Chapter 215: Dark Holy Dragon Long Xiaoyao, Death God Douluo Ye Xishui, Appear
At the edge of the Execution Platform, the suffocating barrier of black light that had intercepted the lethal strike slowly dissolved into wisps of dark smoke.
The dense crowd of citizens gathered around the square stared at the fading residue. Bewilderment rippled through the masses first, quickly swallowed by a creeping, icy dread as the sinister nature of that energy registered in their minds.
"Is that... an Evil Soul Master?" a man stammered, his trembling finger pointed at the lingering miasma.
"The Dean of Shrek Academy was actually saved by an Evil Soul Master?"
Whispers erupted into a cacophony of disbelief and horror. This intervention was no mere rescue. It was a death sentence to a ten-thousand-year legacy, effectively shoving Shrek Academy into an endless abyss of public condemnation.
In the eyes of the populace, Shrek and the depraved cultivators who fed on human lives were irreconcilable mortal enemies. Yet, the irrefutable truth played out right before their eyes, shattering generations of blind faith. Had the glorious academy been secretly colluding with these monsters all along? Or had the institution already rotted from the inside out, falling entirely to corruption? There was no other logical explanation for the sickening display of dark energy shielding their leader.
Before the panicked citizens could fully process the collapse of their idols, the shadows cast across the square violently twisted.
Several silhouettes surged from the darkness like vengeful specters. Moving with unnatural, fluid speed, they plunged directly into the heavily armored ranks of the Imperial Guards stationed to protect the royal family.
The assassins offered no battle cries. Cold steel flashed under the sunlight, followed instantly by blooming arcs of crimson. Wherever the phantoms drifted, armored guards collapsed into rapidly expanding pools of their own blood, their throats severed before a single warning scream could tear past their lips.
The square descended into absolute pandemonium. Terrified shrieks tore through the air as the massive crowd trampled over one another in a desperate stampede for the exits.
High above the slaughter, the clouds parted. Two figures descended from the heavens with the weight of falling mountains, touching down softly in the dead space between the Execution Platform and the gathered experts of the Body Sect.
The leading man appeared to be in his sixties. He possessed a towering, broad-shouldered physique, with long silver-white hair cascading freely over his back. His weathered face carried a serene, almost extraordinary tranquility, completely detached from the brutal massacre unfolding mere yards away. Clad in a simple, unadorned grey robe, he might have passed for an ordinary, wandering scholar—if not for the suffocating, world-crushing pressure radiating from his very bones.
The woman standing at his side was a stark contrast. She appeared no older than twenty, her flawless curves wrapped in a tight-fitting, dark red dress that clung to her like a second skin. Her features were breathtakingly beautiful, yet possessed a chilling, unearthly quality. A heart-stopping, eerie crimson light drifted through her irises. She merely stood there in silence, yet the ambient air around her warped and thickened, turning viscous and heavy with an ancient malice.
Their positioning was deliberate, perfectly cutting off the Body Sect Master's path of advance.
Du Busi, whose eyes had just been burning with unrestrained killing intent, felt his pupils contract into pinpricks. The spirit power fluctuations rolling off the newcomers were completely foreign to the world of ordinary Titled Douluo. This was a density of power that had shattered the shackles of rank ninety-eight, ascending to the absolute pinnacle of the mortal world.
Limit Douluo.
And there were two of them.
Death God Douluo Ye Xishui swept her cold gaze past the towering sect master, her attention shifting to the battered, weakened form of Yan Shaozhe slumped nearby. Seeing that the Shrek Dean was still breathing and relatively intact, the tension in her delicate shoulders lessened slightly. A silent breath escaped her lips.
Then, her eerie eyes snapped back to Du Busi. The ambient temperature plummeted as a thick, suffocating wave of killing intent flooded her gaze.
A stormy sea of shock battered against Du Busi's mind. He was the reigning sovereign of the Body Sect, a level ninety-eight Super Douluo who bowed to no one. Yet, standing before this pair, his instincts screamed in unmatched alarm. The pressure bearing down on his shoulders was physical, grinding against his bones.
The woman was the true source of his dread. As a Limit Douluo, the sheer concentration of evil aura bleeding from her pores was intense enough to corrode the very light around her.
The pieces clicked together in his mind, forming a horrifying conclusion.
A level ninety-nine Evil Soul Master.
Did such an abomination actually exist?
Du Busi clenched his massive fists, his knuckles popping like firecrackers. He had lived a long life, yet he had never encountered an evil cultivator at the absolute zenith of power.
