7: Chapter 7, Part 7: Tang Ya's Demise!

The morning sun finally pierced through the branches and leaves of the Star Dou Great Forest, weaving a mottled web of light upon the ground.

The mist in the forest gradually dissipated, revealing damp blades of grass and dew-kissed petals. The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation, yet it could not dilute the tension in the air.

The World-Destroying Black Lotus above Lu Jing's head slowly unfurled, and a white-gold spirit ring rotated beneath his feet, emitting a pressure that caused Bei Bei and Tang Ya to subconsciously take half a step back.

That dark purple light, which had been repelled back into the dense forest, did not appear again, but everyone knew that the person in the shadows would never give up so easily.

"Who is it?" Bei Bei suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping across the treetops to the left like lightning.

There, a black figure stood silently, though no one knew when he had arrived.

The newcomer wore a faded black robe and had an ordinary face, yet his jawline was taut. His eyes, sharp as ice-tempered blades, were fixed intently on the white-gold spirit ring at Lu Jing's feet, a flicker of shock and doubt flashing in his pupils.

Wang Donger frowned, her light blue wings fluttering slightly behind her: "Is this person... from our Shrek Academy?"

She could feel no malice from the person, but he carried the pressure of a powerhouse, unlike a Spirit Beast from the Star Dou Great Forest that had taken human form.

Bei Bei shook his head, his amber eyes filled with vigilance: "I'm not sure. I recognize most of the teachers at the academy, but I've never seen this person."

Although he said this, he felt a faint sense of relief in his heart—since the other party dared to appear openly and had not attacked immediately, perhaps he really was sent by the academy to protect them in secret.

After all, when they came out to execute this mission, Yan Shaozhe had subtly mentioned that there would be someone looking out for them.

Lu Jing, however, was not so optimistic.

He looked at the black-clad person in the treetops, then at Bei Bei's instantly relaxed expression, and suddenly understood. A mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "It seems you are Bei Bei's helper?"

The black-clad person did not waste words, merely nodding coldly in acknowledgement.

His gaze lingered on the World-Destroying Black Lotus above Lu Jing's head for a moment, then swept over that white-gold spirit ring, his brows furrowing even tighter—this Spirit was evil, and the spirit ring was even more bizarre; he could not be allowed to remain.

"As expected."

Lu Jing scoffed, flexed his wrists, and teased: "Of course. How could the great-grandson of Dragon God Douluo Mu En truly enter the Star Dou Great Forest alone? Who would believe that, without a few experts watching from behind?"

"What did you say?!"

Bei Bei and the black-clad person exclaimed in shock simultaneously, their expressions instantly turning extremely ugly.

Bei Bei's pupils contracted sharply, and he stared at Lu Jing as if he had seen a ghost: "How... how do you know?"

Dragon God Douluo Mu En was the pillar of Shrek Academy, and his status was incredibly noble. His relationship with Mu En was the academy's highest secret. Apart from a few deans and direct elders, it was impossible for any outsider to know. How could this country boy, whose spirit ring was only a hundred-year one, know it so clearly?

The black-clad person released a terrifying pressure in an instant, and the air around him seemed to freeze. He stared fixedly at Lu Jing, his voice filled with undisguised killing intent: "Where did you hear these things?!"

This was no longer just a simple sneak attack or conflict.

A child of unknown origin who knew the name of Dragon God Douluo Mu En and even knew Bei Bei's background—this was definitely suspicious!

"None of your business."

Lu Jing curled his lip, his face devoid of fear.

Since they had already fallen out, what did he have to worry about? Facing death, was he supposed to care about his opponent's mood?

He said urgently in his mind: "Tian Meng, can we run?"

Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's voice carried unprecedented gravity: "It's difficult! This guy's aura is very strong, more than ten times more powerful than that Blue Lightning boy from just now!"

He paused, his tone becoming fierce: "But we can try! I'd rather be severely injured than die here! I just became someone's spirit ring, I haven't enjoyed it enough yet!"

Before the words had even faded, the white-gold spirit ring beneath Lu Jing's feet accelerated its rotation, and the World-Destroying Black Lotus suddenly surged. Ink-colored petals, carrying thick black mist, swept towards the black-clad person in the treetops!

"You don't know what's good for you!"

The black-clad person snorted coldly. Without moving his body, dazzling spirit rings lit up beneath his feet—two yellow, two purple, three black; a total of seven spirit rings!

A Spirit Saint!

Bei Bei and Wang Donger both gasped.

The academy had actually sent a Spirit Saint to protect them in secret?

The black-clad person waved a hand, and his third spirit ring lit up. A pitch-black wind blade appeared out of thin air, whistling sharply as it tore through space, and struck precisely at the petals of the World-Destroying Black Lotus.

"Bang!"

The wind blade collided with the black mist, erupting with a piercing roar.

The black mist was sliced open, but it quickly closed back up, and the wind blade was also significantly corroded and dimmed.

"Interesting."

A flash of surprise appeared in the black-clad person's eyes.

He had not expected this evil Spirit to be able to withstand his attack.

Lu Jing's heart sank.

Tian Meng Ice Silkworm was right; this guy was too strong! That strike just now had required almost half of the World-Destroying Black Lotus's power to barely block it.

"Steady!"

Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's voice exploded in his mind: "I've discovered that your Spirit is quite extraordinary. Don't be afraid of him, just fight him!"

Indeed, Tian Meng Ice Silkworm was best at Mental Energy suppression and energy manipulation.

Even if the opponent was a Spirit Saint, as long as they hadn't reached the Titled Douluo level, he had room to maneuver.

The black mist, like a living snake, constantly coiled around and corroded the Spirit Ability released by the black-clad person, fighting to a standstill for a moment.

Seeing this, Bei Bei wanted to step forward to help, but was stopped by the black-clad person: "Don't interfere!"

He could see that the child's Spirit suppressed elemental attacks; if Bei Bei's thunder power went up against it, it might actually be suppressed instead.

While controlling the World-Destroying Black Lotus, Lu Jing shouted urgently in his mind: "This is not a solution! We can't outlast him!"

Tian Meng Ice Silkworm was also calculating rapidly: "A head-on fight definitely won't work! We need to find a chance to break through!"

His gaze swept across the field and finally landed on Tang Ya, who was not far away—that was the breakthrough point!

"Her it is!"

Tian Meng Ice Silkworm let out a low shout, controlling the World-Destroying Black Lotus to suddenly turn, and the black mist surged towards Tang Ya like a tide!

He did not target Wang Donger.

Wang Donger had warned Lu Jing to dodge the sneak attack just now, and he remembered that favor.

Moreover, Wang Donger's Radiant Goddess Butterfly Spirit carried divinity and suppressed evil energy, making her difficult to deal with.

"Xiao Ya!"

Bei Bei's expression changed drastically. Without thinking, he rushed over, blue thunder condensing into a shield in front of him, attempting to block the black mist.

The black-clad person had not expected Lu Jing to suddenly turn and attack a weakling. Frowning, his seventh spirit ring suddenly lit up—Avatar of Martial Soul!

A huge black wind dragon phantom appeared behind him, carrying an aura of destruction, and crashed into the black mist!

Although most of it was blocked, Tang Ya was still sent flying, spitting blood as she slammed heavily onto the ground.

As a million-year-level Spirit Beast, although Tian Meng Ice Silkworm was not good at fighting, in terms of Mental Energy application and storage, he was incomparable to Bei Bei and a Spirit Saint. Therefore, he was naturally able to achieve the feat of multitasking, resulting in him hitting Tang Ya before Wang Donger could even react.