Meanwhile, in Shrek City ten thousand years later, night had quietly blanketed the land.
Outside the Shrek Academy outer courtyard dormitory area, moonlight filtered through sparse branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows across the ground.
An ancient rattan chair stood silently there, with an elderly man lying upon it. His beard and hair were entirely white, and his face was covered in deep wrinkles, like old tree bark etched with the marks of time. The plain-colored long robe he wore made him appear even thinner.
He was Shrek Academy's Stabilizing Needle, the Limit Douluo Mu En.
At that moment, Mu En's eyes were half-closed and his breathing long and steady, as though he had fallen asleep. Yet a faint, nearly imperceptible pressure lingered around him. It was the ultimate power refined through the ages, making even the surrounding air seem to congeal.
"Elder Mu."
A deep voice sounded outside the courtyard, breaking the silence. Yan Shaozhe, dressed in a white robe, slowly walked in. He stood tall and handsome, but his face bore undisguised gravity. Reaching the rattan chair, he bowed slightly. His voice was kept extremely low, yet it carried a heart-palpitating heaviness.
Mu En's eyelids twitched. He did not open his eyes immediately, merely letting out a soft snort in response.
Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath and spoke with difficulty, every word seeming to squeeze through his teeth. "Something happened in the Star Dou Great Forest... Tang Ya has... fallen. Beibei... has disappeared, as if he had never existed in this world."
Swish!
Before his words had even faded, Mu En suddenly opened his eyes!
Those once-clouded eyes now shone with startling brilliance, like two sharp swords abruptly drawn from their sheaths. Their ice-cold glare shot straight at Yan Shaozhe, and the shock and fury surging within them nearly took tangible form.
His hunched body sprang up from the rattan chair. Though he was still bent at the waist, he possessed an intimidating bearing. His formerly calm face twisted with rage, wrinkles piling together and making him appear all the more terrifying.
"What did you say?!"
Mu En's voice was hoarse like a broken gong, trembling with disbelief. Tang Ya was Beibei's beloved, and also a child he had watched grow up. And Beibei... was his only remaining family in this world, his sole great-grandson!
But now, what had he heard? Tang Ya had fallen, and Beibei had vanished?
"Has Tang Ya's body... been found? What about Beibei?" Mu En stared fixedly at Yan Shaozhe, both hands tightly gripping the rattan chair's armrests. His knuckles whitened from the force, and several deep finger marks appeared in the hard mahogany armrests.
Yan Shaozhe lowered his eyes, his voice thick with bitterness. "Not long ago, we realized that they had been in the Star Dou Great Forest far longer than expected. Sensing that something was wrong, we immediately sent people to search for them. In the end... we found only Tang Ya's remains at the edge of the Core Area. It seemed... it seemed her spirit had been instantly shattered. As for Beibei, we searched that entire region, but found no trace of him. It was as though... he had vanished into thin air."
Mu En staggered. Had he not caught hold of the rattan chair, he would have nearly collapsed on the spot. His chest heaved violently, and his eyes instantly filled with blood, like red agates suffused with crimson.
No one knew Beibei's nature better than he did. That child appeared gentle, but beneath that gentleness lay a terrifying stubbornness, especially when it came to Tang Ya—he had always protected her fiercely. If they had encountered danger, Beibei would surely have stood in front of Tang Ya. Even if someone had to die, Beibei should have been the first to suffer misfortune. Yet now... Tang Ya had fallen, while Beibei was missing?
There was only one explanation—Beibei had likely met with disaster long ago, leaving not even a body behind!
A bone-deep chill rose from Mu En's heart and swiftly spread through all four limbs and every bone in his body. He had lived for over a hundred years and witnessed countless partings in life and death, his heart long tempered into iron and stone. Yet Beibei alone was the softest concern in his heart. And now, that bond might have been severed in such a brutal way?
"Who did this?!"
Mu En's voice was as low as if it came from the depths of hell, and his hoarseness carried killing intent that sent chills through the heart. The air itself seemed frozen by his rage, and even the moonlight took on a trace of ice-coldness.
