"Ah!!!"
In the next moment, a Titled Douluo in midair suddenly let out a miserable scream.
A dark red claw had pierced straight through his chest, and on that claw, a still-beating heart throbbed.
Behind him, Xuanzi, shrouded in a dark red mist, emerged.
Ripping out hearts and lungs—this was Elder Xuan's profound love for his enemies.
With a squelching sound, the heart in his hand was crushed into pieces.
The Titled Douluo's body stiffened, and before he could even turn his head for one last look, his eyes closed forever.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Xuanzi was already terrifying enough, but now, with his ghostly unpredictability, his threat level had risen even further.
The powerful individuals present immediately paired up and launched a joint assault on Xuanzi.
The experts from Shrek Academy were not to be underestimated.
Previously, they had been caught off guard when Xuanzi stormed into their ranks.
But now, with over twenty of them working together, their combined strength was formidable.
Even with Xuanzi's relentless attacks, for the moment, he was unable to deal significant damage again.
"Roar!"
Realizing he couldn't win quickly, Xuanzi let out a beastly roar, and the killing intent around him nearly became tangible.
He transformed once again into his Martial Soul True Form—an ominous dark red Taotie, exuding overwhelming ferocity.
Locking onto two targets, he charged forward with reckless abandon.
Countless attacks landed on his body, triggering waves of dark red mist.
Yet, the Dark Taotie remained unfazed, tanking the damage head-on and nearly pouncing onto the two Titled Douluo.
The two were utterly shocked, never expecting Xuanzi to be so crazed.
They immediately activated their Martial Soul True Forms in retaliation.
But at such close range, how could they possibly block Xuanzi, who had already fallen into madness?
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Two blood mists exploded in midair—Xuanzi had forcefully blown apart both Titled Douluo.
Witnessing this horrifying scene, nearly everyone on the battlefield felt a deep sense of dread—no one wanted to be the next victim.
At this critical moment, Yan Shaozhe finally returned.
At the same time, the Golden Ancient Tree suddenly erupted with dazzling light.
From the direction of the Sea God's Pavilion, a towering tree emerged, its brilliant golden radiance soaring into the sky, instantly dispelling the dark red haze that had enveloped the battlefield.
Then, a beam of golden light shot into Yan Shaozhe's body.
To his astonishment, his soul power began to surge at an incredible rate.
He could now tap into the power of the Golden Ancient Tree!
"Teacher is that you...?" Yan Shaozhe murmured in his heart.
When Mu En passed away, he had left everything behind—his soul power, even his soul bones.
The only thing that had remained was a sliver of his soul, which had merged into the Golden Ancient Tree.
Yan Shaozhe suspected that Mu En's soul had sensed Shrek Academy's crisis and was now aiding him.
However, there was no time to dwell on this thought.
Bathed in golden light, Yan Shaozhe charged toward Xuanzi once again.
Golden light shimmered as dark red evil surged.
The Bright Phoenix and the Dark Taotie clashed once more.
But this time, the Dark Taotie, who had been unstoppable until now, was finally being suppressed.
The Bright Phoenix, carrying boundless light, was forcefully overpowering the Dark Taotie.
Yan Shaozhe, fueled by grief and fury, struck harder and harder, relentlessly pummeling Xuanzi.
He fought like a madman, his eyes glowing with fervor.
The Dark Taotie roared in pain, black mist continuously leaking from its body.
Seeing this shocking turn of events, the Titled Douluo below sighs in relief.
To the surviving Titled Douluo, Xuanzi was no longer "Elder Xuan"—he was a terrifying menace that needed to be eliminated as soon as possible.
Yan Shaozhe was exhilarated, brimming with power.
For the first time, he felt truly invincible, as if he could even challenge an Ultimate Douluo.
Drunk on his newfound strength, he attacked with reckless abandon, forcing Xuanzi into a desperate struggle.
"Roar!"
After over a hundred exchanges, Xuanzi let out a deafening beastly roar, and his killing intent exploded.
"Urgh!"
Even with the Golden Ancient Tree's power-enhancing him, Yan Shaozhe was sent flying, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
His illusion of invincibility shattered before it could even fully take hold.
The overconfidence that had swelled within him was crushed by Xuanzi's counterattack.
With his killing intent ignited, a flash of clarity briefly appeared in Xuanzi's eyes, as if a sliver of his consciousness had returned.
But in an instant, the crimson madness once again engulfed his pupils.
