Chapter 91: Du Busi's Cruel Humiliation! Elder Xuan, Were You Wiped Out by Bandits?
Miles away from the blood-soaked borders of the Star Luo Empire, the Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy delegation traveled in absolute peace. Led by Liu Yuan, the group remained entirely unaware of the gruesome tragedy that had just unfolded under Elder Xuan's negligent watch.
Since crossing into the Star Luo Empire, their carriages had rolled steadily along the paved main roads, drawing closer to the political center of the continent with each passing day.
The journey was not without its hazards. The Star Luo Empire's border security had always been notoriously lax, and scattered groups of Evil Soul Masters frequently prowled the wilderness, seeking easy prey. However, as the team leader, Du Busi proved to be infinitely more reliable than a certain old drunkard from Shrek Academy.
The moment any cold, malicious aura dared to surface from the shadows, Du Busi's terrifying spiritual sense—the crushing weight of a Level 98 Super Douluo—would instantly lock onto the threat. He never even needed to lift a finger. He simply stood at the front of the convoy, his imposing, mountain-like pressure radiating outward. That sheer, suffocating dominance crushed any thoughts of ambush before they could even form, sending the hidden assailants fleeing in absolute terror.
Under Du Busi's flawless escort, Liu Yuan and his companions enjoyed a journey so smooth it felt more like a leisurely vacation.
By midday, the towering, magnificent walls of Star Luo City finally loomed into view, bathed in the golden sunlight.
Liu Yuan and his group followed casually behind Du Busi, handling through the bustling, densely packed crowds toward the designated registration plaza for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Duel Tournament. The atmosphere in the capital was boiling with excitement. Elite academies from every corner of the continent had converged here, the streets flooded with young geniuses sporting a dazzling array of colorful academy uniforms.
After completing the tedious formalities at the registration desk, Long Aotian flipped through the heavy parchment of the sign-in ledger. His fingers paused, a brow arching upward in mild amusement.
"Junior Brother, look at this. Shrek Academy hasn't even bothered to sign in yet," Long Aotian said, tapping a conspicuous blank space on the official roster. His tone carried a distinct hint of surprise. "Based on their geographical distance, they are much closer to the Star Luo Empire than we are. With Elder Xuan personally leading their team, they should have arrived days ago. Their efficiency is ridiculously slow this time."
Chen Lu leaned over the wooden desk, staring at the blank line with a suspicious frown. "It is strange. Shrek has always been obsessed with their so-called honor. They usually make it a point to arrive first at these grand occasions just to flaunt their status. How is it that we haven't even seen a shadow of them?"
Standing off to the side, Liu Yuan stared at the empty space on the ledger. A deep, calculating light flashed deep within his Double Pupils.
"Perhaps they encountered some 'surprises' on the road," Liu Yuan said, his voice smooth and unbothered. "Surprises that forced them to stop and deal with the fallout."
A faint, knowing smile tugged at the corner of Liu Yuan's mouth. 'It seems the Death Messenger finally made his move after all,' he thought, thoroughly amused by the predictable arrogance of Shrek's leadership.
"Forget it, let's not waste time waiting for them," Du Busi grunted, waving a massive hand dismissively. He looked entirely uninterested in Shrek's whereabouts. "Whether they drag their feet or not has nothing to do with us. Let's go. After rattling around in a carriage for so many days, my stomach is empty. The restaurants in Star Luo City are supposedly the best on the continent. Let's go taste the local flavor."
The team nodded in unison, immediately dropping the subject of Shrek Academy. They followed their towering sect master through the vibrant commercial district, soon settling into a high-end restaurant that boasted gorgeous, gilded decorations and a prime view of the city's central avenue.
During the meal, a dazzling array of Star Luo specialty dishes was served one after another—roasted spirit beast meats dripping with rich sauces, fragrant herbal soups, and delicate pastries.
Liu Yuan and the others casually discussed the upcoming tournament brackets, their chopsticks moving steadily as they enjoyed the lavish feast.
