Douluo Continent: The Holy Evil Emperor

While Biji was communicating with it, the 100,000-year-old soul beast launched its second attack, targeting Zhang Lexuan, who was in the lead.

Although the 100,000-year-old soul beast immediately obeyed upon hearing Bi Ji's voice, its already darting body was not so easy to control. It could only slightly change its direction of movement to prevent its claws from attacking Zhang Lexuan.

But Zhang Lexuan didn't know that!

Her speed was no match for the 100,000-year-old soul beast. At that moment, Mingjing, who was next to her, pushed her away and saved her life. But then another unexpected event occurred.

It was Ye Qing!

A dazzling golden light flashed by, and Zhang Lexuan only felt a blur before her eyes as Ye Qing's tall figure firmly protected her behind him.

"No, no!" Zhang Lexuan's eyes widened suddenly. Even she, as a Soul Saint, might not be able to withstand this attack, let alone Ye Qing, a quasi-Soul King who hadn't even obtained his fifth Soul Ring.

"No! I'll die!" Hot tears streamed down her face. An unprecedented, extreme pain suddenly spread from Zhang Lexuan's chest. She was terrified, more terrified than when she faced a 100,000-year-old soul beast.

However, Ye Qing was not as fragile as Zhang Lexuan had imagined.

The first and third spirit rings suddenly lit up, Ye Qing crossed his arms in an X shape in front of his chest, and a golden light shield instantly appeared on his body.

Holy and Evil Guardian, Holy and Evil Nebula Rift!

Bang!

The shield formed by the Holy and Evil Guardians was shattered instantly, but the subsequent attacks were blocked by the soul power tiger claws that Ye Qing condensed in his hands.

The Holy Evil Guardian can form a shield that can block attacks that are no more than three levels higher than Ye Qing's. Although this 100,000-year-old soul beast has surpassed Ye Qing by three levels in terms of cultivation, it did not attack with all its might. After breaking the Holy Evil Guardian, it was already exhausted, which is why Ye Qing was able to easily parry it.

Only then did the others realize what kind of spirit beast had attacked them.

It was a three-meter-long fox with blood-red fur. When it saw its attack blocked by Ye Qing, a hint of surprise appeared in the fox's cunning eyes.

"Blood Shadow Fox!" Seeing that Ye Qing was alright, Zhang Lexuan breathed a sigh of relief and recognized the species of this 100,000-year-old soul beast.

When she saw Ye Qing standing in front of her, she felt a heart-wrenching pain. This feeling was just like when she watched helplessly as the entire Zhang family was wiped out.

'So... I've already considered Ye Qing as family all along?'

After just one contact, the Blood Shadow Fox vanished again in a crimson glow, and Ye Qing lowered his hands, his expression somewhat solemn.

“Sister Lexuan, now is not the time to be distracted.” Ye Qing glanced at Zhou Lu, who was no longer in danger, and his eyes gradually darkened. “This won’t do. It’s too fast and we can’t handle it. Elder Xuan is missing. If we get entangled with it, I’m afraid none of us will be able to return to Shrek alive.”

"Then what should we do?" Zhang Lexuan was like a little girl who had lost her composure, instinctively seeking refuge in Ye Qing, who gave her the most sense of security.

Even she herself didn't know that the image of Ye Qing's back that had just saved her was deeply imprinted in her heart.

The others also gathered around, forming a circle with Ye Qing at the head, alert to any movement around them.

After the initial shock subsided, they regained the composure befitting disciples of Shrek Academy, willing to fight to the death even against a 100,000-year-old soul beast.

Ye Qing's expression kept changing, as if he was struggling with something inside. Seeing his constantly changing expression, Zhang Lexuan's heart couldn't help but tremble slightly, and her emotions, which had just calmed down, began to feel uneasy again.

Finally, her premonition came true.

"Phew... You can go now." Ye Qing let out a long breath, his expression becoming somewhat 'relieved'. "We're too big a target; it's impossible for us all to leave. If we want to get out alive, someone has to sacrifice themselves."

