The anger in Dai Mubai's eyes flared, and he let out a low growl, preparing to charge forward. "Those bastards!"
"Mubai, wait." Ye Yin reached out and stopped him. His gaze swept over the unusually quiet outskirts of the village, and his brow furrowed slightly. The powerful perception granted by his 100,000-year-old Spirit Bone allowed him to detect a subtle, unsettling disharmony.
It was too quiet.
Aside from the faint sounds coming from the village center, the entrance and the surrounding houses were eerily silent. There wasn't even the bark of a dog. This wasn't what a village that had just been raided by deserters should feel like; it should have been filled with chaos and panic. This felt more like a well-laid trap.
"Captain Zhao," Ye Yin's voice was still gentle, but it now carried a hint of coldness. "Are you certain all the deserters are in the center of the village?"
Zhao Tie's body seemed to stiffen for a fraction of a second before he nodded quickly. "Yes… yes! They stole all the food and captured the women. They're all drinking and celebrating on the village's threshing ground! Sir, we have to hurry! If we're late, the girls will be…"
"Lead the way," Ye Yin said indifferently, but not before giving Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others a meaningful look. They all understood immediately, secretly gathering their spirit power and slowing their pace, their senses now on high alert.
Zhao Tie didn't seem to notice. He quickened his steps, leading them past a few dilapidated huts at the village entrance and toward the open threshing ground in the center. The further they went, the stronger the smell of blood became, and the cries grew clearer.
However, just as they were about to step onto the threshing ground, everything changed in an instant.
FWOOSH!
From the dark, silent rooftops, from behind haystacks, and even from hidden panels in the ground, countless flaming arrows suddenly shot into the air. They blotted out the night sky like a rain of fire, whistling sharply as they descended upon the group. At the same moment, the ground beneath their feet gave way, collapsing into a huge pit lined with sharpened wooden stakes. Heavy iron grates slammed down from all sides, sealing their escape routes.
The entire area was a meticulously arranged death trap.
"Be careful!" Dai Mubai roared, activating his White Tiger Barrier to shield Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu.
Zhu Zhuqing's figure flashed like a ghost, weaving between the falling arrows. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass surged out, trying to stop the heavy grates, but they were too numerous and fell too fast. Dugu Yan let out a sharp cry as her Jade Phosphor Serpent Spirit possessed her, unleashing a cloud of poisonous mist. But instead of corroding the arrows, the flames ignited the poison, making the fire burn even hotter.
"Hahahahaha!"
Zhao Tie, their guide, let out a wild and triumphant laugh. His body moved like an eel, and he easily slipped through a gap in the iron grates just before they slammed shut. The panicked and pleading expression was gone from his face, replaced by pure ferocity and venom.
"Dai Mubai! Zhu Zhuqing! And the rest of you Shrek bastards! I bet you didn't expect this, did you?" his voice, now filled with hatred, echoed from outside the trap. "Today, this place will be your grave!"
As he spoke, flames erupted around the trap, illuminating hundreds of figures. They weren't ragged deserters; they were well-trained soldiers in standard leather armor, armed with powerful bows and crossbows. The men leading them were even more formidable, their Spirit King-level power surging. One of them, a man with a ferocious scar on his face, was Kui Shan—one of Dai Weisi's most loyal and vicious underlings, a Spirit King who had once acted as his attendant. Zhao Tie tore off his disguise, revealing his true identity as Ying Shu, another Spirit King skilled in disguise and assassination.
"Kui Shan! Ying Shu! It's you!" Dai Mubai's pupils constricted as he understood everything. There were no deserters. This was a carefully planned ambush targeting them from the very beginning, using their own sense of justice to lure them into a deathtrap.
"Dai Weisi really thinks highly of us," Zhu Zhuqing's voice was like ice.
Kui Shan grinned cruelly, pointing his large machete at them. "Dai Mubai, you can only blame yourself for being stupid enough to oppose Prince Weisi! And Zhu Zhuqing, Miss Zhuyun gave us special orders to capture you alive. We'll be sure to take good care of you. As for the others… especially you, Ye Yin!" His gaze, filled with dread and hatred, locked onto the strangely calm boy. "The Prince ordered us to kill you all without mercy! Fire!"
WHOOSH!
Another volley of arrows rained down. The ground, which had been soaked in oil, instantly ignited. The entire trap became a raging inferno, and the scorching flames and thick smoke engulfed the seven of them.
"Yin Ge!" Ning Rongrong cried out as the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shone brightly, casting buffs of power, speed, and defense on everyone. But it wasn't enough to protect them from the all-encompassing sea of fire.
Xiao Wu used Teleportation to dodge the flames, but the restricted space made it difficult. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, naturally weak to fire, withered and burned away. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing could only rely on their speed and defenses to endure, the intense heat searing their skin. In the inferno, Dugu Yan's poison was almost completely useless. The situation was critical.
Kui Shan and Ying Shu watched them struggle in the fire, cruel and triumphant smiles on their faces. They had planned every step. This trap was designed to kill any Spirit Master below the rank of Spirit Emperor.
However, just as they believed victory was theirs, a calm voice cut through the roar of the flames, laced with faint mockery.
"Is this all you've got?"
In the center of the inferno, Ye Yin stood untouched, enveloped in a thin, flowing red mist. When the scorching flames met the mist, they recoiled as if hitting an invisible wall. Not a single spark, not even the thick smoke, could penetrate it. He casually pulled Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu into the safety of his protective barrier.
"What?!" Kui Shan's smile froze on his face, his eyes wide with disbelief. Those flames were mixed with a special grease hot enough to melt steel, yet they couldn't harm him in the slightest?
Ye Yin slowly raised a hand, and the Good and Evil Pearl emerged at his fingertips, shimmering with a faint glow. "You're not worthy of playing with fire in front of me," he said coolly. "After all this heat, I think it's time for you all to cool down."
His fourth spirit ring suddenly lit up. As black light pulsed from it, Ye Yin quickly converted resentment points into spirit power inside his mind, fueling his attack.
Fourth Spirit Ability: Mental Curse!
His target: every single soldier currently firing arrows and controlling the trap.
The effect: For the next five minutes, every target would be overcome with an extreme and uncontrollable desire to feel water pouring over their heads. They would desperately seek out and splash any liquid they could find on themselves and, more importantly, on their companions.
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