After sensing the two rapidly approaching auras, Liu Yuan, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen instantly lost all trace of drowsiness.
A look of shock flashed across their faces as they exchanged glances.
Liu Yuan was the first to break the silence, lowering his voice. "Brother Xiao, Meng, did you feel those two auras?"
Meng Hongchen's expression turned grave as she instinctively moved closer to Xiao Hongchen. "I did… Both of them feel like they're at the Spirit King level."
Xiao Hongchen frowned deeply, his tone serious. "And one of them is extremely cold—definitely an ice-attribute Spirit Master. The other… it's filled with darkness and decay. I'm almost certain it's an Evil Soul Master."
The atmosphere inside the cave instantly tightened.
For Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, who had grown up in the Sun Moon Empire, the words Evil Soul Master carried a far heavier weight than for most.
A Five-Ring Evil Soul Master was often far more dangerous than a normal Six-Ring Spirit Master.
"They're getting closer. Put out the fire—now," Liu Yuan said decisively.
The three moved immediately.
Xiao Hongchen kicked apart the flames, and together they buried the fire under loose soil until not even a spark remained. Darkness swallowed the cave, leaving only faint moonlight spilling in from the entrance.
They concealed themselves behind rocks, suppressing their auras and breathing to the lowest possible level.
Outside—
Two figures landed one after the other.
The first was a middle-aged man in a dark green robe. His face was gaunt, his eyes narrow and venomous like a snake's. A faint poisonous miasma lingered around him.
This was the Evil Soul Master known as Magic Scorpion.
He sniffed the air cautiously, scanning his surroundings like a predator.
Moments later—
A second figure descended silently.
A young woman, around seventeen or eighteen, with long blue hair and icy features. Her skin seemed carved from frost, and her pale blue eyes carried a chilling, emotionless calm.
The air itself seemed to freeze wherever her gaze fell.
She was Ling Luochen, a member of the Shrek Supervisory Group.
The moment she landed, she attacked without hesitation.
"Ice Spike Thrust!"
With a sharp motion of her staff, countless ice spikes surged forward like a storm, filling the air with biting cold.
Magic Scorpion twisted his body unnaturally, narrowly dodging most of the attack.
But before he could recover—
"Ice Cage!"
A crystalline prison of ice formed instantly around him, sealing him inside. Frost energy pulsed through the cage, slowing his spirit power circulation.
Inside the cave—
Meng Hongchen's eyes widened. "So strong…"
Even through the stone walls, the chill of Ling Luochen's power seeped into her bones.
Xiao Hongchen's expression darkened. He knew that without fully relying on spirit tools, he wouldn't stand a chance against her.
Liu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's her… Ling Luochen from Shrek. She must be on a mission to eliminate this Evil Soul Master."
"Shrek again…" Xiao Hongchen muttered, his tone mixed with admiration and rivalry.
Meng Hongchen nodded. "If it's her, then this Evil Soul Master is finished."
Outside—
Magic Scorpion struggled inside the cage, but the ice prison held firm.
Ling Luochen stepped forward slowly, her expression cold and merciless.
"When you slaughtered innocents, did you ever think of this day?"
She raised her staff, a deadly frost gathering at its tip.
"As a member of the Shrek Supervisory Group… I will execute you."
But suddenly—
Magic Scorpion burst into eerie laughter.
"Hahaha! You think you've won? Little girl, you're too naive! Did you never wonder… why I lured you here?"
Ling Luochen's eyes narrowed.
Something was wrong.
The next second—
Two terrifying auras erupted from the forest, rushing toward her like hunting beasts!
Two more Evil Soul Masters—both at the Spirit King level!
Ling Luochen's expression changed instantly.
Three against one—this was no longer a fight she could win.
Without hesitation, she slammed her staff down. An ice wall rose to block incoming attacks as she retreated rapidly.
But then—
A far more terrifying presence descended.
A fourth aura.
Heavier. Darker. Overwhelming.
A Six-Ring Spirit Emperor!
The pressure flooded the entire area like an abyss swallowing everything.
Ling Luochen's body froze mid-retreat.
An invisible force sealed off her escape route completely.
Her heart sank.
Three Spirit Kings… and one Spirit Emperor.
Even a Spirit Emperor would struggle to survive such a formation.
For the first time—
A shadow of death truly fell over her.