"Honored Son of Light, a group of humans has appeared ahead." Zhu Ziyang was still immersed in his spiritual sea when the voice of the Star Radiance Unicorn, Luo Xingxiya, reached his ears.
Zhu Ziyang was momentarily stunned, then immediately snapped out of it and asked, "Where?"
"Just slightly ahead to the side," Luo Xingxiya said, pointing with the horn on her head.
"Quick, go check it out," Zhu Ziyang ordered without hesitation.
"Yes!" The Star Radiance Unicorn immediately galloped in that direction.
Moments later, the group of humans appeared in Zhu Ziyang's line of sight. His expression instantly turned to one of joy, excitement—and a touch of anger. Without hesitation, he urged the unicorn to charge forward.
——
Every step Zhang Lexuan took was filled with dread. If even a single ten-thousand-year soul beast charged at them, it would mean their end in the Great Star Dou Forest.
She had barely managed to absorb the soul ring of the Ghost Moon Forest Python King over the course of a day, but forcibly absorbing a hundred-thousand-year ring had damaged her life force. On top of that, her martial soul's origin had already been wounded before, so although she was now an eighty-first-rank Soul Douluo, her combat power was likely no stronger than that of a Soul Elder.
Every few steps, she would turn to check on the younger disciples behind her. These prideful elites of Shrek Academy's inner court now looked as miserable as beggars—none of them unscathed, each wounded, relying on one another just to keep moving. At this point, their fighting strength was not even comparable to a one-ring Soul Master.
Perhaps they had exhausted all their bad luck facing the Ghost Moon Forest Python King. Since setting out last night, they had only made it two or three kilometers, but luck had been on their side—they hadn't encountered another soul beast.
"Senior Sister, let's rest a bit," Ma Xiaotao said in a hoarse voice, supporting Zhang Weiwei. Her face was pale and her eyes dim. "Sister Weiwei can't go on much longer."
They had completely run out of supplies. Every last healing resource had been used to save dying comrades. The rest had been walking with empty stomachs since last night.
"But we're too close to the core area!" Zhang Lexuan said, conflicted. Looking at the ashen faces of her junior brothers and sisters, her heart felt like it was being sliced apart. But she couldn't let them stop. "If we rest here, we're likely to attract soul beasts. At that point, all of us..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.
"It's fine, Senior Sister. I can still hold on," Zhang Weiwei murmured, lips cracked, fighting the darkness trying to pull her under.
"We'll keep going!" Zhang Lexuan hardened her heart and added in a comforting tone, "Maybe Elder Xuan has already returned to the academy and is bringing people to rescue us. We can't give up on ourselves!"
"Elder Xuan... heh." Shen Xu laughed bitterly. The normally quiet Holy Sword Spirit Saint now wore an expression filled with resentment.
He wasn't alone in his feelings. Every single one of them believed Elder Xuan bore ninety percent of the blame. If it weren't for his negligence, how could they have ended up in such a desperate situation? Even Zhang Lexuan—who had received the most favor and had been closest to Elder Xuan—was filled with dissatisfaction, though she couldn't show it.
Because she was the Senior Sister.
"Se-Senior Sister!" Su Meng suddenly shouted in panic, her eyes wide with fear. "A soul beast!"
Zhang Lexuan immediately spotted the beast Su Meng had seen. Her pale face turned hopeless. Without a second thought, she surged her soul power, preparing to go down fighting. She could die—but she would not let her juniors suffer any more harm.
The soul beast drew closer, revealing its form—a golden horn, white fur, massive wings. Zhang Lexuan's heart sank. Though she didn't know the specifics of the creature, the unicorn shape was unmistakable. Could she really take this creature down with her?
She wasn't confident.
"Senior Sister!"
Just as despair took hold, a shout filled with excitement and joy rang in her ears. Zhang Lexuan froze and noticed a boy riding atop the unicorn, looking at them with disbelief and elation. She rubbed her eyes, opened her mouth, and managed to croak out a few hoarse words. "Ziyang?"
"Senior Sister, you're all safe! That's great!" Zhu Ziyang leapt off the Star Radiance Unicorn and ran toward Zhang Lexuan, intending to embrace her.
But someone beat him to it. Ma Xiaotao rushed forward and hugged him tightly, tears streaming from her eyes. Zhu Ziyang had no choice but to comfort her while moving toward Zhang Lexuan, all the while scanning the group behind her.
His heart dropped.
Only eight people!
"Senior Sister, Elder Xuan hasn't come back yet?" Zhu Ziyang asked darkly.
"Ziyang, you..." Zhang Lexuan was still stunned by Zhu Ziyang's sudden appearance. Her eyes flicked warily to the unicorns behind him. "They...?"
"Don't worry, Senior Sister. They're Star Radiance Unicorns. They won't hurt us," Zhu Ziyang reassured her, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "They'll help carry us out of the Great Star Dou Forest."
"I see..." Zhang Lexuan still hesitated, but chose to trust him. "In that case, can they carry Weiwei and Ruoruo?"
"No problem, I'll talk to them." Zhu Ziyang nodded and looked at the disciples behind her. They were just as surprised by his sudden appearance—but more than anything, they were relieved. They had already lost two comrades. They didn't want to lose another, especially not this Junior Brother who had pulled them from the brink with his timely support.
Seeing their battered state pained Zhu Ziyang. Suddenly, he thought of something and called out, "Luo Xingxiya, do you have healing abilities?"
"I know a bit of basic healing, but it only works on minor external wounds," the Star Radiance Unicorn replied regretfully. "Your companions are suffering from internal injuries and exhaustion. I'm afraid I can't help."
"I see." Zhu Ziyang sighed. "Then can you at least help carry them?"
"At your command," she replied respectfully.
"Senior Sister, why aren't Brother Zhu and Brother Long here?" Zhu Ziyang asked next, his voice trembling, afraid of hearing the worst.
"Don't worry, they're still alive!" Zhang Lexuan smiled bitterly. "They were too badly injured, so Elder Xuan took them back to the academy."
That was, so far, the only piece of good news—the hope that no one else would die.
"Elder Xuan?!" Zhu Ziyang's eyes widened, then fury surged up. He growled, "So he just left all of you here, helpless? How could he do that?!"
Zhu Ziyang was genuinely enraged. Was Elder Xuan brainless, leaving a bunch of gravely wounded students behind while he ran back to the academy? Didn't he understand the danger? One mistake might be excusable. Two?
Seeing Zhu Ziyang's angry expression, Zhang Lexuan felt a warm pang in her heart. She comforted him, "Ziyang, Elder Xuan lost his composure because of your disappearance. Don't you know how important you are to the academy? Besides, he only returned after I'd absorbed the soul ring and regained some defensive strength. He went to bring reinforcements—to come back for you."
"I..." Hearing that, Zhu Ziyang's anger faded a little. He began to understand Elder Xuan's reasoning for abandoning them temporarily. But he still seethed. "Senior Sister, let's get out of the forest first."
"Mm!" Zhang Lexuan nodded.
The two most clear-headed ones knew—this was no time to blame Elder Xuan. Right now, the priority was escaping the Great Star Dou Forest safely!
(End of Chapter)
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