Shrek City, Ning Tian and Wu Feng

At that moment, every heaven-defying trait of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame became an instinct of Xiao Dong's body!

Any physical attack, poison, or harmful effect that dared touch even an inch of him would be burned into nothingness by the flame's tyrannical power of purification!

More terrifying still, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame burned souls and emotions!

It could use an enemy's greed, anger, fear, and other desires as kindling to ignite demon flame inside them from afar. From the inside out, it would erase their body, soul, and Soul Power, leaving nothing but dust in the vast emptiness between heaven and earth!

"Hahahaha!"

The boy hovering in midair finally threw back his head and laughed. His wild, unrestrained laughter echoed endlessly across the plain.

On the Douluo Continent, the most unfathomable threats had always been mental control and soul-sacrifice curses of every kind. Huo Yuhao's Soul Shock, God-King Tang's divine sense spanning ten thousand years... To ordinary Soul Masters, such things were the works of gods.

But now, before the absolute purification of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, any mental attack that dared invade his mind was nothing more than the finest firewood for the demon flame. However much you sent, I'd burn it all to nothing!

His body was invincible, his comprehension reached the heavens, and in close combat, he stood near the pinnacle. As for his mind and soul, he had the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, that devastating weapon, to hold the line!

This was true invincibility!

"I've reached the limit of level-ten Soul Power. I need to obtain my First Soul Ring as soon as possible before I can break through this shackle and unlock the deeper layers of Xiao Yan's inheritance..."

His laughter gradually faded. Xiao Dong took a deep breath, suppressed the surge of excitement in his chest, and let his gaze turn cold and deep.

To hunt Soul Beasts, he needed to know where the Soul Beast forests lay, along with the beasts' types and attributes. Out here in the wilderness, there was clearly nowhere to consult a map.

"In that case, I'll catch someone sensible and ask for directions."

A faintly playful smile tugged at Xiao Dong's lips. He narrowed his eyes and unleashed his superhuman vision and ability to see through objects. His gaze flashed like lightning, piercing layer upon layer of distance and obstruction as it swept toward the far end of the continent.

His sight crossed mountains and rivers. A few minutes later, the outline of an ancient city, vast and imposing as a primordial beast lying at rest, suddenly entered his view.

Above the ancient city, an immense statue stood faintly visible. An air of age and pride, undiminished after ten thousand years, spread from it.

And on the plaque above the city gate, three characters were cast in bold, sweeping strokes—characters that inspired awe in everyone on the Douluo Continent.

Shrek!

As his penetrating gaze swept over it, Xiao Dong could even make out countless fresh-faced young figures moving along the training grounds and tree-lined paths of the world's foremost academy. Long, straight legs and slender waists that could be circled with one hand stood out beneath their fitted uniforms.

Shrek Academy during the age of the Peerless Tang Sect...

Jiang Nannan, Tang Ya, Ma Xiaotao, Zhang Lexuan, Wang Dong...

Thinking of those peerless beauties from the original story, who had ultimately become tools of the Tang Family or met tragic ends, Xiao Dong felt naked heat and a domineering desire to possess them rise in the depths of his eyes.

Now that I'm here, Shrek can forget about living in peace.

The ten thousand years of glory you're so proud of mean jack shit before my absolute power!

"Catch someone to ask for directions, huh... Since it happens to be nearby, I might as well grab someone from Shrek Academy."

Xiao Dong grinned, baring his gleaming white teeth. Without the slightest hesitation, he drew his body taut in midair!

Boom!

The empty air beneath his feet exploded into a visible white ring of air. A violent sonic boom cracked like thunder from the nine heavens!

A blurred afterimage tore across the sky, trailing an ear-piercing shriek as it hurtled straight toward the Shrek City famed across the continent with terrifying, unstoppable force!

The grand, weathered city lay quietly on the horizon like a primeval beast that had slumbered since ancient times.

