With a soft moan, Han Ruoruo slowly regained consciousness. Her eyes still held a hint of confusion and haziness.
As she fully opened her eyes, she saw Lu Jingming holding the white lance, along with Zhang Lexuan and Wu Ming, both looking at her with concern.
"Where am I...?" Han Ruoruo murmured, a flicker of bewilderment in her eyes.
Suddenly, her pupils constricted sharply, as if she recalled something extremely important. "That's right, where's the Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor? How are Yuxin and the others?" Her voice was filled with anxiety and worry, unconsciously rising a few octaves.
Initially, seeing Han Ruoruo's injuries gradually recovering under Lu Jingming's treatment, Wu Ming's face had been alight with joy. But upon hearing Han Ruoruo's string of questions, her smile instantly froze.
Immediately after, the horrific scene uncontrollably replayed before her eyes: the silver moonlight descending from the sky, the painful screams and desperate eyes of her companions, causing tears to stream down her cheeks.
Seeing Wu Ming's expression, Han Ruoruo's body stiffened instantly. In a flash, all the events that had transpired surged through her mind like an overwhelming tide.
Her heart trembled as she suddenly realized that Yuxin, whom she had just spoken of, had died tragically before her eyes while trying to save her. The horrific image and Yuxin's expression before her death tore at her heart, and the screams she had heard before losing consciousness now echoed endlessly in her ears.
Han Ruoruo's voice trembled with fear and unease as she asked, "Ming'er, where are the others?"
Wu Ming's expression grew even more mournful. She slowly shook her head, her voice sorrowful, "Sister Ruoruo, there's no one else. They're all...!"
"How could this happen!" Han Ruoruo clutched her forehead in agony, her face etched with despair. Her body trembled slightly, as if bearing an unbearable pain.
Lu Jingming and Zhang Lexuan remained silent at the side. Though they hadn't experienced it firsthand, they could understand the pain of losing companions. But since the matter had already occurred, Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming could only face reality helplessly.
Han Ruoruo, as the current senior sister of Shrek Academy's Inner Court, seemed delicate but was in fact tough inside. Soon, she suppressed her grief and managed to adjust her mindset. From Wu Ming, she learned that Jingliu had defeated the Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor and saved them from their desperate situation. And her own once-fatal injuries had been healed by Lu Jingming.
Han Ruoruo gathered her strength, struggled to stand up, and expressed her gratitude to Lu Jingming and Zhang Lexuan: "Lexuan, Xiao Ming, thank you both. If it weren't for you this time, Ming'er and I would likely have met a tragic end."
"Sister Ruoruo, it's alright. Sister Lexuan just needed a soul ring, and this Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor came at just the right time." Lu Jingming's expression was calm. To him, with Jingliu present, saving Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming was a simple matter. Moreover, they had had previous contact, and at the brink of death, Wu Ming had never thought of dragging them down.
Therefore, he had a good impression of the two and didn't regret offering help. "But where's your Shrek Academy's leading teacher?"
Hearing the words "leading teacher," a flash of anger crossed Han Ruoruo's eyes, but reason quickly suppressed her rage. In stark contrast to Han Ruoruo's composure, Wu Ming had a much fierier temper.
The mention of the leading teacher immediately made her curse, "Who knows where that old bastard ran off to? All he knows is eating all day; he's simply a scoundrel!" Wu Ming's face turned beet red, freely venting her anger and frustration.
"Ming'er, watch your words." Han Ruoruo's expression changed dramatically. She was equally furious and full of grievances against Xuan Zi, but she clearly understood Xuan Zi's position in Shrek Academy—he was the designated next Sea God Pavilion Master. If Xuan Zi overheard Wu Ming's cursing, her days at Shrek Academy would be difficult.
Upon hearing Wu Ming's curses, Lu Jingming understood. So, the one leading the team this time was the legendary "Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Church," Xuan Zi. No wonder they encountered a 100,000-year soul beast, leading to almost complete annihilation.
Gluttony Douluo Xuan Zi, a Level 98 Title Douluo with the Gluttonous Divine Ox martial soul, had the "gluttonous" habit of constantly seeking delicious food. Of course, that was also a side effect, a flaw, of his martial soul.
"Sister Ruoruo, he doesn't even know where he ran off to. Can't I just curse a little to vent?" Wu Ming was full of grievances, but she still heeded Han Ruoruo's advice and stopped cursing Xuan Zi.
As a disciple of Shrek's Inner Court, she naturally understood Xuan Zi's status in the academy and knew she couldn't afford to offend him. Facing such power, even with all the resentment and anger in her heart, she could only silently swallow it.
Han Ruoruo had a gentle nature, but this incident truly enraged her. Although she was the senior sister of Shrek Academy's Inner Court, which sounded glorious, in reality, she held little influence and wasn't even a member of the Sea God Pavilion. How could she possibly shake the future Sea God Pavilion Master?
Under Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming's detailed account, Lu Jingming and Zhang Lexuan learned the full story.
This time, Shrek Academy had assembled thirteen Inner Court disciples who needed soul rings, plus Han Ruoruo, who was already a Soul Sage and served as the leader, and Gluttony Douluo Xuan Zi, who was responsible for escorting them. In total, there were fifteen people.
Initially, everything went very smoothly. After entering the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, most of the students successfully obtained suitable soul rings. Wu Ming even hunted a 50,000-year Blazing Sun Fire Dragon, successfully acquiring her seventh soul ring.
They had expected everyone to successfully obtain their soul rings and safely leave the core area. However, their temporary camp was unexpectedly attacked by the Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor.
To their misfortune, at that time, seeing everything going smoothly and with Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming, two Soul Sages, present, Gluttony Douluo Xuan Zi's craving suddenly acted up, and he actually left the temporary camp to find food.
His departure led to a series of tragedies. Facing the Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor that suddenly descended from the spatial rift, Han Ruoruo unhesitatingly rushed forward first, attempting to buy her companions time to escape.
However, the gap between a Soul Sage and a 100,000-year soul beast was like an insurmountable chasm. Even with all her power unleashed and fighting with all her might, Han Ruoruo couldn't stop the Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor in the slightest and was instead severely injured.
The subsequent outcome was predictable: out of the fourteen Inner Court disciples from Shrek Academy, besides Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming, who were lucky enough to encounter Lu Jingming and his two companions, all the others died tragically at the hands of the Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor.
One must know that those who came this time were elites of Shrek Academy's Inner Court, most of whom were would-be Soul Emperors coming to acquire their sixth soul rings, destined to at least become Soul Douluo in the future. With good luck, some might even become Title Douluo.