Just before Continental Tournament was about to begin, in a mountainous area bordering Sun Moon Empire and Star Luo Empire, a tragedy that could shock the entire Shrek Academy was taking place.
Xuan Zi stared blankly at what was happening in front of him.
His hands loosened involuntarily, and the half-eaten chicken leg slipped from his fingertips, rolled twice on the dusty ground, and was covered in dust.
The wine bottle in the other hand also fell to the ground with a clatter, and the wine flowed out from the spout, soaking the hem of his shabby clothes.
This Level 98's Taotie Douluo can't care about any of this at the moment.
"Why--why is this happening?"
His voice was dry and hoarse, as if it was forced out from deep in his throat.
Seeing the scene as miserable as hell in front of him, Xuan Zi's thoughts were involuntarily drawn back to the past.
Before the competition started, Shrek Inspection Corps was performing a task.
According to the tradition of the academy, the official players and reserve players who are about to represent Shrek in Continental Tournament need to complete a practical experience before the game.
The goal of this training is to wipe out a group of bandits who are doing evil in this mountainous area, Death's Hand Bandit Group, led by a Evil Soul Master who calls himself "Death Messenger".
Before taking action, they first passed by the Star Luo Empire border and met Duke Dai Hao who was guarding the place.
The students of the Shrek Academy need to request intelligence assistance from White Tiger Duke and ask Dai Hao to tell them all the information about Death's Hand Bandit Group.
However, during the meeting, a minor accident occurred.
The moment Huo Yuhao saw Dai Hao, he almost lost control of his emotions and ran away.
The killing intent that was so strong that it almost solidified erupted from his body without any warning. Spirit Eyes Martial Soul and Spiritual Power spread the violent murderous intent in all directions, making everyone present change their expressions.
The guards behind Duke Dai Hao pulled out their weapons almost instinctively. Even Xuan Zi, who had not entered the military camp in the distance, was frightened by the sudden murderous aura and put down his wine bottle.
Fortunately, Xuan Zi reacted very quickly. He rushed into the military camp immediately, stood in front of Huo Yuhao, and used Shrek Academy's name to vouch for him.
Due to Shrek's face and Xuan Zi's personal appearance, Duke Dai Hao did not pursue the case. He just said lightly that "it is understandable that young people are emotionally unstable" and asked the guards to put away their weapons.
But only Huo Yuhao himself knew how much effort it took him to suppress the urge to rush forward and fight for his life at that moment.
Today's Huo Yuhao no longer has Electrolux to soothe his emotions in Sea of Consciousness, nor does Wang Dong'er keep him awake at the critical moment.
This makes Huo Yuhao's obsession with revenge turn into an inner demon that is almost fatally ill.
In the original work, he almost lost control when he saw Dai Hao for the first time, but Wang Dong was almost by his side at that time and helped wake him up, forcing him to regain his sanity.
Now, due to the early intervention of Lu Ren, Wang Dong'er was publicly exposed as a woman disguised as a man on the first day of school and moved into the girls' dormitory, with almost no interaction with Huo Yuhao.
Although they are classmates in the same grade, that's all.
Wang Dong'er's beauty is famous throughout the outer courtyard. Wherever she goes, she is the center of attention. She is a high-ranking princess.
And what about Huo Yuhao?
Before going to Far North, he was just an unremarkable student with mediocre talent, and he didn't even get the status of a core disciple.
Such a person cannot attract the slightest attention from Wang Dong'er.
Even though Huo Yuhao later came back from Far North and the situation changed, there was still a huge difference from the original work.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm led him to hunt down a Thousand-Year level Ice Silkworm Soul Beast in Far North, helped him obtain Simulation Soul Skill, and also helped him get Second Martial Soul.
An ordinary Ice Jade Scorpion Martial Soul----became Second Martial Soul from Huo Yuhao.
Although it is no longer the top Martial Soul of the same level as Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion in the original work, Ice Jade Scorpion itself can be regarded as the existence of Ultimate Ice, and it is enough to attract attention when placed in the Shrek Academy.
