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Everything went smoothly.
Xu Yuan arrived at Tiandou City's train station without incident, but he didn't immediately head to the Forging Association.
According to the conductor Mo Lan, the heroic Great Soul Master would be publicly commended.
If Xu Yuan remembered correctly, this terrorist attack had been orchestrated by evil soul masters. If the masterminds behind it learned that their plan had failed and came to investigate who had ruined their scheme, it could lead to the Great Soul Master being killed innocently. That wasn't Xu Yuan's intention.
Therefore, he needed to lure Wu Zhangkong over.
Wu Zhangkong, a Two-Word Battle Armor Master with the cultivation of a Soul Sage, was undoubtedly capable of handling opponents up to the level of a Soul Douluo. As long as the evil soul master didn't exceed the level of a Soul Sage, Wu Zhangkong could deal with them.
Xu Yuan couldn't recall exactly which evil soul master it was from the original storyline, but if the plot could resolve itself then, it clearly wouldn't be an issue now either.
He decided to join the commotion, which puzzled Wu Zhangkong.
Previously, Wu Zhangkong had assumed that Xu Yuan had given up all credit to avoid trouble. But why was he now attending this commendation ceremony?
He followed along quietly.
At this moment, Xu Yuan turned his head and smiled at him.
Wu Zhangkong felt helpless inside, but maintained his usual stoic expression.
Xu Yuan's spiritual power surpassed his own, allowing him to detect Wu Zhangkong's presence. In fact, Xu Yuan had been fully aware of Wu Zhangkong's location throughout the entire train journey.
However, grading was a necessary part of the assessment, so Wu Zhangkong had no choice but to continue following Xu Yuan discreetly without revealing himself.
Although this terrorist attack hadn't caused panic, it still involved significant safety concerns.
Even so, as a senator, Mo Wu—Mo Lan's father—didn't need to personally appear to commend the Great Soul Master.
In fact, this act of bravery had nothing to do with him as a senator unless he happened to be present. He shouldn't even have heard about it.
The key factor here was that the train conductor, Mo Lan, was Mo Wu's only daughter.
When Mo Lan reported the incident on the train via communication, Mo Wu immediately became alert.
As a senator—even though he belonged to the dovish faction—he wasn't foolish or ignorant of the darkness in the world.
He understood well that this terrorist attack wasn't just a simple act of terror.
Getting six people to smuggle soul-guided weapons onto the train undetected was no small feat. This wasn't a result of negligence—it was a meticulously organized operation.
"Deploy Tiandou City's guard unit and mech battalion in plainclothes. Observe covertly and arrest any suspicious individuals immediately!" Mo Wu issued the order.
As the governor of Tiandou City, he had the authority to do so.
This time, he intended to put himself at risk to uncover who was behind this plot.
The commendation ceremony was tedious, and Xu Yuan found himself growing drowsy.
Behind him, Wu Zhangkong's expression was grim. While consciously pondering Xu Yuan's intentions, he also observed his surroundings and noticed something unusual.
Especially when Mo Wu appeared, Wu Zhangkong realized that the situation was far from simple.
Following Mo Wu were some official personnel. Though the number of attendees at this low-profile commendation event seemed small, Wu Zhangkong noticed that the crowd consisted entirely of soul masters. Their bodies radiated soul power fluctuations, and their positioning was deliberate.
Were they part of Tiandou City's protective forces?
What were they searching for?
Connecting the dots to the earlier attack, Wu Zhangkong fell into deep thought.
Suddenly, he looked toward the sky.
A dark figure rapidly approached, heading straight for Mo Wu.
Cloaked in a black robe, the figure held a staff in its right hand, exuding an eerie aura that sent chills down everyone's spines.
Its movements were swift and purposeful. The moment it revealed itself, it transformed into a blur and lunged directly at Mo Wu.
Around its body were six soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black. Surrounding them was a faint layer of green mist.
An evil soul master!
From the figure's appearance, aura, and actions, Wu Zhangkong instantly identified it as an evil soul master.
The Skyfrost Sword materialized in his hands, and light flashed across eleven parts of his body as his Two-Word Battle Armor fused instantly. Holding the sword, Wu Zhangkong unleashed a strike without hesitation, not allowing the evil soul master to harm Senator Mo Wu.
"Hmm? Another skilled opponent?"
The Plaguebringer was startled, completely unprepared for the presence of a Soul Sage, let alone a Two-Word Battle Armor Master.
The soul rings on its body flickered, and a vast expanse of green mist spread outward. It veered off to the side, changing direction in an attempt to escape.
Wu Zhangkong snorted coldly. A wave of frost energy from his Skyfrost Sword slashed through the air, blocking the advancing green mist.
He struck again, thrusting his sword toward the Plaguebringer.
Suddenly, a burst of green light erupted from the Plaguebringer's body, expanding like smoke. The earlier green mist surged forward, even resisting the frost energy Wu Zhangkong had released, continuing to spread outward.
"Elder, do your best to eliminate the enemy!" Mo Wu said gravely.
He stepped back slightly, and two soul masters stepped forward. They released their martial souls but were only five-ring Soul Kings, lacking black soul rings.
The ground churned, and earth and stone rose, completely enclosing the area filled with the toxic green mist.
On the civilian side, several four-ring Soul Ancestors appeared, preventing the poison mist from spreading further.
Even Mo Wu hadn't expected to directly lure out an evil soul master—a six-ring Soul Emperor-level evil soul master.
Fortunately, there was a Two-Word Battle Armor Master present. Otherwise, even if Tiandou City's defensive forces could handle this evil soul master, casualties would have been unavoidable.
The evil soul master was well aware of the capabilities of a Two-Word Battle Armor Master.
Though arrogant, even his reckless decision to directly confront Mo Wu stemmed from his initial underestimation. When Wu Zhangkong released his martial soul and fused with his battle armor, the Plaguebringer began to retreat.
A Two-Word Battle Armor Master—impossible to defeat.
Retreat!
Facing the sword beam Wu Zhangkong slashed through the air, the Plaguebringer swung his staff. The tip of the staff glowed like a green crystal, intercepting the sword beam.
His entire body emitted a thick cloud of green mist.
The frost energy swept across the area, leaving behind only a massive crater. The Plaguebringer had already tunneled away.
"Teacher Wu, over here!"
Xu Yuan's voice reached Wu Zhangkong's ears.
Guided by their spiritual link, Wu Zhangkong slashed another sword beam through the air.
Xu Yuan had already deployed his mech and was controlling it, unleashing a devastating spear strike.
The destructive power of this spear was astonishing. The eight-meter-long spear pierced through the earth, and a figure shot out from the ground, glaring hatefully in Xu Yuan's direction while retreating rapidly.
However, a precise sword beam slashed toward the figure.
Without hesitation, Wu Zhangkong flapped his wings and flew swiftly toward the Plaguebringer.
The surrounding mech battalion deployed their mechs, and the soul-guided cannons mounted on them were primed and ready. Flying rapidly through the air, they surrounded a 300-meter radius, prepared to unleash a barrage of attacks on the ground at any moment.
The Plaguebringer cursed inwardly.
He had acted recklessly, confident that he could control Mo Wu immediately. Even if there were obstacles, he believed his plague virus would achieve his goal.
Who could have predicted the appearance of a Two-Word Battle Armor Master?
It was clear that this individual wasn't part of the official system Mo Wu had brought with him.
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