Xu Jiujiu had won her gamble. The arrogant Shrek Inner Courtyard disciple had indeed not intended to kill her, merely casting a disdainful glance her way, a look born from his inherent pride.
The emotion in his eyes... perhaps pity?
Heh, how unexpected. To think such an arrogant man could feel pity, pity for her, a princess of the Empire. Her esteemed status, which others envied, must have seemed truly pathetic in his eyes.
Of course, many others from Shrek likely thought the same.
"Hahahaha... ridiculous! What would I want with the life of you, the Star Luo Empire's Princess? Do you want to drag me down with you?!"
Xu Tianxi laughed uproariously, his face full of mockery, as if ridiculing Xu Jiujiu's foolishness.
His goal was to create an unresolvable feud between Xu Jiujiu, the Star Luo Royal Family, and Shrek. Killing Xu Jiujiu was out of the question, but letting her off easily was also impossible; it wouldn't fit his persona.
Xu Jiujiu wasn't the type to actively seek trouble. The people sent were probably dispatched by the two teachers leading the group, but that old man was useless, fainting from fear at the sight of a small token. So, only the other old woman was left to deal with.
The Soul Sage guard sent by the Netherworld Zhu Family for Xu Jiujiu seemed like a suitable target.
His gaze fell upon Zhu Wen, the beautiful middle-aged woman. Xu Tianxi thought to himself, It's you, and then spoke again, coldly:
"Let me tell you, I am here today to carry out a mission to hunt down the 'Abomination Demon Soul' assassin group. I have no interest in anything else!
Students of Shrek Academy never stoop to killing innocent people, but every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor!
If I'm not mistaken, this trash under my foot was sent by you, wasn't he? You idiotic woman from the Netherworld Zhu Family?! Hmm~?"
As he spoke, he even ground his foot, a chilling sneer curving his lips.
The masked youth in white, with purple lightning circling him, stood proudly, stepping on a Quasi Soul King genius who had been so full of vigor just moments before. He fearlessly questioned a powerful Soul Sage from a top noble family of the Star Luo Empire!
This bloody, bizarre, and utterly domineering scene made Xu Tianxi appear like an unrestrained god of slaughter. It was as if nothing could catch his eye. He exuded an overwhelming pressure that looked down on all living beings, a powerful aura that far surpassed his own cultivation, even exceeding that of a Titled Douluo!
"No! That's not it! Esteemed peerless genius from Shrek's Inner Courtyard, please don't misunderstand a good person! How could a humble Soul Sage like me dare to do such a thing?!"
Zhu Wen had been terrified ever since Xu Tianxi pulled out the Inner Courtyard Token, her eyes, unable to hide, revealing her panic. Now, swept by Xu Tianxi's cold, knife-like gaze, her plump, ripe body instantly trembled like a sieve, and she stammered incoherently in her defense.
However, her appearance only strengthened Xu Tianxi's resolve to deliver a fatal blow.
He sneered, his aggressive gaze growing more powerful and domineering. He pointed at Xu Jiujiu, who was kneeling on the ground, burying her head in the dust, and then at Zhu Wen, as if tallying his prey.
"A Soul Sage? Among you trash, you have the highest cultivation and the strongest power. If you don't dare, who else among this trash would dare?
I think Her Royal Highness, though not entirely honest, still has a clear head; but you, woman, are not only dishonest but also dare to act without taking responsibility. Do you think I'm wronging you?"
"Your Excellency, I really didn't..." Zhu Wen argued, her face pale. Her trembling legs had no strength, making her unable to kneel or fight.
"Enough nonsense! Since you dared to seek trouble with me, you should be prepared to die! Teachers, please proceed!"
Xu Tianxi completely ignored Zhu Wen's explanation, waving his hand to pronounce her death sentence.
To form a great enmity, how could he not kill? Killing ten Quasi Soul Kings was less effective than forcing a Soul Sage to die! Moreover, this was a Soul Sage from the Netherworld family.
"Good! Martial Soul True Body!"
Yue Lao and Zhi Sen coldly acknowledged, their Seventh Soul Rings lighting up simultaneously, entering their most powerful combat states.
Xu Tianxi had already conveyed his intentions to them telepathically: Better to kill the wrong person than let one go!
Dark-blue, barbed ghost vine tendrils shot out from the ground like earth dragons, as if they had been lying in wait, erupting with Zhi Sen's attack. They formed large spiderweb-like nets in mid-air, emitting a terrifying aura that corroded everything, enveloping the panicked Zhu Wen.
The vines, like countless green snakes, ferociously launched themselves at their prey, ready to devour.
