Chapter 112: A River of Blood

A vast dragon's roar echoed through the entire underground shelter.

Dozens of people near the entrance twisted under the impact of the soundwave. The surrounding space rippled violently before exploding, and thick blood mist filled the air.

"Ah!!!"

The gruesome sight made the students deeper in the shelter scream in terror. The younger ones trembled uncontrollably.

They had trained as soul masters for nearly a decade, each a prodigy in their own right. Yet, they had never experienced such drastic highs and lows in their lives.

Their once-proud Shrek Academy had been reduced to ruins in an instant. They had barely managed to escape to the underground shelter, thinking they could finally catch their breath, only to be met with yet another nightmare.

Many among the young soul masters, unaccustomed to true adversity, had already lost all courage.

But what truly terrified them was still to come.

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, the collapsed entrance of the shelter was forcibly widened. The barriers of fused metal and concrete crumbled like sandcastles on a beach.

A massive black dragon's head thrust inside, its golden eyes gleaming with a light that seemed capable of seizing one's very soul.

The steel walls were nothing before its towering frame. Its pitch-black scales gleamed menacingly as the underground shelter's electrical system flickered erratically. Lights flashed on and off, and exposed cables sizzled with sparks.

The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King!

Every Shrek Academy student had seen this legendary dragon's image before. None were unfamiliar with the widely recognized Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King.

But those were just static murals. No matter how lifelike they were painted, they remained mere images.

In this era where soul beasts were nearly extinct and true dragons had vanished from the world, no one had ever seen such a terrifying dragon in reality.

At this moment, the only teacher who had made it to the underground shelter—Wu Zhangkong—instantly activated his martial soul. A sky-blue longsword appeared in his grasp, its bone-chilling coldness keeping his mind clear as he barely resisted the oppressive dragon's aura.

"Wu Siduo, Xu Yucheng, Luo Guixing, Yang Nianxia, Zheng Yiran…"

Wu Zhangkong urgently called out a string of names. These were all One-Word Battle Armor Masters—the few among them who had not been completely paralyzed by fear.

Under his command, over a dozen students made their final stand.

"Formation 3533, prepare to—"

Yet before he could even finish his order, Di Tian, in his Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King form, struck like an unstoppable force.

His massive body surged forward, sweeping through the underground shelter. The force of his movement sent everyone flying, leaving sonic booms in his wake.

Then, one by one, blossoms of blood-red mist bloomed in mid-air, resembling crimson roses in full bloom.

The grand formation of over ten One-Word Battle Armor Masters made no difference.

The only distinction was that their blood roses were even more radiant and brilliant than the others.

For Di Tian, exterminating the last remaining seeds of Shrek Academy was nothing more than a casual afterthought.

His true purpose in coming to the underground shelter was to annihilate the Life Seed left behind by the Golden Tree.

The underground shelter was built a hundred meters beneath Sea God's Lake, close to the deep roots of the Golden Tree. If the Golden Tree perished, its Life Seed would most likely fall near its roots, where it had long drawn upon the earth's life essence.

The immense dragon body swept through the underground shelter, without even making a move—merely releasing its overwhelming dragon's aura.

Over two hundred more "blood roses" bloomed instantly.

Only Wu Zhangkong managed to withstand the annihilating dragon's aura, though at the cost of his newly upgraded Three-Word Battle Armor, which shattered and disintegrated completely.

But even he was drenched in blood. The scent of iron clung to him as he stood there, his white robes soaked in crimson. His cold and aloof face was unrecognizable beneath the blood.

As his life slipped away, his memories flashed before his eyes like a rushing montage.

'A top student, a proud prodigy of Shrek Academy… Accepted as a disciple by the Sea God's Pavilion elder, Zhuo Shi… Admired by many…'

'The woman he loved all his life—Long Bing… Long Bing, who was revealed to be an evil soul master, killed by her own father… The two of them forever separated by life and death…'

'A wasted life in Eastsea City… A student who was also like a son to him—Tang Wulin… Leading a class of prodigies back to Shrek Academy… A life filled with meaning until the destruction of Shrek…'

The images in his mind continued to play—but they did not stop at his impending death.

A faint smile appeared on Wu Zhangkong's bloodstained lips.

This joy stemmed from the fact that the montage of his life had not yet ended.

Perhaps, in his final moments, his soul instinctively sought light, searching for a way forward.

'The Shrek seeds hiding in the underground shelter had not been wiped out by the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King. Instead, under his guidance, they trained tirelessly, never ceasing in their efforts to revive Shrek Academy.'

'Eventually, led by his most promising disciple, Tang Wulin, they broke free from oppression, striking down the evil forces responsible for the destruction of Shrek Academy.'

'Then, after fighting countless battles to save the very world itself, they reestablished Shrek's glory, touching even the will of the universe.'

'Moved by their feats, the will of the universe granted Wu Zhangkong a second life—even allowing him to revive his beloved Long Bing.'

'The woman who had haunted his dreams, his lifelong yearning, gradually became real again.'

Each time Long Bing's figure grew clearer in his mind, Wu Zhangkong's almost still heart beat once more, as if pulling him back from the brink of death.

Yet just as the image of Long Bing became tangible—just as Wu Zhangkong was about to embrace her—

BOOM!

From the outside, Di Tian's colossal dragon form surged deeper into the underground shelter. His immense tail, covered in hardened black dragon scales, swung in a mighty sweep—

—and struck Wu Zhangkong's armorless body head-on.

"Boom!"

The montage in his mind crashed.

The vision of Long Bing's resurrection shattered into nothing.

The heart that had just begun to beat again, stopped completely.

The last survivor of the shelter became the most brilliant "blood rose" of them all.

A torrential rain of blood poured down.

It soaked the earth, forming a river of crimson.

A thick stench of blood spread through the air.

In the future, this place would surely become a paradise for nature's scavengers and microorganisms.

—

Deep within the underground shelter, a pair of black dragon claws tore open a reinforced alloy wall. Blackened soil spilled inward, entangled with sprawling tree roots.

Yet the Golden Tree, having exhausted all its energy to combat the catastrophe, had withered. Its once-vibrant roots were now nothing more than deadwood.

Among these massive roots, the only source of life left—

was the Life Seed.

"Hiss—"

The black dragon claws tore deeper.

Between the gaps of the decayed wood, a glimmer of emerald green light shone forth.

(End of Chapter)