Tang Ya's Demise!

The dawn finally pierced the branches of the Star Dou Great Forest, weaving a mottled net of light on the ground.

The mist in the forest gradually dispersed, revealing damp grass and petals dotted with dew. The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation, yet it did nothing to alleviate the tense atmosphere.

The World-Destroying Black Lotus above Lu Jing's head slowly unfurled, and a platinum soul ring spun beneath his feet, its oppressive aura causing Beibei and Tang Ya to instinctively take half a step back. The dark purple light that had been repelled back into the dense forest did not reappear, but everyone knew that the person in the shadows would not give up so easily.

"Who?" Beibei suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping like lightning towards the treetops on the left.

There, a black figure stood silently at some unknown time. The newcomer wore a faded black robe, his face ordinary, but his jawline was taut. His eyes were like knives quenched in ice, fixedly staring at the platinum soul ring beneath Lu Jing's feet, a flicker of surprise flashing in his pupils.

Wang Dong'er frowned, pale blue light wings fluttering slightly behind her. "Is this person... from our Shrek Academy?"

She could feel no malice from the other party, but there was a sense of oppression belonging to a strong person, unlike a soul beast that had taken human form in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Beibei shook his head, his amber pupils filled with vigilance. "I'm not sure. I know most of the teachers at the academy; I've never seen this person before."

Even so, he felt a hidden sense of relief. Since the other party dared to show himself openly and hadn't attacked immediately, perhaps he was indeed someone sent by the academy to protect them secretly. After all, when they set out on this mission, Dean Yan Shaozhe had vaguely mentioned that someone would be looking out for them.

Lu Jing was not so optimistic. He looked at the man in black on the treetop, then at Beibei's suddenly relaxed expression, and a sudden understanding dawned on him. A mocking smile curved his lips. "It seems you're Beibei's helper?"

The man in black said nothing further, merely nodding coldly in acknowledgment. His gaze lingered on the World-Destroying Black Lotus above Lu Jing's head for a moment, then swept over the platinum soul ring. His brow furrowed even tighter—this martial soul was evil, and the soul ring was even more bizarre. He could not be allowed to live.

"As expected."

Lu Jing let out a scoff, flexing his wrists. He teased, "Of course. How could the great-grandson of Dragon God Douluo Mu En truly venture into the Star Dou Great Forest alone? Who would believe it if it wasn't for a few experts watching from behind?"

"What did you say?!"

Beibei and the man in black exclaimed in unison, their faces instantly turning extremely ugly.

Beibei's pupils contracted sharply, and he stared at Lu Jing as if he had seen a ghost. "You... how do you know?"

Dragon God Douluo Mu En was the Stabilizing Needle of Shrek Academy, his status incredibly noble. His relationship with Mu En was an even greater secret of the academy, known only to a few deans and direct elders. How could this country bumpkin, whose soul ring was only a hundred years old, know so clearly?

The man in black instantly unleashed a terrifying pressure, the air around him seeming to freeze. He stared intently at Lu Jing, his voice laced with undisguised killing intent. "Where did you hear all this?!"

This was no longer a simple sneak attack or conflict. A child of unknown origin, knowing Elder Mu's name, and even Beibei's background—something was definitely wrong here!

"None of your damn business," Lu Jing pouted, showing no fear on his face. Since the masks were off, what did he have to worry about? Facing death, did he still have to consider the other party's feelings?

He urgently asked in his mind, "Tian Meng, can we run?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice carried an unprecedented solemnity. "Difficult! This guy's aura is very strong, more than ten times stronger than that Blue Lightning kid from before!"

He paused, his tone turning fierce. "But we can try! Better to be seriously injured than to die here! I just became someone's soul ring, I haven't enjoyed myself enough yet!"

Before his voice faded, the platinum soul ring beneath Lu Jing's feet suddenly spun faster, and the World-Destroying Black Lotus surged violently. The ink-black petals, carrying dense black mist, swept towards the man in black on the treetop!

"Seeking death!" The man in black snorted coldly. His body remained still, but dazzling soul rings lit up beneath his feet—two yellow, two purple, three black, a total of seven soul rings!

Soul Sage!

Beibei and Wang Dong'er both gasped. The academy actually sent a Soul Sage to secretly protect them?

The man in black waved his hand, and his third soul ring lit up. A pitch-black wind blade appeared out of thin air, carrying a sharp whistle that tore through space, precisely slashing towards the petals of the World-Destroying Black Lotus.

"Bang!"

The wind blade collided with the black mist, erupting in a piercing roar. A gap was torn in the black mist, but it quickly closed again, and the wind blade was corroded and dimmed considerably.

"Interesting." A hint of surprise flashed in the man in black's eyes. He hadn't expected this evil martial soul to be able to withstand his attack.

Lu Jing's heart sank. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was right, this guy was too strong! That attack just now had required nearly half of the World-Destroying Black Lotus's power to barely block it.

"Hold steady!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice boomed in his mind: "Brother has discovered your martial soul is very unusual. Why be afraid of him? Just fight!"

Indeed, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was best at mental suppression and energy control. Even if the opponent was a Soul Sage, as long as they hadn't reached the Title Douluo level, it had room to maneuver. The black mist, like a living snake, continuously entwined and corroded the soul skill released by the man in black, and for a time, they fought to a standstill.

Seeing this, Beibei also wanted to help, but was stopped by the man in black: "Don't interfere!"

He could see that this child's martial soul countered elemental attacks. If Beibei used his Lightning Power, it might be countered instead.

Lu Jing controlled the World-Destroying Black Lotus while urgently shouting in his mind: "This isn't working! We can't outlast him!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was also calculating rapidly: "A head-on fight is impossible! We need to find an opportunity to break through!"

Its gaze swept across the scene, finally landing on Tang Ya not far away—that was a breakthrough point!

"Her!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm let out a low cry and controlled the World-Destroying Black Lotus to turn sharply, the black mist surging towards Tang Ya like a tide!

It didn't attack Wang Dong'er. It remembered Wang Dong'er warning Lu Jing to dodge the sneak attack. Moreover, Wang Dong'er's Goddess of Light Butterfly Martial Soul carried divinity, which countered evil energy and was difficult to deal with.

"Xiao Ya!" Beibei's face changed drastically. Without thinking, he rushed forward, blue lightning condensing into a shield before him, trying to block the black mist.

The man in black hadn't expected Lu Jing to suddenly turn and attack a weakling. He frowned, and his seventh soul ring suddenly lit up—Martial Soul True Body!

A giant black wind dragon phantom appeared behind him, carrying a world-destroying aura, and crashed into the black mist!

Although most of it was blocked, Tang Ya was still sent flying, spitting blood, and crashed heavily onto the ground.

As a million-year-level soul beast, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, although not adept at combat, was superior to Beibei and a Soul Sage in terms of mental power usage and storage. Therefore, it was naturally able to multitask, hitting Tang Ya before Wang Dong'er could even react.