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A Sudden Assault
Hearing the clear, slightly effeminate voice drift in from outside the door, the Shrek Academy group and the Royal Fight Team turned their heads instinctively. A shared frown creased their faces, their expressions a mix of confusion and mild annoyance.
In that brief moment, however, the faces of Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Qin Ming changed drastically. It was a feeling that stirred them from the depths of instinctâa sudden, dense, and nearly solidified Killing Intent had appeared. But this terrifying aura wasn't coming from the person at the door; it was descending from directly above their heads.
The three men simultaneously looked up, their eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"It seems like there's someone on the roof!" Flender muttered, his eyes alight with extreme solemnity.
Yu Xiaogang's brows furrowed tightly as confusion washed over his face. "Flender, what's happening? Could it be Spirit..." He trailed off, looking to his friend for an explanation.
Flender took a deep breath. He glanced at Qin Ming, silent for a moment, then spoke slowly. "Qin Ming, I think enemies of Shrek Academy have come knocking. A friend of mine is holding them off outside. You should take your students and follow me out the back right now." He then shouted toward the other team, "Tian Heng, quickly take everyone and evacuate through the back door!"
Qin Ming's expression instantly changed, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He turned sharply, his gaze sternly sweeping over the Royal Fight Team members, and he asked in a deep voice, "Shrek Academy's enemies? Why haven't I ever heard you mention them before?"
Yu Tianheng immediately nodded in response. "Yes!" Though the Royal Fight Team members were confused, they didn't hesitate and all agreed. Qin Ming quickly retreated to the back door with them.
Flender's gaze then settled on Tang San, whose eyes were narrowed as he raised his hand to shield Xiao Wu behind him. The light of the Purple Demon Eye was fixed on the tavern entrance. Flender shouted, a cold sharpness undeniable in his eyes, "Little freaks, all of you get behind me!"
Tang San and the Shrek Seven Devils didn't dare to hesitate in the slightest. They immediately flashed behind Flender and Zhao Wuji, crouching slightly, ready for danger at any moment. Tang San frowned tightly, his eyes filled with deep confusion. "Teacher, what's going on? Why do we have to leave? What exactly happened outside?"
Zhao Wuji, knocked down by a recent shockwave, frowned as he climbed up from the ground, his eyes full of confusion as he looked at Flender. "Why are you looking at me? I don't know what's going on either," Flender said grumpily.
Qin Ming hurried forward, stepping in front of Flender. "Dean, what exactly is going on?"
Flender slowly exhaled. He was about to speak when his entire body suddenly shook, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Suddenly, a low and familiar voice exploded in his mind: "Flender, Yu Xiaogang, I am Tang Hao. People from Spirit Hall have found us. Please take Little San and leave Soto City through the back door of the restaurant immediately. Be quick!"
Flender and Yu Xiaogang's gazes met in mid-air, and both their expressions changed dramatically at the same time. Yu Xiaogang quickly reached out and grabbed Tang San's wrist.
"Tang... Tang..." His words weren't finished. This was because, at that moment, he, too, clearly felt an immensely vast Killing Intentâalready condensed into a physical formâsweeping down from above his head.
The air inside the tavern was heavy with an inexplicable sense of oppression; the wooden table and wine glasses trembled slightly, and spilled wine slowly seeped into the floor cracks.
The next second, Yu Xiaogang braced himself and stood up, saying in a low, urgent voice, "Something's happened outside! Everyone follow me, leave through the back door of the restaurant, quickly! Little San, I don't have time to explain now, you must come with me quickly." His face was grim, and he glanced uneasily out the window.
He pulled Tang San without hesitation and ran towards the back door of the tavern.
Outside the Tavern
At the same time, outside the restaurant, Chrysanthemum Douluo was walking towards the main door with a charming expression.
His words were cut short. The terrifying Killing Intent could instantly freeze and distort the air. Chrysanthemum Douluo's face instantly changed drastically, and an unprecedented solemnity and shock surged in his eyes.
He reacted almost instinctively: the seventh Spirit Ring on his body, a black ring as dark as ink, lit up, and intense Spirit Power fluctuations erupted like a tide.
"Seventh Spirit Ability, Spirit Avatar!" he shouted, unhesitatingly unleashing his Spirit Avatar. A Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum with layers of petals rapidly condensed in his palm.
Golden light flickered on the petals of this Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum, and then it released an overwhelming plant aura, blooming upwards like an umbrella supporting the sky. He used this to resist the suffocating Killing Intent.
He was about to push the door open when his expression suddenly changed. His fingertips involuntarily retracted just before touching the door panel.
"Who is it!?" he yelled.
At that moment, on the tavern's roof, an extremely burly middle-aged man was seated. His entire body was enveloped in a wide gray robe, and a thick mask obscured his face. He glanced at Chrysanthemum Douluo below, then picked up the rough porcelain wine jar in his hand, tilted his head back, and gulped down the wine, the clear liquid slowly dripping down his mask.
Suddenly, the middle-aged man on the roof leaped up. He lightly raised his arm, clenched his five fingers, and a dazzling black light suddenly condensed in the air, followed by a dull, thunderous roar.
The next second, a giant hammer with a head as large as a water vat appeared out of thin air in the middle-aged man's hand. Immediately after, he gripped the handle with both hands and smashed it down furiously towards Chrysanthemum Douluo.
In an instant, the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum met the pitch-black giant hammer in the middle-aged man's hand.
Boomâ!
A deafening roar, like thunder, exploded over Soto City.
Immediately after, terrifying energy spread wildly from the point of collision, finally transforming into a visible shockwave that swept in all directions. The Qi wave stirred up in the air swept through the street, and the trees on both sides snapped simultaneously under the impact of this energy, collapsing with a crash, while broken branches and dust flew everywhere.
Seeing the middle-aged man in front of him, Chrysanthemum Douluo instantly froze in place, his pupils constricted, his face pale, and his voice trembling noticeably as he stammered out two words.
"Clear... Clear Sky Hammer!!!"