The laws of cultivation dictated that while those who walked the demonic path experienced explosive growth in their early years by consuming life force and souls, their progression would inevitably stagnate. The heavenly backlash and the instability of their foundations made advancing in the late stages nearly impossible. Consequently, across the vast history of the Douluo Continent, top-tier evil practitioners were incredibly scarce. Finding one who had broken through to the Titled Douluo realm was rare enough.
Yet, as he expanded his spiritual senses, the grim reality set in. The shadowy assassins currently butchering the Imperial Guards were all emitting the distinct pressure of Titled Douluo. And the stunning woman standing before him defied all logic and heavenly law. A rank ninety-nine monstrosity. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"How can this be..." The words scraped out from deep within his throat, harsh and strained. For the first time since he took the mantle of Sect Master, he felt the reins of control violently slip from his grasp. The execution, the ambush, the revelation of Shrek's corruption—none of this aligned with his calculations.
The silver-haired elder, Dark Holy Dragon Long Xiaoyao, observed the large man's internal crisis with supreme indifference. A mocking, pitying curve tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Compared to your elder brother, you are indeed still far too weak, Du Busi."
Du Busi snapped his head up, locking onto the elder's weathered features. Initially, the face had only sparked a vague sense of familiarity. But the mention of his late elder brother acted as a brutal catalyst, violently tearing open a long-buried memory. His muscular frame trembled slightly as the realization hit him like a physical blow.
"You are... Dark Holy Dragon, Long Xiaoyao..." The name tasted like ash on his tongue. "You're not dead?"
Long Xiaoyao let out a low, rumbling sneer. His tone carried a dry, dismissive amusement. "Since a junior like you is still breathing, how could I possibly die so easily?"
His calm, resonant voice echoed across the blood-stained square, carrying effortlessly over the screams of the dying. The surviving experts and guards instantly realized the gravity of the situation. This was no ordinary reinforcement; this was an ancient monster who had roamed the continent centuries ago.
The Dark Holy Dragon had no interest in reminiscing. He waved his hand dismissively, his dark eyes locking onto the Body Sect Master with unquestionable, crushing authority.
"Enough chatter. I will give you one chance, Du Busi. Step aside."
He pointed a single finger toward the platform. "Hand over Ma Xiaotao. We will take our people and depart immediately. Refuse, and you can weigh the consequences with your life."
The atmosphere froze, the tension stretching to the breaking point.
Du Busi's expression darkened into an ugly, rigid scowl. Ye Xishui's chilling gaze wrapped around his throat like a venomous viper preparing to strike, while Long Xiaoyao's relaxed, composed posture barely concealed a dormant, apocalyptic strength capable of erasing him from existence.
Pinned beneath the combined might of two Limit Douluo, his tactical mind ran through a thousand scenarios. Every single one ended in his complete annihilation. He was no fool. While rank ninety-eight and ninety-nine appeared to be separated by a single step, that final threshold was a bottomless chasm. It was a difference in the fundamental understanding of heaven and earth. If it weren't for that exact chasm, he wouldn't have spent years treading so carefully around Shrek Academy while Mu En was still alive.
He knew his limits perfectly. With his current cultivation, the moment a true battle ignited, he would fail to secure Ma Xiaotao and would undoubtedly leave his own corpse on these blood-soaked stones.
But retreat?
He glanced over his shoulder. Behind him stood the core elites of the Body Sect. He was their sovereign. He was the absolute guardian of the Heavenly Soul Empire. If he tucked his tail between his legs and submissively handed over their most valuable captive just because an old ghost threatened him, the unyielding spine of the Body Sect would be shattered forever. Forget the endless ridicule from the rest of the continent—he would never be able to wash away the bitter taste of such deep humiliation.
His pride as a martial artist burned hotter than his fear of death. Knowing full well that he was outmatched, Du Busi ground his teeth together, the muscles in his jaw bulging with explosive tension. He slammed his foot forward, his massive frame acting as an impenetrable iron wall shielding the Execution Platform.
He threw his head back, fearlessly meeting the apocalyptic gazes of the Dark Holy Dragon and the Death God Douluo—gazes heavy enough to crush the spirit of any ordinary man.
"Keep dreaming!" he roared, his voice vibrating with raw, untamed spirit power.
"If you want to take anyone from this platform, you'll have to step over this old man's corpse first!"
His aura erupted, a brilliant, defiant light pushing back against the encroaching darkness. "I will never yield to filthy, blood-sucking Evil Soul Masters like you!"
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