Xia Xiaoyun: Even Long Xiaoyao could defect to the Sun Moon Empire. What does our Xuanming Sect have to fear?!

Yan Shaozhe was knocked unconscious and sent away, while Zhang Lexuan had no choice but to take her leave as well.

The three of them walked to the open ground outside the courtyard. Zhang Lexuan took a red token from the storage jade bracelet on her Pale White Wrist and placed it in Xu Tianxi's hand, her expression solemn.

"Tian Xi, this token proves that I'm a disciple of Shrek's Inner Courtyard. Keep it safe. It might be useful someday."

She had come here today not only to see Xiyue off on her final journey. She had also considered bringing Xu Tianxi back to Shrek's Inner Courtyard. Now that she was a Soul Douluo, she had enough energy to take care of him. Perhaps she could even let him grow up alongside Bei Bei.

But plans could not keep up with changes. Dean Yan's attitude had been too outrageous, enraging the Xuanming Old Ancestor. She could no longer bring up the matter.

Hopefully Tian Xi won't grow resentful of Shrek in the future. The academy's higher-ups may have questionable character, but their strength is undeniable...

Xu Tianxi nodded and said, "All right." Zhang Lexuan's eyes curved gently as she lovingly rubbed his tender forehead. After bidding Xu Xiaoyun farewell as well, she turned and flew out of the Xuanming Sect.

She had not flown for long when she found Yan Shaozhe lying unconscious on the ground like a beaten dog. A strange expression appeared on her fair, luminous face.

Dean Yan had enjoyed a smooth life. After suffering such tremendous humiliation today, she wondered whether he would become sick with rage.

His Martial Soul was the Bright Phoenix, but he had always lacked a certain breadth of spirit. He might even seek a chance to retaliate. She had to explain the whole matter to Mu En and make sure he restrained Dean Yan.

Fortunately... Shrek still had someone as reasonable as Mu En...

Meanwhile, Xu Tianxi wiped the cold sweat from his head and slowly let out a breath, his chest rising and falling unevenly.

He had been burning with excitement while slapping Yan Shaozhe. Now that he had calmed down and thought about it, the experience had been a little too thrilling.

Slapping a Super Douluo before awakening my Martial Soul—this achievement should be completely unprecedented, right?

Oh, no. He had forgotten the Death God Envoy. With Soul King cultivation, that man had blown away a group of Shrek's Inner Courtyard disciples and escaped from a Level 98 Super Douluo. His record was even more impressive.

Just as Xu Tianxi was sighing inwardly, a strong hand settled on his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw that Xu Xiaoyun had returned to his original aged appearance. His kindly smile revealed none of his earlier ferocity.

"How was it, little Tian Xi? After slapping that bastard a few times, do you feel much better?"

Xu Tianxi nodded. Slapping someone was arguably the simplest way to obtain the most extreme pleasure. All the pent-up anger in his heart had been beaten into Yan Shaozhe's old face.

The smile on Xu Xiaoyun's face grew wider. Then his tone changed, and he said regretfully, "However, because of this, you can't cultivate at Shrek like your second brother anymore. You'll have to remain in the sect for the next few years. Although I don't like that place either, it truly has excellent cultivation conditions and the best classmates."

Xu Tianxi knew that his second brother was Xu Sanshi, who was three years older than him. Xu Sanshi had entered Shrek the previous year, enrolling at a very young age.

But that had little to do with him. At present, he felt almost nothing toward Xu Sanshi. As for Shrek, he certainly felt something—an overwhelming amount of malice.

Thus, Xu Tianxi shook his head beneath Xu Xiaoyun's benevolent gaze and cursed viciously, "The dean of Shrek Academy is nothing special. If you're willing to teach me, Great-Grandfather, you'll definitely be better than him! Besides, the people at Shrek... Aunt Xuan is pretty decent, but Yan Shaozhe is utterly shameless. And the person who caused my mother's death is an even bigger bastard!"

In short: these two had brought death upon themselves.

"Hahaha... You're right. Your Great-Grandfather's abilities are far greater than that bastard's! They may be the continent's number-one academy, but our Xuanming Sect is also a Hidden Sect Second to None. It's enough for your second brother to go to that wretched place!"

Xu Xiaoyun laughed heartily. He raised his hand and patted Xu Tianxi's shoulder, his deep voice filled with warm concern.

"In another half a month, you'll be able to awaken your Martial Soul. Rest properly during this time, and don't dwell too much on your mother's affairs. Sooner or later, we'll demand an explanation from Shrek."

