Chapter 44: So You’re the One Who Has a Thing for Twins (Bonus Chapter for the Veteran)

Today, idle and bored, I decided to just watch.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, and I hadn't gone anywhere. Not because I didn't have the bill, but because I couldn't think of anything I couldn't afford.

The morning sun was mild, but in the blink of an eye, snow began to flutter everywhere, freezing the earth. Looking at their shocked expressions, I couldn't help but wonder if they were wearing thermal leggings. Ah, right—this is the Douluo Continent; I have no idea if they even have thermal leggings here.

With nothing better to do, I summoned a stone spear and hurled it toward them one by one. Watching the Blue Silver Grass scatter, it seemed different from what I remembered.

I smiled. With a gentle stomp, a fissure instantly tore through the ground, snaking its way toward them. They scrambled—spitting fire, throwing grass, shouting verbal attacks, or simply running for their lives—while I stood my ground, protected by a shield. I watched as flames licked the vines wrapped around me, and the verbal attacks cleared away the ashes and residual vines.

I smiled. Spear after spear condensed and shot toward them. With just a fraction of my strength, I watched them struggle to dodge. I chuckled softly; life behind a shield is just so simple, unadorned, and dull.

"Bang!" Dai Mubai leaped aside, and when he looked back, a stone spear was embedded where he had stood, triggering an explosion.

"San! You didn't say he had a shield! We can't even scratch the surface of it—how the hell are we supposed to fight this?" Dai Mubai shouted while running, not daring to stop for a second, lest another spear pin him down.

"I didn't know either!" Tang San was equally frantic, busy dodging spears while trying to use his Blue Silver Grass to assist the others.

Aside from the spot where Zhong Yan stood, the battlefield was a wreck of deep craters, stone pillars, and jagged stars. Zhong Yan was the only one having a grand time, while the others suffered; they couldn't break his shield, and they couldn't outlast him, as his spirit power seemed endless.

"The children have lost," Flender said, looking down from the sky. He landed beside the Grandmaster and shook his head.

"Impossible. This is impossible!" Ignoring Flender, the Grandmaster just trembled, muttering to himself incessantly.

"It is impossible for anyone to have a ten-thousand-year third spirit ring, let alone a ten-thousand-year fourth! This is impossible!"

"Get a grip, Xiaogang. He is the Saint Son of the Spirit Hall, the disciple of that Pope. Such a genius is unique in the history of the Douluo Continent. He is an exception; it doesn't mean your theories are wrong." Flender grabbed the Grandmaster's shoulders and shook him hard, trying to snap him out of it.

The Grandmaster looked up at the sky, his face full of sorrow and indignation. "Bibi Dong, oh Bibi Dong... do you really have to go this far?"

Back on the battlefield, Zhong Yan ceased his movements, giving the Shrek team a moment to catch their breath. Looking at the devastated battlefield and the exhausted members of Shrek, Zhong Yan said with disdain, "You know, if I wanted to kill you, it would only take one move. You are too weak. At most, you were just enough to keep me entertained for a game."

"Is this the Shrek Seven Devils? Is that all?"

He wasn't joking. He had too many ways to kill them; he didn't even need his ultimate meteor. His fourth spirit ring alone would have ended it. The only reason he had used it at the start was to create a snowfall just to show off.

"Damn it, he really got to show off," Dai Mubai could only vent his frustration by slamming his fist into a nearby stone pillar.

Zhong Yan stretched and said, "Alright, I've had my fun. Time to get down to business." With that, he dispelled his Jade Shield.

The Shrek team felt a surge of indignation. They had been invincible in the fight arenas, yet before this Saint Son, they were powerless.

"Good chance!" The moment the shield vanished, Tang San lunged with his Blue Silver Grass. But with a "swish," the vines hit empty air—Zhong Yan had already vanished.

Tang San immediately activated his Purple Demon Eye. He knew Zhong Yan hadn't truly disappeared; he was simply moving too fast for the human eye to track.

"Over there!" Even with his vision enhanced, Zhong Yan was nothing but a blur, charging straight at Dai Mubai.

"Dai, look out!" Tang San shouted.

"What?" Before Dai Mubai could react, Zhong Yan appeared before him and drove a fist into his gut. From the moment Zhong Yan disappeared to the impact, it had happened in a flash.

Except for Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing, no one else could even respond. Zhong Yan punched Dai Mubai into the air, caught his ankle, and swung him down hard against the ground. Before Dai Mubai could recover, Zhong Yan swung him back up and slammed him into the other side.

"So, you're the one named Dai Mubai, right? You're the one who likes twins, right? You're the one who acts so arrogant, right? You're the one who keeps a room at the Rose Hotel all year round, right..."

Hearing this, Tang San suddenly stopped. Not just him, but everyone—including Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing—simultaneously halted their attacks. They realized everyone had stopped at once, creating an awkward silence.

Xiao Wu’s thoughts echoed the sentiment of everyone except Ma Hongjun: "This scumbag tiger deserved a beating. That's it, Xiao Yan, I’m rooting for you—smash him harder!"

Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun thought, "Well done! Dai deserved this. He's been out there chasing young, beautiful phoenixes in the city..."

Seeing that Dai Mubai had taken enough, Zhong Yan tossed him aside. Tang San rushed over to catch him with his vines and check his injuries. Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were struggling to hide their laughter, and even Zhu Zhuqing was secretly grinning.

Zhong Yan turned his gaze toward Ma Hongjun.

Ma Hongjun felt a giant "DANGER" sign hovering over his head. Seeing Zhong Yan staring at him with glowing red eyes, he instinctively tried to fly away. But before his wings could flap twice, a hand clamped onto his ankle.

"No!!!"

"So, you're the one named Ma Hongjun, right? 'Little' kid..."