Before Xuanzi's voice had even finished echoing, a violent explosion erupted.
It turned out that Yao Haoxuan's body had exploded, flesh and blood flying everywhere, and the ground it splattered on sizzled with the sound of corrosion. Not even a trace of his bones remained.
Xuanzi's eyes turned bloodshot as painful memories of the past surged into his mind like a tide.
"Wang Yan, go save the others. I'll go rescue Huo Yuhao."
As he spoke, Xuanzi swept his wide sleeves, and in front of the students, he released his martial soul.
They saw his back suddenly arch upward, and the oil-stained rags on his body instantly tore apart. His back muscles swelled at an astonishing speed, and in the blink of an eye, his entire frame had nearly doubled in size.
Most strikingly, a long, spiral-shaped horn sprouted from each side of his head. The instant he released his martial soul, the air inside the cave seemed to freeze solid.
"Huff… Huff…"
Xuanzi's massive body bent low, and his fan-sized hands began digging with incredible speed. In just a breath, he had burrowed into the ground and vanished.
He had no other choice. That Evil Soul Master Soul King had already blasted the entrance to the underground tunnel when he fled, so Xuanzi could only dig his own path to pursue him.
"Hehehe, that old bastard still thinks he can catch me? I'm the great Death Messenger! Eat my dust!"
The five-ringed Evil Soul Master laughed madly as he ran.
He was able to lead the Death's Hand bandit group to roam freely through the Ming Dou Mountain Range not just because of his Evil Soul Master abilities, but also due to his extreme caution and prudence.
Situations like today weren't new to him. As long as he stayed alive, it wouldn't take long for him to raise a brand-new bandit group.
By then, he would still be the one and only Death Messenger!
Huo Yuhao was tucked under his armpit, offering no resistance whatsoever. The Evil Soul Master didn't even pay him any mind—a mere two-ringed Soul Master, probably scared stiff by now.
"Brother Tianmeng, what do I do?"
Huo Yuhao called out to Tianmeng Iceworm in his spiritual sea. He had assumed that with Elder Xuan, a Super Douluo, leading the mission, nothing could possibly go wrong. Who would've thought Elder Xuan would be this unreliable?!
"Yuhao, I know you're panicking, but calm down first."
Tianmeng Iceworm's lazy voice echoed in his mind.
"In a moment, let me take control of your body and we'll flatten this guy."
"Alright, Brother Tianmeng."
Huo Yuhao said no more and instead began observing his surroundings and the condition of the Evil Soul Master who had kidnapped him.
After all he'd experienced lately, he was no longer the same boy he used to be. He was gradually developing his own judgment—especially now that he had awakened his second martial soul…
The Death Messenger ran through the underground tunnel at a shocking speed. As he sprinted, he slapped the tunnel walls with his palms, triggering the explosives he'd buried earlier.
"Hehehe, almost at the exit. I, your Death Messenger, will make my grand escape!"
The tunnel ahead suddenly widened. The Death Messenger, carrying Huo Yuhao, burst out into the open air. The fresh breeze instantly cleared Huo Yuhao's mind and invigorated his spirit.
At the same time, he prepared for Tianmeng Iceworm to take over his body—ready to strike with thunderous force.
However, right at the tunnel's exit stood twelve silent figures.
As soon as they saw the Death Messenger emerge from the tunnel, the twelve figures—who didn't even seem to breathe—immediately knelt on one knee, respectfully saluting him.
"Rise, my corpse slaves. Stay behind and cover our retreat. We've run into big trouble this time. The one behind me is a Title Douluo."
"Hmph, no need to panic. Give me another ten years, and even a Title Douluo will bow before me!"
Just then, a black-robed elder suddenly appeared at his side, shrouded in black mist, radiating an aura of evil.
"Come with me."
"Y-You are…?"
The Death Messenger jumped in shock at the elder's sudden appearance. But upon sensing the sinister energy surrounding him, he relaxed.
Looks like the man's also an Evil Soul Master—Evil Soul Masters don't kill their own kind.
But Huo Yuhao, still under his arm, showed a look of horror. He recognized this elder—wasn't this one of the two Title Douluo who had robbed him in the Extreme North?!
"Brother Tianmeng, what do we do? Say something!"
Huo Yuhao frantically called out in his mind.
Tianmeng Iceworm gave a bitter laugh. This was a real case of enemies meeting on a narrow road.
"What else can we do? Play dead."
He, Tianmeng Iceworm, was going to gamble—that this Title Douluo wouldn't notice him.
Huo Yuhao quickly buried his head deeper into the Death Messenger's chest, hoping not to be noticed by the elder.
"Well, well, isn't this an old friend from the Extreme North?"
"Haven't seen you in a while, and you're already a Grandmaster."
The elder was none other than Zhang Peng.
"Ahem, long time no see, old friend."
A flash of white light gleamed in Huo Yuhao's eyes—Tianmeng Iceworm had successfully taken over his body. Time to take the wheel.
"Ah, senior, this is your old friend?"
The Death Messenger, now drenched in sweat, quickly put Huo Yuhao down and even thoughtfully patted the dust off his clothes.
"You know what I mean?"
Zhang Peng raised two fingers and rubbed them together in front of Tianmeng Iceworm.
"I get it!"
"How about this much?"
Tianmeng Iceworm, controlling Huo Yuhao's body, held up five fingers.
Zhang Peng shook his head slightly and said with a touch of regret:
"Seems you're not being sincere, old friend. Don't blame me then."
As he spoke, nine soul rings rose from Zhang Peng's body, and a massive shadow of a black tiger appeared behind him.
"A Title Douluo!"
The Evil Soul Master was stunned—but instead of fear, he actually felt a sense of belonging.
"Haha, old friend, no need to be so hasty."
Tianmeng Iceworm gave an awkward laugh, trying to raise two more fingers—but Zhang Peng coldly cut him off.
"Don't try to be clever with me. I know that old guy is almost here, but before he gets here, I can still kill you."
Faced with Zhang Peng's threat, Huo Yuhao's expression changed and his mouth twitched bitterly.
Brother Tianmeng, looks like it's time to pay up again!
"Hurry up! Or I'll send you straight to the afterlife!"
Hearing Zhang Peng's impatient tone, Tianmeng Iceworm gritted his teeth and directly separated a large chunk of his spiritual origin from Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea—a mass that faintly shimmered with golden light.
"Very good. A wise man knows when to yield."
"I look forward to our next meeting."
Zhang Peng took the spiritual origin with one hand and grabbed the Death Messenger with the other, soaring into the sky.
He could already sense that old guy from Shrek closing in.
Tianmeng Iceworm's eyes went black.
"Like hell I wanna see you again…"
Boom—!
A violent explosion erupted at the tunnel's exit. A moment later, a massive figure shot up into the sky and landed forcefully—it was Xuanzi's towering frame.
"Hehehe, old man, you're too late!"
The Death Messenger laughed menacingly as he looked down at Xuanzi.
(End of chapter)