Chapter 171 The Decisive Strike Against Xuanzi.
Xian Lin'er could tell that Xuan Zi didn't have any physical injuries; his current state seemed to be more of a mental issue.
She was naturally aware of the drawbacks of the Gluttonous Divine Ox Martial Soul, after all, many of the academy's genius students had lost their lives because of his gluttony.
Three days without food or water might not be a problem for other Title Douluos, but for Xuanzi, it was like torture.
Moreover, this arrogant and domineering Super Douluo was subdued in one move by the Sun Moon Soul Master, whom he had always looked down upon, and was imprisoned for three days without any recourse.
His dejection stemmed from the complete breakdown of his mental defenses, echoing Kong Deming's words—he was torturing himself.
"Elder Xuan!"
Xianlin called out. Although she was still dissatisfied with his reckless behavior and the things he had done, she felt extremely heavy-hearted seeing his current disheveled appearance. After all, this was a disgrace to Shrek Academy.
Xuanzi was brought back to his senses by her voice. His unfocused gaze gradually sharpened, and he saw Xian Lin'er in front of him, as well as Kong Deming on the other side.
All the anger, frustration, and overwhelming hatred that had accumulated during the three days of imprisonment and suppression found an outlet, like magma beneath a dormant volcano.
"Kong...De...Ming…"
A hoarse roar, like that of a wounded beast, escaped from Xuanzi's throat.
He suddenly straightened his hunched back. Although he looked disheveled and his face was sallow, a terrifying fierce light burst forth from his bloodshot eyes.
Even though he was imprisoned for three days, he was still a level 98 Super Douluo.
The terrifying aura erupted like a bursting dam.
The soul-guided lights in the conference room shook violently, the walls hummed, and the air instantly became incredibly heavy, as if it had materialized, making it hard to breathe.
A violent, earthy-yellow soul force surged wildly around him, and the phantom of the Gluttonous Divine Ox appeared and disappeared.
He stared intently at Kong Deming, his eyes filled with a look of rage that seemed to want to devour him alive.
"Elder Xuan! No!"
Xian Lin'er was extremely anxious and suddenly stood up, exclaiming in alarm.
If Xuanzi makes a move now, all her previous efforts may be in vain.
Moreover, even in his prime, Xuanzi was no match for Kong Deming. Now, his condition is extremely poor, and his soul power is weak. He is clearly all bark and no bite. If he makes a move, wouldn't he be courting death?
However, just as Xuanzi's violent aura was about to reach its peak, and he was about to unleash his attack without regard for anything else...
Kong Deming finally spoke again.
His voice remained calm, without even raising its volume, as if stating a simple fact, yet carrying a chilling quality capable of freezing the soul: "It seems... you still want to be locked up again!"
It was a casual remark, without even a hint of threat.
But for Xuanzi, who had just escaped from the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, this sentence was like a hammer blow to his mind.
The violent aura surrounding Xuanzi suddenly froze, and his vast soul power dissipated like a punctured balloon.
In his bloodshot eyes, anger and murderous intent receded like a tide, replaced by an undisguised fear and lingering dread.
That fierce, desperate aura vanished instantly, and Xuanzi's tall body visibly trembled, as if he had only just truly come to his senses.
Xian Lin'er quickly stepped forward and helped Xuan Zi, who looked like he was about to fall.
Having regained his senses, Xuanzi looked at Xian Lin'er and asked, "Lin'er, why did you come here?"
Xianlin'er was speechless. She wondered how she had gotten here. Wasn't it all for you?
Although Xuanzi is always impulsive and reckless like a brute, he is able to cultivate to level 98, and his thinking is sometimes quite quick.
"You've come to save me?" Xuanzi realized the reason and quickly asked, "What conditions did you agree to?"
Xian Lin'er didn't want to cause any more trouble in this matter, so she said in a deep voice, "Elder Xuan, the matter has been settled, so you don't need to worry about it anymore."
Xuanzi was displeased upon hearing this and immediately said, "What do you mean I don't need to care? This matter started because of me, and I can't let the academy suffer losses because of me..."
Xuanzi was interrupted by Xianlin'er halfway through his sentence.
"Elder Xuan!"
Xian Lin'er's tone was much stronger, and Xuanzi could hear the obvious anger and even resentment in her words.
"You are the most important person to the academy right now. We will bring you back to the academy no matter what it takes!"
Seeing that Xuanzi seemed about to speak again, her face darkened, and she no longer gave this senior academy a friendly look.
"This is Elder Mu's instruction!"
