The End

The soul fights in Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena had all come to an end. The first faint light of dawn could still be seen on the horizon, yet the night's battles seemed not to have tired anyone at all. They remained full of energy.

Spectators streamed out one after another, scattering in every direction—some heading home to sleep, others rushing off to cultivate after gaining some insight. Not a single second could be wasted.

That was true for most people, but a small number remained inside the Great Soul Arena, waiting. Shrek and the others were among them.

As they watched the once-lively arena become nearly empty in an instant, a sense of desolation rose within them, and the gloom between their brows refused to fade.

The soul fight between the Shrek Team and the Royal Fighting Team had ended in victory. Needless to say, both the Royal Fighting Team itself and the managers of the Great Soul Arena were deeply astonished.

Manager Ao had originally planned to have Fu Hua take the field. No matter how strong the Royal Fighting Team was, he had been certain she could win. To be honest, he had not thought much of the other Shrek members.

Even though Dai Mubai and the others had displayed extraordinary strength, they still could not surpass Fu Hua's standing in his heart.

When he learned that Fu Hua could not compete, he had been deeply disappointed. He had still been considering how to overcome this crisis, but unexpectedly, even without Fu Hua, Shrek's seven members had demonstrated such formidable strength.

He could not help but view them in a new light. Only now did he truly remember Dai Mubai and the others, and even his smile became much more modest when facing Master.

As he waited in the VIP lounge with the Shrek group for Xue Qinghe to arrive, his expression was gentler than ever, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Teacher Yu, don't worry. I've already sent others from our Great Soul Arena out of the city to gather information. We should soon determine where Crimson Kite is staying."

A Great Soul Arena capable of standing in the center of the city was naturally not to be underestimated. Mobilizing its people to find someone was no difficult task, so long as that person was still in the city. But that was the premise—she had to still be in the city.

Master paid no attention to Manager Ao's words. The gloom between his brows remained.

He had not expected Spirit Hall to act so quickly. Fu Hua had yet to fully mature; facing Spirit Hall alone, her prospects were grim.

Master did not know much about her ability to escape. Even after hearing Zhao Wuji's account, while Fu Hua herself was extremely fast, that was only when measured against Soul Saint-level opponents.

Those were Titled Douluo! And beneath them were an unknown number of Soul Douluo, Soul Saints, and the like.

"Teacher, I think Crimson Kite must be blessed by fate. She'll definitely be all right," Tang San comforted him from the side.

Though he did not understand the relationship between Master and Fu Hua, this was also the first time he had seen such anxiety on Master's face.

"Little San, you don't understand. Spirit Hall and Fu Hua are destined to be unable to coexist peacefully."

Tang San was puzzled.

Master hesitated, but in the end swallowed his words. No one could know about this matter yet, because...

'Then I'll leave it to you, Xiao Gang.'

That voice continued to echo in Master's ears, lingering for a long time. Even after more than thirty years, he still remembered it vividly. There had been a boldness within that seductive charm that made even him, a man, feel ashamed.

I will never let what happened thirty years ago happen again.

Master clenched his fists and silently swore an oath.

Just then, the door to the VIP lounge opened, and several people entered. Xue Qinghe had come with Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master Ning, and of course, the ever-present Bone Douluo.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Everyone rose to their feet.

"It's all right. This isn't the palace, so there's no need to be so formal."

With a light wave of his hand, Xue Qinghe took his seat first.

"Sect Master Ning has already told me everything."

After dismissing Manager Ao and the other Great Soul Arena staff, and having Bone Douluo set up a barrier around the VIP lounge, Xue Qinghe spoke again.

"But rest assured, I will also have the court's people keep a close watch. I expect there will be news of her very soon."

Master remained silent.

Flender visibly let out a sigh of relief, and the other little monsters relaxed as well.

Only then did Ning Fengzhi continue, "Uncle Bone and I went to inspect the route Fu Hua took. We found no signs of a fight. Even a Titled Douluo could not capture someone without them noticing."

Ning Fengzhi's words finally put Master's mind at ease. His gloomy expression at last returned to normal.

"Then, may I ask what Your Highness the Crown Prince intends to do next?" Master asked calmly.

