Douluo Dalu II: The Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 184 Huo Yuhao: Thank you, Brother Ziyang!

After the auction ended, Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao did not linger and left Shrek City directly, returning to Shrek Academy.

However, just as the two stepped out of the north gate of Shrek City, they saw a golden-red signal flare rising on the only road between the north and east gates. Their expressions changed drastically, filled with shock and deep confusion.

Who on earth dares to make things difficult for Shrek Academy students near Shrek City, especially inner court disciples? Have they eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard?

Anger rose on Ma Xiaotao's face, and a pair of fiery red phoenix wings instantly unfurled behind her, slicing through the sky as she charged forward.

That golden-red flare was a distress signal flare possessed only by the inner disciples of Shrek Academy, used only when facing life-or-death situations. Zhu Ziyang had only one assessment of this flare: utterly useless. Because in actual danger in the wild, such a flare would attract no support, only the enemy.

Without even bothering to complain, Zhu Ziyang immediately caught up with Ma Xiaotao and sped off towards the spot where the signal flare had been launched.

The two collided head-on with a pair of fleeing teenagers. A Soul Master with blue wings was carrying a Great Soul Master whose eyes were gleaming. They rushed out of the narrow path flanked by dense forests, their faces tense and solemn as they flew towards Shrek City. Behind them were six masked men in black, their Soul Rings flashing behind them, clearly indicating that they were five Soul Kings and one Soul Emperor.

Upon seeing Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao, the two boys, overjoyed at surviving their ordeal, cried out for help. The six men in black chasing them, seeing Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao, didn't hesitate; they immediately turned and fled northeast.

"Who dares to cause trouble at Shrek Academy!" Ma Xiaotao didn't care where they ran. She activated her Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, with six Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—shining in the dark night sky. Crimson flames surrounded her body, making her appear as majestic and domineering as a Valkyrie.

A blazing beam of fire shot out from her mouth, transforming into a phoenix with outstretched wings. In an instant, the man in black was engulfed in flames, letting out a long wail. He could no longer escape and fell to the ground, rolling around and trying to extinguish the flames on his body. However, how could the ultimate fire of the fire phoenix be so easily extinguished?

"Gentlemen, isn't it a bit too arrogant of you to come to Shrek Academy to kill someone?"

The men in black, no longer caring about the lives of their companions, fled headlong towards the northeast. However, their path was blocked by a handsome young man who stood in their way. The young man held a golden scythe, and behind him shimmered six super-optimal spirit rings that inspired despair. He wore a smile, yet he was like a death knell.

It was Zhu Ziyang. After Ma Xiaotao made her move, he did not hesitate and directly used spatial teleportation to block the black-clad men's path.

The leader, a Soul Emperor in black, didn't beg for mercy. Without hesitation, he attacked Zhu Ziyang. The other four Soul Kings also immediately joined the fray, knowing that if they didn't defeat Zhu Ziyang, they would surely die.

Seeing the five men in black rushing towards him, Zhu Ziyang remained expressionless. He charged forward, instantly unleashing his fourth soul skill, creating a clone that mirrored his movements. The Life-Saving Scythe sliced ​​through the head of one of the men in black, killing him instantly. The head severed from the body and traveled away alone.

At the same time, the clone of Starry Light and Shadow also controlled the clone of the Life-Saving Scythe of Peace to slash past another black-clad Soul King. That black-clad Soul King was very lucky and dodged the fatal attack, only having an ear and half a shoulder cut off.

The attacks of the black-clad Soul Emperor and the last two black-clad Soul Kings missed their mark, and witnessing the tragic death of a companion, their fighting spirit vanished instantly. The black-clad Soul Emperor directly slapped the other two Soul Kings with both palms, sending them in front of Zhu Ziyang, while he himself instantly accelerated, using his companion's life to buy himself time to escape. What a clever scheme.

Zhu Ziyang wouldn't let him succeed. He bypassed the two Soul Kings and chased after the Soul Emperor. Ma Xiaotao had also caught up by then. The two Soul Kings had just felt relieved to have escaped death because Zhu Ziyang had ignored them, but in the blink of an eye, they were caught in the terrifying power of the Flame Demon.

The Soul Emperor was fast, but Zhu Ziyang was even faster. A beam of light shot from his eyes, and then a purple-gold vertical pupil appeared above his head, emitting a beam of light that struck the fleeing Soul Emperor directly on the back. The Soul Emperor's body stiffened, and then he fell to the ground without warning.

