Shrek City.
The South City Wall.
Once the strongest fortification of Shrek City, the South City Wall had now become its biggest weakness. With no time to repair the damaged wall, Soul Masters had to take its place, forming a wall of flesh and blood. Fortunately, Shrek City still boasted many powerful fighters.
At the broken section of the wall, three Title Douluo and more than twenty Soul Douluo stood guard.
The three Title Douluo included an elderly man and two middle-aged men.
The elder, hunched and gaunt with a withered face, had eyes that sparkled sharply despite his age. His overwhelming pressure marked him as a Super Douluo. He was the former Lord of Shrek City, retired due to age and health, but this crisis had forced him back into action.
To his left stood a tall, robust middle-aged man, around forty, with a square face, thick brows, and commanding presence — the acting City Lord, Time Douluo Shi Xing. With the old lord retired, Shi Xing had taken over city affairs and even attended Sea God Pavilion meetings in his stead. Barring any surprises, he was expected to become the next City Lord of Shrek.
Shi Xing had reached Level 94, with hopes of breaking through to Super Douluo.
To the right was a man of similar strength but older, near fifty. Towering and majestic in red battle armor, he radiated a sharp, ready-for-battle aura. This was Mad Blade Douluo Xue Kuang, a Title Douluo from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the top administrator of the sect's businesses in Shrek City.
Xue Kuang had stepped up not only because of the sect's alliance with Shrek Academy but also to build goodwill. Normally, he wouldn't risk it — Shrek's strength didn't need his help, and doing so posed danger. Had he known in advance, he might have waited for sect orders instead. But now, with the threat immediate and public, his absence would have been seen as neglect.
This wasn't just lending a hand — this was delivering help in Shrek's hour of need.
Among the twenty-plus Soul Douluo present, two were also from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Fewer than ten came from other city factions, each needing to leave their own defenders behind. The Nine Treasure Sect did the same — with Xue Kuang present, two Soul Douluo were enough to show support.
The rest came from the Shrek City Lord's Mansion — more than half the number, mostly young with great potential to reach Title Douluo.
This strength surprised many.
Even Xue Kuang couldn't help but sigh, "Shrek Academy is truly growing stronger and stronger."
Yet even with this lineup, none of the commanders relaxed. Instead, their expressions were grim.
If brute strength alone could stop the beast tide, there would be no need to reinforce the wall.
But now, without the South Wall's protection, things would be much harder.
Worse still, the earlier catastrophe had severely damaged Shrek's Soul Master army.
Now, fewer than a thousand soldiers were left defending the South Wall, most visibly shaken.
Shrek's entire defense force only numbered around 10,000 — and funding such a force already pushed Shrek Academy to its limits, both economically and politically.
The Three Great Empires only tolerated this much because Shrek's army wasn't made up of average soldiers.
Many students who failed to enter the inner court or lacked backing joined the army, resulting in over 30% Soul Master composition — all capable of at least reaching Soul Emperor rank in the future.
Compared to imperial armies, Shrek's troops were elite.
Once, 3,000 of them held off the Sun-Moon Empire for fifteen days.
Typically, the South Wall had over 3,000 defenders, with an even higher Soul Master ratio.
But even so, few survived the Titan Snow Demon King's recent assault.
Only a few hundred died on the spot — but tens of thousands were affected.
Not just soldiers on the wall, but Soul Masters and civilians behind the wall were also harmed.
Many were killed, injured, or maimed by shockwaves. Some died crying out for help, untreated.
The death toll kept climbing.
Wounded filled the city, and healing Soul Masters and doctors were overwhelmed.
Some defenders from other walls were now rushing to reinforce the South Wall.
But before they arrived, the beast tide reached the city.
With the plain offering no delay, countless red-eyed soul beasts charged straight for the South Wall's breach.
Without the wall's defenses or soul tool bombardments, the defenders faced the beasts in hand-to-hand combat.
"Charge!!"
"Don't let a single beast enter Shrek City!"
"For the glory of Shrek!!"
The defenders activated their Martial Souls and charged into the horde to halt the assault.
Even those terrified out of their minds stood their ground.
They fought for the glory of Shrek Academy, determined to die before retreating.
It was clear: strong faith alone could empower the desperate to unleash incredible strength.
Fortunately, the first wave of beasts were mostly cannon fodder — ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts.
