Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King - [DD2]: 50

“Boom!”

An explosion echoed through the sky.

Terrifying pressure instantly descended from the heavens, dissipating only about a hundred meters above the ground. The overwhelming force flattened the clouds within a hundred-mile radius.

One combatant was the Bear Lord, a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear with unparalleled attack power. The other was a genuine Super Douluo, slightly below peak level, but still at Rank 98.

The clash between man and beast was anything but quiet!

“Bang!”

With another explosion, the Godly Taotie Bull was sent flying. The dark gold giant bear grinned wickedly and charged forward once again.

At that moment, countless yellow orbs of light formed behind the Godly Taotie Bull, raining down wildly toward the advancing bear. The dark-gold giant bear roared into the sky and swiped its paw, shredding the light orbs apart as it forcefully advanced, closing in on the Godly Taotie Bull.

In the next moment, the two massive creatures violently collided again. From a distance, it looked like two enormous globes of light repeatedly crashing into each other.

…

Lake of Life

Di Tian stood with his hands behind his back, watching the battle in the sky with a calm expression. Behind him, most of the soul beast kings had already gathered.

“What’s wrong with Bear Lord? Did he take the wrong medicine? Why is he fighting that old geezer from Shrek Academy?”

Zi Ji twirled a strand of her purple hair, a hint of confusion showing on her charming face.

“Yeah, isn’t that guy always sleeping? What’s gotten him so excited all of a sudden?” the Myriad Demon King chimed in.

They all knew Bear Lord’s personality well. Among the beast kings of the Star Dou Forest, aside from Di Tian, Bear Lord was the strongest. Fighting Di Tian was asking for a beating, and none of the others could match him. So, Bear Lord spent most of his time sleeping. Today’s events genuinely took them by surprise.

“This has something to do with the Young Master,” Bi Ji said at an opportune moment.

“The Young Master? Could this be the Young Master’s arrangement?”

The other beast kings, including Zi Ji, were immediately intrigued.

“Did the Young Master take a disliking to Shrek Academy?”

“Or did Shrek Academy somehow offend the Young Master?”

The beast kings began to speculate.

“If it’s the Young Master’s decision, should we help Bear Lord and take care of that old man?”

Zi Ji made a cutting gesture across her neck, her beautiful eyes filled with killing intent. Initially, she didn’t care much and was merely watching the show. But if it was Su Yu’s will, she was more than ready to act. Anything Su Yu disliked should be eliminated!

“Zi Ji’s right. I’ve disliked that old man for a long time. Why not take this chance to kill him?”

The Scarlet King’s three heads glowed with eerie light, radiating intense murderous intent. Shrek Academy was annoying to begin with, and this old geezer was the most annoying of all. If the opportunity arose, he wouldn’t mind teaming up with Bear Lord to finish him off.

“Don’t talk nonsense. If we kill him, Shrek Academy might get desperate,” Bi Ji said with a faint smile.

“Let them get desperate if they want. It’s just Shrek Academy. Does that so-called Dragon God Douluo even dare to come to Star Dou Forest? He’s just flaunting his power because of the Golden Tree. Without that, what is he?”

Zi Ji’s face turned cold, her charming expression gone, replaced by murderous intent.

The title of Dragon God—was that something that cripple old man could bear? Only the Young Master was worthy of such a title!

“Enough. Don’t overthink it. You don’t need to interfere,” Di Tian finally spoke.

“Di Tian!”

Zi Ji pouted, showing rare dissatisfaction.

Di Tian’s expression didn’t change as he calmly said, “Don’t mess up the Young Master’s plan.”

That one sentence immediately calmed the other beast kings.

“What exactly is the Young Master’s plan?” the Myriad Demon King asked. His temperament was more stable, and his mind sharper. Unlike impulsive types like the Scarlet King, he remained clear-headed. In the Star Dou Forest, the Myriad Demon King was known for his cunning.

“We don’t know the Young Master’s plan either,” Bi Ji said with a wry smile.

“All he did was provoke Bear Lord a bit. Nothing else.”

The other beast kings blinked in confusion.

“It’s precisely because we don’t know the Young Master’s intentions that we shouldn’t interfere. Since the Young Master arranged for Bear Lord to act, let him handle it,” Di Tian said firmly.

“But Bear Lord might not be able to kill that old man,” the Scarlet King grumbled, somewhat unwilling.

“Is it possible the Young Master doesn’t intend for that old man to die so easily?” the Myriad Demon King suddenly suggested.

