Beyond the barrier, the thunderous crashes of clashing Soul Skills and the howls of evil energy rang without end.
Without hesitation, Long Jinyu activated the skill "Thought Acceleration." In his perception, everything around him slowed in an instant, every detail becoming crystal clear.
Four Titled Douluo, Wu Ming is a Soul Douluo, and eight Soul Saints... At least Zhongli Wu isn't here, that old monster on his level. Since even Xuan Zi was shaken by my dragon might, these guys... shouldn't be much of a problem. Besides, they've been attacking for ages without success. Their Soul Power and concentration must be depleted, and their judgment will inevitably suffer.
A plan took shape in an instant.
As he flew, he pulled off his hair tie, and his silver-white hair spilled loose, streaming behind him like a waterfall.
A shimmer of simulated Soul Power flashed around him. His well-fitting clothes vanished in an instant, replaced by silver-white armor. The plates hugged his body, outlining a breathtaking figure, while even the curve of her shoulders and neck exuded a cool, sleek elegance.
His height subtly increased, his bone structure reshaping ever so slightly in the shifting light. His formerly angular frame grew gradually fuller, his waist narrowing while his shoulders and back retained a trace of unyielding spirit.
Soft light smoothed away most of the sharp angles of his face. A woman's gentle allure spread through the corners of her eyes and brows. But most arresting of all were her mismatched eyes. Their original colors had long since faded, replaced by a deep, unfathomable violet. Light swirled in their depths, like stars tempered in their gaze, alongside an unquestionable majesty.
In the space of a heartbeat, the peerlessly handsome young man vanished, replaced by an absolutely stunning woman with silver hair and violet eyes, breathtaking beauty, and an imposing presence!
"Everyone, stop this instant!!!"
A clear voice, carrying supreme authority, boomed out and froze the chaotic battlefield.
The two sides broke apart instinctively, and every eye turned toward the peerless figure who had appeared without warning.
Under the suppression of the dragon might radiating from the source of life itself, the Evil Soul Masters struggled to breathe. The Soul Saints among them, those with weaker cultivation, found their evil Soul Power moving sluggishly, as if an invisible hand had clamped around their throats.
Nether Douluo and the others were even more shaken. They hurriedly sent panicked messages to one another.
"That aura... Could she be a Limit Douluo?!"
"Damn it! The Medical Pavilion was hiding someone like this!"
"She... she seems even more terrifying than the feeling I got from the Cult Master..."
"Nether, something's wrong! Even if we use the treasure bestowed by His Highness the Holy Son, I'm afraid..."
Nether Douluo stared at the silver-haired figure hovering in the air, gritting his teeth as he sent a message. "Our intelligence was wrong! Completely wrong! They actually have an expert! But if we return empty-handed, we can't bear the blame if His Highness the Holy Son punishes us! At the very least..."
On the Medical Pavilion's side, Yan Rong, Huang Yue, and the many Yanhuang Guards were equally stunned.
That familiar silver hair made them think of Long Jinyu at once, but the person before them was unmistakably a stunning woman with a proud figure and a frigid aura.
Their Lord was handsome too, but he was still a man, and his figure wasn't nearly so full. Could it be... that he had been... disguised as a man all along?
"You vermin..."
Violet light glimmered indifferently in Long Jinyu's eyes as he swept his gaze over the Evil Soul Masters. His voice was not loud, but it carried the weight of a sentence passed down.
"This is a place where the wounded are healed and the dying are saved. You dared to attack a sacred place. Do you not fear the cycle of heaven's retribution, or karma's flames burning you to ashes?"
Nether Douluo forced down his alarm and cupped his hands, swallowing his pride as he spoke. "Please calm your anger, senior! We were blind and didn't know you were cultivating here. May we ask your esteemed name, so we can return and have something to..."
"My name..."
Long Jinyu cut him off, his voice filled with the indifference of one gazing down at ants.
"Is it something you worms, who hide your faces and steal from the dark, are worthy to know?"
Before the words had even faded, a far more terrifying dragon might crashed down like a mountain made solid. At the same time, a blood-red ring of light appeared beneath her feet!
The first ring: one hundred thousand years!
