Chapter 180.

"What happened?" Ma Hongjun asked, feeling a bit groggy as he looked around at everyone.

Tang San whispered, "It was likely a trap just now... The Soul Emperor appeared! It was the woman we encountered. She deliberately lured us into a trap, but we failed to detect it as none of us anticipated this scenario."

"What? The Soul Emperor was a woman?" Ma Hongjun exclaimed, recalling the encounter. "Why is it always me who ends up suffering?"

"She played her role too convincingly..." Tang San mused for a moment before speaking solemnly. "I fear our journey won't be as straightforward as we hoped. Moreover, I suspect she may not actually be a woman but merely assumed that guise as a deliberate deception. Otherwise, the Grandmaster and the dean wouldn't have emphasized the significance of removing the mask as part of passing the test."

Oscar helped Ma Hongjun up and remarked, "This Soul Emperor is also very formidable. We need to stay vigilant. I dread to think what might happen if we were to confront him/her directly."

Tang San glanced at Ma Hongjun and sighed, "He took advantage of our compassion. Who wouldn't be moved to aid a seemingly defenseless woman being pursued by a soul beast? If they lacked strength, seeking refuge with us would seem like the obvious choice. It's a calculated move. And I fear they still have insight into Fatty's character... They know that your soul ability is most effective against plant-based soul beast, and combined with your weakness for women, seeing such a scenario, he/she knew you'd rush in to play the hero."

"We've been too lax," Tang San concluded, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Let's proceed, but this time, we must exercise caution before intervening in others' affairs," he instructed.

The seven continued their journey forward, with the Grandmaster and Flender trailing behind, and Liu Erlong following closely.

"Is that Xiao Feng?" Liu Erlong exclaimed in surprise. "His disguise is so impeccable! I didn't even recognize him!"

Grandmaster also pondered silently, impressed by Xiao Feng's remarkable disguise, realizing that none of the seven children had noticed either.

"Ma Hongjun still hasn't outgrown his impulsive nature. I hope this experience will teach him a valuable lesson," Grandmaster thought to himself.

Flander chuckled heartily, "Let's move on, shall we?"

As the sky darkened, night descended upon the forest.

"It's time to find a spot to set up camp. We should stop here for the night." Tang San declared, casting a glance back at the three teachers trailing behind.

In the Sunset Forest, with its sparse vegetation, the night sky was adorned with countless stars.

"Wow, come look! There are so many beautiful bugs around here!" Xiao Wu exclaimed excitedly.

Tang San and the others turned to see a multitude of small bugs emitting various colored light, floating in the distance.

"Little San, are these insects dangerous?" Dai Mubai asked cautiously.

"These are Rainbow Bugs," Tang San explained, shaking his head. "They belong to the lowest category of soul beasts. Most of them are just over ten years old and they pose no threat. They emit rainbow light in the night sky, which is even used by some ordinary soul masters for lighting up their home."

"In big cities, they're rarely used, only in remote rural areas where soul masters reside." Tang San continued.

Hearing his explanation, the group nodded in understanding.

"They're so beautiful." Ning Rongrong exclaimed, reaching out to grab one of the rainbow bugs, her eyes sparkling.

Curiously, the others followed suit, each grabbing a rainbow bug to admire its radiant hues. 

"Brother, there seem to be bugs of all sorts of different colors."

Xiao Wu was feeling playful. She grabbed several bugs with one hand. Glancing to the side, she noticed bugs of various colors and quickly caught some more.

Ning Rongrong rushed over to join, and Zhu Zhuqing's technique was the most precise. She caught several bugs and tied them up in a bag.

The bag emitted a bright glow, looking quite attractive and pleasing to the eyes.

Oscar, also intrigued, caught a few bugs as well and remarked with a smile, "Besides being pretty, are these bugs harmful at all?"

In the night sky, these little fireflies added a touch of beauty to the scene of the group.

"Harmful?" Tang San was taken aback, pondering for a moment before saying, "If we're talking about danger, there might be some, unless it's..."

At that moment, Tang San suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He urgently shouted to the three girls, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing, "Xiao Wu, Rongrong, Zhuqing, get rid of the bugs in your hands!"

Xiao Wu hesitated, about to discard the beautiful bugs she had caught in her bag...

The next moment!

The bugs in her bag vanished!

Boom!

Instead a fierce haze erupted!

The bags of bugs held by Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing also exploded with mist!

The intense light emitted by the mist was unusually dazzling, and there seemed to be a peculiar odor within it, extremely unpleasant, causing the group to instantly pale, feeling nauseous as their bodies slightly weakened.

"Danger!"

Tang San was closest and almost finished speaking before rushing towards Xiao Wu.

Meanwhile, Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun instinctively closed their eyes in the intense fog.

Tang San, however, kept his Purple Demon Eye open without hesitation.

