"Alright, then I, Xue mou, will express my gratitude here. Everyone, follow his lead!" Mu Xue slightly bowed, then turned to look behind her. Not far away, a Nether Blood Cat was observing them like a cat playing with mice. It hadn't attacked yet—just followed them. She gritted her teeth and spoke.
"Follow me!" Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Although he was only at the Grand Spirit Master level, his speed was not slow at all as he led the group toward a cave.
The twenty-thousand-year-old Nether Blood Cat closely followed behind.
"Uncle Mo, do you think he's trustworthy?" Mu Xue asked in a low voice.
"Uncertain. But that uniform does belong to Shrek Academy, and the mask he wears seems to be the equipment of the Shrek Inner Court Disciplinary Committee. The credibility isn't low."
Mu Xue subtly relaxed. "Shrek Academy has a good relationship with our Heavenly Soul Empire. At least they wouldn't hit us while we're down. It looks like we're saved."
A few minutes later.
They arrived at a narrow cave entrance.
Tang San explained, "Behind this entrance is a waterfall—a hidden paradise of sorts. My teacher is resting inside. If we've made it this far, it means we're already safe."
Hearing this, Mu Xue visibly relaxed.
She saw that the Nether Blood Cat, which had been closely following them, hesitated. It prowled restlessly, eyes flickering with uncertainty. Clearly, something inside the cave made it wary. The next moment, it vanished from sight.
"Rest here." Mo Yunfei led the attendants in setting up camp.
Until they were sure the Nether Blood Cat had left, it was better to stay put.
A campfire was quickly lit inside the cave, its faint glow illuminating half of the space.
The crackling sound of burning wood eased the tension in the group.
Mu Xue's eyes reflected the firelight. One hand fiddled with a twig, while the other tightly grasped her sister's hand.
The journey through the Sunset Forest had been perilous, yet fruitful. She had obtained her fourth spirit ring from a five-thousand-year-old Spirit Ear Monkey. Her martial soul was her ears, and back then, she and her sister had both been chosen by the Body Sect, becoming twin saintesses. Moreover, her sister had caught the eye of Long Aotian.
This brought immense support to the Heavenly Soul Empire from the Body Sect (now called Snow Demon Sect).
But...
It didn't seem like enough.
Recently, a report from the Star Luo Empire detailed how a single mecha battalion from the Sun Moon Empire had rampaged through their territory. By merely cutting off communications between a few provinces, they had almost crippled Star Luo entirely.
This exposed the deep flaws of the three original Douluo Continent nations: bloated, inefficient, and technologically backward.
It also underscored the sheer power of the Sun Moon Empire.
They had evaded detection from Titled Douluo, struck the ancestral tomb of the White Tiger Duke near the imperial capital, and escaped unscathed. This showed the enormous gap between the two sides.
Given such circumstances, even with Snow Demon Sect's aid, how long could the Heavenly Soul Empire resist the iron grip of the Sun Moon Empire?
She sighed softly. The legacy of her ancestors—she could not allow it to be lost in her generation...
"Sis, aren't you going to rest?" Weina yawned. She was at the peak of Spirit Elder, hoping to find a suitable spirit ring on this journey. But spiritual-type spirit beasts, especially those linked to the brain, were incredibly rare. So far, she had found none.
Their relationship was special. Mu Xue, the elder sister, was the strategist, the one who planned ahead. She might even become one of the few empresses in Heavenly Soul Empire's history. Meanwhile, Weina was stronger in raw power—her martial soul was her brain and a snow lotus. She was the core fighter that Snow Demon Sect heavily nurtured, meant to lead future academy tournaments.
"How can I sleep in someone else's territory?" Mu Xue chuckled.
"You two, come with me. My teacher wants to meet you." Tang San walked over and addressed the sisters.
"This... Little brother, I am their attendant. May I come along?" Mo Yunfei quickly tried to ingratiate himself.
"My teacher only asked for them. Whether you follow or not is up to you." Tang San shrugged.
With Xuanzi being a Rank 98 Super Douluo, there were few on the entire continent who could rival him. A mere Spirit Sage wouldn't even be worth mentioning.
"Uncle Mo, the two of us will go alone." Mu Xue said softly.
If the other side wanted to make a move, Mo Yunfei wouldn't be able to stop them anyway.
Tang San grinned and walked deeper into the cave.
Mu Xue and Weina exchanged glances before quickly following.
A few minutes later.
