Douluo Continent: The Twin Sons of the Styx River, Shaking the World and Destroying the Heavens

Chapter 15 Zhang Lexuan's Unexpected Turn of Events
Star Forest Mixed Area.

Amidst the miasma-shrouded ancient trees, Zhang Lexuan collapsed onto a pile of decaying leaves. Blood trickled from her pale lips, staining the clothes torn by the tiger's claws. Her soul power was rapidly draining away like sand in an hourglass; each time she managed to prop herself up to dodge an attack, the light of her martial soul at her fingertips dimmed further. Her body was already covered in countless wounds. The roar of the 100,000-year-old Gale Winged Tiger sent leaves rustling down. Its whip-like tail swept across, the force of the wind tearing the silver hairpin from her hair, splattering tiny droplets of blood onto the muddy ground.

Three days ago, night fell and the campfire died down. After a hearty meal, everyone wrapped themselves in animal hides to rest, except for Elder Xuan, who quietly disappeared into the darkness after tidying up his wine gourd. This scene had long been a routine part of their hunt—it was less of a hunt and more of a rigorous practical test. Elder Xuan was always like a hidden shadow, observing these young soul masters from the shadows, only revealing his true strength in life-or-death situations.

At this moment, Zhang Lexuan leaned against the mottled tree trunk, her palm sweating as she held the night watch token. The tranquility of the first half of the night was like a thin veil, the chirping of insects and the night wind weaving a lullaby, but it was shattered by a tiger's roar at the third quarter of the morning. She suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils reflecting the eerie green eyes of a beast deep in the dense forest, completely unaware that Elder Xuan was lying drunk on a branch ten miles away.

Tonight, it was Zhang Lexuan's turn to keep watch. In the first half of the night, the Starry Sky Forest was exceptionally tranquil under the moonlight, the occasional chirping of insects adding to the peace. Holding a long sword, Zhang Lexuan vigilantly surveyed her surroundings. Finding nothing amiss, her tense nerves relaxed slightly.

However, as the midnight bells quietly rang, the forest in the latter half of the night seemed to have its mysterious veil lifted by an invisible hand, and danger was quietly approaching.

Zhang Lexuan's martial soul is the moon, and the cool moonlight grants her an extraordinary sensitivity to danger. Although everything around her seemed normal—the tranquil forest, the gentle breeze, and the perfect scene—a strong sense of unease welled up within her. It was as if a pair of eyes hidden in the darkness were staring intently at her, a chill running down her spine, and her gaze revealing a hint of tension and vigilance.

Zhang Lexuan immediately went on high alert and woke up the eleven inner court students in the group.

By the time they awoke, danger had already arrived.

A blue tiger over five meters long appeared, with a pair of emerald green wings, each two to three meters long. Without a doubt, this was a flying soul beast. The enormous creature with a tail like a long sword was displayed before everyone's eyes.

Zhang Lexuan recognized the soul beast at a glance; it was the Gale Winged Tiger, a wind-attribute flying soul beast. Moreover, upon closer inspection, it was a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast.

Moreover, what's even more terrifying is that there are ten blue patterns on its wings, which means that they are facing a 100,000-year-old soul beast.

The Gale Winged Tiger is extremely fast, especially one with such a high level of cultivation. Its speed even exceeds the speed of sound, making it invisible to the naked eye in the darkness.

Everyone in the inner courtyard released their martial spirits and assumed defensive stances!

They were all geniuses of Shrek Academy, invincible among their peers. Even when they were in danger or faced such a powerful enemy, none of them felt any fear!

Of course, their reassurance came from the level 98 Gluttonous Douluo, Elder Xuan. Everyone knew that Elder Xuan was secretly protecting them, so they only needed to work hard and try to withstand a few more rounds against this 100,000-year-old Gale Winged Tiger! The moment Gale Winged Tiger appeared, the two defensive Soul Emperors instantly released their Martial Souls, the Ironclad Giant Bull and the Diamond Giant Elephant, and assumed a defensive stance to block the Gale Winged Tiger's attack.