And the defenders still had many Soul Masters.
They gained the upper hand, and morale began to recover.
But this was just the beginning.
None of the Soul Sages or stronger had acted yet. Their job was to watch for ten-thousand-year soul beasts, or worse — Beast Kings and Fierce Beasts.
Every beast tide from Star Dou Forest hid such terrors.
Soon, thousand-year soul beasts began to appear, increasing the pressure.
Luckily, reinforcements from the other walls arrived — 2,000 more defenders and some soul tool cannons.
With fresh troops and artillery, morale surged. The defenders pushed the tide back again. Even thousand-year soul beasts were repelled from the breach.
But then — ten-thousand-year soul beasts appeared, and not just one!
The commanding Soul Masters on the wall frowned.
This tide was fiercer than ever before.
Ten-thousand-year beasts, with intelligence and cunning, hid among the horde to launch surprise attacks.
A few defenders were about to fall.
"For the glory of Shrek Academy!"
They roared defiantly, raising weapons, prepared to die but determined to inflict wounds.
It was a moving sight.
Some Soul Masters among the leaders could hardly restrain themselves any longer.
Just then — a clear voice rang out from within the city.
"Ultimate Ice – Frost Centipede Fist!"
A moment later, a beam of icy light shot from the city, piercing the attacking ten-thousand-year soul beast!
Huo Yuhao: The protagonist always shows up at the critical moment!
The millennia-old soul beast, pierced by the icy light, was instantly frozen into a block of ice and killed on the spot, saving the defending soldiers under its maw from certain death.
The defenders were stunned, unable to react.
In the sky, Xue Kuang wore a look of surprise. "Such cold ice!"
However, the old city lord and Shi Xing both seemed to realize something.
They recognized it—this was the Ultimate Ice!
And within Shrek Academy, there was only one soul master known for possessing the Ultimate Ice.
As if responding to their thoughts, an icy aura began spreading from within Shrek City. Frost quickly formed on the city walls, and ice layers sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, rapidly filling the collapsed sections.
"Rise!"
With a low shout, an Ice Wall rose from the ground!
Before countless astonished eyes, the ultimate ice surged and stacked, quickly forming a city wall over twenty zhang (approximately 66 meters) tall.
Not only did it fill the missing sections of the wall, it became even more majestic and towering than the original.
Those nearby, both defenders and powerful soul masters, were forced to distance themselves due to the intense cold radiating from the wall.
And at the very top of this massive icy wall stood a young figure clad in frost armor, arms crossed, standing tall like a banner. A silken cape billowed behind him, glowing faintly with a gentle light.
Six pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul rings floated around him—an extraordinary soul ring configuration that spoke to his immense strength and identity.
"I am Huo Yuhao, disciple of Dragon God Douluo Mu En, a core disciple of the Shrek Academy's inner court! I will not allow a single soul beast to cross this wall!"
—His voice echoed in everyone's hearts.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao was a shining beacon of heroism.
Even Xue Kuang in the sky couldn't help but feel intimidated by his presence. "Such aura at such a young age! And that posture, those soul rings—could he be…?"
Xue Kuang too realized who he was.
Huo Yuhao's information had already spread among high-level figures after the Soul Master Tournament, though most thought it was exaggerated fiction. But now, seeing him in person, Xue Kuang realized that Huo Yuhao was even stronger than the rumors said.
It had been less than six months since the tournament, and Huo Yuhao had already broken through to Soul Emperor (sixth rank)!
The old city lord and Shi Xing were equally shocked.
They knew of Huo Yuhao—Shi Xing had even met him and knew he'd reached Soul Emperor. But neither had imagined that he possessed such overwhelming power.
This kid… is a Soul Emperor?
And only thirteen years old?
Even most Titled Douluo couldn't rebuild a city wall in one go, yet Huo Yuhao used Ultimate Ice to reconstruct one. Just how dense was his soul power?
In that instant, everyone on the battlefield—including powerhouses from various factions—recognized Huo Yuhao's presence for the first time, and acknowledged that he now stood on equal footing with them.
In the Sea God Pavilion, Mu En—who had been closely watching the battle at the southern wall—showed a surprised but gratified smile.
He hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to achieve so much either.
"Yuhao is a good kid. With him here, I can rest easy for the future."
