Xuanzi Dies

Xuan Zi took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.

He had lived for so many years; what kind of scenes had he not witnessed?

But at this moment, he was truly a bit panicked.

It was not a fear of death, but a fear of dying without knowing why.

"Dean Shen, Elder Qian, what is the meaning of this?"

Xuan Zi hunched his back, wearing his signature foolish grin, but the sharpness in the depths of his eyes betrayed his true emotions.

Shen Zhou jumped down from the withered tree, landing on the official road, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Elder Xuan, let's not mince words.

You came to Martial Soul Academy tonight under the guise of an investigation, but in reality, it was a probe.

Now that you've finished probing, you want to just walk away?"

"This old man does not understand what Dean Shen means."

Xuan Zi chuckled, "This old man just came to take a look; there is no malice."

"No malice?"

Shen Zhou let out a cold laugh, "Was that palm strike of yours 'no malice'?"

Xuan Zi's smile stiffened for a moment before returning to normal.

"I said, I just wanted to test Dean Shen's strength.

Dean Shen's strength is formidable; this old man admires it."

"After you're done admiring, how will you report back to Mu En?"

Shen Zhou stared into his eyes, "Say that Martial Soul Academy has Limit Douluo, several Titled Douluo, the Spirit Pagoda, and ancient arrays, and then what?

Suggest that Mu En gather the Sea God Pavilion elders to come and encircle us?"

Xuan Zi's pupils contracted slightly.

"Dean Shen is joking."

"I am not joking."

Shen Zhou's voice turned cold, "Elder Xuan, you operate under the banner of 'maintaining continental stability,' yet you engage in the business of eliminating dissenters.

Did you think I couldn't see that?"

Xuan Zi's smile vanished completely.

He straightened his back, his hunched frame becoming upright, his murky old eyes turning clear and sharp, and a terrifying aura began to permeate from his body.

The pressure of a Level 98 Super Douluo weighed on everyone's hearts like a mountain; the weeds on both sides of the road were pressed flat against the ground, and several withered trees creaked as if they might snap at any moment.

"Dean Shen, this old man respects you as a man and does not wish to make things difficult for you."

Xuan Zi's voice was low and powerful, "But if you insist on opposing Shrek, this old man doesn't mind letting you witness what true strength is."

Shen Zhou looked at him and smiled.

"Elder Xuan, have you made a mistake?"

"What?"

"It is not us opposing Shrek; it is you opposing my Martial Soul Academy."

Shen Zhou raised his right hand, and the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear appeared in his palm out of thin air. Nine soul rings rose from beneath his feet: one yellow, two purple, four black, and two red.

The light from the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring bathed the entire wilderness in a blood-red hue.

"Furthermore, you are not qualified."

Xuan Zi's eyes were locked onto those two red soul rings, his throat tightening.

Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring—two of them.

He had lived for so many years and had never seen such a terrifying configuration.

"Ma Xiaotao."

Xuan Zi said in a low voice.

"Elder Xuan?"

Ma Xiaotao's voice trembled slightly.

"Take them and go.

Go quickly."

"Elder Xuan—"

"Go!"

Xuan Zi turned abruptly, shoving Ma Xiaotao backward while simultaneously releasing his martial soul—the Godly Taotie Bull.

A massive phantom of a divine bull emerged behind him, pitch-black in color with eyes like torches, radiating a terrifying aura that seemed to devour everything.

Nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—circled his body. Though they did not match the configuration of Qian Daoliu, they were enough to make any opponent wary.

Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth, grabbed Dai Yueheng, and ran toward the rear.

The four members of the Inspection Group followed closely behind, their faces deathly pale as they scrambled and crawled away.

Shen Zhou did not spare them a glance, his gaze fixed entirely on Xuan Zi.

"White Emperor."

"Here!"

Er Ha darted up from behind.

"Stop those little ones; don't let them get away."

"With pleasure!"

Er Ha kicked off the ground with all four legs, his silver-white figure chasing after Ma Xiaotao and the others like a bolt of lightning.

Xuan Zi's expression shifted, and he moved to intercept, but the figure of Qian Daoliu already stood in his path.

"Your opponent is me."

Qian Daoliu's voice was as calm as water. He released his Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul to its full extent, the golden radiance illuminating the surrounding hundreds of meters as if it were broad daylight.

Xuan Zi's pupils reflected that golden figure, and his heart sank to the bottom of a well.

He knew he was no match for Qian Daoliu.

The gap between level ninety-eight and level ninety-nine could not be bridged by willpower alone.

Furthermore, Qian Daoliu had already touched the threshold of level one hundred—a height he could never reach in his entire life.

But he could not retreat.

If he retreated, Ma Xiaotao and those children would be finished.

"Qian Daoliu!"

Xuan Zi let out a low roar as his Godly Taotie Bull Martial Soul erupted with full force. All nine soul rings lit up simultaneously, and his eighth soul ring flickered: Taotie Devour!

A massive black vortex condensed before him, emitting a terrifying suction force that dragged everything in the vicinity toward it.

Gravel, weeds, soil, and even the air on the ground were sucked in, vanishing into the depths of the vortex.

Qian Daoliu's figure remained motionless.

Golden light radiated from his body, isolating the suction force.

He raised his right hand, the Angel Holy Sword coalescing in his palm. Among his nine soul rings, the red one—the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring upgraded from the Spirit Pagoda—suddenly flared.

"Angel Judgment."

Qian Daoliu's voice was not loud, yet it sounded like the verdict of a god.

The golden holy sword descended, and wherever the sword light passed, the void itself was cleaved open.

The black vortex was like paper before the golden sword light, torn apart in an instant.

The sword light, its momentum undiminished, slashed toward Xuan Zi.

Xuan Zi's pupils constricted as he dodged with all his might.

The golden sword light grazed his left shoulder, shearing away a large chunk of flesh.

He let out a muffled groan and staggered, his left arm hanging limply at his side as blood dripped from his fingertips.

"So strong..."

Xuan Zi gritted his teeth and looked up at Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu did not give him a chance to catch his breath.

The Six-Winged Angel flapped its Two Wings, transforming into a streak of golden light that appeared instantly before Xuan Zi, the Angel Holy Sword sweeping out horizontally.

Xuan Zi barely managed to raise his right arm to block, the phantom of the Godly Taotie Bull manifesting before him.

Crack—the sound of bones shattering echoed.

Xuan Zi's right arm twisted at a grotesque angle, and he was sent flying backward, rolling over a dozen yards across the ground before slamming into a dead tree and coming to a halt.

The dead tree snapped upon impact, sending wood splinters flying.

Xuan Zi lay in the ruins, gasping for air.

His left shoulder had been carved open by the sword light, his right arm was fractured, and there was not a single intact spot on his body.

Blood stained his gray robe, pooling into a small puddle beneath him.

Qian Daoliu walked up to him, looking down from above.

"Any last words?"

Qian Daoliu's voice remained calm—no anger, no hatred, only a cold, judgmental serenity.

Xuan Zi raised his head, his lips pulling into an ugly smile.

"This old man... this old man has lived over a hundred years. That is enough."

He coughed a few times, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"But I want to know... who... exactly are you?

Has Martial Soul Hall... truly returned?"

Qian Daoliu remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Martial Soul Hall never truly left.

It simply changed the way it exists on this continent."

A complex look flashed through Xuan Zi's eyes.

"Mu En... will avenge me."

"Mu En?"

Qian Daoliu shook his head. "He will not.

He is a smart man who knows what should be done and what should not."