But the condition of the five men was utterly miserable. One of them had been burned so badly that only half his body remained, the other half charred beyond recognition.
At this sight, Du Busi erupted in fury almost instantly. An immense wave of soul power burst forth from him, dyeing the heavens a deeper, poisonous green. His eyes locked onto Jiang Shengyu, voice thundering:
"You dare, boy!?"
"They hunted us first. We killed them in return. Why wouldn't we dare?" Jiang Shengyu's tone carried not the slightest fear of Du Busi's wrath. He reminded him coolly, "Senior, you would do well to temper your anger—otherwise, the lives of these four may not last much longer."
Seeing Jiang Shengyu using the lives of his subordinates as leverage, Du Busi eyelids twitched violently.
When had he ever been threatened like this?
His chest rose and fell as he demanded,
"How did you do it?"
"That's not something Senior needs to know. The situation is simple. Do you want the lives of these four Title Douluo… or do you want Yuhao to go with you?" Jiang Shengyu shook his head, his eyes fixed on Du Busi as he asked the question.
Du Busi clenched his fists, fury burning in his gaze.
Huo Yuhao was the future of the Body Sect as far as he was concerned. Yet to lose five Title Douluo in a single stroke would be a catastrophe, a blow so severe it could even threaten the sect's very survival.
Title Douluo were not cabbages to be found in every field.
The force he had brought with him today was already more than half of the sect's total strength. If all of them were lost here… could the Body Sect still be called the Body Sect?
Damn it!
Jiang Shengyu remained calm, waiting for him to decide. Heaven and earth fell into a strange silence. Below, the exchange students from Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy looked up at the sky in shock.
Never in their lives had they imagined such a scene—Jiang Shengyu threatening a 98 level Super Douluo!
What kind of lunacy was this!?
After a long silence, Du Busi finally spoke.
"Return my men to me, and today… I will let you go."
Jiang Shengyu inclined his head.
"Agreed."
"Shengyu, wait—" Jing Hongchen frowned as soon as he heard Jiang Shengyu accept, hastily trying to dissuade him.
But Jiang Shengyu simply raised a hand to quiet him, signaling patience.
Then, controlling his flight-type soul tool, Jiang Shengyu sent the five Title Douluo back toward Du Busi.
Du Busi spared only a brief glance for the one whose body had been half-burned away. His attention quickly shifted to the other four. When he saw that they were merely gravely injured and unconscious, not dead, he let out a breath of relief.
But soon, his expression changed.
The reason Title Douluo stood so far above other soul masters was because they possessed a soul core, constantly absorbing and compressing energy from the surrounding world. Yet now—Du Busi could sense no fluctuation of soul cores from these four.
Their cores had… stopped functioning?
In an instant, he detected the presence of a seal. But when he attempted to shatter it, he realized with shock that even his power could not so much as shake it!
Impossible!
Du Busi immediately turned his glare back onto Jiang Shengyu. Seeing the faint, knowing smile at the corners of Jiang Shengyu's lips, realization dawned, and he roared,
"Boy, what have you done to them!?"
"A necessary precaution."
Jiang Shengyu smiled lightly at Du Busi's rage.
"After all, Senior, you are a 98 level Super Douluo. None of us here are your match. Even my senior brother can only stalemate you for a time thanks to his soul tools. Without safeguards—what if you turned on us after reclaiming your men?"
At those words, Jing Hongchen immediately descended before the gathered students below, shielding them in case Du Busi decided to use them as hostages against Jiang Shengyu.
"I do not break my word! My promise is worth its weight in gold!" Du Busi growled. "Boy, undo your trickery!"
Jiang Shengyu nodded calmly.
"I can. All it takes is for Senior to agree to do four things for me. Four tasks in exchange for four Title Douluo. For the Body Sect, I'd say that's hardly a losing bargain."
Du Busi eyes grew dangerously sharp. But Jiang Shengyu reminded him once more,
"Senior, do not act rashly. I have thirteen interlinked, auto-triggering Rank Nine defensive soul tools on me. The only outcome of reckless action would be the Body Sect losing another four Title Douluo."
Not far away, Yan Shaozhe studied Jiang Shengyu, eyes glimmering with admiration.
It was his first time meeting this elder brother of Jiang Qingtong, and indeed, the man was extraordinary. In both talent and temperament, he seemed even greater than his sister.
And yet, Yan Shaozhe still judged him reckless. He did not understand how powerful the Body Sect truly was. If Du Busi marked him for vengeance, could those soul tools protect not just him but everyone he cared for?
Soul tools would eventually be exhausted. If Du Busi truly risked everything, the consequences would be dire.
Yan Shaozhe still firmly believed that soul masters surpassed soul engineers. To him, Jiang Shengyu was still too young.
But youth had its merits too. Young blood was more easily guided, more easily won over.
In his mind's eye, Yan Shaozhe was already envisioning the future: when Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong both became Limit Douluo of Shrek Academy. Under the leadership of such an invincible pair of twin stars, Shrek's future would surely shine brighter than ever.
Du Busi's fists tightened, veins bulging on his forehead.
"One task!"
Jiang Shengyu shook his head.
"Four."
"You impudent child! I am a ninety-eighth level Super Douluo! For me to act once on your behalf is already enough to dominate anything on this continent!" Du Busi's voice was like ice.
"Four. No less."
Jiang Shengyu's face remained graced with that refined, unruffled smile.
"Surely Senior does not wish for the Body Sect to lose five Title Douluo in a single day? If your enemies, or those coveting the Body Sect's position, were to learn of such a calamity… would the consequences not be severe? I urge Senior to think carefully."
Never in his life had Du Busi imagined that he, a ninety-eighth level Super Douluo, would one day be threatened by a mere youth with four or five rings.
But after the last beast tide, many across the continent bore grudges against the Body Sect. If word spread that the sect had suffered such devastating losses, who knew what enemies might seize the chance to strike?
Only the wind howled between heaven and earth. Jiang Shengyu waited with perfect composure, while the only one fretting was Poison Immortal himself.
He had come today to seize a prize, yet instead not only failed to capture the Body Sect's future—he might also lose five Title Douluo.
The irony… how unbearably bitter!
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