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Plop!
An inner court disciple scooped up a black carp and tossed it into a bamboo basket. The basket was already brimming with wriggling fish, tails flicking and bubbles rising from their mouths. Looking at the haul with satisfaction, he nodded.
"That should be enough."
With that, he called for his companions to help carry it back.
Following the stream downstream, a wisp of smoke soon rose into the sky.
The fire crackled as skewered fish roasted over the flames. Huo Yuhao deftly sprinkled on some salt, turned them over, and when the fish were done, handed them off to the academy disciples eagerly waiting at his side.
Xuanzi, however, was already eating with oil dripping down his chin.
Like a gluttonous beast, he had devoured most of the earlier skewers, only leaving the later batches for the disciples once his stomach was full.
Huo Yuhao's grilled fish, if placed within the gourmet world of the continent, might not have ranked very highly. But here in the Great Star Dou Forest—this wilderness devoid of human habitation—to be able to enjoy such food in the midst of soul beast hunts was a rare and delightful surprise.
Yet, unlike the others enjoying the grilled fish with relish, Zhang Lexuan was restless. Even with the Ice Empress by her side, which meant Su Wen should be fine, her eyelids wouldn't stop twitching.
He had only said he'd be gone for a short while.
But Huo Yuhao had long since returned, and still there was no sign of him.
"Elder Xuan… could something have happened?" Zhang Lexuan asked anxiously.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao's hand froze mid-turn, the fish nearly slipping. His throat tightened, his expression a little unnatural. Tianmeng had naturally sensed the mysterious spatial domain earlier, urging him to leave quickly. With its vast spiritual power, it had allowed Yuhao to narrowly escape. But according to Tianmeng, Su Wen's aura had vanished… meaning he had likely entered that very space.
Facing a group of murderous humans that powerful, Su Wen's chances looked grim.
Yuhao wanted to say something. Though his grudge with Su Wen came mostly from Zhou Yi, even if he sought retribution in the future, it would only be something petty—perhaps forcing him to apologize to Zhou Yi. He never thought of killing him.
"Not another word!" Tianmeng suddenly barked in his spiritual sea.
"Or do you want everyone to know about your soul ring's secret?" Tianmeng's small eyes narrowed, its tone carrying a dangerous edge. "I've long suspected that boy hides many secrets. Back then, when we were about to trick the Auspicious Beast into offering itself in sacrifice, he suddenly appeared and ruined everything. That proves he already sensed my existence."
"If he dies in that space, it would be for the best. Anyone who knows your secret should remain buried in this forest forever. Only the dead can keep secrets."
"But Tianmeng, that's only your guess. What if he didn't see anything?" Huo Yuhao hesitated.
"He's suspicious enough. His death would be the safest outcome," Tianmeng's voice was calm, almost cold.
"Yuhao, you're still too young. You hold too many illusions about this world."
In its eyes, this boy's fate resembled a script of falling into darkness. He had been on the verge of blackening, but Tang Ya and Bei Bei had appeared like rays of light. Had he instead crossed paths with the Holy Spirit Cult or the Body Sect back then… well, the outcome would have been laughable.
Walking the righteous path was far too slow. Shortcuts were the only way.
With a silent sigh, Tianmeng thought, Let me be the villain in your place.
"Mm…"
The boy lowered his head, shadows covering his face so his expression was unreadable. He only kept grilling fish in silence.
"That Su Wen brat is clever. Besides, he left behind a pet beast here." Xuanzi glanced around suspiciously, licked the oil from his lips, and waved his hand casually.
"Yes…" Zhang Lexuan could only relent, returning to her seat. She refused the roasted fish offered by the inner court disciples, her beautiful eyes still drifting toward the distance.
Buzz!!!
In the next instant—
A gray pillar of light shot straight into the sky.
Cracking sounds echoed around them. The Shrek disciples leapt to their feet, scanning their surroundings, but found nothing unusual. Only Xuanzi's expression shifted. Earthen-yellow soul power erupted around him as he barked a quick command to Zhang Lexuan before speeding toward the gray light.
As a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo—one of the closest existences to an Ultimate Douluo—he naturally knew what this meant.
Right before his eyes, some audacious group had completed a spatial seal. He didn't know who they were, strong enough to wield such power, but Su Wen… he was almost certainly caught up in it.
"Damn it! Faster—faster!"
Xuanzi pushed himself to his utmost limits.
His eyes were bloodshot with fury.
If Su Wen truly met with disaster…
Elder Mu might tear him apart alive. The elders of Shrek Academy would never forgive him either. A youth with such visible talent, whose future potential was high enough to make even him look up in awe, would have died under his watch.
He would become Shrek's eternal sinner…
…
"The Auspicious Beast!"
The slow-to-react Di Tian finally realized.
Rooaaar!
A colossal black dragon rose from the core of the Great Star Dou Forest, its body blotting out the sky. Its ancient dragon's roar shook the entire forest. Countless soul beasts cowered in terror, pressing themselves against the ground. Even human hunting parties within the forest were frightened into retreat.
Far away—
Atop a massive ancient tree, shadowy figures in black robes stood scattered across the branches.
"You mean to say… a mere boy managed to protect the Auspicious Beast right before your eyes, and even shattered the barrier formation?" Zhongli Wu looked at Wu Yun in disbelief. This formation was an ancestral legacy of the Holy Spirit Cult, powered by human flesh and souls offered to a demon god to sustain it.
And yet…
Wu Yun could only nod helplessly.
"That's right. The kid was only twelve or thirteen, but his methods were terrifying. More than once I considered recruiting him into the Holy Spirit Cult, but his will was too firm, so I decided to kill him. Yet every time, he revealed new trump cards, slippery as an eel. In the end, he even summoned a spirit possession and forcibly broke through the barrier."
"Twelve… thirteen?!"
Zhongli Wu's throat bobbed. He glanced at Yan Feng beside him—his face pale, hair frosted with ice—and the shock in his eyes grew even deeper.
A boy no older than Yan Feng had toyed with a Revered Elder, a rank ninety-four Titled Douluo, as if he were nothing?
"His ability seems to be Beast Taming, and he commands a Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear that's several thousand years old," Wu Yun sighed.
Zhongli Wu: "…"
"In that case, we withdraw."
With a long sigh, Zhongli Wu cast one last look at the forest before turning to leave.
He waved his hand, preparing to carry away the unconscious Scarlet King and another captured hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
But a figure blocked their path.
"Di Tian?!"
Zhongli Wu's eyes narrowed, and he slowly spat out the name.
His hatred toward that boy deepened further. If not for him shattering the barrier early and drawing Di Tian's attention, he would have had more than enough time to seize the Auspicious Beast.
(End of Chapter)