The Star Luo Empire's long-planned surprise assault had become nothing more than a joke.
The Fontain Empire annihilated them almost effortlessly—so much so that nearly none of its citizens even realized a national war had taken place overnight.
This further proved the strength of the Fontain Empire. Many soul master academies began to seriously consider relocating here.
Early the next morning—
Zhu Zhuqing and her group of close female friends gathered together in a private room at a hotel to celebrate their victory.
Other than the Zhu sisters, the rest of the girls had already arrived and were chatting enthusiastically.
"Zhuqing is just amazing! One versus seven, like cutting through paper! That must've been the trump card Mr. Dan Heng gave her, right?"Shui Yue'er was especially excited, her pretty face flushed.
She was practically green with envy.
Nearby, Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu both looked slightly awkward. Having witnessed Zhu Zhuqing's overwhelming power in the finals, they had finally let go of their pride and thickened their skin to join in the celebration.
After all, based on Zhu Zhuqing's performance in the finals, and especially her recent refusal of a divine inheritance, her future was clearly boundless.
If they didn't build a relationship with her now, they were either too arrogant—or just plain stupid.
As the leader of Douluo Continent's top girls' team, Shui Bing'er knew very well the importance of building strong connections.
Huo Wu, frustrated, tapped her fair forehead and sighed,"Sigh… I wanted to be Mr. Dan Heng's disciple too—being his daughter would be even better! But he won't give anyone the chance..."
All the girls burst into laughter—only Huo Wu dared to say such bold things aloud.
The rest of them didn't have the guts.
In the midst of the laughter, Meng Yiran looked a bit awkward.
It turned out that all the other girls held Mr. Dan Heng in such high regard?Did that mean she had been the only foolish one before?
Meng Yiran's expression stiffened.
If she could go back in time, she'd slap her past self. What exactly had she been so proud of?!
"Where's Zhuqing? Why isn't she here yet?" Dugu Yan asked curiously.
Just as she finished speaking, the door to the room opened.
The Zhu sisters walked in together.
Everyone turned to look.
Zhu Zhuqing wore her usual leather outfit—her proud figure drew the eye, her fair skin sharply contrasting with the black material.
But today, she had deep dark circles under her eyes, bloodshot pupils, and looked haggard.
The girls were all stunned.
Soul masters had strong bodies. Unless someone was in an extremely bad state, even staying up several nights wouldn't normally wear them out like this.
"Zhuqing, what happened to you? Did you have intense training last night?"
Shui Yue'er asked with concern.
Zhu Zhuyun sighed and explained,"Zhuqing had nightmares and barely slept all night."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's eat…"
The girls exchanged concerned looks, but since she insisted, they didn't press the issue.
Once the food was served, they all started chatting again.
They discussed the tournament, and then moved on to plans for the future.
After all, the Soul Master Tournament marked the end of their student lives.
"…If you ask me, Zhuqing has the brightest future. Already Level 55, with Mr. Dan Heng guiding her—she might become a Soul Emperor this year!"
Dugu Yan looked at Zhu Zhuqing with envy. The delicious feast in front of her suddenly tasted like cardboard.
The others nodded in agreement—wasn't this exactly what they were all jealous of?
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing froze—staring blankly at the food in front of her, motionless, like she had lost her soul.
The girls quickly noticed something was wrong.
Zhu Zhuyun shrugged and said,"This has been happening often lately—just hearing the words 'Soul Emperor' seems to trigger her…"
"No… I don't want this…!!!"
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly clutched her head and screamed.
At the same time, a wave of dark red soul power burst out from her body, sweeping everything around her away.
The girls all jumped up in shock, quickly dodging the outburst.
Looking at Zhu Zhuqing, whose entire body was now shrouded in a sinister red aura, they felt as though they were facing a terrifying natural predator.
"Zhuqing, what's wrong? Snap out of it…!"
Zhu Zhuyun swallowed nervously, staring tensely at her sister.
Zhu Zhuqing's face twisted in pain. The red light made it impossible to see her expression clearly.
"Ahhhh!!!"
A high-pitched scream rang out—like claws raking directly across their eardrums.
The scream was infused with soul power equivalent to a Soul Emperor.
The girls' minds went blank. They couldn't even think, let alone resist.
In the next instant, the sound of shattering glass broke the silence.
By the time the girls regained their senses, the window was smashed—and Zhu Zhuqing was gone.
"Zhuqing…!"
Zhu Zhuyun ran to the window and saw her sister's figure rapidly vanishing into the distance.
