Douluo Continent: The Ruler of Time, Reigning Supreme

Chapter 25 Bright Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe (The trial run is about to flop, please continue reading (≧▽≦))

In Yin Chen's perception, just a moment ago, above a clearing deep in the forest, an invisible, blood-red magic circle, seemingly woven from threads of cause and effect, flashed by. A drop of scarlet blood containing the power of cause and effect ignored the barriers of space and matter, silently merging into the earth and disappearing without a trace, like a drop of water falling into the surface.

There was no energy fluctuation throughout the entire process, and apart from him, even someone as powerful as Nebula Douluo Manyi was completely unaware of what had just happened.

Yin Chen glanced at Xu Jiujiu, who was preparing to absorb the soul ring, and then at Manyi, whose expression remained unchanged, and felt somewhat relieved.

Never mind, if it is a blessing, it is not a disaster, if it is a disaster, it cannot be avoided.

Anyway, the Nirvana Corpse is harmless to him, and with the strength of Man Yi, a level 93 Title Douluo, even if she really faces a powerful Nirvana Corpse, she may not be afraid.

He's just a weak first-ring Soul Master; there's no point in caring too much.

Starry Sky Forest, on the other side of the mixed zone.

A highly skilled team is hunting a soul beast.

Leading the group was a middle-aged man dressed in white, with a refined yet dignified demeanor. He was none other than Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Academy and a level 95 Super Douluo—the Bright Phoenix Douluo.

He stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching the battle unfold, clearly having no intention of intervening.

Beside him stood two women, each with striking looks and a distinct temperament.

One is Zhang Lexuan, who has a gentle and calm temperament and eyes like stars. She is only eighteen years old, but she has already successfully obtained her seventh soul ring and become a powerful soul saint.

The other is Wu Ming, who has a lively personality and a faint aura of heat flowing around her. She is nineteen years old and has just obtained her sixth soul ring. Her martial soul is the Golden Crow, a top-tier beast martial soul.

Protected in the center, fiercely battling a soul beast, was a red-haired girl.

She was extremely beautiful, with a voluptuous figure, and her body was engulfed in scorching, evil phoenix flames, giving her an imposing aura.

It was Ma Xiaotao, Yan Shaozhe's personal disciple, who had already broken through to the Soul Sect at the young age of thirteen.

Their target this time is a giant lava lizard with a cultivation level of about six thousand years.

This soul beast has amazing defense, can spew lava, and possesses immense strength. It is one of the best among fire-attribute soul beasts and is perfect as Ma Xiaotao's fourth soul ring.

Several inner court disciples were also present to reinforce the group; they had all just broken through their bottlenecks and were here with the team to obtain soul rings.

With Ma Xiaotao's powerful Evil Fire Phoenix, plus the support of Soul Saints and Soul Emperors Zhang Lexuan and Wu Ming, dealing with this Lava Giant Lizard would require some effort, but there was not much risk involved.

Yan Shaozhe personally led the team this time mainly because the people on this trip were important—Zhang Lexuan and Wu Ming, two of the contemporary Shrek Seven Devils, as well as his direct disciple Ma Xiaotao, and no mistakes could be tolerated.

In the arena, Ma Xiaotao let out a sharp cry, her third soul ring shone, and Phoenix Sky Soar, combined with the evil fire, blasted the lava giant lizard back repeatedly, leaving charred marks on its hard scales.

Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly, quite satisfied with his disciple's performance.

However, while everyone at Shrek Academy was focused on the fierce battle, no one noticed that a strange change was taking place just a few dozen meters behind them, beneath an ancient giant tree that would require several people to encircle.

A faint, yet chilling, grayish-black aura of death had begun to permeate the ground there.

The soil bulged slightly, as if something was slowly wriggling underground, trying to break through the soil.

There was no fluctuation of soul power, no sign of life; it was like a forgotten piece of history, silently attempting to return to the world. This aura was completely out of place with the vibrant forest around it, carrying a sense of deathly stillness.

That was the Nirvana Corpse, triggered by the true blood of the Myriad Realms of the Butterfly, whose cause and effect had just been locked and forcibly pulled back from the dust of history into reality.

And the place where this Nirvana Corpse died happened to be near the Shrek Academy team.

The hustle and bustle of the Starry Sky Forest seemed to be silenced at this moment.

Yan Shaozhe, who had been standing with his hands behind his back and looking calm, suddenly changed his expression.

A sharp, hawk-like light flashed in his deep eyes as he abruptly turned to the ancient tree behind him.

"What an evil aura!"

His deep voice carried an unprecedented vigilance, and the originally restrained soul power around him was like a volcano that had been ignited, hidden but not erupting, yet making the surrounding air thick and sticky.

The Radiant Phoenix Martial Soul has an innate sensitivity to darkness and evil. At this moment, the gray-black corpse energy he sensed was cold, lifeless, and filled with hatred and greed for the living. Its pure "evil" and "death" nature caused his soul power to boil spontaneously, as if he had encountered a natural enemy.

Almost simultaneously, the ground beneath the ancient tree suddenly exploded.

"boom!"

Thick, nauseating gray-black death energy erupted from the soil like a geyser, and a pale, bloodless hand, with skin clinging to the bones and sharp, bluish-black nails, suddenly emerged from the ground, its five fingers like hooks, digging deep into the soil.

In an instant, Ma Xiaotao and the lava giant lizard, who were engaged in a fierce battle, froze simultaneously.

Driven by its instincts as a soul beast, the Lava Giant Lizard sensed boundless fear originating from the level of life itself.

Its ferocious vertical pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpoints, its massive body trembled uncontrollably, even the lava that had condensed in its mouth extinguished, and an unintelligible whimper mixed with fear and despair escaped from its throat. Its huge head was turned firmly toward the direction of the deathly aura bursting forth, and its limbs subconsciously moved backward, trying to escape.

Ma Xiaotao's pretty face turned pale, and fine beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.

The overwhelming stillness and malevolent aura were even more chilling than the scorching frenzy brought by her uncontrolled Evil Fire Phoenix.

Her clenched fist trembled slightly, not from physical exhaustion, but from the instinctive shudder that a living being experiences when facing death.

Zhang Lexuan and Wu Ming, who were standing next to Yan Shaozhe, also turned pale.

Zhang Lexuan's gentle face was filled with shock and solemnity. She subconsciously took half a step forward, subtly protecting the weaker junior girls behind her.

Golden crow flames also ignited around Wu Ming. Although she was usually lively, she couldn't smile at this moment. Her bright eyes were filled with vigilance as she stared intently at the strange hand.

The other inner court disciples were on high alert, releasing their martial spirits one after another, their spirit rings flashing as they nervously watched the constantly throbbing ground.

Just then, an invisible, distorted mental fluctuation spread out from the palm of the hand like ripples on water.

"Uh!"

Ma Xiaotao groaned, feeling a wave of dizziness. A terrifying illusion of mountains of corpses and seas of blood seemed to appear before her eyes. Although it was dispelled in an instant by her mental strength and martial soul power, the cold and sticky feeling still made her feel lingering fear.

(End of this chapter)