"Haha, Master, there is no need to worry. Although I think highly of your other students as well, this is likely not the right time. The Advanced Soul Master Tournament is about to begin, and I look forward to their performance," Xue Qinghe said.

"There's no need for Your Highness to say that. Our little monsters will definitely make you see them in a new light," Flender suddenly interjected.

They were trying to poach his people. Failing to poach Fu Hua and then turning to the others—how could that be allowed?

"Then I shall wait and see."

"Your Highness doesn't plan to stay any longer, does he?" Flender asked.

Seeing Xue Qinghe preparing to rise, a crafty gleam flashed through his eyes.

"No. I came this time under my father's orders to see Crimson Kite. Since she is not here, I can only hope to see her during the Advanced Soul Master Tournament," Xue Qinghe said without changing expression.

Flender nodded.

The sooner he left, the better. Then he would not be here trying to poach his people!

"Dad, are you going back too?" Ning Rongrong asked reluctantly.

The gentle smile on Ning Fengzhi's face never changed. He raised a hand and softly stroked Ning Rongrong's head, his tenderness plain to see.

"I came because I heard Rongrong was in danger. I simply did not expect it to end this way. There are still many matters to handle in the sect, so I cannot stay long."

"Oh!"

"Rongrong, be good at the academy. I'm looking forward to your performance in the Advanced Soul Master Tournament."

Farewells were made without lingering. On the very night of the farewell, the unknown forces within Suotuo City vanished one after another, as though they had never existed.

The undercurrents seemed to have completely receded as well.

As they were leaving the Great Soul Arena, Master and the others unexpectedly ran into the Royal Fighting Team's leader at the entrance—or rather, the Royal Fighting Team's leader had deliberately been waiting for them.

It turned out that this leader was also a graduate of Shrek Academy, making him Dai Mubai and the others' senior.

His expression concealed all emotion. Master still wore his stiff face, while Flanders warmly threw an arm around the other man's shoulders.

Qin Ming was only a little over thirty, yet he was already a level sixty-two Soul Emperor. He truly lived up to the name of Shrek.

Though this was another banquet, there were far more distracted people at the table this time. Flanders saw it all, but what could he do?

After all, Fu Hua was his student too!

The banquet did not last long. Qin Ming could sense that several of them were absent-minded. Though he had questions in his heart, he tactfully chose not to ask and ended the meeting early, agreeing to discuss some important matters the next day.

In the early hours of that very morning, a letter signed by Fu Hua lay quietly on the desk in Flanders's office. No strangers had entered or left the village, and there was no trace of anyone at all. Yet this letter had appeared so abruptly.

When Flanders gathered everyone and read the letter aloud, Master's heart finally settled completely.

There were only a few words on the letter, yet they still carried an unquestionable air of conviction.

"

I am well. Do not worry!

—Fu Hua

"

Even though it was only a few short words, no one knew why, but everyone was certain that Fu Hua had written the letter.

Perhaps they had spent so much time with Fu Hua that they had more or less come to understand some of her habits.

"I told you! That little girl Fu Hua is amazing! How could anything possibly happen to her?" Zhao Wuji said excitedly, rubbing his bald head.

"Shh!" Flanders's eyes sharpened as he swept his gaze around the room. In a low voice, he said, "Although Spirit Hall's target is Fu Hua, we still can't be sure they aren't watching us right now."

"Huh? Dean?" Zhao Wuji cried out in alarm.

"Don't react so strongly. Look at Master—how calm he is."

"No, I simply hadn't considered that possibility."

Unfortunately, Master showed him no mercy and directly cut off Flanders's attempt to save face.

Flanders fell silent. Brother, give me some face!

"Since Fu Hua is all right, it's time to deal with our own matters," Master continued.

"Xiao Gang, you..."

The next day marked the first day of the new month in Suotuo City. The sunlight was just right, warming everyone's hearts.

At the same time, Flanders, Master, and Qin Ming spoke for two hours, discussing Shrek's future development.

After two months of intense training, Shrek's little monsters finally received a long vacation. Those who wanted to rest rested, while those who wished to cultivate continued cultivating.

The entire Shrek Academy was filled with a lazy, languid atmosphere!

