Douluo: Wuhun Qimen Formation, control everything!

Chapter 111 The golden cicada escapes from its shell
With Elder Xuan by my side, and Elder Song and the others already here, it seems safer to stay with them.

If we go back now, even with Uncle Wang's protection, would we still be stronger than so many Title Douluos?
Even without consulting a divination master, he had a bad feeling.

He had previously observed the map on the way back to Shrek from Star Luo City. If he had to say where the most likely place for an ambush was, it would definitely be the Dark Night Ancient Forest, which is near the border and adjacent to the Star Dou Great Forest.

They didn't pass through there when they came, because they were going to the White Tiger Duke's camp, so they took a detour.

This time, the shortest route was chosen in order to get back to Shrek as quickly as possible.

Because of its proximity to the Starry Sky Forest, the Dark Night Ancient Forest is so densely covered with towering ancient trees that visibility is extremely limited, making it almost impossible to see the sun.

This is also the origin of the name Dark Night Ancient Forest. To the left of the ancient forest is a mountain range that connects with the Bright Dou Mountain Range, and to the right is the Star Dou Great Forest.

This place is perfect for an ambush; it's practically a natural encirclement. As long as the front and rear exits are blocked, if they want to escape, they can only go up the mountain or enter the Star Dou Great Forest.

"No way! If I really go back like this, my life will definitely be in danger!" He didn't want to experience the helplessness he felt when facing Zhongli Wu before.

He slowed his pace and came to Elder Xuan's side: "Elder Xuan, I have a plan."

"Hmm?" Elder Xuan glanced around. They weren't the only group on the road. After all, Xingluo City was the imperial city of Xingluo. Even without the Soul Master Competition, there would be plenty of merchants coming and going.

A pale yellow soul force enveloped the two of them, preventing others from detecting them.

To be on the safe side, Zhou Xuan chose to use telepathy.

The two walked at the back of the group, their expressions normal.

"Elder Xuan, I still have a feeling of unease."

"Didn't Old Song and the others all come? Do you think the four of us old guys can't protect you?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Zhou Xuan, aren't you overthinking things? When we left, there were at most twenty Title Douluos in Star Luo City."
"These people, I'm not bragging, but Old Song and I alone could easily hold them all back."

Zhou Xuan glanced at him and said, "What if we add the elders of the Body Sect? What if even the Sect Master of the Body Sect comes?"

Elder Xuan paused for a moment: "Body Sect? Even if that 100,000-year-old soul beast embryo is a treasure, it shouldn't be enough to poison that old guy to the point of personally taking action, right?"

With their strength, a mere 100,000-year-old soul ring and soul bone wouldn't have required such a huge undertaking.

"However, the fact that a 100,000-year-old soul beast embryo can grant a soul master a second martial soul is its unique advantage."

"Hmph, I'm not afraid! Even if that old guy really comes, I can stop him!" Although Elder Xuan said this, he was clearly not that confident.

"What if that Star Radiance Douluo also makes a move?"

Although Xu Jiawei and he usually had a friendly demeanor, ever since the Zhong Liwu incident,

He felt as if he had developed paranoia, always assuming the worst about others.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Elder Xuan shook his head violently. "He was also a student of Shrek Academy before, how could this be?"

"As you said yourself, that was before, and the imperial family is the most ruthless. His current status is the chief retainer of the Star Luo Empire."
Do you really want to entrust the lives of your students to their kindness?

Elder Xuan remained silent for a moment, then sighed heavily: "Alright, tell me your plan."

How many people from the academy came this time?

Speaking of this, a confident look appeared on Elder Xuan's face again: "Elder Song, Shao Zhe, and Lin'er are all here, along with ten Soul Douluos."

Zhou Xuan nodded: "That's enough."

"My plan is to slip away unnoticed! I didn't mention this plan before because the competition wasn't over yet and I didn't feel that much of a crisis at the time."

"Shedding its skin like a cicada? How does that work?"

"Before I left, I asked Uncle Wang to buy some disguise soul tools. Under normal circumstances, these soul tools would be easily recognized upon close inspection."

But now...

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "When all they see is what they want, they often overlook other details."
We can have the teachers wear these soul-guided devices and impersonate us, while we disguise ourselves as merchants. This way, we can leave without anyone noticing.

