The battle had not lasted long. From the moment the Nether Hellcat was ensnared, her fate had been sealed.
Snap—!
Her soul power was forcefully drained from within, and the Martial Soul Avatar collapsed. Zhu Wen reverted to human form, tightly bound in the coils of the Azure Ghost Vines. Her limbs were stretched apart in the shape of a "大," her alluring figure torn and bloodied, her clothing in tatters, red welts crisscrossing her exposed skin. She sobbed in agony.
Xu Tianxi gave a small nod at the sight, then turned coldly to Xu Jiujing, his voice flat and merciless.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess, I accept the sincerity of your apology. I'm not interested in your life—but hers still holds some value to me."
"Since you've bowed so earnestly, why not do me a favor? End this foolish guard who's caused such a mess. Consider it your atonement."
The moment the words fell, Xu Jiujing's head snapped up, her face contorting in anguish and fury.
Her eyes locked onto Xu Tianxi, teeth clenched tight. Her voice rang with pain and disbelief.
"Your demand is too cruel! Have you no thought for the common people?! No thought for public judgment?!"
Xu Tianxi scoffed. He raised a foot and kicked the unconscious Chen Xiaojie again in the gut, then looked down imperiously—mimicking the bearing of Yan Shaozhe himself.
"Don't look at me with those indignant eyes."
"You're the Crown Princess of the Star Luo Empire. You represent the image of your nation! You should've maintained order within your own ranks."
"But you failed to stop that fool beneath my feet. You failed to rein in your own people. And now, your carelessness has caused your country's greatest diplomatic blunder in thousands of years."
"From where I stand, the real fault lies not with your two useless instructors, but with you, Crown Princess. You hold great responsibility."
"Killing your guard yourself? That would only be evening the scales. I'll let your personal accountability end there."
"If you're angry I wish to execute her, then cultivate harder. If you one day become strong enough to challenge me, I'll give you the opportunity."
"But right now? You have no right to lecture me—a Shrek Academy Enforcement Officer, one who kills evil and guards the peace of the continent!"
"What right do you have to speak for the people of the Douluo Continent?!"
"The Douluo Continent rests on the shoulders of Shrek Academy. The lives of its people are not yours to speak for!"
Xu Tianxi felt on fire, possessed by the spirit of "Little Pavilion Elder" himself. He was improvising masterfully, and the venom in his words had lethal precision.
"PUH—!"
Xu Jiujing spat a mouthful of blood from sheer fury. Her vision swam with darkness—her entire world tilted.
Yes… This was Shrek.
This… was Shrek.
They had long since claimed the Douluo Continent as their own.
True, without Shrek, the Three Empires might have fallen to the Sun Moon Empire four thousand years ago. Their arrogance was well-earned.
"Your Highness!"
Her teammates from Star Luo Imperial Academy finally broke free from their daze, rushing to steady her before she collapsed.
"If any of you are feeling brave, why not take a swing at me?" Xu Tianxi smiled, eyes glinting with disdain. "Don't worry—I won't let my elders interfere."
"Come on, you so-called geniuses. Show me what you've got."
His tone was casual, teasing, but the contempt on his face was unmistakable.
"Li Feiyu murders and burns, Han Tianzun saves the suffering"—what an unbeatable combo. Xu Tianxi was thoroughly enjoying himself.
The two strongest among the group, Huang Xingyun and Dugu Shangshan, bristled. Their soul power surged outward instinctively.
But they didn't move.
Chen Xiaojie was still beneath Xu Tianxi's foot. The princess had just vomited blood. If they rushed forward, who would protect them?
"Tsk. Useless trash. Not worth even a glance."
Xu Tianxi clicked his tongue and turned back to Xu Jiujing, whose face had turned ashen.
"You're a high-rank Soul Ancestor. One spit of blood won't kill you."
"So? Crown Princess? Have you made your decision?"
His voice darkened.
"Don't act like I'm being unreasonable. My temper is already considered good in the Inner Court. Only Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan is gentler than I am."
"But don't mistake kindness for weakness. If someone steps on my toes, I won't sit back and take it."
