Soul-Fixing Banquet: Joy or Sorrow?

At the banquet, the lights blazed brightly, and the guests gathered like clouds.

There was a congratulatory delegation from the Bright Jade Sect, along with more than ten Soul Douluo-level stewards from the Body Sect.

There was even a titled Douluo elder present as a witness.

More than fifty village households had gathered together, their laughter and cheers intermingling in a grand, festive scene.

Amid the ceremonial host's loud announcement, the two newly engaged stepped onto the stage slowly.

Long Zhanye wore an exquisite formal outfit in the style of Heaven Dou Empire nobility, his bearing calm and composed.

Xiahou Ling, meanwhile, wore a pure white wedding dress from the West, its trailing hem sweeping the floor like a lotus blooming beneath the moon.

Facing this fiancée he had never met before, a strange ripple passed through Long Zhanye's heart.

Yet when he looked up toward the banquet tables—

His parents' gratified smiles, the villagers' sincere cheers, and the sect stewards' expectant gazes quietly buried that hesitation.

He thought silently, Now that things have come to this, I should share this joy with everyone. The rest can wait.

The ceremony proceeded in order until the final rite: the newly engaged pair drinking from crossed cups, symbolizing a bond that would last forever.

When Long Zhanye gently lifted Xiahou Ling's snowy white veil, his breath caught.

He had imagined what she might look like, but he had never expected such delicate, radiant beauty.

Her skin was like warm jade, her brows and eyes seemed painted by an artist, her oval face was exquisite, and her lips resembled cherry blossoms...

Only when the ceremonial host urged him softly did he snap back to himself. He accepted the wine cup Xiahou Ling offered and drained it in one swallow.

The wine slid down his throat, crisp and cool with a hint of sweetness, as though washing away the vague unease that had lingered in him for days.

His gaze could not help lingering on Xiahou Ling's face.

With beauty like hers, let alone a young man in his prime, even someone accustomed to beauty and romance would find it difficult to look away.

The banquet's revelry continued, cups clinking and congratulations ringing out without end.

The festivities lasted a full seven days. Yet on the final day, disaster struck without warning.

A group of stern, imposing figures barged into the banquet hall, utterly at odds with the room's joyous atmosphere.

Their leader was none other than a major figure of Shrek Academy—Xuan Zi, a level-98 Super Douluo.

Beside him stood a sharp-featured woman in fitted red attire. It was Ma Xiaotao.

"It's her!!!"

Ma Xiaotao stepped forward and pointed at Xiahou Ling beside the main table.

At the same time, Xuan Zi displayed the insignia of the Shrek Inspectorate, his voice booming like a great bell:

"Everyone, this old man is Xuan Zi of Shrek."

"I did not come today intending to disrupt this auspicious occasion, but as the head of the Inspectorate, I bear the responsibility of purging evil and protecting the righteous path. I had no choice but to come."

The titled Douluo elder of the Body Sect darkened. "Even if you have official business, why choose someone's joyous day?"

Ma Xiaotao shouted coldly, "Because we have irrefutable evidence—this person is an Evil Soul Master!"

The words struck like thunder, and the entire hall erupted in an uproar.

"An Evil Soul Master? How could that be..." The guests stared at one another, shock and suspicion spreading through the crowd.

At those words, Xiahou Ling's fingers suddenly clenched.

But Long Zhanye took her trembling hand at that moment and looked directly at Xuan Zi. "Where is the evidence?"

Xuan Zi laughed loudly. "What further proof is needed? Have her release her Martial Soul, and the truth will reveal itself!"

In an instant, every gaze in the hall converged on Xiahou Ling.

Under the eyes of the entire crowd, she finally raised her right hand slowly.

A bloody, chilling aura abruptly swept outward. Amid the fluctuations of Soul Power, a savage phantom appeared behind her:

Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King!

The entire hall fell deathly silent, everyone staring in stunned disbelief.

Xiahou Ling's face turned pale as she suddenly looked toward the Bright Jade Sect elders. Yet they merely gave bitter smiles and shook their heads.