Though the crisis at the south wall hadn't passed, Huo Yuhao's construction of the Ultimate Ice Wall had greatly boosted morale.
Having a wall and not having one made all the difference.
Even if the defenders couldn't step onto this ultimate ice wall, it gave them confidence—because the soul beasts absolutely couldn't cross into the city to wreak havoc.
The defenders, newly emboldened, pushed the beast tide back several hundred meters.
Elder Song and others who had just arrived at the south wall witnessed Huo Yuhao's feat. They couldn't help but smile and felt more satisfied with him.
Elder Zhuang: "Old Mu sure took in a fine disciple."
Elder Song nodded, "Indeed. Shrek's legacy is secured."
Their words clearly showed that the elders were already leaning toward supporting Huo Yuhao.
The inner court students who came along were equally shocked.
Was Huo Yuhao really just a fellow inner court student like them?
He couldn't be an elder in disguise, could he?
"Huo Yuhao's a Soul Emperor?" Wu Ming, who had met him before, exclaimed.
"That's not the point," Hua Yao added, "The point is—how is this even something a Soul Emperor can do?"
As a control-type Soul Sage herself, Hua Yao admitted she couldn't come close to what Huo Yuhao had achieved—not even a tenth of it.
"Luochen has a great boyfriend," Hua Yao suddenly sighed.
Wu Ming nodded. As long as the strength was there, nothing else mattered.
Had she not known about his relationship with Ling Luochen, Wu Ming might've fallen for him too—because Huo Yuhao was exactly the kind of man she dreamed of.
Zhang Lexuan was surprised too, but quickly composed herself and began organizing the inner court students to assist in fighting back the beast tide.
Still, the image of Huo Yuhao standing tall on the wall was deeply etched into everyone's minds.
Several senior students felt that… maybe it wasn't so bad to date someone younger.
Not everyone knew about Huo Yuhao and Ling Luochen's relationship.
Ling Luochen, Ma Xiaotao, and Wei Na were also involved in the defense, joining a squad of inner court students to both gain experience and ensure their safety.
And as for Huo Yuhao?
He remained atop the wall, unmoving, guarding it alone.
Creating such a massive wall consumed immense soul power. It made sense he couldn't keep fighting.
So although it looked like Huo Yuhao had done a lot, in reality, he hadn't done anything in the direct battle.
In fact, the wall forced soul masters and defenders to engage the beasts outside in close combat—with no retreat into the city possible.
The southern wall defenders were now fighting with their backs to the wall.
And due to the wall's extreme cold, no one approached Huo Yuhao, so no one noticed anything strange about him.
By destroying and then reconstructing the wall, Huo Yuhao gained massive prestige, further escalating the conflict between Shrek and the Star Dou Forest. He now also had a reason not to directly participate.
In the beast tide, Huo Yuhao did nothing in battle, but when it came to reaping benefits, he did not miss a beat.
His Ghost Banner Martial Soul had long since hidden underground.
Compared to the last beast tide in the Far North, it could now cover a wider area and play a much greater role.
The blood and souls generated by the clashes between soul masters and soul beasts were absorbed by the Ghost Banner, nourishing it.
His Blood Fiend Domain could evolve by absorbing this blood and killing aura.
There was plenty of that in this war.
Sadly, he couldn't steal corpses this time—otherwise, his Blood Lotus seeds would've increased greatly.
Those seeds were now an important cultivation resource for him, used to improve his physical strength and blood vitality, helping form blood-type soul rings.
But opportunities would come.
On top of that, Huo Yuhao hadn't forgotten about luck (fate energy).
The visualizations of White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Heavenly Dragon Horse all appeared above his head, quickly absorbing the ambient fate energy of the battlefield to grow stronger.
His White Tiger had already reached a solid level of growth.
But the Black Tortoise and Heavenly Dragon Horse still had plenty of room to grow.
Huo Yuhao: "Leave the rear to me—don't worry, everyone!"
The way Shrek Academy's garrison handled the beast tide differed significantly from the methods employed by the various sects during the tide in the Extreme North that Huo Yuhao had witnessed.
After all, the Shrek troops were a formal military force. They formed battle formations, coordinated skillfully, and became a unified force with both offensive and defensive capabilities. While casualties were still inevitable, the disciplined formations allowed the limited number of defenders to resist a far greater number of soul beasts.
