The curtain fell

When the commotion came from afar, Xuan Zi was still savoring the fine liquor he had brought from the academy, his mind still in a haze.

As a result, when two students covered in wounds came looking for him, Xuan Zi knew he seemed to have caused trouble again.

"Quick, take me to Zhang Lexuan!"

Nothing could happen to her! Zhang Lexuan was a candidate to become the Sea God Pavilion's master after the next generation, and Mu En and the others had placed great hopes on her. If anything went wrong, Mu En would probably beat him half to death!

All along the way, trees had been smashed apart at the waist, and rocks had been shattered into fragments.

Seeing the Blood Moon Wolf King's destructive power, Xuan Zi was shocked once more and sped up, charging ahead.

Before long, Xuan Zi reached the scene.

The air was thick with the strong stench of blood, mingled with a scorched smell.

Looking out, he saw that the Blood Moon Wolf King had already been beheaded, leaving only a cold corpse, with a vast patch beneath its body stained red.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lexuan leaned against a tree, holding a child of unknown origin in her arms.

Xuan Zi instantly flew down from the sky and landed before Zhang Lexuan.

She was still breathing!

He sensed that Zhang Lexuan had not suffered particularly serious injuries. Her unconsciousness was mainly due to excessive Soul Power depletion.

Xuan Zi raised his hand, instantly splitting his Soul Power into two streams and channeling them into the pair. Then he stood to one side, gazing at the ravaged forest, his eyes heavy with dread at what might have happened.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Lexuan's eyelashes trembled. As light gradually seeped into the darkness of her vision, she opened her eyes groggily, her awareness returning bit by bit.

The first thing she saw was not the blood covering the ground, but Huo Yuhao's thin robe.

A cool, clean chill lingered around her nose, counteracting the surrounding stench of blood.

Zhang Lexuan shifted slightly, her gaze rising with the movement, and looked straight into Huo Yuhao's large, ice-blue eyes.

Only then did she realize she was not leaning against a tree at all. Instead, her head rested on Huo Yuhao's two slender thighs.

Zhang Lexuan's pupils contracted slightly, and her entire body instantly stiffened.

The soft, warm sensation reached her clearly. Huo Yuhao's clean, pure scent gently enveloped her. Their position was intimate, yet secure.

"Sister Lexuan! You're awake?"

"Yuhao... why am I lying here-"

"There wasn't anywhere nearby for you to lie down, so I put you on my lap, Sister Lexuan. Isn't this a little more comfortable?"

"Yes, very comfortable..."

Their conversation was quiet, but it still drew the others' attention.

"Senior Sister, you're finally awake! Waaa..."

Seeing that Zhang Lexuan had regained consciousness, one of the female students immediately came over. Her grief stirred once again, and tears fell uncontrollably.

Not far away, several surviving students watched the scene before them and lowered their heads in despair as well.

"Zhang Lexuan, can you tell me what happened back then?"

Xuan Zi looked at the Blood Moon Wolf King's corpse nearby. The wound on its neck had indeed come from Zhang Lexuan's Soul Skill, but he had never seen anything like the marks left on its body by such a powerful lightning strike.

The Martial Soul attacks of Mu En's great-great-grandson were not worth a fart compared with this attack.

If someone else had been hiding in the shadows...

"I don't know. While I was running back with Huo Yuhao, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck. It happened to miss Yuhao and me, but that Soul Beast was crippled outright. When I saw that it had stopped moving, I used the last of my Soul Power to finish it off."

Of course, Zhang Lexuan knew Huo Yuhao had unleashed that divine lightning. But he had only exposed it to protect her, so how could she reveal it?

Thus, she casually made up a story. In any case, no one besides her and Huo Yuhao knew this secret.

Hearing this, one student immediately shouted in fury, "If you ask me, that Blood Moon Wolf King must have suffered heaven's wrath! Ancestor Tang San sent divine punishment down from the heavens!"

"What the hell? Does that bastard Sea God deserve the credit?"

The God of Destruction, who had already gone back into dormancy, jolted awake at the mere mention of Tang San's name.

"Xiao Zi, calm down, calm down."

Unable to figure out the reason himself, Xuan Zi gave a long sigh. "Ah, forget it. As long as you're safe."

"In that case, Sister Lexuan, hurry up and absorb this Soul Ring."

Huo Yuhao's voice came from beside Zhang Lexuan, instantly reminding everyone else.

Right! This was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and Senior Sister had dealt the final, fatal blow to the Blood Moon Wolf King. Naturally, the Soul Ring belonged to her!

Moreover, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was guaranteed to yield a Soul Bone... At that thought, everyone's breathing quickened.

"That's right, Senior Sister! You nearly paid with your life for us. Hurry up and absorb it!"

"But a hundred-thousand-year ring for my Eighth Soul Ring..."

Seeing Zhang Lexuan hesitate, Xuan Zi said, "You can absorb the Soul Bone first. Once your physique improves, you can absorb the Soul Ring."

"All right. Please wait for me a little, everyone."

"Eighth Soul Skill!"

A powerful surge of blood energy rose within Zhang Lexuan. Feeling the changes in her Soul Power, she confirmed that she had joined the ranks of Soul Douluos.

Looking at Huo Yuhao, who waited nearby, she curled her lips slightly and reached out to pat his head.

"Thank you. They may not know what happened, but I remember. That's enough."

As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan took a red card out of her storage space.

"This is my VIP card for Shrek's Treasure Gathering Pavilion. When you enroll at Shrek later, you can use this card directly. Then, no matter what happens, you can also come find me with this card."

Looking at the red card Zhang Lexuan handed him, Huo Yuhao was delighted. It seemed he would not need to worry about resources anymore. But it belonged to Sister Lexuan, after all, so he should still spend sparingly when the time came...

Of course, if Huo Yuhao had known what privileges the red card granted, he would not have thought that at all.

Elsewhere.

One student reported their casualties to Xuan Zi. "There were twelve core disciples in total. Aside from Senior Sister, five died, three were disabled, and two were severely injured. My injuries are the lightest, but even I don't know how long I'll need to recuperate."

As Xuan Zi listened, his eyelids twitched wildly. For Shrek, this could be called the worst incident in nearly a hundred years.

"This was my fault! I failed to fulfill my responsibility as the teacher leading the team! Once we return, I'll resign from my position in Shrek's Inspection Corps and leave the Sea God Pavilion as well."

"When the time comes, the academy will provide the best resources for your recovery-"

Before Xuan Zi could finish, someone interrupted him. "Xuan Zi... I want to leave Shrek."

Xuan Zi frowned slightly. "Leave? Have you gone mad? What could you do if you left now?"

"I've already lost my will to fight! I said I want to leave!"

He remembered Wu Yi, whose belly had been ripped open right at the start. Just the night before, they had still been joking with each other, yet now they were separated by life and death.

If only Xuan Zi had come a little sooner, if only he had not been fooling around outside...