Facing a group of aggressive humans, Tom and Jerry swallowed hard, glanced at Shen An, and took a deep breath, puffing out their little chests as if to psych themselves up.
Protecting their master was their duty, and they wouldn't shirk it.
Dai Mubai's cold, sinister eyes gleamed as he suddenly attacked. "I'll throw you out of Heaven Dou Academy right now!"
Although he knew he wasn't a match for Shen An, with the Shrek teachers and the three Heaven Dou faculty members present, Dai Mubai felt confident. He didn't believe Shen An would dare to harm him.
Now was the perfect time for revenge.
Bang!
A flash of cyan light, and Dai Mubai was sent flying.
Wait, he actually dared to attack?
Zhilin, furious, shouted, "The Shrek teachers and students are our guests at Heaven Dou. How dare you, an ignorant brat, attack them so recklessly!"
A celestial blue vine appeared in the air, its color as crystalline as jade, writhing like a serpent as it lashed toward Shen An.
The sound was like thunder. Seeing the fierce attack, Shen An immediately activated his soul rings—one yellow and two purple. His Azure Sword Eyes activated, allowing him to finally track the vine's movements.
The pressure Zhilin exerted on Shen An was second only to that of the Titan Giant Ape. This was a direct confrontation, unlike the instructional sparring with Chen Xin. Shen An didn't dare to be careless. The Nine-Leaf Sword Grass shone brightly, ready to cut through the attack.
But Tom and Jerry reacted faster than Shen An. The two little creatures' reaction speeds were unpredictable.
Take Tom, for example. Based on his animated antics, if Tom was calm and prepared, he could even smash a falling meteor. But if he was panicked and thought he couldn't do it, he couldn't even dodge a falling tree.
This time, with Shen An's safety at stake, failure wasn't an option for Tom. He had to succeed.
Tom fired six shots in rapid succession. Six round bullets, carrying immense force, shot toward the celestial blue vine.
Biu~ Biu~ Biu~
What happened next left Zhilin dumbfounded. The celestial blue vine, as if alive, twitched uncontrollably upon being hit, writhing in the air as if in pain.
Zhilin was momentarily dazed. This didn't make sense. Did my celestial blue vine gain sentience? But how could such a light attack cause such a violent reaction? How am I supposed to fight like this?
Thud~
A slight pain brought Zhilin back to reality. He looked down and saw a small, round cannonball had hit him right in the groin.
It turned out that when Jerry heard Tom's gunshots, he panicked and lit the fuse. In his haste, the cannon's angle shifted, resulting in a direct hit to Zhilin's sensitive area.
The cannonball, resembling a steel sphere, continued to spin and rub against Zhilin's pants. Of course, with the physical resilience of a Soul Douluo, no real damage was done.
But~ the damage was minimal, yet the humiliation was maximum~.
Zhilin felt utterly humiliated. In front of everyone, a dignified Soul Douluo had been hit in such a vulnerable spot by a mere mouse using a strange weapon.
Zhilin glared furiously at Jerry. "Damn rat, I'll grind you to dust!"
By now, the celestial blue vine had recovered and lashed out at Jerry like a green whip. Seeing the danger, Jerry quickly turned and ran.
Jerry's short legs spun rapidly in the air, propelling him into a blur of brown as he dashed away. The celestial blue vine whipped through the air, cracking loudly, but every time Zhilin thought he had Jerry, the mouse would dodge at the last moment, always by a hair's breadth.
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San watched with gleaming eyes. Yes, just like that! Keep escalating the conflict!
Meng Shenji and Bai Baoshan, however, were displeased. Zhilin's repeated failures were an embarrassment to the three faculty members.
Meng Shenji's body suddenly became ethereal, transforming into a dark shadow. Thick black mist rose from his feet as his eight soul rings—two yellow, three purple, and three black—appeared.
Bai Baoshan also released his martial soul, holding a golden, glowing cauldron.
The two shouted in unison, "Enough! End this farce!"
With three Soul Douluos attacking simultaneously, the sheer pressure was overwhelming, not just for Shen An, who was directly facing it, but even for the Shrek group, who felt suffocated.
A green light suddenly appeared, shielding Shen An and blocking the terrifying force.
"You're right. It's time to end this farce. How dare you mess with my granddaughter's savior? You three old fools have no idea what you're dealing with!"
A cold, stern voice echoed through the air. Meng Shenji and the other two felt a chill run down their spines, as if a venomous snake was watching them from the shadows. The three immediately stood back-to-back.
"Who's there?"
The green light faded, revealing an old man in plain gray robes, his messy green hair sticking out in all directions. Meng Shenji and the others gasped, momentarily speechless.
They saw nine soul rings circling the man. A Titled Douluo!!!
Even as three Soul Douluos above level 80, they had no confidence in facing him.
The gap between a Soul Douluo and a Titled Douluo, though just one rank, was like heaven and earth.
Yu Xiaogang, who had been gleefully watching Shen An and his group about to suffer, was now shocked and panicked. A Titled Douluo had appeared out of nowhere!
Green hair, a pungent, snake-like aura—Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but exclaim, "You're the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo!"
Meng Shenji was startled. The Poison Douluo was not someone to be trifled with. Although his soul power was the lowest among Titled Douluos, his mastery of poison was unparalleled. Moreover, he was notoriously unscrupulous.
Most soul masters, especially Titled Douluos, cared about their reputation and rarely stooped to dealing with weaker opponents. But Dugu Bo was different. If you crossed him, he would genuinely bully you, like a venomous snake, making your life miserable.
Meng Shenji quickly apologized, "Lord Dugu, please forgive us. We didn't know this person had ties to you. We acted rashly to protect our guests from Shrek Academy. Please, forgive us."
Dugu Bo let out a sinister laugh, his cold green eyes fixed on Yu Xiaogang. "I didn't expect anyone to recognize me. Are you a teacher from Shrek?"
Yu Xiaogang, trying to remain calm, said, "I am the theoretical teacher at Shrek Academy, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang."
Dugu Bo sneered, "Grandmaster? More like the clown of the soul master world."
Yu Xiaogang's face turned red and then pale. He angrily retorted, "My theories are flawless. Even as a Titled Douluo, you have no right to insult me!"
Flender, meanwhile, was filled with dread. This was a Titled Douluo! Whatever he says, we should just listen! Why is my old friend still arguing? He's really not thinking straight.
Flender stepped forward, blocking Dugu Bo's gaze, and bowed. "Lord Dugu, I am Flender, the headmaster of Shrek Academy. I apologize on behalf of my colleague.
Today was all a misunderstanding. Let's just end this here, shall we? The three faculty members acted out of concern for our students, which is why they intervened against Shen An."
Dugu Bo sneered, "You think it's that easy to walk away? My granddaughter's savior isn't someone you can just bully and then say 'let's call it even.'"
As Dugu Bo spoke, the phantom of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor appeared behind him. His emerald-green eyes glowed ominously, as if ready to devour someone whole.