Chapter 216: A Mistaken Grudge, A Life Lost in Vain
Deep within the Demonic Forest of the Sun and Moon Empire, a ten-thousand-year-old shadow leopard lunged toward Zhang Lexuan. Startled, she barely managed to dodge before activating her first three soul rings. A beam of radiant energy, akin to a soul-guided ray, pierced the leopard mid-pounce. It collapsed instantly, a black ten-thousand-year soul ring emerging to mark its death.
Yet Zhang Lexuan showed no joy at the swift kill.
She hadn't entered this forest by choice. While asleep, she had been startled awake by the roars of beasts, only to find herself inexplicably transported to this unfamiliar soul beast domain. Though she had traversed soul beast forests before, something about this place unsettled her.
It wasn't just the eerie darkness of the Demonic Forest compared to the familiar Star Dou Great Forest. She was alone. No comrades. No path. Worst of all, the collar clamped around her neck forcefully suppressed her soul power—capping it at barely level 50.
At that level, her first three soul skills were usable, the fourth required strategic conservation, and the fifth was a last-resort life-saving trump card. If she dared to activate her sixth soul skill, it would deplete her energy entirely—almost guaranteeing her death.
"What's going on?"
At first, Zhang Lexuan thought this was another of Kong Deming's harsh tests. But after nearly falling prey to a ten-thousand-year Diamond Tiger, she realized she was gravely mistaken.
Unlike before, when she had guidance and support, this time she had no choice but to stumble forward on her own, preserving soul power where possible and desperately searching for a way out. But as the hours stretched into days, her strength withered. Even dealing with ten-thousand-year soul beasts grew difficult. She was nearing exhaustion.
Just as she reached her limit, a towering black demon bear—its soul power over twenty-thousand years old—appeared.
Under normal circumstances, Zhang Lexuan would have met the bear with confidence. When she had first arrived here, she might have even welcomed the challenge. But now, drained of strength and alone, even an ordinary ten-thousand-year beast was daunting. This bear was no ordinary foe—it held the upper ranks in the soul beast food chain, its raw power akin to a forty-thousand-year wolf-leopard hybrid.
There was no escape. She wasn't built for speed, and with her depleted energy, she couldn't even outrun the bear. Worse still, bear-type soul beasts didn't kill swiftly like leopards or tigers; they took pleasure in tearing prey apart.
The demon bear neared. She summoned what little soul power remained, launching her third soul skill. It struck—but to no avail.
"It's over…"
She murmured the words bitterly. Her mind drifted to the past—those days hunting soul beasts in teams of twelve under Elder Xuan's watchful eye. At least then, someone would've come to her rescue.
Not now.
"I didn't die in the Star Dou Great Forest… but I still can't escape death in the end."
Just as the bear leapt forward with fangs bared, a powerful kick struck its face—sending the beast flying with a thunderous crash.
"You…"
Zhang Lexuan looked up in disbelief.
Standing before her, exuding a presence more reassuring than any past savior, was Xiao Qiang—the very man who had once hospitalized her with a single blow.
"Why now…" she muttered, eyes glistening.
"Shut up," Xiao Qiang snapped without looking at her. "No time to talk."
His gaze pierced through the treeline. "Come out!"
A chuckle echoed in the distance. "As expected of the Soul Palace Master—you detected me."
A figure materialized from the shadows—an old man with the classic array of soul rings: two yellow, two purple, four black, and one crimson. His power radiated ominously.
"Level ninety-eight," Xiao Qiang stated flatly.
"Correct. I am the Second Priest of the Holy Spirit Church, titled Fierce Ghost. I advise you to stay out of this. This is a private grudge between me and Shrek Academy."
"Private?" Xiao Qiang narrowed his eyes. "With her?"
"Yes… and no. She didn't offend me personally, but all Shrek scum deserve to be eaten alive. Every single one of them."
"What kind of grudge justifies that?" Xiao Qiang asked, unimpressed. "What did they do, kill your whole family?"
The old man's face twisted in hatred. "Exactly! One hundred and two years ago, I was heir to the Ye Family in Qingliu City—one of its three great clans. My future was bright… until a Shrek Titled Douluo came knocking. Accusing us of ties to evil soul masters, he slaughtered everyone—my grandparents, my parents, even my older brother!"
"I survived only because my mother shielded me with her body…"
Xiao Qiang frowned. "So your whole path was shaped by this?"
"Yes! I remember the moment clearly. As I lay dying, someone screamed: 'Elder Xuan! Wrong family! Not this Ye Family—the other Ye Family!'"
Xiao Qiang: "…"
Zhang Lexuan: "…"
———-
Pump up the power stone