He turned and glanced at Zhang Lexuan. His eyes instantly transformed into a pie chart, filled with a mixture of three parts admiration, three parts longing, two parts reluctance, and two parts determination. Like a sharp knife, his gaze pierced through all of Zhang Lexuan's defenses.

"Sister Lexuan, you must... survive!"

"If I could return..."

At this point, Ye Qing stopped abruptly, turned around with a determined expression, and just then the Blood Shadow Fox reappeared. He immediately transformed into a golden streak of light and crashed into it.

boom! !

The powerful impact of the soul force instantly blasted a large number of trees to pieces, sending up clouds of dust.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Ye Qing's hearty laughter mingled with the furious roars of the Blood Shadow Fox.

"Hahaha... Come on, you beast! If you want to hurt them, you'll have to get past me first!"

"No, no...!" Tears streamed down Zhang Lexuan's face as the excruciating pain made her vision blur. "No... Ye Qing, come back!"

Mingjing hugged Zhang Lexuan tightly around the waist, tears streaming down her face: "Sister Lexuan, let's go quickly! Don't waste the time that Xiao Yeqing bought for us with his life! Don't let his last efforts go to waste!"

The others also pulled Zhang Lexuan back, their eyes filled with tears as they watched the battle between Ye Qing and the Blood Shadow Fox recede into the distance.

He... is a hero!

Chapter 116 Xuanzi: Buhao, my student!

In the end, Zhang Lexuan still left. If she were alone, she would follow Ye Qing without hesitation. No matter whether she died in the mouth of a 100,000-year-old soul beast or not, she was willing to live and die with Ye Qing.

But she couldn't do that.

She was the team leader of this Soul Hunting Team, and it was her responsibility to bring these team members back safely.

Yes, she could disregard the lives of her teammates and chase after them to fight alongside Ye Qing against the 100,000-year-old soul beast, but what about her teammates? Should she just let them fend for themselves in the Star Dou Great Forest?

Zhang Lexuan's sense of responsibility wouldn't allow her to do that. The last bit of time Ye Qing had risked his life for wasn't meant for her to waste like this.

"Qing... wait for me. I'll come back to you after I've safely escorted my teammates out of the Star Dou Great Forest." Zhang Lexuan took one last look in the direction Ye Qing had left, her tone gentler than ever before, filled with the deepest love.

"Whether you are still alive or not... I will go to find you. If you live, I will stay with you for life; if you die, I will go with you."

It wasn't until the last glance she exchanged with Ye Qing that Zhang Lexuan realized that she hadn't just seen him as family; she had already fallen hopelessly in love with this younger brother who was seven or eight years her junior!

A burning tear streaked through the air, shattering into countless droplets as it landed on the Blue Silver Grass's leaves. This tear mirrored Zhang Lexuan's already battered heart; after Ye Qing's departure, she felt her heart had gone with him.

If I can't find him... then what difference is there between me and a walking corpse?

"You must wait for me!"

……

the other side.

"Have they left?" Ye Qing asked, keeping an eye on Zhang Lexuan and the others while engaging in a fierce battle with the Blood Shadow Fox.

"They're already gone." While Biji was still reeling from the Silver Dragon's Reverse Scale, she was starting to question her existence. Was this just human tactics? No wonder Di Tian and the others always said that humans were the most cunning and treacherous creatures, even deceiving their own kind!

A birth within a birth!

"Finally gone..." Ye Qing breathed a sigh of relief, then gave Blood Shadow Fox a look, "Stop fighting, they're gone!"

The Blood Shadow Fox silently stopped pounding the ground with its soul power and scratching the surrounding trees with its claws. Apart from the first collision, which was a real fight, it and Ye Qing had been engaging in what appeared to be a large-scale battle all along, but in reality, they were just attacking the surrounding environment to create the illusion of a very intense battle.

"Human, you'd better give me an explanation as to why Lady Biji asked me to cooperate with you. Otherwise, I will chase after those people just as they left." Blood Shadow Fox stared at Ye Qing and said in a cold tone.