The return of Huo Yuhao really caused a stir among the top management of the academy.
Xuan Zi and Martial Soul Department dean Yan Shaozhe changed their original attitudes after seeing his changes, and were willing to give Huo Yuhao the status of the Martial Soul Department's core disciple, and decided to do their best to train this young man.
Especially Xuan Zi, after experiencing the painful lessons of the Lu Ren incident, his attitude towards young geniuses has become more cautious and more cherished.
It was because he didn't pay enough attention to Lu Ren that the young man plotted against him. Now he will never make the same mistake again.
So when Huo Yuhao lost his composure in front of Dai Hao, Xuan Zi sincerely stepped forward to save him.
After the meeting, Xuan Zi took Huo Yuhao alone to a deserted corner and asked him what happened just now.
"Do you know that if I hadn't come forward just now, I'm afraid you would have been captured on the spot!"
"Why do you have such a murderous intention towards Duke Dai Hao? Could it be that there is something going on between you and him?"
There was no blame in Xuan Zi's tone, only confusion and worry.
His cloudy old eyes stared closely at Huo Yuhao, trying to find the answer from the young man's expression.
Huo Yuhao stood there, his eyes were red, his fists were clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white, his teeth were clenching, and his whole body was shaking violently.
When he thought of Dai Hao's face that was somewhat similar to his own, and how that man ignored his mother, and might have even forgotten that there was a son in this world, Huo Yuhao's mind was almost completely overwhelmed by hatred.
He couldn't wait to rush back now and use his newly acquired power to make that man pay the price!
But he didn't open up to Xuan Zi.
Today's Huo Yuhao is no longer the naive and innocent boy he was when he first joined Shrek.
He still remembered that when he first entered school, he led his classmates to win the championship in the freshmen assessment by virtue of Spiritual Detection Sharing's ability, but in the end he failed to even get the status of a core disciple.
At that time, except for the two teammates who fought alongside him, basically no one thought highly of him, and no one thought he had any value.
But what happens when he comes back from Far North with Ice Jade Scorpion Martial Soul?
Everyone's expressions changed, and their attitude towards him changed accordingly. Even several big shots fought over him.
This incident made Huo Yuhao completely understand. "People only care about interests. If you don't have what others want, who will look at you twice? Who will care about your life and death?"
So Huo Yuhao just shook his head and said in a calm tone that barely suppressed his trembling, "I'm fine, I just remembered some bad past events."
He did not tell Xuan Zi about his experience.
He is not familiar with Xuan Zi, and there is no basis of trust between them.
Even if Huo Yuhao tells his true life story, will Xuan Zi really help him take revenge on Dai Hao?
Would you offend Star Luo Empire's White Tiger Duke because of a student you just met?
This is impossible.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao refused to say anything, Xuan Zi was silent for a while, and finally just sighed heavily, "Okay. But this kind of emotional out-of-control situation must not happen again."
"If people from the Star Luo Empire misunderstand that we, Shrek, have some ulterior motives in approaching Dai Hao, things will be in trouble."
Xuan Zi paused and looked at Huo Yuhao with a complicated look. "The murderous aura in you just now, to be honest, even me was a little scared. It was not just a matter of murderous aura. In an instant, your Spiritual Power was full of violence and negative emotions, which almost made me think that you were on the path of Evil Soul Master."
Huo Yuhao heard a hint of self-deprecation at the corner of his mouth.
Evil Soul Master?
Maybe.
If the thought of revenge can turn a person into Evil Soul Master, then he probably became Dai Hao the second he saw it.
This farce is just a small episode in the whole journey.
Soon, Shrek Inspection Corps continued to perform the mission. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, who had the highest cultivation level among the official team members, led the teams respectively to pursue Death's Hand Bandit Group in the dense mountains.
Xuan Zi was still munching on chicken legs and drinking wine, looking as carefree as usual.
But his old man's Spiritual Power always covers the entire mountainous area.