The garrison's enhanced combat effectiveness slowed their casualty rate.
A mere 3,000 defenders managed to hold off a tide of over 10,000 soul beasts head-on!
This success was largely due to the arrival of soul tool cannons and the powerful individuals who held back the more formidable soul beasts.
With these strong reinforcements and the participation of Shrek Academy's inner court disciples, the defenders' pressure significantly decreased.
The garrison's primary opponents were now soul beasts under the 10,000-year level. Occasionally, soul beasts of up to 30,000 years appeared near their formations, but the troops could generally handle them.
Stronger beasts were left to be dealt with by other powerful fighters.
In addition to Titled Douluos, many Soul Douluos and Soul Sages entered the battlefield, targeting soul beasts above the 50,000-year level.
Inner court disciples, led by Zhang Lexuan, formed small teams to engage beasts over 10,000 years old.
Titled Douluos remained airborne, monitoring for possible appearances of Beast Kings or Savage Beasts, while also protecting the important disciples below. Even Titled Douluos couldn't shield everyone on the battlefield, so they focused on safeguarding those they deemed promising—especially the inner court disciples.
Besides the old city lord, Shi Xing, and Xue Kuang, the Seagod Pavilion had also sent Elder Lin, Elder Song, and Elder Zhuang.
Only Elder Zhuang had the capacity to assist the entire garrison formation, occasionally casting large-scale healing soul skills to keep the defenders alive.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao still stood motionless atop the city wall—but no one questioned this.
Even if he did nothing else, he had already made a monumental contribution. The wall he had constructed had become a pillar of morale for the defenders.
Huo Yuhao stood there with arms crossed, eyes narrowed as he watched the battlefield below.
Though the defenders were dying less frequently, soul beasts were being slain rapidly—especially with the arrival of powerful reinforcements. Even 10,000- and 50,000-year soul beasts were starting to fall.
These powerful soul beasts were easily identifiable—either no weaker beasts dared approach them, or their sheer size and aura made them obvious targets.
This made them prime prey for expert snipers.
Blood and death were constant on the battlefield.
Beyond the ice wall, the scene had become a veritable meat grinder.
And it was the perfect feeding ground for the Ghost Banner Martial Soul, which greedily absorbed the blood energy, baleful aura, and souls.
The battlefield was an ideal place to harvest these.
Yet no one had noticed the Ghost Banner Martial Soul's presence.
It was now close to absorbing the souls of 700 ten-thousand-year soul beasts!
"If everything goes smoothly, this tide will allow the Ghost Banner to evolve into the Thousand Soul Banner!" Huo Yuhao thought.
The Ghost Banner's growth depended not only on quantity, but quality as well. Only ten-thousand-year beast souls or Soul King-level souls could significantly enhance it.
Fortunately, absorbing a few hundred-thousand-year beast souls earlier had already brought it to the brink of evolution.
And the southern wall wasn't the only place to gather beast souls.
While it bore the initial brunt of the assault, some soul beasts bypassed it to attack other walls.
Thankfully, the other walls were well-prepared. Their defenders had the wall for support, used soul tool cannons, and were commanded by powerful Titled Douluos like Qian Duoduo.
Although those walls didn't see the same intensity of battle as the southern wall, they actually killed soul beasts at a faster rate.
Meanwhile, centipede-legged puppets, each carrying a soul-harvesting artifact, had long since been positioned outside the walls to collect beast souls and energies in secret.
In chaotic times, heroes emerge!
Calamity often reveals the rise of prodigies.
This beast tide was no exception—some inner court disciples stood out with remarkable performances.
The elders were extremely pleased.
Huo Yuhao also witnessed the inner court's dazzling talent.
Wu Ming's Golden Crow True Flame made even 50,000-year soul beasts retreat in fear.
Hua Yao, a control-type soul master, led several others to face an entire beast pack led by multiple ten-thousand-year soul beasts—and came out on top.
Then there was Han Ruoruo, the other Soul Douluo besides Zhang Lexuan in the inner court. She wielded her martial soul, the Golden Light Rope, like a whip and literally beat a 60,000-year soul beast to death.
Han Ruoruo was one of the oldest disciples in the inner court, with strength and seniority second only to Zhang Lexuan.