At that moment of opening, he could barely discern a ghostly figure swiftly passing through the crowd!

Shoo!

Bang bang bang!

Apart from Tang San, the others seemed to be knocked to the ground by a tremendous force!

Boom!

In Tang San's Purple Demon Eye, the opponent's figure vanished completely and then, a powerful force struck him from behind!

Too fast!

The Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hand had barely bloomed before he felt himself being propelled forward by a terrifying force from behind!

He thudded to the ground!

Before the mist cleared, all seven had collapsed.

"Your vigilance is still lacking! All seven of you are way too feeble, careless and reckless!"

A slightly icy sneer seemed to echo from all around, "Just like this, don't you all even think about removing my mask, you can't even touch my shadow!"

With that, the voice ceased.

The mist was swiftly dispersed by a surge of energy!

But it was Flanders who arrived.

Yet, the figure had vanished.

"Are all seven of you alright?" Zhao Wuji couldn't help chuckling as he surveyed the others.

At that moment, the seven lay scattered on the ground, bearing imprints all over their bodies.

Noses were blue, faces swollen and cheeks flushed with shame.

Tang San woke first, his expression grave as he rubbed his sore shoulders.

Shortly after, the others also gradually rose from the ground.

"Brother, what just happened?" Xiao Wu rubbed her abdomen; she had taken a kick.

Ning Rongrong also stood up, her head covered in grey, a footprint can be seen on her buttocks.

Zhu Zhuqing was relatively unscathed, save for a pal print on her neck.

"Damn... I didn't even react in time. Felt like I got blasted by some massive force..." Ma Hongjun rubbed his right shoulder.

Oscar and Dai Mubai also rose, their expressions grim, they too heard the cold taunts moments ago.

"It's the Rainbow Worm and the Green Firefly."

Tang San coughed a few times, sighing softly, "These two are weak soul beasts, mostly several years or only ten year old, and they're generally hard to tell apart. Weaklings, even regular folks could kill them without much trouble... Neither of them are dangerous on their own. But if they cross paths and touch each other, they'll unleash a fierce fog, blinding anyone momentarily. If we are not ready with our martial souls activated, we'll also be blinded for a few moments."

"In this mist, there's also an unpleasant vapor messin' with our heads. It's some obscure soul beast knowledge... If Oscar hadn't asked ahead of time, I wouldn't have even thought of it."

After hearing this, everyone fell silent.

"These bugs are pretty at night... That Soul Emperor knew you three girls, would definitely scoop them up..."

Tang San sighed, "Once those bugs get collected, they'll meet and we'll get hit with that haze. We were all bunched up... Easy pickings for him! He's just waiting for the right moment, could've wiped us out effortlessly! If it was an enemy, we'd all be dead..."

A shiver ran through everyone as they listened.

"That soul emperor ain't just scary, he's got all sorts of traps up his sleeve." Tang San felt a chill creeping into his heart, "We could've fought back in that state, but he's also too fast... Probably an agility attack system soul master. I had my eyes open, but couldn't even catch a glimpse of him."

After Tang San finished speaking, the other six people suddenly felt a twinge of fear.

"Master, who's your friend? He's incredible!"

Ma Hongjun rubbed his face, still feeling the effects of the punch from earlier in the afternoon. His old injury hadn't even fully healed, and now there were fresh ones.

"These injuries aren't fatal, but they sure hurt."

"Why? Now you realize how impressive he is?" Flender couldn't help but chuckle. "Who was it that said before coming here, 'A mere Soul Emperor can't measure to you all combined Shrek Seven Devils?"

"..." Ma Hongjun.

"You lot, this is the second time," Liu Erlong shook her head, "and you still don't know anything about the other guy. Not his appearance, not his clothes, not his strength. If you think you can unmask him in this state, you must be dreaming."

Grandmaster also addressed the group, saying, "You can request to lower the criteria... Lifting the mask and seeing the other person's appearance, or forcing them to use soul skills, will be considered passing the test."

"..." Everyone fell into silence.

Prior to their arrival, they had been brimming with confidence.

Despite the Soul Emperor's might, they were all level forty, still the Golden Fighting Soul Team, and their strength had significantly increased over this duration.

How could they fear a mere Soul Emperor?

Yet, in two encounters, they hadn't even caught a glimpse of the other's appearance.

What now?

"Alright, let's rest for now. Keep watch through the night and organize your shifts..."

Flender coughed a few times and entered the tent with Zhao Wuji.

"Dai Mubai and I will take the first watch."

Tang San's expression was grave, "As one person won't be enough. We'll need pairs during the rotations... This Soul Emperor is far more challenging than those ten-thousand-year old soul beasts. We can't afford any mistakes."

....

Please support me if you can, I'll be very grateful and you can also read atleast 20 chapters ahead at my patréon.

patréon.com/PrimorDious.

Thank you.