"Nonsense," a disembodied voice echoed from directly in front of Yue Guan. "Do you think anyone else could be in this forest besides me? Of course, it's this old man who's ambushing you."
Yue Guan stared forward with wide, furious eyes, but he couldn't find Dugu Bo anywhere. "Dugu Bo, get out here! Don't hide and sneak around! If you have the guts, fight me fair and square!"
A sharp slap cracked across his forehead. "Am I not right in front of you now?" Dugu Bo's voice taunted. "I'm standing right here. Can't you see me?"
The familiar, unseen force sent Yue Guan stumbling back to sit on the ground again. "It really is you!" he shrieked, scrambling away and looking around cautiously. But there was no one. He was completely alone. "Come out! Stop hiding!"
Another slap, this time across his face. "Smack!" The impact made Yue Guan's head buzz, and a flurry of golden chrysanthemum petals shot forward from the force of the blow. An unseen hand steadily blocked them.
"I'm standing right in front of you," the voice continued, full of amusement. "How am I not my old self?"
Yue Guan felt like he was going crazy. Why couldn't he see him? "Since that's the case, then don't blame me!" he roared in desperation. "Ninth Spirit Ability! Chrysanthemum Withered, Wounds All Over the Ground, Flowers Fall, People's Hearts Break!"
The Marvelous Chrysanthemum flew out from his body, growing larger with every inch it rose into the air until it was the size of a meteorite hanging in the sky. Then, with a deafening roar, the massive flower shattered. Each brilliant golden petal began to spin like a crescent blade, forming a huge golden tornado that descended from the sky. It spun wildly around Yue Guan's body, furiously shredding everything in its path as it expanded outwards. The surrounding trees were torn to splinters, and the ground was scoured clean. Since he couldn't find his target, a wide-range attack was his only option. As long as Dugu Bo was within this range, he would definitely be hit.
From a safe distance, Dugu Bo watched the destructive storm, chuckling to himself. You sissy, do you really think a wide-range attack will be useful? As long as you can't find this old man, you'll never be able to touch me. Unless you flee back to Spirit Hall, I will torment you to death!
Meanwhile, far away in the Sunset Forest, the Shrek Academy team was resting in their tents. This time, Flender was personally standing watch. With Ye Yin, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu all needing ten-thousand-year spirit rings, they couldn't afford to be careless.
Suddenly, Flender felt a strong fluctuation of spirit power. It was from a spirit beast, at least a thousand-year one. "Everyone up! Get moving!"
At his command, everyone quickly emerged from their tents. They looked up to see a large ball of flame flying through the night sky.
"That's a thousand-year Flame Crane," Ye Yin called out, identifying it instantly. "Its cultivation is around fifteen hundred years. Fatty, this spirit beast is very suitable for you." He narrowed his eyes. "However, it appears to be injured. If I'm not mistaken, we're about to face the same situation as we did in the Star Dou Great Forest."
Zhao Wuji laughed heartily upon hearing this. "It doesn't matter. Even if we encounter people like the Gai Shi Long She couple again, we're not afraid this time. The people of Shrek Academy are not to be trifled with. With our black garlic, we're as strong as three Spirit Douluo. Who would dare to compete with us?" He clapped Ma Hongjun on the shoulder. "Fatty, don't rush to kill the spirit beast later. I want to see who dares to try and steal it from us."
Flender nodded in agreement. He made a sudden move, and several of his own feathers shot through the air, swiftly pinning themselves to the Flame Crane's wings. The crane lost its strength and fell straight to the ground like a stone, its beak plunging into the dirt. It fainted instantly.
"Little Fatty, no rush," Flender said, crossing his arms over his chest. "With your teacher here, you can absorb this spirit ring with confidence. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, this spirit ring would still be yours!"
"Teacher, I certainly believe that," Ma Hongjun nodded vigorously. "If I don't believe you, who would I believe?"
A few moments later, several figures flashed out from the distant forest, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps and heavy panting. When the Shrek teachers saw the leading figure, Flender's confident expression froze. Not only his, but Yu Xiaogang's face went rigid as well. Seeing their reactions, Ye Yin knew exactly who they had encountered: Liu Erlong.
Leading the group was an exceptionally tall and athletic woman. She wore a neatly tailored, deep purple suit made of a tough fabric clearly designed for combat. The suit perfectly outlined her powerful physique: broad shoulders, a full chest, a strong waist, and a pair of long, slender legs that contained explosive power. Her long, distinctive purple hair was tied high with a matching hairband. Behind her were four or five students wearing Blue Tyrant Academy uniforms.
"Hurry up!" she called to them. "Don't fall behind, or we'll lose the Flame Crane!"
Her gaze habitually swept across the open area ahead. Suddenly, her pupils contracted sharply. Not far away, several figures stood steadily. One of them, though plain, short, and a bit scruffy, had a face so deeply etched in her memory that it instantly struck the deepest part of her heart, a place that had been sealed for many years.
Xiaogang!
In an instant, Liu Erlong's swift running steps came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes were wide, reflecting the familiar figure that made her very soul tremble. The students desperately chasing behind her were caught off guard, nearly crashing into their suddenly stopped dean. They stared in confusion, following her stunned, fixed gaze, completely unaware of what could have caused their famously fiery dean to show such a distraught expression.
"Strike first!"
Before a single word could be spoken, Ye Yin's first spirit ring flashed. "Curse!"
Six rays of dark light shot towards the stunned Liu Erlong and her students.
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