Two and a half years later...
At the boundary between the outer and mixed zones of the Star Dou Great Forest.
A thunderous rumble rang out, and the entire Star Dou Great Forest seemed to shake as if the earth were quaking.
In midair, earthen-yellow and dark-red streaks of light collided again and again. The bellow of a bull and the roar of another Soul Beast rang out together, while vast rifts in space spread outward from the point where they clashed.
After one final, fierce collision, the two streaks of light parted, each occupying half the sky as they faced off.
The halos gradually faded, revealing their true forms.
The earthen-yellow one was a gigantic bull, while the dark-red one was a dog with three heads.
There was no need to ask. These two were Xuan Zi, the Taotie Douluo, the Holy Spirit Cult's Grand Elder stationed at Shrek Academy's office, and the Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff Scarlet King, the weakest fighter among the Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
By rights, Scarlet King, ranked eighth among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts, should have been no match for the level-98 Super Douluo Xuan Zi in terms of cultivation. Yet from their clash just now, Scarlet King seemed hardly any weaker than Xuan Zi.
The Godly Taotie Bull that Xuan Zi had transformed into stared at Scarlet King in utter disbelief. "This is impossible! You... you actually cultivated Ultimate Fire! That can't be right... And your cultivation shouldn't be anywhere near mine!"
Scarlet King's terrifying fangs glimmered with a crimson-gold light. All three heads roared at once. It had no obligation to answer Xuan Zi's questions; instead, it immediately slapped a heavy accusation on him. "Taotie, is Shrek Academy trying to start a war with my Star Dou Great Forest?!"
At those words, Xuan Zi flew into a rage and roared in grief and indignation, "The Soul Beasts of your Star Dou Great Forest killed Shrek Academy's disciples without cause! Don't we deserve an explanation?"
Scarlet King sneered, blazing flames spouting from its fangs. "Without cause? What a joke! What do we Soul Beasts have to say to you humans? Are Soul Masters the only ones allowed to kill Soul Beasts? We can't kill you?"
Just then, a golden-and-red pillar of light shot abruptly up from the ground, surging straight toward the Godly Taotie Bull that Xuan Zi had become.
Xuan Zi was horrified. He hurriedly activated a Soul Skill, and an earthen-yellow barrier sprang up before him. The instant it met the golden-red pillar of light, a shock wave containing both [light] and [heat] swept through the surroundings.
That attack actually contained two Ultimate Attributes: Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire!
Even Xuan Zi, whose cultivation had already reached level 98, couldn't fully defend against the attack. He reverted to human form, plummeted from the sky, and crashed to the ground.
The beard and disheveled white hair on Xuan Zi's old face had been singed black. A strange flush rose over his soot-blackened face, and when he spat out a mouthful of blood, shock filled his expression.
After all, as the Martial Soul of a Taotie Divine Bull with an earth attribute, defense was his strong suit. Even if the battle just now had worn him down, he shouldn't have been so easily overwhelmed!
There was only one possible explanation: his opponent's strength far surpassed his own. And with Scarlet King, who was no weaker than him, on top of that, escaping today would be no easy feat.
A cool, melodious woman's voice rang in Xuan Zi's ears. "Human, take your people and get out of the Star Dou Great Forest."
Xuan Zi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Though furious, he was, after all, a man over two hundred years old. He knew better than to fight when the odds were against him, and that sometimes you had to swallow your pride.
Besides, Lexuan couldn't wait any longer...
"...I'll remember this grudge! Next time, I'll return to the Star Dou Great Forest and test your strength again!" After throwing out a threat, he wasted no time. He rushed toward the woman in a white dress lying nearby.
He couldn't afford to worry about propriety between men and women. His dirty hand rested on the woman's wrist as he poured his Soul Power into her without pause.
Her nearly depleted body received a fresh supply of energy. The woman struggled to open her eyes. When she saw Xuan Zi, she first looked dazed, then grief and anger beyond words filled her. Tears welled up at once.
"Lexuan, Lexuan, are you all right?"
"..."
The woman turned her head away and closed her eyes, as if she didn't want to look at Xuan Zi.
"..." Xuan Zi pursed his lips in shame. "We can't stay here. We need to leave, now!" He then picked up Zhang Lexuan, turned into a streak of light, and flew toward Shrek City as fast as he could.
Congratulations to Grand Elder Xuan Zi for once again dealing Shrek Academy a devastating blow. Of the twelve prodigies in Shrek Academy's team, only one survived, setting yet another new record.
Scarlet King respectfully lowered its head toward the golden Soul Beast that had appeared beside it at some point. "Auspicious Beast, are we really letting him go?"
The Auspicious Beast glanced indifferently at the already departing Xuan Zi and Zhang Lexuan, then turned to leave. "If we killed that old geezer too, that would truly mean tearing things up with Shrek Academy. We still need to build up our strength. Don't forget, our Lord's condition is unstable as well. Teaching them a lesson is enough."
Scarlet King trusted the Auspicious Beast's judgment completely and lowered its head even further. "Understood."
Four years ago, for reasons unknown, all the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest had gone on a rampage. Then the clouds above the forest had turned golden with nine colors, and golden rain had descended, scattering evenly over every corner of the forest.
The spectacle had been so immense that nearly half the continent had seen it.
But on that day, every Soul Master who entered the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain Soul Rings had died at the hands of the beasts, without exception.
With so many people dead, the Soul Master World naturally needed to find out what had happened. So, led by Shrek Academy, the Star Dou Great Forest's "friendly" neighbor, a joint investigation team was formed with the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire and sent into the forest to investigate.
As soon as the team entered the outskirts, its members were astonished to discover that, as far as they could see, almost no Soul Beast had a cultivation below a thousand years! Even the Wind Baboons, the most numerous and annoying beasts, were no exception.
If even the most ordinary outer zone was like this, what about the mixed zone, a much better place for high-level Soul Masters to hunt Soul Beasts?
A considerable portion of the investigation team consisted of high-level Soul Masters, including powerful Soul Douluo and Titled Douluo. After conferring, they decided to head into the mixed zone and see for themselves.
The moment they entered the mixed zone, the Soul Masters were met with a fierce attack from the Soul Beasts. More terrifying still, almost none of the beasts there had cultivations below fifty thousand years, and several Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts even joined the assault!
After a fierce fight, the investigation team finally fought its way out of the Star Dou Great Forest. Though they had suffered some losses, the Soul Master World had received astonishing news.
For some unknown reason, the Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest had all seen a massive surge in cultivation! High-level Soul Beasts were everywhere!
Then, led by Xuan Zi, a group of Shrek Academy's Inner Court disciples excitedly headed into the mixed zone to hunt Soul Beasts.
As soon as the Shrek group reached the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest, they began hunting. Several Inner Court disciples on the verge of becoming Soul Sages quickly completed their Seventh Soul Rings, and not one of those rings was under forty thousand years. Their teacher and leader, Xuan Zi, was overjoyed. Then, convinced that "the advantage was ours," Xuan Zi fell back on his usual trick: he abandoned the students, found a place to roast meat and drink, and even enjoyed a nice nap...
And so... Zhang Lexuan, already a Soul Douluo, even scored a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring! Though it cost the lives of eight Inner Court disciples.
While they were searching for Xuan Zi, Scarlet King, who had been sent to patrol the mixed zone, discovered that Shrek Academy had once again sent people to kill its subjects. Enraged, Scarlet King attacked the remaining disciples.
Only after the earth-shaking noise woke the old man did he realize that, of the twelve members of Shrek Inner Court's Soul Hunting team, only Zhang Lexuan had survived...