Shrek Inspection Team? A Rabble

The Angel Holy Sword rose, its golden radiance illuminating Xuan Zi's face.

The sword fell.

Xuan Zi's pupils lost focus, and the smile at the corners of his mouth froze.

The phantom of the Godly Taotie Bull dissipated. His nine Soul Rings shattered into motes of light and vanished into the night sky.

Level 98 Super Douluo, elder of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, Xuan Zi—dead.

Qian Daoliu put away the Angel Holy Sword and turned toward the battlefield on the other side.

In the wilderness behind the official road, Er Ha was chasing the four Inspection Group members all over the place.

It was astonishingly fast. One moment, it darted before one of them and sent him flying with a swipe of its paw; the next, it flashed before another, bit down on his Martial Soul, then flung him away with a shake of its head.

The four Inspection Group members had no ability to fight back before it. They were like paper figures, collapsing one after another with repeated screams.

Ma Xiaotao did not run.

She stood where she was, releasing her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul with all her strength. Two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings circled her body. Evil fire burned across her figure, warping the air around her with heat.

"Move aside!"

Ma Xiaotao shouted lowly, thrusting both hands forward as a blazing stream of fire blasted toward Er Ha.

Er Ha flashed aside and easily avoided it, then glanced back at her.

"Little girl, This Emperor does not wish to fight you.

Leave."

"Leave?"

Ma Xiaotao sneered. "You killed Elder Xuan, and you still expect me to leave?"

"You cannot defeat This Emperor."

Er Ha shook its head. "Why throw your life away?"

Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth but did not retreat.

Her phoenix eyes were filled with fury and fear, but even more than that, unwillingness.

She was the deputy leader of the Shrek Inspection Team. Her duty was to maintain the continent's stability and protect her companions.

But now, Elder Xuan was dead. Her companions were falling one by one, and she could do nothing.

"Aaaah!"

Ma Xiaotao threw back her head with a long cry as a terrifying surge of evil fire erupted from within her.

The flames were no longer ordinary red. They were blackish red—black as ink, dark red as blood.

The blackish-red flames soared into the sky, engulfing her entire body.

Er Ha's pupils suddenly contracted.

"This is..."

The Evil Fire Phoenix had mutated.

No, it was not a mutation. It was corruption.

The evil fire within Ma Xiaotao had always carried a sinister nature. Amid extreme rage and terror, that sinister nature was completely unleashed, devouring her reason and turning her into a monster that knew only destruction.

Blackish-red flames spread in every direction. Wherever they passed, grass and trees turned to ash, while the ground cracked apart.

The four Inspection Group members lying on the ground did not even have time to scream before the flames swallowed them, reducing them to ash.

Ma Xiaotao's pupils turned blood-red. Saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth, and a beastlike growl rumbled from her throat.

"Evil... Evil Soul Master..."

Dai Yueheng sat collapsed on the ground, his face deathly pale as he watched Ma Xiaotao change.

He was a six-ring Soul Emperor and had seen quite a few Evil Soul Masters, but he had never witnessed the entire process of someone transforming into an Evil Soul Master before his eyes.

That transformation from human to beast, from reason to madness, sent a chill through his entire body.

Er Ha retreated several steps, staring at Ma Xiaotao warily.

It could sense that Ma Xiaotao's power had skyrocketed after her corruption. She had risen from a six-ring Soul Emperor to a level close to that of a seven-ring Soul Saint.

Though she was still no match for it, those blackish-red flames made it deeply uncomfortable.

A golden ray descended from the heavens and landed before Ma Xiaotao.

Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the woman shrouded in blackish-red flames with a slight frown.

"Evil Soul Master."

His voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable verdict.

Ma Xiaotao—or rather, the monster that had once been Ma Xiaotao—let out a piercing shriek. The blackish-red flames condensed into an enormous phoenix and lunged at Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu did not move.

He raised his right hand and pointed forward with his index finger. A golden ray shot from his fingertip, as thin as a strand of hair yet carrying the power to purify all things.

The golden light pierced through the blackish-red phoenix and through Ma Xiaotao's chest.

Ma Xiaotao's body stiffened.

Under the golden radiance, the blackish-red flames melted away like snow and ice, rapidly fading.

Her pupils returned from blood-red to their original color. The saliva at her lips vanished, and the growling in her throat ceased.

She lowered her head and looked at the smoking, bloody hole in her chest. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly into a bitter smile.

"Elder Xuan... I'm sorry..."

She closed her eyes, her body pitched forward, and she fell to the ground.

The blackish-red flames completely dissipated, leaving behind only scorched earth and ash filling the sky.

Dai Yueheng sat collapsed on the ground, trembling as he watched the scene.

It was not as though he had never seen death before, but today, Elder Xuan had died. Ma Xiaotao had died. Four Inspection Group members had died as well.

And he was the only one left alive.

"You."

Shen Zhou walked up to him and looked down at him.

Dai Yueheng raised his head and looked at this young man, who was younger than him yet absurdly powerful.

In Shen Zhou's right eye, a golden vertical pattern slowly revolved, as though examining his soul.

"Go back and tell Mu En that I killed Xuan Zi, and I killed Ma Xiaotao as well."

Shen Zhou's voice was calm as water. "Evil Soul Masters deserve to die.

"As for Xuan Zi, he harbored wolfish ambitions and intended to harm Martial Soul Academy. He deserved to die."

He paused, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"If Mu En refuses to accept this, tell him to come find me."

Dai Yueheng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

He rose to his feet and staggered toward Shrek City. After taking several steps, he stopped and looked back.

In the wilderness, Xuan Zi's corpse lay beneath a dead tree. Ma Xiaotao's corpse lay on the ground. The four Inspection Group members had not even left corpses behind, only a few piles of ash.

Moonlight spilled across the scorched land, and all was deathly silent.

Dai Yueheng turned around and strode away.

He did not dare look back.

Shen Zhou stood in the wilderness and watched Dai Yueheng's departing figure, then shook his head.

"Big Brother, that sword strike of yours was brutal."

Qian Daoliu withdrew his Martial Soul, and his golden wings folded away. "Stop flattering me."

"This Emperor was brutal too!"

Er Ha dashed over from the side, its tail wagging furiously. "This Emperor took them down with one paw each, one kick each, and bit those little brats until they screamed their heads off!"

"You let two of them get away."

Shen Zhou glanced at it.

Er Ha's imposing manner immediately diminished. "Th-that was because This Emperor had to stop that red-haired girl, wasn't it?

Who knew she would suddenly turn into a monster?"

Shen Zhou did not pursue the matter further. He raised his head toward the night sky, where moonlight flowed like water over the scorched earth.

"Big Brother, what do you think Mu En will do?"

Qian Daoliu fell silent for a moment. "I do not know.

"But at the very least, he will weigh his options."

Shen Zhou nodded and turned toward Martial Soul Academy.

"Let's go. Time to head back and sleep."

"Lao Da, can This Emperor have an extra meal?

This Emperor used up too much energy tonight."

"...Fine."

"Awesome!"

One man, one god, one dog.

Three figures stepped through the moonlight and vanished beyond the horizon.

The wilderness returned to dead silence. Only the night wind swept across the scorched land, rolling up ash that filled the sky.

Moonlight fell upon Xuan Zi's corpse and Ma Xiaotao's corpse, as though seeing off these two powerhouses of Shrek Academy.