The only downside is that the teachers will attract most of the attention, and if things really turn out as I suspect, those teachers will probably…

He didn't say the rest, but Elder Xuan understood perfectly: this meant sacrificing the teachers' lives for the students' lives.

However, since teachers are more skilled, they have a better chance of surviving.

Zhou Xuan knew this wasn't the right thing to do, but someone had to bear the consequences of this calamity.
He didn't want that person to be him, so he had to let others suffer in his place. If something really happened to these teachers...

He will personally avenge the wrongs he deserves in the future, and he will take care of everyone who needs his help.

After thinking for a while, Elder Xuan made up his mind.

"Sure! You are all geniuses of the academy. If things really turn out as you think, this may be the only option left."

Furthermore, you underestimate our academy's teachers. Every teacher who stays at Shrek Academy is a genius among geniuses.

Although they only have the cultivation level of Soul Douluo, it is not a problem for them to fight against Title Douluo when they join forces.

However, how and where should they exchange the documents? There are definitely informants around here; if they do it openly, they'll surely be discovered.

Elder Xuan finally agreed to Zhou Xuan's plan. If nothing goes wrong, everything will be fine.

If something really happens, the teachers are much more likely to survive than these students who haven't even reached the Contra level.

“That’s easy. We’ll find an inn to rest for the night. As long as you can defend against the enemy’s reconnaissance, it’ll be a piece of cake to switch people,” Zhou Xuan grinned.

"Okay! We'll do it your way. I'll contact Elder Song and the others."

After the two finished their discussion, Elder Xuan calmly withdrew his soul power, pretending nothing had happened, and followed the group forward, secretly contacting Elder Song through Shrek Academy's special methods.

Zhou Xuan also returned to the front of the group.

Two kilometers away in the woods, Old Song and his companions were following them at a distance.

"Pause!"

"What's wrong?" Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er both stopped and looked at him with inquiring eyes.

Old Song didn't reply, his eyes flickered as he looked in the direction of Shrek's team.

“Xuanzi’s plans have changed, we may need to meet up with them first.” Old Song repeated Zhou Xuan’s plan.

"Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill?" Yan Shaozhe still thought that this approach was really going too far.

Old Song glanced at him: "Zhou Xuan is a student of Shrek Academy, a disciple of the Pavilion Master, and also your junior brother."
Even if there is a possibility of danger, we must eliminate that possibility.

"Exactly! If you're scared, you should go back as soon as possible!" Xian Lin'er curled her lip in disdain.

"I didn't," Yan Shaozhe shook his head with a wry smile, "Let's go first."

"Hmm, remember to disguise yourselves. You all know how to do it, right?" Old Song ran a hand across his face, changing his appearance along with his clothes. The others followed suit, all changing their attire to look almost identical to the traveling merchants.

Old Song reached out and grabbed a few soul beasts, then casually chopped down a few trees and made a few simple carriages.

Looking at her masterpiece, she nodded in satisfaction. Now, no one should be able to tell that they were Shrek's people.

"Let's go!"

Instead of flying, the group drove towards a distant post station, the place she had arranged with Elder Xuan.

Because we set off early, we arrived at the post station at noon.

The inn was built next to the main road; it wasn't large, but it wasn't small either.

Many travelers and merchants would stop here to rest.

"Elder Xuan, why do you suddenly need to rest?" Wang Yan asked in a low voice. After all, shouldn't Elder Xuan be able to travel even faster if he were traveling at full speed?

"Just follow the arrangements, they definitely won't harm you." Wang Yan will definitely be leaving later, after all, his combat strength might not be as strong as these students, and staying here would only be a hindrance.

Some of the traveling merchants glanced at Shrek's group from time to time. They all shared a common characteristic: they were all lone wolves, not following the group.

Others hid within the caravans, less blatantly.

Zhou Xuan naturally noticed those undisguised stares; after all, their eyes were practically glowing green, like those of wolves that hadn't eaten for days.

"Young Master." Uncle Wang also noticed these malicious gazes.

Zhou Xuan shook his head, signaling Wang Bo not to intervene, while he continued to make calculations in his mind.

"Heh, there really are some who aren't afraid of death. Let's ignore them for now. If they're still here by dark, then none of us need to leave!"