He reverted to a mindless beast, driven solely by the instinct to kill.
Sensing the danger of the Golden Ancient Tree's power, Xuanzi shot into the sky, fleeing toward the outskirts of Shrek Academy at an insane speed.
In mere moments, he had reached the distant horizon.
Yan Shaozhe wanted to give chase, but at that moment, the Golden Ancient Tree's power within him rapidly dissipated.
His soul power, which had nearly surpassed the threshold of an Ultimate Douluo, dropped back down to Rank 98.
The feeling of soaring through the clouds suddenly turned into a harsh fall back to reality, leaving him with an indescribable sense of loss.
Without the Golden Ancient Tree's power, he was no match for Xuanzi and could only watch as the latter disappeared.
"Urgh!"
As his borrowed strength vanished, all the injuries he had sustained surfaced in full force, causing him to vomit several mouthfuls of blood.
He had already been badly wounded by Xuanzi, and the killing intent explosion had only made things worse.
Still, he struggled to his feet and turned toward the Golden Ancient Tree.
But the tree's ethereal image had already faded, leaving behind only the dimly lit Sea God's Pavilion.
For some reason, Yan Shaozhe felt that something within the Sea God's Pavilion—something deeply dear to him—had completely disappeared.
"Teacher... No... This can't be..."
A dreadful premonition crept into his heart.
The Golden Ancient Tree was not something that could be easily controlled.
Even Mu En, when using it, had paid a heavy price.
Now, Mu En had neither soul power nor a physical body—what could he have used to help Yan Shaozhe?
The only possibility was that he had burned the last remnants of his soul for one final miracle.
And the consequence of that was that the final traces of Mu En's soul were utterly erased.
Every last mark he had left on the world was now gone.
Yan Shaozhe realized this, and the weight of it was unbearable.
"Teacher!"
His face was filled with sorrow.
Mu En had sacrificed too much for Shrek Academy.
And at the root of it all—the one who had caused Mu En's repeated misfortunes—was Xuanzi.
If Xuanzi had not succumbed to madness...
If Mu En had not been forced to suppress him...
Mu En would not have perished early.
He would not have been completely erased from existence.
Resentment toward Xuanzi surged in Yan Shaozhe's heart.
He had lost too much, and he could no longer view Elder Xuan with the same respect.
However, Shrek Academy still needed him.
Yan Shaozhe suppressed his emotions and steadied himself.
In a flash, he arrived at the Sea God's Pavilion.
As he gazed at the bloodstains splattered everywhere, his heart ached.
Shrek Academy had suffered a devastating loss this time.
"Dean Yan!"
Seeing Yan Shaozhe, the remaining experts' eyes lit up, as if they had found their anchor.
Yan Shaozhe waved a hand and began organizing the aftermath.
Half an hour later, within the Sea God's Pavilion, he stood in silence.
The academy's losses were staggering.
Elder Lin had fallen.
Elder Song had lost an arm—an arm that had a soul bone—causing her soul power to drop by ten ranks.
This meant that both of Shrek Academy's Rank 97 Super Douluo were now crippled.
The sacrifice of the Healing-type Super Douluo Elder Zhuang has left an immeasurable negative impact, as he was the only Healing-type Super Douluo.
Five ordinary Titled Douluo fell in battle.
Additionally, Qian Duoduo detonated his soul tool to withstand Xuanzi's attack, causing nearly irreparable injuries—his strength was almost entirely crippled.
Considering all this, Shrek Academy has truly suffered devastating losses.
Two Super Douluo have fallen.
Five Titled Douluo have perished.
One Super Douluo and one Titled Douluo are half-crippled.
In total, seven individuals have died, and two are severely injured.
Shrek Academy has lost nearly a third of its Titled Douluo-level combat power, and the loss of Super Douluo is even more devastating.
With Elder Lin's death and Elder Song's rank demotion, the tremendous losses left Yan Shaozhe in deep agony.
These two pillars of Shrek Academy were gone. At this moment, the only remaining powerhouse Shrek could rely on was Yan Shaozhe himself.
He felt lost. With such heavy casualties, how was he supposed to lead Shrek Academy forward?
"Teacher, please guide me..."
The thought of Mu En made the already silent Yan Shaozhe even more somber.
Mu En... was completely gone as well.
Yan Shaozhe slumped into his chair, his spirit nearly broken.
Beyond the confusion, he felt helpless. Right now, he had no idea where to go from here.
What should become of Shrek Academy?
