Silver Moon Martial Soul

"Oh, I never expected people from Douluo Continent to have such rules."

"Unfortunately, we aren't from Douluo Continent."

"So you can leave now."

Clearly, Xiao Hongchen had no intention of accommodating Tang Ya and Bei Bei, the two Shrek Academy students.

At his words, Tang Ya's face turned livid with fury.

She wanted to step forward and teach Xiao Hongchen a lesson, but Bei Bei held her tightly while repeatedly shaking his head to signal for her to calm down.

"Xiao Ya, don't be hasty. They outnumber us, and there's a middle-aged man among them whom even I can't see through. I'd guess he's at least a Soul Sage or Soul Douluo-level powerhouse. We're no match for them."

"What? A Soul Douluo-level powerhouse?!"

Tang Ya's expression changed drastically as well.

"Yes, so it wouldn't be wise for us to clash with them head-on for now."

"Bei Bei, what about the Human-Faced Demon Spider Soul Ring I finally chose, the same one as the Tang Sect ancestor's?"

Bei Bei appeared rather relaxed as he spoke to Tang Ya in an extremely low voice.

"Xiao Ya, don't worry. I've already secretly contacted the inner court senior brothers and sisters hunting soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. I believe they'll arrive soon."

Upon hearing this, Tang Ya's eyes immediately lit up, and she calmed down considerably.

Bei Bei continued in a low voice, "What we need to do now is stall them."

"Mm!" Tang Ya answered softly.

At that moment, the God of Destruction inside Ye Fan's ring secretly warned him, "Ye Fan, a powerhouse no weaker than Jing Hongchen is approaching."

"Stop Meng Hongchen from killing the soul beast."

Ye Fan's heart immediately tightened upon hearing this.

He called out loudly to Meng Hongchen, "Sister Meng Meng, stop!"

Meng Hongchen was startled. The metal soul tool around her that had just begun to emit a cold gleam came to an abrupt halt. She turned and asked Ye Fan in confusion, "Xiao Fan, is there a problem?"

She thought Ye Fan had changed his mind and intended to give this Human-Faced Demon Spider to him.

Jing Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen also turned their gazes toward Ye Fan.

They waited for his answer.

Ye Fan was momentarily speechless, unsure how to explain himself. He couldn't exactly tell them that a powerhouse was rushing toward them and might affect Meng Hongchen's absorption of the Soul Ring.

Fortunately, just as Ye Fan was at a loss for how to explain,

a clear female voice came from the distance.

"Bei Bei, it's you."

Ye Fan could tell that the owner of that voice was quite delighted to see Bei Bei.

"Eldest Senior Sister!"

"Elder Xuan!"

When Bei Bei saw who had arrived, his gaze shifted away somewhat. Yet for Tang Ya's third Soul Ring, he ultimately went forward to greet them warmly.

Drawn by the voice, Jing Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen all turned to look.

Ye Fan was no exception. He saw one man and two women approaching from the other side.

Three figures darted swiftly through the woods to Bei Bei and Tang Ya. The leading old man had disheveled white hair and was covered in grease, holding a chicken leg in one hand and a wine gourd at his waist. He leisurely took a bite of chicken and a sip of wine, paying Ye Fan and the others no heed at all.

The woman beside him was gentle and dignified, dressed in a simple white gown, her aura calm and soft.

The young woman on the other side was surrounded by faint crimson flames. Her eyes were sharp and blazing, and the fierce edge about her could not be concealed.

Ye Fan's heart shook. From the way Bei Bei addressed them, he deduced that these people were likely Xuan Zi and Zhang Lexuan of Shrek Academy.

As for the other woman in red, Ye Fan was still unsure of her identity.

Seeing Elder Xuan and the inner court's eldest senior sister arrive, Tang Ya was overjoyed, and her tightly wound body finally relaxed completely.

Jing Hongchen's gaze fell on Xuan Zi. His brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of gravity flashed through his eyes. "It's actually Xuan Zi. This will be troublesome."

"Strange. How did Xiao Fan know Xuan Zi would come?"

"When I get the chance, I'll have to properly 'interrogate' that brat."

But Jing Hongchen quickly dismissed those thoughts. The most important thing now was to ensure Ye Fan, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen could leave safely.

"Damn it, I said enemy territory wasn't safe!"