At the same time, the two support-type Soul Emperors released their Martial Souls. The plant-type support Martial Soul, Sunflower, bloomed, providing various assistance to teammates, while the other food-type Soul Master instantly produced oranges of various colors and threw them to each student.

The moment they finished preparing, the 100,000-year-old Gale Winged Tiger also moved!

With wings spread, it left behind blue ripples, and then its figure disappeared.

"Clang!"

In the nick of time, Zhang Lexuan's eyes suddenly sharpened. With a clear shout, her martial spirit instantly blazed with dazzling light, transforming into a silver crescent moon, meeting the Gale Winged Tiger's claws with overwhelming force. The deafening clang of metal clashing was deafening, and dazzling sparks shot out like meteors, illuminating the darkness in an instant. In the splashing firelight, Zhang Lexuan's figure was like an elf in the night. Her white robes fluttered in the wind, her beautiful face filled with determination and courage, her brows revealing an unyielding spirit. On the other hand, the Gale Winged Tiger opened its blood-red maw, revealing sharp, dagger-like fangs. Its amber vertical pupils burned with ferocious light, and its ferocious face appeared even more terrifying in the firelight.

Seeing this, the members of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard remained calm. During their six months of hunting in the Star Dou Great Forest, they had already endured countless life-or-death trials, their teamwork reaching a level of unspoken understanding. This tacit cooperation was like an instinct flowing in their blood; without words, a single glance or gesture was enough for them to know each other's intentions.

Zhang Lexuan gripped her martial soul, which had transformed into a silver crescent moon, and moved like a white lightning bolt, weaving through the gaps in the Gale Winged Tiger's attacks. As the captain of Shrek Academy's inner court soul-hunting team, she always shouldered her responsibilities, relying on her profound soul power and rich combat experience to withstand the Gale Winged Tiger's storm-like offensive on the most dangerous front lines.

The members of the Soul Hunting Team were all Soul Saints, already considered exceptionally talented experts in the outside world. However, facing this terrifying 100,000-year-old Soul Beast, the difference in their strength was glaringly obvious. Relying on their tacit cooperation and unwavering will, the team fought the Gale Winged Tiger for a long time, a perseverance that would amaze ordinary people. At the beginning of the battle, they hoped that Elder Xuan, who was secretly protecting them, would appear in time to turn the tide of the battle. However, as time ticked by, half an hour passed, and Elder Xuan still hadn't appeared. The intense battle continuously drained everyone's physical and soul power, and many team members had wounds of varying depths. The Gale Winged Tiger's attacks became increasingly ferocious. It keenly sensed its opponent's fatigue and its offensive became even more cunning and ruthless. The formation gradually crumbled under its relentless onslaught. Although Zhang Lexuan gritted her teeth and fought with all her might to defend the front lines, repeatedly using her Silver Moon Martial Soul to avert fatal crises, her strength alone was ultimately insufficient to hold the line. One after another, the team members were injured and fell to the ground, their blood staining the soil beneath their feet. The air was filled with a pungent smell of blood, and the entire Soul Hunter Squad was plunged into an unprecedented crisis.

At this point, Zhang Lexuan began to realize that something was wrong.

Because if this was just a test, it was far too much. At this moment, Zhang Lexuan began to release her soul power, condensing it in her mouth, and loudly calling out Elder Xuan's name.

"Elder Xuan, where are you? A powerful soul beast has launched a surprise attack! Come quickly to save us!"

"Elder Xuan..."

"Elder Xuan..."

A hoarse cry for help echoed through the forest, startling a flock of owls. The eleven team members, with their last ounce of strength, joined in the shouts, their voices crashing against the ancient tree rings before being swept away by the howling mountain wind. Zhang Lexuan stared at the empty sky, cold sweat trickling down the back of her neck and into her clothes. She remembered Elder Xuan's bloodshot eyes before they set off—the jar of "Immortal's Intoxication" brought back from Gengxin City had now become a death warrant.