However, right as the meal reached its halfway point, a sharp, rhythmic vibration buzzed from the sleek metallic Soul Guidance communicator strapped to Vina's wrist.
Vina set down her silver cutlery and tapped the screen to decrypt the incoming message. It was an urgent, highly confidential report forwarded directly from the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal intelligence network stationed within the city.
As her eyes scanned the glowing text, Vina's normally composed and elegant expression shifted. Her eyes widened slightly, and a bizarre, almost unconcealable look of disbelief washed over her features.
"What's wrong, Vina? What happened?" Liu Yuan asked, his keen senses instantly picking up on her sharp emotional fluctuation.
Vina took a slow, deep breath. She looked up from the screen, meeting the eyes of everyone at the table. When she spoke, her tone was laced with absolute bewilderment. "I just received a forwarded intelligence report from my father. It's regarding the Shrek Team."
"Shrek?" Long Aotian leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "What on earth happened to them?"
Vina glanced around the bustling restaurant, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, before lowering her voice to a hushed whisper. "The report states that while en route to Star Luo City, the Shrek Team accepted a military suppression mission in the White Tiger Duke's territory. They were tasked with encircling and wiping out a bandit group known as the 'Hand of Death'."
She paused, swallowing hard. "As a result... directly under Elder Xuan's watch, the Shrek main team walked straight into a high-level corpse explosion ambush."
The table went dead silent.
"Yao Haoxuan was killed in action on the spot," Vina continued, reading the grim casualty list. "Chen Zifeng lost both of his legs—he is completely crippled. Xixi and Gongyang Mo suffered severe injuries and remain comatose. The current Shrek main team has been almost entirely wiped out. Only Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng are left standing, supporting the team with minor injuries."
"What?!"
Long Aotian jerked backward, nearly dropping his porcelain teacup onto the floor. Chen Lu and Wang Yanfeng sat frozen, their jaws slightly slack as they processed the sheer absurdity of the news.
"The main team... one dead, one crippled, and the rest critically injured? How is that even mathematically possible?" Long Aotian's eyes bulged, his voice cracking with disbelief. "Elder Xuan is a Level 98 Super Douluo! Under the nose of a powerhouse of that caliber, he actually allowed a group of children—who haven't even reached the Soul Emperor realm—to be butchered like pigs? What was he doing during the ambush? Sleeping?!"
Du Busi, who had been quietly chewing on a piece of roasted meat, froze. He stared blankly at Vina for three full seconds.
Then, he threw his head back and unleashed an incredibly piercing, earth-shaking roar of laughter.
"Hahahaha! You're going to be the death of me!" Du Busi slammed his massive palm against the sturdy wooden table, causing the plates and bowls to rattle violently. His thick beard trembled with every booming laugh. "That old drunkard Elder Xuan is truly a talent for the ages!"
Tears of mirth actually gathered in the corners of the Body Sect Master's eyes. "A Level 98 Super Douluo escorting a few little dolls, and he actually manages to escort them straight into the grave! This kind of sheer, unadulterated incompetence... besides that idiot Elder Xuan, I'm afraid no one else on the entire continent could pull it off! Truly, he is trash to the extreme!"
Beneath the roaring laughter, Du Busi's eyes gleamed with absolute, unfiltered disdain. He had always looked down on Elder Xuan's lazy, arrogant, and gluttonous lifestyle, but even he hadn't expected the old fool to be utterly useless to this extent.
Just then, Vina glanced down at her communicator as a follow-up message chimed in. "The intelligence network just updated. It shows that Elder Xuan, dragging the remaining remnants of his team, has just appeared outside the North Gate of Star Luo City. It looks like they intend to force themselves to participate in the opening ceremony despite their catastrophic state."
Hearing this, Du Busi stopped laughing. He stood up abruptly, his towering frame casting a shadow over the table. A deeply malicious, predatory smile curled the corners of his mouth.
"At the gates already? Good! Excellent!" Du Busi casually tossed a heavy gold coin onto the table to settle the bill. He waved his hand sharply at Liu Yuan and the others.
