Distribution of Spoils

Everyone looked over and saw Zhao Xuan gazing at Empress Bibi Dong with a half-smile. The dozen or so red-clad archbishops beside her glared furiously at Zhao Xuan, yet not one of them dared to speak.

Bibi Dong shot Zhao Xuan a dark look, then said unwillingly, "The Spirit Hall team concedes!"

As Bibi Dong's voice fell, the anger on the archbishops' faces immediately turned bitter. They had lost. Who could have imagined that Spirit Hall's carefully arranged tournament would end in defeat?

Many gazes turned toward the brocade tray held by the red-clad archbishop beside Bibi Dong. Upon the scarlet silk lay three soul bones, quietly radiating brilliant, shimmering light.

Shrek's people, however, had no mind for such things at the moment. Zhao Xuan, Flender, Liu Erlong, and the others went onto the stage and carried Shrek's little monsters back down. Zhao Xuan then fed them the recovery pills Tang San had prepared earlier.

Before Ning Fengzhi, who stood beside the Empress, a magnificent Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda spun rapidly. Streams of seven-colored light continuously flew from it and fell upon the competitors from this match.

Time slowly passed. People had already gone down the mountain to spread the news, and waves of astonished, incredulous cries rose one after another. No one had expected such a shocking reversal. Shrek Academy, the dark horse that had emerged from the Heaven Dou Empire, had claimed first place!

Yu Tianheng looked toward the Papal Palace halfway up the mountain with a complicated expression and murmured, "I never thought they would truly do it."

Huo Wu, Feng Xiaotian, and the others fell far more silent. A trace of gloom appeared in their eyes as they could not stop asking themselves whether the gap between them and Shrek's people was truly so great.