Although Mingdu had no restrictions on those who entered the city, the people from Shrek Academy were, after all, "outsiders" even "enemies" to the Sun Moon Empire, and the locals here did not welcome them.
Not to mention that, over the years of monitoring missions, Shrek Academy had already realized that the evil soul masters of the Sun Moon Empire likely had countless ties to their imperial family.
Even without that, Nangong Wan was conducting legitimate business in Mingdu and was under the protection of the city.
In such circumstances, it went without saying which side the others in Mingdu would favor.
With the strength of Elder Song and Yan Shaozhe, dealing with just Nangong Wan alone would not have been difficult, but if it alerted the entire city's defenses, things would no longer be so simple.
"Shaozhe, make it quick."
As Elder Song spoke, her hands moved even faster, no longer caring about the poisonous mist around Nangong Wan that clearly looked troublesome.
Yan Shaozhe said nothing more. Upon hearing Elder Song's words, he abruptly raised his right hand, and a brilliant flame instantly ignited the air, spreading toward Nangong Wan.
However, before the flames could land, a large net densely covered in thunder suddenly appeared in their path.
Although water and fire are formless, Yan Shaozhe's flames were forcibly blocked in front of that net as though they had taken physical shape.
Only then did another figure slowly materialize beside Nangong Wan, with two yellow, two purple, and five black soul rings rising and falling around him, clearly yet another Titled Douluo.
"Second Brother, are you alright?"
The Third Elder, Dark Lightning Douluo, stared intently at Yan Shaozhe ahead while asking Nangong Wan a question.
"Third Brother, you arrived just in time. These two are not easy to deal with."
Even without Nangong Wan saying it, Dark Lightning Douluo had already sensed it. His martial soul was Dark Lightning Element, and he himself was a rank-9 soul engineer. The thunder net just now was his unique fighting style born from combining his martial soul with soul tools.
Merely blocking what seemed like a casual strike from Yan Shaozhe had already caused a storm of turmoil inside his body. The strength of the two opponents before him spoke for itself.
Soul power surged within him, and dense currents of electricity began climbing all over his body.
Yan Shaozhe's brows furrowed deeply once more. He had encountered lightning-attribute soul masters before, but the lightning of those soul masters had invariably been filled with brightness and righteousness.
Yet as the lightning around this man grew denser, the surroundings became increasingly chilly. The sharp crackling sounds were like the wails of countless souls, another evil soul master.
No longer holding back, he spread both arms wide like a radiant phoenix unfurling its wings. Formless flames erupted explosively, filling the entire building.
"BOOM—"
Another massive explosion rang out in Mingdu. Amidst the clash of thunder and fire, the Holy Spirit Cult's stronghold could no longer hold; the roof blew open with a thunderous crash. Huge waves of heat spread outward, whipping up fierce winds that toppled who-knows-how-many buildings along the way.
The commotion here finally allowed others in Mingdu to pinpoint the source of the noise. Several streaks of light rose from Mingde Hall and the imperial palace, flying toward the street.
At the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, Huo Yuhao and He Caitou had not yet rested. Upon hearing the earlier sound, they quickly ran out of their rooms and looked toward the distant rising glow.
"Junior brother, is that Dean Yan and the others?"
"It should be." Huo Yuhao judged the distance from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy and nodded.
"I wonder if Dean Yan and the others will encounter any danger."
Huo Yuhao tried extending his spiritual power, but unfortunately, Mingdu was too large. Even pushing his spiritual power to its limit in one direction, he could not detect what exactly was happening there.
Still, he spoke to reassure He Caitou, "Don't worry, Second Senior Brother. Dean Yan is a Transcendent Douluo, and an elder from the academy has also arrived. They should be fine."
Though he said that, a trace of worry still lingered on his face.
On the other side, the faces of the several combatants were all extremely grim. Once cultivation reached the Titled Douluo realm, the gap between each level was enormous. Nangong Wan and Dark Lightning Douluo were already struggling to hold on.
Yet Yan Shaozhe and Elder Song were not having an easy time either. Although Mingdu was not small, for Titled Douluo, crossing half the city only took a few breaths.
Before they could finish dealing with the two evil soul masters before them, several more figures approached in the distance, faintly forming an encircling formation as they flew through the air.
"Who dares to cause trouble in Mingdu?"
As the words rang out, several sharp auras faintly locked onto Elder Song and Yan Shaozhe.
They had previously heard from Mu En that Mingdu possessed soul tools capable of threatening even him, which was why the Sea God's Pavilion had agreed to the exchange student program to develop Shrek Academy's soul tool department.
At the time, they had not taken it too seriously. Especially Elder Song, her martial soul, the Blue Shadow Divine Eagle, was renowned for its speed. Almost no one could keep up with her, and even rank-9 soul tools could not lock onto her.
Yet now, no matter how she shifted her position, she seemed unable to escape the soul tools' targeting.
"We cannot linger. Let's leave here first!"
Seeing more rays of light rising in the distance, clearly more experts rushing over, Elder Song glanced at the two evil soul masters, helplessly deciding to let them go for now.
Seeing this, Yan Shaozhe stopped prolonging the fight. He slapped out with his right palm, sending a flame infused with terrifying spiritual power flying through the air, while his body abruptly turned and shot toward the outside of Mingdu.
However, at that very moment, something silently sliced through space and appeared beside him.
"Shaozhe, careful!" Elder Song immediately sensed the new presence. She raised her hand and lightly pushed Yan Shaozhe aside, but she was still a fraction too slow. A sharp blade grazed Yan Shaozhe's arm, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone.
Looking over, another figure had appeared beside Dark Lightning Douluo. His right hand was loosely gripping what seemed to be a faintly visible long sword.
"Fourth Brother, you're here too." Dark Lightning Douluo breathed a slight sigh of relief and glanced at the newcomer.
"Yes, I was at another stronghold when I heard the commotion here and rushed over immediately." Fourth Elder Netherworld Douluo nodded slightly, though his gaze never left Yan Shaozhe.
Although Netherworld Douluo was also in Mingdu, he was not in charge of the underground market; even Lin Xiao rarely saw him on normal days. But when something happened to the Holy Spirit Cult's operations, he had still arrived at once.
A third evil soul master…
Yan Shaozhe raised his hand to cover the wound. Though it was not fatal, he could feel a strand of chilling yin energy continuously burrowing into his body along the injury.
"Shaozhe."
Elder Song grabbed Yan Shaozhe's arm. Her gaze toward Nangong Wan and the others gradually turned icy. An invisible pressure slowly rose as the aura of a rank-97 Transcendent Douluo spread out, pressing down on everyone around until they could barely breathe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreon
[email protected]/facficmax10--------(@→a)