When Di Tian heard the Bear Lord's bellow, he cast a cold glance his way. His golden eyes showed no emotion, yet the pressure released in that instant made the Bear Lord instinctively shrink his neck, his fury abruptly stifled.
Even so, he still braced his neck stubbornly and demanded:
"Are you going to negotiate with humans again? You are the Beast God!"
Di Tian replied calmly:
"What I choose to do is none of your concern, Bear Lord."
Even at his peak, the Bear Lord could not defeat Di Tian, let alone now, injured as he was. Hearing those words, he gave a cold snort and held his tongue.
By then, Bi Ji had already approached to tend to his wounded arm.
Elder Xuan's brows were tightly furrowed. He stared fixedly at Di Tian before him, not daring to relax in the slightest. If even the Bear Lord alone had pushed him to the brink, what chance did he have now against Di Tian?
Could this really be the place where he would die today?
"Elder Xuan!" Xiao Xiao cried out in alarm.
"Xiao Xiao, Qingtong? You… why are you here?" Elder Xuan was stunned when he saw the two girls standing behind Di Tian.
What was going on?
Hadn't they already escaped? Why were they now in Di Tian's company?!
The thought that not only might he perish here today, but that Shrek Academy might also lose two of its most promising talents, struck him like a hammer. In that moment, the memory of a certain incident from years past flashed before his eyes, and his rage and grief surged up uncontrollably. Blood welled in his chest, and he coughed up a mouthful of it.
"Elder Xuan!"
Xiao Xiao shrieked in fright, while even Jiang Qingtong was caught off guard.
He was spitting blood just like that? Were his injuries really this severe? The Bear Lord's cultivation was not yet at the Limit Douluo level—could Elder Xuan really be so overmatched?
"Human of Shrek—summon Mu En. I will negotiate with him." Di Tian's voice was even and cold as he looked upon Elder Xuan's faltering aura, as though the old man was beneath his notice.
To humans, Level ninety-eight might be a level of power beyond the reach of nearly everyone, a summit. But to Di Tian, there was no difference between rank ninety-eight and rank one.
Even the faint trace of the Dragon God's descendant bloodline within Elder Xuan's martial soul did not change that.
"Return my students to me!" Elder Xuan roared at him.
Di Tian's gaze was icy.
"You have no right to bargain with me. I said—bring Mu En!"
Being so completely dismissed made Elder Xuan's chest feel as though it would burst. His breathing grew ragged, pulling at the savage claw wounds on his torso, blood seeping freely once more.
He knew it was useless to persist here. He could only try to reassure Jiang Qingtong and Xiao Xiao, saying to them:
"Children, don't be afraid. I will return with help to save you!"
The two girls nodded, their faces pale and stricken, yet holding an expression of trust in his words.
Elder Xuan turned and staggered toward the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, soon vanishing beyond its outer reaches.
When the city guards of Shrek City saw him—covered in blood, with ghastly wounds across his chest—they could not conceal their shock. They immediately rushed to inform Shi Nian.
Shi Nian knew Elder Xuan. When he learned that the man had gone to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt spirit rings with students, only to be gravely injured by a ferocious beast while his students were taken captive, he dropped everything and personally escorted Elder Xuan back to Shrek Academy.
At that moment, Mu En was assisting Bei Bei in absorbing the power of the Dragon Pellet. When Shi Nian supported the bloodied Elder Xuan into the Sea God Pavilion and relayed what had happened, even Mu En—calm and composed as he was—could not keep his breath from faltering in disarray.
"Grandmaster Xuan!" Bei Bei, seated cross-legged before Mu En, sensed the sudden turbulence in his aura and cried out anxiously.
Mu En quickly forced his emotions down, steadying the flow of energy supporting Bei Bei's refinement. Then he spoke to Shi Nian:
"Shi Nian, summon all the Elders and the Deans here immediately!"
"Yes!" Shi Nian nodded and hurried away.
Mu En forcibly compressed the remaining power of the Dragon Pellet, condensing it back into solid form. Handing it to Bei Bei, he said:
"Take this. Most of its power is already within you—what remains you can slowly refine in time. For now, go."
"Grandmaster Xuan, you…"
Bei Bei noticed the pallor on Mu En's face and could not hide his worry.
Mu En waved him off.
"I'm fine, Bei Bei. Go now."
Bei Bei wanted to insist on staying, but what could he do? The ones who had taken Jiang Qingtong and Xiao Xiao were ferocious beasts. He could only bow his head with a sigh.
"I understand, Grandmaster Xuan. Please take care of yourself. Qingtong and the others will surely be alright."
"Mm…"
Mu En nodded. Only after Bei Bei had gone did he suddenly cough violently, his aura once again breaking apart. Already at the end of his years, with little time left, the shock of Elder Xuan's report—and the backlash from the Dragon Pellet—had driven his condition into a dangerous decline.
Coughing harshly, Mu En looked at Elder Xuan, and for the first time his eyes held disappointment and reproach. His voice was heavy as he said:
"Xuan Zi… this time, you have truly disappointed me."
Head bowed, Elder Xuan replied:
"I know, Elder Mu. Whatever punishment you see fit, I will accept."
But Mu En waved his hand, unwilling to speak of punishments at this moment.
"Later, let Elder Zhuang tend to your wounds. Then we will deliberate on how to face Di Tian and the others. The rest… we will leave for now."
Elder Xuan gave a quiet assent, raising no objections.
Shi Nian was swift, and with most of the Elders residing on Sea God Island, it did not take long before they were all assembled.
Yan Shaozhe was the first to stride in.
"Elder Mu, I heard from Shi Nian that those ferocious beasts dared to provoke Shrek again. Let me teach them a lesson!" he declared loudly.
Then his eyes fell upon the grievously injured Elder Xuan. He froze in shock.
Mu En looked at him and said:
"Even Elder Xuan was left like this. If you think your strength surpasses his, then by all means, go."
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe fell silent, no longer speaking.
Elder Zhuang hurriedly released his Life Tree martial soul to heal Elder Xuan. But the Bear Lord's claws had cut so deep that even bone gleamed beneath the wounds. Despite Zhuang's best efforts, all he could do was stabilize his condition for now.
Elder Song then asked:
"Shi Nian said that Jiang Qingtong and Xiao Xiao were both captured by Di Tian?"
Mu En nodded.
"Yes. Those two young girls are now in his hands. Di Tian demands that I go to negotiate."
"You mustn't go!"
Cai Mei'er blurted out without thinking:
"Di Tian clearly means you harm. If something happens to you, what then? Without you, the Academy loses its very sky!"
At her words, Mu En fell into another fit of coughing, his face even paler. When he finally steadied himself, he said:
"This sky of mine is bound to fall sooner or later. The future world will belong to the young."
Pls drop some power stones supper me at my
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