Chapter 523: The forces from the Xing Luo Empire are secretly planning

Lu Yu put away his sword and stood, looking at him coldly, his tone icy: "Go back and tell the people behind you that the imperial delegation is not something you can test."

The bandits stared at this scene in amazement, having already lost their will to fight. They looked at each other, quickly helped the injured Soul Emperor up, and fled into the woods in a panic.

The wind and sand gradually subsided, and the members of the delegation slowly recovered from their shock.

"Lu Yu, you...what was that move you just made?" The middle-aged man walked out of the car and looked at Lu Yu with a complicated expression.

Lu Yu did not answer, but just looked into the distance, with a trace of deep thought in his eyes. He whispered to himself: "The Spirit Hall... seems to be really testing you. Humph, since you want to play, then I will accompany you to the end."

The air was filled with a solemn atmosphere, and the wind blew, bringing gusts of cold. The delegation set out again, but everyone knew in their hearts that this journey would probably not be peaceful.

The convoy was moving slowly along the mountain trail. The sky was gray and the heavy clouds made it hard to breathe. The surrounding woods seemed unusually quiet, as if hiding some kind of danger. Suddenly, an indescribable terrifying aura descended from the sky, like a pressure from the depths of the sky, instantly covering the entire convoy.

"what happened?!"

In a gorgeous carriage, Lu Yu suddenly opened the curtain and looked around fiercely. He felt an irresistible force approaching, as if even the air had become stagnant. He understood in an instant that this was definitely not the momentum that an ordinary soul master could create.

"Everyone be careful! Form a defensive formation!"

Meng Shenji's voice came from the front. He was riding on a tall warhorse, with a solemn expression, and a shining spear in his hand. He obviously also felt the terrifying pressure.

The convoy was thrown into chaos, and many spirit masters jumped off the vehicles in a hurry, holding their weapons nervously. Some ordinary guards even collapsed to the ground, covering their chests with trembling hands, as if they could not bear the pressure. The students of the Five Elements Academy quickly took action, forming their own defensive formations to try to resist possible attacks.

Lu Yu jumped off the carriage, walked quickly to Meng Shenji's side, and asked in a low voice: "You also felt it, right? This aura... doesn't seem like that of an ordinary spirit master. It's probably a Titled Douluo-level existence!"

Meng Shenji nodded, his expression grim, and responded in a low voice: "That's right, and the other party is obviously coming for us. Such a strong pressure, I'm afraid it's not an ordinary Titled Douluo, it may be a top-level existence. We must be prepared for the worst."

Lu Yu frowned, looking vigilantly at the mountain road ahead. He whispered, "There are so many people in the convoy, especially Xue Qinghe. If he is really a Titled Douluo, how can we ensure everyone's safety?"

A cold light flashed in Meng Shenji's eyes, and his tone was heavy: "Ensuring Xue Qinghe's safety is the top priority. The people from the Five Elements Academy are now on their own. In this situation, we can't expect them to join forces to fight the enemy. We can only try to delay the newcomers and buy time for Xue Qinghe."

At this moment, the curtain of Xue Qinghe's carriage was lifted, and he slowly got out of the carriage with a calm smile on his face, but a hint of vigilance was hidden deep in his eyes. Several powerful guards immediately surrounded him, forming a tight protective circle.

"What happened?" Xue Qinghe asked calmly, with a hint of majesty in his voice.

Lu Yu stepped forward, clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, we may have encountered a strong enemy. The other party is likely to be a Titled Douluo-level warrior, and he has bad intentions."

Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, not seeming to be panicked. He looked around and said calmly: "If that's the case, then we'll deal with it as it comes. There are many strong people in the convoy, so we may not be without the ability to fight."

At this moment, a low roar suddenly came from the horizon, as if thunder had exploded. Then, a huge black shadow appeared in the sky, like a giant beast with bared fangs and claws, pressing towards the convoy with overwhelming momentum.

"Here it comes!" Meng Shenji raised his head suddenly, his eyes like torches. The spear in his hand trembled slightly, and it was obvious that even he felt the huge pressure.

"Everyone, prepare to fight!" Lu Yu shouted loudly, and seven soul rings suddenly burst out from his body, two yellow, two purple, and three black, and the brilliant light enveloped him. His martial soul had been released, and he was as if he was facing a formidable enemy.