Every move of these students is within his range of perception.
It is precisely because of Super Douluo that the college dares to safely allow these young people who have not yet fully grown up to participate in this kind of practical experience.
During the process of clearing the road, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng walked together, chatting at times.
Ma Xiaotao casually asked about Dai Yueheng's father. She heard that White Tiger Duke Dai Hao was Star Luo Empire's famous general and couldn't help but gossip a bit.
"Dai Yueheng, how many wives does your father have?"
Ma Xiaotao's tone was casual, with a bit of ridicule.
Dai Yueheng answered without any hesitation, "My mother is the only one. In our generation, there are only two brothers Huabin and me."
"My father is very self-disciplined when it comes to women. He often says that if a man cannot control his desire for women, then he will not achieve anything great."
These words were like a red-hot dagger, stabbing into Huo Yuhao's chest.
His whole body froze in place, and his face turned pale as a sheet in an instant.
Spiritual Detection Sharing of Spirit Eyes showed obvious fluctuations at this moment.
All team members felt an extremely chaotic clutter in their minds at the same time, as if someone had smashed a mirror in their shared perception network.
The originally stable and orderly Spiritual Power was now surging like boiling water, filled with uncontrollable violence and pain.
"Yuhao, what's wrong with you?"
Xu Sanshi, who was walking closest to Huo Yuhao, was the first to notice something unusual. He stopped and looked at the boy worriedly.
Others also turned back one after another.
Under their gaze, Huo Yuhao's face was so pale that there was no trace of blood, his lips were tightly pursed, and bloodshot eyes oozed from the corners of his mouth.
That was when he bit his lip, and blood slowly dripped down his chin.
"I'm fine."
Huo Yuhao's voice was cold, and there was no unnecessary explanation. He just supported Spiritual Detection Sharing again and maintained his mood swings. But only he knew in his heart how ridiculous what Dai Yueheng said just now was!
What a self-discipline for women!
If he Dai Hao only has one wife, then who is my mother?
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists, his nails dug deeply into his palms, and blood seeped out from between his fingers. He even clenched his teeth with all his strength, and blood began to flow from the corners of his mouth----
He hates, he hates Dai Hao's hypocrisy and those high-sounding statements, but what he hates most is himself.
He is too weak now, so weak that he can only stand in the team and listen to others praising that man, while using Spiritual Power to explore the team's path. Other than that, he can't do anything else.
Are you rushing back to find Dai Hao to settle the score now?
Rely on what?
He couldn't beat anyone at the scene, so what could he do to kill White Tiger Duke?
This feeling of powerlessness caused him more pain than the hatred itself.
Soon, Shrek's disciples followed the bandits' clues and found Death's Hand Bandit Group's hiding place.
The battle broke out in an instant. Shrek Seven Devils, coupled with the configuration of the reserve team, was far stronger than this ragtag group. The bandits were soon at an absolute disadvantage, and their bodies fell to the ground.
However, just when they thought they had secured victory, Evil Soul Master, who called himself Death Messenger, revealed his final trump card.
Corpse Explosion!!!
This is an extremely vicious Evil Soul Skill.
The caster can transform all corpses within the coverage area of his Soul Power into explosion media. The stronger the corpse is in life, the greater the power of the explosion, and aerosol containing corrosive Corpse Poison will also be produced after the explosion.
There were at least dozens of bandit corpses on the battlefield, including Soul Ancestor, Soul King level, and Evil Soul Master. These corpses were detonated at the same moment, and their combined power was enough to kill anyone under Soul Saint on the spot.
The moment the household explosion was activated, the loud noise of the explosion tore apart the silence in Valley.
Among the two official team members, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, Soul Emperor, who had the highest level of cultivation, instinctively released the powerful Soul Skill almost at the moment of the explosion, trying to block the impact with the strong Soul Power shield.
However, faced with the superimposed explosions of dozens of corpses, their defenses only lasted less than half a breath before being torn to pieces.
