Word Count: 2,925 Words
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By the shore of Sea God Lake.
A thin mist curled around the sparkling waters of Sea God Lake. Along the way, Han Ruoruo quietly stole glances at Ling Bai beside her. He kept his head slightly turned, the sun casting a golden hue on his eyelashes, his eyes darting through the bright lake scenery like fleeting petals.
Han Ruoruo released her hold on his arm and said softly, "You're looking so intently, as if you'll never see such a sight again."
"I'm leaving in a few days."
Ling Bai smiled. "In a place like the Star Dou Forest, there's no beautiful Elder Sister to enjoy the scenery with me."
Han Ruoruo did not mind his teasing. Her eyes, dark as the night sprinkled with stars, gazed at him, filled with mirth. "Then tell me, Little Junior Brother, you're only looking at the lake and not at me. Is Sea God Lake more beautiful than I am?"
"Because I cannot keep staring at Elder Sister; that would seem improper. But I can look at Elder Sister in the lake for as long as I like."
At these words, Han Ruoruo glanced at the lake beside them. Sure enough, she saw her own reflection and a handsome, smiling face. With a knowing smile, she teased, "You should start a class. If the male students in the Inner Courtyard learned even a trick or two from you, the success rate of the annual Sea God Fated Blind Date Festival wouldn't be so low."
"Hahaha, teaching them would be like smashing my own rice bowl."
The corners of Han Ruoruo's lips curved slightly. After breaking through to Spirit Douluo, she had become almost like a teacher in the Inner Courtyard. The male students didn't dare joke or tease her at all. Yet, whenever Ling Bai was near, she found herself much happier.
'It is a pity, though, the age gap is a bit too wide...'
Han Ruoruo thought silently.
She was approaching thirty. Although she wasn't in a hurry to get married, she still held some fantasies about love. Her criteria for a partner weren't extremely strict. She just longed to find someone with similar interests and who was on the same wavelength.
Strictly speaking, Wang Yan did meet a number of her criteria, yet Ling Bai had already made a deeper impression. Both men enjoyed ancient texts, but the difference in their talent and appearance was night and day. Ling Bai could outshine Wang Yan completely, and so, naturally, Han Ruoruo's gaze drifted away from Wang Yan in favor of a far better choice.
Just as the two were discussing where to have lunch, a strange, disembodied voice suddenly echoed:
"Xuan Zi, you get out here for this old man!"
The voice did not sound loud at first, but once it reached one's ears, it rumbled like distant thunder, as if a series of muted booms were detonating inside one's mind. Those few words blanketed all of Shrek Academy like heavy clouds. The teachers and students paled, while those with weaker cultivation struggled to breathe and looked ready to collapse.
In the Outer Courtyard's Martial Spirit Department Director's office, Du Weilun, who had been leisurely propping up his feet, found his expression changing drastically. He swiftly grabbed a sound-amplifying Spirit Guidance Device and urgently announced, "The academy is under attack by a powerful enemy! All homeroom teachers, immediately bring your students back to the classrooms. No one is allowed to go out on their own!"
Then, with a shake of his body, Du Weilun opened the window and flew toward Sea God Island.
"Old Freak Du, so it's you..."
Elder Xuan's deep voice resounded above Shrek Academy. A beam of earthy-yellow light shot into the sky. At the same time, one mighty aura after another burst forth from within Shrek Academy, and pillars of spirit power followed close behind Elder Xuan.
"So Shrek Academy wants to use numbers to bully the few? Fine, let's see how we compare!"
More than twenty blinding columns of light rose from outside the academy to meet those aura pillars. Each beam surged into the sky steadfastly, but the foremost, a murky green pillar, dominated the rest with its overwhelming might.
At the center of the murky green pillar stood a tall, elderly man with long, ink-green hair draped over his back. The more than twenty beams of light lined up side by side, revealing their forms: individuals with large heads, thick legs, and qilin-like arms. They were all, without exception, misshapen individuals of varying appearances. The fact that they could float in mid-air based on their own cultivation meant the newcomers were all Spirit Douluo experts.
