A sudden wave of unease surged through his entire body, making his hair stand on end.
The moment Tang San stepped onto the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his pupils contracted sharply.
He barely managed to dodge sideways, narrowly avoiding the incoming claws.
The figure missed its target and crashed heavily into the ground.
A rather deep crater formed in the earth — the power behind the impact was astonishing.
What was even stranger was that afterward, the figure flipped in midair and leaped up again in an even more unnatural posture.
Drool dripped from the corner of its mouth, and its bloodshot eyes remained fixed on Tang San.
"What the hell… is this thing?"
Tang San used Ghost Shadow Steps to quickly put some distance between them. A thin layer of cold sweat had formed on his forehead.
He clearly remembered that the arrows fired from the Zhuge Divine Crossbow were coated with a deadly poison that caused instant death upon contact with blood.
An ordinary person would die after just three breaths if struck by such an arrow.
Yet the assassin in front of him was not dead at all. On the contrary, it was as if some strange power had been injected into him, transforming him into something completely different from a normal human.
Just then, several more low growls echoed from all directions.
The assassins who had been struck down by the hidden weapons began standing up one after another.
Their wounds healed at a rapid pace. Their eyes were bloodshot, and turbid saliva dripped from their mouths.
Even more terrifying was the fact that their auras had grown stronger than when they were alive.
The two Soul Kings gritted their teeth and glared at Tang San, barely suppressing their unease.
"What did you do?!"
Tang San slammed the Clear Sky Hammer onto the ground and snorted coldly.
"You're asking me about your own companions?"
"Hey, here they come again!" Dai Mubai shouted.
A White Tiger light wave roared outward, blasting away the two mutated assassins charging toward Tang San.
However, after tumbling twice across the ground, the two assassins somehow staggered back to their feet.
The flesh and blood inside the gaping hole in one of their chests was writhing as it slowly began to heal.
"That's impossible!"
Ning Rongrong's face turned pale. This was the first time she had ever witnessed such a bizarre scene.
Zhu Zhuqing moved like a ghost and slashed open an assassin's throat with her sharp claws, but the wound healed in an instant.
"Ordinary physical attacks are useless."
"Then burn them to death."
Ma Hongjun's plump body soared into the air as wings spread from both arms.
"Phoenix Wings Rising to the Sky — Phoenix Fire Line!"
Phoenix flames raged, enveloping several mutated assassins.
Amid the roaring flames, the assassins let out sharp screams. Their bodies were charred black, yet they still desperately struggled to advance through the fire.
Ma Hongjun's face was deathly pale, and his legs wouldn't stop trembling.
"…They didn't even burn to death?"
At that moment, Tang San noticed that the mutated ghost-like beings seemed to be targeting only him.
Even though half of one figure's body had been crushed by the Clear Sky Hammer, it continued dragging its broken form toward him.
This ruthless, all-or-nothing attitude sent a chill down Tang San's spine.
Damn it… this has to be Spirit Hall's doing.
As more and more mutated zombies appeared around them, Tang San found it increasingly difficult to swing the Clear Sky Hammer.
Suddenly, a light stinging pain shot through his arm.
He looked down and noticed a thin bloodstain on the outer side of his arm. He guessed it was a scrape from the earlier chaos.
Although there were no obvious changes for the time being, Tang San did not dare lower his guard.
Without hesitation, he pulled a dagger from his belt and completely cut away the piece of flesh.
"Third Brother, let me help!"
Ning Rongrong cried out in alarm with sharp eyes.
"I'm fine!"
Tang San answered in a low voice, but his gaze remained locked on the mutated assassins surrounding them once more.
At that moment, a black figure suddenly appeared in midair and sharply shouted, "Retreat!"
Before the words had even finished, the figure vanished without a trace. From the hurried manner of the departure, it was clear that a ferocious beast was chasing from behind.
Upon hearing the order, the black-clothed men all retreated without the slightest hesitation, withdrawing like the ebbing tide.
