Chapter 256: The Crimson Saint
After quickly securing some spirit rings to meet their immediate needs, many geniuses from Shrek Academy and the Body Sect began their desperate breakout from the Star Dou Great Forest.
"I'm sorry, sister. I should've supported you back then," Beibei said beside Zhang Lexuan, his voice low with regret.
If he had stood firmly with Zhang Lexuan from the beginning, the presence of two exceptional geniuses would have made even a Titled Douluo reconsider his actions. And if the Body Sect's own Titled Douluo had been present, they wouldn't be scrambling for their lives now. With a combatant close to the level of a Super Douluo plus Zhang Lexuan, they might not have obtained the ideal spirit rings, but they wouldn't be fleeing in disgrace.
"It's already come to this, and you're still talking nonsense," Zhang Lexuan replied coldly. "If we really face danger, you and Long Aotian must take the others and escape."
Beibei blinked, instantly sensing something was wrong. "Sister, what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm going to stay behind to ensure you make it out. It's how I'll repay Shrek for everything. But I don't think I'll survive this… and I won't beg Master Xuan to stay. Not like that."
"Sister, don't say that. We're strong enough to return to Shrek safely! Even if our seventh spirit rings aren't perfect, when Long Aotian and I fight at full strength, we're still close to Soul Douluo level. Combined with your power, we're one of the strongest teams around. Unless we run into a 100,000-year soul beast—or several Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters—we'll be fine."
Beibei paused. "…Unless Master Xuan is actually an undercover evil soul master, there's no way we'd run into multiple Soul Douluos from the evil soul master faction."
The irony of fate struck hard.
As if summoned by his words, three elderly men with malicious expressions appeared ahead of them.
"Hehehe… Where are you all rushing off to in such a panic?"
The three Zhongli brothers had entered the Star Dou Great Forest in search of a ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Normally, they wouldn't bother with a strong-looking group—but seeing how this one was clearly retreating in desperation, they couldn't resist. Weak prey was still prey—and to evil soul masters, soul masters like these were prime cultivation resources.
"Three seniors, we urgently need to leave. Please don't stop us. If you allow us to go, Shrek and the Body Sect will remember your favor," Princess Vina stepped forward, trying to negotiate.
But her hopes were dashed.
"Heh… Shrek? Body Sect? Maybe others would be scared—but we live to fight Shrek and the Body Sect!" one of the Zhongli brothers sneered.
Their faces twisted into anticipation. With no clear protector among the group and obvious signs of retreat, the prey practically screamed vulnerability. Not only were they unafraid—they were eager. Genius soul masters were the most nourishing.
"You three really think Shrek and the Body Sect are easy targets?" Long Aotian stepped forward, his powerful presence warping the air. With a ring configuration of one yellow, two purple, and four black, he was no ordinary soul master.
But these weren't ordinary enemies.
The Zhongli brothers released their own spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, four black—and each drew out a bone-white staff laced with eerie energy. As they raised the eighth-grade soul tools, waves of enslaved soul beasts emerged in droves, revealing the truth:
They were evil soul masters.
"Evil soul masters!" gasped the students of Shrek and the Body Sect, their pupils narrowing.
"Doesn't Shrek specialize in dealing with evil soul masters? Got any clever tricks up your sleeves?" Mu Xue asked sharply, glancing at the soul masters nearby.
But the question left them speechless.
Tricks? What tricks?
To take down a mere five-ring Death Messenger—without even a ten-thousand-year ring—Shrek had dispatched their Seven Devils. And even then, they nearly perished. Now they faced three Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters. In such a situation, even Titled Douluos might hesitate.
Shrek's so-called "invincibility at the same level" came from superior ring combinations and talent—but that didn't mean they could win against any foe. Against enemies this powerful, Shrek's so-called honor and rules were meaningless. If the evil soul masters didn't care, what leverage did they even have?
"I knew it. With Master Xuan leading the team, not all of us were ever going to make it back alive."
"Sister, you talk like Master Xuan is the supreme elder of the evil soul masters," Beibei muttered with a bitter laugh, but Zhang Lexuan didn't respond this time.
Instead, she stepped forward, eyes cold.
"You all go. I'll handle the three of them."
"You?" Long Aotian asked, visibly worried. "Alone?"
"Three Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters… if we all attack together, maybe—"
Vina stopped mid-sentence. Deep down, they all knew: they couldn't win.
Three evil soul masters at the Soul Douluo level were comparable to three ordinary Titled Douluos. Fighting them meant certain death.
"Just go," Zhang Lexuan repeated. "This is the least I can do for Shrek."
"You—"
"We can't win. Let her do it." The others gritted their teeth, sorrowful but resolved. They couldn't waste her sacrifice.
But the Zhongli brothers had other ideas.
"Trying to flee? None of you are leaving alive!"
Just as they moved to block the retreat, Zhang Lexuan's aura changed entirely.
Her hair turned a ghostly silver-gray. Her eyes bled crimson. Her skin became pale and strange red lines snaked across her body. Above her left eye bloomed a blood-red Manjusaka—the flower of death.
Her martial soul, the Moon, transformed into a long, crescent-shaped blade, glowing ominously.
"Soul bone?! That aura… it's the Void Domain! Only the Blood Demon Tree King's 100,000-year soul bone can create it! She's a Saint! A Saint!" the Zhongli brothers cried out in disbelief.
But Zhang Lexuan paid them no mind. As tears of blood streamed from her right eye, she gripped the moon-blade forged from her martial soul and whispered:
"I weep for the dead. My tears fall like rain."
The battle had begun.