She had a mature beauty that made her quite captivating. Unlike Wu Ming and Hua Yao, who were simply still single, Han Ruoruo was single because of her dedication to cultivation and emotionally aloof nature. When she finally decided to find a partner, she realized there were no age-mates left—and she had no clue what kind of person she liked.
In the original story, during the next Sea God Fate Festival, she publicly declared she didn't know who she liked, but if anyone liked her, they could step forward. That's how Wang Yan, who had long admired her, ended up winning her heart.
Yes, Han Ruoruo and Wang Yan were close in age—she was just a few years younger than him.
Zhang Lexuan, meanwhile, didn't show off much. She simply raised her Bright Moon and suppressed the battlefield with her aura.
But her role was more critical—she coordinated the entire field, commanding the inner court disciples against the beast tide.
Her martial soul was their banner!
Of course, the inner court wasn't only filled with elites. Most disciples were Soul Kings or Soul Emperors, and there was a notable gender imbalance—Huo Yuhao hadn't yet seen a single male inner court disciple with seven rings.
Among the Soul Emperor-level disciples, the most outstanding was undoubtedly Ling Luochen.
Not just because she had help in battle, but because of her own overwhelming power.
On one part of the battlefield, Ling Luochen and Ma Xiaotao, one ice and one fire, worked together to create an Ice-Fire Vortex, turning the area into a deadly zone where any soul beast caught in it was torn apart by the clashing elements.
It was both gory and breathtakingly beautiful.
Protected behind them was Wei Na, whose healing skills soothed the fatigue of the front-line pair.
The three had originally been wandering the city with Huo Yuhao. When the southern wall was attacked, they followed him to the frontlines.
Huo Yuhao held the wall—while the trio plunged into battle.
Wei Na handled healing. Ma Xiaotao led the offense. Ling Luochen balanced control and damage.
Perhaps due to their many cooperative ranked games with Huo Yuhao, the trio's coordination was impeccable.
Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen even executed a combo move—Ice-Fire Dual Realm. After their last battle against the Ice Soul Serpent, their teamwork had only improved.
Their stunning performance soon attracted the attention of a three-meter-tall 50,000-year Rampaging Baboon King.
Baboon King: More experts? Let me test them!
It activated its innate skill Rage, boosting all attributes and dulling its pain, then charged through the Ice-Fire Vortex to swipe at Ma Xiaotao.
She dodged nimbly.
But Ling Luochen stepped up, raised her left arm, clenched her fist—and punched straight into the beast's path.
Bang!
A bone-rattling collision echoed out.
The Rampaging Baboon King was sent flying by a single punch!
This was the power of the Titan Snow Demon's left arm, a gift from a hundred-thousand-year soul beast—not a soul bone, but even stronger.
The beast's razor-sharp claws didn't even leave a mark on Ling Luochen's pale, delicate hand.
Huo Yuhao (watching):
"If only I could buy some osmanthus wine and share it with her…"
Although Ling Luocheng had only just begun to adapt to and develop the power of her left arm, it was already enough for her to display some of the aura of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
After clashing fists, Ling Luocheng took half a step back, her internal energy surging. Fortunately, the ice-attribute soul power quickly calmed the disturbance.
Now, the only thing holding Ling Luocheng back was the original strength of her own body.
Luckily, it was still within her control.
After sending the Berserk Baboon King flying, Ling Luocheng didn't stop there. Her sixth soul ring flashed, and ice-attribute soul power gathered on her left arm.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Ice Soul Freeze!"
She threw another punch, this time into empty air, unleashing a tidal wave of frigid cold that froze everything ahead — including the Berserk Baboon King, who had been trying to stand up.
Not only was the Berserk Baboon King frozen, but the cold wave extended 200 meters further, freezing and instantly killing dozens of different kinds of thousand-year soul beasts behind it!
With a crash, the ice shattered into crystals — and the dead soul beasts turned to icy fragments, with no complete corpses remaining.
Ice Soul Freeze: Releases a wave of extreme cold that freezes everything in front of the caster. Can be used instantly. Charging the skill increases its effect.
This was already an excellent control-type soul skill: fast-casting and effective.
And with the enhancement of the hundred-thousand-year Titan Snow Demon left arm, the skill's power and lethality increased significantly.
