Xuan Zi: Qian Jue, I'm Going to Kill You and Avenge Elder Mu!!

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream instantly tore through the cave.

Yao Haoxuan, who bore the brunt of it, didn't even leave behind an intact corpse. He was instantly blown into a cloud of bloody mist.

One of Chen Zifeng's legs was blown clean off, blood spraying everywhere.

Gongyang Mo, Xi Xi, and the others were also flung away like kites with snapped strings, smashing heavily into the rock walls. It was unknown whether they were alive or dead.

Even Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, whom everyone had desperately protected behind them, were hurled away by the terrifying shockwave. Their organs shook violently, and they coughed up mouthfuls of blood.

The thick stench of blood and nauseating corpse rot instantly filled the air.

The once spirited elites of Shrek Academy's Inner Court had suffered devastating casualties in a single instant, completely losing their ability to fight.

"Cackle, cackle, cackle..."

From the depths of the dark cave, an Evil Soul Master who was little more than skin and bones, reeking of rot, slowly emerged.

Looking at the severed limbs scattered across the ground, his eyes brimmed with greed and fanaticism.

"Geniuses from Shrek Academy? What exquisite materials! With your corpses, my army of corpse slaves will be invincible beneath the heavens!"

Ma Xiaotao was drenched in blood as she stared fixedly at the Evil Soul Master before her, her eyes full of despair and regret.

If she hadn't been so careless, how could everyone have ended up like this?

"Bastard... I'll kill you!"

Ma Xiaotao struggled to rise, but suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood. The violent corpse poison had already invaded her organs through her wounds.

"Kill me? You don't even have the strength to stand anymore."

The Death God Envoy raised his hand with a wild laugh. Dense deathly energy gathered in his palm as he prepared to deliver the final blow to these Shrek geniuses.

However, at that moment of utter despair, a tall figure appeared in midair within the cave without warning.

It was Qian Jue.

Looking down at the chaotic scene below—severed limbs everywhere and blood flowing like a river—even though Qian Jue had imagined it countless times before arriving, the corner of his mouth nearly twitched.

To lead a group of the continent's finest Inner Court elites into a near-total annihilation... if Xuan Zi hadn't been the one leading them, Qian Jue would've ascended to become a God King on the spot today!

Sensing the sudden presence in midair, Ma Xiaotao and the others lying in pools of blood painfully raised their heads.

The wild joy of surviving a desperate situation instantly surged through them. They instinctively assumed that their team leader had finally arrived.

"Elder Xuan, you finally..."

However, when they clearly saw the figure standing in the air—especially that faintly smiling face—Ma Xiaotao's smile instantly froze.

That face was far too familiar, familiar enough to be etched into her bones.

"Why is he here?! Qian Jue?!"

Dai Yueheng's pupils abruptly shrank to pinpoints. His voice changed from extreme terror, as if he had seen the most horrifying ghost in broad daylight.

"Qian Jue? Wasn't he already dead? How could this be..."

Ma Xiaotao felt as though she had fallen into an ice pit. She didn't even care about the corpse poison raging through her body or the agonizing pain. Forcing her broken body to endure, she stared fixedly at the figure in midair, trembling uncontrollably.

That demon who had nearly razed Shrek to the ground in the earth-shattering battle three years ago had clearly fallen!

Elder Mu, the master of the Sea God Pavilion, had only barely managed to perish with him by burning his life away.

The entire continent believed Qian Jue had been reduced to ashes. Who could have imagined that—

This nightmare of a man was truly still alive, standing before them completely unscathed!

"Oh? I didn't expect anyone to still recognize this face of mine after three years.

It seems my name still resounds like thunder in Shrek."

Qian Jue looked down at Ma Xiaotao and the others, his tone unchanged.

Upon hearing Qian Jue confirm it himself, Ma Xiaotao and the others felt as if they had fallen into an ice pit.

Before them stood the Death God Envoy, the Evil Soul Master who had triggered the Corpse Explosion. Behind them stood this peerless god of slaughter who had once nearly destroyed Shrek.

Was heaven truly determined to doom Shrek?