Judging by her speed, Zhu Zhuyun knew she couldn't possibly catch up.
"This is bad—Zhuqing's in serious trouble…"
Elsewhere—In the room of Zi Ji and Bi Ji:
Bi Ji was holding little Bao'er and teaching her poetry, playing with her gently.
Suddenly, Bi Ji's expression went blank, and a dark red ominous aura emerged from her body.
Her face twisted with agony.
"No… I can't…"
In her arms, little Bao'er looked up at Bi Ji in confusion. Her tiny white paws gently patted Bi Ji's face.
A gentle white light emerged and seeped into Bi Ji's body.
Instantly, the ominous aura was purified and dispersed.
"!!!"
Bi Ji's eyes quickly cleared up.
As the origin of life, Bao'er had dispelled all negative energy from her.
Looking at Bao'er's sweet smile, Bi Ji's lips trembled—and then curved into a smile as well.
"Bao'er… Did you save Auntie?"
She gently kissed Bao'er.
Bao'er returned the kiss with effort, leaving some crystal-clear drool on Bi Ji's cheek.
But soon, Bi Ji's expression turned serious again.
"What just happened? I need to tell my brother-in-law… and those dreams I've been having lately…"
She felt regretful.
The dreams had been so shameful that she had kept them hidden.
But now, even with the secrecy, she had still fallen into the trap!
Suppressing her chaotic thoughts, Bi Ji quickly left the room.
Meanwhile—In the forest outside Fontain City:
The battle was over. Fontain soldiers had already cleared the corpses, but blood still stained the land a dark red, and devastation was everywhere.
Zi Ji appeared with Long Long in tow.
As Gu Yuena's chosen successor, Long Long needed to start training early—especially in adapting to the horrors of a battlefield.
Zi Ji lifted Long Long's chin and said,"Little Long Long, are you scared? Hmm… it still smells strongly of blood here."
Long Long blinked and looked around curiously—completely unafraid.
This was his "backyard," after all!
As the Lord of the Plane, this world belonged to him—why would he fear it?
Zi Ji took Long Long on a tour and even found a corpse hanging from a tree. She placed Long Long in the corpse's arms.
Long Long only showed a disgusted expression, but still no fear.
Zi Ji pinched his cheek proudly."Little Long Long, you've inherited Auntie's courage! Not scared at all! Very good—you'll be a strong dragon in the future!"
Long Long tilted his head, annoyed by the cheek-pinching, and grabbed Zi Ji's finger.
At that moment, Zi Ji's face suddenly turned blank.
A dark purple aura leaked from her body.
She trembled, then smirked."Interesting—you dare show yourself now? I've been itching to find you!"
"Let's go, Long Long!"
Zi Ji returned to normal, picked him up, and shot off into the sky.
Elsewhere—on a rooftop:
Bibi Dong stood on the rooftop, gazing into the distance with lifeless eyes. Her pupils had turned completely dark purple, strange energy swirling inside.
Moments later, she snapped out of it—her eyes regaining clarity.
"Both Bi Ji and Zi Ji managed to break free of my divine power?" Bibi Dong frowned.
This would seriously interfere with her plans.
Suddenly, golden light burst behind her.
She turned around—and saw Qian Renxue, holding a golden holy sword, pointing it at her.
"Give up, Bibi Dong… Don't continue down this wrong path." Qian Renxue's expression was conflicted as she sighed.
Bibi Dong sneered,"Give up? How could I? This is my only chance to win Mr. Dan Heng's heart!"
She clutched her chest, her grin turning maniacal.
"If I fuse with every woman important to Mr. Dan Heng—then I will be the woman he loves the most!"
"And if I fail, then he'll lose everyone he cares about. Then you, little Xue, can swoop in, can't you?"
Bibi Dong shrieked hysterically.
Her eyes were bloodshot, surrounded by purple mist. A pair of crimson eyes seemed to glow with demonic energy behind her.
Qian Renxue's expression shifted, a trace of guilt flashing through her.
She hadn't told Mr. Dan Heng the truth earlier—because, deep down, she had harbored the same selfish thought.
But…
"No! This is wrong, Bibi Dong. If you truly love Mr. Dan Heng, you shouldn't do something that would hurt him. And fusing with other women—would you even be yourself anymore?"
"Stop this madness, Bibi Dong! Turn back!"
Holy light surged around Qian Renxue, like a miniature sun descending to earth.
Light shone down on Bibi Dong, but it was clearly split into two distinct parts—good and evil—and the side that illuminated her was that of evil and darkness.
