Chapter 29: The Soul-Wounding Bird!

The ten-thousand-year skull bone Tang Hao gifted to Tang Xi possessed only one skill: Absolute Illusion.

One of the facets of this illusion was "Disguise," which Tang Xi used to mask her appearance. Of course, the abilities of a ten-thousand-year soul bone were not limited to this; "Concealment" was another, and with its aid, the camp had quickly returned to an appearance of total emptiness.

Watching Qin Ming, who sat with his eyes closed absorbing a soul ring, Tang Xi sighed softly. With some difficulty, she brushed her long silver hair over her shoulder. She currently lacked the strength to maintain two skills simultaneously, so she had been forced to revert to her true appearance. Fortunately...

Humming a soft tune, Tang Xi found a spot to sit cross-legged. She closed her eyes, silently sensing the fluctuations of soul power within her, yet an intense itching sensation grew stronger across her back, as if something were desperate to break free.

The two remained hidden as time passed, minute by minute, until evening approached and the sound of footsteps reached them. Tang Xi opened her eyes instantly. Seeing that Qin Ming had not yet finished absorbing his ring, she carefully moved closer to him, shrinking the radius of her "Concealment" to the absolute minimum.

A moment later, two figures emerged from the forest. The one in front, clearly the leader, strode into the camp. He scanned the area before speaking in an impatient tone: "It seems the cleanup is complete. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused this time?"

The person trailing behind him cried out in panic, "My lord, this has nothing to do with me!"

The voice sounded familiar. Tang Xi looked closely and saw Teacher Zhong, the man who had previously tried to recruit her. He was following the leader with a look of fawning terror, his legs trembling violently.

The leader scolded him furiously: "Shut up! If you hadn't startled the enemy, our agents within the Royal Academy would never have been exposed!"

Teacher Zhong frantically defended himself: "But how was I to know that little brat would go straight to the director to report us!"

The leader’s gaze turned icy: "You exposed our intentions without even investigating the target's background or inclinations. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy promised a soul bone this year—what is wrong with them choosing to pursue that? Ultimately, it is your own stupidity!"

Teacher Zhong seemed to realize what this meant. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees, clinging to the leader's legs and pleading: "My lord, I did it all to recruit talent for the Spirit Hall! Please, for the sake of all the people I’ve poached from the Royal Academy for the Spirit Hall over these years, spare me this time!"

The leader’s disgust was undisguised: "Do you realize that the academy-wide purge of you infiltrators has not only slapped our faces in front of the entire continent, but has also enraged the Pope? It is not something I can cover up for you."

Teacher Zhong said bitterly: "It’s all that Tang Xi's fault. We were kind enough to recruit her, and she turned around and betrayed us!"

"Then you can blame her in hell!"

The leader’s patience had run out. With a flash of cold light, Teacher Zhong’s expression remained frozen in shock as his head slowly rolled onto the ground.

Tang Xi’s breath hitched for a moment. As blood splattered, the leader looked coldly at the corpse and muttered, "You nearly ruined the Young Master’s plans of so many years. Death is too good for you."

Tang Xi frowned tightly, forcing herself to look away from the nauseating scene, a sense of irony rising in her heart. The Spirit Hall that Teacher Zhong was so loyal to was clearly not as noble as he had claimed.

The leader paced back and forth, not in a hurry to leave. He glared at Teacher Zhong’s severed head, as if his rage had not yet been fully vented, and gave it a forceful kick!

"Foolish thing!"

The head traced a perfect arc through the air, heading straight toward the spot where Tang Xi and Qin Ming were hiding—

*Unsportsmanlike!*

This thought flashed through Tang Xi’s mind. She watched the head draw closer and closer until it pierced through her concealment barrier and landed on the lap of the cross-legged Qin Ming.

Watching the head vanish, the leader immediately realized something was wrong. Seven soul rings manifested around him, and he roared, "Who’s there! Come out!"

Tang Xi frowned and looked back at Qin Ming. *Teacher Qin...*

This was the most critical moment of the soul ring absorption. Qin Ming had been looking forward to this ring so much; Tang Xi refused to let his hopes be dashed. She stroked the two scars on her back, gritted her teeth, and took advantage of the moment the leader’s attention was diverted. She pinned the "Concealment" field to Qin Ming’s vicinity, broke free from the skill herself, and leaped toward the depths of the forest.

The leader was startled. Although the sun had set and the girl had vanished into the trees in a flash, he caught a glimpse of her most distinct feature: "Silver hair..."

The leader instantly recognized the significance of that trait, and a glow of excitement ignited in his eyes. Though the entire network of infiltrators at Heaven Dou Royal Academy had been wiped out, capturing this silver-haired girl would erase all his failures!

Tang Xi knew the danger of appearing in the guise of Xue Yuan, but to protect Qin Ming, she had no other choice. Fortunately, having just absorbed a soul ring, her soul power was at its peak. She utilized a specialized footwork, moving with grace and agility as she bounded between the branches, quickly putting distance between herself and the camp.

There were no sounds or signs of pursuit behind her. Puzzled, Tang Xi glanced back, only to see emptiness.

She turned her gaze to the front again, and her pupils constricted sharply.

The leader had appeared before her as if by teleportation. With his arms crossed, he wore a sinister grin: "Hmph, little brat, miscalculated, didn't you? I am actually a speed-type spirit master!"

Tang Xi was shocked. Seeing she was about to collide with him, the soul power within her suddenly surged and erupted from her back. Just as the leader’s hand was about to close around her throat, Tang Xi felt her body grow light, and she soared into the air.

Behind her, a pair of clear, luminous white wings slowly unfurled like those of an angel. They glowed with a crystalline, ghostly light, reminiscent of fireflies, illuminating half the evening sky.

The continent's premier speed-type spirit, the Soul-Wounding Bird...

Looking at the exquisite, beautiful wings, the leader was momentarily dazed, but he quickly blurted out: "Hmph, the Soul-Wounding Bird!"