Elder Xuan stood in the air above Sea God Island, with over thirty Titled Douluo and Spirit Douluo behind him. Shrek Academy's high-end combat power had turned out in full strength.
Over by the Outer Courtyard's teaching buildings, countless students pressed themselves against the windows, watching the distant sky and letting their imaginations run wild. Such a confrontation between top-tier powerhouses wasn't something one could witness any day. This was true not only for the Outer Courtyard students; even Inner Courtyard students with more experience were seeing this for the first time. Relying on their formidable cultivation, some had even endured the pressure and made their way to the island to watch.
Compared to his former spirited appearance, the Abyss of Suffering had caused Elder Xuan's inner demons to resurface. Not only had his cultivation fallen to Rank 97, but he also looked much more haggard. From under his messy white hair, his clouded eyes stared coldly at the leading elder opposite him as he said, "The entire Body Sect has come out. Du Busi, do you intend to go to war with our Shrek Academy?"
Han Ruoruo's body tensed the moment the words 'Body Sect' were spoken. No wonder the other party dared to invade so brazenly. It was actually the Body Sect, an existence on par with Shrek's Sea God Pavilion. She looked at the sky with some apprehension. If these two super factions started fighting, Shrek City might be reduced to ruins.
Ling Bai remained unruffled in comparison. The Body Sect had come looking for Huo Yuhao; this matter had nothing to do with him. Might as well consider what to eat for lunch.
Confronted by Elder Xuan, the Rank 98 Body Douluo Du Busi answered with a dismissive snort:
"Xuan Zi, this old man doesn't want to waste words with you; let's get straight to the point. Who on the Douluo Continent doesn't know that the Body Sect protects its own? Two of our Spirit Douluo died at the hands of that damned Death Abyss Douluo. You've fought him; tell me his abilities and identity. I don't believe Shrek Academy hasn't been secretly investigating him!"
The mention of the Death Abyss Douluo actually stirred a sense of fear deep within Elder Xuan's heart, something unprecedented in his over two hundred years of life. He did his utmost to suppress the strange feeling and said in a deep voice:
"Old Freak Du, Shrek Academy has indeed been investigating Death Abyss Douluo, but so far we've found nothing. It's as if he sprang from a crack in the rocks. He hadn't done anything significant in the past; killing your Body Sect members was his first major act."
"Fine, then the Body Sect will investigate on its own!"
Du Busi declared. He did not doubt Elder Xuan was deceiving him, because Elder Xuan had no reason to. The fiercer the Body Sect fought Death Abyss Douluo, the more it would benefit Shrek Academy. He continued:
"There's another matter. You mentioned going to war earlier, didn't you? I think Shrek is the one trying to start a war. Don't pretend you don't know that Body Martial Spirits are, by default, disciples of the Body Sect. You're secretly harboring a Body Sect disciple and still trying to pin the blame on this old man?! Hand that kid over, or today I'll rip your two cow hooves off!"
Elder Xuan's eyes narrowed, and his aura surged, causing the wind and clouds to churn. Huo Yuhao possessed Body and Ultimate Ice Twin Martial Spirits. Shrek Academy had placed great hopes on him and would never hand him over to the Body Sect!
"Enough idle talk! Du Busi, let's take this to the sky and fight! See if this old man doesn't tear your shorts off!"
A heavy light dyed half the sky an earthy yellow. Nine spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, and red—rose. The seventh spirit ring shone, and the Godly Taotie Bull raised its head, letting out a furious roar!
"Come on then! It's been a hundred years since I've had a satisfying fight!"
Du Busi licked his lips excitedly, and an overpowering aura suddenly erupted. A strong, murky green light propped up the sky above the Body Sect's side. Yellow and green stood in stark contrast. He, too, activated his seventh spirit ring, Martial Spirit Avatar, and his body instantly expanded, enlarging more than tenfold in the blink of an eye.
