Lin Chen's gaze was icy. Soul Power had already gathered around him, and a faint chill gleamed at his fingertips as he walked straight toward Tang San, trapped where he stood.
Tang San had repeatedly plotted to kill the Shrek members today. This kind of menace could not be allowed to live. Even under the pressure of Clear Sky Douluo, Lin Chen would not back down an inch.
Tang San's face was pale as paper. As Lin Chen drew closer step by step, he trembled all over, the last shred of his will to live swallowed by fear. He could only look helplessly toward Tang Hao, who had just appeared, and cry out hoarsely, "Father! Save me!"
Tang Hao stood in midair, gripping his Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul. Black frost that had never melted for ten thousand years coiled around the dark hammer. His deep eyes swept over Lin Chen and the Shrek members. He showed not the slightest intention of defending his son or reasoning with them. Instead, an unbridled, monstrous killing intent suddenly erupted from him!
"You know my son's secrets, and you've repeatedly ruined his opportunities. Leaving you alive would only invite disaster."
His low voice rang out like a declaration from the god of death. The Soul Rings around Tang Hao suddenly blazed into view: two yellow, two purple, two black, and one red. All seven rings pulsed wildly, and the pressure of the Hundred-Thousand-Year red ring swept across heaven and earth, even more fierce and violent than before!
He had never wanted to expose Tang San's Twin Martial Souls or the secrets of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. Now that Tang San's scheming against his companions had been uncovered, Tang Hao had already decided to kill. Rather than take Tang San away and leave behind a threat, he would wipe out every last member of Shrek Academy, pulling the weeds out by the roots and ending all future trouble!
BOOM!!
The terrifying pressure of Soul Power suddenly intensified, crashing down on the Shrek Seven Devils like a mountain. Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others were forced to their knees in an instant. Blood spilled from their lips, the Soul Power around them nearly shattered, and even moving a finger became an uphill struggle.
Flender and Zhao Wuji were far away at the academy and had no time to rush to their aid. The Shrek members were now trapped in a hopeless, deadly predicament!
"What a ruthless Clear Sky Douluo! Tang San was the one who did wrong first, yet you're going to wipe us all out!" Dai Mubai snarled through clenched teeth. His White Tiger Martial Soul surged at full power, but the pressure still pinned him down, his bones creaking all over.
Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flame had gone out completely. Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Spirit Cat aura was feeble, Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had dimmed, and Oscar couldn't even muster the Soul Power to conjure a sausage. The domineering killing force, at Soul Saint level, had locked onto them all. The shadow of death fell over the scene in an instant.
Lin Chen stepped in front of everyone and forcefully drove his Soul Power and divine sense to their limits, raising an energy barrier to withstand Tang Hao's killing pressure. But the difference between their strengths was like the distance between heaven and earth. Cracks instantly spread across the barrier, and it could shatter at any moment.
He turned to look at his pale-faced companions. A note of resolve flashed in his eyes. Even if he had to fight to the death, he would protect them.
Xiao Wu stood beside Lin Chen, looking at the figure shielding them and at her companions trapped in peril. Her heart burned with anxiety.
She knew Lin Chen could never withstand Tang Hao's full-force strike. Without a turnabout, they would all die beneath the Clear Sky Hammer today!
In her desperation, Xiao Wu quietly pressed her fingertip against the Beast Bone Pendant she wore close to her neck. It was a token of communication that Daming and Erming had personally made for her when she left the Star Dou Forest. By infusing it with a trace of Soft Bone Rabbit Soul Power, she could send a distress signal to the two divine beasts.
Daring not to hesitate, she quietly sent a strand of pure Soft Bone Rabbit Soul Power from her fingertip into the pendant.
The next moment, a sudden change erupted!
In the distant heart of the Star Dou Forest, two ancient divine-beast auras, terrifying beyond measure, burst forth without warning!
One aura was vast and weighty, carrying the mighty vitality to shake heaven and earth, like a primordial beast that had slept for ten thousand years awakening. The other was savage and overbearing, carrying a violent force that could tear apart the firmament, as if it could crush any and every foe.
Neither aura came with a visible figure. Purely as a presence, they crossed a hundred-mile stretch in the blink of an eye and swept toward them, colliding with Tang Hao's pressure of Soul Power!
HUM—!
The air quivered violently, fierce winds tore through the forest, and ravines split the ground. Tang Hao's Soul Saint-level pressure was forcibly driven back several yards by the two divine-beast auras that had suddenly appeared!
"What is this...?" Tang Hao's expression changed abruptly. His grip tightened around the Clear Sky Hammer, and for the first time, wariness appeared in his eyes.
