Shrek's Arrogance Comes at a Price (Seeking Recommendation Tickets, Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Enough!"

Dai Huabin could no longer endure the insults. Enraged, he instantly activated his Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul Possession. Two yellow and one purple soul rings rose from beneath his feet, and the shockwave of his soul power forced the surrounding crowd to retreat.

The citizens of Heaven Soul trembled in fear at the might of a Soul Master, and the area fell into an instant, deathly silence.

Lord Soul Master—they could not afford to offend such people.

Pointing a finger at Ye Que's nose, Dai Huabin cursed, "You soul master who crawled out from who knows where, what is your motive? To dare slander our Shrek Academy and our students—I see you are already courting death."

"If you don't give us an explanation today, this young master will make you pay dearly."

Dai Yueheng chimed in, "Little brother, your ability to incite the crowd is far too strong. I suspect you are a spy sent by the Sun Moon Empire. I am a member of the Shrek Supervisory Team; you will come with me to the Academy."

With that, Dai Yueheng revealed his Supervisory Team badge, intending to drag Ye Que to the Academy for interrogation.

This was the best solution he could conceive. Whether the man before him was a spy or not, he had to be dealt with as one today, or the consequences would be too great for anyone to bear.

If they didn't deal with Ye Que today, they would be the ones dealt with by Dean Yan Shaozhe upon their return.

Although Shrek Academy harbored ambitions of becoming the master of the continent, it was supposedly for the good of the people. They could not afford to be branded as villains before their plans came to fruition, or it would bring unmitigated disaster upon the Academy.

Ye Que had to be dealt with!

However, just then, someone spoke up from the crowd.

"Martial Soul Hall... if only Martial Soul Hall were still here. Even though they also wanted to unify the continent, they never oppressed us commoners. They even awakened our martial souls for free. If only they were still here..."

It was this very sentence that ignited the hearts of the people once more.

That's right!

If only Martial Soul Hall were still here. Even if they both sought to unify the continent, Martial Soul Hall was clearly more suited to be the master of the continent.

Dai Yueheng's pupils constricted upon hearing this. He realized that if he didn't deal with Ye Que now, he might incite a public uprising.

Dai Yueheng commanded sharply, "Huabin, take him down!"

"Yes!"

Without a second thought, Dai Huabin lunged at Ye Que like a tiger descending a mountain, looking as smug as could be.

Watching Dai Huabin's charge, a smile curled at the corners of Ye Que's mouth. "Finally, the dog is jumping over the wall in desperation. Then, taste my blade!"

With a sharp clang, a golden flash of sword light streaked through the air.

"Ah!"

Dai Huabin collapsed to the ground, howling as he clutched his claws. Blood streamed from his hands, and his face twisted in extreme agony.

It hurt—it hurt so much!

This man's sword was incredibly fast, and his soul power was actually higher than his own.

Yet, he refused to give up. Seizing the moment of his opponent's perceived arrogance, he turned and launched a ferocious tiger pounce, his third soul ring lighting up to activate the White Tiger Vajra Transformation.

Dai Huabin transformed into a half-man, half-tiger hybrid, swinging his right claw toward Ye Que's heart in an attempt to kill him in one strike.

Ye Que's expression turned cold. Having long anticipated the dirty tricks of the Dai family, he spun around with blinding speed.

He then clamped his hand onto Dai Huabin's head, erupting with soul power to bind him instantly.

"Big... Big Brother, save me!"

Dai Huabin's face contorted, his speech slurred and his features twitching under the pressure of that terrifying soul power.

"Angel Holy Sword... you really are a remnant of Martial Soul Hall. You're seeking death..."

Dai Yueheng's eyes turned icy. The aura of a White Tiger Soul Emperor erupted, six soul rings rising from his feet. His fourth soul ring glowed as he activated the White Tiger Meteor Shower.

In an instant, countless white meteors shot forward.

"If you want to hurt my brother, you'll have to get past me first!"

Almost the moment the soul skill was activated, Ye Wuqing stood before Ye Que, wielding his Golden Leaf blades. The massive quantity of golden leaves behind him transformed into a giant shield wall, blocking the impact of the meteor shower.

Yu Mengdi held her Holy Dual Swords, resolutely pressing them against Dai Huabin's neck, ready to decapitate him at any moment.

Tang Xiaolei and Shangguan Can stood behind Ye Wuqing, actively channeling their soul power into him.

After a series of thunderous booms, the golden leaves dissipated. Dai Yueheng's skill had been perfectly countered, and the two sides locked eyes in a tense standoff.