The students of the Five Elements Academy were not to be outdone, and each showed their own spirit rings and martial spirits, ready to fight. However, they did not form a unified formation, and it was obvious that they were fighting alone.

A soul master in a fiery red robe sneered, "This aura may not be that scary. Don't be scared! We at the Five Elements Academy are not soft persimmons. When the other party comes, let him taste my wrath of fire first!"

Another spirit master in blue armor frowned and said, "Don't underestimate the enemy! With such pressure, are you sure that the enemy is just an ordinary Titled Douluo? I'm afraid that even if we join forces, we may not be able to stop him."

"Humph, join forces?" The fire spirit master snorted coldly and said disdainfully, "Relying on those soft moves of your water school? Just don't fall behind!"

The two were still arguing, when suddenly, the shadow in the sky stopped and revealed its true appearance. It was a man in a black cloak, his cold eyes swept across the convoy below like a blade. A dark soul ring floated under his feet, and a powerful soul power fluctuation was emanating from his body.

"Title Douluo!" Meng Shenji gritted his teeth and clenched the spear in his hand.

The man's eyes were fixed on Xue Qinghe, and his voice was as cold as winter: "Xue Qinghe, you are really here."

Xue Qinghe's expression remained unchanged. He smiled and said, "Who are you? Why are you stopping my convoy?"

The man in black snorted coldly: "If you are not involved, please leave immediately, otherwise you will die!"

"You're quite arrogant!" The fire soul master laughed loudly. A light flashed under his feet and five soul rings rose up. The next moment, a ball of blazing flame swept towards the man in black.

However, the man did not even raise his eyelids, but just waved his hand lightly, and the flame was instantly extinguished by an invisible force, turning into sparks and dissipating in the air.

This scene made everyone gasp.

Lu Yu whispered, "This is definitely not an ordinary Titled Douluo! Everyone listen to my command, disperse the formation, and don't act rashly!"

Meng Shenji also shouted in a deep voice: "Protect His Highness! If you don't want to die, the people of the Five Elements Academy should put aside your internal fighting and unite to meet the enemy!"

The atmosphere was tense to the extreme, and everyone knew that a fierce battle was about to begin.

The night was as dark as ink, and the silent forest was shrouded in a hazy state, with only the occasional chirping of insects breaking the silence. The Tiandou Empire exchange group was stationed in an open space in the forest, with the light of the campfire flickering faintly, reflecting a few tired but cautious faces.

Suddenly, the wind in the forest blew up, and a low sound of footsteps approached from all directions. There was a sense of oppression in the air, and among the shadows of the trees, several figures wearing black cloaks appeared silently. They were agile, their steps were neat, their eyes were like knives, and they exuded murderous intent.

A teacher from the exchange group stood up suddenly and shouted in a low voice: "Enemy attack! Everyone, alert!"

As soon as these words fell, the men in black had completely emerged from the shadows. The leading man in black smiled coldly, waved his hands, and as his soul power surged, all the men in black were instantly possessed by martial spirits, and their spirit rings of various colors shone brightly in the night. Especially the leading few people, their spirit rings were a terrifying combination of yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black.

Meng Shenji stood at the front, his face suddenly solemn. He exhaled slowly, and said in a low voice: "Lu Yu, you take the other students away immediately, leave this place to us."

Lu Yu's face changed and he clenched his fists: "Teacher Meng, we can't abandon you! Our students also have fighting power, even if it's just a little bit..."

Meng Shenji turned around, his eyes sharp: "Shut up! This is an order! Your mission is to survive and bring back the news. We don't need you to show off your abilities here!"

Another older teacher nodded in agreement: "Lu Yu, Meng Shenji is right. These people are too powerful for you to handle. Delaying time is the only thing we can do."

Lu Yu's lips trembled slightly, and he obviously wanted to refute, but he was suppressed by the invisible pressure from the teachers. He clenched his fists and whispered, "Okay...but you must come back alive."

Meng Shenji smiled with relief, but stopped talking. He turned his head sharply to look at the man in black and asked coldly, "Who are you?"

The leading black-clad man smiled, his voice hoarse and cold: "You scum of the Tiandou Empire are not worthy of knowing our names. Today, you are destined to become numbers on our task list."

Meng Shenji snorted coldly, and his soul power suddenly burst out. His martial soul was released in an instant, and a bronze-like ancient mechanical shadow emerged and surrounded his body. Five soul rings lit up, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black, showing his strength as a soul king.

