Chapter 221: Susanoo - Fifth Stage

In the secluded back mountain, rows of trees rustled quietly, their roots digging deep into the earth as a narrow dirt path wound its way through.

At the foot of the mountain, two figures radiating powerful auras swiftly ascended, leaping to the summit in no time.

"Chen Xuan! It really is you, you bastard—you're not dead!" Flender and Liu Erlong appeared, their faces twisted with rage, murderous intent blazing in their eyes.

Sensing Chen Xuan's aura, they had immediately contacted the imperial forces and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, but chose to confront him themselves first.

"I heard from Xiao San that you were still alive—I thought it was a joke. But here you are, traitor, still breathing. What a fucking curse. You ruined my daughter, Xiao Wu! You don't deserve to exist in this world!" Liu Erlong's eyes burned with fury, her chest heaving with unrestrained anger as she glared at Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan gently released Jiangzhu from his embrace, pulling her behind him to shield her from the confrontation.

"You little shit, after suffering such severe injuries back then, you still managed to survive? Heaven really has no eyes, sparing a bastard like you!" Flender roared, hurling curses into the air.

Years had passed, and whatever shred of teacher-student bond they'd once shared with Chen Xuan was long gone, replaced only by hatred—hatred for the death of Xiao Gang, for the demon who stole their master from them forever.

"Chen Xuan, why the hell are you still alive?! Tell me—what did you do to Xiao Wu?!" Liu Erlong's fury erupted, her soul power surging wildly as she pointed a trembling finger at him.

Flender's glare was just as fierce. His soul power exploded outward, revealing his martial spirit—Four-Eyed Owl—hovering ominously above.

"You two are still alive, so why the hell wouldn't I be?" Chen Xuan sneered coldly. He had long since transcended his past self. His soul power had reached level 73—why would he fear them now?

Even if a Super Douluo appeared, he wouldn't be helpless. He still had the strength to fight.

Flender's expression grew darker. Chen Xuan's calm, indifferent demeanor was like a slap to the face—a blatant show of disrespect toward their strength.

Little did they know, over these past seven or eight years, Flender and Liu Erlong had both broken through to the rank of Soul Douluo. Their soul power had nearly reached level 85, second only to Ning Fengzhi within the Heaven Dou Empire.

Not just them—Zhao Wuji, the once immovable "Unmovable King," had also reached level 80, becoming a bona fide Soul Douluo.

But Chen Xuan ignored them, turning instead to Jiangzhu with a soft question. "If I destroy this academy, will you blame me?"

"Huh?" Jiangzhu's brown eyes blinked, filled with confusion. But she quickly recovered, her voice steady. "I don't know. As long as it's what you want to do, I'll support you."

"Good." With that reassurance, Chen Xuan's heart was at ease. His only concern had been whether Jiangzhu would be uncomfortable with the destruction he was about to unleash.

Being disregarded by a mere "kid" again and again made Liu Erlong and Flender's faces darken even further. The naked contempt stung.

Shrek Academy was their life's work, their pride—and this bastard dared to threaten its very existence? He was courting death.

"Arrogant little shit! You'll pay for everything today!" Flender roared, suddenly bursting forth with overwhelming power. Eight soul rings flared into existence, forming a deadly array as he launched his ultimate attack.

Fueled by blinding rage, he reached out from dozens of meters away, his palm transforming into a massive eagle claw, aiming to crush Chen Xuan in one swift move.

BOOM!

Ripples surged through the sky. A colossal yellow eagle claw materialized, descending like a mountain to crush its target.

The ground trembled with a deafening roar, as if space itself was collapsing under the sheer force of the attack.

Chen Xuan scooped Jiangzhu into his arms, lightning crackling across his body. In a flash, he vanished, leaving only arcs of electricity in his wake.

THUD!

The impact was earth-shattering. The mountaintop where Chen Xuan had just stood was obliterated, reduced to rubble. The surrounding cliffs crumbled, and boulders the size of houses tumbled down, flattening part of the forest below.

Flender's power, now bolstered by years as a Soul Douluo, was far more terrifying than it had been seven years ago. He was a force to be reckoned with, even among peers of the same rank.

"Seven or eight years have passed. Seems I'm not the only one who's grown stronger," Chen Xuan said coolly, landing gracefully on a nearby peak with Jiangzhu still in his arms. "But sadly, you're not growing fast enough."

A dragon's roar suddenly shook the heavens.

Liu Erlong had unleashed her martial spirit's true form—a blazing dragon wreathed in flames. Her body was engulfed in fire as she transformed into a massive creature, spiraling through the air.

"ROAR!"

The fire dragon, over twenty meters long, burned with fierce intensity, crashing toward Chen Xuan with devastating speed.

Unfazed, Chen Xuan created a shadow clone to carry Jiangzhu to safety, ensuring she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire.

At the same time, his Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life. A surge of overwhelming ocular power erupted, golden energy rippling outward like a tidal wave, slamming directly into the incoming fire dragon.

BOOM!

The fiery dragon was blown back before it could even make contact. Its colossal body crashed into the side of a mountain, embedding itself deep within the rock with a thunderous impact.

The backlash from her injured martial spirit made Liu Erlong's face pale. She coughed up a mouthful of blood as her aura rapidly diminished.

The once-mighty dragon, still burning with flames, visibly shrank—its robust form withering down to less than ten meters in mere seconds.

With just one clash, she had been utterly overpowered, crushed under the sheer force of Chen Xuan's ocular might.

"Erlong!" Flender screamed, flying to her side in an instant.

He cradled her trembling form, hastily feeding her a recovery pill left behind by Xiao San to restore her soul power.

Chen Xuan's expression remained cold as he watched them. He made no move to interfere. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun relentlessly, releasing even more intense waves of golden energy, rising like an unstoppable tide.

He had made a promise—to raze Shrek Academy to the ground. It was never an empty threat.

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, the earth quaked violently. The deafening roar echoed through the mountains, causing countless trees to sway as if trembling in fear.

From deep within the valley, a colossal figure began to rise—a giant, over two hundred meters tall, emerging like a god from the earth itself. Its sheer size blotted out the sun.

Its stern face glowed with crimson eyes, clad in gleaming golden armor. A massive sheathed sword hung at its waist, golden flames flickering around it. Even with the blade sheathed, the oppressive soul power it emitted was chilling.

When the giant finally stood upright, the surrounding mountains barely reached its knees. Any ordinary creature before it would seem like an insignificant ant. It was terrifying—a god-like being descended from the heavens.

In the distance, Jiangzhu stared wide-eyed, her mouth forming a perfect "O" as admiration filled her gaze.

"How... How can you possibly possess such power?" Flender's voice trembled as he gazed up at the towering figure, his pupils contracting in terror, his lips quivering uncontrollably.

The massive entity stood motionless, its solemn expression alone suffocating those who dared to look upon it.

Liu Erlong couldn't suppress the fear flooding her heart. Her face twisted with disbelief, her body trembling with dread.

They had never seen Chen Xuan wield such power before. They didn't know that during the fateful battle years ago, they had been dozens of miles away, never witnessing the true devastation of that war.

"Susanoo—Fifth Stage!" Chen Xuan stood high above, completely fused within the giant's head.

To be precise, he was somewhere between the fifth and sixth stages. He couldn't yet summon the fully completed Susanoo. If he could, its height would soar to over three hundred meters, and his power would reach an entirely new level.

"You were right," Chen Xuan's voice echoed across the mountains. "The grudges of the past—we'll settle them all today."

From this vantage point, he could see the entire Shrek Academy sprawled below, even catching a glimpse of the distant Heaven Dou Palace.

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