A wave of sharp, collective gasps rose from the Evil Soul Masters.
But that was only the beginning.
The second, the third... Blood-red rings lit up one after another. They appeared without haste, yet each bore an undeniable, absolute power. The sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth!
Nine full Soul Rings, each one a hundred thousand years old, all blood-red!
Like nine blood-red suns, they circled the silver-haired woman, bathing the night sky above Shrek City in crimson! Their pure, vast energy warped space itself, which wailed beneath the strain!
The terrifying dragon might, combined with the visual and spiritual shock of nine red Soul Rings, utterly shattered the Evil Soul Masters' defenses.
Nether Douluo's face turned deathly pale. All hope of luck vanished. This aura, this Soul Ring Configuration... nine rings, all red?! It was beyond anything he could comprehend! What kind of monster was this woman?!
"Go back and tell that damned Cult Master hiding in his sewer, and that self-important Holy Son..."
Long Jinyu's voice rang out again, icy to the bone.
"I will protect Shrek's people."
Her violet gaze swept over the Evil Soul Masters below, frozen in fearful silence. Every word sounded like a death sentence.
"If you dare reach out your claws again, whether it's the Holy Spirit Cult or that pitiful scrap of darkness you worship..."
"I will come to your lair in person and wipe you out, along with your laughable faith, from this world—completely!"
"Oh, right." His gaze settled on Nether Douluo. "Didn't you want to know my name?"
As he spoke, a long spear glimmering with silver light appeared in his hand. He casually swung it—
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Three fierce streaks of silver spear light seemed to teleport, striking the three Soul Saints at the edge of the formation with pinpoint precision!
The three men fell from the sky like kites with their strings cut. Not one managed a scream before their auras withered away, their lives hanging in the balance.
"One word, one life. That's a fair trade, isn't it?"
Long Jinyu's tone was as mild as if he were stating something trivial.
"Now, prick up your ears and listen carefully..."
She lifted her chin slightly, silver hair flying amid the blood-red glow of the Soul Rings. Her voice rang clearly across the battlefield.
"My name is—Gu, Yue, Na!"
"I'm sure this message will make your Holy Son... very 'interested.'"
"Retreat! Retreat, now!!!"
Nether Douluo could no longer withstand the terrifying pressure and the shock of watching his subordinates get taken down in an instant. He roared hoarsely, tore open a spatial rift, and was the first to dive through without looking back, fleeing in utter disarray.
With their leader gone, the remaining Evil Soul Masters were even more terrified. How could they dare stay? They pulled out every last trick they had for escaping, turning into trails of black smoke and vanishing in the blink of an eye.
They had arrived in a menacing surge, only to flee like beaten dogs.
The blood-red Soul Rings and terrifying pressure in the sky gradually faded. "Gu Yuena" drifted down to the ground. Silver light swirled around her, and she changed back into Long Jinyu, though his face was pale and his breath unsteady. Simulating the Silver Dragon King's true form and releasing his full pressure had cost far more than he'd expected.
"Thank you for stepping in, my Lord! Your might is unmatched!" Yan Rong and Huang Yue immediately flew forward and bowed respectfully, their eyes filled with shock and admiration.
The Yanhuang Guards erupted into thunderous cheers. "My Lord is mighty! My Lord is mighty!"
Long Jinyu waved a hand, suppressing his weakness as he looked toward the smoke still lingering in the direction of Shrek Academy.
"You two elders have worked hard! Everyone, you've all worked hard! Please return to the estate at once for examination and treatment. Don't let any hidden injuries go unattended."
"Also, I left those three Soul Saints alive. Take them to the Heart-Questioning Pavilion first. Don't hold back during interrogation. Just keep them alive, and make sure you get every useful piece of information out of them."
He quickened his pace.
"Vice Dean Liu, the crisis is over. Send out the rescue team at once! I'm going with you!"
"Understood!"
As Long Jinyu hurried toward the Rescue Airship preparing to depart, he urgently called out within his Spiritual Sea:
System, scan Tang Ya, Wang Dong'er, Jiang Nannan,..., Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao's conditions at once! Hurry!
[Command confirmed... Scanning in progress...]
"My Lord, please wait!"
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