Upon hearing Bi Ji's telepathic message, Blood Shadow Fox immediately chose to cooperate, even though it was puzzled and even though Bi Ji wanted it to cooperate with humans, it still chose to execute the order without hesitation.

Because this was Brigitte's order.

However, after cooperating, the Blood Shadow Fox will definitely demand an explanation. Cooperation is one thing, but if Ye Qing cannot provide a reasonable explanation, it will not hesitate to kill Ye Qing, then catch up with Zhang Lexuan and the others, and kill them one by one.

It's just a waste of time.

"To save your life." Ye Qing curled his lip and said in a flat tone, "Those people are inner disciples of Shrek Academy. Their teacher this time is a Taotie Douluo with a cultivation level of 98. Do you think you can deal with a level 98 expert with your 100,000 years of cultivation?"

"If it weren't for that good-for-nothing Taotie Douluo going off to drink somewhere, do you think you'd have a chance to act with me? The moment you showed your face, Taotie would smash you into mincemeat and turn you into a 100,000-year soul ring and soul bone."

"...The Gluttonous Douluo?" Blood Shadow Fox was slightly taken aback, and its eyes flickered.

In this light... it seems that this human actually saved his life. It's really not worth risking his life to kill a few humans.

“He’s telling the truth.” Brigitte’s figure appeared silently, her eyes gentle as she looked at the Blood Shadow Fox. She walked up to it and gently stroked its head. “Thank you for your help. You can go back now. Remember to be careful next time you leave the core area, okay?”

Feeling this familiar life force, the Blood Shadow Fox narrowed its eyes, appearing quite content. After listening to Bi Ji's instructions, it nodded.

"I understand, Lady Biji." After glancing at Ye Qing again, the Blood Shadow Fox transformed into a streak of crimson light and flew towards the interior of the core area.

Even Brigitte herself came out, so Blood Shadow Fox naturally had no problem and simply turned around and left.

Anyone can make a mistake, but Lady Brigitte never does.

"Alright, we can start the disguise now!" Ye Qing chuckled, sat down cross-legged on the spot, and one soul ring after another lit up from his body until the last 100,000-year soul ring appeared, and a blood-red pillar of light shot into the sky.

Only then did the crimson beam of light that Ye Qing deliberately conjured finally sober up Old Deng, whose brain had been fermented into tofu dregs by alcohol.

“That direction…” Xuanzi’s eyes widened suddenly, the drunkenness in his eyes vanishing instantly, “The aura of a 100,000-year soul ring, a 100,000-year soul beast?”

"Buhou! My student!!!"

The Supreme Elder jumped up from the tree branch as if he had been pricked in the butt. His panic was beyond measure. He knew that Zhang Lexuan and the others were not the only ones who came to hunt souls this time. Ye Qing, Mu En's disciple and Shrek Academy's only genius with the ultimate attribute, was also there!

If Zhang Lexuan and the others were to get into trouble, that would be one thing; they're just a few average geniuses, and Shrek Academy produces a bunch of such geniuses in every era.

But what if something happens to Ye Qing...

The thought that the only person in the academy with exceptional attributes, and a super monster who had cultivated to the Soul King level at a young age, had died in the Star Dou Great Forest because of his drunken mistake made Xuanzi feel that he might be torn apart alive by Mu En.

“Spicy, spicy, spicy, spicy!”

"Little Ye Qing, you absolutely mustn't get into trouble!"

……

the other side.

In order to get Zhou Lu and the others out of the Star Dou Great Forest as quickly as possible and then return to find Ye Qing, Zhang Lexuan used her soul power to speed up the journey without regard for the cost, dragging the seven burdens away quickly.

"Faster, faster..." Zhang Lexuan kept repeating this sentence, tears streaming down her face without stopping.

Aside from Zhou Lu, who was unconscious, the other six people who were still conscious were also filled with sorrow. In order not to put too much burden on Zhang Lexuan, they were also trying their best to use their soul power to make themselves lighter.

Just as they were about to leave the mixed zone and arrive at the outer zone, a yellowish-brown light descended from the sky and stopped them.