The space ahead opened up. A waterfall cascaded down into a verdant landscape. A river rushed by, surrounded by lush trees, with small, low-ranked spirit beasts playing around. It was a peaceful scene.
Tang San stopped abruptly, his voice turning cold. "Do you two recognize me...?"
He removed his mask and slowly turned around.
"You are..." Mu Xue immediately became alert but was momentarily confused upon seeing Tang San's face.
"You're Tang San!" Weina, whose martial soul was linked to spiritual power, recognized him instantly.
Mu Xue thought for a moment before remembering. Back in prison, there had indeed been someone by that name—a hypocrite and an ingrate. She had punished him and then thrown him onto the streets, never caring about his fate.
Who would've thought... he would appear again in this way?
"Heh, so you finally remember me." Tang San smirked, relishing their momentary panic.
Back in prison, he had warned them: they were courting death.
And now, they had fallen right into his hands.
"My leg—it's because of you two!" He pointed at his left leg. Previously, Wang Dong had mockingly called him "Tang Cripple" and "Tang Deficient." Even with Shrek's resources, the injury could only be suppressed but not fully healed.
A divine herb would be needed for a complete recovery. That was why he had come to the Sunset Forest—to find the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He hadn't found it.
But he had found the two women who had crippled him.
Tang San had once hoped to rise as a savior, bringing peace to the world. But now, he was tainted with endless scandals. If he couldn't kill these two, how could he rise to power with his broken body?
Mu Xue felt a chill of despair.
Who would have thought that the boy they once disregarded—who hadn't even awakened his martial soul—had now joined the continent's number one academy and even found a powerful teacher? Worse, fate had placed them in his grasp...
"Sis, we fight!" Weina declared firmly, summoning a pure white snow lotus.
"No other choice." Mu Xue narrowed her eyes.
Their spirit energy flared.
Tang San sneered.
A faint yellow soul power surged around her body, and her ears perked up like an elf's—slender and graceful.
She was an auxiliary-type soul master, and while her ears gave her excellent scouting abilities, they were not well-suited for combat. That meant the main offensive power still had to come from Weina.
"A futile struggle." Tang San chuckled.
"Xuanzi!"
He called out.
Mu Xue and Weina both flinched, their bodies tensing. But seconds passed, and nothing happened.
The two exchanged doubtful glances.
Earlier, the Nether Blood Cat had been too frightened to enter, proving that something terrifying indeed lurked deep within the cave—behind the waterfall. And given how boldly Tang San had exposed his identity, he most likely hadn't lied. Shrek's strongest, Xuanzi, should indeed be inside.
But...
Why wasn't he appearing?
Tang San's expression stiffened. He couldn't help but glance at the waterfall. The rushing water obscured his vision, preventing him from seeing what lay beyond, but he knew very well—his teacher, Xuanzi, was in there.
Was this a test?
Tang San wondered, suddenly realizing.
Perhaps his teacher wanted to see how he performed under high-pressure conditions, to test his true potential and temper his mind. After all, he couldn't rely on his teacher forever. Xuanzi wouldn't always be by his side.
Tang San was deeply moved. As expected of Shrek's strongest, a man of wisdom beneath his rough exterior!
Thinking this, he steadied his footing, his sharp gaze locking onto the sisters. He smirked.
"Looks like Teacher wants to toughen me up. In that case, bring it on. This isn't my first time challenging someone above my level!"
With that, he activated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and dashed forward.
Mu Xue clenched her silver teeth—just as expected.
She exchanged glances with Weina.
A fourth-grade soul tool laser cannon appeared on her arm. Relying on sound positioning, her delicate ears twitched slightly before she fired the cannon at Tang San's path.
A jet-black annihilation blast shot from the barrel, sealing off his escape route.
"Second soul skill, Icebound World!"
Weina coldly snorted as frost spread beneath her feet, turning the entire cave into a frozen landscape within seconds.
Tang San struggled to dodge the sisters' combined assault.
He countered with Blue Silver Bind, attempting to trap them. But where his Blue Silver Grass would normally appear silently beneath an opponent's feet, entangling them with ease, Mu Xue always managed to detect it in advance, dodging and warning Weina in time.
This frustrated Tang San immensely.
His hidden weapons were also completely avoided by Mu Xue. Her agile movements and precise predictions rendered them nearly useless, draining only his stamina in the process.
Apart from his sleeve darts and other small mechanisms, his trump cards had all been exhausted.
After all, he hadn't been in this world long and hadn't accumulated much yet.
"Teacher!"
