Chapter 259: The Roar of the Forest, The Wrath of the Beasts
When Long Aotian stood in front of Vina, willing to die to protect her, Beibei couldn't help but think of Tang Ya.
He was certain of one thing—if Tang Ya were ever in danger, he would absolutely stand in front of her, just like Long Aotian did for Vina.
It was this deep longing, this unwavering determination, that caused the soul skills granted by Moon Junlintian to reach their peak at that very moment.
"Thinking of Ya Fist—Thoughts Burst Like a Spring!"
"Nian Ya Claw—Never Forgotten!"
"Bei Ya Palm—Eternal Devotion!"
"Xiao Ya! Xiao Ya! Xiao Ya!"
Beibei roared three times, pouring all his soul power and mental strength into his fists, claws, and palms. The attacks, fueled by raw emotion, managed to forcibly knock the 100,000-year-old crystal bear backward, sending it into a momentary daze.
Beibei was immediately dragged away by his comrades. After unleashing his ultimate blow through the soul skills of Junlintian, he fell into a deep state of exhaustion. Although the crystal bear was momentarily stunned, the situation was still dire. Without Zhang Lexuan—their only true high-end combat power—and with Long Aotian dead, their remaining forces were mostly just soul emperors and weakened soul saints.
While the crystal bear had a known weak spot, it was only a relative weak point—something that could be exploited by others of equal or nearly equal strength. For this group, composed mostly of students and mid-level soul masters, it may as well have been an illusion.
They chose to flee—not out of cowardice, but out of rational survival instinct.
But "correct" decisions don't always lead to survival.
Bear-type soul beasts were known for their overwhelming offense and defense, not for their speed—but even that had limits. Not every predator was like that supposedly incompetent Supreme Elder who, even at Level 98, let a Five-Ring Soul King escape.
Despite using their fastest acceleration techniques, and despite the bear's momentary stun, the power gap was simply too vast. Before they could even reach the forest's outer zone, the crystal bear had already caught up.
And when it did, every single person from Shrek and the Body Sect knew—it was over.
Long Aotian, the only one capable of fighting on the level of an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo after his second awakening, was already dead. Beibei had expended his last strength. His earlier success came with two key conditions: first, that the bear lacked mental strength; and second, that he overclocked his own psyche far beyond safe limits. It was a one-time-only attack.
Now Beibei was barely even conscious—arguably the weakest among them.
"Run! I want to see how far you can get! All of you will become my food!" the crystal bear growled with sadistic glee.
The giant paw swung down—not with a soul skill, but with raw force alone. That was enough.
"Wang Yanfeng!"
The young prodigy of the Body Sect, not even twenty years old but already a Soul Emperor with a martial soul in both hands, didn't even get a chance to resist. He was crushed instantly—reduced to a puddle of blood and bone.
"So weak," the crystal bear sneered. "That one wasn't even worth the trouble. Eating him whole would've been more satisfying."
Despair spread like wildfire. The remaining soul masters split into two groups in a desperate attempt to increase someone's chance of escape. The faster team had a shot. The slower ones silently cursed the heavens for not being born as agile-type soul masters.
"Scatter! Scatter!"
"But Muxue, if we scatter, we won't be able to make it back to Shrek alive!"
"Do you still think we'll survive by not scattering? At least this gives them a chance!"
"Humph. Delusional," the crystal bear scoffed. "None of you are leaving here alive."
He pounced again, snatching Muxue midair and biting into her with a sickening crunch. Then, as he turned toward the others, a sudden voice echoed through the forest.
"Stop!"
A Shrek Titled Douluo shot through the air, arriving at high speed. His expression changed the moment he saw the carnage. At once, he launched his ninth soul skill, determined to stop the massacre.
But the bear didn't dodge. In fact, it stared the Douluo down and coldly said:
"What, you plan to kill me and trigger another beast tide?"
The Titled Douluo froze. His soul skill halted mid-cast. Cold sweat drenched his back.
"You… what do you mean by that?"
"You humans broke the treaty first," the bear growled. "You provoked the 100,000-year beasts. You targeted Zi Ji and the Ten Thousand Demon King. Tell your leaders—if Shrek or the Body Sect dare set foot in our forest again, there won't even be survivors next time."
The crystal bear's words were not just a threat—they were a declaration of war.
The Shrek Titled Douluo trembled. "Whose decision was this…?"
"Every beast in the Star Dou Great Forest agrees," the bear replied. "This is the will of the forest."
With that, it turned and left, knowing full well that none of the humans present dared provoke a second beast tide.
Di Tian—no longer willing to be Shrek's pawn—had drawn the line.
Far away from the carnage…
"We were almost dragged into a disaster," one of the Zhongli brothers muttered, face pale.
"Thank goodness the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear handled it swiftly," another added.
The three brothers flew away from the Xingdou Great Forest, each with lingering fear etched into their faces. Behind them, several powerful Douluos from Shrek rushed in—far too late.
The eldest Zhongli brother gently patted the storage soul guide containing Zhang Lexuan.
"They probably came to save you," he whispered mockingly. "Too bad they arrived just a little late."
A sinister grin spread across his face.
"You'll be coming back with us… to the Holy Church. There, you'll join the other saints in serving our Holy Son."