Yan Shaozhe pondered deeply, sinking into an increasingly depressed state.
Hours passed as he remained in a daze.
It wasn't until Zhang Lexuan walked into the Sea God's Pavilion that his eyes suddenly lit up.
He could nurture Zhang Lexuan!
Once she became a Super Douluo, he could make her the Pavilion Master of the Sea God's Pavilion.
At that point, the burden of Shrek's future would fall on her shoulders.
Zhang Lexuan was incredibly gifted, and on top of that, she was Su Yu's woman.
Would Su Yu be willing to let Zhang Lexuan suffer?
Shrek Academy had taken a massive hit, but wasn't the Ice God Palace still standing strong?
Couldn't they borrow strength from them?
The immense pressure Yan Shaozhe had been feeling suddenly lessened.
As this thought took root, Yan Shaozhe was eager to act. He wished Zhang Lexuan could take over as Pavilion Master as soon as possible—then he wouldn't have to worry anymore.
However, what he didn't realize was that if Zhang Lexuan truly took the position, Shrek Academy would be doomed.
He thought Zhang Lexuan was on his side, but in reality, she was in Shrek but loyal to another.
"Dean Yan, are you alright?"
Zhang Lexuan waved her hand in front of the dazed Yan Shaozhe.
"Lexuan, you came at just the right time. After this calamity, you have a heavy responsibility ahead."
Yan Shaozhe sighed.
Zhang Lexuan: ?????
Looking at the eager expression on Yan Shaozhe's face, Zhang Lexuan was baffled.
...
Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
At the junction of the Yang Spring and the Ying Spring, a figure quietly floated on the water's surface.
Su Yu's eyes were slightly closed, and his body was enveloped in intertwining ice-blue and fiery-red light.
By now, he had been refining his body for a full day.
The energy of Scorching Glue and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Crystal was extremely pure yet domineering—one of extreme heat, the other of extreme cold.
Even with Su Yu's powerful physique, absorbing them was no quick process.
On the shore, Snow Empress maintained her usual cold demeanor, but her icy-blue eyes never strayed from Su Yu.
As prideful as she was, she claimed indifference, yet in times of importance, she couldn't help but care.
Of course, it was also possible that Snow Empress was secretly watching him.
Even though the Ying and Yang Springs completely obscured vision, they couldn't suppress her restless heart.
"It's been a whole day and night—why isn't he done yet? That woman finished hours ago."
Snow Empress muttered softly, glancing at the Yang Spring.
There, Ma Xiaotao was submerged, with only her head above water.
She had long since completed her transformation but couldn't leave because she had no clothes.
Despite being purified, Ma Xiaotao still retained her thoughts and personality.
Apart from her deep reverence and devotion to Su Yu, everything else about her remained unchanged.
Naturally, Ma Xiaotao still knew how to be embarrassed.
Snow Empress didn't pay her much attention—just a glance before turning back to Su Yu.
To her, Ma Xiaotao was insignificant.
With Snow Empress's arrogance, very few people were worthy of her notice.
Under Snow Empress's watchful gaze, another two hours passed.
At that moment, Su Yu, who had been motionless, finally stirred.
Suddenly, a pair of platinum dragon horns sprouted from his head.
His right hand extended, revealing a half-meter-long Dark Gold Dreadclaw, its sharp edges gleaming menacingly.
On his left arm, what was once a jade-green arm bone now flickered with an icy-blue glow.
The Ice-Fire Tempered Gold Body was not just for show.
The fusion of Scorching Glue and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Crystal, along with the pure Heaven and Earth energy from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, had significantly reshaped Su Yu's entire body—down to his very bones.
Even his external soul bones had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Unlike ordinary soul bones, external soul bones could evolve alongside their host.
Now, the once platinum-colored dragon horns were streaked with intertwining ice-blue and fiery-red patterns.
The power of Ultimate Lightning seemed to have merged with Ultimate Ice and Fire.
Similarly, the infamous Dark Gold Dreadclaw, known for its unparalleled sharpness, had changed.
Its razor-sharp tips now bore the same ice-blue and fiery-red hues.
These two forces formed intricate engravings across the claws.
It seemed that both Ultimate Cold and Ultimate Heat had been infused into them.
From now on, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw wouldn't just be a weapon of sharpness—it might also carry the lethal effects of both Ultimate Fire Poison and Ultimate Ice Poison.
This undoubtedly made the Dark Gold Dreadclaw an even deadlier force to be reckoned with.