"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit in human form?!"
Flender staggered back three steps, his eyes wide as bronze bells as he stared at Xiao Wu. "X-Xiao Wu is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?!"
"How is that possible..." Dai Mubai's throat went dry. He instinctively edged half a step to the side, his expression changing several times. "Xiao Wu... she's a Soul Beast?"
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form..." Zhu Zhuqing's pupils also contracted slightly.
"That can't be true, can it?!" Ma Hongjun's eyes were full of shock and complicated emotions.
Ning Rongrong's mouth fell open and stayed that way for a long time.
She had shared a dormitory with Xiao Wu for so long, but the thought had never crossed her mind.
Tang San froze where he stood, his head buzzing.
But only for an instant.
The next second, he stepped forward and shielded Xiao Wu behind him, spreading his arms as he faced Sword Douluo.
He was only twelve years old, and his Soul Power had only just passed level 30. Standing before the level 96 Sword Douluo, he was as small as a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot. But he stood ramrod straight, staring fixedly at Sword Douluo, his whole body taut as a bowstring drawn to its limit.
"Xiao Wu, don't be afraid."
His voice was steady, but his tightly clenched fists were trembling.
"Third Brother..." Xiao Wu hid behind him, her voice shaking and her eyes red.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin glanced at Tang San and raised his eyelids slightly, but did not move.
The playground was so quiet that every rustle of wind and grass could be heard.
Yu Xiaogang and the others were stunned too, and for the moment, they did not know what to say.
After a moment, Sword Douluo gave a slight wave of his hand.
"There's no need to be nervous."
His tone was flat, with little inflection.
"I have no intention of attacking her."
Tang San's shoulders relaxed a little, but his fists remained clenched.
Chen Xin glanced at Xiao Wu, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before he looked away.
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form is indeed a rare find. If it had been another Titled Douluo, he would have attacked by now," he said mildly. "But I am not that kind of person. You are from the Clear Sky Sect, and our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has always been on good terms with the Clear Sky Sect. So today, I'll do you a favor, Tang San."
Tang San was taken aback.
Then he felt a little excited and was just about to thank Sword Douluo.
"However..."
Chen Xin looked away from Tang San, sweeping his gaze over the Shrek group gathered there. It fell on Flender and Yu Xiaogang before finally returning to Tang San.
"I came today. If someone else comes tomorrow, there's no telling what will happen."
His voice was not loud, but every word weighed on their hearts like a stone.
"The Shrek Seven Devils will all become Titled Douluo in the future, and among them will be a Sea God and an Asura God. The entire continent knows this now. Do you think the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, Spirit Hall, and all those sects, great and small, will stand by and watch you grow?"
No one answered.
Flender's lips moved, but he could not get a word out.
"They'll come to recruit you, to win you over. If they can't win you over, they'll destroy you."
Chen Xin spoke calmly, as though discussing something that had nothing to do with him.
"I came to take Rongrong away today not because I look down on Shrek, but because Shrek cannot protect her."
Yu Xiaogang's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth, but he could not offer a word of rebuttal.
"You're right, Senior."
Tang San took a deep breath, his voice a little hoarse. "But Xiao Wu is my little sister. I won't let anyone hurt her."
Chen Xin glanced at him, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. It was hard to tell whether he meant to smile or not.
He knew that Tang San would become the Sea God, but that was in the future.
"You're a mere level 30 Soul Master. What can you protect her with?"
Tang San fell silent.
"That's enough." Chen Xin looked away. "Rongrong, we're leaving."
Ning Rongrong stood where she was, clutching her bundle, her eyes red. She looked at Tang San, then at Xiao Wu, then at Dai Mubai and the others, biting her lips until they turned white.
"Grandpa Sword..."
"Say no more." Chen Xin raised a hand to cut her off. "If you stay here, Grandpa Sword will have to stay too. Do you want Grandpa Sword to be away from the sect for a long time at a time like this?"
Ning Rongrong's tears finally fell.
"Rongrong..." Oscar was the most reluctant to see her go.
Ning Rongrong wiped away her tears and forced a smile. "I'm fine. I'm only going back to the sect. It's not like we'll never see each other again."
With that, she turned and walked over to Sword Douluo's side, lowering her head without another word.