"Hmph, if you want to take our lives, it depends on whether you have the ability to do so!" Meng Shenji said coldly.

The man in black didn't care at all. His men stepped forward one after another, each with their soul power gushing out and their aura extremely strong. Obviously, this was no ordinary opponent.

Another teacher also released his martial spirit. He whispered, "Delay time and wait for the students to leave completely."

Meng Shenji nodded: "Leave it to me, you guys assist."

Lu Yu stood in the team of students, staring at Meng Shenji's back. He gritted his teeth and whispered to his companions: "Let's go, we have to leave quickly, otherwise the teachers' sacrifice will be in vain!"

An older student frowned: "Teacher Kamen..."

"Don't hesitate any longer!" Lu Yu growled, his voice full of determination, "If we stay here, we will only be a hindrance!"

The students finally nodded and quickly retreated one after another.

The leader of the men in black sneered when he saw this: "Oh, you want to run? Not that easy! Stop him!"

Several men in black were about to chase him, but Meng Shenji shouted and rushed forward. A beam of bronze light turned into a huge mechanical arm and smashed into the men in black. His eyes were cold: "Your opponent is me!"

boom!

The mechanical arm collided head-on with the soul skills released by the man in black, making a huge roar, and the surrounding ground was shaken into dust. However, Meng Shenji's figure remained motionless like a mountain.

"Go!" Meng Shenji turned around and roared.

Lu Yu gritted his teeth, but he didn't look back. He led the students to evacuate quickly, and a strong unwillingness flashed in his eyes: "Teachers...you must hold on!"

In the distance, the battle between Meng Shenji and the man in black had already reached a fever pitch. Each of his attacks contained great power, but the other side had a large number of people and they cooperated well, so each attack forced him to go all out.

Another teacher followed closely behind, fighting alongside Meng Shenji. He whispered, "Old Meng, there are too many people. I'm afraid we can't hold out for long."

Meng Shenji snorted coldly: "We will hold on as long as we can. Even if it costs our lives, we must buy enough time for the students!"

Before he finished speaking, the man in black who was leading the group suddenly attacked. A purple soul ring light flashed, and powerful soul skills swept over in an instant, rushing directly towards Meng Shenji.

Meng Shenji's face changed slightly, and he took the blow head on. He clenched his teeth, spat out a mouthful of blood, but his eyes became more determined.

"If you want to get here, you have to step over my body first!" He growled and rushed forward again.

Lu Yu led the students to run all the way, the branches and leaves of the forest whistled past his ears, and the wind sounded like a knife across his cheek. He couldn't help but look back, looking at the gradually blurred firelight and the sound of fighting, his heart filled with complicated emotions.

A student beside him whispered, "Lu Yu, what should we do next? If those men in black catch up with us, we won't be able to stop them at all."

Lu Yu gritted his teeth and said, "Keep running. We must run out of this forest and find the nearest town to ask for help! Only in this way will the teachers' sacrifice be meaningful!"

Another female student had tears in her eyes: "But... can they really hold on until we come back?"

Lu Yu stopped, took a deep breath, turned around and looked at everyone: "Listen, the teachers want us to survive. They are our support, but now we need to fight for our chance! We must stay alive and bring the news back!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, and finally nodded silently, and continued to follow Lu Yu's footsteps forward.

As the night deepened, the forest grew colder, but behind him, the sounds of battle were still clear and intense.

Lu Yu retreated from the edge of the battlefield in a panic, his soul power surging under his feet, and the speed of the three-ring soul master shuttled through the forest like a ghost. His face was solemn, his eyes were sharp, and he kept thinking about everything that had just happened.

The wind whistled in the woods and the sound of footsteps was intermittent. Lu Yu held his breath and walked quickly while thinking.

"What on earth are these people coming for?" Lu Yu whispered to himself, his eyes sweeping across the branches and leaves beside him, paying attention to any enemy figures that might be hiding around him.

The attack just now was too sudden. The aura of the Titled Douluo had not yet completely dissipated, and it weighed heavily on his heart. The warnings from the elders of the academy emerged in Lu Yu's mind.

"Lu Yu, be careful of the recent movements. We suspect that there are forces from the Xingluo Empire that are secretly plotting."

"Xingluo Empire?" Lu Yu was puzzled at the time, "Why would they attack our Shrek Academy? Is it simply to suppress our performance in the Continental Elite Competition?"