Zhang Lexuan gazed at the soul beast before her. It floated lightly, as if it did not exist at all, yet the vast power within its body seemed to surpass that of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast by far.
Just as she was about to probe further, the soul beast suddenly raised its head and looked behind Zhang Lexuan.
Zhang Lexuan turned around as well, only to see a figure appear unknowingly in the distance. He was clad in a pitch-black cloak that completely enveloped his body, with silver threads outlining gorgeous patterns.
"So it fled here after all."
Zhang Lexuan's expression changed. She stepped forward two paces, shielding the space between that person and Lin Xiao. "Who are you?"
The man seemed to only notice Zhang Lexuan at her side now. He raised his hand to remove the hood, revealing an aged face. "I have long forgotten my true name, but I still remember my title."
"I am the Eighth Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, titled Nightmare."
A Titled Douluo, the Holy Spirit Cult...
Zhang Lexuan suddenly recalled that Lin Xiao had once mentioned words like "Holy Cult." Without a doubt, the person before her was also an evil soul master—and a considerably powerful one at that.
"Then, who are you?"
Zhang Lexuan glanced at Lin Xiao, who seemed to still be in meditation behind her, and did not speak for a moment.
She was unclear about what exactly this Holy Spirit Cult was, but it appeared that the person before her did not recognize her.
She was still uncertain about Lin Xiao's current condition, and given his background, as long as she did not reveal that she was from Shrek Academy, there might still be room for negotiation.
However, the Nightmare Douluo had already lost patience waiting for Zhang Lexuan to speak. He merely waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind. It doesn't matter who you are."
"I never expected that in just a short time apart, my disciple would have grown to this extent. Now that the time has come, after I exchange for this young body, I'll be lacking a fine cauldron right at hand."
Disciple?
Before Zhang Lexuan could react, she saw the Nightmare Douluo's figure flash as he reached out to grab Lin Xiao.
Though doubts lingered in her heart, she instinctively acted. A silver-white light streaked past in front of the Nightmare Douluo, abruptly halting his movement.
"Oh? Quite courageous, I see." The Nightmare Douluo looked at Zhang Lexuan with interest.
"Since he is your disciple, why are you attacking him?"
"Disciple? Hahahaha." The Nightmare Douluo's tone shifted. "I thought you had a close relationship with my disciple, but it seems that's not the case. Did he ever truly treat me as his real teacher?"
"Of course, I never truly regarded him as my disciple either." The Nightmare Douluo glanced at Lin Xiao. "An evil soul master like him, who doesn't know how to utilize his own talents, if he truly became my disciple, he would only bring shame to my name."
"I selected him from among those offerings. Now, for him to offer his body to me can be considered repayment for the upbringing I provided."
Zhang Lexuan's expression constantly shifted. From the words of this "teacher," the Nightmare Douluo, she learned many things about Lin Xiao that she had never known before.
At the very least, this "Holy Spirit Cult" had positions like elders similar to other sects, and it also had master-disciple inheritance.
However, judging from the relationship between the Nightmare Douluo and Lin Xiao, this "inheritance" seemed somewhat different from that of other sects. And Lin Xiao had grown up under the hands of this teacher who had always viewed him merely as a vessel.
Her hands clenched slightly. Zhang Lexuan glanced at Lin Xiao again. The moon in the sky grew increasingly bright.
She did not know what level of Titled Douluo the Nightmare Douluo before her was, but her own soul power had already reached level ninety. She was not without the strength to fight a Titled Douluo.
Her seventh soul ring shone. The moon in the sky seemed somewhat different from before. A cool, detached aura also emanated from Zhang Lexuan's body, no longer resembling a human, but as if she had truly transformed into the moon itself.
As the eldest senior sister of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard, her strength had never been as simple as it appeared. Facing a Titled Douluo, she still dared to take the initiative at this moment.
Dazzling light burst from Zhang Lexuan's eyes. Her entire body was nearly dyed silver-white. In the next instant, her eighth soul ring flashed continuously. The moon in the sky expanded at an astonishing speed, soon exceeding a hundred meters in diameter.
She had once used her eighth soul skill against Lin Xiao, but releasing it again now bore no trace of the gentleness from that time.
No longer the beam of light that Lin Xiao had easily dodged back then, but the entire night sky was illuminated by moonlight.
The surrounding valley, the lake within the valley, and even the Nightmare Douluo's body, in an instant, they were all coated in a layer of silver-white before being completely engulfed by the blinding light.
The power of a soul skill depended not only on the age of the soul rings but also on the soul master releasing it. Under this cool, detached moonlight, even a true Titled Douluo would have to temporarily avoid its edge.
The silver-white moonlight illuminated the surroundings as if it were daylight. And within this expanse of silver-white, a speck of obstructive black quietly emerged.
"Your techniques seem to hail from a righteous sect. Why risk your life for my disciple?"
Zhang Lexuan abruptly turned her head to scan the surroundings, but she could not see the Nightmare Douluo's figure. His voice seemed to come from all directions.
Though she knew in her heart that this was a tactic to disturb her mind, hearing it still caused a slight tremble within her.
Why? She could not explain it herself, but her feet refused to retreat even a single step.
"Since you're so devoted to my disciple, why not understand him more deeply?"
Zhang Lexuan remained silent, merely searching continuously for traces of the Nightmare Douluo. Then, an inexplicable chill rose from behind her.
Unbeknownst to them, dark clouds completely obscured the moonlight. The entire world plunged into pitch blackness.
"Why not understand how he grew up in nightmares, how he step by step became the disciple I admired most?"
"Eighth soul skill—"
The Nightmare Douluo's voice was incomparably sharp, piercing into Zhang Lexuan's ears from all directions. The surrounding sounds gradually distorted, and the scenery before her eyes grew increasingly unreal.
Looking at the increasingly blurred Lin Xiao before her, Zhang Lexuan reached out a hand. But upon looking again, the person beside her had changed appearance, utterly unfamiliar, yet somehow resembling her parents and classmates.
"Lexuan, why did you kill us?"
"No—" Zhang Lexuan slowly retreated a step. Lowering her head, she saw a pair of still childish hands stained with fresh blood.
"Eldest Senior Sister, why did you bring me here?"
Zhang Lexuan looked down. Unknowingly, she was clad in a black cloak, grasping Ma Xiaotao's arm. Ma Xiaotao's face was filled with pain, while in her ears rang only the Nightmare Douluo's sinister laughter.
Unknowingly, a trace of moisture appeared on her face. Only at this moment did she realize that this was truly the experience of the "young hero" she had longed for.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreon
[email protected]/facficmax10--------(@→a)