As he spoke, he waved his right hand and summoned Chen Wu and Yue Lao, who had been sent away earlier. After giving them a few instructions, he rode the wind away.

Xu Tianxi watched him stride off. His eyes shifted slightly before he suddenly shouted, "Great-Grandfather, what if Shrek comes looking for trouble?"

"Don't worry, little fellow. Shrek has accepted plenty of benefits from us over the years. There are still clear-headed people in the Sea God Pavilion. As long as I'm alive, they won't have the courage!"

Xu Xiaoyun answered with booming confidence, quickly disappearing from the sight of the three.

"Third Young Master, what do we do now?" Chen Wu asked rather blankly.

Xu Tianxi turned to glance at Chen Wu and answered without hesitation, "Sleep. I'm a little tired."

Transmigrating was simply too bizarre. It was still somewhat difficult to accept all at once.

But since he had already arrived, he might as well sleep first and think about the rest later.

At night, Xu Xiaoyun silently entered the mourning hall of the Xuanming Sect. With grief on his face, he examined the woman lying quietly inside the wreaths. His right fist clenched involuntarily. He then stepped forward, pulled up a Middle-aged man who was sitting cross-legged and keeping vigil before the wreaths, and gave him a look.

Black Tortoise Displacement activated silently. The two of them traversed space amid black light and arrived in a secret chamber.

The Middle-aged man looked only slightly over thirty. He had thick brows, tiger-like eyes, a straight nose, and a square mouth. Dressed in black mourning clothes, he still wore a somewhat bewildered expression. After standing there dazed for several seconds, he finally asked, "Great-Grandfather, what's happened? Why did you come to discuss something with me at a time like this?"

Xu Xiaoyun's brows drew together as he opened his eyes wide, his gaze sharp and bright. "I naturally wouldn't seek you out at a time like this over something trivial. This is a major matter, and I must inform you, the current head of the Xu Family."

The astonishment on Xu Fu's face grew even stronger. Xu Fu was Xu Tianxi and Xu Sanshi's father, as well as the current head of the Xu Family. He hurriedly waved his hands and said, "Great-Grandfather, you make me sound far too important. Everyone in the family knows that I'm just a figurehead who runs errands. The council of elders, led by you, is the true decision-maker."

Xu Xiaoyun shook his head and said slowly, "There's no need to belittle yourself. Your talent may not match your Eldest Senior Brother's, but it's still extraordinary. You may yet cultivate to my level in the future. I don't have much time left. Sooner or later, the Xuanming Sect will truly have to be supported by you and your Eldest Senior Brother."

"Moreover, this matter concerns you greatly. You must hear me out."

Xu Fu straightened his expression and cupped his fists. "Your grandson will heed Great-Grandfather's teachings!"

His cultivation had been personally taught by his Great-Grandfather. He addressed the two disciples beneath Xu Xiaoyun as senior brother and junior sister. Compared with the other disciples of the Xuanming Sect, he held an even deeper respect for Xu Xiaoyun.

Xu Xiaoyun nodded and said calmly, "The matter is simple. In a few years, I intend to send your child with your junior sister—that is, Tian Xi—to the Sun Moon Empire to cultivate. What do you think?"

"Ah?" Xu Fu's mouth fell open in surprise.

"And you as well. For the next few years, you must enter seclusion and ignore outside affairs. I'll publicly announce that I'm entering seclusion together with you, creating the impression that Tian Xi has lost his mother and has no relatives. That way, outsiders will know that Tian Xi's relationship with our Xuanming Sect is poor, and they won't have to worry that their investment in him will merely feed an ungrateful wretch."

"Ah!?"

Xu Fu stood dumbfounded, his heart churning like a stormy sea. He could not express the countless emotions surging through him.

Xu Xiaoyun raised his hand, signaling Xu Fu to wait until he had finished before offering his opinion. Then he said in a deep voice, "This is a decision I made after careful consideration. It has two purposes.

"First, it's for the inheritance of our Xuanming Sect. You know your junior sister's origins. She is a descendant of a branch of the Imperial family exiled by the former Sun Moon Emperor.

"Tian Xi's identity is special. He has also struck Shrek's dean, while the former emperor's entire family has died. In the Sun Moon Empire, he'll be able to obtain the trust and support of the Sun Moon higher-ups."

"The second point is that I intend to settle accounts with Shrek Academy. Back then, I personally brought your junior sister to Shrek City, and Mu En promised repeatedly that he would take good care of her. Over the years, our Xuanming Sect has given no shortage of support to the development of Shrek City. Yet this still happened. I truly can't swallow this humiliation.

