Goodbye Shrek!

After using the wealth of the wicked nobles to provide relief to the refugees, Qin Chuan was all smiles.

No longer delaying, he rested briefly before hurriedly calling for Scarlet King and setting off toward Heaven Dou City.

Scarlet King had no interest in providing relief to humans, so he had not acted alongside Qin Chuan previously, choosing instead to travel alone and spend his time in towns doing who knows what.

However, his temperament was quite cold and detached, and he had not caused any trouble, so Qin Chuan had simply left him to his own devices.

The two continued their journey, picking up their pace slightly; the relief efforts along the way had cost them seven days, an unforeseen deviation from their plan.

After traveling for about two hours, the pair encountered a group of people.

They were also heading toward Heaven Dou, but upon seeing one another, the atmosphere between them shifted in a subtle way.

"It's you!" Qin Chuan's expression darkened, for he recognized these people—they were none other than the members of Shrek Academy.

The Shrek group was equally surprised to see Qin Chuan. While Qin Chuan could restrain his emotions, others were not so inclined.

A fat boy jumped out abruptly, a sinister grin spreading across his chubby face. "Pretty boy, I didn't expect to see you again! Our Dean is here today, and he is a Soul Douluo powerhouse. You won't be able to escape this time."

Qin Chuan paid no mind to this clown-like fellow, instead sweeping his gaze across the group until he found Tang San standing there as if nothing were amiss.

Seeming to sense the gaze, Tang San looked back, even offering Qin Chuan a smile.

"Fatty, what is it? Do you know this person?" A middle-aged man stepped forward, moving to the front of the group and shielding Ma Hongjun behind him.

He looked somewhat aged, wore a pair of glasses, and his eyes flashed with a sharp, calculating light from time to time; he looked shrewd, much like a merchant.

This was the Shrek Dean, Flender.

Hearing his question, Zhao Wuji, standing nearby, lowered his voice. "Dean, this is the guy I told you about earlier. His talent is terrifyingly heaven-defying."

To have made an enemy of such a fearsome prodigy and then let him escape without being able to finish him off—this was a situation that had to be resolved by any means necessary.

Otherwise, they would only be waiting for future retaliation.

"Little friend, everything is better when handled with harmony. Disputes between juniors are quite normal; why don't we turn this big issue into a small one and let it go?" Flender looked at Scarlet King and said with a smile.

In his view, Qin Chuan and his own students were merely juniors; young people were full of vigor, and having some friction was perfectly normal.

It would be best to just resolve it.

Besides, such a young monster...

It was best not to make an enemy of him.

"Dean, we can't just let him go! This brat stole Third Brother's soul ring!" Oscar said with a look of reluctance, his eyes fixed on Qin Chuan with hostility.

Even Qin Chuan was left feeling puzzled. He hadn't had much contact with this guy, so why did he hate him so much, as if they shared a life-or-death vendetta?

"Dean, actually, I agree with Little Ao. After all, there is no longer any possibility of reconciliation between us."

Tang San said slowly, a smile still hanging on his face, but a chill flashed deep within his eyes as he tried to persuade Flender to put Qin Chuan to death.

Among the Shrek group, excluding Flender and Zhao Wuji, there wasn't even a single Soul Ancestor, so no one sensed the terror of Scarlet King.

Even Flender merely assumed the other party had some special way of hiding his aura, or perhaps was on par with him; he never even considered the possibility of anything higher.

That level of power was simply too far removed from them.

Moreover, Title Douluos were few and far between across the entire continent; it wasn't as if they would just bump into one.

"All you do is spout nonsense. No wonder you couldn't even protect your own partner," Qin Chuan said coldly.

The other party had repeatedly been insolent, and he was not one to be bullied, so he struck back immediately.

There were two new faces among the Shrek group, and two were missing; besides Xiao Wu, the girl named Ning Rongrong was also gone. Judging by the reactions of the Shrek members, it was clear that a lot had happened during this time.

"How did you know Xiao Wu was taken?" A sharp light flashed in Tang San's eyes as he suddenly asked:

"Could it be that you were the one who lured the Titan Giant Ape over back then?"

"Everyone acts on impulse sometimes, but I never expected you to be so vicious. Luring the King of the Forest over—you were trying to wipe us all out!"

The appearance of people from other realms had changed many things, but Tang San's feelings for Xiao Wu had not changed; he viewed her as his own exclusive possession.

Therefore, after Xiao Wu was taken and he realized he couldn't save her or defeat the Titan Giant Ape, he had projected all his hatred onto Qin Chuan.

"Even if our actions back then were a bit improper, the Man Faced Demon Spider was returned to you in the end. Why must you be so malicious?"

Tang San continued, sounding very sincere as he stirred up emotions.

He wanted to make Flender angry enough to attack and kill Qin Chuan.

As soon as Tang San said this, Qin Chuan was pushed to the forefront of the conflict. Everyone's expression changed, and the looks they cast at Qin Chuan were even tinged with killing intent.

Even Flender and Zhao Wuji felt the situation was tricky; they were at a loss, not knowing how to bring this to an end.

Qin Chuan, however, ignored them entirely. His gaze was icy as he watched Tang San perform his one-man show in silence.

He felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"Third Brother, since Dean Flender upholds the philosophy of turning hostility into friendship, let's just leave it at that. Spare his life!"

Just then, a man spoke up suddenly.

He was handsome and stood tall and upright; he seemed to command great prestige among the Shrek group, and his words immediately shook the foundation of Tang San's plan.

Of course, he wasn't being kind; he had his own secret agenda.

"Since Liu has spoken, let's just let this matter rest. Kid, leave at once." Seeing the others beginning to waver, Flender was truly afraid that Tang San might stir up more trouble.

He hurried to smooth things over, making a move to depart.

"Fine, consider yourself lucky today." The man whispered a few words into Tang San's ear, after which Tang San's brow relaxed. He cast a cold glance at Qin Chuan and prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

Just as the Shrek group was about to depart, Qin Chuan finally spoke. His tone was indifferent, like an extreme frozen lake, chilling the very heavens and earth.

Beside him, Scarlet King was slightly startled, sensing a bone-piercing killing intent radiating from Qin Chuan.

Having known this guy for so long, he had never seen the lad look like this.

"What? We've already spared your life; what else do you want?" Ma Hongjun turned around, his tone laced with arrogance.

"You had best leave now, or there will be no need for Dean Flender to act. I alone am enough to kill both you and your guard." Liu frowned as he spoke.

At the same time, he was inwardly puzzled. This segment didn't seem to exist in the original work, did it?

The situation on Douluo Continent was drifting further and further away from the original story, leaving him in a very passive position. He could no longer plan his next steps according to the plot, which was why he had been doing his utmost to maintain its development.

But now, it seemed another deviation outside the plot was about to occur.