Mu Sheng saw Xuan Zi's wistful expression and knew perfectly well that he was remembering the accident from a few years ago.
In that accident in the original story, Xuan Zi had led a team into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Rings for the students, only to botch things through his love of chicken and wine. The students had nearly been wiped out.
Mu Sheng had made arrangements in advance and secretly intervened to change everyone's fate, preventing the tragedy from happening again.
After all, Zhang Lexuan was his child bride. He couldn't let anything happen to her.
After that, Mu En had assigned Xuan Zi as Mu Sheng's assistant. After being given a few warnings, Xuan Zi now obeyed Mu Sheng's every word and no longer dared to be careless.
"Xuan Zi, enough reminiscing."
Mu Sheng gathered his thoughts and pointed at the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. "Take me straight into the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's sacrifice domain."
Xuan Zi nodded, grabbed Mu Sheng by the arm, and the two became a streak of light, plunging straight into the dense white halo.
In the animated Douluo II world, Shrek Academy was in an uproar.
"Holy shit! He's walking through the air! A Titled Douluo! Who is that?"
"Xuan Zi? That's Xuan Zi?! Since when has he been so serious?!"
"Wait, Xuan Zi himself admitted that Mu Sheng knows everything? Then Mu Sheng really can do it!"
Beneath the Sea God Pavilion tree, Bei Bei and Tang Ya had just arrived at the entrance with Huo Yuhao when they saw Xuan Zi sitting on the steps. He held a greasy chicken leg in one hand and a wine gourd in the other, his mouth slick with grease as he ate. Bones lay scattered all around his feet.
Huo Yuhao looked at the slovenly old man before him, then at Xuan Zi on the sky screen, whose dark robes were neat and whose bearing was awe-inspiring. He opened his mouth but couldn't get a word out.
Was this old man... really reliable?
Xuan Zi tilted his head back to look at "himself" on the sky screen. He slowed his chewing, his brows knotting together.
My other self is so dignified... Could it be that the hidden problem with my Martial Soul has already been resolved?
Before he could think further, he caught sight of Bei Bei approaching with two people out of the corner of his eye. He took the chicken leg away from his mouth and mumbled:
"Bei Bei, what are you doing here? And why did you bring two people?"
Bei Bei hurried forward and pointed at Huo Yuhao. "Xuan Zi, Yuhao is the boy on the sky screen who received the sacrifice of a million-year soul beast! I just came to see my great-grandteacher, Mu En!"
The chicken leg fell from Xuan Zi's hand with a plop, and he sprang to his feet.
"What did you say? He's that lucky boy?"
Xuan Zi looked at the sky screen, then pointed at Huo Yuhao. After doing so several times, he finally said:
"Wait here. I'll go get Mu En!" With that, he vanished in a whoosh.
In the Douluo I world, Flender watched Xuan Zi descend through the air on the sky screen. At Shrek Academy, he was so excited that he leaped straight out of his chair.
"Haha! A Titled Douluo! My Shrek has a Titled Douluo too! And he's even a Super Douluo!"
Beside him, Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others exchanged looks. Had the academy really become so powerful ten thousand years later?
It even had a Titled Douluo?
On the sky screen, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was doing everything he could to sustain the sacrifice ritual when he suddenly sensed two unfamiliar presences breaking in. His face changed drastically.
"Who goes there?! How dare you disrupt my sacrifice!"
He abruptly gathered his spiritual power, preparing to suppress the two uninvited guests and force them out.
Xuan Zi frowned, sending back a terrifyingly vast surge of pressure. "Insolence!"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power was crushed in an instant. His entire body was pinned to the sacrifice platform, unable to move. He could only struggle desperately as a dangerous white light began to shine from his body.
Tian Meng was actually going to self-destruct!
Mu Sheng couldn't help marveling. This really was the manhua version of the world-even Tian Meng had such backbone.
He raised a hand to stop Xuan Zi and stepped forward. "Tian Meng, I mean no harm. How about we make a deal?"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm paused. "How do you know I'm Tian Meng?"
Mu Sheng didn't answer the question, instead saying directly:
"Never mind how I know. Here's the deal: release the essence of your sacrifice for me to absorb in a moment, and I won't kill you."
"If you know what's good for you, I'll even help you fulfill your dream of creating a god. How about it?"
When the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm heard Mu Sheng's terms, he blew up on the spot.
"Impossible! You want to absorb my essence? Believe it or not, I'll self-destruct!"
As soon as he said that, the white light on Tian Meng's body flared brighter, as though he was ready to take someone down with him at any moment.
Mu Sheng didn't even lift an eyelid. His voice remained perfectly calm.
"Self-destruct? Do you think you can hurt a Super Douluo who's nearly level ninety-nine by self-destructing?"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was struck speechless.
Beside him, Xuan Zi chimed in with a smug look. "Young Pavilion Master, why waste your breath on him? Just kill him!"
A hazy yellow light had already begun to glow around his fist. From the looks of it, he really intended to strike.
Mu Sheng raised a hand to stop Xuan Zi again and said with a perfectly serious expression, "No. We must convince him with reason and make an equal exchange."
What he was thinking, however, was another matter. Equal exchange, my ass. If I weren't unsure whether Sea God Tang San had left some backup plan with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm,
I'd have made my move already. Why would I still be here wasting my breath on you?
At that thought, Mu Sheng looked at the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, his tone no longer gentle.
"You can see it for yourself. If you still refuse, this demon king guardian of mine is going to make his move."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm looked at Mu Sheng, then at Xuan Zi beside him, golden light pouring from his body and "let me kill him" written all over his face. His mind raced.
Even if he released his essence, this human wouldn't be able to absorb much. How could just any Martial Soul swallow the essence of a million-year soul beast?
At worst, he would lose a little. That was better than having that fierce, fiendish old man beat him to death with his staff on the spot.
"...Fine." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm nodded reluctantly. "Just a little. No more than that."
In the animated Douluo II world, Huo Yuhao stood beneath the Sea God Pavilion tree. Watching his other self's "Brother Sky Dream" agree so readily on the sky screen, he couldn't resist grumbling to himself:
Brother Sky Dream, your other self is such a coward! He agreed after just a couple of words!
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was tensely following the situation on the sky screen from inside Huo Yuhao's mind. When he heard that, he nearly choked.
A coward, my ass! If it were me, I wouldn't even think about self-destructing. I'd agree straight away! He's super brave, all right?!
At that thought, Tian Meng decided to give Yuhao a heartfelt lesson. He said:
"Yuhao, you don't understand. A wise man knows when to yield to circumstances. That's the smartest thing he could have done. If you can't win, negotiate. If negotiations fail, then fight for your life. That's what it means to use your head. Learn from him!"
Huo Yuhao: "..." He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
On the sky screen, the sacrifice continued.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's body grew more transparent, and white essence energy poured out like a tide.
Mu Sheng raised his hand and summoned his Shendu Martial Soul. The phantom of an ancient-looking stone disc appeared above his head. It was covered in indecipherable ancient patterns, with a groove at its center, and gave off an indescribably ancient air.
As soon as the stone disc appeared, it began to suck in the essence energy pouring from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's heart was dripping blood at the sight, and his voice began to tremble. "You... are you a taotie, sucking it up that hard?! Leave me some!"
In both the Douluo I world and the animated Douluo II world, everyone stared at the stone disc Martial Soul in a daze.
"Real Twin Martial Souls! He has another one besides the Radiant Sacred Dragon! What kind of Martial Soul is that? A stone disc? I've never heard of one!"
"That's way too brutal! The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's almost been sucked dry!"
"How many trump cards does this Mu Sheng have? The Radiant Sacred Dragon, the stone disc Martial Soul, and the ability to know everything. This is ridiculous!"
As the disc absorbed more and more essence energy, the groove at its center suddenly lit up. A golden pattern slowly took shape, condensing into a pure white Soul Ring. The First Soul Ring was complete!
At the same time, a strange Talisman power surged into Mu Sheng's body.
The Sheep Talisman had awakened!