"Damn it, what did you brats come back for?"
Seeing Shangguan Hong, Tang San, and the others appear before him again, Zhao Wuji was frantic. He had said he had already fulfilled his duties as their teacher and would not care whether his students lived or died, yet when those students appeared before him again, willing to face death alongside him just to repay him for protecting them, this old hooligan notorious throughout the Soul Master World shed tears.
"Save your breath! Want us to remember you for the rest of our lives? That kind of losing deal isn't worth it!"
Shangguan Hong grinned, his mouth full of blood. He looked like a candle guttering in the wind, yet he still drove Mordekaiser forward!
Dai Mubai, in his White Tiger Vajra Transformation, and Zhu Zhuqing beside him shot forward from the left and right. Tang San directly manifested his Blue Silver Grass. Not only that, a multitude of hidden weapons flowed through his hands, and he hurled Dragon Whisker Needles without restraint despite their immense internal power cost. At the very back stood Ning Rongrong, whose Soul Power had long since been overdrawn. Gritting her teeth, she squeezed out the last trace of strength in her body and forcibly bestowed enhancements on everyone.
Every one of them was prepared to stake their life!
As their teacher, Zhao Wuji should have charged bravely ahead, but his injuries were truly too severe now. His body had lost all strength. He could only watch helplessly as his students charged forward, then were sent flying by the cold-faced Dragon Duke. They were ants trying to shake a tree, without even a chance to resist.
"What a touching display of affection between teacher and students! How convenient. It saves this old man the trouble of finding you. Since you've come, all of you can stay here!"
To the people of Shrek as they were now, a Soul Douluo's power was invincible. Even Tang San's Dragon Whisker Needles could do nothing, and the now-crazed Dragon Duke set his sights directly on Shangguan Hong. He remembered: this was the brat who had severed one of his granddaughter's hands!
"Die!"
The Dragon Duke's face brimmed with murderous intent. In his Martial Soul Avatar state, a true dragon seemed to coil behind him. His scepter, bearing crushing force, struck mercilessly toward Shangguan Hong's head. If it connected, there was no question that Shangguan Hong's head would burst like a watermelon! There would be absolutely no possibility of survival.
The breath of death drew steadily closer, and Shangguan Hong's pupils shrank to pinpoints! Was he afraid? The answer was yes. After all, he was no chosen son of destiny and had no protection from the Heavenly Dao. But he had no regrets either. After all, Shangguan Hong still had a Guardian Angel on him. Even if the Dragon Duke really killed him, he would revive before long. It was just that his plans at Shrek Academy would go up in smoke.
"Stop!"
Tang San's eyes were bloodshot, their corners stretched as though they would split. At that moment, he hated his own weakness beyond measure! His teacher had been gravely wounded and left on the brink of death to save them, and now his closest friend at the academy was about to die before his eyes...
This Dragon Duke had truly found his own path to death! If I survive today, I will slaughter his entire family someday!
Amid everyone's furious cries, Shangguan Hong seemed to give up struggling. He turned toward Tang San and gave him a faint smile.
It was like a farewell between life and death.
Time seemed to slow, and just as the Dragon Duke's scepter was about to strike Shangguan Hong's head...
Roar-
It was a furious roar that shook the heavens!
An enormous creature descended from the sky, the terrifying pressure emanating from its body instantly interrupting the Dragon Duke's Soul Power! Vast swaths of trees shattered into splinters the instant the behemoth struck the ground. Everyone was startled by this sudden turn of events. The Dragon Duke was the most terrified among them, and also the most furious.
The instant that roar rang out, he heard his wife's terrified wail! Turning to look, he saw a giant ape with lava flowing all over its body behind him. Beneath its feet lay a patch of scarlet. His wife, like his granddaughter, had been flattened into a pancake.
"The king of the forest, a ten-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape?!"
His anger lasted only an instant before overwhelming terror swallowed the Dragon Duke! As he stared at this ferocious-faced king of the forest, even his level 85 Soul Power could not keep him composed.
An ordinary hundred-year Titan Giant Ape could rival a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and the one before him was at least ten thousand years old. Its actual strength already matched a Titled Douluo's. It was an existence he absolutely could not contend with.
Seizing the opportunity while the Dragon Duke was dazed, Tang San flung out his Blue Silver Grass and pulled the bloodied Shangguan Hong over. Having escaped death, Shangguan Hong gasped for breath. His face was covered in wounds cut by the Dragon Duke's Soul Power. He really had nearly died just now. All he could say was that staying beside the protagonist had its benefits. At the very least, a portion of the Heavenly Dao's fortune had been shared with him. The Titan Giant Ape had finally appeared at the most critical moment.
"Hahaha, a ten-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape! You old bastard, die here with us!"
Zhao Wuji laughed wildly. Watching the Dragon Duke face off against the Titan Giant Ape, seeing the Soul Douluo who had been so composed a moment ago now cowering like a quail, felt incomparably satisfying!
Dai Mubai flashed to Zhao Wuji's side and helped his gravely wounded teacher up. The others from Shrek quickly gathered around as well. Watching one young figure after another shield him, Zhao Wuji felt he had no regrets left in this life.
Death's scythe had already broken through their door, only for an even more terrifying King of Hell to seize Death by the throat. The feeling of surviving calamity left their minds blank, so much so that they all overlooked why the Titan Giant Ape had singled out the Dragon Duke as its prey. The terrifying presence emanating from its body even deliberately avoided them, as though they did not exist at all!
"Beast, you damned beast!"
The Titan Giant Ape's obvious hostility made the Dragon Duke abandon any thought of begging for mercy. He was, after all, a Soul Douluo, a veteran powerhouse. Coupled with his wife's tragic death beneath the Titan Giant Ape's feet, this boundless fury devoured his reason!
"I'll make you pay with your life!"
"Eighth Soul Skill..."
Before the Dragon Duke could finish speaking, the Titan Giant Ape threw a punch! It was the perfect combination of strength and speed. Even an ordinary attack had already reached the level of a Titled Douluo! Naturally, the Dragon Duke dared not take it head-on. He swiftly pulled away, attempting to maneuver around this terrifying beast, but the Titan Giant Ape was too fast. Its fist still struck him, sending his entire body hurtling into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest. The Titan Giant Ape followed without hesitation, leaving the people of Shrek behind.
"Did we... survive?"
Tang San's throat was dry as he forced out those few words. Yet the instant his voice fell, the gravely wounded Zhao Wuji passed out, followed by Ning Rongrong and Shangguan Hong. In the blink of an eye, only Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Zhu Zhuqing remained conscious, all three with their Soul Power depleted.
Meanwhile, the clash between Longgong and the Titan Giant Ape in the distance had already reached its climax. The pressure from the rebounding force swept through their location. Already pushed to their limits, the three likewise saw their vision go black and collapsed unconscious.
Drip...
A drop of purple dead water sank into the ground...