Chapter 124: Forced Seclusion
Yan Shaozhe and the others, carrying the heavily injured Old Song, were finally able to relax slightly when they saw the familiar Shrek Academy gates in front of them.
They scanned their surroundings warily, confirming that there was no abnormal activity before quickly heading towards Sea God Island with Old Song.
During the journey, Yan Shaozhe could clearly feel Old Song's breath in his arms, weak to the point of being almost imperceptible.
At this moment, Old Song's complexion was as pale as paper, with dark red blood still staining the corners of her mouth. She was unconscious and weak.
Yan Shaozhe looked at Old Song, his eyes filled with guilt and self-blame. His voice was low and hoarse as he spoke.
"If it weren't for protecting the academy, Old Song wouldn't have ended up like this…"
"Hurry! Elder Zhuang, please help treat Old Song!"
Yan Shaozhe said urgently, unable to hide his anxiety.
Xian Lin'er followed closely behind, her beautiful face full of exhaustion and concern. Her once neat long hair was now disheveled, sticking to her cheeks.
She turned to the other academy teachers, equally disheveled, and said, "Lock down the news immediately, we can't let the students panic."
Qian Duoduo was the last to land. Normally smiling, his face now looked as serious as iron.
He quickly moved forward and, with Yan Shaozhe, they lifted Old Song and entered a prepared quiet room within Sea God Pavilion.
...
Inside the quiet room, Elder Zhuang had been waiting for a long time.
As the possessor of the Tree of Life martial soul, seeing Old Song's condition made his expression grow heavy.
He had arrived at the academy earlier, planning to find a way to treat her.
He had already noticed that Old Song's internal injuries were severe.
But when he saw her, he realized his previous assessment had been overly optimistic.
The black robe on Old Song's chest had been completely soaked in blood. Even more terrifying, around the wound, black mist that seemed to be alive was winding, spreading outward.
"This is Zhongli Wu's evil power!"
Elder Zhuang's voice trembled, but his hands immediately released vibrant green life energy. "Quick, get her on the bed!"
On the way here, in order to help suppress the evil power in Old Song's body, Yan Shaozhe and Elder Zhuang had already used up a lot of energy.
They had thought that the evil power had been nearly purged, but now, the evil power seemed to have grown even stronger, as if it had never been weakened at all.
Elder Zhuang immediately realized that this evil power was not ordinary—it seemed to be continuously growing.
Yan Shaozhe gently placed Old Song on the bed, taking a step back, only to realize that his arm had been corroded by the black mist, and strange black patterns had appeared on his skin.
He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and kept his eyes fixed on Elder Zhuang's healing process.
Elder Zhuang's hands hovered over Old Song's chest, and a torrent of life energy poured down like a waterfall.
The green light, upon touching the black mist, made a sizzling sound, as though cold water had been poured onto a red-hot iron.
"Not good."
Less than ten minutes later, Elder Zhuang's forehead was covered in beads of sweat. "This evil power is too strong. My life energy can only temporarily slow its spread. It cannot eradicate it."
Xian Lin'er hurried forward. "Let me try! My Green Flame might be able to burn away this evil energy!"
"No!" Elder Zhuang sharply stopped her. "Using fire-element soul power recklessly will only speed up the corrosion of Old Song's internal organs!"
The room fell into a dead silence, with only Old Song's faint breathing and the faint sounds of the writhing black mist.
Yan Shaozhe stared at the spreading black mist and suddenly spoke. "My Light Phoenix martial soul has a restraining effect on evil powers. Let me try."
Qian Duoduo anxiously looked at Yan Shaozhe. "Your arm…"
"It's fine." Yan Shaozhe gritted his teeth and tore off the sleeve of his shirt that had been tainted by the black mist, revealing his now blackened arm. "Saving Old Song is the priority."
He stood in front of Old Song's bed, took a deep breath, and a radiant Light Phoenix phantom appeared behind him.
Pure platinum-colored light surged from his palm, slowly infusing into Old Song's body.
"Ah—"
Even though Old Song was unconscious, she still let out a painful groan.
Yan Shaozhe could feel his light energy clashing intensely with the evil power. But for every bit he purified, more black mist surged from the depths of Old Song's body.
"Hang in there, Shaozhe!"
Elder Zhuang stood by, channeling life energy into Yan Shaozhe to help him maintain his soul power output.
...
Time passed minute by minute.
Yan Shaozhe's face grew paler, and the phoenix phantom behind him began to fade.
Two hours later, he could no longer hold on and staggered back a few steps, supported by Qian Duoduo.
"It's no use…"
Yan Shaozhe gasped, his eyes filled with defeat.
"That evil power seems to have a life of its own. No matter how much I purify, it keeps regenerating. Unless it's all eradicated at once, otherwise…"
Elder Zhuang checked Old Song's condition, his face becoming even grimmer. "Worse, the evil power has begun to erode Old Song's heart veins. At this rate, in three days at most…"
Xian Lin'er slammed her fist into the wall, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear. "It's all my fault! If it weren't for protecting me and the students, she wouldn't have had to take that hit from Zhongli Wu!"
"This is not the time to blame yourself."
Qian Duoduo said in a deep voice, "We have to think of something. Old Mu and Elder Xuan are still in seclusion."
After all, the only thing that can restrain Zhongli Wu's evil power is light energy.
Yan Shaozhe had reached a certain level of strength, and his light energy was quite pure, but it still couldn't eliminate the evil power in Old Song's body.
The only solution now was for Old Mu to make a move.
Old Mu possessed the Holy Dragon of Light martial soul, and his light energy was close to the ultimate attribute, with strength reaching the Title Douluo realm.
Once Old Mu took action, he should easily be able to clear the evil power from Old Song's body, and with Elder Zhuang assisting in the treatment, Old Song's condition would heal in no time.
However, Old Mu and Elder Xuan were still in seclusion, preparing for Elder Xuan's breakthrough to the Title Douluo realm, which was crucial for Shrek Academy's future. There could be no mistakes.
But Old Song's condition was now extremely urgent, and the group was at a loss, not knowing what to do.
"Wait!" Yan Shaozhe suddenly raised his head. "I sense a presence…"
Boom!
Before he could finish speaking, a gentle yet vast aura of light enveloped the entire Sea God Pavilion.
Though the aura was weak, it carried an undeniable authority. Everyone instinctively turned toward the door.
A hunched figure slowly walked into the quiet room, each step seeming to take all his strength.
Old Mu's aged face appeared even more worn than before, but the wisdom still shone brightly in his deeply set eyes.
"Old Mu!" The group exclaimed in unison.
Old Mu waved his hand, signaling them to not make too much of a fuss.
His gaze fell directly on Old Song, and his brows immediately furrowed.
"What happened?"
Yan Shaozhe, knowing this couldn't be hidden, also let out a sigh of relief. Since Old Mu had appeared, the evil power inside Old Song should now be no longer a concern.
He quickly recounted the events of the auction, including the ambush by Zhongli Wu and the others on their return journey.
(END CHAPTER)
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