A Favor from the Commander of the Star Luo Empire's Armies

Just one strike.

Xuan Zi's all-out, earth-shattering attack didn't even touch the corner of Qian Jue's clothes before it exploded and scattered in midair.

Accompanied by the sickening sound of bones cracking, every bone in Xuan Zi's body shattered inch by inch. He flew backward like a torn sack, crashing bloodily down before the Shrek group.

"Elder Xuan!!!"

Ma Xiaotao's eyes nearly split apart as she rushed forward without regard for anything else to examine Xuan Zi's injuries.

The other Shrek students had gone ashen-faced, their minds completely blank.

Elder Xuan was Shrek Academy's strongest fighter now, a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo, yet he couldn't even withstand a casual strike from his opponent?!

"After all these years, you're still this weak."

Qian Jue slowly descended and strolled up to Xuan Zi as though taking a leisurely walk, looking down at him from above.

"If Mu En's spirit could see how you 'protected' Shrek, he'd probably be unable to rest in peace even underground."

"You..."

Xuan Zi coughed up mouthfuls of blood, glaring at Qian Jue with eyes full of unwillingness and despair.

"Looks like Shrek's legacy will meet its end today."

Qian Jue chuckled, stepping around Xuan Zi on the ground and walking toward Ma Xiaotao and the others.

"Xuan Zi, Xuan Zi... tell me, if I crush this generation of Shrek Seven Monsters to death one by one right in front of you, how would that make you feel?"

"Don't touch them!!!"

Xuan Zi's eyes turned bloodshot as he let out a beast-like, miserable roar.

"Helpless rage? That does suit your usual style."

Qian Jue tilted his head slightly, the smile at the corner of his lips growing colder.

Hearing their exchange, the Death God Envoy hiding in the shadows was already scared out of his wits.

What a terrifying monster!

Before this man, the evil Soul Power within him felt as though it had sunk into a swamp. He couldn't stir even the slightest bit of it.

No, he had to escape while this fiend's attention was focused entirely on Shrek!

However, before the Death God Envoy could move even half a step—

Bang—!

A dull explosion of flesh and blood suddenly echoed through the cave.

The Death God Envoy's body exploded into a cloud of blood without warning, his very soul instantly erased.

"I was so busy teaching Xuan Zi a lesson that I forgot about you, you disgusting bug."

Qian Jue didn't even glance at the cloud of blood, as if he had merely crushed an ant.

Watching the Death God Envoy self-destruct where he stood, everyone from Shrek—even Xuan Zi—subconsciously held their breath.

Decisive and ruthless, treating human lives like grass... this man's way of doing things was even more chilling than the Holy Spirit Cult's.

Seeing Qian Jue's killing intent lock onto Ma Xiaotao and the others again, Xuan Zi bit through his tongue and forcibly squeezed out his last shred of strength. He struggled to prop up his upper body and roared:

"Qian Jue! For the sake of them being children, spare them... I'm willing to tell you something, something that concerns your life and death!"

"Children?" Qian Jue stopped, a trace of remembrance flashing through his eyes.

"Back when you hunted me across the Douluo Continent like a stray dog, I seemed to have been a child too.

Why didn't you think to spare me then?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Jue casually snapped his fingers.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Countless dark-purple threads of Soul Power instantly condensed in the air, shooting out like venomous snakes and binding Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and everyone else present.

Even the severely wounded Xuan Zi was tightly bound and suspended in midair.

"Still, I'm quite willing to hear about this 'major matter' you mentioned."

Qian Jue crossed his arms and looked at Xuan Zi with interest.

"Go on. I'll give you this chance to keep clinging to life."

Seeing that Qian Jue hadn't immediately struck to kill, Xuan Zi's taut nerves relaxed slightly. Gasping for breath, he said:

"It was not long ago... a sea Soul Master from the Boundless Sea.

That man called himself a devout follower of the Sea God. By divine command, he came to the continent to 'uphold justice' and completely erase an anomaly like you!"

Xuan Zi stared fixedly into Qian Jue's eyes and added, word by word:

"That man's cultivation was unfathomable. He was even... far stronger than this old man!"

At that, Qian Jue lowered his gaze thoughtfully.

From the Boundless Sea? A devout follower of the Sea God? And under the banner of upholding justice?

Putting those keywords together, a lofty, hypocritical figure instantly surfaced in Qian Jue's mind.

He nearly immediately guessed who the mastermind was.

Tang San.

"Is this the backup you left behind on the Douluo Continent, lofty Sea God..."

Qian Jue pondered inwardly.

Anyone chosen by Tang San to receive a divine decree couldn't possibly be ordinary. This really was a variable that couldn't be underestimated.

"Where is that person now?" Qian Jue raised his eyes and demanded coldly.

"I don't know. After that man learned that you and Elder Mu had perished together, he left immediately. No one knows where he went."

Xuan Zi shook his head with difficulty, though a wave of bitter resentment surged within him.

If this old man could contact that Sea God Envoy, would I still be getting trampled beneath your feet like a dead dog today?!

"Oh? So after all that effort, all you have to tell me is a pile of worthless nonsense."

Qian Jue's gaze abruptly turned cold, and dark-purple Soul Power churned violently around him like a boiling abyss.

"Since you've finished your last words, it's time for you to go join Mu En."

"Stop! If you've got a problem, take it out on me! Don't lay a hand on Elder Xuan!"

Amid the suffocating silence, Dai Yueheng, hanging in midair, suddenly shouted himself hoarse.

"My father, Dai Hao, is the White Tiger Duke of the Star Luo Empire and commands its armies! Could Senior give this junior some face and spare Elder Xuan?"

Dai Yueheng gritted his teeth hard, veins bulging across his forehead.

He could only gamble on this!

He was betting that Qian Jue wouldn't dare touch him so easily.

As the legitimate eldest son of the White Tiger Duke, if he died here, it would certainly shake the Star Luo Empire, Shrek, and even the entire continent.

He refused to believe that Qian Jue could truly act without scruple in the face of an empire's million-strong army!

"..."

The cave fell into deathly silence.

One second, two seconds... time seemed to freeze.

Qian Jue stopped what he was doing, tilting his head slightly as his gaze fell upon Dai Yueheng, yet he said nothing for a long while.

Seeing Qian Jue's silence, Dai Yueheng was suddenly overjoyed, thinking his background had truly intimidated the other man.

However, after a long while, Qian Jue's utterly calm voice slowly rang out.

"Finished?"

He looked at Dai Yueheng. There was no wariness in his eyes, no hesitation—only the cold indifference one showed the dead.

"If those are your last words, then you may die."