Xuan Zi's laughter became even harsher. His Soul Power transformed into an invisible giant hand that seized Xiahou Ling and lifted her into the air.

"Do you know the King of Slaughter? That evil Douluo who once ravaged the world was parasitized and corrupted by this Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King! The Martial Soul itself is proof. What is there left to argue?!"

His eyes flashed like lightning as they locked tightly onto the struggling girl in midair.

Long Yufeng and his wife hurried forward, crying anxiously, "My lord, my lord, there must be some misunderstanding! Please take a seat and have some tea first. Everything can be discussed..."

Before they could finish, Ma Xiaotao's Soul Power erupted around her. A scorching blast of air sent the two of them flying.

Long Yufeng slammed into a stone pillar and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Father—!" Long Zhanye's pupils contracted sharply. After helping his parents up, he turned and pointed furiously at Xuan Zi and Ma Xiaotao.

"Today is my engagement banquet. Leave now, and I will not hold you accountable!"

"If you remain here and hurt anyone again, I will report this to the sect master. When Sect Master Du Busi arrives, let's see how you explain yourselves!"

Ma Xiaotao merely sneered. "Report it to the sect master?!"

"So what if Du Busi comes? Evil Soul Masters are condemned by all! Shrek eliminates evil and purges filth—what have we done wrong?!"

"You—!"

Long Zhanye swept his gaze over the scene. Xiahou Ling's eyes were brimming with helplessness.

The people of the Bright Jade Sect lowered their heads in silence. Even the Body Sect elder stood wordlessly still.

That was right. Against a Peak Douluo like Xuan Zi, even if they joined forces, what chance did they have?

Fury exploded in Long Zhanye's chest. He stepped forward, and four Soul Rings rose beneath his feet—yellow, purple, purple, black!

He raised his head to face Xuan Zi, every word hard as iron. "I'll say this one last time. Get out!!"

Xuan Zi stared at Long Zhanye, his voice low. "Boy, look carefully!"

"Your fiancée's Martial Soul is the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King! She is an Evil Soul Master!!!"

Long Zhanye's gaze burned fiercely, without the slightest retreat. "So what if she is an Evil Soul Master? So what if her Martial Soul is the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King? All I know is that she is my fiancée!"

Ma Xiaotao snorted, Phoenix Flame faintly rising around her. "We've said all that needs to be said. If you insist on your delusion, don't blame me for suppressing you along with her!"

"Son—!" Long Yufeng endured the pain and shook his head anxiously, signaling for him not to act rashly.

"Hehehe... Hahahaha~~!"

Yet Long Zhanye suddenly let out a low, eerie laugh.

"Second Soul Skill—Boiling Blood Berserker Transformation!"

"Fourth Soul Skill—Sky Vein God-Possession Transformation!"

His second and fourth Soul Rings lit up simultaneously.

Long Zhanye's Second Soul Skill doubled all of his attributes with no side effects.

His Fourth Soul Skill amplified the existing enhancement effects by another threefold.

Two great Soul Skills, a sixfold increase!

In that instant—

Long Zhanye's blood and vitality surged like raging waves, while the pounding of his heart sounded like war drums.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

A layer of pale red, violent energy burst from within him and enveloped his entire body.

His Soul Power aura, originally at level 45, climbed higher and higher, reaching a level comparable to a Spirit King—and even fiercer and more tyrannical than an ordinary Spirit King!

A trace of complexity flashed through Xuan Zi's eyes at the sight. In the end, he merely shook his head. "Stubborn beyond salvation."

He said no more and made a grasping motion with his right hand.

A tangible earthen-gold dragon claw tore through the air, carrying the terrifying pressure of a titled Douluo as it descended directly upon Long Zhanye's head!

Long Zhanye's eyes turned bloodshot, and the third thousand-year Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up!

He threw back his head and roared, his voice shaking the surrounding lands. "Third Soul Skill—Extinguishing Ray Pulse!"