After the auction ended, Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao didn't linger in Shrek City. They left immediately, heading back to Shrek Academy.
However, just as they exited through the north gate, a golden-red flare shot up into the sky along the road between the north and east gates. Both of them froze—their expressions changed drastically. Shock gave way to deep suspicion.
Who would dare attack Shrek Academy students—Inner Court disciples, no less—so close to the city itself? Had they lost their minds?
Ma Xiaotao's face darkened in an instant. With a loud whoosh, her blazing Phoenix wings spread behind her, slicing through the air as she surged forward like a meteor.
The golden-red flare was a Shrek Inner Court emergency signal flare—only used when a disciple faced life-threatening danger. Zhu Ziyang always considered it useless; in real emergencies, it couldn't summon help fast enough, but could easily attract more enemies.
Still, this wasn't the time for sarcasm. He immediately followed Ma Xiaotao, racing toward the flare's origin.
Before long, they ran into two youths fleeing in panic. One of them had blue wings and carried a boy whose eyes were filled with spirit light. They burst from a forest path, faces pale and desperate, flying directly toward Shrek City.
Behind them were six masked men in black, their soul rings gleaming ominously: five Soul Kings and one Soul Emperor.
The two fleeing boys spotted Ma Xiaotao and Zhu Ziyang and immediately cried out in relief, calling for help.
The six pursuers didn't hesitate—they turned and fled northeast as soon as they recognized who had arrived.
"Cowardly rats! How dare you act so brazenly near Shrek Academy!" Ma Xiaotao didn't care where they ran. Her Fire Phoenix martial soul exploded forth—two yellow, two purple, and two black rings flared behind her in the night sky. Her crimson flames wrapped around her body, transforming her into a terrifying valkyrie of fire.
With a roar, she spat a beam of blazing fire from her mouth. It transformed into a winged phoenix, which swooped down on one of the black-robed men. In seconds, the man was engulfed in flame, screaming in agony. He dropped from the sky, writhing on the ground as he tried to smother the fire—but how could ordinary means extinguish the extreme fire of the Fire Phoenix?
"Coming to Shrek to commit murder—don't you think that's a bit much?" Zhu Ziyang's calm voice echoed in the night.
The black-cloaked assailants tried to flee, but their path was suddenly blocked. A handsome, elegant youth stood in their way, wielding a golden scythe. Behind him hovered six perfectly configured soul rings, radiating dread.
Zhu Ziyang had used space teleportation to cut off their escape.
The Soul Emperor among the attackers didn't waste time pleading. He lunged at Zhu Ziyang immediately, while the four remaining Soul Kings followed.
They had no choice—if they couldn't take down Zhu Ziyang, they were dead.
Zhu Ziyang's face remained expressionless. He dashed forward, releasing his fourth soul skill—a clone burst from his side, perfectly mirroring his movements. The Scythe of Silent Judgment slashed through a Soul King's neck—decapitating him in one smooth arc.
The clone's scythe slashed at a second Soul King. That one was luckier: he lost an ear and half a shoulder, but lived.
The Soul Emperor and remaining two Soul Kings missed their attacks—and after seeing their comrade die so swiftly, their morale collapsed.
The Soul Emperor shoved the two remaining Soul Kings toward Zhu Ziyang and used the distraction to escape—sacrificing his allies to save himself.
But Zhu Ziyang wasn't fooled. He dodged past the two Soul Kings and chased after the Soul Emperor.
At that moment, Ma Xiaotao caught up and faced the Soul Kings. The two were briefly relieved—until they realized they were now trapped by a flame demoness.
The Soul Emperor ran fast—but Zhu Ziyang was faster.
His eyes flashed, and a purple-gold vertical eye opened on his forehead. A beam of light shot out and hit the fleeing man's back. His body froze mid-flight and crashed to the ground.
Zhu Ziyang sneered. A flick of his wrist, and a grey-white blade light shot forth.
He turned without looking back. Behind him, the light flew tens of meters, slicing clean through the Soul Emperor. The man died instantly—his life force flowing into Zhu Ziyang's soul ring.
Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao roasted two Soul Kings to death. The third was slain by Zhu Ziyang's clone.
In under five minutes, the six black-cloaked attackers were all dead. The actual combat time didn't even exceed two minutes.
This was the power gap between Shrek's Inner Court disciples and ordinary soul masters—an unbridgeable chasm.
"Xiaotao, let's go check on those two students," Zhu Ziyang said calmly.
"Alright." Ma Xiaotao nodded, the fierce glint in her eyes gone—replaced by serenity. "Your strength really keeps growing… You took out a Soul Emperor like it was nothing. Ziyang, we should spar sometime soon. I feel like you've already surpassed me."
"You're exaggerating, Sister Xiaotao." Zhu Ziyang smiled. "That Soul Emperor had no will to fight—he was just trying to escape. I simply took advantage of it."
As they talked, they approached the two students who had been under attack. Four more people were now with them—all fellow Shrek students.
Zhu Ziyang had already guessed who the targets were: Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. Wang Dong's martial soul was too distinctive, and he had seen them earlier at the auction. The real question was—who were the attackers after?
Zhu Ziyang leaned toward Huo Yuhao being the target. As the Child of Destiny, he was bound to provoke hostility. There were always fools who tried to kill someone so crucial to fate.
The four others with them were Tang Ya, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Xue Weiwei. They had also attended the auction and rushed to the scene when they saw the signal flare. Now, they stood protectively around Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, their expressions grim.
When they saw Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao, they relaxed visibly.
The city's guard patrol also arrived. Once they confirmed no students had died, they left—except for one guard who stayed to record the incident.
"Zhu Ziyang! I knew that soul fluctuation felt familiar!" Tang Ya ran up with a bright smile. "If it weren't for you and this Senior Sister, Yuhao and Wang Dong would've been in real danger! Huh? Where's Nannan? Didn't she come with you?"
"Oh, we just happened to be passing by," Zhu Ziyang said. "Nannan had to take care of something. You all came for the auction too?"
"Yup." Tang Ya nodded. Then she turned to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. "You two—aren't you going to thank Ziyang and this Senior Sister for saving your lives?"
"Thank you so much, Brother Ziyang!" Huo Yuhao said with heartfelt sincerity. Though he was still shaken, his eyes were filled with gratitude.
Wang Dong also bowed respectfully.
But Ma Xiaotao frowned. "You're Outer Court disciples. Where did you get an Inner Court distress flare?"
"Uh…" Huo Yuhao hesitated, nervous. Although he hadn't seen Zhu Ziyang's fight, Ma Xiaotao's terrifying display was burned into his memory. Her presence overwhelmed him.
"Hey! What kind of tone is that? The flare was given to Yuhao by Dean Qian! We didn't steal it! If you've got a problem, go yell at the Dean!" Wang Dong snapped back, undeterred.
Ma Xiaotao's face darkened instantly—but Zhu Ziyang stepped in.
"Xiaotao, Wang Dong's telling the truth," he said calmly. "Why don't you help the guard record the incident? I've got things covered here."
"…Fine," she said, still sulking, and walked away.
"Don't take it personally," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile. "Sister Xiaotao's just blunt by nature."
Now that the tension had eased, the group relaxed. Xu Sanshi chuckled, "Ziyang, that Sister Xiaotao sure has a fiery temper—matches her curves, huh? Hehehe—ow! I was just joking! Weiwei, let go of my ear!"
Xue Weiwei had him in a painful twist, making everyone burst into laughter.
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