Douluo Dalu II: The Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 124 The Trip to Tianhui Grand Canyon!

Tianhui Grand Canyon.

Zhu Ziyang and his group passed directly through the outer edge of the canyon and entered its central part. As a habitat for spirit beasts, Tianhui Canyon possesses the main characteristics of spirit beast habitats on the continent: layering. Tianhui Canyon has only three layers. The first layer, the largest, is the outer area, mainly inhabited by ten-year and hundred-year spirit beasts, occupying seven-tenths of the entire Tianhui Canyon. The second layer, the central part of Tianhui Canyon, is mainly inhabited by spirit beasts under five thousand years old. Zhu Ziyang obtained his second and third spirit rings in this area. The third layer, the core area of ​​Tianhui Canyon, is only accessible to spirit beasts over five thousand years old.

They are currently located in the middle of the canyon, helping Zhu Changhe find suitable soul beasts.

"Ziyang, you're saying the dorms at Shrek Academy aren't as good as the dorms at our Anyang City Junior Academy? Really? You're not just trying to make me happy, are you?" Hong Zhen said to Zhu Ziyang as he cleared the way.

"Uncle Hong, don't you believe me?" Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, "The dormitories at Shrek Academy are really not as good as the dormitories at our Anyang City Junior Academy. There are only two beds and two tables, and there isn't even a washroom."

"No way." Hong Zhen felt his fantasies about Shrek Academy shatter in an instant. That's how people are; when they think something is good, then everything about it is good.

"Hehehe~ Uncle Hong, don't be fooled by Shrek Academy being the top academy on the continent. It's not the best in every aspect," Jiang Nannan said with a coquettish laugh. "The cafeteria there doesn't even have tables and chairs. We have to eat standing up."

"Ah, this!" Hong Zhen was truly shocked and speechless, muttering, "Could this be the reason why Shrek Academy is the number one academy on the continent? To temper the students' will through harsh environments? Should our Anyang Academy do the same?"

"..." Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan were stunned when they heard this, their faces full of helplessness.

Hong Zhen is truly a loyal supporter of Shrek Academy; his bias is too strong. Perhaps this is the beauty of distance. Minor noble and commoner Soul Masters like Hong Zhen on the continent all hold this kind of bias towards Shrek Academy, which is one of the reasons why Shrek Academy has stood the test of time for millennia.

"Uncle Hong, don't copy things randomly. Although the dormitories in Shrek Academy's outer courtyard aren't as good as those in our Anyang Academy, their inner courtyard dormitories are the best on the continent. Also, the cafeterias there are tiered, and not all of them are without tables and chairs," Jiang Nannan explained.

"Inner Courtyard?" Hong Zhen and Zhu Changhe were both hearing this term for the first time, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"That's right. Shrek Academy is divided into the Outer Academy and the Inner Academy. Only the Inner Academy is the core of Shrek Academy. Only students who have reached the Soul Master realm before the age of eighteen can enter the Inner Academy," Jiang Nannan explained.

"Eighteen years old, Soul Master!" Zhu Changhe and Hong Zhen opened their mouths, speechless. This was the first time they had ever heard that Shrek Academy had an inner and outer academy, and even more so, the first time they had ever known that the recruitment conditions for Shrek's inner academy were so stringent.

"Then, Ziyang, aren't you able to enter the inner courtyard?" After a moment, Zhu Changhe asked excitedly.

"Yes, once I get back, I'll be able to study in the inner academy," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, making no attempt to hide anything.

"This is wonderful! It seems that a great figure is about to emerge from our Anyang City!" Hong Zhen was overjoyed and clapped his hands in approval.

"There are two of them. They can also enter the inner courtyard," Jiang Nannan said proudly.

-

In a dry, thorny riverbed, a huge wild boar with sharp bony spurs covering its back fled in a sorry state. A gruesome wound marred its belly, and blood dripped onto the cracked riverbed, the stench of blood lingering for a long time. This was a porcupine.

About five or six hundred meters behind the porcupine was a pack of snarling wolves.

There were eleven wolves in the pack, all with bluish-black fur with pale yellow stripes. They were all over 1.5 meters long, with two pairs of sharp teeth, straight tails, and claws like knives. Their fierce eyes emitted a faint purple light.