A bloodthirsty, sinister aura burst forth from Yue Lao's aged body. He transformed, becoming a massive swordfish with characteristics of an Evil Demon Orca. He controlled a large number of Soul Guided Devices to rise into the air, let out a long cry, and fired Soul Guided Rays that rained down brilliantly.
The target was simple and direct: Zhu Wen.
"No! Martial Soul True Body!"
Facing a life-or-death crisis, Zhu Wen's battle instincts as a Battle Soul Sage finally returned. Her Seventh Soul Ring flared brightly, and her fiery body leaped. A several-meter-long dark-black cat appeared in the air, its pupils flashing with boundless terror, fleeing desperately!
Shrek's powerhouses were synonymous with invincibility among their peers. Her mind in chaos, she had no courage to face them alone, let alone in a two-on-one situation!
As long as she could escape, she believed that with the speed of her Martial Soul, she would surely get away alive. As long as she returned to Star Luo City and had her family's protection, she would be safe!
Zhu Wen's idea was beautiful, but she overlooked one point—the cramped space in the inn offered no room for her, an Agility Type Soul Sage, to fully utilize her abilities.
And among the two grim reapers trying to kill her, one was a Plant Type Control Type Battle Soul Sage, which was the ultimate counter to Agility Types!
The earth-shattering dark-blue vines covered everything, completely engulfing the ground inside and outside the inn, sealing off the area and turning it into a death cage.
The Netherworld Spirit Cat slammed into the gate woven from green vines. Its desperate attack was simply not enough to break through the gate.
She lit up her Soul Rings, displaying Soul Skills that were exactly identical to those of Netherworld Douluo Zhu Zhuqing from ten thousand years ago. Her body became ethereal and uncertain, and she even gained two clones with partial power of her true body, attempting to break through from different directions.
Netherworld Thrust, Netherworld Hundred Claws, Netherworld Slash, and other "tickle" Soul Skills were also unleashed, but they only slightly slowed the Azure Ghost Vine's attacks, having no other effect.
To this, Yue Lao and Zhi Sen's response was incredibly simple: carpet bombing, a full assault from all three!
The Azure Ghost Vines confined the Netherworld Spirit Cat's movement, and three Level 5 Soul Guided Cannon shells with freezing effects were loaded and fired. Under the cover of the Azure Ghost Vines, they quickly landed near Zhu Wen's main body and clones, then exploded with a roar!
Boom!
In such a confined space, entangled by the Azure Ghost Vines, Zhu Wen had no chance to escape the blast radius of the Level 5 Soul Guidance Shells.
"Ah~ ah!"
Beautiful and mournful splashes of blood scattered in mid-air. Zhu Wen's wails were even more tragic than Chen Xiaojie's. Her two clones disappeared, leaving only a scarred Netherworld Great Cat, half of its body stiff from the blast and spurting blood.
Zhi Sen's lips curved into a smirk, as his third, fourth, and fifth Soul Skills flickered around him. A large number of Azure Ghost Vines in the air transformed into icy, sharp spears, raining down on Zhu Wen.
At the same time, large patches of Azure Ghost Vines suddenly grew within the Netherworld Spirit Cat, immobilizing it!
This was Parasitism, one of the most common yet difficult-to-handle sudden Soul Skills for Plant-type Soul Masters.
The spears plunged down, piercing through the Netherworld Spirit Cat's defenses and greedily devouring its Soul Power. The cat's body rapidly shrank under the stunned gaze of everyone in the inn, screaming in agony. Yet, the more it struggled, the weaker it became, its Soul Power quickly bottoming out.
Is that a Devouring Soul Skill? This Soul Skill is incredibly powerful, but it's also quite unique…
Xu Tianxi, who was observing the entire scene and directing from above, his eyes subtly shifted as he realized the Soul Skill Zhi Sen was using was indeed an incredibly overbearing devouring ability.
He somewhat understood why Zhi Sen had such a cold expression and had been saved by Xiao Changfeng—he probably had a deeply traumatic experience.
With such "Evil Soul Master" abilities, how could he survive without powerful backing?
Hadn't Scorpion Tiger Douluo and Crow Douluo served as prime examples before?!
Meanwhile, Xu Jiujiu, who was still kneeling, waiting for that "Inner Courtyard disciple" to spare her and her companions behind her, her eyebrows flickered, and a faint, almost imperceptible sarcastic smile touched the corner of her lips.
What a Devouring Soul Skill, what a formidable Plant-type Battle Soul Sage. Aunt Zhu, even after activating her Spirit Cat True Body and so many Soul Skills, is completely defenseless, and it looks like she's about to lose her life.
Shrek, what a Shrek indeed!
Only today did she truly realize how important strength was. Without it, even the most noble status was utterly meaningless!