That one sentence was the decisive blow!
In the entire Shrek Academy, only Moon could keep Xuanzi in check.
As expected, after hearing this, Xuanzi fell silent and did not speak again.
At the same time, Xian Lin'er also noticed that Xuan Zi lowered his head dejectedly, as if he was deeply mired in self-reproach.
Seeing this, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least Xuanzi looked like he wouldn't cause any more trouble.
Xian Lin'er looked at Kong Deming and said earnestly, "Your Majesty Silver Moon, I will have Shrek Academy prepare the soul bone and send it over as soon as possible. During this time, I hope Your Majesty will treat Elder Xuan well."
Upon hearing Xian Lin'er mention "soul bone," Xuan Zi couldn't help but tremble, finally understanding the price he had paid for being released.
Kong Deming's reply, however, was unexpected by both of them.
"Now that I have released Xuanzi, I have no intention of letting him stay in Sun and Moon."
Even Xuanzi, who was bowing his head and filled with self-reproach, couldn't help but look up at Kong Deming.
Xian Lin'er had some guesses in her mind, but she wasn't sure, so she couldn't help but ask, "What does Your Majesty Silver Moon mean by this?"
Kong Deming said calmly, "You can take Xuanzi back to Shrek Academy directly, just don't forget the soul bone you promised to send."
The reason why Xuanzi is in such a dejected state is because he spent most of the three days inside the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield attacking and trying to escape.
After Kong Deming removed his battle armor, his soul power dropped to level 95. He kept Xuanzi trapped inside the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, which wasn't easy for him either.
Upon hearing Kong Deming's words, both Xuanzi and Xianlin'er couldn't help but show expressions of surprise. They hadn't expected Kong Deming to let Xianlin'er take Xuanzi away so readily; wasn't that incredibly generous?
Even Xian Lin'er suspected that some kind of method had been "planted" in Xuan Zi's body.
She asked tentatively, "Your Majesty Silver Moon, aren't you worried that we won't send the soul bone over after we return to Shrek Academy?"
"I'm still willing to believe Shrek's promises, but..."
Kong Deming suddenly smiled and waved his hand. A spatial rift suddenly opened above everyone's heads, and a crystal ball the size of a fist jumped out of the space and slowly fell into Kong Deming's hand.
Xianlin'er, the dean of the Soul Guidance Department, actually does not know how to make soul tools.
However, through years of exposure, his understanding of soul tools far surpasses that of many original Soul Masters from Douluo Three Kingdoms.
She immediately recognized the crystal ball in Kong Deming's hand as a soul tool with unknown functions, and the answer she sought was likely related to it.
As Kong Deming infused his soul power, the crystal ball in his hand suddenly lit up with a bright light, and then projected a light screen into the sky.
"Dean Xianlin'er has come from afar, so I won't bother with formalities. I'm sure your academy's teacher, Wang Yan, has already conveyed my message."
"Tell me, what price is Shrek Academy prepared to pay to redeem your Sea God Pavilion's Vice Pavilion Master?"
Kong Deming clearly didn't speak, but the voice that had once come from his mouth suddenly echoed in the conference room.
The light screen on their crystal ball was playing a video of the negotiations that began not long ago.
Kong Deming stopped injecting soul power, the light screen above the crystal ball disappeared, and the echoing sound stopped abruptly.
At this moment, he spoke up: "This is a recording and image-preserving soul tool. Everything that just happened here has been preserved."
"If you don't deliver the soul bone at the agreed price, then I think many people would be willing to see this kind of footage."
This is a blatant threat. Spreading the story of Shrek Academy paying with soul bones to redeem Xuanzi would undoubtedly have a huge impact on Shrek's reputation!
Actually, this soul tool was a little gadget that Kong Deming cobbled together at Kong Xuan's suggestion, and it turns out that it can actually be quite effective in certain situations.
For example, right now.
Xian Lin'er's expression grew even more serious as she said, "We will send the soul bone over, but how can Your Majesty Silver Moon guarantee that this image will not be leaked?"
Kong Deming, too lazy to waste words, said, "If I say I won't, then I won't. You have no right to negotiate now!"
Xian Lin'er suppressed the bitterness in her heart, only to feel a chill sweep over her entire body.
She took a deep breath and said, "I hope Her Majesty the Silver Moon will keep her promise."
Now that she has achieved her goal, she doesn't want to stay here for another second.
However, just as she was about to leave with Xuanzi, a sudden change occurred, causing everyone present to change their expressions instantly.
(End of chapter)