"Remnants of Martial Soul Hall, and two of you at that! Release my brother, or I will kill you all."

Dai Yueheng's tone was frigid, killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Ye Wuqing said calmly, "If you want to kill my brother, you'll have to get past me. Even if you are a Soul Emperor from Shrek Academy, I am no nobody. My blades can cut through anything, including your tiger hide."

Yu Mengdi added coolly, "Is 'remnant of Martial Soul Hall' something you are qualified to call us? Shrek Academy truly has become lawless."

Dai Yueheng ignored them entirely, his gaze fixed solely on Ye Que, his killing intent palpable.

Ye Que chuckled, his hand still clamped on Dai Huabin's head, and said calmly:

"I never expected that after ten thousand years, we still haven't shaken off the title of 'remnants of Martial Soul Hall.' Shrek certainly has a grand reputation—preaching about serving the nation and the people, while in reality, you've been trying to root out our Angel Clan entirely."

"As the guardians of this continent, even after Martial Soul Hall was destroyed, our Angel Clan has been diligently purging Evil Soul Masters and protecting the last piece of pure land. Yet, in the end, we are treated as remnants by the likes of you at Shrek."

"I would like to ask you, Shrek: you claim to be purging Evil Soul Masters, so why are there more of them every year? Or is it that your true goal is to purge us remnants instead?"

"Yes, I am a remnant of the Martial Soul Hall, but I am also a guardian of the continent. I stand firmly on the side of the commoners, and I am here specifically to eradicate you dogs of the noble class."

Dai Yueheng narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Stop hiding behind a false banner. Your words are hypocritical. Put down Huabin and you might still have a way to live; otherwise, whether you flee to the heavens or hide in the earth, there will be no path of survival for you."

Hahahaha... Ye Que laughed until tears almost streamed from his eyes. He gave Dai Yueheng a thumbs-up and said, "You are even more arrogant than I am, but arrogance comes with a price, and this price just happens to be..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Ye Que exerted a sudden, violent force. A crisp cracking sound erupted from Dai Huabin's skull, and blood began to seep from his nose and mouth.

Dai Huabin screamed, "Big... Big Brother, save me! I don't want to die!"

Ye Que applied pressure once more, directly channeling Angel soul power into Dai Huabin's body, the force of that divine energy torturing him incessantly.

"You're courting death!"

Dai Yueheng could no longer hold back. In an instant, he activated his fifth soul skill, White Tiger Demon God Transformation. His aura changed drastically as he transformed into a frenzied Evil-Eyed Black Tiger before everyone's eyes, raising his hand to slash out with razor-sharp claws.

Ye Wuqing, Yu Mengdi, Tang Xiaolei, and Shangguan Can simultaneously unleashed their soul skills to charge forward.

"Let the sacred radiance shine upon this continent once more!"

Ye Que's tone was calm. He tossed the heavily injured Dai Huabin aside and, with a wave of his hand, unleashed the Angel Domain.

An aura of extreme sanctity swept downward, the terrifying power of the domain pressing in.

Dai Yueheng, who was in the midst of fighting Ye Wuqing and the others, suddenly felt as if a massive mountain had crashed down upon him.

He tried to resist, attempting to release his sixth soul skill.

However, Ye Wuqing and the others were faster, subduing Dai Yueheng almost instantly.

With a loud thud, Dai Yueheng was forced to his knees. Suppressed by the Angel Domain, he was battered and bruised, his face twisted in agony.

The Angel Domain—it was actually the Angel Domain.

Even though Ye Que had not released his martial soul, Dai Yueheng recognized it at a glance: this was the Six-Winged Angel martial soul of the Qian Family.

Only the Six-Winged Angel martial soul possessed an innate Angel Domain.

Damn it, damn it all!

Dai Yueheng raised his head and roared, "Hahaha, I finally understand why you would stand up for the commoners. So, you are actually..."

Slap—!

Ye Que raised his hand and struck Dai Yueheng, swelling his face instantly.

Dai Yueheng clenched his fists, glaring at Ye Que with venomous eyes, and said coldly, "So what if you have more people? So what if you have domain suppression? If you have the guts, kill me! Go on, kill me! Do you dare? Hahaha..."

Ye Que didn't speak; he backhanded him with several more slaps, and Dai Huabin did not escape the same fate.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Dai Yueheng was so furious he felt like he was going to explode.

This humiliation was even more unbearable than death.

Ye Que felt quite satisfied and said indifferently, "You are indeed arrogant, betting that I wouldn't dare to kill you, but you are wrong!"

Clang.

In the blink of an eye, the Angel God Sword was pressed against Dai Yueheng's neck.