Douluo Continent: The Twin Sons of the Styx River, Shaking the World and Destroying the Heavens

Chapter 161 Netherworld Douluo and Ten Thousand Souls Douluo

"Yan Shaozhe, it's been many years. I never expected you to become the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, but—" A low, cold laugh suddenly erupted from the clouds, the sound waves making everyone's eardrums ache. "The boy who used to spout righteousness and morality has now become a hypocrite who shouts for violence!" Before the words were finished, the entire dark cloud surged violently like boiling molten iron, its edges twisting into countless hideous ghost faces. In the center of the dark cloud, a pair of blood-red vertical pupils slowly emerged, their eerie light flickering like will-o'-the-wisps.

In the blink of an eye, the churning dark clouds seemed to be kneaded and reshaped by an invisible hand, transforming into a gigantic phantom of a tiger's head. The tiger's head had a sinister glint in its eyes, and black mist spewed from between its fangs. Its immense pressure pressed down as if it were a tangible force, and the ground beneath everyone's feet groaned under its weight.

Yan Shaozhe's pupils contracted sharply. He spread his arms, unleashing a powerful soul force that formed a barrier, protecting all the Shrek Academy students behind him. He stared at the strange dark cloud in the sky, his voice filled with disbelief: "Zhang Peng? You're still alive?!"

"Hahahaha!" A thunderous laugh ripped through the clouds, making everyone's eardrums ache. "Yan Shaozhe, you underestimate me! My life isn't so easily broken!" His words were full of sarcasm. "After all these years, you're still so good at talking big. You have a place on the list of hypocrites and scumbags. When the shameless list appears, the top spot will definitely belong to you!"

Yan Shaozhe's aura suddenly turned icy cold, his eyes sharp as knives: "Zhang Peng! You chose this moment to show up, you must be plotting some conspiracy again! Your teacher spared your life back then out of kindness, and now you've become a tiger that has become a threat! I really should have advised your teacher to get rid of this scourge of yours as soon as possible!"

These words ignited a storm cloud, causing the tiger-head phantom to twist and churn violently, and thick black mist to pour down like a tidal wave. As the black mist dissipated, an old man in flowing black robes slowly stepped out. With each step he took, spiderweb-like frost condensed on the ground, and a chilling aura, like a venomous snake, seeped into everyone's pores. The Shrek students couldn't help but shiver; a chill crept up their spines to the back of their necks, and even their breathing became heavy.

Zhang Peng stared at Yan Shaozhe, his withered fingers unconsciously rubbing the bone spurs on his lower back. After a long while, he said in a deep voice, "Mu En spared my life back then, and I remember that favor. With his strength, crushing me would be as easy as squeezing an ant." He suddenly raised his eyes, his pupils surging with dark red killing intent. "So as long as he's alive, even if a knife is held to my throat, I will never touch anyone from Shrek Academy. But now..."

A chilling soul force suddenly erupted from beneath his black robe, and the surrounding dark clouds churned like boiling water: "I was entrusted with this task, and I have no choice in the matter. How many of you survive will depend on your fate." A strange smile curved his lips, but his tone suddenly softened, "But you, Yan Shaozhe, are an exception. Even if you're on the list of hypocrites and scumbags, you're still Mu En's student—I'll still give you that much face."

Above the clouds, space suddenly rippled like water, and a woman's voice, filled with boundless rage, boomed: "Zhang Peng! Old Mu spared your life back then, but not only did you not repent, you dared to lay a hand on Shrek Academy!" The sound wave struck like thunder, startling the birds in the entire forest into scattering in panic.

Almost simultaneously, a clear, resounding dragon's roar tore through the sky, piercing the clouds with golden light. A streak of light, crackling with azure lightning, swept like a reversed Milky Way, emitting ear-piercing explosions wherever it passed. At the tip of the streak of light, a hundred-foot-tall azure dragon's head phantom materialized; wherever the dragon's whiskers swept, rocks instantly turned to dust, and the ground was plowed with bottomless ravines.