His ink-green skin bulged as granite-hard muscles rippled beneath. His lower body was covered by a pair of shorts protecting his vital parts. With two yellow, two purple, two black, and three red spirit rings, this Sect Master of the Body Sect possessed as many as three 100,000-year spirit rings! The two powerhouses fully unleashed their Martial Spirit Avatars, and their overwhelming auras ignited the entire sky!
In perfect synchrony, the Godly Taotie Bull and the Body Giant executed identical moves: crouching, accelerating, and colliding! A low, muffled boom reverberated through the air as both the Body Sect's and Shrek Academy's elites retreated a hundred meters, yielding the battlefield to the two Super Douluo!
"Yuhao, now is the time to make your decision..."
In the underground space beneath the Ancient Golden Tree, Elder Mu explained to Huo Yuhao the origins of the Body Sect and Body Martial Spirits, then quietly awaited his choice.
Huo Yuhao knelt on the spot and firmly declared, "Elder Mu, Shrek Academy is as warm and dear to me as home. Teacher Xiao Ya, Big Senior Brother, and Second Senior Brother are all like family. I will always be a Shrek student and a Tang Sect disciple. There is no way I will join the Body Sect—even if my Spirit Eyes Martial Spirit never undergoes a Second Awakening in my lifetime!"
"Good child."
Elder Mu said kindly, but within that kindness was a trace of determination. "The Body Sect's conduct is domineering. You possess a Body Martial Spirit; if we can't find a reason to stop Du Busi, he definitely won't let it go easily. Yuhao, are you willing to become my closed-door disciple?"
Huo Yuhao had many shortcomings and was far from perfect. However, Ling Bai, who could have inherited all of his spirit power and abilities, refused to take on the responsibility of protecting Shrek. Thus, Elder Mu could only settle for the devoted Huo Yuhao as his closed-door disciple, making a strategic move for the future.
Huo Yuhao had no reason to refuse. He addressed Elder Mu as 'Teacher' and kowtowed. Wang Dong's eyes flickered, and he volunteered to become Elder Mu's closed-door disciple as well. Thinking of their Spirit Fusion Skill, Elder Mu nodded in agreement.
The sky above Shrek Academy was deafeningly loud. The Body Douluo Du Busi and Taotie Douluo Elder Xuan had begun their battle. The sky within a hundred miles radius changed color due to their fight. One side a deep yellow, the other a domineering ink-green. Each occupied one side of the sky, and at the place where the two colors met, fierce winds and swirling clouds surged along with their clash.
The Godly Taotie Bull charged forward relentlessly, its yellow glow surging like a colossal wave toward Du Busi. Transformed into a green giant, Du Busi strode fearlessly through the empty air to meet the onslaught head-on.
At the moment of collision, a terrifying pressure, as if the sky were collapsing and the earth sinking, descended from above. The buildings of Shrek's Outer Courtyard let out pained groans. The students there trembled as teachers emerged from classrooms, circulating their spirit power to steady the structures.
For a brief moment, the two titans confronted each other. The green giant's massive hands gripped the enormous horns of the Godly Taotie Bull as they tested each other's strength. The light on their bodies flickered, but they remained almost motionless.
Streaks of black light constantly flashed around them. Within the black light, faint starlight could be seen. That was space cracking!
The strength in the ink-green giant's hands gradually increased, and the Godly Taotie Bull's head was pressed downward. Du Busi, having gained the upper hand, wore a face of astonishment:
"I thought it was just my imagination at first, Xuan Zi, but how have you gotten weaker? The last time I saw you, you were much stronger than you are now. What does it mean to regress the more you cultivate? Did that Death Abyss Douluo hit your vital artery?"