"And then there's Yan Shaozhe. Today, he bullied Tian Xi right in front of me. To defend that old beast Xuan Zi, he even shifted the blame for the incident onto your junior sister. He went too far—he truly went too far!"

With a loud crack, Xu Xiaoyun brought his palm down heavily. A potted plant immediately shattered into pieces.

Xu Fu nodded vigorously in agreement, his eyes shining with excitement. As though he had suddenly understood, he asked, "So, just as you sent your Eldest Senior Brother to the Star Luo Royal Soul Master Academy to get revenge on the Heavenly Soul Kingdom, and sent your junior sister to Shrek Academy to get revenge on the Sun Moon Empire, you intend to send Tian Xi to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy to get revenge on Shrek?"

"Exactly! Since Shrek has shown no mercy, they can't blame this Old Man for being unjust!"

Dark light surged through Xu Xiaoyun's eyes as he gathered a heaven-shaking fury.

That entire afternoon, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Shrek had gotten off too easily.

Just as Xu Tianxi had said, Mu En's disciple had merely lost face, while his own disciple had truly died!

The culprit, Xuan Zi, was still living freely at Shrek, drinking and eating meat. In the future, he might even inherit the position of Sea God Pavilion Master. It seemed that the blood debt he owed would never be repaid.

He was restrained by his family and could not act as he pleased. But Xu Tianxi could. Once he went to the Sun Moon Empire, there would be an opportunity.

Thinking of Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe's faces, Xu Xiaoyun lowered his brows and sent his snow-white beard fluttering in a chilly wind. He spoke viciously, "Hmph! Even Long Xiaoyao defected to the Sun Moon Empire. What does our Xuanming Sect have to fear?"

"Besides, I think the Three Douluo Kingdoms will perish sooner or later! Rather than being forced to bow our heads and submit to the Sun Moon Empire when that time comes, we might as well place our bet on the Sun Moon Empire now!"

"What did you say? Long Xiaoyao!? That Dark Sacred Dragon Long Xiaoyao, who lived in the same era as you, defected to the Sun Moon Empire? This... this... how is that possible?"

Xu Fu's mind rang from the shock of Xu Xiaoyun's words. He could barely articulate his astonishment, and his expression was incredibly colorful.

The name Long Xiaoyao was ancient—he was an old relic from over two hundred years ago. In his youth, he had been as famous as the current Sea God Pavilion Master, Mu En. Yet he had vanished without a trace more than a hundred years ago. Xu Fu had only heard of him through his Great-Grandfather's recollections.

But from what his Great-Grandfather was saying, that old monster was not only still alive—he had quietly defected to the Sun Moon Empire!?

A peerless powerhouse whose strength was likely comparable to that of the Sea God Pavilion Master had already joined the Sun Moon Empire? Had the Xuanming Sect waited too long to place its bet?

"Yes, that fellow. The last time I heard that the Sun Moon Empire had undergone a coup and that the former Imperial family had been wiped out, I went over out of curiosity to watch the excitement. As a result, I discovered some unusual traces. Just as I was about to investigate, Long Xiaoyao suddenly appeared and stopped me. We even exchanged two moves."

Xu Xiaoyun nodded as he recalled the past. A deeply concealed trace of fear and disgust flashed through his eyes before he continued, "We hadn't met for over a hundred years, but he had already become a Limit Douluo. Unless we fought at sea, I wouldn't have the slightest chance of victory against him. I could only protect myself.

"Mu En of Shrek had long since become crippled and clearly didn't have many years left. Once Mu En passed away, no one in the Three Douluo Kingdoms would be able to stop Long Xiaoyao."

"If I were the Sun Moon Emperor, I would launch a war after Mu En's death but before Long Xiaoyao's, seize that once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, annex the three kingdoms, and unify the continent!"

"The previous Sun Moon Emperor, whose entire family was slaughtered, was a coward. Even when Star Luo Empire beat him down, he didn't dare fight back and insisted on negotiating peace. He even exiled the officers of the War Faction, completely losing the people's support. But the current emperor is different from the previous one.

"These past few years, I've clearly sensed the Sun Moon Empire's military strength rapidly increasing. They've even produced terrifying Soul Tools capable of threatening my Life. Given enough time, the long-decaying Three Douluo Kingdoms will definitely be no match for them. With Shrek included, the result won't change."

"Since the outcome is already predetermined, our Xuanming Sect must make a choice to preserve its inheritance."

"But Great-Grandfather, we..."