He could clearly sense that these auras belonged to two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts of unfathomable cultivation—and absolute overlords of the Star Dou Forest's core region. Their strength far surpassed that of ordinary Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Even he would gain no advantage in a direct confrontation, and might even be entangled with them, exposing his whereabouts completely!
He had planned to kill the Shrek members quickly, but he had never imagined that it would draw out Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts from the heart of the Star Dou Forest!
If he stayed any longer and the two divine beasts arrived in person, he would not only fail to kill Lin Chen and the others, but might even drag Tang San into danger. It wasn't worth the risk!
Tang Hao stared fixedly at Lin Chen, killing intent churning in his eyes, but in the end, he dared not linger.
He abruptly grabbed Tang San beside him. His Soul Power surged, and he shot into the sky like a black shadow. Before leaving, he spat out a threat, cold as ice: "I'll remember what happened today. The next time we meet, I'll wipe out your entire clan!"
Before his words had faded, Tang Hao vanished into the clouds on the horizon, and the deadly pressure dissipated completely.
Only then did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief. With the pressure gone, they slumped to the ground and gulped in air, drenched in cold sweat. Just moments ago, they had truly been one step away from death.
"What terrifying pressure... What kind of beings were those? They actually drove back Clear Sky Douluo?" Ma Hongjun looked toward the Star Dou Forest, still shaken. His voice trembled.
Dai Mubai and the others were equally aghast. Those two auras had been even more frightening than Tang Hao's. Their mere presence was enough to overwhelm a Soul Saint—no ordinary Soul Beast could possess such power.
Lin Chen withdrew his Soul Power and gazed toward the Star Dou Forest, his brows lifting slightly.
He could sense that the two auras carried the pure essence of beasts and held no ill will toward the Shrek members. If anything, they seemed to be protecting them. He glanced at Xiao Wu, who had quietly put away the Beast Bone Pendant, and understood a few things. But he didn't point it out.
"This place isn't safe. We need to return to the academy at once." Lin Chen gathered his thoughts, spoke gravely, and helped up the companions beside him.
Xiao Wu quietly steadied herself and linked her arm with Lin Chen's. A trace of lingering fear flashed through her eyes. Thankfully, the token had worked, and Daming and Erming's auras had arrived in time to avert this deadly calamity. She silently resolved never to let her identity bring more trouble to her companions.
The group forced their weary bodies onward, activated their Flight Sausages, and flew swiftly toward Shrek Academy. They remained silent along the way. Their narrow escape from death had made them all realize one thing: without enough strength, they wouldn't even be able to protect themselves against a truly powerful enemy.
By the time the sun had set, the group finally reached Shrek Academy and told Flender and Zhao Wuji everything they had encountered along the way.
The two teachers were shocked and furious to hear that Tang Hao had tried to kill them to silence them. Yet they understood how powerful Clear Sky Douluo was, and could only bury their anger and throw their full support behind everyone's cultivation.
Over the following days, the Shrek Seven Devils immersed themselves completely in intense training.
Lin Chen carefully reviewed the life-and-death crisis with everyone, shoring up every weakness in their teamwork and strengthening each person's combat ability with targeted training. Dai Mubai painstakingly practiced his White Tiger attack and defense techniques, refining his Soul Power further. Ma Hongjun learned to control his Phoenix Flame with precision and improve his endurance in prolonged fights. Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu honed their close-combat techniques, growing faster and more in sync than before. Ning Rongrong and Oscar focused on improving their support and recovery, reinforcing the team's foundation.
In the midst of his own cultivation, Lin Chen kept studying the auras of those two divine beasts. His divine sense grew ever stronger, and his reserves of power became increasingly unfathomable.
Meanwhile, Tang Hao fled with Tang San to a secluded gorge, still shaken by what had happened.
When Tang San learned he had nearly lost his life, he placed all the blame on Lin Chen, and the hatred and obsession in his heart grew unchecked. He knelt before Tang Hao and begged his father to teach him the Clear Sky Hammer's ultimate techniques, swearing that he would train bitterly and one day trample Lin Chen and the Shrek members beneath his feet, washing away every humiliation he had suffered that day.
Tang Hao looked at Tang San, consumed by obsession, and recalled those two terrifying divine-beast auras. His brow furrowed, but in the end, he decided to teach Tang San with everything he had. Only by making his son stronger could he face every crisis to come.
In the gorge, the flames of revenge blazed fiercely;
At Shrek Academy, they honed their hearts and built strength for the future.
The killing plot, interrupted by the divine beasts' pressure, had not ended the grudge. Instead, it had sharpened the conflict between the two sides, and the hidden bond between Xiao Wu and the Star Dou Forest had quietly planted the deepest seed of what was to come.
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