Before everyone could react, Yan Luo's figure vanished, according to the principle that "smoke does not cause harm".
Still in shock, Xie Huai'an didn't notice the pair of blood-red eyes behind her. By the time she realized what was happening, Yan Luo had already grabbed her by the neck with one hand.
"Being distracted during battle is not a good habit."
His voice, like the whisper of a demon, terrified everyone.
Yan Luo flicked the ice shards off his right hand. "Not bad, this ice is harder to break than before. Keep improving."
Xie Huai'an, who was being held hostage, nodded seriously. Then, Yan Luo flung her away, and she was thrown against the wall without any pain, pretending to be unconscious.
Without Xie Huai'an to restrain him, dealing with Yan Luo became even more difficult. Yan Luo's back had shrunk to four incredibly thick bone spikes, which greatly improved his mobility.
The smoke and dust dissipated with a wave of his hand, and Yanlu seized the weak point in the team to begin his attack.
Tu Keke and Man Sui posed no threat to him, so Yan Luo paid them no attention; his focus was on Fan Qianning, who was setting up the formation.
Zhong Jiudao was the first to react. Just as he was about to remind Xue Yungan, Yan Luo appeared in front of the short-haired boy. But even Yan Luo did not expect that Xue Yungan would block his fist with his shield once again.
Yan Luo nodded approvingly.
"Xiao Gan reacted quickly; keep improving."
After saying that, Yan Luo threw another punch, this time with more force. Xue Yungan was sent flying, shield and all, and crashed into the wall, pretending to be unconscious.
In an instant, Fan Qianning was exposed to Yan Luo's attack range. The little loli was not panicked. As an eighth-level cultivator, her formation speed was faster than that of a seventh-level cultivator, but it would still take a while to complete.
Zhong Jiudao and Xue Yunting appeared in front of her to protect her, while Tu Keke and Man Sui also came to Fan Qianning's back, and the four of them protected her in the middle.
Yan Luo looked around but did not see Chi Miaomiao.
"Brother, where are you looking?"
Chi Miaomiao's voice came from behind Yan Luo. Under his control, the four bone spikes suddenly stabbed backward, but they didn't hit anything.
The next instant, Chi Miaomiao suddenly appeared in front of Yan Luo, her fully extended Soul-Severing Fan slashing coldly towards Yan Luo's face. Yan Luo took a few steps back, steadied himself, and threw a punch at Chi Miaomiao.
Chi Miaomiao, who managed to dodge, became entangled in a fierce battle with Yan Luo, and the fast-moving Tu Keke and Man Sui couldn't keep up at all.
It was Chi Miaomiao's brief delay that allowed Fan Qianning to quickly complete the new killing formation built with the power of the eighth rank. Fan Qianning held the Soul-Seizing Banner and shouted as she swung it down.
"Soul-stealing!!!"
The illusionary killing array, imbued with all of Fan Qianning's power, suddenly attacked Yan Luo, but Chi Miaomiao had already dodged to avoid being affected.
Yanluo stood still, determined to withstand the attack and test its power.
[Soul Stealer] is invisible. Yan Luo felt himself fall into infinite darkness in an instant. Everything in front of him was pitch black, and suddenly a strong light burst out.
Yanluo shielded his eyes with his right arm, and when the light faded, he saw the person he most wanted to see.
Not far away stood a woman dressed in a white ancient robe. She was not tall, and her long, black hair, reaching her waist, hung down. In her hand, she held an ice-blue longsword. When she turned her head, Yan Luo was stunned.
"So this is the killing formation."
With just a murmur, Yanluo ran towards the woman, calling out "Master".
Fifth Spring and Autumn's mere glance was enough to completely captivate Yanluo. Even knowing it was all an illusion, knowing that in reality she was standing there helplessly, being manipulated, Yanluo knew she was not in any danger.
Let's just stay in this illusion a little longer.
Yan Luo hugged Fifth Spring and Autumn tightly, feeling his master's petite body so warm, and he wanted to succumb to it.
【Snatching Soul】What is snatched is memory. What the Fifth Spring and Autumn was like in memory is what the Fifth Spring and Autumn is like in front of Yanluo now.
Fifth Spring and Autumn slowly reached out and embraced Yanluo.
"You know this is an illusion, don't you?"
Her voice was just as Yanluo remembered, cool yet gentle, ethereal and dreamlike.
Yan Luo wanted to say something, but Fifth Spring Autumn gently pushed her away.
"Go ahead, you can't stay in the illusion for too long."
Having no other choice, Yan Luo nodded and took a few steps back, as Fifth Spring and Autumn slowly dissipated before his eyes.
If it were a ninth-tier ghoul, it would have died several times over in less than a minute.
This training exercise marked the victory of the Ninth Squad.
Coming to his senses, Yanluo subtly wiped away the moisture from the corners of his eyes. Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces, he smiled back.
Yan Luo looked at Fan Qianning.
"Ningning, you did a great job."
Fan Qianning smiled proudly and said, "If I were at the ninth level, it wouldn't be just one minute, but much longer, and I could even keep the enemy immersed in the illusion."
Yanluo patted her head encouragingly, "Be careful. Some enemies have particularly strong mental fortitude. This killing formation is a bold gamble, betting all your strength on that one minute of possible success."
"Therefore, you must carefully consider your options before making a decision. You are the key to the entire team, and your attack formation will be crucial in influencing the outcome of the battle."
Fan Qianning nodded seriously. She suddenly hugged Yanluo, leaving Chi Miaomiao and Tu Keke dumbfounded.
"I will definitely do better and better, Captain, don't worry."
“We all believe in you.” Yanluo patted her head again, and Fan Qianning squinted her eyes in pleasure, like a well-behaved kitten.
Yan Luo then looked at Xue Yungan, who had gotten up.
"Xiao Gan is very perceptive, but it's still a matter of level. You and Xiao Ting need to step up your game. I have a feeling that time is running out, and they're coming."
This is not unfounded. The whole country is currently in a state of peace, eerily calm. However, the appearance of Yu Xiaoyu, a ninth-level cultivator, has sounded an alarm in Yan Luo's heart, coupled with Tu Keke's speculation.
Yanluo believed that the time left for the ghost hunters to develop was running out, and the enemy must also be accumulating strength, preparing to launch the final battle between humans and ghouls at the right opportunity.
Xue Yungan and Xue Yunting will soon reach the seventh rank, but that's far from enough. As one of the top ten ninth-rank teams, they will face the most powerful enemy.
It takes the cooperation of three level-nine ghouls to safely subdue a single level-nine ghoul, not to mention that in the current situation, everyone is carrying a heavy burden and risking their lives to achieve victory.
The entire Longxia region, including Yanluo, consists of sixteen ninth-rank individuals. However, in this battle that is destined to be unfair, they must move forward. Behind them are countless lights of homes; how can they retreat? No matter how difficult it is, they must fight.
With such a disparity in combat strength, caution is even more necessary. Yanluo believes that as long as the Ninth Squad coordinates well, they can make up for many problems, but their strength is still a major weakness. Even the best coordination needs to be matched with corresponding combat strength.
The Xue siblings understood this principle, and they didn't want to hold the team back, so they kept working even harder.
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