Douluo; Zhongli Adventures in Mortal World with Paimon

"Paimon tilted her head, looking at Zhongli with a nervous expression.

"Zhongli, this old man has such a creepy smile. He doesn't look like a good person at all," Paimon said, clearly uneasy.

The eerie 'keh-keh-keh' laughter of the old man sent chills down Paimon's spine.

'He's terrifying,' she muttered.

"Indeed, he's not a good person," Zhongli replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he observed the old man.

If his memory served him right, this man was the team leader of Canghui Academy—a figure known in the original timeline for attempting to assassinate Tang San.

During competitions, he would resort to assassinating top-tier talents to improve his team's chances of victory.

This behavior was anything but honorable.

However, if it were only about eliminating opponents, one could say he was merely unscrupulous and ruthless in pursuit of victory.

But the man had a particular preference for torturing his targets before killing them, rather than delivering a swift end.

He simply enjoyed the act of evil for its own sake.

Such a person had even been labeled a "Fallen One" by Spirit Hall.

The definition of a 'Fallen One' differs from that of an 'Evil Spirit Master.'

An Evil Spirit Master is someone whose spirit is inherently malevolent. If a spirit is evil by nature, the soul master will be branded as such.

For instance, Scorpion Tiger Douluo, due to the unique nature of his martial spirit, required the blood of spirit beasts to cultivate. As a result, Shrek Academy labeled him an Evil Spirit Master.

Persecuted relentlessly across the continent, he had no place to call home and was eventually forced to join the Holy Spirit Church, fully embracing his role as an Evil Spirit Master.

Fallen Ones, on the other hand, are not judged by the nature of their martial spirit but by their actions.

Not all Fallen Ones have evil martial spirits.

Some wield seemingly benign spirits, such as a hammer, yet engage in malicious deeds spanning millennia—acts even more despicable than those of Evil Spirit Masters or Fallen Ones.

"Isn't that Blue Sunshine Academy's team leader?" the person disguised as Xue Qinghe asked, her keen memory allowing her to recognize the old man instinctively.

However, she couldn't quite recall his name.

"That young lady seems to be in danger..." Wang Chen said almost simultaneously, his attention drawn elsewhere.

The two focused on different aspects. Xue Qinghe's gaze was fixed on the more powerful party—the old man.

Wang Chen, however, looked at the weaker one, the person in need of help.

For Qian Renxue, who believed in the supremacy of the strong, scrutinizing the old man first was only natural.

In Wang Chen's case, his faith was rooted in protecting others, so prioritizing the vulnerable made perfect sense.

'Huh?'

Oh my goodness, even Zhongli said the old man wasn't a good person. His heart must be as dark as coal!

"Lord Zhongli, allow me to help that young lady. To eliminate evil and injustice—this is my duty as your follower!"

Wang Chen straightened his posture and declared this with a serious expression.

He had never forgotten his mission: to protect the kind and innocent. This belief was the key to unlocking his Vision.

Hearing his words, Zhongli and Paimon showed no surprise—they knew Wang Chen possessed a heart as pure as gold.

For the sake of his village, he had once fought against a formidable group of wolf bandits without hesitation, even though he had only recently awakened his Vision at the time.

However, Qian Renxue was left bewildered. She glanced sideways at the young man named Wang Chen.

According to Paimon, this little fellow was only fourteen or fifteen years old. How could he have such a strong sense of conviction?

To eliminate evil and injustice—wasn't that the mission of Spirit Hall and her Seraphim lineage?

Zhongli nodded slightly, his expression unchanged. "It's rare for a young friend like Wang Chen to remain true to his principles.'"

"'Then I'll leave it to you, young friend.'

Zhongli nodded slightly.

Speaking of the young lady in question, Zhongli and his companions couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity...

Wait a moment—wasn't that Zhu Zhuqing?

A sinister smile spread across Shi Nian's face as Zhu Zhuqing, who seemed to be in a daze, finally snapped back to reality.

Instinctively, she scanned her surroundings, her expression filled with confusion. Shi Nian's smug laughter echoed in her ears.

"Little girl, don't bother looking around. This is already the outskirts of Heaven Dou City. Your companions won't be coming to rescue you," Shi Nian said with a wicked grin.

"Even if you scream until your voice gives out, there's only one path awaiting you—death."

He chuckled darkly, his eyes scrutinizing Zhu Zhuqing. Although she was a top-tier beauty, he showed no interest in her for that reason.

What he desired was the feeling that came with killing her—the process of breaking and torturing a prodigy.

The thrill of ruthlessly ending the life of a genius? It was something to celebrate, something he relished.

Even Zhu Zhuqing, no matter how naive, began piecing things together.

'I'm under some kind of illusion!'

Her gaze hardened as she asked coldly, 'Who are you?"

Despite her quick thinking, she couldn't figure out why she had been targeted. She hadn't offended anyone recently, so there should be no reason for an assassination attempt.

Zhu Zhuyun?

Impossible. All those so-called assassination attempts had been staged. Zhu Zhuyun would never genuinely try to kill her.

She had confirmed this multiple times since leaving Star Luo City.

No matter how fast she moved, the pursuers would always maintain a safe distance from her.

Conversely, even if she deliberately slowed down, they would still maintain the same distance.

Only when the charade could no longer hold would they launch a supposed 'attack.'

These so-called assassins were elite soldiers. How could they fire multiple attacks and miss every single one?

Suddenly, a realization struck Zhu Zhuqing. She scrutinized Shi Nian's face, her delicate brows furrowing as she spoke.

"You're Shi Nian, the team leader of Blue Sunshine Academy, aren't you?"

Shi Nian's eyes flashed with surprise. He hadn't expected her to recognize him. But then, he recalled showing his face at the opening ceremony, so it wasn't entirely strange.

While Shi Nian was briefly stunned, Zhu Zhuqing felt a chill run down her spine, cold sweat dripping from her forehead.

In her memory, during the qualifiers of this very Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, Shi Nian had attempted to ambush Tang San, only to be countered and killed by him.

In the process, he had even dropped a head spirit bone.

Thinking it over, Tang San had Tang Hao protecting him around the clock. Killing Shi Nian would have been effortless for them.

Perhaps the butterfly effect had altered events too drastically, and she had nearly forgotten about this. She never imagined she would encounter Shi Nian herself.

Unlike Tang San, she had no powerful protector. Defeating a Spirit Sage-level opponent was utterly impossible for her.

'Is this where I'll meet my end?'

A fleeting sense of despair crossed Zhu Zhuqing's mind, but it was quickly overshadowed by relief.

What was the point of living the way she had been?

Today, she had seen through the true nature of Shrek Academy completely. Coupled with the scenes from her dreams, she was certain that staying in Shrek would only lead to a grim fate.

Seizing the moment while everyone else rested, she had planned to 'escape' from Shrek. Even if it meant being hunted by the Zhu family, she was willing to take that gamble—it might be her last chance.

At the very least, she would have tried.

But who would have thought that not long after leaving Shrek Academy, she would run into Shi Nian?

"For a Spirit Master who gets defeated in seconds on the arena, where exactly do you see me as a genius?"

Zhu Zhuqing asked, her voice tinged with confusion and disbelief as she stared at him.