Chen Xin nodded and was about to speak.
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically.
He snapped his gaze upward, looking at the sky above Shrek Academy.
Two fierce presences pressed down from the sky, bringing with them a cold, eerie killing intent that enveloped the entire playground.
"This is bad."
Chen Xin's gaze turned cold, and his right hand went to his sword hilt.
Flender and Yu Xiaogang looked up at the same time, their expressions changing drastically.
Two figures descended swiftly from the sky.
The one on the left had a pale, beardless face and held a chrysanthemum in his hand, a soft, feminine smile on his lips.
The one on the right was shrouded from head to toe in black fog, revealing only a pair of eyes gleaming with a ghostly light. A sinister, spectral presence surrounded him.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo... Ghost Douluo..."
Yu Xiaogang's voice was as dry and grating as sandpaper scraping across an iron plate, and his face went pale in an instant.
"Two of Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo..."
Flender's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground.
Zhao Wuji also looked as though he were facing a formidable enemy.
So did everyone else from Shrek.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan landed and swept a smiling gaze over everyone present.
"Oh, so many people?"
His gaze passed over Flender without stopping, swept over Dai Mubai and the others, and finally settled on Tang San.
"So this is the boy who'll become the Sea God in the future?" Yue Guan tilted his head, the smile on his lips deepening. "He does look quite spirited."
Ghost Douluo Gui Mei stood beside him without a word. Within the black fog, a pair of cold, ghostly eyes stared at Xiao Wu.
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit..." Gui Mei's voice was low and hoarse, as if it had drifted up from beneath the earth. "Yue Guan, our luck is good."
"Isn't it just?" Yue Guan chuckled and brought the chrysanthemum to his nose for a sniff. "His Holiness the Pope sent us to wipe out the Shrek Seven Devils. I didn't expect a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form to come as a bonus."
Xiao Wu's face was deathly pale as she huddled behind Tang San, trembling all over.
Tang San stood in front of her, his teeth clenched and his eyes fixed on Yue Guan and Gui Mei. His back was drenched in cold sweat.
"Two Titled Douluo..." Flender's voice shook. "Spirit Hall means to wipe us all out..."
Yu Xiaogang stood rooted to the spot, his face ashen and his lips trembling, unable to say a word.
At that moment, his hope of a lucky escape was crushed to pieces.
Bibi Dong had shown no mercy at all for his sake.
She had sent Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo directly.
Two Titled Douluo, while the highest-ranked people on their side were only Soul Saints.
It was like using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken.
"All right, enough talk." Yue Guan tossed the chrysanthemum into the air. Petals danced across the sky, each carrying razor-sharp Soul Power. "Let's kill them all."
Gui Mei moved.
A cloud of black fog lunged straight at Tang San.
Chen Xin took a step.
Hum-!
The Seven Kill Sword came out of its sheath.
A streak of silver-white sword Qi swept out, sharp beyond compare, and cleaved the cloud of black fog clean in two. As the sword Qi's aftershock swept past, a thin crack appeared in every stone slab on the playground at once.
"Chen Xin!" Yue Guan's expression changed. "You're going to protect them?"
Chen Xin stood where he was, his sword tip angled slightly downward, his silver hair stirring in the sword Qi's aftershock.
"I came today to take Rongrong back to the sect," he said evenly. "I hadn't intended to concern myself with these people."
He paused, his gaze passing over Tang San and Xiao Wu before finally settling on Yue Guan's face.
"But since I'm standing here, aren't you showing me too little respect by killing people right in front of me?"
The Shrek group would clearly be a main force against Spirit Hall in the future. If Chen Xin could protect them, he would do his best to do so.
The smile froze on Yue Guan's lips.
Gui Mei's black fog condensed back into human form beside Yue Guan, his cold, ghostly eyes fixed on Chen Xin.
"Chen Xin, are you going to oppose Spirit Hall for the sake of a few juniors?"
Yue Guan's face darkened.
They knew Sword Douluo's fearsome reputation.
Even if he and Gui Mei joined forces, they might not be a match for Sword Douluo.
And with several Soul Saints at Shrek as well, they were even less inclined to make a move.
"Scram!"
Sword Douluo barked coldly.