After the auction ended, Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao didn't linger. They left Shrek City directly and headed back toward Shrek Academy.
However, just as the two of them exited the north gate, a golden-red signal flare shot into the sky on the road between the north and east gates. Their expressions changed drastically. Shock surged through them—along with deep confusion.
Who could be so bold as to dare attack Shrek Academy students so close to Shrek City? And not just any students—inner court disciples. Did they eat a bear's heart and a leopard's gall?
Flames of fury burned on Ma Xiaotao's face. A pair of fiery red phoenix wings erupted from her back as she tore through the air, flying toward the location where the signal had risen.
The golden-red flare was a distress signal that only inner court disciples of Shrek Academy possessed. It would only be used when faced with certain death. Zhu Ziyang had only one opinion of it: completely impractical. In real emergencies in the wild, this kind of signal couldn't summon help—it could only attract more enemies.
But there was no time to complain. Zhu Ziyang quickly caught up to Ma Xiaotao, racing toward the flare's location.
They soon ran into a pair of fleeing youths. One of them, a Soul Elder with blue wings, was carrying another boy, a Soul Grandmaster with glowing eyes. The two of them flew out from a path between dense woods, clearly panicked and heading toward Shrek City. Behind them were six masked black-clothed figures, all spirit masters. Five of them were Soul Kings, and the last was a Soul Emperor.
When the two fleeing youths saw Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao, joy washed over their faces as they cried out for help. The six black-clad pursuers, upon spotting Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao, immediately turned and fled northeast without a second thought.
"Filthy rats! How dare you stir up trouble near Shrek Academy!" Ma Xiaotao shouted coldly. Her Fire Phoenix Martial Soul fully erupted. Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings lit up the night sky. Scarlet flames coiled around her body, making her look like a fearsome valkyrie of flame.
A blazing line of fire shot from her mouth, transforming into a phoenix that spread its wings and engulfed one of the black-robed enemies. Screaming in agony, the man's body was instantly set ablaze. He rolled on the ground, desperately trying to extinguish the flame, but the Fire Phoenix's Ultimate Fire was not so easily quenched.
"To come to Shrek Academy and try to kill people—don't you think that's a bit much?"
The black-robed enemies had no time to mourn their comrade. They sprinted toward the northeast, only to find their escape path blocked. A striking young man stood before them, holding a golden scythe. Behind him shimmered six soul rings in the ultimate configuration. He wore a smile, but it was the smile of a death god.
It was Zhu Ziyang. The moment Ma Xiaotao attacked, he had also acted, using space transfer to block their route.
The Soul Emperor leading the group didn't plead for mercy. He attacked Zhu Ziyang without hesitation. The five Soul Kings followed suit. They knew—if they didn't get past him, they were all going to die.
Zhu Ziyang met them head-on, his face expressionless. He dashed forward and activated his fourth soul skill. A doppelgänger appeared beside him, perfectly mimicking his movements. The Stillness Fate Ending Scythe sliced through a Soul King's neck—his head flew clean off.
At the same time, the doppelgänger wielded the scythe's copy and slashed at another Soul King. That one was lucky. He avoided a fatal blow, but still lost an ear and part of his shoulder.
Seeing one of their own instantly killed, the remaining Soul Emperor and two Soul Kings panicked. The Soul Emperor struck the two Soul Kings with both palms, pushing them toward Zhu Ziyang as a distraction while he tried to flee.
A clever trick—but not clever enough.
Zhu Ziyang ignored the Soul Kings and chased down the fleeing Soul Emperor. Ma Xiaotao arrived just in time to face the Soul Kings. The two who had hoped to survive were instead plunged into the wrath of the flame demon.
The Soul Emperor was fast—but Zhu Ziyang was faster. His eyes flashed, and above his head appeared a vertical purple-golden pupil. A beam of light shot out, striking the Soul Emperor's back. The man's body instantly froze, then plummeted to the ground.
Zhu Ziyang sneered, casually waved his hand, and sent out a gray-white blade of energy. Without even looking back, he turned and walked away. The blade arced through the air and hit its target perfectly. The Soul Emperor died on the spot, and his remaining life force was absorbed into Zhu Ziyang's soul ring.
