Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

Old Song was slapped by the leader of the Dorok King Kong and fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string. Her emerald wings exploded with a bang, and feathers mixed with blood flew everywhere. She rolled several times in a sorry state, her chest caved in, and the blood gushing from the corner of her mouth stained the soil in front of her.

Before she could even struggle to her feet, Xuanzi was thrown over like a tattered sack, landing with a loud thud at her feet.

"So this is what they call Shrek Academy's strongmen? The one with the chicken leg does have some skill; at least he forged his own path, though not far. But what about you? Aside from your soul skills, do you have nothing of your own?"

The words of the leader of the Doruo Vajra were like a thorn piercing Song Lao's heart. Yes, she had not forged her own path, nor created her own soul skills, only possessing the nine inherent soul skills.

But isn't that how the world is? Most people fight using the soul skills given by their soul rings, but how many people actually create their own original soul skills?

"Cough cough..." Old Song endured the excruciating pain and propped himself up, supporting Xuanzi as he looked up at the leader of the Doruo Vajra, his eyes burning with rage that seemed to pierce through his pupils.

But the four-armed gorilla wasn't intimidated at all. He crossed his four arms over his chest, stiffened his neck, and glared back: "What? You think you can glare at me after losing? You started the fight, so you're the ones who should be embarrassed. This guy is supposed to be a Shrek Academy Title Douluo? He's not even as good at fighting as my little gorilla!"

"Stop with the nonsense, let's talk about compensation." Kayla Crocodile impatiently flicked her tail, her crimson eyes sweeping over the two of them.

"What compensation do you Star Dou Great Forest want?!"

"I think that golden tree planted at Shrek Academy is quite nice."

"The Golden Tree is the foundation left to Shrek Academy by His Majesty the Sea God, there's absolutely no way it could be!" Old Song gritted his teeth. "Apart from the Golden Tree, we can discuss any other reasonable conditions."

"Reasonable?" The King of Roasted Pigs' body blazed with intense heat, spitting out sparks. "You humans have made a mess of the outer circle, and now you dare to bargain? Either hand over the Golden Tree, or you're forever forbidden from setting foot in the Starry Sky Realm. Choose one!"

"Impossible!" Elder Song flatly refused. "Star Dou resources are crucial to human Soul Masters; a complete blockade will only result in mutual destruction!"

"A lose-lose situation?" Kayla the Crocodile sneered. "When you were wantonly taking and destroying, did you never think about a lose-lose situation? Humans are nothing but a bunch of parasites who only know how to plunder, and what's even more ridiculous is that there are parasites on top of each other!"

Old Song opened his mouth, but found himself unable to refute. Humanity's destruction of the stars was still fresh in everyone's mind, and now they had fallen into this predicament, which was nothing more than reaping what they had sown.

Just as the stalemate was at hand, the ground suddenly trembled violently, as if a giant beast was bursting out of the earth.

An aura far colder and more terrifying than Di Tian's swept in from the depths of the forest, carrying a strong smell of blood and corrosive poison. This caused the three 100,000-year-old soul beasts to involuntarily tense up, and Elder Song's hair stood on end, making it difficult for him to breathe.

The leader of the Doraku King Kong clan dropped his arrogance, his four arms warily forming a protective barrier in front of him: "It's...it's Lord Demon Serpent!"

The giant crocodile's pupils contracted sharply, and it lay on the ground, too afraid to move: "My lord, you captured a legendary magical beast with a level of 80."

Before the words were finished, a dark shadow that blotted out the sky slowly crawled out from the depths of the forest.

It was a giant snake nearly fifty meters long, with a body as thick as a hundred-year-old tree and a weight of tens of tons. Its deep purple scales shimmered with a chilling luster in the sunlight, each one as hard as steel.

Its head was extremely strange, with a snail-like eye on the top and one on each side. The pupils of all three eyes were shrunk to thin lines and surrounded by blood vessels. Its gaze was extremely fierce, as if it could see through people's hearts.

A patch of pale purple mane grew from the back of its head, fluttering in the air like a lion's mane. Four sharp claws extended from its abdomen, gleaming with a cold light, and each time it landed, it could carve a deep pit the size of a washbasin in the ground.

Even more terrifying is that its sides are slowly wriggling, as if it could grow more claws or arms at any moment.

It is the legendary monster from the world of gastronomy—the Demon Serpent!

"What's all the noise about?" The demonic serpent's voice was deep and hoarse, like two giant rocks rubbing together. Its three eyes locked onto Elder Song and Xuanzi simultaneously. "Humans? Here to destroy the Star Dou Great Forest again?"

