"Woohoo!"
High in the sky above the Mingdou Mountains, at a thousand meters altitude, March 7th soared through the air with a pair of pink flight soul tools, darting about gleefully.
She dived and climbed, tracing brilliant arcs and shouting with excitement, her face bright with innocent joy.
Beside her, Dan Heng and Ye Guyi flew side by side.
A faint azure wind swirled around Dan Heng, gently supporting him and allowing him to hover gracefully in midair, his demeanor calm and composed.
Ye Guyi had unfurled golden wings, each feather shimmering with holy light. Her gaze showed a hint of helplessness as she watched the wild antics of March 7th.
Seeing March 7th's carefree display, Ye Guyi's mouth twitched.
Though she'd known March 7th was lively and mischievous, seeing it firsthand made her realize she'd underestimated her.
"Dan Heng, this flight soul tool is amazing! Don't you want to try it?" March 7th shouted, twisting acrobatically.
This exclusive pink soul tool, a gift from Lu Jingming, was her favorite.
"No need. I don't require it." Dan Heng's tone was flat, shaking his head gently, the azure wind echoing his words.
"You're no fun," March 7th pouted, disappointed.
Watching Dan Heng fly freely without any equipment, March 7th thought he was so boring.
Ye Guyi quietly observed, feeling a strange sense of unease.
She didn't know Dan Heng well, only that he was the Academy's librarian—and a genuine Title Douluo.
But from their interactions, March 7th showed him no reverence at all. They acted more like equals.
Dan Heng looked young, but Ye Guyi knew: anyone who reached Title Douluo status couldn't truly be young.
On the Douluo Continent, Title Douluos stood at the peak—revered by all. For March 7th to address him so casually was almost unthinkable.
"Little March, stop fooling around. We're here," Ye Guyi called after checking the map and the terrain below.
Though a bit younger than March 7th, everyone was used to calling her "Little March." Over time, Ye Guyi adopted the affectionate nickname too.
"Already? That was fast!" March 7th halted in surprise, a little disappointed.
"Haiyuan City isn't far from the Mingdou Mountains," Ye Guyi explained.
She was the main force on this mission; March 7th was just along for the ride, and Dan Heng was dragged along as a bodyguard.
"I heard the evil soul master this time is a Soul King. Are you sure you can handle it, Guyi? Need my help?" March 7th asked, concerned.
She knew Ye Guyi was strong, but she'd only just broken through to Soul Ancestor. Facing a Soul King-level evil soul master was worrisome.
"Don't worry. My martial soul is a natural nemesis of evil soul masters." Ye Guyi smiled confidently. "My holy purification power is their bane. A mere Soul King is nothing. Even a Soul Emperor, I could fight!"
"Just be careful," March 7th nodded. With Dan Heng there, even if Ye Guyi was in danger, he could save her.
"Found it—it's here!" Ye Guyi checked her map and scanned the area, soon finding a cave hidden by vines on the mountainside.
To help Ye Guyi grow, Lu Jingming had the Wuchang Division collect intelligence, so they'd long since pinpointed the evil soul master group called Hand of Death. They just hadn't acted yet.
Ye Guyi wanted to kill evil soul masters with her own hands—her pride as a Holy Angel wouldn't let her simply accept other people's trophies.
"Hmm? Someone's been here already!" Dan Heng's sharp gaze spotted the messy footprints at the cave entrance.
The prints varied in size and depth—clearly not left by passersby.
Judging from the footprints, the people were all young.
Evil soul masters were always cautious and would never leave such obvious traces. Someone had beaten them to it.
"Did someone else come to hunt evil soul masters first? Are we too late?" March 7th exclaimed, anxious.
"Let's go in and check!" Ye Guyi frowned and led the way, platinum holy sword in hand, the blade shining with golden light.
She was confident in her strength, but evil soul masters were cunning and ruthless—she wouldn't dare be careless.
"Careful, Guyi!" March 7th drew her pink longbow and followed close behind.
Dan Heng brought up the rear, closing his eyes to sense the wind.
