"Yiran!"
Watching his only remaining bloodline die before his eyes, the Dragon Duke nearly broke down! Never in his dreams had he imagined that Zhao Wuji would actually have the guts, actually have the guts to take things this far! Had he known his place and obediently waited for death, only Zhao Wuji and Shrek's seven would have died. But now that things had come to this, the Dragon Duke could not vent his hatred without slaughtering their entire families!
Whether Tang Hao, Ning Fengzhi, or the Star Luo Empire's king and dukes, everyone was on his kill list. Of course, at that moment, the Dragon Duke had no idea what sort of monsters he had put on it.
"Zhao! Wu! Ji!!!"
The Dragon Duke roared as he activated his Martial Soul Avatar. The scepter in his hand showed faint signs of transforming into a beast, followed by the utterly overwhelming presence of a Soul Douluo! Fortunately, before leaving, Ning Rongrong had emptied her Soul Power to enhance Zhao Wuji. Now, Zhao Wuji barely qualified to exchange a few blows with a Soul Douluo.
"Hahahaha! Your grandpa's right here!"
Zhao Wuji showed no fear at all. The two sides collided fiercely, their immensely powerful Soul Power clashing and tearing apart countless towering trees. This was destined to end with one of them dead!
Meanwhile,
Shangguan Hong seemed to have exhausted his strength. He staggered and fell to the ground, blood faintly seeping out beneath him. Tang San and Xiao Wu took the opportunity to break free of his large hands, and the Shrek group came to a halt.
"Brother Shangguan, you... how could you do this? No, I absolutely cannot leave Teacher Zhao there alone to face such a powerful enemy! I'm going back!"
Tang San's dissatisfaction with Zhao Wuji vanished completely. Deeply traditional in his thinking, he could not stand by and watch a teacher die protecting him. Beside him, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing also set Oscar and Ning Rongrong down. They exchanged a glance without a word, but each saw determination in the other's eyes.
"Little San, have you gone mad? That's a Soul Douluo, an enemy even Teacher Zhao can't handle! Do you think I don't want to fight alongside Teacher Zhao? But what about Little Ao? What about Rongrong? What about Xiao Wu? And what about Mubai? We have two Support System Soul Masters and two injured people. Going back wouldn't help him. We'd become burdens to Teacher Zhao!"
Shangguan Hong's acting exploded into full force. He put on a heartbroken expression, grabbed Tang San by the collar, and roared.
"That's a Soul Douluo, a Soul Douluo! Here in the Star Dou Great Forest, unless a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast appears, he's invincible! We wouldn't even be enough to make another dish on his table!"
Shangguan Hong seemed extremely agitated, and there was nothing anyone could fault in his words. Yet beside him, Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.
True, Zhao Wuji had left a bad impression on her back then. But that stupid bear had chosen to go to his death for them. How could she simply stand by?
Shangguan Hong's words reminded her that this was the Star Dou Great Forest!
Xiao Wu remained silent, standing inconspicuously to one side. Yet without anyone noticing, she quietly released her Soul Beast presence! This Soul Beast presence was exceedingly pure and carried a hint of a plea for help. Her two younger brothers would definitely sense it.
With the situation so urgent, only someone stronger could save Zhao Wuji's life!
Meanwhile, the argument between Tang San and Shangguan Hong had reached its end.
"Fine, I'm no coward either! If we're going to die, we'll die together. Let's go!"
Shangguan Hong seemed to have been persuaded by Tang San. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing beside him, and even Ning Rongrong, whose life could have been safe, chose to brave the danger together.
"Xiao Wu, you're the most badly injured. Sorry for the trouble, but stay here and protect Little Ao!"
But Tang San still harbored a little selfishness. He absolutely refused to lead his younger sister into danger, and protecting Oscar was a perfect excuse! After all, Oscar's absorption was now nearing its end. Their Soul Power was not as abundant as Zhao Wuji's. Forcibly interrupting it would cause backlash at best and death at worst.
No one had any objections. Xiao Wu bit her lip. She desperately wanted to tell Tang San that they only needed to wait here, and her younger brother would pound that Soul Douluo into meat paste and keep Zhao Wuji safe. But she could not say it.
"Third Brother, everyone, you must stay safe!"
Xiao Wu's eyes brimmed with tears, but she could only reluctantly agree.
In everyone else's eyes, this was a parting that might last beyond death. But in Shangguan Hong's eyes...
What a joke! How could the son of destiny meet his end like this? This was the Star Dou Great Forest. That Titan Giant Ape probably wasn't far away by now, was he?
Using a blade forged from a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast's Soul Bone to slay a Soul Douluo and a Soul Emperor-though the process was extremely risky, the enormous rewards were enough for Shangguan Hong to take the gamble!
In fact, even his own severe injuries had been factored into his calculations. Before the enormous Soul Power contained within a Soul Douluo, a few injuries were nothing worth mentioning!
And so, Xiao Wu remained where she was to protect Oscar, while the others resolutely returned to the battlefield!
"Cough, cough, cough... hahaha! I'm really fucking amazing! A level seventy-six Soul Saint cutting off a level eighty-five Soul Douluo's arm! If word got out, someone might even write a book about me!"
In just a few minutes, Zhao Wuji had collapsed to the ground. He was now a wretched sight, bleeding from all seven orifices, without a single tooth left in his mouth. Only his left hand could still move.
The Dragon Duke had been vicious. Zhao Wuji's legs and right hand had been broken, his Soul Power was exhausted, and his entire body was covered in densely packed wounds. It was practically comparable to death by a thousand cuts! But the Dragon Duke looked miserable as well. Perhaps this veteran Soul Douluo had never dreamed that Zhao Wuji, fighting to the death, would actually sever one of his arms! His left hand still lay in the clearing, though it was not alone. After all, his granddaughter was there to keep it company.
"I'll break every bone in your body inch by inch, then carve ten thousand cuts into your flesh and make you die in agony!"
The Dragon Duke gritted his teeth, his voice filled with hatred. His granddaughter was dead, his wife was grievously injured, and the true culprit behind it all was this insignificant Soul Saint before him.
Perhaps he felt that was still not enough, or perhaps he wanted to plunge Zhao Wuji into irredeemable regret. The Dragon Duke spoke again:
"And those students of yours, especially that purple-haired brat-not one of them will survive! Not just them, either. Their families will suffer too! Hahaha, I'll make you watch them die with your own eyes!"
The Dragon Duke laughed wildly, failing to notice the mocking smile on Zhao Wuji's face. Leaving everything else aside, if Tang Hao learned that the Dragon Duke had ill intentions toward Tang San, Zhao Wuji would consider him impressive if he survived until the next day!
"If you've really got what it takes, then go ahead! Haha, how laughable. You want to make me feel guilty and suffer? By saving their lives today, I've already lived up to my name as their teacher!"
Zhao Wuji's expression was utterly calm, as though he did not care at all.
After all, he knew what towering figures stood behind those students of his!
Just then,
"Well said, Teacher Zhao! But you'll still have to shoulder your responsibilities as a teacher in the future!"
"Exactly! Trading one measly life for a lifetime of guilt for all seven of us? I'm not agreeing to a losing deal like that!"
Young voices rang out. Under Zhao Wuji's astonished gaze, Mordekaiser charged forward in iron armor!
"Through the gates of darkness!"
Behind the heavy mace came the figures of Shangguan Hong, Tang San, and the others!