Zhu Ziyang smiled contemptuously, casually waving his hand to unleash a grayish-white blade of light, then turned and left. As Zhu Ziyang turned, the blade of light flew dozens of meters, accurately striking the Soul Emperor, who instantly died. The Soul Emperor's limited life force was converted into the lifespan of Zhu Ziyang's Soul Ring.

Of the last three Soul Kings, two were dealt with by Ma Xiaotao, and the last one was killed by Zhu Ziyang's Starry Shadow clone. The six men in black were all killed by Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao in less than five minutes; excluding travel and pursuit time, the total battle lasted no more than two minutes.

This is the difference between Shrek Academy's inner court disciples and ordinary soul masters; there is a chasm between them that is as insurmountable as a chasm!

"Sister Xiaotao, let's go check on those two disciples who were being chased and find out what happened," Zhu Ziyang said to Ma Xiaotao as he walked over.

"Alright!" Ma Xiaotao nodded, a calm smile on her face, showing none of the wildness and madness she had displayed during the battle. She said, "Your strength is getting stronger and stronger. I didn't even see you take it seriously, and you already took down a Soul Emperor. Ziyang, we must have a good match sometime. I feel that your strength has already surpassed mine."

"It wasn't as amazing as you made it out to be, Sister Xiaotao," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile. "The main reason is that the Soul Emperor had no desire to fight and only wanted to escape, so I managed to pick him off."

The two exchanged their combat experiences as they approached the two disciples who had been chased. There were now four other Shrek Academy disciples with them.

The people being chased were Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. Zhu Ziyang already knew this, because Wang Dong's martial soul was too conspicuous, and he had just seen them at the treasure appreciation event, so it wasn't hard to deduce. Who exactly were these men in black after? Zhu Ziyang wondered to himself.

He was inclined to support Huo Yuhao. After all, it was normal for someone chosen by destiny to be hated. There were always brainless people who wanted to kill the chosen one, which was not surprising.

The other four Shrek Academy students beside Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were Tang Ya, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Xue Weiwei. They had also come to attend the treasure appreciation event and happened to encounter the distress signal, so they rushed over. They surrounded Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, their expressions very solemn.

He visibly relaxed after seeing Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao.

The Shrek City defense team finally arrived, and after seeing that no students were injured or killed, they left, leaving only one member to investigate what had happened.

"Zhu Ziyang, it's you! I was wondering why the battle aura felt so familiar!" Tang Ya exclaimed happily upon seeing Zhu Ziyang. "Thanks to you and this senior sister, Yuhao and Wang Dong would have been in danger. Wait, where's Nannan? Why isn't she with you?"

"Yeah! It was just a coincidence," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile. "Nannan had to go out. Are you guys here for the treasure appreciation event too?"

"That's right." Tang Ya nodded and said, then turned to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, "Yuhao, Wang Dong, hurry up and thank Ziyang and this senior for saving your lives."

"Thank you, Brother Ziyang!" Huo Yuhao was really frightened and still felt lingering fear. His face still showed signs of tension, but his eyes were full of gratitude as he looked at Zhu Ziyang. He thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

Wang Dong was the same.

"Are you outer court disciples? Where did you get the inner court's distress signal?" Ma Xiaotao ignored their thanks and frowned, her tone slightly questioning.

"Uh~" Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a little scared when faced with Ma Xiaotao's question. Although they hadn't seen Zhu Ziyang's fighting stance, Ma Xiaotao's fighting style was deeply etched in the young boy's mind. It was too terrifying! So, he was speechless for a moment.

"Hey! What kind of tone is that? This signal flare was given to Yuhao by Dean Qian, not stolen by us. If you're so capable, go find Dean Qian!" Wang Dong was very unhappy with Ma Xiaotao's tone. They were both little princesses, so who was afraid of who? He said bluntly, not caring that Ma Xiaotao had just saved them.

"Hmm?" Ma Xiaotao's face immediately darkened. She was about to speak when Zhu Ziyang stopped her.

"Sister Xiaotao, what Wang Dong said is true," Zhu Ziyang said. "Go and record what happened with that senior from the defense team. I can handle things here."

"Okay!" Ma Xiaotao listened to Zhu Ziyang and left immediately.

"Don't worry about it, that's just how Senior Sister Xiaotao is," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile to the others after Ma Xiaotao left.

Now that everyone there was familiar with each other, the atmosphere naturally became lively. Xu Sanshi chuckled and said, "Ziyang, that Senior Sister Xiaotao's temper is just too fiery, just like her figure, hehehe! Ah~ I'm sorry, Weiwei, let go!"

Xu Sanshi's ear was twisted by Xue Weiwei, making him look ridiculous, which amused everyone.

(End of this chapter)