Chapter 261: A Thousand-Mile Pursuit!
When the blinding light flashed, Zhuo Shi vanished from inside the cabin. With an overwhelming surge of soul power, he froze the entire aircraft in midair, suspending it above the clouds.
In his mind, only one thought formed.
The Douluo Federation would never dare attack them. That left only one possible culprit—
The Holy Spirit Cult.
Evil Soul Masters!
"Jie jie jie jie…" a voice slithered through the air, thick with malice and soul-corrupting allure.
At once, Zhuo Shi's three-word battle armor clamped into place across his body. Fully armed, he launched his spiritual senses outward, scanning for the source of the attack.
The aircraft was high above the endless sea, with no land in sight—there was nowhere to land or seek cover.
Retreating now would waste precious time. Zhuo Shi quickly transmitted a distress signal to Shrek Academy, then released his martial soul.
"Cowards hiding in the shadows—how dare you act so arrogantly before me!"
"Come out!"
A distant explosion answered his roar, followed by a barrage of furious shouts and waves of soul power crashing against the air.
Boom!
Another blinding blast streaked through the sky toward them.
Zhuo Shi's patience snapped.
A Soul Cannon!
"Damn it!"
Right now, protecting the students was all that mattered.
He blocked a second barrage with his crimson barrier. Then his seventh soul ring flared to life.
"Martial Soul True Body—activate!"
Red light engulfed him, transforming him into a towering Crimson Armored Dragon. He flared his wings, flying behind the aircraft, and physically pushed the damaged soul vessel forward across the sky.
With divine force, they cut through the storm, racing across the ocean until—
Crash!
The aircraft slammed down near the coastline of the Star Luo Continent.
But by the time the Evil Soul Masters landed and reached the wreck, they found it empty.
"Damn it! They've escaped!"
"Boss, even with Shrek Academy's teacher escorting them, our cannons barely scratched them. What now?"
One of them hesitated, fear creeping into his voice.
Once, these men had slaughtered freely across the continent, fearless and cruel.
But ever since Shrek's reappearance, even the Holy Spirit Cult's branches had fled; the sub-leader, the Dark Emperor Harosa, had withdrawn.
They were only following orders this time.
The mission: avenge the Cult's humiliation after Yun Ming, the Sea God Pavilion Master, had stopped Harosa.
Why not attack the Spirit Transmission Tower?
Simple—they always struck the weakest first.
"After them!"
Meanwhile, under Zhuo Shi's protection, the students fled inland.
Flying the aircraft had cost him immense soul power. If a strong opponent appeared now, he might not be able to shield them all.
So running was the only choice.
Let pride go to hell—saving the children came first.
"Stay together! Shrek reinforcements will arrive soon!" Zhuo Shi barked, his voice gravelly but commanding.
Icy sea winds whipped at the students' faces as they stumbled forward, their uniforms soaked by salt spray.
"Teacher, maybe we should turn and fight!"
Long Yue, with his Mountain Dragon King martial soul, refused to accept retreat. His pride as one of the strongest among the young Seven Devils burned through his fear.
"Fool! Keep running!"
"Do you think you're stronger than a Title Douluo?!"
Zhuo Shi smacked the back of his head. "Don't be stupid—move!"
They had long left the shore behind. The dense tropical forest of Star Luo's coast whipped at their arms and faces, leaving scratches across their skin. Nobody cared.
This wasn't about pride.
The attackers had used a ninth-level Soul Cannon.
Zhuo Shi had sensed it in the sky—the pure destructive will of it.
A weapon powerful enough to threaten even a Title Douluo. In both the Star Luo and Douluo Federations, such a cannon was considered a strategic weapon.
How did a bunch of half-mad Evil Soul Masters get their hands on one?
Zhuo Shi's expression darkened as he ran.
His breath came heavy now, a cruel reminder of how much energy he had spent dragging that aircraft across the ocean. His crimson armor flickered, its glow dimming beneath exhaustion.
The damaged plates of his three-word armor pulsed weakly as they drew in stray strands of energy from the surroundings with a faint hum, struggling to restore even a fraction of his power.
Each breath he took was a silent calculation—how much longer could he keep protecting them?
Even if it cost his life, he would endure.
"Run faster!" he commanded, his tone brooking no argument.
His spirit perception spread outward like a storm of invisible lightning—thousands of meters in all directions, sweeping for movement.
A chilling reality hit him.
The leader of the pursuers was a Title Douluo-level Evil Soul Master.
He drew in a deep breath.
"They'll catch up in three minutes at most! Don't hold anything back—run at full speed!"
The weight of death itself seemed to follow them, pressing down on their hearts.
The weaker or support-type students were paling fast, their breathing ragged. Yet desperation drove them on.
Especially Xu Lizhi and Ye Zhi—
an auxiliary-type and a food-type. Both were trembling, their strength nearly gone.
Long Yue gritted his teeth and dashed to their side. Grabbing them by their collars—one in each hand—he hoisted them up effortlessly and kept running.
"Th-thank you, Senior!"
"I've got a Light Dumpling!" Xu Lizhi gasped, summoning a dumpling glowing with faint silver light.
He explained through panting breaths, "My second soul skill—drastically reduces weight!"
Even as he spoke, he kept producing dumplings—Light Dumplings to lighten their steps, Great Meat Buns to restore stamina and energy, healing buns for scrapes and bruises—passing them around to the others while sprinting.
He dared not imagine what would happen if those Evil Soul Masters caught up—
their vile aura reeked of blood and madness.
Everyone knew the Holy Spirit Cult's name carried one meaning only—terror.
(END CHAPTER)
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