Tang San called out again.
Under their relentless assault, he was struggling. His left leg was already crippled, and the soul power disparity was overwhelming—he was barely in his twenties in terms of levels, while his opponents consisted of a peak Spirit Elder, a newly advanced Spirit Ancestor, and a fourth-grade soul engineer.
He was already wounded.
A deep gash appeared on his abdomen where a soul tool laser had struck him. Clutching his stomach, he called out in desperation, eyes fixed grimly on the sisters. A hint of viciousness flickered in his gaze.
As if to say: Haven't you had enough?
Mu Xue's beautiful eyes tensed. She shielded her sister behind her, keeping a wary eye on the waterfall.
For a moment, the cave was filled with tense silence.
But as minutes passed...
Something felt strangely off.
Tang San froze: ???
No way.
He was already heavily injured, and Xuanzi still hadn't stepped in?
What was the point of this anymore?!
"Teacher, please come out!" He no longer paid attention to the sisters. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the waterfall, his voice turning urgent.
But aside from the rushing of water, there was no response.
Tang San: "…"
"Tang San, you're not playing tricks on us, are you?" Weina narrowed her eyes, the snow lotus in her hand blooming gently as an eerie chill spread through the cave.
Tang San turned his head in horror, seeing both sisters staring at him with anger.
Their soul power flared.
Tang San frantically waved his hands. "Wait, don't come any closer!"
"Third soul skill, Ice Sculpture!" Weina shouted.
A silvery-white beam struck Tang San.
Within seconds, he was frozen into a lifelike ice statue.
Inside the ice, his face remained frozen in terror, his eyes trembling. Clearly, he wasn't completely frozen—only the surface had been sealed.
"How dare you deceive us!" Weina pulled out a third-grade soul tool laser cannon and fired a shot at each of Tang San's legs.
A faint, muffled whimper came from within the ice.
Inside, Tang San's face twisted in agony.
But there was nothing he could do. With his current strength, he had no way of breaking free from this ice prison.
Like a fish on a chopping block, he was at their mercy.
"That's enough, Nana. Let's go..." Mu Xue grabbed Weina, who had been about to fire another shot at Tang San. She cast him a suspicious glance.
She didn't believe Tang San was truly a fool.
Something about that waterfall...
But regardless, it was best to leave as soon as possible.
"Hmph! If I see you again, I'll cripple another leg!" Weina glared at Tang San before turning and leaving.
And so, Tang San was left behind, trapped in the thick ice, watching helplessly as the sisters disappeared from sight.
He couldn't understand—why hadn't Xuanzi come out?
Was this still a test to strengthen his will?
Was he supposed to let his anger build, transforming it into motivation for growth?
But he clearly remembered Xuanzi once saying—he was fiercely protective of his own...
And this... is what you call being protective?
The pain of the cold and his injuries left him dizzy. His vision blurred as he slowly lost consciousness. Yet, rather than doubting his teacher, he convinced himself—perhaps Xuanzi had gone out for something and just happened to be absent.
…
Xuanzi yawned.
He slowly woke up.
This was the flaw of the Gluttonous Martial Soul—greedy, easy to get drunk, loved to sleep, and had an absurdly high-quality slumber.
Ten years ago, when Zhang Lexuan and the others faced a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, he had actually been nearby. But, believing that the area wasn't the true core zone and that Zhang Lexuan's team could handle anything short of a hundred-thousand-year beast, he had confidently drunk some wine and dozed off on an ancient tree.
By the time he woke up, Shrek had suffered heavy casualties, and the sky had practically collapsed…
He let out a long yawn.
That incident had taught him a lesson.
Now, when he slept, he would intentionally release his aura, ensuring that no soul beasts dared to approach. Even a hundred-thousand-year beast would retreat upon sensing him.
As long as Tang San remained in the cave, nothing should have—
Hmm???
Xuanzi was mid-stretch when his body suddenly froze.
Just now, as he extended his spiritual power to check on Tang San's cultivation…
He saw nothing but a cave covered in frost.
And at its center—
A nearly frozen-to-death, ice-sculpted Tang San.
His figure flickered—
In an instant, he appeared beside the ice statue.
With a touch, the ice shattered. He caught Tang San, channeled soul power into him, and watched as the boy weakly opened his eyes, mumbled a few incoherent words, then passed out again.
"Who did this?!"
The ground cracked beneath him.
A vortex of swirling, yellow-gold soul power surrounded him.
Xuanzi let out a furious, helpless roar.