Facing Qian Jue, Ma Xiaotao, always so proud, couldn't even muster the courage to look directly at him.

That man's strength was simply too terrifying, powerful enough to suffocate them.

Dai Yueheng clenched his teeth and remained silent, but his tightly balled fists trembled violently beyond his control.

A sense of helplessness welled up inside them.

Unable to resist a powerful enemy—given that they were the Shrek Seven Monsters, this was more unbearable than death!

Just as everyone thought Qian Jue was about to strike, a violent Soul Power hurricane suddenly erupted outside the cave.

A disheveled figure crashed into the cave like a meteor.

It was Elder Xuan.

After hearing the violent explosion, Xuan Zi had finally learned at least a little from his mistakes and rushed over at once.

When he saw the severed limbs strewn across the ground and the grievously injured or dead members of Shrek, fury rushed to his head. Instinctively, he wanted to berate Ma Xiaotao for how she had led the team.

However, before the words could leave his mouth, the corner of his eye caught the tall figure in midair.

As if sensing something, Qian Jue slowly turned around.

Their eyes met.

At that moment, neither side made any effort to hide their emotions.

Elder Xuan's pupils instantly contracted to the limit. His aged face, flushed red with rage just moments ago, turned ghostly pale.

The wine gourd in his hand fell to the ground with a crack and shattered. Its rich aroma of wine mixed with the pungent stench of blood.

"Qian... Qian Jue?! You're not dead?!"

Xuan Zi subconsciously took a step back. But remembering that Ma Xiaotao and the others were watching, he forced himself to remain calm, moved his trembling arm behind his back, and looked straight at Qian Jue.

"Thanks to your Shrek, not only did I not die, I've been living quite well."

Qian Jue chuckled and swept his gaze over the gruesome scene below, his eyes filled with undisguised condemnation.

"Still, Xuan Zi, your ability to lead a team is as reliably consistent as ever.

Three years have passed, and you haven't improved one bit."

"What do you mean?!"

Elder Xuan glared furiously. Looking at the dead Yao Haoxuan and the heavily injured others, his heart bled.

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Qian Jue sneered. His voice wasn't loud, but every word pierced the heart.

"I was just wondering who could lead the continent's greatest geniuses into such a certain-death predicament.

Now it seems it was you after all.

The killing trap the Holy Spirit Cult painstakingly set up wasn't even as deadly as one of your spur-of-the-moment decisions, Xuan Zi.

That title of yours, 'Shrek's Protector,' would be more fitting if changed to 'Shrek's Gravedigger.'"

"You insolent bastard! I'll kill you!"

"I'll avenge Elder Mu!!!"

Those words were like a spark thrown into a powder keg. The guilt, shock, old hatred, and new resentment in Elder Xuan's heart completely erupted at that moment.

With an earth-shaking roar, blinding yellow light shot into the sky as the Taotie Divine Bull Martial Soul Avatar was instantly unleashed!

The terrifying Soul Power fluctuations made the entire cave shake violently, as though it could collapse at any moment.

Elder Xuan's eyes turned blood-red as his ninth Soul Ring blazed brightly. He immediately unleashed his most powerful killing move, Taotie Devours Heaven!

A massive black hole formed behind him, carrying a horrifying suction force capable of devouring everything as it rushed toward Qian Jue.

Facing the enraged blow of a level ninety-eight Super Douluo, Qian Jue showed no intention of dodging.

He merely lifted his eyes slightly, and a Demigod Rank pressure far surpassing a Super Douluo—even above an Ultimate Douluo—descended like a heavenly river crashing down!

"An old piece of trash who can only show up late dares bark before me?"

Qian Jue slowly raised his right hand and struck downward through the air.

There was no flashy soul skill, only the absolute crushing force of pure power.

The black hole that devoured everything shattered like a bubble the instant it came into contact with the force of his palm.

Then, with a deafening boom—

Elder Xuan's enormous Martial Soul Avatar was struck as if ten thousand mountains had crashed into it at once.

Before he could even let out a scream, Qian Jue's slap smashed him straight into the ground!