At noon that day, Flanders and Master finalized the decision for Shrek to merge into Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

At the same time, Tang San distributed the hidden weapons he had crafted himself—the Godly Zhuge Crossbows—to the other little monsters. Since Fu Hua was absent, one was kept for her.

That day, Ning Rongrong also prepared to ask Dean Flanders for leave to return home and discuss the subsequent sale of the Godly Zhuge Crossbows with her father.

Two months later, everyone from Shrek Academy, including the students and all the teachers, arrived in Heaven Dou City. Under Ning Rongrong's guidance, they reached the foot of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Before they could even enter the academy, they clashed with Prince Xue Beng. In the end, they entered Heaven Dou Royal Academy under Teacher Sun's guidance.

The next day, through Qin Ming's introduction, Flanders and the others met with the three senior education committee members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. After gaining the seniors' approval, Shrek's group, who should have joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy without issue, were sabotaged by Xue Beng, with whom they had clashed at the foot of the mountain.

In a fit of anger, Flanders led Shrek's group away. Qin Ming then resigned and followed in Shrek's footsteps to Heaven Dou City.

Just then, Blue Tyrant Advanced Soul Master Academy was recruiting. Flanders brought Shrek's group to Blue Tyrant Advanced Soul Master Academy, and the Golden Iron Triangle reunited.

Suddenly, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo appeared again and kidnapped Tang San, intending to force him to detoxify his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan was a Control System Soul Master on the Royal Fighting Team. Tang San had unexpectedly neutralized her poison during their battle, and she had never let go of the matter. That was how Dugu Bo's involvement came about.

The other Shrek monsters once again fell into a low period.

Blue Tyrant Advanced Soul Master Academy was officially renamed Shrek Academy.

Two or three months were no more than the blink of an eye to Fu Hua. The past drifted before her like smoke, scene after scene, moment after moment, always drawing out lingering attachment.

I am not someone who easily clings to the past!

But that did not mean she never did. She had once said that to Otto. After coming to this world, she had recalled many things, yet many memories still troubled her like a fog.

Sitting with her knees drawn up atop the mountain peak, Fu Hua gazed down at the lush forest below. Her eyes were hazy, as though veiled in mist, making the emotion within them impossible to read.

The Honkai Beasts that had suddenly appeared on this continent, the prodigy who had appeared just as suddenly thirty years ago—no matter how Fu Hua thought about it, only one answer remained in her heart.

A Herrscher!

Only a Herrscher could create Honkai, and only a Herrscher could control it.

But... why?

"Why did she kill the Honkai Beasts again? Could it have been simply to gain power? What do you think, Jingwei?"

Turning her head, Fu Hua felt warmth well up in her heart at the familiar figure beside her.

Flaming red feathers, scorching eyes.

She was still herself, yet I was no longer who I used to be.

"If Lady Crimson Kite wishes to know, I will definitely accompany you until we find the answer. This time, I will never leave you again."

PS: Hi hi! Your adorable author has reappeared after ten days! Thank you all for your concern. My cold is pretty much better now, so I'm posting right away!

PS1: Also, there's only one phrase in my heart: this is too miserable. Celestial Hymn, Lunar Eclipse, Sixth Serenade—three bright shiny cards, dazzling my eyes until they sparkled. I just wanted a Lunar Eclipse, so why was it so hard?! miHoYo, you really are something else.

PS2: What use was that whiny little thing to me?! It could only be a mascot.

PS3: Also, in the first stage of the Mid-Autumn event, the Xuanyuan Sword's passive was seriously disgusting. Let us mourn for the opponents who would have to face Fu Hua in the future! I used Wings of Light, Gyakushinn Miko, and Triumph, and it still took me an entire afternoon to clear it. The problem was that I didn't even have any of those characters. My heart was so stuffed up!

PS4: And about the concerns over power scaling and such, don't bring Honkai Impact 3rd's settings into this. In my mind, Honkai Impact 3rd's power levels are honestly even higher than Douluo's. I've nerfed Fu Hua's strength again and again, and I can't lower it any further. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fun once Fu Hua entered the Douluo world. How could we still have fun without stirring things up?!

PS5: Finally, the end of this volume!