"Ye Fan and Meng Meng, those two troublesome little brats."

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen also sensed that the situation had turned unfavorable. They silently took out the ninth-tier defensive soul tools Jing Hongchen had given them in advance, ready to activate them at any moment.

"Who did I think it was? So it's the famous master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen!"

"Why aren't you staying obediently on your Sun Moon Continent?"

"What are you doing here on my Douluo Continent?"

Before Jing Hongchen could speak, Xuan Zi had already noticed him.

Recognizing Jing Hongchen as the master of Mingde Hall, he was startled as well. But he quickly remembered that this was Douluo Continent, very close to Shrek Academy.

"I can't possibly fail to protect this group of students, can I? Besides, Zhang Lexuan, the inner court's eldest senior sister, is with me."

As he imagined it, Xuan Zi unconsciously puffed out his chest and began to meet Jing Hongchen's gaze directly.

Upon hearing Xuan Zi identify them, Bei Bei was stunned at first. "What? They're actually from Sun Moon Continent? And that middle-aged man leading them isn't a Soul Sage or Soul Douluo, but the master of Mingde Hall, a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse?"

"Good thing I stopped Xiao Ya just now."

Tang Ya also looked deeply shaken.

Yet Jing Hongchen showed no weakness in terms of presence. He immediately shot back at Xuan Zi.

"Hmph. Why should I report my actions to you?"

"Rather, Xuan Zi, you dared to bring students out alone to hunt soul beasts? Aren't you afraid they'll all perish in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

Jing Hongchen had struck a sore spot. As soon as his words fell, the atmosphere in the forest instantly tightened to the extreme.

Xuan Zi's face darkened, and all his usual frivolity vanished. Yellow, purple, black, and red Soul Rings rose around him one after another as the massive Taotie Divine Bull Martial Soul erupted forth. Vast soul power crushed the surroundings, sending fallen leaves flying through the woods. The domineering pressure of a veteran Titled Douluo swept across the area as he raised his hand to strike at Jing Hongchen.

Jing Hongchen's expression was icy, without the slightest hint of retreat. A gigantic toad Martial Soul appeared in response, with nine Soul Rings in the optimal configuration—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—emerging around it. A brilliant metallic sheen abruptly burst from his body.

Countless cold metal cannon barrels materialized from the air around him, arranged in layer upon layer and gleaming with a chilling, sinister light. They precisely targeted every vital point on Xuan Zi's body, poised to fire devastating soul tool bombardments at any moment. The two peak powerhouses faced each other across the distance, murderous intent filling the air.

Just as the two sides were about to fight over a single disagreement,

Zhang Lexuan, the eldest senior sister on the other side, suddenly stepped forward. Soul power surged around her as her Silver Moon Martial Soul instantly bloomed.

Bright moonlight spilled across the sky as eight clearly distinct Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red—rose in order and revolved around her. Her presence was calm yet powerful.

Ye Fan was not worried at all about Jing Hongchen fighting Xuan Zi.

But when Zhang Lexuan activated her Martial Soul,

his heart still tightened. He thought that Shrek's inner court eldest senior sister was joining the battle as well, and he could not predict what the outcome would be.

Yet the next moment, Zhang Lexuan gently persuaded, "Elder Xuan, please calm down. Let me understand what happened first, then decide whether we should fight."

Faced with Elder Xuan's impatient temperament of resorting to violence at the slightest provocation, she, as a Sea God Pavilion member, felt utterly helpless. Yet Elder Xuan surpassed her in age, strength, and status, so she could only try to reason with him patiently.

Hearing this, Elder Xuan reluctantly suppressed his anger and unwillingly withdrew his Taotie Divine Bull Martial Soul.

But Jing Hongchen remained fully on guard. Neither his Martial Soul nor the array of soul tool cannons was withdrawn. His gaze repeatedly examined Zhang Lexuan, his heart filled with doubt. "Why would a Shrek Academy student possess the moon Martial Soul exclusive to the Sun-Moon Imperial House?"

Seeing Jing Hongchen openly scrutinize Zhang Lexuan, Xuan Zi assumed that he harbored ill intentions. His anger immediately flared again, and he was about to attack once more when Zhang Lexuan stopped him in time.

She calmly looked at Jing Hongchen and asked softly, "Master Jing, is there something wrong with my Martial Soul?"