Through experimenting with her left arm, Ling Luocheng realized that it not only gave her tremendous power but could also serve as a conduit for releasing soul skills — enhancing their lethality. Skills that were originally for control now leaned toward offense.
Even soul skills that were not meant to be lethal gained deadly effects.
For example—
Her first soul ring lit up.
"First Soul Skill: Ice Staff!" Ling Luocheng raised her left arm again, striking a throwing pose. An ice spear condensed in her hand.
At the same time, Ma Xiaotao activated her own soul skill.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Phoenix Piercing the Clouds!"
The ice spear was thrown by Ling Luocheng, and a graceful little fire phoenix followed alongside it, colliding with the frozen Berserk Baboon King.
Though the Baboon King had endured the Ice Soul Freeze, the follow-up ice-and-fire combo blew it to pieces. A pitch-black fifty-thousand-year soul ring slowly formed.
The joint attack had incredible power!
Landing beside Ling Luocheng, Ma Xiaotao joked, "Luocheng, the soul skill you released with your left arm is different from before — your staff turned into a spear. Shouldn't the name change too? Instead of Ice Staff, how about Ice Spear?"
Ling Luocheng froze for a moment, then became visibly excited. "You're right!"
This meant that, in the future, her set of soul rings could release two different types of soul skills!
Wouldn't that mean every ring had the effect of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring?!
While the two chatted, Wei Na suddenly exclaimed, "Sister Xiaotao, Sister Luocheng, look where the Berserk Baboon King died!"
The two turned quickly, their expressions changing — for at the site of the Baboon King's death, a soul bone had dropped!
Without hesitation, Ma Xiaotao dashed forward, snatched up the soul bone, and quickly stashed it in her soul guide device without even checking it.
Ling Luocheng glanced around to make sure no one had seen them before finally relaxing a bit.
After all, the area wasn't just filled with students from Shrek Academy, but also powerful figures from many other factions.
If any underhanded stuff happened, it would be a big problem.
None of the three expected the Berserk Baboon King to drop a soul bone!
Even a Titled Douluo would be tempted by a fifty-thousand-year soul bone!
They weren't fools, so they didn't discuss it further — but the excitement in their hearts was impossible to hide.
If there's a first soul bone… could there be a second?
What if?
The three exchanged looks — all thinking the same thing.
Kill!
Kill them all!
They were attacking Shrek City anyway — these soul beasts deserved death!
Wei Na took a deep breath and said seriously, "My Snow Lotus Martial Soul emits a fragrance that attracts soul beasts. I can lure them in!"
"Thank you," Ma Xiaotao understood what Wei Na meant and did not object.
But Wei Na shook her head. "The ones who are working hard are you sisters. I'll leave my safety to you!"
"Don't worry, with us here, not a single soul beast will get near you!" Ling Luocheng said coldly.
Then Wei Na activated her soul power, releasing the Snow Lotus's fragrance — which indeed attracted nearby soul beasts to them.
Ling Luocheng and Ma Xiaotao nodded to each other and unleashed their ice and fire soul powers again, combining them into an Ice-Fire Tornado, shredding the oncoming soul beasts.
The three girls had entered high-speed loot-farming mode.
However, due to soul power consumption, they couldn't keep it going for too long.
And of course, they wouldn't have the chance to rampage for much longer anyway.
Because — the ferocious beasts had arrived!
Xuanzu and Yan Shaozhe had failed to stop them.
Or rather, they were lucky — lucky to have escaped from Di Tian's grasp.
But the price was Xuanzu losing his right arm, and Yan Shaozhe being gravely injured and unconscious.
The crippled Xuanzu fled the Star Dou Great Forest with the injured Yan Shaozhe, desperately making his way back to Shrek City.
In order to escape, Xuanzu even burned his life force.
That was the only way to gain a sliver of hope for survival.
When he finally saw Shrek Academy on the horizon, joy appeared in his eyes. He called out to Yan Shaozhe, "Shaozhe, hang in there! We're almost back to the Academy!"
However, how could Di Tian let them go so easily?
A rift opened behind Xuanzu — a pitch-black dragon claw stretched out from the void, carrying immense power, and grabbed at Xuanzu.
In that instant, Xuanzu's hands and feet went cold. The shadow of death engulfed him.
