined that the aftereffects of fusing Heavenly Flames would be so domineering—that in a single night, she would transform from a pure maiden into a woman.
___
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