"If it had been someone else—say, Ma Xiaotao, personal disciple of Dean Yan? Or Wu Ming, the Golden Crow Saintess?"
"Heh… even I wouldn't dare imagine what kind of massacre would've followed."
He deliberately raised the specter of two of Shrek Inner Court's most volatile students.
And it wasn't an exaggeration. If someone had dared provoke Ma Xiaotao—who once declared she'd die for Shrek's honor—the inn might have already been a sea of corpses.
While Xu Tianxi kept calm, the remaining Star Luo students were on the brink of eruption. Blood rushed to their heads. Their soul power boiled.
Too much. It was too much.
If this guy had the best temper in Shrek, then what were the rest?! Monsters?! Demons?!
Even Evil Soul Masters weren't this vicious!
At that moment, Xu Jiujing recovered enough to shout:
"Calm down! All of you! Don't go throwing your lives away! Don't… don't end up like Xiaojie!"
Clutching her chest, coughing blood, she pushed herself upright with her teammates' support.
She looked at Xu Tianxi, trembling with fury.
"Your Excellency… I accept."
"But can you guarantee this will end here? That you'll spare the rest of them?"
Her face was pale as parchment. Blood trickled from her lips. Every word came with visible struggle.
She didn't want to kill Zhu Wen.
But in this situation, she had no other choice.
If she refused, then none of them would survive.
If she accepted… perhaps, they still had a chance.
Xu Tianxi's lips curved into a faint smirk.
"Do you think I consider any of them worth my attention?"
"If I wanted, I could kill all of you in fifteen minutes. And your brother would never know. But I won't."
"Because we Shrek disciples only kill those who deserve it."
His voice was calm, composed—like stating the weather.
That tone, more than anything, stung Xu Jiujing and her people to the core.
They weren't even worth hating.
Their lives… weren't worth lifting a hand over.
That was the true despair.
"Fine. Fine. Fine! I've long heard tales of your so-called genius."
"Now I see it with my own eyes."
Xu Jiujing gritted her teeth and stood. Without another word to Xu Tianxi, she drew a Tier-5 Soul Tool dagger, and walked toward the despairing Zhu Wen.
"Aunt Zhu… I'm sorry."
The blade fell.
Zhu Wen's head tumbled from her shoulders, blood gushing like a fountain.
Holding the lifeless head, Xu Jiujing turned and shouted bitterly:
"Is this what you wanted?! A Soul Sage's life in exchange for this insult—is this enough for you?!"
Xu Tianxi's grin widened. He pointed outside.
"It was… until your cavalry showed up."
"If you don't want them to die meaninglessly, go out there and tell them—the farther they go, the better."
Xu Jiujing let out a pained laugh and slowly placed Zhu Wen's head on the ground.
"Fine. As you wish."
Her steps were sluggish as she walked away, like a soulless husk. The vines parted to let her pass.
"Oh, almost forgot."
"I was going to rest here for the night, and ask the soldiers for intel on the 'Abomination Demon Soul' group in the morning."
"Since Your Highness is speaking to them anyway, would you be so kind as to fetch it for me?"
Xu Jiujing stopped at the door. Her shoulders quivered.
Her fists clenched.
Her voice rasped with fury.
"I said—everything will be as you wish!"
"Much appreciated, Princess. Shrek will remember your cooperation."
"As for this trash—" Xu Tianxi kicked Chen Xiaojie back toward his teammates, like tossing away a sack of garbage. "—I'll return him to you, for your sake."
The unconscious boy slammed into a few students, knocking them over.
Xu Tianxi turned to the innkeeper and tossed him a pouch of Gold Soul Coins.
"Here. Double compensation for today's damage."
"And remember—Shrek doesn't bully the weak."
"Now, prepare an upper room. I'm exhausted from dealing with this pack of fools."
The innkeeper bowed repeatedly, trembling as he accepted the coins.
As he was led upstairs, Xu Tianxi called out one last time:
"Oh, and when I wake up tomorrow—I expect to see that intel on my table."
"And have my Inner Court badge returned as well. I trust Her Highness won't forget."
"The curtain falls, everyone. Good night."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin