Chapter 87: Slaughter and Salvation at the Borderline!

Mingdou Great Forest.

Three figures—an elderly woman and two youths—moved swiftly through the dense forest, staying alert to their surroundings.

"Brother, Teacher, wait a moment! I sensed another spirit herb nearby!" the silver-haired girl suddenly stopped, her voice full of excitement.

The other two halted at once.

They were, of course, Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Elder Song.

After Elder Song expressed her desire to take Jiang Nannan as her disciple, Zhu Ziyang fully supported it. Jiang Nannan formally accepted Elder Song as her master. Although Elder Song, a 97th-rank Super Douluo and the continent's strongest agility-type soul master, wielded the Green Shadow Divine Eagle, which was not only different from but somewhat opposed to Jiang Nannan's Lunar Jade Rabbit, martial spirit alignment was never the basis of master-disciple relationships. Ideals and shared direction were far more important.

Since Jiang Nannan was clearly walking the path of an agility-type soul master, who better to guide her than Elder Song?

After accepting Jiang Nannan as a disciple, Elder Song was overjoyed. She gifted Jiang Nannan a soul tool ring comparable in quality to Zhu Ziyang's Starflame Ring, and promised that once they returned to the Academy, the other elders would properly present her with a formal initiation gift.

After that, the three of them headed east, planning to exit the Mingdou Mountain Range, travel north, then circle west back to Shrek Academy.

During the journey, Jiang Nannan's evolved martial spirit began revealing its incredible traits. The Lunar Jade Rabbit possessed an exceptionally practical ability—a powerful sense of smell capable of detecting the presence of spirit herbs within a one-kilometer radius. This sensory talent was naturally inherited by the martial spirit.

On the second day after her spirit's evolution, just before they left the Mingdou Mountains, Jiang Nannan demonstrated this ability by locating a thousand-year-old mountain ginseng, much to Zhu Ziyang's delight. With Jiang Nannan's help, his future alchemy pursuits would have an endless supply of ingredients!

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go grab that herb!" Zhu Ziyang smiled.

Elder Song nodded. "Yes, we're not in a rush."

"Hehe, follow me then!" Jiang Nannan laughed and led the way.

Zhu Ziyang and Elder Song followed close behind.

Before long, they reached the location of the herb Jiang Nannan had sensed—and all three of them were stunned by what they found.

It was a light blue flower. The petals were transparent like crystal, the stem straight without any leaves, and it glowed like something from a dream. It looked like a divine flower from the heavens, not something of this world.

"A Glazed Lily?" Elder Song exclaimed in shock. "This spirit herb still exists? Unbelievable!"

Even someone as experienced as Elder Song was astonished. That's how rare and precious the Glazed Lily was.

The Glazed Lily was a top-tier spirit herb with gentle medicinal properties. It enhanced soul power, strengthened the body, cleared meridians, refined bloodlines, and removed impurities. In short, it was priceless on the market.

"It's still unripe, though. What a pity," Zhu Ziyang sighed after closer inspection. "If it were only a day or two off, we could've waited. But this one needs at least six more months to mature. If we pick it now, its medicinal properties will be ruined."

"Ahh, seriously?!" Jiang Nannan looked disappointed. "So we came all this way for nothing?"

"It's okay. At least it proves your ability can detect top-grade herbs," Elder Song reassured her. "We didn't get this one, but the next one might be ready. Surely we won't always be so unlucky."

"You're right. Thank you, Teacher!" she smiled again, visibly cheered up.

"Let's move on," Zhu Ziyang said. "We'll leave this one for the soul beasts nearby."

"Alright," Elder Song said, taking the lead again.

Zhu Ziyang followed, while Jiang Nannan lingered for a final glance at the Glazed Lily before hurrying after them.

Three days later, the trio reached the outskirts of the Mingdou Great Forest, near the border between the Sun and Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire.

Suddenly—

Caw—!

To the west, in a ravaged border town, a swarm of crow-type soul beasts filled the air in a frenzy. Blood and exposed corpses littered the ground, and the inferno of flames and thick black smoke created a scene of hellish chaos. Screams, footsteps, and the clash of blades echoed across the town. Two groups of soldiers in different armor clashed in brutal combat, while others mercilessly slaughtered defenseless civilians.

"Uwaa—Daddy! Don't die! Juzi doesn't want you to die! Wake up—uwaa—!"

A girl around eleven or twelve years old held a middle-aged man in the armor of the Sun and Moon Empire, sobbing helplessly. Not far off, a crazed foreign soldier, eyes blood-red and devoid of reason, noticed the crying girl and began slowly approaching her.

It seemed like death was the only fate awaiting her.

Not far from the town, emerging from the forest, Zhu Ziyang's group caught sight of the blazing fires and rising smoke.

"What's that…?" Zhu Ziyang frowned. His Scythe of Judgment and Fate trembled—a sure sign that a great number of souls had perished in that direction.

"That's Sun and Moon Empire territory," Elder Song said quietly after a glance.

"Shouldn't we go see what's going on, Teacher?" Jiang Nannan asked, concerned by the scent of blood in the air. "What if it's evil soul masters hurting innocent people? Maybe we can save someone."

Elder Song paused, then said slowly, "Alright. But neither of you may act without my permission. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," both answered.

The three soon arrived at a cliff overlooking the town. The stench of blood hit them immediately. The hellish scene below shocked the two youths, both around eleven or twelve. Zhu Ziyang's face turned pale, while Jiang Nannan's eyes went glassy—she nearly vomited.

"This is…" Jiang Nannan's spirit trembled. "How could this be so horrifying…"

Elder Song pulled her close, comforting her. Her eyes, however, locked onto the soldiers below who had lost themselves to bloodlust. She recognized them at once—soldiers of the Star Luo Empire. Though she disliked the Sun and Moon Empire, seeing Star Luo troops slaughtering civilians disgusted her deeply.

No matter what, war should never touch the innocent.

Maybe it was her commoner origins, or perhaps her compassion as a strong soul master—whatever the reason, she now harbored contempt for those Star Luo soldiers.

Zhu Ziyang stared wide-eyed at the atrocities. Recognizing the soldiers as Star Luo Empire troops and seeing them murder innocent civilians, he burned with fury. Whether from his own background, or the divine empathy granted by his Light-Elemental Martial Spirit, his rage ignited.

Then he saw a soldier raise a weapon toward a young girl.

That was the final straw.

He ignored Elder Song's earlier warning—and struck.

"Stop!"

Zhu Ziyang leapt from the cliff—over ten meters tall—without hesitation. As he hit the ground, his Scythe of Judgment and Fate appeared in hand. His third soul ring lit up, and the blade shimmered with holy light, full of righteous fury as it slashed toward the soldier.

The soldier, caught off guard, raised a dual-ringed blade martial spirit to defend himself. But facing a Soul Exalt with a super martial spirit, there was no contest.

The scythe cleaved through the weapon instantly, destroying both the white and yellow soul rings in a blast. The soldier was flung backward, crashing into a building wall before collapsing, blood pouring from his mouth—clearly beyond saving.

The sudden commotion drew the attention of the other soldiers in the town. Shouting angrily, they charged at Zhu Ziyang, determined to tear him apart.

Elder Song, holding Jiang Nannan, landed beside him at that moment. Her expression was complicated. She had a chance to stop Zhu Ziyang before—but she hesitated. Perhaps the horrors of the town had stirred even her long-dormant compassion.

Zhu Ziyang, unfazed, turned to the girl who was now sitting weakly on the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

The girl, Juzi, stared at him in awe. She knew she would never forget this moment—under the blood-red sunset, a handsome boy with a golden spear descended like a divine savior, pulling her from the depths of despair.