Its cloud-piercing walls were built entirely of exceptionally hard steelstone. Sunlight poured over them, reflecting a chilling gleam. Ten thousand years of weathering had not left the vast city in ruins; instead, they had lent it a towering majesty that seemed to look down upon the entire continent.

Shrek City.

Before the enormous gates of the world's greatest city, a sea of people had already gathered. Their clamor rose in rolling waves toward the sky.

Every entrance examination at Shrek Academy drew countless prodigies flocking in from the Douluo Continent's three great empires. Those gifted youths, accustomed to commanding wind and rain in their own sects and empires, could scarcely conceal their awe and shock when they stood beneath the vast city's walls.

Among the surging crowd, two young women stood out.

The one on the left wore a fitted pale-cyan brocade robe. Neat, short, light-gold hair framed her refined, oval face, and her brows held a composure and nobility beyond that of most young ladies from distinguished families.

Beside her stood a young woman in a short crimson combat dress. She was tall and strikingly curvaceous, her long, shapely legs bare to the air. Short, fiery-red hair gave her a wild look, and her slightly narrow eyes flashed with a fierce edge that yielded nothing to any man's.

These two young women were Ning Tian, the current young sect leader of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—once one of the Upper Three Sects that reigned over the continent and now situated in the Heaven Dou Empire—and her personal attendant and closest friend, Wu Feng.

"So this is Shrek City. Its reputation is well deserved..."

Standing beneath the city gate, Ning Tian lifted her pointed chin slightly and gazed at the towering walls stretching beyond sight. A complicated light flickered in her beautiful eyes as she spoke softly.

"So what if it is? When our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was at its peak ten thousand years ago, our standing was hardly much lower than Shrek's."

Wu Feng curled her lip. Her fiery-red eyes swept over the nervous young Soul Masters around them, and she gave an unconvinced snort.

"Times have changed, Wu Feng."

Ning Tian shook her head gently. A bitter smile touched her lips as she sighed. "Over the past several thousand years, Soul Tools have steadily risen, and pure support-type Soul Masters no longer hold the status they once did. The direct bloodline of our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has declined with each generation. Now the sect is gradually showing signs of decay across the continent."

As she spoke, Ning Tian's hand tightened unconsciously inside her sleeve, her expression turning solemn.

"Our most important purpose in coming to Shrek Academy is to display our talents however we can, pass the examination, and enter the Shrek Inner Court. Only in that gathering place of extraordinary talents might we meet and win over a truly supreme expert capable of protecting the sect."

"And there's more..."

Resolve flashed across Ning Tian's delicate face. She lowered her voice. "If I truly meet a peerless prodigy of astonishing talent, someone with hopes of becoming a Titled Douluo or even a Super Douluo, I would have no complaints about marrying him as the young leader of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and offering the entire sect as my dowry."

"Marry him? Young sect leader, have you gone mad?!"

At those words, Wu Feng's vivid face changed sharply. She grabbed Ning Tian's arm and spoke through gritted teeth. "Nine out of ten of those stinking men who call themselves geniuses are lechers after your beauty. The rest are useless fools chasing fame they don't deserve. Which one of them is worthy of you?!"

Wu Feng's full chest rose and fell sharply with anger, drawing the staring eyes of more than a few young Soul Masters nearby. They swallowed audibly.

"I don't care!"

A fierce glint crossed Wu Feng's narrow eyes. She swept a threatening glare over the onlookers stealing glances at them, then turned back to Ning Tian and declared, "If any man ever sets his sights on you, young sect leader, or those old fossils in the sect try to force you into marriage, he'll have to beat me first!"

"If he can't even defeat me, he can get lost! And if someone really can beat me into submission with overwhelming force, then I... I'll offer myself along with you as a little extra to warm his bed. He can do whatever he likes to me, and I'll accept it, so long as he doesn't bully you!"

Wu Feng's outrageously bold words swept away Ning Tian's heavy mood in an instant. Her ears reddened, and she could not help reaching out with a delicate finger to poke Wu Feng's smooth forehead.

"You wretched girl. What nonsense are you spouting in front of everyone..."