Du Busi regarded Elder Xuan as one of his lifelong rivals. Seeing his current state, he felt both pity for his misfortune and frustration at his failure to live up to expectations. He gathered all his strength and threw the Godly Taotie Bull away, having lost interest in competing with Elder Xuan.
"What are you lot standing around for? Rush in and seize the boy!"
The Chief Elder of the Body Sect, Tiger Arm Douluo Chen Hu, seeing that Du Busi had the battle well in hand, summoned the sect members to seize Huo Yuhao.
But Shrek Academy's side wasn't sitting idle. Elder Song transformed into the Greenshadow Godly Hawk and, together with the recovered Elder Xuan, engaged Du Busi. The others clashed with their respective counterparts. In the ensuing melee, some fifty to sixty top experts from both super factions engaged in chaotic combat.
Ling Bai had to admit that the Body Sect was indeed formidable as he watched the explosion of multicolored spirit skills and the battle between misshapen individuals and fully unleashed Martial Spirit Avatars. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Shrek Academy, and the soon-to-be-established Illustrious Virtue Hall of the Sun Moon Empire—the Body Sect had nearly offended every major power on the Douluo Continent.
"Little Junior Brother, let's go help the Outer Courtyard," Han Ruoruo said.
The Outer Courtyard covered a vast area and was being affected by the shockwaves of the battle. The Outer Courtyard teachers generally had Spirit King or Spirit Emperor level cultivation, making it difficult for them to resist the aftershocks of battles involving Spirit Douluo and Titled Douluo. Many Inner Courtyard students had already voluntarily headed to the Outer Courtyard to protect their junior brothers and sisters and help them safely navigate the crisis.
"Alright."
The two were just crossing Sea God Lake, rushing toward the Outer Courtyard, when suddenly the Spider Emperor Sense issued a warning. Ling Bai instantly pulled Han Ruoruo close and, with a single flap of his angelic wings, dashed forward with such speed that he left an afterimage in the sky.
BOOM—
In the next second, their afterimage was torn apart by a pitch-black blade light. The blade light fell into Sea God Lake, throwing up a cascade of enormous splashes.
As the water droplets dispersed, the scene cleared. A man in black robes carrying a large blade appeared. He stared directly at the two and grinned:
"Kekekeke, the sneak attack failed. Your Seraphim's perception is extraordinarily keen.
This Seat is Malevolent Douluo, the Eighth Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult. Just so you, boy, can be an informed ghost on your way to the underworld."
"Holy Spirit Cult, huh..."
Ling Bai chuckled wryly. These Evil Spirit Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult really liked to put on airs. Then his eyes sparkled, and he asked:
"Malevolent Douluo, did you come alone?"
With Shrek's experts entangled by the Body Sect, Malevolent Douluo believed the gap in cultivation between himself and Ling Bai was vast, and killing him with a single slash would be a trivial matter. Chatting a bit more wouldn't hurt, so he sneered:
"Kekeke, as soon as they heard the Seraphim was at Shrek, those cowards didn't dare to come. Little did they know that the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish. By devouring the pure soul of the Seraphim, This Seat's Malevolent Demon Blade will surely evolve into the number one Evil Martial Spirit on the continent!"
Punching the Holy Spirit Cult Leader, kicking the Dragon Emperor's Grand Elder, seizing the position of Supreme Leader… Malevolent Douluo couldn't help but laugh heartily as he envisioned his bright future prospects. Then he noticed Ling Bai and Han Ruoruo giving him a look as if he were an idiot, and angrily shouted:
"Hey, what's with those looks? Show some respect!"
Ling Bai covered his face and sighed, "The world really has turned upside down. Evil Spirit Masters dare to set their sights on the Seraphim now...
No prize for the right answer, but ten thousand years ago, the Evil Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent were as meek as quails. Can you guess why?"
"You... you..."
At that moment, Malevolent Douluo had a sudden, ominous feeling.
"I was just about to break through to Rank 60, and then you delivered yourself to my doorstep.
Old Eighth, thank you. I truly mean it."