Thirty miles away on the shore of Crescent Lake, Elder Xuan lay sprawled on a fallen, withered tree, his wine gourd rolled among the moss. The moonlight cast a frosty glow on his silvery beard, and his deep snores startled the lake, causing ripples to spread across its surface. This jar of strong liquor, brewed from a hundred kinds of ingredients, had long since numbed the senses of this titled Douluo. Neither his teammates' cries for help nor even the low growls of the wolves in the distance could awaken his muddled consciousness.

The Soul Hunter Squad's soul power was rapidly depleting. A support-type Soul Master was struck by the Winged Tiger's tail whip, crashing through two trees as thick as bowls; Li Yang, a power-attack type, took a claw attack head-on, and the moment his wrist guard shattered, a deep, bone-revealing wound gushed blood. Zhang Lexuan injected her last support aura into him, only to find that her own soul power was also on the verge of exhaustion.

…………

Afterwards, the group scattered and fled. Zhang Lexuan forcibly used a teleportation soul tool called the Silver Moon Prism, which should be a level nine soul tool, only those with a Moon Martial Soul can possess it, but it seems to have come from the Sun Moon Empire.

This item was one of the few things left in the world after my entire clan was wiped out. It has a wide teleportation range, reaching up to fifty kilometers, and a one-day cooldown, though this is random.

The instantaneous teleportation of fifty kilometers should have been a distance that allowed her to catch her breath, but when she smelled the faint, fishy odor in the air, cold sweat instantly seeped out from her back—it was the unique scent of the 100,000-year-old Gale Winged Tiger, clinging to her like a bone-deep affliction.

A sharp whistling sound suddenly rose from the forest, the wind carrying the sharp crack of metal tearing through it. Zhang Lexuan rolled to the side with a jolt, three afterimages of sharp claws grazing her ears, slicing the ancient tree behind her, as thick as a person's embrace, into a shower of wood chips. The massive body of the Gale Winged Tiger emerged from the darkness, its amber vertical pupils burning with an almost manic killing intent. Beneath its black-striped fur, muscles bulged like iron chains, and each breath spewed out a nauseating stench of blood.

The low, guttural roar, carrying a blade-like pressure, made Zhang Lexuan's eardrums ache. She clenched her trembling fists; the aftereffects of the three teleportations over the past three days surged within her. The excruciating pain of each teleportation tearing through space now transformed into a burning sensation deep within her bones. Gazing at the faint light of dawn breaking over the distant mountains, she suddenly recalled the wisteria-covered archway of Shrek Academy, and Elder Xuan's drunken words: "True strength is revealed in life-or-death situations."

The Gale Winged Tiger launched a sudden attack, its massive body tearing through the air like black lightning, the resulting hurricane swirling fallen leaves into sharp vortexes. Zhang Lexuan bit her tongue, the sweet, metallic taste of blood stimulating her remaining consciousness. She forced herself to leap, her Silver Moon Martial Soul unleashing its last glimmer of light. The clang of metal echoed through the sky, sparks flying as her left shoulder was ripped open by claws, warm blood spraying onto the cold moonlight.

Just as the Gale Winged Tiger opened its blood-red maw, revealing dagger-like fangs, Zhang Lexuan suddenly smiled. With her last ounce of strength, she channeled her soul power into her martial soul, causing the silver moonlight to surge and transform into a giant net shimmering with ancient runes. This was her fifth soul skill—"Silver Moon Heavenly Net"—a powerful seal achieved at the cost of burning her life force. The hurricane collided violently with the silver light, the intense energy surge shattering trees within a hundred meters radius, the shockwave whipping up fallen leaves like a golden rainstorm.

It was quickly torn apart by the gale and blasted away by a claw, feeling like its body was no longer a body.

"This is the closest place to death, Mom and Dad, I'm here to be with you."

But at that moment, a figure descended from the sky and landed in his arms.

(End of this chapter)