"Who dares to cause trouble at my Shrek Academy!"
As the fierce battle raged, an aged yet imposing voice boomed from afar, like a thunderclap reverberating through the night sky.
At the same time, a streak of yellow light shot toward them like a meteor, so fast it was almost impossible to follow.
Even before the person arrived, the unique, overwhelming aura of a Title Douluo pressed down on 13 and the others like a towering mountain.
"Not good, retreat!" 13 and 14's faces instantly turned deathly pale, fear filling their hearts.
They knew all too well how terrifying a Title Douluo's power was. At this moment, they dared not hesitate even a second—one transformed into mist, vanishing into the night like smoke, while the other slipped into the shadows, disappearing without a trace as they turned to flee.
Seeing this, 17 and the others stopped entangling with Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan, unleashing their strongest soul skills to cover their retreat and escape the scene as quickly as possible.
For a moment, all kinds of lights flashed and the roars of soul skills echoed nonstop.
"Hmph, trying to run in front of me?" The old voice rang out again, accompanied by a cold snort.
A massive, earth-yellow hand slowly formed in midair, blotting out the sky and radiating a heavy, overwhelming energy.
The gigantic hand reached out and grabbed toward the fleeing 13 and his group from afar, unleashing a terrifying suction force from thin air.
In an instant, the figures of 13 and the other five were caught, as if seized by an invisible giant hand, and pulled back.
In the face of the absolute power of a Title Douluo, they were like ants—completely powerless to resist.
The terror of the Title Douluo's strength was on full display, striking fear into all present.
"Heh heh!" Yet, just as everyone thought the battle was ending, a silvery, bell-like laugh echoed from the void.
An intangible, enormous serpent silently appeared, opening its bloody maw like a beast devouring the world, swallowing 13 and the others in a single gulp.
Then, the serpent's tail whipped violently, stirring up a raging wave of energy.
"Boom!"
The void exploded once more, and the enormous serpent tail, like a powerful meteor hammer, slammed the rapidly approaching yellow light away.
The ground shook violently as if struck by a powerful earthquake; the yellow light was flung away, crashing into the earth and leaving a massive pit.
Having delivered this blow, the intangible serpent quickly slipped into the void and vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared.
Everything happened too suddenly—the clash between both sides lasted only an instant.
But in that fleeting moment, the situation was completely upended, and everything settled at once.
"Elder Xuan!"
As the yellow ball of light faded, a disheveled figure slowly emerged from the pit.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he looked extremely battered.
Seeing this, Bei Bei and the others were shocked, for they all recognized this figure as Xuan Zi the Taotie Douluo, a famed elder of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion.
But seeing Xuan Zi in such a sorry state left them full of shock and confusion.
To their knowledge, Elder Xuan was a peak powerhouse of the Douluo Continent, standing at the summit, with strength beyond compare. When had he ever been so easily defeated?
With just a single clash, Xuan Zi was gravely injured—this shattered their understanding of the world.
"Damn, ambushing me when I wasn't paying attention!" Xuan Zi's face was full of frustration, anger burning in his heart.
After much effort and with Elder Mu's help, he had used the Golden Tree's life force to heal the serious injuries left by Jingliu and successfully suppressed the lingering sword intent in his body.
Tonight, he was simply passing the time, heading to Shrek City in search of good food, when he unexpectedly came across the core disciples' distress signal.
Initially, he planned to rush over, but seeing that Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had already gone out, he relaxed a little.
In his perception, the enemies outside the city were only two Soul Emperors and four Soul Kings. With Bei Bei and the others' abilities, though no match, they could certainly hold out for a few minutes.
After all, he knew Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi's identities and strengths well.
Bei Bei inherited Elder Mu's Bright Holy Dragon's power, with infinite potential, while Xu Sanshi had awakened the Divine Beast Black Tortoise martial soul and was the heir of the Xuanming Sect—a force to be reckoned with.
Additionally, Jiang Nannan, though slightly weaker, benefited from Jade Chamber's investment and received many precious resources.
These three core elites were already strong candidates for the inner court; even if they couldn't beat the enemy, they wouldn't be easily defeated.
That's why he arrived leisurely. Unexpectedly, Huo Yuhao suffered serious injuries—Mu Lao's chosen one, the academy's first dual-core disciple, and the core of the Soul Tool Department's Ultimate Soldier Project.
Regretful, Xuan Zi had acted immediately but was caught off guard by a mysterious assailant. Not only was he injured again, the sword intent he had suppressed erupted once more, worsening his wounds and leaving him miserable.
"Elder Xuan, what happened?"
