Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor

Zhang Lexuan only snapped out of the sudden turn of events at this moment. She had truly thought she was going to die.

"You're... Little Lin."

Zhang Lexuan recognized Ji Lin. Although three years had passed since their first meeting, Ji Lin had not changed much aside from growing a little taller.

Three years ago, Ji Lin had left a deep impression on Zhang Lexuan—not only because of his Ultimate Fire, but also because he called her "sister" every other sentence. His mouth was sweet as honey.

"It's me, Sister Lexuan. Come with me, quickly. Leave this to Teacher Chi Yuan."

Ji Lin grabbed Zhang Lexuan's hand and hurried away from the scene. A battlefield between a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and a Titled Douluo was no place for a little weakling at level thirty like him. Although Zhang Lexuan had not suffered serious injuries, she had expended too much Soul Power and likewise could not protect herself in a battle between a Titled Douluo and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

After Ji Lin and Zhang Lexuan left, the dust on the battlefield gradually cleared. Chi Yuan and the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor faced each other. Having been driven into a bloodthirsty frenzy, the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor clearly had no intention of retreating, while Chi Yuan had no intention of letting a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and soul bone slip away. Battle was about to erupt.

With her Martial Soul Possession activated, Chi Yuan was clad in fiery red feathers as she spread her wings and soared into the sky. Wherever her wings passed, flames surged like tides, as though a phoenix had undergone Nirvana and been reborn from fire. Her eyes gleamed with scorching light, as if they could see through all falsehoods.

The Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor was elegant and mysterious. Its body was covered in silver scales that shimmered with an icy luster beneath the moonlight. Whenever it moved, the air around it trembled, forming ripples of silver.

Every clash between them came with deafening thunder and blinding flashes of light. Chi Yuan's flames intertwined with the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor's moonlight, creating magnificent spectacles of nature.

Yet it was obvious that the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor was at a disadvantage. It was clearly no match for Chi Yuan, and Chi Yuan had not even used her full strength. She had yet to use a Soul Skill, relying only on her fists to fight the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor.

At that moment, Chi Yuan's eighth Soul Ring lit up.

"Eighth Soul Skill, Vermilion Bird Treading Clouds."

Chi Yuan instantly appeared directly above the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor. Flames coiled around her right foot as she kicked downward, and the fire surrounding her transformed into a crimson Vermilion Bird that descended from the heavens.

Bang!

Wuuang!

Chi Yuan's kick struck the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor. With a miserable cry, the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor, engulfed in flames, crashed down from the sky and into the earth.

The Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor slammed into the ground, creating a crater dozens of meters wide.

The Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor lay in the crater, its entire body covered in scorched marks. It took in more breath than it let out, clearly gravely wounded and on the verge of death.

Chi Yuan had used only one eighth Soul Skill from beginning to end. If she had not wanted to end things quickly, she could have easily defeated the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor without using a Soul Skill at all.

Just then, a mass of yellow light rapidly approached through the sky. Chi Yuan merely glanced at it before lowering her guard.

The newcomer was none other than the tardy Taotie Douluo, Xuan Zi.

After landing, Xuan Zi looked at the devastation strewn across the ground, the severed limbs and mangled bodies, as well as Chi Yuan and the Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor beneath her feet.

He stared blankly at the tragic sight before him.

"Wh-what happened? What happened here?"

Zhang Lexuan and Ji Lin supported the three severely injured Inner Court disciples as they approached Xuan Zi.

Zhang Lexuan's expression was filled with conflict and sorrow.

"Elder Xuan, you finally came."

Her voice held grief, a trace of reproach, and guilt.

She knew about Elder Xuan's Martial Soul defect. Though she blamed him, she would not place all the responsibility on him. No one could have expected to encounter a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Mixed Area. As the senior sister and team leader, failing to protect her junior brothers and sisters was her fault.

She was filled with self-reproach and guilt, and she was furious that Elder Xuan had failed them at such a crucial moment. But she knew she could not blame him entirely. Their luck had simply been terrible.

"Girl Lexuan, what happened? Why did things turn out like this? Where are the others? Why are there only a few of you?"

Xuan Zi asked shakily, his face blank and bewildered. He did not dare connect the severed limbs scattered around him with the other Inner Court disciples.

Zhang Lexuan bit her lip so hard that scarlet blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Her tears could no longer be held back, and she revealed a vulnerability never before seen.

"After we got separated from you, we encountered the Hundred-Thousand-Year Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor. All the other junior brothers and sisters died. If Little Lin had not arrived in time with His Excellency Chi Yuan Douluo and saved me, I fear I would have..."

Bang! How could this have happened? What was I even doing?!

Xuan Zi dropped to his knees, his entire body swaying. Guilt, pain, grief—all of his emotions surged into his heart at once.

He had suffered an unprecedented blow. They had only been children. They were Inner Court disciples of Shrek Academy, the most outstanding young people on the continent, with incomparably bright futures ahead of them.

Because of his mistake, eight promising young people had lost their lives forever.

"How am I supposed to explain this to their families? How am I supposed to explain this to Mu En? How am I supposed to explain this to the academy?"

Xuan Zi clutched his head and muttered sorrowfully in agony.

"Senior Xuan Zi, the most urgent matter now is to bring the three severely injured senior brothers and sisters, as well as the bodies of the other senior brothers, back to Shrek Academy. The three of them cannot hold on much longer."

Ji Lin's voice roused the others from their grief.

"Right, right. I have to take them back immediately. Right... take them back."

Startled awake, Xuan Zi shakily rose to his feet. Looking at the severed limbs around him, his eyes were filled with unbearable pain.

He first took out his Storage Spirit Tool and retrieved the bodies and belongings of the eight dead Inner Court disciples one by one, placing them inside. Then, he took the three unconscious and severely injured Inner Court disciples from Ji Lin. When he finally looked at Zhang Lexuan, his gaze shifted away, and he did not dare meet her eyes.

"Girl Lexuan... you..."

Before he could finish, Ji Lin interrupted him.

"Sister Lexuan came to the Star Dou Great Forest this time to obtain her eighth Soul Ring, right? That Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor is about to die. I can't absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring yet, and Teacher Chi Yuan does not need it either. Rather than waste it, Sister Lexuan should absorb it. Its attributes happen to be compatible with hers."

"Little Lin... this is too precious. I can't—"

Just as Zhang Lexuan was about to refuse, Ji Lin's next words stopped her.

"Sister Lexuan, absorbing this Silver Moon Flood Dragon Emperor's Soul Ring can be considered indirectly avenging those senior brothers and sisters."

"But can Girl Lexuan absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring? She'll be blown apart by it."

Xuan Zi asked with a face full of concern. He was utterly at a loss and had completely lost his sense of judgment.

"Don't worry, Senior Xuan Zi. I have a way to let Sister Lexuan absorb this Soul Ring safely. You should hurry and take the senior brothers and sisters back for treatment. If you return too late and they are left with lasting injuries, that would be bad."

"Alright, I believe you. I'll leave Girl Lexuan to you."

Only then did Xuan Zi nod. He gave Zhang Lexuan a guilty look, then held the Inner Court disciples in his arms and transformed into a streak of yellow light, racing toward Shrek City.