The atmosphere at the scene eased somewhat.
"Who would've thought that little fellow would become Master of the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek while serving as the Star Luo Emperor!"
Shattered Star Douluo clicked his tongue, his face full of disbelief. "How did he manage that?"
Shrek Academy belonged to no country, and the Sea God Pavilion was its highest decision-making body.
Not to mention the successive Masters of the Sea God Pavilion—even among its ordinary members, there had been very few born into powerful families.
And that was precisely an important demonstration of Shrek Academy's independence and neutrality.
The Master of the Sea God Pavilion was generally recommended through Shrek Academy's internal system.
Exceptional strength was the bare minimum requirement, followed by loyalty to Shrek.
Many Masters of the Sea God Pavilion had risen through Shrek Academy's own ranks. They were talents Shrek had cultivated itself.
It wasn't just them—even the people throughout the Star Luo Empire were shocked.
"By the way, who's Gu Tian? How come I've never heard of him?"
"I can't believe that the future emperor of our Star Luo Empire is also serving as Master of the Sea God Pavilion. That's never happened in thousands of years!"
"What does it mean that he's the new Lord of Soul Beasts and has brought humans and Soul Beasts to live together in peace?"
"Idiot, can't you figure it out?"
"Obviously, our Star Luo Empire conquered all the Soul Beasts under His Majesty's leadership!"
"I never thought the empire that unified the entire continent in the end would be the Star Luo Empire!"
Throughout the Star Luo Empire, countless people discussed the future emperor who would lead their country to greatness.
As for whether he belonged to the current imperial line, most people didn't care very much.
Shrek Academy, atop the Golden Ancient Wood.
The elders of the Sea God Pavilion had gathered there.
"What do you all make of this?"
A gaunt old man sat in a wheelchair, looking as though he were nearing the end of his days. Only his eyes were different: deep and kind.
"Setting aside where that person came from, just his status as Star Luo Emperor makes it impossible for him to become Master of our Sea God Pavilion!"
Yan Shaozhe, a handsome middle-aged man with short, partly graying hair and a scholarly air, shook his head in rejection.
"Exactly, Mu En. I think the same."
Xian Lin'er, a tall, beautiful woman with her hair tied in a high ponytail, nodded in agreement. "Shrek became the continent's number-one academy with a legacy spanning ten thousand years because of its special status as an institution independent of every country."
"That's hard to say. The Light Screen that has swept across the entire continent may have an origin far beyond anything we can imagine!"
Xuan Zi was no longer as calm and carefree as usual. For once, a trace of gravity showed on his face.
Just now, Shrek had tried countless methods, but neither their martial souls nor their Soul Tools could affect the Sky Curtain in the heavens in the slightest.
And as Shrek's strongest fighter in the open, Xuan Zi had boldly flown straight toward the Sky Curtain.
Yet the Light Screen seemed to be nothing more than an image. It offered no resistance at all; he simply passed right through it.
"Unifying the entire continent and bringing humans and Soul Beasts to live together in peace!"
Qian Duoduo's eyes flashed. "Those would be unprecedented achievements!"
"Mu En, should we reach out to him in advance?"
Lin Huiyun, head of Shrek's Treasure Gathering Pavilion, looked toward Mu En.
"We'll just wait and see."
Mu En's voice rang in everyone's ears.
With Shrek's stabilizing force having spoken, the others could only temporarily set aside their doubts and turn their attention to the Sky Curtain.
Within the Heaven Dou Empire, at a treacherous stretch of natural barriers that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, stood the Body Sect.
It was on a mountaintop deep among the ranges, somewhere no one dared to cross on foot or fly through lightly.
Eleven figures stood there.
They looked up at the sky, gazing at the Sky Curtain overhead as their expressions grew increasingly solemn.
These eleven figures were none other than the Body Sect's senior leaders. Every one of them was a Titled Douluo.
"Star Luo Emperor, Master of the Sea God Pavilion, Lord of Soul Beasts. Those are some grand titles!"
Du Busi's eyes flickered faintly.
He didn't know what the titles Heavenly Dao Incarnation and successor to the Emperor Armor specifically meant, but his instincts told him they carried far more weight than the other three.
As he watched the figure on the Sky Curtain, reigning supreme over all under heaven, Du Busi wondered what was going through his mind.
After a long pause, he spoke. "How much of what we're seeing do you think is credible?"
At this, the other ten exchanged glances.
Golden Body Douluo, the Body Sect elder second only to its leader, Du Busi, pondered for a moment before saying, "The current Star Luo Emperor, Xu Jiawei, has no children, and the person in the sky isn't surnamed Xu..."
"Did he seize the throne, or did the Xu Family hand over power?"
Du Busi narrowed his eyes slightly, an intrigued look crossing his face. "Interesting!"
Vina, the Heaven Dou Empire's princess, had yet to join the Body Sect as a link between the two sides, so the Body Sect was not yet the Heaven Dou Empire's protector sect.
As long as the empire unifying the continent wasn't the Sun Moon Empire, a foreign power, Du Busi didn't care which other country it was.
"Leader, the Heaven Dou Empire has already sent the person over. Should I accept or refuse?"
One of the elders stepped forward to ask.
"Just refuse. Whether that thing in the sky is real or not, I've got no interest in getting mixed up in the mess of a power struggle."
Du Busi waved his hand without hesitation.
"Leader, that's not what you said before."
A burly elder scratched his head.
"Can't I change my mind?"
Du Busi glared fiercely at the tactless fellow.
"Understood, Leader. I'll notify the Heaven Dou Empire later and have them send Princess Vina back."
The elder who had spoken earlier nodded.
"Since she's come to the Body Sect, she's one of us. Why would we send her back?"
Hearing that, Du Busi burst into laughter, his green hair swaying wildly with his movements.
"The leader is right. It's an honor for the Xue Clan that she can join the Body Sect!" A small-framed elder nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. If they've got a problem, they can keep it to themselves." Another elder spat as he spoke, not taking the Heaven Dou imperial family seriously at all. "Back then, we killed ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest whenever we wanted. Should we be afraid of some mere royals?"
As one of the continent's three most powerful factions, the Body Sect had twice carried out large-scale hunts for ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Two thousand years ago, nearly forty members of the Body Sect infiltrated the Star Dou Great Forest and hunted seven ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, provoking a beast tide. Shrek Academy eventually subdued it, and the two sides reached an agreement prohibiting the Body Sect from hunting them again.
The second time was in recent years. Du Busi led the Body Sect's powerful fighters in hunting three ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, provoking Beast God Di Tian to unleash a beast tide.
Fortunately, Du Busi was an honorable man and didn't simply leave. Instead, he led the Body Sect in helping Shrek Academy hold back the beast tide and promised not to hunt ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts again. Only then did Di Tian call it off.
These two incidents had propelled the Body Sect's prestige to its peak.
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