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*****
In the Sun and Moon Empire's Royal Soul Master Academy, inside a hospital room, Ji Juechen, who had been unconscious for months, suddenly opened his eyes one day.
"What happened to me...?" he asked as he struggled to sit up in bed. His whole body ached, his head throbbed, and his mouth tasted like something had died in it.
"Juechen, you're awake!"
Jing Ziyan, who had been dozing by the bedside, noticed the movement and immediately jumped up. When she saw Ji Juechen sitting upright, her drowsiness vanished, replaced by tears of joy. She hugged him without hesitation.
"Ziyan?"
Ji Juechen was briefly disoriented by her reaction, but he remembered something. He had been injured in a massive explosion.
Jing Ziyan remained in his embrace and quickly explained the entire story of the explosion in Mingdu. She mentioned the unknown Master Wuya, who was the manager of the Soul Guidance Device Store, and how Huo Yuhao had taken a group of Soul Masters away after Ji Juechen had slipped into a coma.
"So you're saying the explosion was caused by the Sun and Moon royal family's pressure on Master Wuya?"
After piecing everything together, Ji Juechen sighed and shook his head. He recalled passing by the Soul Guidance Device Store Manager a few times. The shop's owner was a charming young man. How did he turn out to be Master Wuya? Could they be the same person?
Ji Juechen couldn't figure it out, so he decided not to dwell on it.
"Juechen, before Huo Yuhao left, he asked me to tell you that if you ever want to join him, the gates of Shrek Academy would be open to both of us."
Jing Ziyan's voice was gentle, almost like a whisper.
"Shrek? No way."
Ji Juechen's response was immediate. Although people called him the "Sword Maniac," he wasn't foolish. Huo Yuhao's invitation was clearly an attempt to recruit him. He had no interest in becoming someone's lackey.
A swordsman should wield his blade freely, roaming the world at will.
If Huo Yuhao had invited him in person, he might've found it harder to refuse. But just a message? He wouldn't cross an empire to join someone he barely knew.
"What should we do now?" Jing Ziyan asked softly. She didn't want to be apart from Ji Juechen for even a moment.
"Train," Ji Juechen said, gently stroking her hair. His eyes sparkled with resolve. After months of recovery, he was more than ready to fight again!
For several days after awakening, Ji Juechen focused on regaining his strength with the help of the academy's instructors. Once he felt stronger, he took Jing Ziyan with him to the Evil Eye Forest.
The Evil Eye Forest is known as one of the most dangerous soul beast territories in the Sun and Moon Empire, attracting countless soul masters eager to hone their skills. For Ji Juechen, the forest was the perfect place to challenge himself, pushing the boundaries of his swordsmanship through life-and-death battles.
But that day, several unexpected figures appeared in the skies above the Evil Eye Forest.
"Wuya, this forest is vast, filled with various soul beasts, including some mighty ones that have lived for over 100,000 years. However, the Evil Eye Tyrant rules this territory, with a soul power that surpasses 800,000 years."
Shui Yuanchen explained as he floated in the sky, with Shui Wuya and Snow emperor, a small girl with a fierce aura, by his side. Their group had left Ice Phoenix Valley and traveled for several days to reach the Sun and Moon Empire, ultimately arriving at the Evil Eye Forest.
"Thank you, Uncle," Shui Wuya replied, his understanding of the Evil Eye Tyrant deepening. He glanced toward the forest's core, where the group was headed. Their goal was to subdue the Evil Eye Tyrant. The thought of confronting an 800,000-year-old soul beast filled him with a mix of anxiety and excitement.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed from below, interrupting Shui Wuya's thoughts. The sound was intense and came from a soul beast in the forest.
"Hmm?"
The group immediately turned their attention downward. Between the tall trees, they saw two bloodied soul masters—a man and a woman—locked in a brutal battle with a massive soul beast.
The soul beast was a stormwind double-Headed Wolf, its body imposing and its age estimated at around 50,000 years. As it released a flurry of wind blades, the two soul masters were clearly struggling to defend themselves.
"Ziyan, you go! I'll hold it off!"
The young man wielding a sword of judgment was Ji Juechen, who had brought Jing Ziyan to the Evil Eye Forest to train. Despite his best efforts, he was barely keeping the wolf's onslaught at bay.
"I'm not leaving! If we die, we die together!"
Jing Ziyan, wearing a purple dress, stood beside Ji Juechen, her expression resolute as she attacked with her soul power.
Her words warmed Ji Juechen's heart, even in the direst of circumstances. Having a wife like her was all he could ask for.
They had entered the Evil Eye Forest for training, successfully defeating many thousand-year-old soul beasts. But then, this 50,000-year-old stormwind double-Headed Wolf appeared. The battle had raged for two days and two nights, with Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan exhausting nearly all their resources.
Had Ji Juechen not broken through to the 70th level, reaching the rank of Soul saint, they would've been torn apart by the stormwind double-Headed Wolf by now.
"Roar!"
The stormwind double-Headed Wolf roared again, its eyes blazing red. It had lost all sense of reason, driven by a single instinct: to tear apart the two soul masters in front of it.
The wolf prepared to unleash its most powerful attack. It gathered all its soul power into its two massive mouths, readying to fire twin beams of destructive energy at Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan.
Seeing this, Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan focused their remaining strength to defend against the incoming attack.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The two energy beams crashed into them, causing a massive explosion in the forest. Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan managed to withstand the onslaught for just a few seconds before the beams overwhelmed them, engulfing them in blinding light.
When the energy beams dissipated, both Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan fell heavily to the ground, severely injured and coughing up blood. Their faces were as pale as death.
"Juechen!"
As the stormwind double-Headed Wolf slowly approached with its blood-drenched jaws, Jing Ziyan struggled to crawl over to Ji Juechen's side. A grim smile spread across her lips.
They knew this was the end. Ji Juechen held his sword in one hand and wrapped his other arm around Jing Ziyan. Despite their dire situation, he didn't speak, focusing his energy on gathering the last of his strength.
Ji Juechen was determined to die fighting, sword in hand. He would not go down without a final stand.
"Roar!"
The wolf's murderous roar sent birds flying from the treetops and caused smaller beasts to scatter in all directions.
Shui Wuya frowned as he listened to Snow emperor's interpretation of the roar. "All humans are my dinner," it said.
The wolf, drooling with anticipation, was now just a few feet from Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan.
Just when it seemed all hope was lost, a voice thundered from the skies, a single word, but with the force of a god's wrath:
"Begone!"
The voice's sheer power sent shockwaves through the forest. Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan felt a surge of dread in their hearts. The stormwind double-Headed Wolf, just about to lunge, suddenly stopped in its tracks. A look of unease crossed its crimson eyes.
"Roar!"
The wolf quickly looked up, sensing a formidable presence in the sky. It let out a low growl, its confidence wavering.
Then the voice spoke again, even more thunderous than before:
"Silence, wretched beast!"
In an instant, three figures appeared in the sky above the forest: Shui Wuya, Shui Yuanchen, and Snow emperor.
(End of Chapter)