"Let's go! Follow me to the city gate. We need to bear witness to the current 'grace'of that mighty Shrek bunch." Du Busi cracked his knuckles, the sound like snapping tree branches. "With such a rare opportunity for old friends to reunite, how could I possibly refuse to go and properly'greet' that imbecile Elder Xuan?"
Liu Yuan watched Du Busi's excited, bloodthirsty grin. He knew exactly what his Master was thinking. Du Busi was planning to take all the lingering rage from the day Elder Mu had come to "apologize" to the Body Sect and vent it entirely onto Elder Xuan's miserable head.
Liu Yuan shook his head in silent amusement, making no effort to stop him. He simply stood up, gesturing for Long Aotian and the others to follow, and trailed silently behind Du Busi's massive strides as they rushed toward the North Gate.
At that exact moment, beneath the towering archway of the North Gate.
A small, ragged procession dressed in Shrek Academy's signature dark green uniforms slowly dragged their feet into the city.
However, their current appearance was a complete and utter mockery of the high-spirited, invincible bearing the world usually associated with the number one academy.
Elder Xuan walked at the very front. His face was as pale as crumpled waste paper, radiating an aura of absolute, suffocating decadence. His normally sharp, arrogant eyes were heavily bloodshot and unfocused. He kept his head bowed, not even daring to look up at the bustling streets ahead of him.
Behind him, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng trudged forward with sallow, exhausted complexions. Although they had changed into fresh, clean uniforms before entering the city, the thick layers of medical bandages wrapped tightly around their torsos and limbs were clearly visible beneath their collars. With every step they took, their brows twitched in pain as their half-healed wounds stretched and pulled.
As for Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, and the younger reserve members bringing up the rear, they looked entirely hollowed out. Their heads hung low, their eyes dull and vacant, haunted by a deep, suffocating grief and the lingering terror of the blood-soaked battlefield.
This broken, dispirited, and incomplete team looked exceptionally pathetic as they limped through the grand gates of Star Luo City.
"Yo, if it isn't the famous Taotie Douluo. I haven't seen you in a few days. How did you manage to become so pathetic?"
A booming voice, dripping with explosive vigor and razor-sharp sarcasm, suddenly echoed through the stone tunnel of the city gate.
Elder Xuan's slouched body stiffened violently. He slowly, agonizingly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes widening as they locked onto the figure blocking their path.
Standing dead center in the tunnel, with his thick arms crossed over his chest, was Du Busi. Behind the towering Body Sect Master stood Liu Yuan and the Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy delegation, all watching the Shrek team with varying expressions of pity, amusement, and cold disdain.
Du Busi slowly looked Elder Xuan up and down, taking in the old man's bedraggled, broken appearance. His gaze then shifted to the bandaged, traumatized students limping behind him. A cruel sneer split Du Busi's face.
"Elder Xuan, I heard you led a team to suppress some local bandits," Du Busi's voice boomed, echoing off the stone walls to ensure every passerby could hear. He mercilessly grabbed a handful of salt and shoved it directly into Elder Xuan's open wounds. "How did that go? Were you wiped out by the bandits instead?"
Elder Xuan flinched as if he had been physically struck.
"Did you practice your Level 98 cultivation straight into a dog's stomach?!" Du Busi roared, his mocking tone turning into a vicious reprimand. "Look at these soldiers you brought! One dead, one completely crippled, and the rest half-dead on their feet! And you actually have the sheer nerve to drag them into Star Luo City to make a public spectacle of yourself?!"
Elder Xuan's pale face instantly flushed a violent, sickly red, before draining away into a deathly ash-gray.
He stared fixedly at Du Busi. Heavy, ragged gasps tore from his throat, his chest heaving as he desperately tried to form a response. His lips trembled, but under the crushing weight of his own failure and Du Busi's absolute mockery, he couldn't force out a single word of rebuttal.
The extreme, suffocating sense of shame burned through his veins. In that moment, the mighty Taotie Douluo truly wished he could dig a hole into the cobblestone street and bury himself alive.
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