"Waiter!" Zhou Xuan called out to the shopkeeper.

"Hey~ What can I do for you, sir?" The waiter came over at the sound of his voice, a towel draped over his shoulder.

"You can arrange the lodging." Zhou Xuan observed the layout of the inn; it was very traditional, with lodging upstairs and dining downstairs.

Xiao Er glanced at the Shrek group and had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"Sir, we don't have many rooms left, only two left, but don't worry, the rooms are big enough!"

Besides, the two rooms are right next to each other; it's practically one room, and even if you squeeze in, all of you can fit!

"Okay, how much?"

"Not much, 50 silver soul coins will be enough."

Zhou Xuan nodded and tossed out a gold soul coin: "Here's a gold soul coin for you, and get me some food too."

It's not that he likes to throw money around; it's just that the lowest unit of currency he carries is Gold Soul Coins.

"Good, good, good!" The waiter's face beamed with joy.

"Teacher Wang? Why do we need to stay at a hotel? Wouldn't it be the same to just set up a tent in the wild?" Xiao Xiao and the others were also puzzled, since they had just made do with what they had in the wild when they arrived.

"Elder Xuan has his own considerations, we should just follow them." Through this unusual behavior, Wang Yan also sensed that something was amiss.

However, since Elder Xuan didn't say anything, he wouldn't ask.

Sometimes knowing too much isn't a good thing.

"Everyone, take a rest for a while. We'll be traveling tonight," Elder Xuan instructed before finding a corner to sit down. He deliberately spoke loudly, as if afraid the people wouldn't hear him, and then ordered a large amount of meat.

He looks like a gluttonous old man.

A few people in the crowd had their eyes light up. They calmly found a spot to rest and quietly waited for night to fall.

As soon as the Shrek group went upstairs, Elder Xuan used his soul power to isolate the two rooms. However, although he requested two rooms, the group only stayed in one.

"Aren't there two rooms? Why do we have to stay together?" Ling Luochen frowned slightly. After all, there were men and women here, and it wasn't really appropriate for them to stay together.

Zhou Xuan glanced at her and said, "We're not really here to stay at the inn. Everyone, please continue your cultivation. You'll find out tonight."

"Hmm?" The others looked at him with some confusion.

However, Zhou Xuan did not elaborate further: "No need to ask, you will know by tonight."

"Alright, everyone, let's take a rest." Wang Yan also spoke up for Zhou Xuan at this moment.

Now he was certain that Elder Xuan and Zhou Xuan were hiding something from everyone.

The people downstairs also realized that their detection was being blocked, even though they were also Title Douluos.

But it's not surprising. After all, their target is Shrek Academy, so it's normal for them to be cautious when they're out and about.

By evening, normally there would be hardly anyone around.

However, there are still quite a few people sitting in the inn.

At this moment, a group of people, looking travel-worn, walked in. They were none other than Old Song and his companions disguised as traveling merchants.

"Waiter!" Old Song, disguised as a traveling merchant, slammed his hand on the table.

"Coming~"

"Is there any room left?"

The waiter immediately looked troubled. The last two rooms for the day had already been booked by Zhou Xuan and his group, so he could only bow and say, "I'm sorry, sir, we are fully booked for today."

"Since that's the case, then let it be." With that, Old Song turned to leave.

At this moment, Zhou Xuan came downstairs, exchanged a glance with Elder Xuan without making a sound, and after confirming that the newcomers were indeed from Shrek Academy, he said, "Wait, we still have one room available. We originally thought one room wouldn't be enough..."
So we requested two rooms, but now it seems one room is enough. If you don't mind, we can give you one of them, how about that?"

Old Song feigned surprise: "Thank you so much, young master. We haven't rested for days and are really looking for a place to stay."

"It's nothing." Zhou Xuan waved his hand, but his heart was clenching.

These Shrek Academy elders are all such actors; if he hadn't already known that the person in front of him was Elder Song, he might have actually believed them.

Since the two rooms are next to each other, it will be easier to switch people later.

Moreover, these guests below must be getting impatient, right?

After thanking them, Mr. Song and his party hurried upstairs.

After a while, the group went into another room next to Zhou Xuan's.

During the afternoon, he had already knocked down the wall between the two rooms, all for this moment.

(End of this chapter)