For a moment, Dai Mubai's eyes were filled with disbelief.
And it was not just Dai Mubai. At that moment, everyone from Shrek on the Douluo Continent found the scene unbelievable too.
Everyone stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the image on the heavenly screen of Dai Mubai being sent flying by a single punch, miserably coughing up blood.
"Fuck! Boss Dai... got punched flying by a skinny old man?"
The fat on Ma Hongjun's chubby face trembled, his little eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
Oscar also sucked in a breath of cold air. "That's Boss Dai! A level thirty-eight Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder! With the White Tiger Martial Soul!"
"And that shriveled old man... he looks like a gust of wind could knock him over. How is that possible?!"
A trace of astonishment appeared on Tang San's face too. Although he was confident he could defeat Dai Mubai with hidden weapons, that did not mean Dai Mubai was weak. It meant his hidden weapons were too formidable.
Just where did that slovenly prisoner come from?
Could he have used some method I don't know about?
But Tang San soon shook his head again. No...
There were no Soul Power fluctuations, no hidden weapon techniques, not even any sophisticated moves.
It was pure speed and strength... speed pushed to the absolute limit, and strength at an inconceivable level.
Mubai's strength before him was like... a child facing an adult.
"Overwhelming a level thirty-eight Battle Soul Elder through physical strength alone? Even a strength-type Soul Master at the Soul Saint level might not manage it so effortlessly without using Soul Power!"
"There's something strange about this old man's body!"
For a moment, Tang San's eyes were filled with curiosity.
Over in the Star Luo Empire, Dai Weisi's expression changed too.
A flicker of uncertainty and suspicion crossed his eyes. He knew Dai Mubai's strength well. Although inferior to his own, Dai Mubai was certainly no weakling.
If this old man could overwhelm Dai Mubai so thoroughly, didn't that mean...
"Could this shriveled old man be a hidden expert in the Shrouding the Heavens World?"
"How else could a prisoner possess such strength?"
And while everyone in the Douluo Continent world was astonished and baffled, inside the cell in the Shrouding the Heavens World...
Dai Mubai stared at the old man before him, panting heavily.
At the thought that everyone across the Douluo Continent would see his utterly wretched display just now, his face burned, whether from his injuries or his embarrassment.
Soon, his fierce pride and anger once again overpowered his shock.
"I was careless... I must have been careless! I didn't dodge!"
After all, he could not beat this old man? How was that possible?!
He was Dai Mubai!
A prince of the Star Luo Empire, a level thirty-eight Battle Soul Elder possessing the top-tier Beast Martial Soul, the Evil-Eyed White Tiger!
Among his peers, he was unquestionably strong. Even at Shrek Academy, apart from Teacher Zhao Wuji and a handful of others, who could make him suffer such a crushing loss in pure strength?
"I was careless just now!"
Dai Mubai growled at the old man's back, as though explaining himself to the people on the Douluo Continent, and also trying to convince himself.
"You old bastard, don't get cocky!"
Dai Mubai abruptly drew in a breath, a ruthless gleam flashing through his eyes.
I can't just let this go!
Otherwise, where would that leave the dignity of Dai Mubai, prince of Star Luo and leader of the Shrek Seven Devils?
"White Tiger, possess me!"
Instantly, a deep tiger's roar echoed through the cramped cell, and brilliant white light erupted.
Dai Mubai's muscles swelled, fur sprouted, and the character for "king" appeared on his forehead. His uncanny double pupils locked onto his target, his sharp tiger claws gleaming coldly.
Three Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, and purple-rose from beneath his feet and circled his body...
He no longer held anything back.
"Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
The purple Soul Ring suddenly blazed. Dai Mubai's body swelled another size, his skin took on a metallic sheen, and his presence surged. His strength, defense, and attack all increased by one hundred percent!
His imposing presence reached its peak, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
He would reclaim his lost ground in his strongest state!
"Old bastard, take this!"
Dai Mubai roared, clenching his left fist. Gathering all his amplified strength, along with the frustration and anger in his heart, into that single punch, he charged ferociously at the old man, who still had his back to him and seemed completely unguarded!
Wind howled around his fist, even producing a low sonic boom. This punch was far more powerful than the last!
The slovenly old man seemed to sigh. He could not even be bothered to turn around fully. Only at the instant the fist was about to strike him...
Casually, as though swatting away a fly, he swung a backhanded slap.
The movement remained utterly unremarkable.
"Thud!!"
A muffled impact rang out, deeper and more solid than before.
The ferocity and confidence on Dai Mubai's face froze instantly, then turned into utter bewilderment and pain.
He felt as though a small mountain flying at high speed had struck him from the side. The formidable defense granted by the White Tiger Vajra Transformation shattered like paper.
"Crash-creak-!"
An irresistible force struck him. His entire body flew sideways off the ground and slammed into the metal bars behind him.
Pressed against the bars, Dai Mubai slowly slid down, blood spraying wildly from his mouth. His Soul Power dispersed completely, his Martial Soul Possession vanished, and his Soul Rings disappeared.
He lay limp on the floor, his left cheek swollen high and an unknown number of ribs broken. He felt as though every bone in his body was about to fall apart, and his vision kept going dark.
This time, he did not even have the strength to get up.
The gulf in strength was so vast it inspired despair.
Dai Mubai leaned blankly against the bars, his eyes full of bewilderment. "What exactly is going on?"
"I actually can't beat a shriveled old man?"
"Could this old man be like those in the storybooks on the Douluo Continent... a legendary hidden top-tier expert?"
By then, the slovenly old man had walked over. Looking down at Dai Mubai, who lay limp on the floor and coughed up blood, he wore an impatient expression.
"Can you be quiet now?"
"I don't know how you suddenly got here, but I'm telling you, interrupt my sleep again, and I might beat you to death."
His voice was level, yet carried the unquestionable pressure of a powerful expert.
Of course, that was only how Dai Mubai perceived it.
Just then, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded in the corridor outside the cell.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Soon, a figure appeared outside the cell door.
It was a soldier dressed in black iron armor. He looked through the bars into the cell, his brows slightly furrowed.
"What's going on? Keep it down."
His voice was not loud, yet the impatient old man's expression changed instantly.
Almost reflexively, the old man bent at the waist, his face piling up with ingratiating smiles. He seemed an entirely different person from the domineering figure who had faced Dai Mubai moments earlier.
"Sir, it was my fault. Sorry for disturbing your rest."
As he spoke, he pointed at Dai Mubai on the floor, his tone so respectful it bordered on abject. "Here's what happened. Some young brat suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The moment he arrived, he started making a racket and even tried to attack me."
"I was just worried he'd disturb the others, so I taught him a little lesson."
The soldier's gaze swept over Dai Mubai, who lay limp on the floor in a miserable state. "He suddenly appeared?"
"Then he probably offended some lord and was sent straight in."
"Don't kill him. If that lord remembers him one day and comes looking, only to find him gone, I'll have a hard time explaining myself."
"Yes, yes, yes. I understand, I understand!"
The old man nodded and bowed repeatedly, bending his waist even lower.
The soldier said no more and turned to leave. The scraping of his iron armor gradually receded, finally disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Only after the footsteps had vanished completely did the old man slowly straighten. The fawning smile instantly disappeared from his face, and he returned to his impatient, slovenly appearance.
He glanced at Dai Mubai on the floor and spat.
"Pah. Consider yourself lucky, brat."
And at that moment, Dai Mubai was utterly dumbfounded.