The wind was his ears and eyes, delivering every subtle movement and scent in the cave.
He soon had a clear idea of what lay ahead, but he knew this was Ye Guyi's trial—he wouldn't intervene unless it became critical.
The cave entrance was narrow, but the space widened as they went deeper.
After about fifty meters, a thick stench of blood assaulted them, making them gag.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, March 7th screamed, turning pale and trembling with rage.
Ye Guyi and Dan Heng followed her gaze. On both walls hung dozens of human skins, the blood long dried to a ghastly dark red.
Worse yet, an infant's corpse was impaled on a stalagmite. Its little face was bloodless, eyes staring blankly as if crying out for justice.
"Monsters!" Ye Guyi clenched her sword, knuckles white, her beautiful face twisted in fury and killing intent.
Even the always calm Dan Heng couldn't stay composed, a flicker of anger in his eyes.
The azure wind around him surged as if sharing his rage.
"They even killed babies… Is this what evil soul masters do?" March 7th's curiosity was gone, replaced by deep disgust.
Just then, they heard the faint sounds of combat deeper in the cave.
Clearly, a fierce battle was underway ahead.
"Let's hurry! Not a single one of these evil soul masters can be spared!" Ye Guyi said anxiously, quickening her pace.
Whoever had entered first, as long as they were fighting evil soul masters, they were not enemies.
The trio pressed on, passing many evil soul master corpses—torn in half, decapitated, the ground a mess of blood and limbs.
It was clear the earlier intruders hated evil soul masters just as much, showing no mercy.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Suddenly, a series of deafening explosions shook the cave, sending rocks and dust cascading down.
At the same moment, a dazzling yellow light shot in from the cave entrance.
Dan Heng reacted instantly, conjuring a cold-glinting spear and shielding the girls behind him, eyes wary.
He sensed at once that the yellow light contained a powerful Title Douluo.
Strangely, the sword aura felt familiar, though he couldn't place it.
The newcomer was Xuan Zi, whose face was anxious and sweating as he rushed deeper into the cave, ignoring the trio.
He'd investigated earlier: the strongest inside was just a Soul King-level evil soul master, no threat for Shrek Academy's main team.
So he'd let Ma Xiaotao lead the team in while he hunted for food in the forest.
This year, Shrek's team was unusually strong: Ma Xiaotao, free of evil fire, had reached Soul Sage at nineteen; Dai Yueheng was a Soul Emperor; and Ling Luochen and others were Soul Kings—victory seemed certain.
But, as always, the unexpected happened.
Xuan Zi was full of regret. This was the third time such an accident had happened—first with Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming, then Huo Yuhao, and now this. He was ashamed.
"What happened?" March 7th asked, confused amid the shaking cave.
"Something's wrong. Let's check it out," Ye Guyi said gravely, having sensed the strong Title Douluo aura.
The explosions lasted a while, then faded.
…
"Kekekeke, how do you like my corpse explosions? If I can't blow you up, I'll poison you to death," a chilling, villainous laugh echoed from deep within.
March 7th shivered at the evil in that laugh.
"Wow, that's the most stereotypical villain voice ever!" she quipped, even in tense moments.
"Bastard!" An angry roar followed, and a surge of powerful aura lit the cave yellow.
Within it, the sound of a beast—half dragon, half ox—shook the air.
The trio rushed toward the noise, soon reaching a spacious cavern.
The scene was horrific. The air was thick with blood and green poison gas. Blasted corpses lay everywhere, limbs scattered.
At the center, several figures lay badly wounded—some with half their bodies gone, others missing limbs, or with backs flayed open.
Only three had lighter wounds, but all had inhaled much poison and looked pale and pained.
In Xuan Zi's grasp was a black-robed man—his face hidden, but five soul rings glowed: a Soul King.
Ye Guyi recognized him as her target—the Death God Envoy.
Yet a mere Soul King had caused such carnage. Ye Guyi was shocked.
She reminded herself: evil soul masters were unpredictable and deadly—never, ever be careless.