Conflict

The bright sunlight vanished without a trace, replaced by darkness.

As a Hell Demon Dragon, Ziji possessed both darkness and water attributes.

When these two attributes existed within the same individual at the same time,

they could fuse, forming a special attribute known as "Yin Water."

An immense pressure descended from above, bringing an indescribable sense of panic.

"He was our student, and he is already dead. Please show mercy and spare him."

Seeing that the giant dragon had not attacked outright, the two teachers leading the group made one final effort.

"He is nothing more than an ant, and he thinks he is worthy of negotiating with me? Let me remind you: with your strength, you would not even survive a single exchange before me."

The dragon's voice suddenly dropped. Having lived in the survival-of-the-fittest Star Dou Great Forest, it was naturally no benevolent creature.

Before its words had even faded, the dragon's aura changed once more.

"Damn it, why can't I gather my Soul Power at all?"

They pushed their Soul Power with all their might, but received no response.

Beads of sweat the size of soybeans seeped from the teachers' foreheads, yet they could think of no way to deal with the Soul Beast before them.

The elemental energy and energy particles of every other attribute in the air rapidly vanished, leaving only darkness elements behind.

Even the ice elements created through martial souls and Soul Power could not escape this calamity.

"Roar—"

A low roar shook the entire forest until it trembled.

Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom. Such terrifying pressure was nearly comparable to that of a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse.

The strength of this newcomer was simply unimaginable. It was undoubtedly the most powerful Soul Beast they had ever seen in their lives.

Even if Shui Qingxuan were here, she likely would not have any solution.

"Now, I will give you one final choice. Return alive, or die here."

The sky turned completely black, with faint purple light flickering within it. The dense dark elements around them caused strange ripples to appear in the air, as though countless shrill screams were ringing out.

Yet Su Chen's corpse produced a unique reaction with this power.

The Heterogeneous Soul Power that had originally been distributed throughout Su Chen's body burst out in an instant.

With Su Chen's death, the Soul Power that had suppressed it no longer existed.

Now, drawn by Soul Power of a similar attribute, it entered its final revelry.

"I understand."

After hesitating again and again, the Soul King responsible for defense made her decision.

In this situation, even if they fought to the bitter end, they would merely be adding four more lives in vain.

"A wise choice. Now get lost."

The giant dragon picked up Su Chen's corpse in its mouth from the teacher leading the group, and a purple portal appeared before it.

"With this boy, breaking through the two-hundred-thousand-year and three-hundred-thousand-year bottlenecks in the future should no longer be difficult."

The instant it returned to its dwelling, a human-like smile appeared on the giant dragon's face.

"But this half-dead state is truly troublesome. I still need to find a way to keep you alive. If you die just like this, I'll suffer a huge loss."

"What did you say?!"

The usually calm Shui Qingxuan flew into a rage upon receiving this news.

Overcome by fury, she slapped the teacher leading the group across the face.

"Dean, I'm sorry..."

The Soul King responsible for offense had already been consumed by guilt. Now, her final line of defense had completely crumbled.

She immediately dropped to her knees and burst into tears.

"This was our mistake. We never expected there to be a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast there. We were the ones who harmed him..."

"You said you encountered a very powerful Soul Beast in the end?"

In the office, Shui Qingxuan paced back and forth several times.

At last, she forced herself to calm down.

"Yes. It was a dragon-shaped Soul Beast, very powerful. Even if it had not reached one hundred thousand years of cultivation, it was already close."

"Su Chen is only a Soul Elder. That Soul Beast must have had another purpose in taking him away. Do not spread word of this matter for now. Wait a while and see what happens."

A ninety-thousand-year, perhaps even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast lived in the core region.

Even Skywater Academy would not dare provoke such an opponent lightly.

"Who are you?"

The portal was cut off midway, and a gigantic snake-like Soul Beast dozens of meters long blocked the giant dragon's path.

It was a strange serpent with the head of an ox and the body of a snake. Its ox head alone was at least four meters across, and its enormous lantern-like eyes gleamed brightly.

Its snake body was black and several times thicker than a water vat.

There was no need to say more. It was naturally the Sky Azure Bull Python.

"You are merely a snake, yet you dare block my path?"

Dragon Clan Soul Beasts were born with contempt for snake-type Soul Beasts. It was discrimination rooted in their bloodlines.

Although the dragon transformation pursued by snake-type Soul Beasts was not the same concept as the dragons of the Dragon Clan,

that did not stop Dragon Clan Soul Beasts from believing that they stood at the endpoint of snake-type Soul Beasts from the moment they were born.

Therefore, even knowing that its opponent was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the giant dragon felt no fear whatsoever.

"I have no intention of becoming enemies with you. I merely wish to remind you that this is my territory. If you do anything too excessive, I will not let you off."

The Sky Azure Bull Python was not the type to compete for superiority. It had come mainly to ensure the safety of its territory.

"I have no time to deal with your nonsense. If that is all you have to say, then go cool off somewhere else."

"You bastard, you trespassed into someone else's territory and this is your attitude?"

The Titan Giant Ape on the other side could no longer sit still.

Seeing how this Dragon Clan Soul Beast had clearly intruded upon their territory yet still acted so arrogantly,

he could no longer endure it. He threw a punch and launched the first attack.

"Are you looking down on me? You think an attack of this level can hurt me?!"

A massive dragon claw slammed out and collided with the Titan Giant Ape's iron fist.

After a terrifying shockwave, it ultimately came out slightly worse.

Although the Hell Demon Dragon was one of the few true dragons with pure bloodlines, it was still at a disadvantage in cultivation.

Furthermore, raw strength was the Titan Giant Ape's specialty.

In a head-on clash of pure power, it inevitably suffered a loss.

"Is your mere ninety thousand years of cultivation what gives you such confidence?"

The Titan Giant Ape mocked disdainfully.

One had to know that one hundred thousand years was a massive threshold for Soul Beasts. If they could not cross it, then no matter how strong their previous cultivation and power had been, it would all amount to nothing.

Once a Soul Beast reached one hundred thousand years of cultivation, a trial like a Heavenly Tribulation would inevitably arrive within a century.

And of those who survived that trial, not even one in ten remained.