When Toji saw what the newcomer looked like, he was so frightened he nearly fainted.
The newcomer was tall and powerfully built, like a giant of ancient times.
His hair was black as ink, long and loose behind him, its strands dancing lightly in the wind, lending him an air of otherworldly elegance.
Yet the top of his head was completely smooth, without a single hair. The stark contrast was enough to make anyone stifle a laugh.
His face was rosy and his skin as delicate as a newborn baby's, bearing no trace of age. Only on closer inspection could one glimpse the vicissitudes and accumulated years hidden deep within his dark green eyes.
Those eyes seemed to have witnessed all the myriad wonders of the world, their depth and composure leaving no one daring to underestimate him.
With such obvious features, and given that Toji had recently made enemies of the Body Sect and learned from its members that the sect was frantically searching for him...
The answer was practically on the tip of his tongue.
The current master of the Body Sect, a Level 98 Super Douluo, Du Busi!
With the special qualities of a Body Martial Soul and the boost granted by Second Martial Soul Awakening, he could easily be called a Level 99 Limit Douluo.
He ranked at least among the top five experts on the entire continent.
Toji's heart suddenly raced, as though it might leap out of his chest.
Already gravely injured, he felt suffocated by Du Busi's invisible pressure.
He simply couldn't imagine what value he possessed that could bring out such an unrivaled expert.
And the man had come looking for him in person.
Hadn't he just killed a pair of their disciples?
Toji cursed inwardly. Those bastards had picked a fight with him for no reason and inexplicably wanted to drag him back with them. If he hadn't fought back, he would have been a complete fucking idiot.
Now he had beaten the young ones, and the old one had come.
Only this old one was someone he couldn't resist in the slightest.
"Don't act rashly!"
Toji held back Father Zhang, who was about to step forward, and urged him in a low voice.
"Uncle Zhang, whatever you do, don't do anything rash..."
"This man's strength is unfathomable. Even ten thousand of us together wouldn't be his match..."
Father Zhang had naturally sensed it too. He swallowed hard but kept Toji firmly behind him.
If the expert before them made a move, Father Zhang would stake his life to give Toji a chance to escape.
Du Busi smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over Toji like a knife, as though he could see through his thoughts at a glance.
"Sharp instincts. Don't be afraid; I mean you no harm."
As he spoke, Du Busi stepped aside, revealing Luo Tian lying on the ground.
Then he said cheerfully to Toji:
"Go take care of your business. Once you're done, it'll be time to settle ours."
Toji's heart sank. Du Busi was probably referring to the squad of Body Sect disciples he had killed.
That made sense. People with Body Martial Souls were exceedingly rare, and he had killed an entire squad of them. That was enough to count as a major event within the Body Sect.
"Uncle Zhang, step back first. If things go wrong, leave on your own. Don't worry about me."
Toji gritted his teeth and mustered the courage to walk toward Du Busi.
Father Zhang wanted to stop him, but Toji gave him no chance and had already reached Luo Tian's side.
Toji crouched down and looked at him up close.
"Where are the other two who sold me to the Soul Fighting Arena back then?"
When Luo Tian heard that Toji actually dared ask him about the other two, he couldn't help laughing aloud.
But the laugh made the wounds all over his body ache, and with poison attacking his heart, he didn't have long to live.
"Kid, your courage is commendable. Never mind the consequences of killing me, or what Shrek will do afterward... You actually dare ask about the other two?"
"Hahahaha! Since you're so brave, I'll be merciful and tell you. One of them is a man of the White Tiger Duke, and the other is a disciple of an elder of the Sea God Pavilion."
"Ever heard of the Sea God Pavilion? It's a top-tier power on par with the Illustrious Virtue Hall and the Body Sect. The Soul Masters with the highest cultivation on the entire continent are all gathered there."
"You bumpkin, go ahead and take your revenge, hahahaha." Luo Tian laughed to himself, then couldn't help looking at Toji. "Well? Now that you've heard who they are, are you so scared that..."
His words came to an abrupt halt.
Toji's expression hadn't changed at all. He simply looked at Luo Tian with utter indifference, without the slightest trace of fear.
"Indeed. One belongs to the White Tiger Duke's forces in the Star Luo Empire, and the other is a disciple of an elder of the Sea God Pavilion. How frightening." Toji rested his hand on the hilt of the Heaven-Breaking Sword, which was embedded in Luo Tian's heart. His tone turned chilling. "It seems you really do think of Shrek as your backer."
"In that case, watch carefully from down below. One day, right under the noses of everyone in Shrek, I'll end those two lives like slaughtering chickens."
Luo Tian's pupils suddenly widened, and then he burst out laughing.
"Good. I'll be waiting..."
As his words fell, Toji pulled out the Heaven-Breaking Sword and chopped his entire head off with one stroke.
"Hahahaha! You've got ambition! Good, good!" Hearing him, Du Busi laughed heartily behind him and applauded.
"I'd be delighted to see you barge into Shrek and kill them in front of everyone there."
Toji took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and composed himself.
Now that Luo Tian was dealt with, it was time to settle this matter.
Did he have any chance of surviving against Du Busi?
Toji turned around, opened his eyes, and looked at Du Busi calmly.
More unnerving still, his other eye, which had been gouged out, was still bleeding, but Toji paid no attention to his injuries.
Du Busi studied Toji, extremely pleased with his performance.
A man of iron and blood was quite a pleasing sight.
"I am Du Busi, the current master of the Body Sect."
"Some time ago, you killed a squad of Body Sect disciples. Is that true?"
Toji nodded in admission without hesitation.
"I killed them. What are you going to do about it?"
Du Busi froze, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Then he burst out laughing, his laughter echoing like thunder.
"Good! Kid, I like your character! You own up to what you've done and don't beat around the bush. You're far better than those hypocrites!"
Yet before his laughter had faded, Du Busi's gaze suddenly turned cold, and he closed in on Toji in an instant like a ghost.
His right hand shot out like an eagle's talon, reaching straight for Toji's shoulder.
Pleased one moment, he struck to injure the next.
That was the Body Sect's customary domineering style: neither wholly righteous nor wholly evil, doing as it pleased.
Toji had never been one to wait willingly for death either. Even against a top expert like Du Busi, he had been prepared.
The instant Du Busi made his move, Toji's body shot backward. At the same time, he swung his right hand, and the Heaven-Breaking Sword became a flash of cold light, speeding straight toward Du Busi's face.
The Heaven-Breaking Sword traced a sharp arc through the air. Yet just as its edge was about to touch Du Busi, the blade seemed to strike an invisible barrier.
Immediately afterward, the blade began melting at a speed visible to the naked eye, as though some terrifying force were eroding it. In the blink of an eye, it became a pool of molten iron that dripped onto the ground.
What fast reactions, just like a wild beast's, Du Busi marveled inwardly. But what surprised him even more was that he couldn't lock onto Toji.
"Huh?"
Unable to lock onto him, Du Busi's grab actually missed. Like a loach, Toji slipped out of his grasp.
"Holy shit!!!"
The Body Sect disciples and elders watching from the shadows were dumbfounded and stupefied to see Toji dodge their sect master's grab.
"Does that really make sense?"
A little brat of around fourteen had dodged a blow from a Level 98 Super Douluo?
Although Du Busi had held back like an ocean and merely made a casual grab, most Soul Douluo couldn't have dodged even that.