"Today, I will cleanse Elder Mu's house!" With a final, furious roar, the azure light transformed into a tangible dragon claw, slashing down at Zhang Peng. Fine crackles of electricity crackled across the claw's surface, even space itself distorted and warped by its terrifying power, as if the entire world were about to be torn apart by this attack. Zhang Peng's pupils constricted, a flicker of astonishment crossing his withered face. His palms danced like butterflies, his dark soul power surging forth like a tidal wave, condensing in the air into a barrier covered in ferocious runes. The azure light crashed into the barrier, instantly shattering into flames. A deafening roar shook the clouds within a ten-mile radius to dust.

“Martial God Douluo Xian Lin’er?” Zhang Peng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his hoarse laughter tinged with amusement. “So it’s you, Yan Shaozhe’s ex-lover. Shrek Academy is actually willing to send you all together; it seems these rookies are indeed precious.” His gaze swept over Bei Bei in the crowd.

"However, Shrek Academy certainly has many talented individuals, and among them is indeed Elder Mu's grandson, Hai. I will spare his life."

"Shut up! Today is your burial ground!" Xian Lin'er's aura surged, and recalling the humiliation of being betrayed years ago, a raging fire rose in her heart. A burst of azure light erupted behind her, and the phantom of a hundred-zhang-long azure flame dragon appeared and disappeared, with ghostly flames capable of burning everything dancing between its scales.

"Yan Shaozhe's affairs are none of your business!" Xian Lin'er touched the ground with her toes, transforming into a streak of azure light and shooting out. With a deafening roar, terrifying azure flames erupted in a fan shape centered on her, distorting and deforming the air in their path, instantly scorching the ground into a glassy state. Within the scorching heatwave, the azure flame dragon phantom opened its massive maw and lunged straight at Zhang Peng, as if to devour him whole.

Seeing this, Zhang Peng didn't panic but instead smiled, a calculating glint in his eyes. He knew that as long as he could enrage Xian Lin'er and make her lose her mind, the scales of this battle would tip in his favor. So he spoke again, each word like a knife: "It seems that the dignified Martial God Douluo is still trapped in that broken relationship."

Black mist surged around Zhang Peng, and he suddenly roared to the sky. The sound waves distorted space as if they were tangible, and dark purple soul power condensed behind him, transforming into a three-zhang-tall scorpion tiger phantom. The tiger's head was ferocious and terrifying, dripping dark green venom from its fangs, and its scorpion tail lashed out like a steel whip, each swing leaving trails of black afterimages, instantly filling the air with a nauseatingly sweet and pungent stench. His martial soul, a variant of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger—the Scorpion Tiger—was naturally unafraid of Xian Lin'er.

"Die!" With a roar, dark clouds suddenly gathered behind the scorpion tiger, and hundreds of dark purple scorpion stingers shot out, drawing eerie arcs in the air, emitting a piercing shriek wherever they passed. These scorpion stingers contained terrifying venom, their tips glowing with an eerie blue light; even a stone grazed by them would instantly turn into pus.

Xian Lin'er's eyes sharpened, and a surge of azure light erupted from her body. The level-eight soul tool spear in her hand hummed, and the phantom of the Azure Flame Dragon roared behind her. The blazing azure flames flowed along the spear, enveloping her entirely in flames. As she wielded the spear, barriers of flame condensed in front of her, forming an impenetrable defensive net.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The scorpion's stingers struck the flame barrier like rain, bursting into dazzling sparks. Xian Lin'er let out a delicate shout, her figure rushing out like lightning, her spear transforming into a streak of azure light, aiming straight for the scorpion tiger's throat. Seeing this, Zhang Peng swept his scorpion tail horizontally, colliding with Xian Lin'er's spear, unleashing a deafening roar.