“Ah… this…”

His comment sparked a new line of thought.

It seemed plausible.

Zi Ji blinked her beautiful eyes, thinking about Su Yu’s personality. She realized that it was entirely possible. Su Yu wasn’t as innocent as he appeared on the surface. Could it be that he wanted to crush both the body and spirit? Once wasn’t enough, so it had to be done multiple times.

(Su Yu: You’ve got me all figured out~)

As the beast kings let their imaginations run wild, Bi Ji smiled slightly before turning to Di Tian.

“Di Tian, will Bear Lord’s rash actions have any negative consequences? For example, will it affect the relationship between the soul beast race and the humans?”

“One Xuan Zi doesn’t represent the human race. Besides, the agreement we made was that humans wouldn’t come to the Star Dou Forest to hunt hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, and we wouldn’t launch beast tides,” Di Tian replied.

“But have they kept that agreement? Star Dou Forest still has hundred-thousand-year soul beasts being secretly hunted. Now that the Young Master wants to deal with Xuan Zi, we can use this opportunity to intimidate the humans.”

“Those humans have made a habit of breaking their word. Hmph!”

Di Tian snorted, expressing his dissatisfaction.

He hadn’t spoken up before, but that didn’t mean he lacked an opinion. Their soul beasts had honored the agreement, but the humans had not taken it seriously. This time, they’d use Bear Lord to show the humans that the Star Dou Forest had its fury. Xuan Zi would be the sacrificial lamb.

“You have a point,” Bi Ji nodded slightly. Humans had indeed broken the agreement multiple times. They couldn’t blame the soul beasts for retaliating now.

Di Tian was about to say more when his brow suddenly furrowed.

Bi Ji noticed immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

“That little girl is in danger.”

“Which little girl?”

Bi Ji asked, puzzled.

“Who else?”

“Could it be her?”

“Yeah. The people she brought have run into another soul beast group. It seems they’re suffering casualties again.”

“They’re just humans. If they die, they die,” the Scarlet King casually remarked.

“You don’t know anything!”

Di Tian shot the Scarlet King a stern look, his authoritative gaze immediately silencing him.

“This young girl shares a deep connection with the Young Master. She is the only person in the human world that the Young Master truly cares about.”

“If something happens to her in the Star Dou Forest, how will I explain it to the Young Master?”

“None of us can bear the Young Master’s wrath.”

Di Tian’s tone was severe.

He understood just how much Su Yu cared about this young girl. If anything happened to her, there was no telling what Su Yu might do. It was entirely possible that Su Yu would become dissatisfied with the Soul Beast race because of it.

Such an outcome was something Di Tian absolutely could not allow. Even if Su Yu were to kill him, that would be fine. But if Su Yu lost faith in the soul beast race, there would be no redemption for them, no matter how many times Di Tian died.

“Di Tian is right. The Young Master regards this girl as family. She cannot be compared to other humans,” Bi Ji added at the right moment.

Their words made the other beast kings fall silent.

When it came to matters involving Su Yu, there was no such thing as being too careful.

“The girl the Young Master considers family… I’m curious to see what makes this little human so special!”

Zi Ji laughed charmingly.

“There will be opportunities in the future. This girl is indeed quite remarkable,” Bi Ji smiled gently and glanced at Di Tian.

“If I remember correctly, she should have reached Rank 80 by now.”

“At twenty-three years old and already at Rank 80, her talent is quite impressive. She might even be able to assist the Young Master.”

“I understand.”

Hearing Bi Ji’s words, Di Tian nodded, fully grasping her meaning.

In the next moment, Di Tian’s figure vanished from where he stood.

At the Lake of Life, only a few beast kings remained, standing in silence.

…

“Ruoruo, take Hua Yao and the others and leave first. I’ll cover the rear.”

Bathed in silver moonlight, Zhang Lexuan’s face was solemn as she called out to Han Ruoruo beside her.

It was truly a case of misfortune piling on. When you’re down on your luck, even drinking cold water can choke you.

While retreating, their group had run into trouble once again. Although the soul beasts they encountered this time weren’t as terrifying as the ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, they were still quite troublesome. This time, they were dealing with Bloodmeld Serpents.

Bloodmeld Serpents, though only low-level soul beasts, were among the most difficult creatures to deal with in that category. They were even more terrifying than Datura Snakes.