At the same time, a brilliant golden light surged up from Shrek City — from Sea God's Island within the Academy. The golden radiance rippled outward and reached Xuanzu just in time, forming a golden barrier around him.
A voice followed:
"Spare him!"
Buzz—
The black dragon claw clashed with the golden barrier, unleashing a massive shockwave that made every soul master and soul beast below feel like a mountain had pressed down on them. Even Titled Douluo felt the pressure.
And this was just the shockwave.
Crack!
The golden barrier cracked, then shattered — failing to fully block the black claw, but succeeding in saving Xuanzu's life.
Xuanzu spat out blood and plummeted toward the ground, no longer able to flee toward Shrek.
Di Tian stepped out of the space rift, raised his hand, and captured both Xuanzu and Yan Shaozhe with force. Then he turned toward Shrek, his eyes sharp.
"Mu En… You're still alive?"
A golden figure stepped into the air from the Sea God Pavilion, a calm yet authoritative voice echoing with him.
"Di Tian, why did you launch a beast tide? Do you really think humanity is without protectors?"
Though Mu En's tone was calm, it carried a weight and determination that no one could ignore — the aura of someone ready to go all out.
At this moment, the golden and black figures hovered in the sky like twin suns, dominating the battlefield.
Even Titled Douluo could only stand as background characters.
Below, soul masters and soul beasts alike froze, as though someone had hit the pause button — no one dared to act rashly.
The beast tide was temporarily halted, in eerie silence.
Di Tian: "Xuanzu, you just got lucky!"
As Di Tian made his appearance, more ferocious beasts emerged from the forest and gathered by his side, some taking human form, others remaining in their beast form.
Without exception, each one fully unleashed its own aura, pressing down on Shrek's side with immense force.
Among them were:
Ranked 4th among the Top Ten Ferocious Beasts: The Emerald Swan – Bi Ji!
Ranked 5th: The Demon-Eyed Demon Tree – The Myriad Demon King!
Ranked 6th: The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear – Xiong Jun!
Ranked 8th: The Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff – Chi Wang!
Ranked 9th: The Hell Demon Dragon King – Zi Ji!
Except for the mysterious tenth-ranked ferocious beast, the Spirit Demon—whose existence is uncertain and is possibly another identity of the Myriad Demon King—all other ferocious beasts under the Star Dou Forest had arrived!
Though these beasts, under the radiance of Mu En and Di Tian, seemed like stars before the sun and moon, they were still overwhelmingly more powerful than the human Titled Douluos present.
Bi Ji, like a bright moon, could not be ignored even in the twin glow of the titans.
The Myriad Demon King and Xiong Jun were even more dazzling, akin to morning stars, and Shrek had no one who could match their strength. They were beasts capable of challenging Di Tian himself—especially Xiong Jun, who dared bare his claws.
Xuanzai, who should have opposed them, was now gravely injured and in Di Tian's grip.
Interestingly, Xuanzai's projection, the Gluttonous Divine Bull, went berserk upon his injury. As if igniting a desperate hex core, it began devouring the fortune of both Shrek and the soul beasts, even stealing others' fate to empower itself. Its fate-stealing ability became dramatically stronger.
"Could Xuanzai be about to break through in adversity? Losing an arm made him fiercer?" Huo Yuhao wondered in shock.
A normal Titled Douluo losing an arm—especially one fused with a soul bone—would suffer a downgrade in rank.
But that wasn't an absolute rule. History had examples of breaking limits through physical loss, like Dustheart the Sword Saint of ten thousand years ago. He had lost his sword-wielding right arm, yet still broke through.
Thankfully, the jump from Level 98 to Level 99 isn't easy—otherwise Xuanzai would've made history.
Meanwhile, what Mu En feared most had come to pass. With Xuanzai incapacitated, Shrek Academy's top-tier combat force had a gaping hole.
Among Shrek's forces, aside from Mu En and Xuanzai, the strongest was Elder Song at Level 97; next was Elder Zhuang at Level 96; then Elder Lin and the Old City Lord, both Level 95; followed by Shi Xing and Blood Mad at Level 94.
But even Elder Song, the strongest available, could only contend evenly with Bi Ji.
Yes—this battle soul master could only match a pure support-type soul beast.
And Bi Ji wasn't alone.