Two terrifying soul energies collided fiercely in mid-air, the resulting shockwaves leveling the surrounding mountains and forests. Xian Lin'er and Zhang Peng were both peak level 98 Douluo, one a Martial God Douluo of the Azure Flame Dragon, the other a Scorpion Tiger Douluo. Every clash between them carried world-destroying power. In an instant, azure and black light intertwined, dragon roars and tiger howls resonated, and the entire sky was dyed a strange purplish-blue.

Xian Lin'er's martial soul is the Azure Flame Dragon, a variant of the martial soul. It's not fire-attribute, but wind-attribute; the flames she sees are azure flames generated by the intense friction of compressed wind, possessing immense destructive power. Its specific ability is decomposition.

The so-called decomposition refers to the extreme compression of wind, followed by its explosive outward diffusion. In this state, anything that comes into contact with it will be damaged by the force of its diffusion, thus being broken apart. Its explosive power even surpasses that of some fire dragon martial souls.

Ye Xiaosheng stared intently at the two figures locked in fierce combat in the air, his expression tense. He asked, his throat bobbing, "Dean Yan, will Dean Xian win?" His gaze was fixed on the battlefield where Xian Lin'er and Zhang Peng were locked in combat. The blue and black lights reflected each other, and every energy collision made the air hum. This thrilling scene made his heart jump to his throat.

Yan Shaozhe crossed his arms, his gaze calmly fixed on the battle, a faint smile playing on his lips as he reassured her, "You must have faith in her. Lin'er's title of 'Martial Goddess' is well-deserved. Back then, she swept through the Soul Master world, and countless powerful figures fell to her. Her combat experience is so rich that even I am ashamed of myself."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching Xian Lin'er skillfully deflect the Scorpion Tiger's attack by using her spear to manipulate the Azure Flame Dragon's phantom. His tone was full of pride, "However, Zhang Peng is also at the peak of level ninety-eight and possesses a mutated martial soul, so a quick victory won't be easy. Both are experts of the same level, and it will probably be difficult to determine a winner in a short time." The air suddenly became thick and black, and a bone-chilling coldness climbed up everyone's ankles, as if countless cold hands were reaching out from the ground.

Yan Shaozhe's pupils constricted sharply, and his soul power erupted with a deafening roar. A brilliant white light, like the rising sun, instantly tore through the darkness that shrouded the battlefield. The fluctuations of his soul power condensed into a tangible light shield around him, shattering all the malevolent auras that attempted to invade.

"You cowardly coward!" he shouted sternly, the overwhelming pressure of his Bright Phoenix Martial Soul sweeping across the sky. "If you don't show yourself, don't blame me for being ruthless!" As the dean of the Martial Soul Department, his Bright Phoenix Martial Soul was born with an extraordinary sensitivity to the evil fluctuations of evil soul masters. Even if the other party deliberately concealed their aura, they could not escape his detection.

"As expected of the Bright Phoenix Douluo, this level of vigilance is truly admirable." An aged voice came from the void, tinged with mockery. Immediately afterward, another hoarse voice added, "I was planning to take advantage of the chaos to deal with these little brats, but you ruined my plans. Looks like I'll have to deal with you and that Azure Shadow Douluo first."

Before the words were finished, space suddenly twisted and deformed, and two figures appeared like ghosts. Two white-haired old men appeared, stepping on a blood-red mist. Black miasma surrounded them, and nine soul rings shimmered and intertwined beneath their feet.

Yan Shaozhe's expression was solemn as his gaze swept back and forth between the two. As elders of the Holy Spirit Cult, these two Title Douluo-level evil soul masters possessed unfathomable strength. He subconsciously clenched his fists, glancing at Xian Lin'er, who was still locked in fierce combat in the air, a trace of worry rising in his heart. With Xian Lin'er's strength, it was indeed difficult for her to defeat a Scorpion Tiger Douluo of the same level in a short time, and now with these two powerful enemies added, the situation had instantly become precarious.

(End of this chapter)