This is a pack of saber-toothed light wolves, with the leader being over two meters long and significantly larger than the other saber-toothed light wolves. It is clearly the leader of this pack of demonic wolves.

The porcupine was quickly surrounded by the wolves. With no way to escape, it suddenly became ferocious and rammed into and killed one of the saber-toothed wolves that pounced on it. This porcupine had a cultivation level of four thousand years, while the saber-toothed wolves, except for the alpha wolf which had a cultivation level of three thousand five hundred years, were all below three thousand years. Although the porcupine was injured, the entrapment made the saber-toothed wolves hesitant to attack rashly, and they could only circle around it, looking for an opportunity.

The porcupine dared not be careless, for a moment's inattention could turn it into prey for the pack of demonic wolves. Therefore, it pressed its tail tightly against the valley wall, preventing the wolves from attacking from behind, while its eyes remained fixed on the saber-toothed light wolf leader in front of it.

The saber-toothed light wolf and the spiky porcupine faced off, completely unaware that they were being watched by an even more powerful being.

At this moment, on the edge of the valley, Zhu Ziyang and his companions were silently observing the hunt, their eyes fixed on the spiky porcupine. The spiky porcupine is a spirit beast with the attribute of light; it possesses immense strength, and its tusks and back spikes are sharp enough to pierce through refined iron, making it a very suitable spirit beast for Zhu Changhe.

"So, should we make a move?" Hong Zhen asked. Although he was a Soul King, he subconsciously placed himself below Zhu Ziyang, who had been directing the operation the entire way.

"No rush. Let those saber-toothed wolves and spiky boars wear each other down first, then we'll make our move and reap the benefits," Zhu Ziyang said calmly.

"What if that porcupine gets killed by the pack of wolves?" Jiang Nannan asked.

"No, it won't be easy for those saber-toothed light wolves to kill the spiky porcupine. They'll need to surround it for at least a day and a night to exhaust its strength before they make a move," Zhu Ziyang said with great certainty.

"Since that's the case, let's wait and see," Zhu Changhe said.

"Okay!" Hong Zhen and Jiang Nannan nodded in agreement.

Time ticked by, and the sun quickly set in the west, its crimson rays gradually rising into the sky. Suddenly, Zhu Ziyang noticed two figures appearing on the riverbank to their left. Immediately alert, he nudged Hong Zhen beside him and said, "Uncle Hong, look over there!"

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Hong Zhen looked in the direction Zhu Ziyang was pointing with a puzzled gaze. There, two people had appeared, one old and one young. The old woman was about sixty or seventy years old, with a full head of white hair, but she did not look old. She was a rather elegant old lady. The young woman was a girl of twelve or thirteen years old. Her face was not clear, but she was tall and slender, with golden hair flowing down her shoulders and a graceful back. She was very likely a pretty girl.

"Uncle Hong, can you tell the strength of those two?" Zhu Ziyang asked calmly.

"That old lady's strength should be about the same as mine, while that little girl's soul power is only level 30," Hong Zhen said, stating his assessment.

"I see. So it seems they've also set their sights on these spirit beasts. I just wonder if they've got their eye on the spiky porcupines or the saber-toothed light wolves?" Zhu Ziyang pondered, stroking his chin as he analyzed. "If it's the saber-toothed light wolves, then we'll naturally keep to ourselves. But if it's the spiky porcupines, then we're bound to have a fight! In that case, we'll need Uncle Hong's help."

"Don't worry, even if the opponent is a frail old woman, I can hold my own against a big man!" Hong Zhen said confidently, patting his chest with a hearty laugh.

Just as Zhu Ziyang and the others were talking, the two people also noticed them.

The old woman's face darkened, her expression turning serious. Clearly, she too had sensed Hong Zhen's strength and was unsure of their intentions. Her eyes darted around quickly, and after confirming her final decision, she took the hand of the girl beside her and walked towards Zhu Ziyang and his group. She decided to negotiate with Zhu Ziyang and his group; forced by circumstances, she had no choice but to be the first to yield.

"Grandma, what are we doing?" The girl was puzzled by her grandmother's actions. After walking more than ten meters, she noticed Zhu Ziyang and his group not far away. Her pretty face immediately showed surprise and unease.

Zhu Ziyang immediately realized the other party's plan and alerted the others, who were all ready to take action at any time.

(End of this chapter)