Old Song was so frightened by its gaze that her whole body stiffened, and the fear that came from her very soul made her almost unable to move.

She could sense that the power of this demonic serpent far exceeded her expectations; even if a Limit Douluo came, he probably wouldn't fare well.

"Lord Demon Serpent, these two are from Shrek Academy. They've come to discuss compensation," Leader Doro Kong hurriedly explained, his tone extremely respectful.

"Compensation?" The demonic serpent flicked its tongue, carrying a venomous aura. "How can compensation make up for the damage done by humans? The Golden Tree and the sealing off of the forest are too good for you."

It slowly writhed, its enormous body encircling Elder Song and Xuanzi like a city wall. Its deep purple scales reflected a cold light, and the surrounding air hissed as if being corroded.

Three eyes stared at the two simultaneously, their killing intent palpable: "Since you're here, don't even think about leaving. Treating you as 'nutrients' for ecological restoration is your final contribution to the Starry Sky."

Old Master Song's face turned deathly pale; she knew today's outcome was bleak. Instinctively, she shielded Xuanzi behind her, channeling her remaining soul power. Her emerald wings unfurled once more, prepared for a desperate fight: "Your Majesty, Demon Serpent, Shrek Academy is willing to pay the price to atone for our mistakes. Please, have mercy!"

"Make amends?" The demonic serpent sneered, its three eyes filled with mockery. "When you were hunting spirit beasts and trampling vegetation, why didn't you think about making amends then?"

"Alright, I'll give you this chance to make amends. If you can withstand this move, I'm willing to talk to you."

It suddenly opened its huge mouth, and a stream of green venom gushed out, carrying a pungent, corrosive smell, sweeping towards the two of them.

Wherever the venom passed, the ground was instantly corroded into deep black pits, and the vegetation withered and turned black.

Song Yunzhi's expression changed drastically. She hurriedly activated her eighth soul skill, Eagle Soaring Through the Sky, and narrowly avoided the poison with Xuanzi.

However, the venom formed a green swamp upon landing, completely blocking their escape route.

Upon seeing this, the demon serpent's three eyes simultaneously glowed red, and several thick arms suddenly grew from its sides, each end of which was covered with sharp claws, reaching out to grab the two of them.

"It's over..." Old Song's heart sank, and a trace of despair flashed in his eyes.

The black swamp hissed, and corrosive toxic gas filled the air. Old Song was forced to retreat step by step by the claws of the demon serpent, and several more deep, bone-revealing wounds appeared on his emerald wings.

Just as he was on the verge of life and death, Xuanzi, who had been in a daze, suddenly roared and his soul power surged wildly. The phantom of the Taotie Divine Ox suddenly expanded several times, and its outline of a sheep's body and tiger's teeth became even more ferocious.

He clasped his hands together, and his soul power condensed in his palms into a golden energy chicken leg that was more than three times larger than before. Dark golden patterns that devoured everything flowed across the surface of the chicken leg, and even the surrounding air was distorted by its absorption.

"Block it for me!" Xuanzi roared as he hurled the energy chicken leg. The golden chicken leg, accompanied by a whooshing sound, crashed into the claws of the demon serpent.

"Bang—"

With a deafening roar, the golden chicken leg collided with the sharp claw, and the resulting shockwave sent the black venom in the poisonous swamp flying several meters away.

The demonic serpent's claws were slightly numb from the devouring power contained in the chicken leg, and a tiny crack appeared on its deep purple scales. Xuanzi was pushed back by the recoil, blood gushing from the corner of his mouth staining his chest, his face as pale as paper, and his aura becoming increasingly weak.

"Oh? Interesting." The demonic serpent narrowed its three eyes simultaneously, the blood vessels in its pupils becoming more pronounced. Its tone carried a hint of surprise. "Did it have an epiphany in a desperate situation? To be able to unleash such power, it's much more interesting than that Divine Eagle Douluo."

It slowly retracted its claws, and the newly grown arms on both sides of its body gradually shrank back into its body. Its huge body still surrounded the two of them, forming an insurmountable barrier, but the momentum of its attack temporarily stopped.

Old Master Song supported Xuanzi, who struggled to his feet and gasped for breath, saying, "Your Majesty, Great Demon Serpent, now... can we talk?"

"Talk?" The demonic serpent's deep laughter rolled like thunder. "Want to talk about compensation? Fine, but the terms need to be changed."