Even the two Titled Douluo who had been fiercely battling the Golden Sacred Dragon and Aura left the battlefield without hesitation.
They had arrived in the blink of an eye — and retreated even faster!
At the same time, a long sword tore through the air and landed right in front of the Shrek Academy students.
Immediately afterward, invisible sword auras raced along the cold blade, instantly turning the mutated assassins and the two Soul Kings who failed to escape into dust.
A tall, upright figure dressed in white suddenly appeared.
When Ning Rongrong saw this person, her face lit up with joy.
"Grandpa Sword!"
When everyone realized the newcomer was one of their own, they all felt a wave of relief.
"Rongrong, are you alright?"
Chen Xin asked worriedly. Only after confirming that Ning Rongrong had merely lost a little soul power did he fully relax.
Ning Rongrong shook her head and spoke in a slightly reproachful tone.
"Grandpa Sword, where were you just now? These villains are way too weird."
"Hmph!" Chen Xin snorted coldly.
"I was dealing with an arrogant brat who didn't know his own limits. That's why it took some time."
"Grandpa Sword defeated him?"
"Of course. But he is still a Titled Douluo. If he wants to leave, I can't stop him."
"That's far too good for him."
Ning Rongrong puffed out her cheeks, looking indignant.
At that moment, the Golden Iron Triangle led by Yu Xiaogang also arrived.
From these brief exchanges, they had already extracted a vast amount of information.
A Titled Douluo had actually been involved behind this assassination attempt!
If Sword Douluo had not been here, these people might already have met a tragic end at the hands of a Titled Douluo.
"Grandpa Jian, where's Father?"
"I'm here!"
Ning Fengzhi emerged from the side, followed by Crown Prince Xue Beng.
However, at this moment the prince's face was pale. He had clearly not yet recovered from the shock of the ambush.
For a moment he had even forgotten his duties as Crown Prince.
Ning Fengzhi glanced at Xue Beng and shook his head inwardly. "Completely unsuitable!"
Meanwhile, Aura had returned to the size of an ordinary orange cat. She licked her front paws and then lightly leaped onto Lin Yang's shoulder.
In that instant, the way the surrounding people looked at the orange cat changed completely.
It was a mixture of shock and curiosity.
They had never imagined that this seemingly well-behaved pet cat possessed such powerful strength.
She could fight a Soul Master on equal footing without falling into a disadvantage.
No wonder Lin Yang was always so fearless.
Ignoring the gazes of the crowd, Lin Yang withdrew his meaningful glance from Shrek Academy and turned toward the other members of the Heaven Dou team.
"Are you all alright? Any injuries?"
Osler and the others shook their heads.
Compared to the teams from other academies, the impact they had suffered was relatively small.
In particular, the large amount of poisonous mist released by Dugu Yan had turned the surrounding area into a death zone.
Aside from Soul Kings, anyone who came here would die!
Under Ning Fengzhi's instructions, Xue Beng immediately ordered the Royal Knights to clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded.
Under Lin Yang's instructions, Ye Lingling also used the Nine Heart Flowering Apple to treat the seriously injured students.
Before long, aside from the dead warhorses, most of the five hundred Royal Knights had their equipment in order and were ready to depart at any time.
"Sect Master Ning," Xue Beng stood somewhat reserved beside Ning Fengzhi and lightly lowered his head.
"What do you think we should do next?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled gently and said, "Let's proceed according to the original plan."
A flash of panic appeared in Xue Beng's eyes, and his voice rose slightly.
"Continue?"
"What if they come back and ambush us again?"
Seeing Xue Beng's cowardice, a flash of disappointment appeared in Ning Fengzhi's eyes, but he still continued patiently.
"No. After this lesson, they will not act rashly again."
Hearing this, Xue Beng remained skeptical.
However, since his uncle, Prince Xue Xing, was not present, the only thing he could do was trust Ning Fengzhi.
"Alright… let's continue forward!"
....