Xuanzi had taken three punches from Poison-Immortal and was still a bit dizzy when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
Groggily, he pushed himself up from the ground.
He shook his head and muttered under his breath:
"That Poison-Immortal really hits hard — always going straight for my face."
"Xuanzi!"
Seeing Xuanzi in this state, Mu En instantly understood why he had felt uneasy just moments before, and his anger surged.
"Mu… Mu Elder!"
Hearing that furious shout, Xuanzi snapped fully awake. Looking at Mu En on one side and Long Xiaoyao on the other, his heart sank.
"Looks like I screwed up again!"
Suddenly he remembered — his main mission wasn't to fight Poison-Immortal.
It was to help Poison-Immortal abduct Jiang Jue.
And what he'd been doing was completely the opposite.
Long Xiaoyao watched Xuanzi drop from the sky, his brows furrowing slightly, a thoughtful look flickering across his face.
"Xuanzi, how's the task I gave you coming along?"
Mu En secretly sent a voice transmission to Xuanzi, asking quietly.
"Mu Elder, everything is… fine. Jiang Jue was successfully taken away by the Body Sect people — there was just a small accident in the process…"
Seeing the fury in Mu En's eyes, Xuanzi gave an awkward grin and stammered out a reply.
Mu En frowned, but when he heard that Jiang Jue had been abducted, his heart settled a bit. He didn't pursue Xuanzi's "small accident" for now.
After all, in his eyes, as long as the main plan succeeded, a few bumps along the way didn't matter much.
But Mu En never imagined that Xuanzi's so-called "small accident" referred to him openly attacking during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament — blatantly breaking the rules, disregarding the safety of the audience, and striking with reckless abandon.
And all of this… would later become one of the gaping holes leading to Shrek Academy's fall from its pedestal.
"Xuanzi, tell me — who were you fighting just now?"
Long Xiaoyao narrowed his eyes, his tone sharp as he questioned Xuanzi.
In his heart, he already had a faint guess — but he desperately hoped it wasn't true.
"Who else could it be? Not just anyone on this continent is worthy of fighting me."
Xuanzi glanced at Mu En beside him, his heart steady as a rock. He touched his slightly swollen, purpled face, lifted his chin slightly, and spoke.
"Speak plainly — or I'll make you speak plainly!"
A flash of menace crossed Long Xiaoyao's gaze. Being manipulated by Mu En had already left him dissatisfied, and now watching Xuanzi dance around in front of him made his anger boil over. At the same time, he quickened the process of expelling the poison from his body.
"It was the Old Poison Freak."
Xuanzi turned his head toward Mu En. Seeing Mu En nod, he spoke.
Mu En hadn't intended to hide it anyway — now that Jiang Jue was in the Body Sect's hands, everything was already settled. There was no harm in letting Long Xiaoyao know.
"What?!"
Long Xiaoyao exploded instantly. He rushed up to Xuanzi, grabbed him by the chest, and roared:
"Where's Jiang Jue? I'm asking you — where is Jiang Jue?!"
Xuanzi saw Long Xiaoyao's furious face, shrank his neck, and his lips trembled.
The next moment — a dense black light shot up from the small house, and an overwhelming pressure burst outward, sweeping through the area.
…
"Your Majesty, it has succeeded."
At this moment, Cheng Gang had already returned to the palace wall, reporting respectfully to Xu Jiawei.
Xu Jiawei, hearing Cheng Gang's words, nodded slightly. Then he turned to look at Poison-Immortal, who was still facing off against the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy group, joy flickering in his heart.
"This time, I will not fail!"
"Finally, those two blockheads are gone."
Xu Jiawei thought to himself.
That day, after parting ways with Mu En, he had planned to enjoy himself a bit in the harem to wash away the fatigue.
But just after the first round of entertainment ended — when he was ready to continue with the music and dancing — relying on his powerful cultivation, he sensed someone digging a tunnel near his palace!
And the tunnel was aimed straight at his harem!
Fortunately, those two who were digging turned back in time. But Xu Jiawei still secretly sent people to investigate. That was why he learned about the Body Sect digging tunnels — and why he'd dispatched Cheng Gang to lie in wait in advance.
"Fight! Fight, damn it!"
"I want to see rivers of blood!"
Watching Poison-Immortal, Xu Jiawei cheered silently in his heart.
By now, the conflict between Mingdetang and the Body Sect had already been provoked. If someone were to die here, the grudge would deepen even further.
But on the surface, Xu Jiawei still shouted loudly:
"Stop! Stop fighting! Please, don't fight anymore!"
Meanwhile, the rain in the sky was falling harder and harder.
"I don't have time to waste with you here. We'll take good care of Jiang Jue."
Poison-Immortal felt a powerful aura emanating from within Star Luo City. He glanced at Elder Lin and the others, then spoke.
"I trust that Lang Ya and Yu Tao have already taken that kid out of the city. So, it's time for this old man to leave as well."
He had already stalled for quite a while — now it was time to escape.
"Elder Lin, we can't let them take Jiang Jue!"
Lin Xi said anxiously.
Elder Lin looked at Poison-Immortal — for a moment, he couldn't think of a solution.
Fight? They'd lose.Don't fight? Only waste time.
Hum!
Poison-Immortal's eyes lit up. With a casual wave of his hand, a massive golden sword flew into his grip.
This was the Sword of Judgment that had previously been seized by Xuanzi — but earlier, under Poison-Immortal's "slap of love," it had fallen to the ground.
Gripping the Sword of Judgment, Poison-Immortal's body flashed dark green — and in an instant, he vanished.
"Jiang Jue Junior Officer, I'll be waiting for your return!"
Meng Hongchen's eyes grew wet, silently firming her resolve in her heart.
"Ah, my Sword of Judgment!"
"Without you, how can I report back to the hall master?!"
Ma Rulong stared at the Sword of Judgment being taken away by Poison-Immortal, wailing internally.
"Everyone, don't panic. Let's head back and discuss our next move."
Elder Lin spoke calmly. Compared to the students, he understood the Body Sect better. For now, Jiang Jue would be safe — in fact, he might even be treated well.
After all, Jiang Jue's innate martial soul — that was the root of everything.
…
Inside the tunnel—
"Yu Tao, this tunnel of yours is truly first-class."
Seeing the light up ahead, Lang Ya praised.
"Just fine-tuning, all skill from practice."
Carrying Jiang Jue on his back, Yu Tao gave a silly grin and ran harder.
Since childhood, his tunnels had always been steady.
"Should I take control of the two of them now?"
Pretending to be unconscious, Jiang Jue thought secretly.
Facing the Body Sect he was about to enter, Jiang Jue's heart beat faster.
After all, as one of the top three forces on the continent, the Body Sect's strength was beyond question.
In fact, in another timeline, when the Heavenly Soul Empire was on the brink of destruction under the joint attack of the Sun and Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult, it was the Body Sect that had forcibly delayed the fall for a time.
(End of Chapter)