Mu Nujiao and Bai Tingting weren't too surprised, but the others were.
Mo Fan, in particular, originally thought that the difference in combat strength between himself and Mu Ningxue would not be too great.
But the strength Mu Ningxue is showing now is enough to instantly kill him.
Furthermore, that ice bow is clearly a trump card, and its use will inevitably come at a cost.
But Mu Ningxue remained calm, showing no signs of fatigue or having paid a price.
This left Mo Fan and his group momentarily stunned.
Even Lu Zhenghe, who was secretly making some underhanded moves, started to sweat profusely.
What they didn't know was that Mu Ningxue was indeed unharmed despite using power beyond her capabilities.
But that doesn't mean everyone else is fine.
A dozen or so high-ranking members of the Mu clan, far away in the capital, suddenly felt an unknown pain in their bodies when Mu Ningxue used the Ice Crystal Bow.
They felt as if something had cracked open.
Because there were enough people and Mu Ningxue's unconventional use of power was only at a high level, the amount of soul power extracted was relatively small.
So they felt that the phantom pain returned to normal after a while.
Some people don't pay much attention to it, thinking it's just an old injury that will go away on its own after a while.
Younger people, or those who value their health, should immediately book an appointment at a high-end private hospital for a thorough and comprehensive examination.
The affairs of the capital's high-ranking officials remain unknown to the public, and they continue on their journey to complete this trial.
At night, the group arrived near a lake to prepare for camping and rest.
Mu Ningxue, Mu Nujiao, and Bai Tingting led several girls to the lake to wash up.
The remaining boys set up the camp.
However, as soon as she arrived near the lake, Mu Ningxue sensed that something was wrong with her mood.
Because of their superior strength and the magic power replenished by Su Lan, they are resistant to this kind of external magic interference.
Suddenly, a cool sensation flowed through my heart, and the emotions that had suddenly amplified in my mind gradually subsided.
At this point, he was fully aware that his emotions had been affected.
In such a place, one's emotions are more likely to be influenced by human mages.
That's a demon with mind control abilities.
Continuing to wash up at this point is practically suicide.
"Quick, let's go! Something's wrong here!"
Mu Ningxue's sudden reminder made the girls, who were still preparing to wash up, pause, and then they followed Mu Ningxue without hesitation.
If Mu Ningxue hadn't used that move in the underground tunnel, they might not have trusted her so much.
If the strongest person in the team notices something is wrong, then even if there is no problem, they should remain vigilant.
At this moment, Mu Nujiao and Bai Tingting frowned, feeling uneasy, as if the dark side of their inner selves was about to be revealed.
They quickened their pace and arrived at the camp to find a standoff.
The students from Mingzhu Academy and the students from Didu Academy were facing off.
There are also internal conflicts between the two colleges.
They even started swearing and using foul language.
Upon seeing this, Mu Ningxue channeled her ice-elemental magic, and a chilling power instantly spread out, engulfing everyone.
In the blink of an eye, everyone present was enveloped in a chilling aura, and the ground beneath their feet froze over.
Sensing the sudden chill, everyone present became alert.
But the next moment, they all froze, realizing that something was wrong with their emotions.
Have you calmed down now?
Mu Ningxue's icy gaze swept over everyone present.
Those who were swept by Mu Ningxue involuntarily broke out in a sweat.
"What... happened to us?"
Since Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue knew each other, he frowned and voiced his question.
"There must be mind-controlling demons around here, and your emotions have been affected by them."
"This is not a place to stay for long. We need to find another place to rest for the time being."
After saying that, Mu Ningxue glanced at Mu Nujiao and Bai Tingting, and the three of them immediately headed towards the blurry building in the distance.
After the three of them took a few steps, the others immediately realized what was happening and quickly followed.
They looked around warily, trying their best not to fall too far behind.
As for the supplies, everyone was too caught up in their emotions and no one handled them.
So you can just take it with you; there's no need to pack it.
By the time everyone arrived at the church, it was already dark.
After finally getting the fire going, no one seemed inclined to rest.
They were wary of their surroundings and even of each other, lest some demon control them and attack their own people.
As for why they didn't go further away to avoid this place...
That's because after nightfall, it becomes the time when demons are most active.
Going out now might lead to encountering something even stronger than this mind-controlling demon lurking in the darkness.
Now at least we know there's a demon nearby that can control people's minds and amplify their dark side.
As long as we can manage, there's no need to take greater risks.
In addition, Mu Ningxue was in the team; she was the one who saved them when they were under mind control.
There is always someone who can handle it.
While keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, the group ate their rations to replenish their strength.
Not far from the church, beside a pool, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly emerged from behind the pool, their gaze fixed intently on the firelight inside the church.
If Mu Ningxue and the others were here, they would be horrified to discover that this eyeball was actually the size of two fists.
Furthermore, as this eyeball slowly rose to the surface, countless other eyeballs appeared, and a ferocious, enormous head emerged from the pool.
This head, about half the size of a house, had bizarre markings on its face. As the head surfaced, eight long legs covered in fangs appeared next.
This was clearly a bewitching spider of general-level strength.
The bewitching spiders beside the pool are only slightly higher in rank than ordinary warrior-level demons.
However, the Bewitching Spider excels at traps, curses, poison attacks, and bewitching techniques that are difficult for both humans and demons to defend against.
The damage it causes is even greater than that caused by advanced-stage warriors.
Just as the bewitching spider was staring in the direction of the church, preparing to unleash even more powerful mind control skills, all of its pupils suddenly dilated.
Immediately afterwards, the once vibrant bewitching spider died.
The bewitching spider, larger than a house, did not immediately fall into the pool after its sudden death.
It was as if something was supporting it, causing it to slowly sink into the pool water, all without making a sound.
At this moment, after the bewitching spider sank into the pool, a figure silently emerged from the shadows.
It then disappeared again.
Inside the church, everyone remained vigilant and highly focused, a state that continued until dawn.
The good news is that the bewitching demon seems to have given up attacking them.
The bad news is that after a whole night of intense concentration, they are exhausted both physically and mentally.
Even so, everyone still left quickly after dawn.
They didn't start taking turns to rest until they found a safe place.