When the commotion sounded in the distance, Xuan Zi was still enjoying the fine wine he had brought from the academy, his head pleasantly muddled from drinking.
Then two badly injured students came looking for him, and Xuan Zi immediately realized that he seemed to have caused trouble again.
“Quick, take me to Zhang Lexuan!”
Nothing could happen to her.
Zhang Lexuan was a candidate to become a future Sea God Pavilion Master, and Elder Mu and the others had placed enormous hopes on her.
If anything happened to her, Elder Mu would probably beat him half to death!
…
The entire route was littered with trees smashed apart at the trunk and shattered pieces of stone.
Seeing the destruction left behind by the Blood Moon Wolf King, Xuan Zi’s heart sank even further, and he sped up as he rushed ahead.
Before long, Xuan Zi reached the scene.
The air was thick with the smell of blood, mixed with a strong charred odor.
Looking over, he saw that the Blood Moon Wolf King had already been beheaded.
Only its cold corpse remained, with a large pool of blood staining the ground beneath it crimson.
Zhang Lexuan was leaning against a tree, holding a child he didn’t recognize in her arms.
Xuan Zi immediately descended from the air and landed in front of Zhang Lexuan.
She was still breathing!
After examining her, he found that Zhang Lexuan hadn’t suffered any particularly serious injuries.
Her unconsciousness was mainly the result of excessive Soul Power depletion.
Xuan Zi raised a hand and split his Soul Power into two streams, sending one into each of them.
Then he stood nearby, staring at the devastated forest with a grave expression and lingering fear in his eyes.
…
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Lexuan’s eyelashes trembled.
As light gradually filtered through the darkness in her vision, she slowly opened her eyes, still dazed as her consciousness returned little by little.
The first thing she saw wasn’t the bloodstained ground, but Huo Yuhao’s thin robe.
A clean, refreshing chill lingered around her, washing away the surrounding stench of blood.
Zhang Lexuan shifted slightly and raised her gaze, only to meet Huo Yuhao’s large, ice-blue eyes.
It was only then that she realized she wasn’t leaning against a tree at all.
Her head was resting on Huo Yuhao’s slender thighs.
Zhang Lexuan’s pupils contracted slightly, and her entire body stiffened.
The soft warmth beneath her was unmistakable, while Huo Yuhao’s clean, pure presence gently surrounded her.
Their position was intimate, yet strangely peaceful.
“Sister Lexuan!
You’re awake?”
“Yuhao…
why am I lying here?”
“There wasn’t anywhere else comfortable to lie down, so I let you rest on my lap, Sister Lexuan.
Isn’t this better?”
“Mm.
It’s very comfortable…”
They weren’t speaking loudly, but their conversation still drew the attention of the others.
“Eldest Senior Sister, you’re finally awake.
Sob~”
The moment one of the female students saw that Zhang Lexuan had regained consciousness, she hurried over.
The grief she had barely managed to suppress surged back up, and tears immediately began streaming down her face.
Not far away, several of the surviving students watched the scene and lowered their heads in despair.
…
“Zhang Lexuan, can you tell me what happened back then?”
Xuan Zi looked at the Blood Moon Wolf King’s corpse nearby.
The wound across its neck had indeed been caused by Zhang Lexuan’s Soul Skill, but the severe lightning damage covering its body was unlike anything he had ever seen.
Compared to that attack, even the Martial Soul attack of Elder Mu’s great-great-grandson was nothing.
If someone else had been hiding nearby…
“I don’t know.
I was retreating with Huo Yuhao when a bolt of lightning suddenly struck.
Somehow, it happened to miss both Yuhao and me and hit that Soul Beast instead, crippling it on the spot.
When I saw that it could no longer move, I used the last of my Soul Power to finish it off.”
Naturally, Zhang Lexuan knew that the divine lightning had come from Huo Yuhao.
But he had only revealed that power to protect her, so how could she possibly expose his secret?
She simply made up an explanation on the spot.
After all, no one except her and Huo Yuhao knew the truth.
Hearing this, one of the students immediately shouted indignantly, “If you ask me, that Blood Moon Wolf King must have suffered divine retribution!
Ancient Ancestor Tang San must have sent divine punishment down from heaven!”
“What nonsense?
That bastard Sea God doesn’t deserve the credit!”
The God of Destruction, who had already returned to sleep, jolted awake the instant he heard Tang San’s name.
“Xiao Zi, calm down.
Calm down.”
Xuan Zi himself couldn’t make sense of what had happened, so he let out a long sigh.
“Forget it.
As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters.”
“In that case, Sister Lexuan, you should hurry and absorb this Soul Ring.”
Huo Yuhao’s voice came from beside Zhang Lexuan, immediately reminding everyone else.
Of course!
This was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and the final fatal blow against the Blood Moon Wolf King had been dealt by Eldest Senior Sister.
Naturally, the Soul Ring belonged to her.
And a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was guaranteed to produce a Soul Bone…
At that thought, everyone’s breathing quickened.
“That’s right, Eldest Senior Sister.
You nearly gave your life for us.
Hurry and absorb it!”
“But if my Eighth Soul Ring is already going to be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring…”
Seeing Zhang Lexuan hesitate, Xuan Zi said, “You can absorb the Soul Bone first.
Once your constitution improves, you should be able to absorb the Soul Ring afterward.”
“All right.
Please wait for me.”
…
“Eighth Soul Skill!”
A powerful surge of blood energy welled up within Zhang Lexuan.
Feeling the changes in her Soul Power, she confirmed that she had officially entered the ranks of the Spirit Douluo.
Seeing Huo Yuhao waiting nearby, the corners of her lips curved upward.
She reached out and gently rubbed his head.
“Thank you.
They may not know what really happened, but I remember.
That’s enough.”
As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan took a Red Card out of her Storage Space.
“This is my VIP Card for Shrek Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
When you enroll at Shrek, you can use this card directly.
And with this card, no matter what happens, you can always come find me.”
Huo Yuhao’s eyes lit up as he looked at the Red Card Zhang Lexuan handed him.
It seemed he wouldn’t have to worry about resources anymore.
Still, the card belonged to Sister Lexuan, so he should probably try not to spend too much with it…
Of course, if Huo Yuhao knew what privileges the Red Card actually granted, he wouldn’t have thought that at all.
Elsewhere, one of the students was reporting their casualties to Xuan Zi.
“We had twelve Core Disciples in total.
Aside from Eldest Senior Sister, five are dead, three are crippled, and two are seriously injured.
I suffered the lightest injuries, but even I don’t know how long I’ll need to recover.”
Xuan Zi’s eyelids twitched as he listened.
For Shrek, this could be called the worst disaster the academy had suffered in nearly a century.
“This was my fault.
I failed in my responsibility as the teacher leading this team!
Once we return, I’ll resign from my position with the Shrek Guardians and withdraw from the Sea God Pavilion.”
“The academy will provide you with the best resources possible for your recovery…”
Before Xuan Zi could finish, someone interrupted him.
“Elder Xuan…
I want to leave Shrek.”
Xuan Zi frowned slightly.
“Leave?
Have you lost your mind?
If you leave now, what can you possibly do?”
“I’ve already lost the will to keep fighting!
I said I’m leaving!”
He thought of Wu Yi, whose stomach had been ripped open right at the beginning.
Only the night before, the two of them had still been joking around together.
Now they were separated forever.
If Elder Xuan had only arrived a little sooner…
If he hadn’t been off fooling around…