Bloodmeld Serpents were blood-red and loved to burrow through the earth, making them incredibly good at hiding. They were generally small in size— even a ten-thousand-year Bloodmeld Serpent was only about two meters long, with a slender body, making them even harder to detect.

They moved like the wind, their bodies covered in dense red scales that were incredibly tough, impervious to blades. Even a sharp sword striking them would only produce sparks. Moreover, their venom was just as dangerous as the Datura Snake’s. While the Datura Snake had a neurotoxin, the Bloodmeld Serpent’s venom was corrosive, much like strong sulfuric acid. Once its venom touched human skin, it would corrode rapidly.

The Bloodmeld Serpent earned its name because those poisoned by it would eventually dissolve into a pool of blood. Most deadly of all, Bloodmeld Serpents were social creatures. Where there was one, there was always a group!

Zhang Lexuan and the others had accidentally entered the territory of these serpents while retreating. This area was home to hundreds, if not thousands, of Bloodmeld Serpents. It’s easy to imagine the horror the Shrek inner court disciples faced when they encountered such an attack without warning.

Three inner court students were bitten by dozens of Bloodmeld Serpents simultaneously, succumbing to the venom instantly and dissolving into pools of blood without a trace of bones.

Zhang Lexuan, Han Ruoruo, and Wu Ming being stronger, reacted quickly and avoided the first wave of attacks. Hua Yao also survived thanks to Zhang Lexuan’s protection. However, the situation remained dire. They had unwittingly entered a Bloodmeld Serpent nest and were now surrounded by these terrifying creatures.

Bloodmeld Serpents had a strong sense of territoriality, and leaving wouldn’t be easy.

“Senior sister, we can’t leave! What about you if we go?”

Wu Ming asked anxiously.

Golden-red flames flared from her body, burning several Bloodmeld Serpents to ash.

“If you leave, I can escape more easily. If we all stay here, once our soul power runs out, we’ll all die,” Zhang Lexuan replied. Around her, crescent-shaped blades hovered in the air, slicing through the Bloodmeld Serpents. The ground around her had been thoroughly plowed, creating some distance from the snakes.

“Senior sister!”

“Ming’er, listen to me. You can fly, so carry Ruoruo and Hua Yao out of here. Ruoruo, you must protect them both,” Zhang Lexuan ordered again.

Wu Ming wanted to protest, but Han Ruoruo stopped her.

“I understand. Ming’er, don’t let all of Lexuan’s efforts go to waste. Let’s go!”

Han Ruoruo commanded sharply, snapping Wu Ming out of her hesitation.

Tears welled in Wu Ming’s eyes.

“Senior sister, you have to come back safely.”

“Silly Ming’er, don’t worry, I will,” Zhang Lexuan smiled reassuringly.

With tears streaming down her face, Wu Ming didn’t hesitate any longer. She grabbed Han Ruoruo and Hua Yao, and with a flap of her golden wings, shot into the sky.

The surrounding Bloodmeld Serpents instantly went into a frenzy, leaping up to attack the escaping trio. Zhang Lexuan unleashed a barrage of crescent moon blades, clearing a path for them. Eventually, Wu Ming successfully ascended and swiftly flew away into the distance.

With the three of them gone, the remaining Bloodmeld Serpents turned their attention back to Zhang Lexuan. One by one, they surged toward her from all directions.

In mere moments, Zhang Lexuan was surrounded by a dense swarm of Bloodmeld Serpents. Moreover, their movements were coordinated, as if someone were commanding them.

Zhang Lexuan immediately realized that there was at least one ten-thousand-year Bloodmeld Serpent King among them. It was the Serpent King’s leadership that made these creatures attack with such precision, like soldiers following orders.

“This is going to be a tough fight,” Zhang Lexuan muttered bitterly. If it were any other low-level soul beasts surrounding her, she wouldn’t be worried. After all, her strength was formidable. But against these venomous creatures, even she had her concerns. The Bloodmeld Serpents’ venom, which could corrode flesh upon contact, was extremely troublesome.

Though most of these serpents were only thousand-year beasts, they were still incredibly dangerous. And to make matters worse, the ten-thousand-year Bloodmeld Serpent King was lurking somewhere in the shadows. If it managed to bite her, she might meet her end here.

“Come on, you beasts! If you want my life, it won’t be that easy. I still want to live long enough to see Xiao Yu,” Zhang Lexuan shouted defiantly as radiant silver light erupted from her body. Her martial soul unleashed beams of moonlight that obliterated the surrounding Bloodmeld Serpents.