Chapter 319: The Fall of Taotie Douluo
"Aren't you from the Soul Palace?! Strong Empire?! You lied to this old man who's lived over two centuries! Have you no shame?!"
Xuan Zi cursed in rage, realizing too late that he had been completely deceived. Had he known earlier that the incoming fleet belonged to the Soul Palace, he might've fled with what little of Shrek remained. But now… all of Shrek's forces were gathered and staring down the enemy. Retreat was no longer an option.
Worse, many who had joined Shrek recently did so only to hedge their bets. They were never true believers. Even if they were loyal, evacuating everyone under pressure from a Soul Palace fleet would be suicidal—someone would have to stay behind to buy time.
And the only person capable of that… was Xuan Zi himself.
But could he even do that? His strength was inferior to Xiao Sheng's. If the former Blood Martial Spirit Titled Douluo were still alive, they might stand a chance. But now, the fight would be one-sided. Xuan Zi would only die.
Still, because the Soul Palace came under the guise of the so-called "Strong Empire," he couldn't even justify retreating. Not now.
He had no speed advantage, no reinforcements, no miracles to call upon. If he fled, Shrek would collapse completely—its students, teachers, and remaining backbone lost forever.
The Name Game
"What unclaimed land?" Xuan Zi barked. "This is Shrek Continent! It belongs to Shrek! We fought and bled for it!"
Xiao Sheng remained calm. "Then let's follow your own academy's creed—those who dare not cause trouble are mediocre. As of now, this continent belongs to my Strong Empire. Any objections?"
Xuan Zi trembled with fury. But before he could retort again, Ling Luochen stepped forward.
Four purple and five black soul rings emerged in perfect sequence, and with them came the crushing aura of a level 95 Super Douluo.
"Extreme Ice… level 95?!" Xuan Zi's pupils contracted.
It had been only ten years since he last saw Ling Luochen. Back then, she was just a mid-tier soul master. Now she had become a Super Douluo of the ultimate element?
"If she had shown this back in Shrek…" he thought bitterly. "We could've invested in her. Promised her spirit bones, a hundred-thousand-year ring. Something…"
But it was too late. She was no longer someone he could tempt with promises. Shrek's true method of cultivation—empty dreams and empty pockets—no longer held sway.
In the original novel, even Huo Yuhao, who sacrificed so much, never received a single spirit bone from Shrek. Everything he had, he earned on his own. Ling Luochen—whose only 'mistake' was leaving—would have fared no better had she stayed.
Frost and Fury
Ling Luochen sneered, her Ice Staff glowing with deadly brilliance.
"What's impossible? Do you think every force is like your Shrek Academy—wasting geniuses and throwing them away when they stop being useful?"
Her eighth soul ring lit up, and beams of extreme cold energy burst from her staff. The sheer power of the Ultimate Ice, amplified through her tenth-level soul tool, instantly annihilated every soul master caught in the freezing blast.
"How dare you!" Xuan Zi roared, watching key Shrek elites—irreplaceable cores of their future—fall like insects.
Furious, he activated his Martial Soul True Body, surging forward to stop her.
But at that moment, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo moved into action.
Their sky-blue hair burst into radiant bloom, martial spirits awakened a second time, and their martial soul fusion skill engaged. They didn't need to fully immobilize Xuan Zi—just slow him down.
And they succeeded.
Ling Luochen, now with overwhelming support, was no longer merely a match—she was a threat.
"Ninth Soul Skill: Attribute Sublimation!"
The chill in the air turned lethal. Her staff glowed with condensed ultimate ice, powered by both the ninth ring and her soul tool. Xuan Zi's instincts screamed. This was no ordinary attack—it was death.
Just as he braced himself for a final stand, he suddenly felt… nothing.
His body froze. His mind blanked. Everything slowed to a stop.
"Absolute Zero!"
The cry rang out as Ling Luochen unleashed her ultimate move. Even Xiao Sheng, who had prepared to intervene, slowly lowered his hand. There was no need.
Xuan Zi had been turned to ice.
A moment later, his frozen body cracked and shattered.
The End of an Era
The head of the Sea God Pavilion, the last remaining backbone of the ancient Shrek, the once-feared Taotie Douluo, Xuan Zi, had fallen.
He had ruled as a 98th-level Titled Douluo for more than two centuries.
But even that couldn't save him.
He died not in glorious battle against a rival master—but as a relic, frozen and shattered by one of Shrek's discarded students.
And with him, the last flame of Shrek's legacy began to flicker out.