Deep in the forest, Xuan Zi wandered around, looking disheveled and unkempt.
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That's right. The dignified Super Douluo of rank 98 had actually gotten lost.
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With a wine gourd in his left hand and a chicken leg in his right, Xuan Zi strolled leisurely through the Star Dou Great Forest, alternating between swigs of wine and bites of chicken.
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"Where on earth did Lexuan go? Why didn't the kids say anything before they left? Once I find them, I'll have to give them a good scolding and teach them to respect their elders."
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest.
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"Senior sister, we've been separated from Elder Xuan," a female student sighed.
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"Elder Xuan really is something. He drinks while he walks. I bet he's fallen asleep somewhere."
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"I'm sure Elder Xuan is looking for us too. We should hurry and find him. The Star Dou Great Forest is full of danger, and Ferocious Beasts roam here. If we're unlucky enough to run into one, we'll be in serious trouble."
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Zhang Yuexuan shook her head helplessly. "We can't blame Elder Xuan entirely. His Martial Soul, the Godly Taotie Bull, requires him to keep eating so he can cultivate. He's troubled by it too. Stop complaining and let's focus on finding him."
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The group walked through the forest, unaware that two icy gazes were already watching them from the shadows.
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The Star Dou Great Forest spanned three empires and lay in the central region of the continent. Vast and boundless, it was home to over a million Soul Beasts.
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Finding one person in the forest was like searching for a needle in a haystack for Zhang Yuexuan and her eleven companions.
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"Elder Xuan!"
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One of the girls couldn't help calling out.
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But Zhang Yuexuan immediately covered her mouth and scolded her. "Do you want to die? If Elder Xuan isn't here and you draw a Soul Beast to us, we'll all be killed."
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"What's there to be afraid of, senior sister? There are so many of us. Are we supposed to fear a Soul Beast? Unless it's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast," a male student said arrogantly.
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Be careful what you wish for.
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Just then, heavy footsteps sounded. The trees ahead toppled, and a low growl rang out.
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Zhang Yuexuan and the other students braced themselves. Their brows furrowed as Soul Rings lit up one after another beneath their feet.
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A ten-meter-long tiger stood before them. It had a pair of wings on its back and a bull's body beneath its tiger head. Fangs as sharp as daggers crisscrossed in its mouth, and foul-smelling saliva dripped from its jaws.
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"It's Qiongqi! The strongest of the tiger-type Soul Beasts! And it looks like a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, at the very least."
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"We're done for!"
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Some of them turned pale. Faced with the sudden appearance of Qiongqi, many were overcome with fear. But as students of Shrek Academy, they took a deep breath and still chose to face it head-on.
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Zhang Yuexuan's expression was grave. She gritted her teeth. "This Qiongqi is ten meters long. Tiger-type Soul Beasts grow one meter for every ten thousand years once they surpass fifty thousand years. That means this Qiongqi could very well be... a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
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Everyone drew a sharp breath as despair swept over them. A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was the equivalent of a human Titled Douluo.
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Qiongqi let out a low growl. "You have a good eye, human girl. I recently survived a Heavenly Tribulation and broke through to a hundred thousand years. I was hungry, so I came out for a little snack. Since we've met, it must be fate. Now let me eat you."
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Qiongqi opened its enormous jaws and spread its wings, preparing to swoop down on Zhang Yuexuan and the others.
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A deathly pale blade flashed through the forest. Qiongqi's eyes widened, but before it could even scream, its massive tiger head rolled to the ground.
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The cross-section of its severed neck was perfectly clean. That strike had been extraordinary.
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Zhang Yuexuan and the others had yet to recover from their shock when an ordinary-looking woman walked out of the forest.
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She walked straight up to Qiongqi and sighed. "What a pity."
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This Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had been one of the two crucial Soul Rings missing from Bibi Dong's Second Martial Soul, the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor.
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With a sharp eye, Bibi Dong swung the Rakshasa Demon Scythe and chopped off Qiongqi's right tiger paw. She tore away the flesh, revealing a Soul Bone that glimmered with a scarlet light.
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At the same time, a blood-red 100,000-Year Soul Ring appeared over Qiongqi's corpse.
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Bibi Dong chose not to absorb the 100,000-Year Soul Ring. After storing Qiongqi's left arm bone in her Soul Tool, she turned to look at Zhang Yuexuan and the others.
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Bibi Dong asked coolly, "Are you all students of Shrek Academy?"
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Zhang Yuexuan and the others exchanged glances, all of them quietly relieved.
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Zhang Yuexuan cupped her hands. "I'm Zhang Yuexuan, an Inner Court Student of Shrek Academy. Thank you for saving our lives, senior."
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"Thank you for saving our lives, senior." The others cupped their hands in gratitude as well.
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Bibi Dong waved a hand, and the Rakshasa Demon Scythe vanished. Her right hand transformed into a grotesque claw, and in an instant she tore the head off one of the Shrek Inner Court students.
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Zhang Yuexuan and the others had just relaxed, but now they were on high alert. They scattered and retreated, their Soul Rings flashing beneath their feet.
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"What do you mean by this, senior?" Zhang Yuexuan demanded, her voice low.
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"Can't you tell? I'm going to kill you, of course!"
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Bibi Dong became the Grim Reaper. This group of youngsters, whose average cultivation was only at the Soul King or Soul Emperor level, wasn't worth using her Martial Soul on. The girl leading them, however, was remarkably young to be a Soul Saint.
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"Interesting."
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Bibi Dong decided to save Zhang Yuexuan for last.
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In the blink of an eye, all eleven of Zhang Yuexuan's companions, who had spent their days together, were dead. Blood pooled across the ground, staining the grass red.
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Zhang Yuexuan watched helplessly as it happened. Her body felt powerless. Her eyes slowly reddened as she glared at the woman before her.
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"You... everyone... is dead."
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"I'll kill you!"
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"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"
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A moon appeared behind Zhang Yuexuan, and the clear sky gradually darkened. A full moon rose in the sky, its snowy-white moonlight shimmering.
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The full moon merged with Zhang Yuexuan, transforming into a radiant moon that came crashing down.
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"Sixth Soul Skill, Moonlight Frost Fills the Sky."
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The full moon that Zhang Yuexuan had become came crashing down, its moonlight flowing like water.
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Only Bibi Dong could truly feel the immense power of the moonlight raining down from above.
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"I didn't expect you to become a Soul Saint at such a young age. You're only one crucial Eighth Soul Ring away from breaking through to Soul Douluo."
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Bibi Dong saw through Zhang Yuexuan's cultivation at a glance. She raised a hand and caught the full moon overhead. Countless beams of moonlight turned into sharp blades, circling Bibi Dong as they rushed to tear her apart.
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"It's a shame that anyone from Shrek has to die!"
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A sinister aura surged from Bibi Dong's raised right hand. She leaped high into the air and slammed the full moon in her grasp down toward the ground.
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A deafening boom erupted, kicking up clouds of dust.
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Zhang Yuexuan spat blood and withdrew from her Martial Soul Avatar state.
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She looked up at Bibi Dong, horror in her eyes. "You... you're an Evil Soul Master!"
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"An Evil Soul Master?" Bibi Dong paused, then sneered. "If you say so."
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