Aside from the beasts listed earlier, several other 100,000-year-old soul beasts followed her—including the Six-Winged Dark-Gold Tiger from the original story, also known as the Six-Winged Demon Tiger.
Because the beast tide hadn't yet scattered, all of Bi Ji's followers were by her side. Two other beasts matched the Six-Winged Tiger:
The 100,000-Year Colorful Dragon-Sheep, whose pelt shimmered with five colors, commanding the powers of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
The 100,000-Year Four-Horned Overlord Deer, with massive horns and immense physical strength, its potential rivaling that of the Titan Giant Ape.
These three weren't alone—other slightly weaker 100,000-year beasts followed close behind.
And even more beast kings had led their tribes and ten-thousand-year-level beasts onto the battlefield.
The earlier wave was merely cannon fodder—this was the true core of the beast tide!
With Bi Ji's support, these beast kings alone could overwhelm every Titled Douluo on Shrek's side—except Mu En.
Aside from Di Tian, Bi Ji was the most important force in the beast tide.
She not only led the beast kings and commanded their loyalty, but also directed the tide itself. Her mere presence on the battlefield inspired all soul beasts to charge fearlessly to their deaths.
The soul beasts now surpassed Shrek's side in overall strength.
And Shrek hadn't even prepared for the beast tide. Their storage of soul-guided cannon shells was untouched. They had none of the soul-guided defenses from the original story—none of the city-defense weapons capable of slaying 100,000-year soul beasts.
Of course, that's assuming Huo Yuhao didn't go all out.
Right now, though, he was too busy drooling internally.
Truthfully, Huo Yuhao knew that even if he gave it his all, he might not be able to stop all the beasts. Di Tian alone might be more than he could handle.
In raw power, Di Tian surpassed Mu En.
He had suppressed Mu En in the past.
Mu En was an Ultimate Douluo—at best, a demi-god candidate.
But Di Tian was already a demi-god.
Huo Yuhao had never fought an Ultimate Douluo, so he couldn't say if he could kill a demi-god.
Still, Mu En wasn't afraid of a duel with Di Tian—not here. He had the home-field advantage and could draw on the power of the Golden Ancient Tree.
But… did he dare fight Di Tian alone?
Mu En's face was cold, but worry gnawed at him inside.
He had long realized: if war broke out, Shrek would lose.
He could hold off Di Tian—but only Di Tian.
Unless he sacrificed himself and channeled the Golden Ancient Tree's full might, he couldn't repel the tide.
But what about next time?
What would become of Xuanzai?
If they didn't resolve the root of the beast tide, it would return. And without him, Shrek would surely fall.
It might even vanish into history.
If Xuanzai hadn't been injured and captured, Mu En wouldn't be in such a bind.
With Xuanzai's help next time, Shrek could still resist.
Now, Mu En had to act cautiously.
He didn't even know if a maimed Xuanzai, once rescued, could regain his power—but Mu En had to save him.
That way, if the beast tide returned, Shrek would still have a chance. If push came to shove, someone could sacrifice themselves to the Golden Ancient Tree again to protect Shrek.
But what if Di Tian just killed Xuanzai?
Mu En wasn't angry at Xuanzai—he'd already yelled enough.
Since they couldn't fight, they had to talk.
So, Mu En, while showing off his strength, spoke the words he had prepared on arrival:
"Di Tian, why did you launch this beast tide? Do you think humanity has no champions left?"
He even rallied other human empires to make their side appear stronger.
…
But in truth, Di Tian wasn't thinking of any complicated schemes. He, too, was in a dilemma.
He was worried that Jin Qiu'er had been exposed and captured by Shrek. He feared that Shrek might go scorched-earth.
Capturing Xuanzai and Yan Shaozhe wasn't meant to threaten Mu En—but to exchange for Jin Qiu'er.
In this, he and Mu En were alike: they both wanted peace, but both showed their fists like they were about to throw down.
And so, they really did end up negotiating in mid-air.
The battlefield quieted. Without orders from either leader, no one dared make a move.
"Mu En, it was you humans who broke the pact first!" Di Tian said coldly.
"In the three eastern mountain ranges of the mixed region, all ten-thousand-year beasts and many normal soul beasts were slaughtered—four 100,000-year beast kings killed in one night, their soul rings vanished. How do you explain that?"
*Huo Yuhao: * slurps internally slurp slurp!