The final three Soul Kings met different ends—two burned by Ma Xiaotao, and the last one finished off by Zhu Ziyang's doppelgänger.
Six black-cloaked attackers, completely annihilated in under five minutes. The actual combat had taken no more than two minutes.
This was the difference between Shrek's inner court disciples and ordinary soul masters—an unbridgeable chasm like heaven and earth.
"Sister Xiaotao, let's go check on those two disciples and get the full story." Zhu Ziyang walked over to Ma Xiaotao.
"Alright!" Ma Xiaotao nodded with a calm smile on her face, a stark contrast to her earlier fury. "Your strength just keeps growing. You barely looked serious and still took down a Soul Emperor. Ziyang, we must have a proper spar someday. I think your power already surpasses mine."
"You're too kind, Sister Xiaotao," Zhu Ziyang said with a chuckle. "That Soul Emperor didn't even have the will to fight. He just wanted to run, so it was more like I picked up a free kill."
As they talked, the two approached the rescued students. Four other Shrek Academy students were with them.
Zhu Ziyang had already recognized the two rescued students—Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. Wang Dong's Martial Soul was too distinctive, and Zhu Ziyang had seen them at the Treasure Appreciation Event earlier, so he had made the connection quickly.
Who were those black-clad attackers after? Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but wonder. His instincts told him Huo Yuhao was the target. As the child of fate, he would naturally attract enemies like moths to a flame.
The other four students around Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were Tang Ya, Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and Xue Weiwei. They had also come for the event and responded to the distress signal. They stood protectively around Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, their faces tense.
Only when they saw Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao did they finally relax.
The city's defense force soon arrived. Seeing that no students had died, they left after assigning one person to take statements.
"Zhu Ziyang, so it was you!" Tang Ya exclaimed happily. "I thought the battle aura felt familiar. Thank goodness you and this senior sister arrived—otherwise, Yuhao and Wang Dong would've been in serious trouble. Eh? Where's Nannan? Why isn't she with you?"
"Just a coincidence." Zhu Ziyang smiled. "Nannan had something to do. You guys came for the Treasure Appreciation too?"
"Yup." Tang Ya nodded. Then she turned to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. "Yuhao, Wang Dong, hurry up and thank Ziyang and this senior sister for saving your lives."
"Thank you, Brother Ziyang!" Huo Yuhao had clearly been terrified. His face still held traces of fear, but his gratitude was sincere as he spoke from the heart.
Wang Dong echoed the sentiment.
"You're outer court students, right? Then where did you get an inner court distress signal flare?" Ma Xiaotao ignored their thanks and asked, her brows furrowed and her tone somewhat stern.
"Uh…" Huo Yuhao's face paled. He was afraid. Even though he hadn't seen Zhu Ziyang fight, Ma Xiaotao's earlier display had been burned into his young heart—it was terrifying. He didn't know how to respond.
"Hey! What's with that tone?" Wang Dong wasn't having it. "That signal flare was given to Yuhao by Dean Qian—it's not like we stole it. If you've got a problem, take it up with Dean Qian!" He didn't care that Ma Xiaotao had just saved them. Princesses didn't back down from each other.
"Hmm?" Ma Xiaotao's face darkened, ready to speak—but Zhu Ziyang stopped her.
"Sister Xiaotao, Wang Dong's telling the truth," he said. "Why don't you help the defense team record what happened? I'll handle things here."
"Fine." Ma Xiaotao respected Zhu Ziyang's words and left without protest.
"Don't mind her," Zhu Ziyang said with a warm smile. "Senior Sister Xiaotao is just naturally blunt."
With familiar faces all around, the mood lightened. Xu Sanshi grinned and joked, "Ziyang, that Sister Xiaotao's temper is as explosive as her figure, eh? Heh heh heh—ow! I was wrong, Weiwei! Let go!"
Xue Weiwei was twisting Xu Sanshi's ear, and he made a comical face that sent everyone into laughter.
(End of Chapter)
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