"Turn back? If I can't obtain Mr. Dan Heng's love, then I'd rather be doomed for eternity! Xiao Xue, stop wasting your breath. And don't think about telling Mr. Dan Heng—I'll go assimilate his disciple first…"
Bibi Dong said with a smile. Then she turned and was about to fly away.
As her words fell, a golden sword light suddenly shot from behind.
She stopped midair—sword light flashed past her shoulder, cutting off a strand of her purple hair.
"You're not allowed to leave! I won't let you continue making mistakes!"
Qian Renxue said solemnly.
She rushed toward Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong turned to look and suddenly—right beside her—another version of herself, an identical clone, appeared.
The clone charged straight at Qian Renxue.
Meanwhile, Bibi Dong dove downward and vanished without a trace.
A fierce battle broke out and ended quickly.
Even though Qian Renxue had awakened the memories of her past life, her current strength was still no match for Bibi Dong's clone.
She knelt on the rooftop, using the Angelic Holy Sword to prop herself up.
Her body was covered in dust, and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.
Bibi Dong's clone stood not far away and said blandly, "Xiao Xue, that's enough. You can choose to watch me succeed—or watch me fall into eternal damnation."
"No…!"
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth. "I've already lost my father—I absolutely cannot lose you too!"
She tried to stand, but under the oppressive force Bibi Dong radiated, she couldn't even lift herself up.
"You—"
Bibi Dong's clone was about to say something more.
But in the next moment, a flash of green light streaked across the air.
With a burst of impact, Bibi Dong's clone instantly disintegrated into countless particles, scattering in the wind.
"!!!"
Qian Renxue's eyes widened in shock. Even though she knew it was just a clone of Bibi Dong, her heart still skipped a beat!
The next instant, Dan Heng appeared on the rooftop with Bi Ji by his side.
Seeing Qian Renxue kneeling on the ground, Dan Heng frowned. "What happened?"
Qian Renxue swallowed hard, her expression complex. "Mr. Dan Heng, I have a request…"
"Please spare Bibi Dong's life. She hasn't actually done anything yet."
Qian Renxue tossed away the Angelic Holy Sword and knelt before Dan Heng.
"…"
Dan Heng remained silent for a moment. "Go on."
Qian Renxue let out a long, heavy sigh. Her expression dimmed as she told Dan Heng Bibi Dong's entire plan.
"She only loves you too much, Mr. Dan Heng. She hasn't really hurt anyone yet. She…"
Dan Heng said coldly, "But my disciple has already been affected by her!"
"Yes, yes, Mr. Dan Heng! She said she was going to assimilate your disciple—you should hurry! If you can stop her in time and seal her, I'll help you watch over her. I promise she'll never pester you again…"
Qian Renxue pleaded anxiously, looking pitifully at Dan Heng.
Her stunningly beautiful face was already covered in tears.
Bi Ji opened her mouth slightly, stunned.
It was hard to imagine that Bibi Dong's madness had led to such an absurd plan.
To fuse all the women… and assimilate them into one…
How utterly deranged.
Yet despite Qian Renxue's pleading gaze, Dan Heng gave no promise.
He gripped Bi Ji's shoulder, and with a flash of green light, the two vanished.
Qian Renxue opened her mouth, her expression turning panicked.
If Dan Heng had truly resolved to deal with Bibi Dong—
Then Bibi Dong absolutely wouldn't survive!
Struggling to her feet, Qian Renxue flapped her wings and took off in pursuit.
Meanwhile, at the Shrek Team's hotel.
Ma Hongjun, brimming with excitement, opened the door to Tang San's room.
Last night, he had deliberately gotten Tang San drunk—and had slipped in a small pill to make sure Tang San slept like a dead pig.
Seeing Tang San snoring on the bed, Ma Hongjun's face twisted into a greedy smile.
This wasn't just about getting revenge for how Yu Xiaogang had "tormented" him—he could also sense that there was something important on Tang San's body that he needed!
As long as he got his hands on Tang San…
"What are you trying to do?"
A cold voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Ma Hongjun nearly peed himself. He turned around in a panic—only to see Tang Hao, with one leg and one arm, staring at him coldly.
"I… I…"
Ma Hongjun was flustered. Even though Tang Hao had become a cripple, his strength was still far beyond anything Ma Hongjun could handle.
"Fatty, do you look down on the disabled?"
Tang Hao asked coldly.
"No…"
Ma Hongjun immediately jumped up and tried to crash through the window.
But his leg was grabbed—he was yanked back!
(End of Chapter)