The two of them were blown away by the shock wave and slammed into a rock wall dozens of feet away. Blood surged from their mouths and they fell into a coma due to serious injuries.
But others are even worse off.
Chen Zifeng's body was swallowed by the explosion from the front, half of his body disappeared, and his whole body was cut off before he could even scream.
Gongyang Mo The chest, abdomen, and legs were covered in large areas of blood and flesh, and the smelly smoke was still rising from the broken body. The person had completely lost consciousness, and his breath gradually weakened until he completely disappeared.
Yao Haoxuan was the worst. His body was the largest and he withstood the strongest explosion force. His whole body was blown to pieces, leaving only a charred pit.
Most of Xi Xi's body is covered with Corpse Poison's lines, bones can be faintly seen among the blurred flesh and blood, and his breathing is so weak that he may stop at any time.
Although Ling Luochеn did not engage in direct close combat with the bandits, she went too deep into the pursuit of the remaining bandits. Several corpses happened to be detonated not far from her, and the shock wave hit her head-on.
Her entire body became a mess of flesh and blood, and the white ice element Martial Soul quickly dimmed under the erosion of Corpse Poison.
Two were seriously injured and five were immediately on the verge of death!
This ending is several times more tragic than in the original work.
Although there were casualties in the original work, they never reached this level.
In this life, because Lu Ren intercepted Ice Empress, changed the growth trajectory of Huo Yuhao, and intervened in many plots of Shrek in advance, causing many factors that should have played a role at critical moments to be misplaced.
But the biggest reason still lies with Xuan Zi.
This time, Level 98 Super Douluo was personally in charge of this experience.
His presence gave everyone the illusion. "You can fight without any scruples, because if there is real danger, Xuan Zi will definitely save them as soon as possible!"
Even Xuan Zi himself has always thought so.
He is Super Douluo of Level 98, Sea God of the Shrek Academy. What kind of trouble can a few bandits make?
But reality gave everyone the loudest slap in the face.
Fortunately, because the members of the reserve team were too weak, they were placed at the outermost periphery to take charge of the response. They were far enough away from the center of the explosion, so they were able to escape.
Huo Yuhao, because it needed to maintain Spiritual Detection Sharing, did not need to go to the front line to fight in person. It stayed in a relatively safe mid-range position and also survived.
When the shock wave of the household explosion carried strong Corpse Poison aerosol towards them, Huo Yuhao almost instinctively released Ice Jade Scorpion Martial Soul, and a layer of ice crystal barrier was able to block the aftermath.
Therefore, when Xuan Zi rushed to the scene, all his strength seemed to have been drained from his whole body, and he was completely lost.
Under his leadership, the children had another accident.
The last time, it was about the children of Zhang Lexuan. Due to his negligence, he was forced to let the children face Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast alone. The last time, it was Lu Ren who escaped from under his nose, causing Shrek to miss out on a top genius, and also cheated Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone on him.
But at least no one died that time, and at least things could be remedied.
And what about this time?
The lives of the five children, under the power of Corpse Explosion, only lasted for a while, then lost their breath and died!
These are the students he has worked hard to train and bring out, the students he brought here because he swore that "nothing will happen as long as I am here."
Now they are lying on the ground, and some of them don't even have complete bodies left!
"Asshole!!!"
Xuan Zi's eyes were blood red, and the nine Soul Ring under his feet burst out with dazzling light at the same moment.
Two yellows, two purples, four blacks, and one red, Level 98 Super Douluo's majestic pressure sweeps across the entire Valley like an angry sea.
The phantom of Godly Taotie Bull suddenly solidified behind him. The huge phantom with the body of a sheep, tiger teeth, human claws and huge horns raised its head to the sky and let out a thundering roar. The entire mountain range trembled violently in this roar.
Far ahead, the figure wearing a black cloak was running away quickly.
Death Messenger obviously did not expect that Shrek would actually have Super Douluo in charge. After casting Corpse Explosion, he chose to escape without thinking.
But how could Xuan Zi show him any mercy?
"No matter who you are today, not even God can save you!!"