Several rays of light flashed over from Shrek Academy, landing on the ground in an instant.
It was Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department; Xian Lin'er, dean of the Soul Tool Department; and vice-dean Qian Duoduo. Seeing Xuan Zi's battered and injured state, Yan Shaozhe gasped, eyes full of shock.
Elder Xuan was a level 98 Super Douluo—even if injured previously by the Snow Moon Douluo, who in the entire Soul Master world could so easily hurt him?
Moreover, the battle's fluctuations had lasted only an instant. That meant the other party had injured Elder Xuan with a single move—what terrifying strength!
"Shaozhe, you came just in time. I'll leave the rest to you. I need to heal." Xuanzi's face was paper-white, his aura unstable. With that, he flashed and disappeared, leaving everyone bewildered.
"This—!" Yan Shaozhe was dumbfounded, mouth agape, unable to ask before Elder Xuan vanished. What was going on?
"Huo Yuhao?" Qian Duoduo's gaze suddenly landed on the fallen Huo Yuhao. Seeing the pool of blood beneath him, Qian Duoduo's expression changed drastically.
Huo Yuhao was Fan Yu's beloved disciple and the Soul Tool Department's Ultimate Soldier Project's core. If anything happened, the department's future would be at risk!
"Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan—what happened?" Yan Shaozhe also noticed Huo Yuhao's dire state, frowning deeply and questioning the trio.
Bei Bei glanced worriedly at the still-unconscious Huo Yuhao. Seeing Qian Duoduo rushing forward to treat his wounds, and Wang Dong dashing over in tears, he steadied himself and explained.
"People from the Wuchang Division? They wouldn't attack Huo Yuhao for no reason—someone must have hired them." Yan Shaozhe's face grew darker.
He knew the Wuchang Division—a rising dark force in the underworld, rumored to have a Super Douluo backing them, infamous for their ruthless means.
How could a young disciple like Huo Yuhao attract the personal attack of the Soul Emperor-level Black and White Wuchang?
After thinking it through, only one answer remained: someone had paid a high price to hire the Wuchang Division.
"Take Huo Yuhao back for treatment immediately. I will get to the bottom of this!" Yan Shaozhe said through gritted teeth.
His eyes burned with anger—someone dared hire assassins to attack a core student of Shrek Academy, right under their noses. This was a slap in the academy's face!
Worse, it happened just outside Shrek City, almost within the academy's sight, and they failed to protect Huo Yuhao in time.
Yan Shaozhe massaged his aching brow, recalling Xuan Zi's hasty retreat, and sighed inwardly.
With Xuan Zi's cultivation, how could he have arrived after Beibei and the others? Probably delayed by food and drink again.
The last inner court tragedy had cost many disciples their lives, and Xuan Zi's mistake had shaken the Sea God Pavilion elders. Since he was also seriously injured and the academy's publicly strongest figure, the matter was glossed over.
Shrek Academy compensated the families of the deceased inner court disciples, but could not heavily punish Xuan Zi.
After all, aside from Elder Mu, who could touch him?
Yan Shaozhe himself believed Xuan Zi was at fault, but sometimes things were unavoidable—those disciples were just unlucky to encounter a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
"You should return to the academy quickly—don't stay outside." Yan Shaozhe turned to Bei Bei and the others, giving instructions.
Then, he, Xian Lin'er, and Qian Duoduo took Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong away, clearly heading back to the academy for treatment.
Bei Bei's expression was grave as he watched their retreating backs.
He had just checked Huo Yuhao's wounds—his lower body was mangled beyond recognition.
Clearly, Black 14's fatal strike had hit a vital spot.
Such injuries were far too severe. Unless they found a legendary immortal herb that could restore flesh and bone, even a Title Douluo healer would be at a loss.
Saving his life might not be hard, but Huo Yuhao's future happiness was now in doubt. The thought made Bei Bei clench his fists in worry.
"Jiang Nannan, Sanshi, I'm still worried about little junior brother. I want to follow and check on him." Bei Bei hesitated, then voiced his thoughts.
"I'll go with you, Bei Bei." Xu Sanshi patted him on the shoulder, loyal and concerned. He liked Huo Yuhao and, being close to Bei Bei and Tang Ya, wanted to help if possible.
"What about you, Jiang Nannan?" Beibei turned to her. Since she came to rescue Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, she clearly saw them as friends.
"You go ahead—I have other matters and must return to Shrek City." Jiang Nannan gently shook her head, refusing.
She helped because they were fellow students and because she liked Huo Yuhao's grilled fish and admired his self-reliant attitude.