Dragon Lake Villa District.
Based on analysis, this was the most likely area for the Black Society's hideout.
Senior Mentor Sun Gaoyang, several expert mentors from various schools, along with Whale Island University's First Squad and Second Squad, were conducting a search there.
Of course, they didn't need to go door-to-door.
Spirit Summoners couldn't just barge into private homes either.
But when Spirit Summoners worked, they did things their own way.
"Can you smell any spirits?"
Mentor Sun summoned his second spirit, a Transcendent-level Cerberus.
Standing over two meters tall, its mouth revealed sharp fangs, occasionally spitting flames, looking fierce and terrifying.
Yet facing Mentor Sun Gaoyang, the Cerberus appeared docile, its tail wagging nonstop.
After a moment, it let out two low barks.
"Villas 03, 025, 012... these contain spirit auras.
"Villa 036 has a very faint spirit aura, with no traces left elsewhere in the complex."
He was almost certain.
Black Society criminals were experienced, knowing to keep spirits elsewhere and only summon them at the next location, rarely showing them on the streets.
But they were still Spirit Summoners.
Traces of spirits would inevitably appear.
Mentor Sun looked at the others—some spread out to lie in ambush, while another group headed straight for Villa 036.
...
At that moment,
Beneath the villa, in a spacious basement that had been quietly remodeled,
A man wearing a half-face mask kicked the TV screen, driving his foot straight through the entire LCD display.
"Staying in Dragon Country is too suffocating—can't do this, can't do that, even going out requires caution. Annoying!"
His face showed impatience.
He snapped his fingers to call a subordinate to replace the TV.
Suddenly, his expression shifted.
...
Outside.
Mentor Sun Gaoyang's Fire War God led the way, while spirits from other mentors surrounded the villa from different directions.
They gradually closed in.
Suddenly...
Boom!
The ground exploded, rings of black ripples spreading outward. The foremost spirits were sent flying, tumbling far away, their bodies stained with patches of black.
"Death Ripples!"
At that moment,
On the other side, the Fire War God waved its hand, unleashing a barrage of fire dragons.
With a Transcendent-level spirit, the execution of ultimate moves was even more masterful.
But...
A black beam shot through the dust, clashing with the fire dragons in a sizzling collision.
A massive black bird burst out, its sharp, curved beak pecking at the Fire War God.
The Fire War God's thick arm bulged as it swung a punch.
Boom!!
Shockwaves swept outward, snapping trees in half.
The villa behind was blasted apart, stones flying everywhere.
"Block the shockwave!"
Several mentors and students with water-type spirits joined forces, conjuring a massive water curtain.
The curtain absorbed the shockwave, rippling continuously.
Sun Gaoyang didn't look at the black bird; instead, he stared at the villa's location.
A winged Pegasus broke through the dust, carrying a figure flying into the distance.
It was a Wind-Chasing Pegasus.
The rider was undoubtedly a key figure.
"Stop him!"
The Fire War God, having blasted away the black bird, turned into a flame shooting into the sky, materializing before the Wind-Chasing Pegasus.
It threw a punch.
The Pegasus was knocked straight down, crashing a massive crater into the ground.
"Mr. Sun, is it dealt with?"
"Not that easy." Sun Gaoyang kept his eyes on the distance. "That guy should be the one called the Death Messenger, Ling Jianmu!"
"Death Messenger?!?!"
Vice President Zhao was shocked.
The Death Messenger was his wanted alias from the Alliance, having caused disasters in several small countries, unleashing plagues that killed countless people. His signature spirit was a Transcendent-level Doom Bird.
A bird that proclaimed death!
Extremely strong!
He never expected him to come to Dragon Country, let alone Linping City!
"Mr. Sun..." The Vice President swallowed hard.
Sun Gaoyang spoke, "I'll handle him, but the rest are up to you."
...
Inside the villa district, rumbling sounds kept echoing.
Nearby civilians' faces changed in alarm.
But the students from various spirit universities grew excited.
The operation had begun!
At that moment,
Outside one side of Dragon Lake Villa District, six students from Dongyun University had spread their spirits around, blocking all suspicious individuals.
"Huazi, spotted any suspicious targets?"
"Boss, a lot of people are fleeing—hard to tell them apart!"
A student with a flying spirit spoke, his face troubled.
The group's leader thought for a moment. "We'll split up and check one by one. Can't let any suspicious person slip through!"
He glanced to the right. "Whale Island University has even fewer people. I heard two of them are freshmen—probably not very reliable. After we finish here, we might need to back them up."
"Freshmen? Can they handle it?"
"They're from a prestigious school, Elite-level too, so it should be fine. I'm just worried they'll miss a wanted criminal."
...
At that moment,
On the south side of the villa district, toward the right,
Several panicked people were running out of the main gate.
"The one in the blue shirt with hands in his pockets—he's probably a Spirit Summoner!"
Su Hao spoke.
The Dream Butterfly's spiritual perception, based on its description, could "see" clusters of light representing mental energy.
Varying in size.
The little one had talent in spiritual matters, plus his help... well, his help was more important.
Die Xiaodie's spiritual perception move was already quite refined.
Not only was it precise in positioning, but it could also roughly distinguish the strength of the mental light clusters.
Spirit Summoners, with their spirits' feedback, would naturally have higher overall stats.
Even if they caught the wrong person, it didn't matter.
At least it narrowed down the targets.
The group approached.
The man in blue clearly panicked, running to the other side.
"Stop!"
Bai Hongzhen shouted.
His Ice Six-Tailed Fox immediately pounced forward, firing ice spears that shattered mid-air, spreading cold air that froze into an ice pillar cage, trapping the blue-shirted man.
"Got him!"
He looked at Su Hao.
But Su Hao wasn't watching him; he was staring into the distance.
Suddenly,
A Groundshaking Wolf leaped over the villa wall, fleeing rapidly into the distance.
A figure was sprawled on the wolf's back.
At the same time, figures or spirits burst out from several other areas.
"Five spirits, three people!"
Su Hao said.
Zhou Ming and the others' spirits acted.
Bai Hongzhen summoned the Giant Tide Frog King, which slammed in front of a Giant Armor Crab.
The two spirits wrestled, unable to settle quickly.
Suddenly, a man emerged from behind the Giant Armor Crab, sprinting into the distance at high speed.
Bai Hongzhen was about to order his spirit to intercept when he saw the Giant Armor Crab raise its blade-like claws, charging toward a crowd on the side.
He panicked.
"Stop it—no, block that spirit..."
But it was too slow.
The Elite-level Blade Armor Crab moved with thuds, closing in on a terrified woman in an instant.
Then...
A streak of red light flashed past Bai Hongzhen's eyes.
It left a fiery trail in the air, lingering for a long time.
The Giant Armor Crab stopped.
A red line appeared on its blade claws, which snapped off with a crash.
The red light revealed its form in the air, then dove down.
Its figure split into two, then four.
Weaving a fiery red net.
Boom!
The Giant Armor Crab fell.
Bai Hongzhen stared blankly until his Ice Six-Tailed Fox barked. He snapped back to reality and saw several men charging out of the gate, their bodies strapped with explosives.
"Watch out!"
He saw Su Hao sitting on the Water Cloud Horse, blocking the entrance.
The explosive-laden madmen rushed forward, and transparent shields appeared around them, then quickly vanished.
The next moment,
Thud, thud, thud—
The fierce-faced criminals fell one by one.
And Su Hao, from start to finish, sat calmly on the Water Cloud Horse's back, unmoving, his expression indifferent.