"First, the Golden Tree can be waived, but Shrek Academy must hand over five Golden Spirit Fruits."

"Secondly, humans can enter the Star Dou Great Forest, but because of what you humans did in the past, the Star Dou Great Forest is no longer a place you can enter and leave as you please. Even the outer circle will be fraught with danger. There will be opportunities, but there will also be many dangers."

"Third, Soul Masters of level 70 and above are not allowed to stay in the outer circle. What kind of skill is it to bully the Soul Beasts in the outer circle? Get the hell out of here to the mixed zone or the inner circle. Since you've prepared yourself to be a hunter, you should also prepare yourself to be the prey. Don't think about taking shortcuts. We'll be watching."

Its body twitched slightly, and the deep purple scales rubbed together, making a "crackling" sound. A terrifying pressure was released again, making it difficult for Elder Song and Xuanzi to breathe.

Supporting Xuanzi, Elder Song said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, we need to discuss the condition of five Golden Spirit-Nourishing Fruits with Elder Mu. As for the second and third requirements, we will strictly abide by them."

Xuanzi and Elder Song exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

The conditions proposed by the demon serpent are already the best outcome they can achieve. If they refuse again, it's likely neither of them will leave here alive today.

Xuanzi took a deep breath and said solemnly, "We will give you a satisfactory answer in three days."

"Very good." The demonic serpent nodded, its massive body slowly writhing to make way. "Get out of here. Remember, if I don't see a reply in three days, or if you dare to try anything funny, the Star Dou Great Forest will become a forbidden zone for humans."

After saying that, it turned and crawled back into the depths of the forest, and the terrifying aura dissipated, leaving behind only a mess of poisonous swamps and a ground corroded and pitted.

Old Song and Xuanzi supported each other as they staggered out of the Starry Sky Forest.

The two remained silent throughout the journey, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

This trip to the stars not only resulted in a crushing defeat for them, but also forced them to agree to such harsh conditions, causing them to lose all face.

However, they also witnessed the true strength of the Star Dou Great Forest, especially the demon serpent, whose terrifying power left both of them with lingering fear.

Back at Shrek Academy, Xuanzi and Elder Song recounted the entire incident to Mu En and the other elders.

Inside the Sea God's Pavilion, all was deathly silent; everyone was stunned by the conditions proposed by the demon serpent.

"This demonic serpent is far too arrogant!" An elder slammed his fist on the table in anger. "They actually want us to hand over five Golden Spirit-Nourishing Fruits! There are only ten in ten thousand years! This is simply outrageous!"

"Calm down," Moon said in a deep voice. "The Demon Serpent's strength far exceeds our imagination. We have no bargaining power. The most important thing now is how to deal with these conditions."

An elder said worriedly, "The Golden Tree is the foundation of the academy, and these ten Golden Spirit-Nourishing Fruits are the future of the academy. Handing over five Golden Spirit-Nourishing Fruits will severely damage the academy's vitality."

"But if we don't agree, we'll be unable to enter the Star Dou Great Forest again, and our losses will only be greater," another elder said.

Moon was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Five golden spirit fruits, that's just the limit we can accept. As for the rest, we'll do as the demon serpent says."

"I will contact His Majesty of the Heavenly Dou Empire, the Douling Empire, and the Star Luo Empire to discuss the follow-up matters," Elder Song said.

"Alright." Mu En nodded. "Xuanzi, take good care of your injuries. We owe you a lot this time; otherwise, we probably wouldn't even have had a chance to negotiate."

Xuanzi gave a wry smile: "I only took a gamble. The power of that demon serpent is truly terrifying."

In the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest, four 100,000-year-old soul beasts were explaining what had happened, one after the other.

"Well done. Five Golden Spirit-Nourishing Fruits should be enough to make them bleed. Don't push them too hard. The Star Dou Great Forest is not enough to be an enemy of all mankind." Di Tian laughed when he heard their words.

"The four of you are already among the few high-end combat forces in the Star Dou Great Forest. You have indeed intimidated the humans for now, but once they realize what's happening, it won't be as effective."

Two days later, news that General Song had agreed to the conditions proposed by the Star Dou Great Forest reached Shrek Academy.

Shrek also prepared five Golden Spirit Fruits.

On the third day, Shrek Academy, as its representative, sent Xuanzi and others to deliver the Golden Spirit-Nourishing Fruit to the Star Dou Great Forest and expressed to the Star Dou Great Forest that humanity agreed to the conditions proposed by the Star Dou Great Forest.

Thus, humanity was utterly defeated.