Quickly, Nángōu Huàn devised a plan in her mind.

The group stealthily infiltrated the courtyard, beginning to arrange their formations.

Nángōu Huàn pressed her hands against the ground, summoning the deep-rooted tree roots buried beneath. They coiled together below, tips pointing upwards, ready to strike!

An old crooked tree outside the courtyard responded to her call, its branches and leaves rapidly expanding, casting shadows over half the courtyard.

While it didn’t cover the entire area, half was sufficient.

Unbeknownst to Nángōu Huàn, a pair of dark red eyes, like blood, opened in a shadowy corner, their beast-like gaze slowly shifting towards her. The figure remained silent, even its breathing barely perceptible.

None of the group noticed, except for Dōng Yàncuò.

He could distinctly sense the dormant gaze lurking in the shadows, but since Huan'er had said she would confront anyone who bullied her, and this figure hadn’t done so... well, he decided to ignore it for now.

“It's about time. You two, go call them out,” Nángōu Huàn instructed the two soul entities, Yànjī and Xuèjī. They promptly took control of the death soldiers' bodies and approached.

They boldly opened the door, lowering their voices to rasp, “The lady wants all of you in the courtyard.”

The death soldiers awakened, unperturbed, and lined up orderly as they made their way outside.

However, they looked around and found no sign of Shen Yéyáo.

At that moment, the ground trembled as countless sharp roots shot up from the earth, piercing through the hearts of the death soldiers, or penetrating their dantians, or even piercing their skulls!

Leaves fell from the branches like blades, turning them into porcupines!

Pffft!

Blood sprayed forth, producing only a faint sound, and in the clamor of the cicadas at night, no one could perceive what transpired in the courtyard.

Some death soldiers, still clinging to life, attempted to scream, but Yànjī and Xuèjī swiftly rushed forward, drawing their blades to sever their heads!

In just a breath's time, all the death soldiers lay dead!

Nángōu Huàn moved with precision, drawing the Radiant Gold Blade her grandfather had given her earlier. With swift strikes, she decapitated one head after another, showing no sign of hesitation, and stored them all in her storage pouch. She was planning to give Shen Yéyáo a grand surprise later!

With every head she severed, a worm crawled out from the corpses, writhing for a moment before Nángōu Huàn crushed it underfoot.

She didn't know how many worms Shen Yéyáo had raised, but Nángōu Huàn was certain that this was not the only nest of death soldiers. There must be other places where she kept her worms.

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Yànjī and Xuèjī didn’t lag behind, absorbing the souls of the forty-plus death soldiers, significantly enhancing their own strength, equivalent to the power of three spirit-level beings!

Dōng Yàncuò remained dazed, watching Nángōu Huàn kill without blinking, blood splattering onto her clothes, leaving spots of red like plum blossoms. The moonlight cast a faint silver glow on her hem.

His attention was entirely captured by Nángōu Huàn's spirited eyes and her confident smile, causing his heart to race involuntarily. The way she wielded her blade was captivating...

“Master, isn’t that Fifth Spirit Level death soldier supposed to be here?” Yànjī noticed something was off and asked.

Just as she spoke, Nángōu Huàn sensed a powerful killing intent approaching from behind!

She turned just in time to catch a glimpse of three cold throwing daggers flying towards her, their speed so swift that they were nearly upon her as she turned!

The daggers contained immense force, far beyond what she could currently withstand. However, Nángōu Huàn reacted quickly, dodging to the side almost instinctively, narrowly avoiding the three daggers!

Yet, the force of the daggers still tore through her shoulder, leaving a shallow cut on her skin.

“It’s that Fifth Spirit Level death soldier! Master, be careful!” Yànjī and Xuèjī positioned themselves in front of Nángōu Huàn, staring at the figure slowly emerging from the shadows.

The figure was small, almost feminine, holding a short blade in his right hand. His blood-red gaze was deep and devoid of emotion.

Nángōu Huàn frowned; she hadn’t detected this Fifth Spirit Level death soldier earlier. Could it be that his disguise had fooled her spiritual senses?

“Traitor,” the cloaked figure rasped, coldly regarding the two “death soldiers” blocking his path. With a mere flick of his wrist, the two soldiers’ bodies fell apart!

Yànjī and Xuèjī were forced out of their vessels.

“Master, his soul is too powerful; we can’t shake him,” Yànjī said anxiously.

In the face of such a vast power disparity, their attempts to attack his soul were utterly futile.

“Your skills are good, but still lacking in my presence,” the cloaked figure smirked, raising his blade and charging towards Nángōu Huàn!

The overwhelming killing intent pressed down on her, leaving her breathless and immobile. His speed was astonishing, and she could only see the afterimage he left behind!

Nángōu Huàn felt a surge of panic; her spiritual energy seemed sealed, rendering her unable to access it!

Only now did she realize that her spiritual energy was still somewhat lacking in the face of absolute power suppression.

The cold blade was mere centimeters from her neck!

But suddenly, the cloaked figure froze in place, his hand trembling slightly, unable to advance further!

Nángōu Huàn broke out in a cold sweat; she was so close to him that if he hadn’t stopped, she would have been done for!

No, it wasn’t the cloaked figure who stopped; it was Dōng Yàncuò who had intervened! He firmly grasped the cloaked figure's right wrist, icy tendrils emanating from his grip, rendering him immobile!

Nángōu Huàn reacted swiftly, following up with a decisive strike. The cloaked figure’s head fell to the ground, rolling away.

Dōng Yàncuò stood beside Nángōu Huàn, his grip leaving a thin layer of frost on the surface. He then released his hold, and the cloaked figure's body lost its support, collapsing to the ground.

More shockingly, as he fell, his body shattered like a fragile porcelain vase into several pieces!

The ground was littered with frozen corpse fragments, and from the cracks, one could see his blood and flesh frozen and gray, his expression still one of shock at the moment of death.

Yànjī and Xuèjī seized the opportunity, rushing in to absorb his lingering soul before it dissipated.

The soul of a Fifth Spirit Level powerhouse was a tremendous boon for them! They wouldn’t miss any chance to enhance their cultivation!

Nángōu Huàn was stunned; this glutton... was surprisingly strong?!

The spiritual elder in the space was also taken aback: “This kid has a top-quality pure ice spirit root. It’s a shame I can’t discern his exact cultivation level, but judging by the state of his corpse, he’s at least above the Eighth Spirit Level!”

The glutton seemed completely unaware of his own strength, innocently gazing at Nángōu Huàn with bright, “deeply affectionate” eyes.

Yànjī and Xuèjī dared not speak, absorbing the soul while casting furtive glances at Nángōu Huàn. Was this... promising?