Mu En's Inner Turmoil

Within a certain courtyard of the Star Luo Imperial Palace.

Gu Tian stood with his hands behind his back, watching the evaluation on the Sky Curtain, his face utterly unruffled.

What could he say?

He had already deduced all this long ago.

Though there were minor differences, the general direction was much the same.

The hidden hand driving the War Between Humans and Gods was undoubtedly Tang San.

An alliance with the Silver Dragon King also fell within Gu Tian's expectations.

After all, as the Dragon God's clone, the Silver Dragon King at her peak was a half-step God King level powerhouse, and she bore a grudge against the God Realm Gods.

At the same time, the Silver Dragon King was the only being on this continent capable of providing assistance in a battle against the gods.

Anyone else would likely be reduced to ashes by the shockwaves the moment they stepped onto the board.

Putting himself in his future self's shoes, even if Gu Tian hadn't subdued the Silver Dragon King, he would have done everything possible to form an alliance with her.

"Perhaps the title 'Lord of Soul Beasts' is related to this!" Gu Tian's eyes flickered as he murmured to himself.

Of course, Gu Tian was still somewhat curious about what his future self had done to make humans, once mere ants, pose a threat to the lofty gods.

"I never imagined my future self would play it so big, blocking the gods!"

Gu Tian lowered his head to glance at the Emperor Belt quietly materializing at his waist: "It seems it all comes down to this. The Heavenly Dao Emperor, walking the path of an emperor in the name of Heaven!"

They say Douluo is the foundation of fantasy worlds, but since the God Realm governs so many planes, the gods within it can't possibly be weak.

In truth, Gu Tian had little interest in unifying humanity or rebelling against the God Realm.

As long as Tang San didn't come to provoke him, whatever schemes the other was plotting had nothing to do with Gu Tian.

In fact, at the very start, Gu Tian had planned to steer clear of any forces related to Tang San.

Otherwise, he would never have entertained the idea of lying low in Star Luo Imperial City.

He just never expected things to escalate this far, even to the point of a war between humans and gods.

Of course, Gu Tian wasn't afraid in the slightest.

If worst came to worst, he could simply flip the table.

After all, he possessed the strongest armor of the Light Universe, the supreme ruler of the Light Realm, the Emperor Armor—the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao.

And when his life was in danger, he could directly call upon the Heavenly Dao Substitute.

Gu Tian guessed that his future self in the Sky Curtain probably hadn't fully mastered all the power of the Emperor Armor yet.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a matter of blocking the gods, but annihilating them.

As for everything his future self had done, Gu Tian could more or less understand.

In his previous life, Gu Tian came from a scholarly family; both his parents were teachers.

In poverty, cultivate one's own virtue; when prosperous, help the world.

That was the principle they had upheld from beginning to end.

And Gu Tian was deeply influenced by his parents.

If he had the ability, he would do what he could.

But he would never be swayed by anyone or anything; he would only do what he believed was right.

He sought only six simple words: a clear conscience, and that was enough.

Whether it was unifying the Douluo Continent, improving the relationship between humans and soul beasts, or resisting the God Realm, it all stemmed from this.

My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror; everything I do is righteous!

That line from the president in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was excellent, and Gu Tian took it as his own code of conduct.

Shrek Academy.

"Alas!"

Mu En let out a silent sigh, and for the first time, a look of worry appeared in his aged eyes.

"Tang San!" he murmured the name that Shrek had once been so proud of.

For a lofty god to spend ten thousand years scheming over something, it clearly couldn't be simple.

Though the Sky Curtain hadn't stated it outright, Mu En's intuition told him that the hidden hand behind the War Between Humans and Gods was almost certainly Tang San.

After all, it was only after Gu Tian single-handedly shattered Tang San's ten-thousand-year scheme that the War Between Humans and Gods broke out.

If anyone believed there was no connection between the two, they'd have to be a fool.

That was Tang San!

Their Ancestor of Shrek, the revered Sea God!

Ten thousand years ago, he defeated the evil Spirit Hall Empire and saved the entire continent—a great and noble existence.

If his guess was correct, had the Sea God Tang San changed over time after becoming a god, or was this simply his true nature all along?

If so, what role did the other First Generation Shrek Seven Devils, who ascended to godhood alongside him, play in all of this?

Was the Spirit Hall Empire they defeated ten thousand years ago truly evil?

One question after another surfaced in Mu En's mind.

Of course, these were secondary matters.

The real issue now was that, due to the long-standing and intense bond with the First Generation Shrek Seven Devils, Tang San's actions had a profound impact on Shrek Academy.

What was once a glorious history of the school might now bear an indelible stain.

At this moment, the situation had not yet spiraled out of control.

But this ticking time bomb could explode at any moment under the guidance of those with ulterior motives.

After all, what Mu En could think of, others could think of too.

Throughout the past millennia of history, Shrek Academy had always held a transcendent position, standing above all nations.

In secret, it had long since incurred the enmity of countless people.

It was only because of Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year deep foundation and prestige, coupled with its formidable strength, that no one dared to act rashly.

Now that this incident had occurred, Mu En could imagine that someone on the continent would surely use it to drag Shrek Academy into the mire.

The elders of the Sea God Pavilion all furrowed their brows one after another.

They were not fools; they too had naturally thought of this problem.

"Teacher, what should we do next?"

Yan Shaozhe subconsciously looked toward his teacher.

The others also cast bewildered glances at Mu En.

Faced with this scene, a flicker of disappointment passed through Mu En's eyes.

"Let this old man think it over carefully."

However, he did not speak; he simply closed his eyes slowly.

Now, there were actually only three paths before Shrek Academy.

First, choose the future Master of the Sea God Pavilion from the Sky Curtain.

Second, side with neither.

Third, choose the Sea God Tang San.

If they chose to stand with the Sea God, then Shrek's ten-thousand-year glory would be destroyed in an instant.

This was something not only Mu En but anyone present could not accept.

To them, the Sea God was the Sea God, at most bearing the additional title of Shrek's Ancestor, while Shrek Academy was the faith of their very lives—the two existed on entirely different dimensions.

If they sided with neither, Shrek Academy would please no one on either side.

As for choosing the future Master of the Sea God Pavilion from the Sky Curtain, they would incur Tang San's wrath.

Setting aside the first option, Mu En fell into a long and tangled deliberation over the remaining two.

One was steady progress, but Shrek would gradually decline as a result.

The other carried immense risk, but the rewards were equally high—not only could Shrek Academy rise from the ashes, but it could also achieve unprecedented prosperity.

One step to heaven, one step to hell.

This made Mu En hesitant to make a decision lightly.

At the same time, he was somewhat curious about what the future version of himself in the Sky Curtain had been thinking.

To actually entrust Shrek Academy to that Star Luo Emperor.