Yan Shaozhe shook his head, his expression grave. "We still don't know. However... Beibei possesses the Holy Dragon of Light Martial Soul. Though he had not yet fully consolidated it, his talent was extraordinary. He had been the unquestioned choice for the next Dragon God Douluo, with limitless potential ahead of him. The Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest have always been fiercely protective of their own. Could it be... that they believed Beibei posed a threat to them, and thus struck him down?"
The Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest, especially those ancient monsters that had lived for more than ten thousand years, were all immensely powerful and had always held hostility toward Human Soul Masters. Beibei's talent truly might have provoked their wariness. It was not impossible.
Mu En abruptly turned his head and looked toward the pitch-black distance beyond the academy—the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest. A nearly crazed viciousness flashed through his eyes, as though he wished to tear that darkness apart.
"Star Dou Great Forest..."
He ground out those words through clenched teeth. The Soul Power around him began to surge out of control, and the ground beneath them faintly trembled. "Good. Very good! Anyone who dares touch one of my people, Mu En, will pay the price—even if they are Ferocious Beasts!"
He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the fury in his heart. His voice regained some ice-cold calmness, yet it carried an unquestionable command. "Go. Pass down the order. Have every Elder in the academy gather here immediately!"
"Yes!" Yan Shaozhe did not dare delay. He turned and hurried away, his white figure swiftly vanishing into the night.
Silence fell over the place once more, leaving only Mu En's heavy breathing. With his back to the dormitory area, he continued staring toward the Star Dou Great Forest. His hunched back cast a long shadow beneath the moonlight, like an ancient blade about to leave its sheath, brimming with astonishing power.
In less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, several figures appeared in the courtyard like ghosts.
At their head stood an old man dressed in fitted black clothes, his face resolute and his eyes sharp. He was Xuan Zi. Behind him came a white-haired old woman, a beautiful woman, and several other men and women with steady auras. Without exception, each radiated the formidable presence of a Title Douluo. They were Shrek Academy's Elders.
These top-tier Strong Persons, who were rarely seen in ordinary times, all wore grave expressions. Clearly, they had already learned some of the news from Yan Shaozhe.
Xuan Zi stepped forward, his gaze settling on Mu En as he asked in a deep voice, "Elder Mu, what happened? Why summon all of us?"
Mu En did not turn around, still gazing into the distance. Yan Shaozhe explained in a low voice from beside him, "Beibei and Tang Ya met with misfortune in the Star Dou Great Forest. Tang Ya has already fallen, and Beibei is missing. He likely... faces grim odds. This old man suspects the Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest were responsible."
"What?!"
Xuan Zi and the others' expressions changed drastically, their eyes filled with stunned disbelief.
They all knew what Beibei meant to Mu En. Elder Mu had lived a lonely life, and Beibei was his only Bloodline Inheritance, an important bond that kept him going. Now that something had happened to Beibei, it was no wonder Elder Mu was so enraged that he had summoned every Elder—he was truly going to act!
A female Elder in green could not help saying, "The Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest are far too bold! They knew Beibei was Elder Mu's great-grandson, yet they still dared to strike so ruthlessly?"
"No matter who it is, anyone who dares touch someone from Shrek must pay the price!" another old man snorted angrily, fiery Soul Power Fluctuation erupting around him.
Xuan Zi took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. Looking at Mu En's back, he asked in a deep voice, "Elder Mu, what do we do next?"
Mu En slowly turned around. There was no longer a single ripple on his aged face, only the coldness of Ice Seal. His gaze swept over every Elder present. His voice was not loud, yet it entered everyone's ears with perfect clarity:
"What do we do?"
"Bring your weapons and follow me to the Star Dou Great Forest—"
"Demand an explanation!"
Those final words exploded through the courtyard like thunder, carrying resolute killing intent as they shot into the heavens.
Under the moonlight, Mu En's hunched body seemed to straighten a little. In his bloodshot eyes were reflected both the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest and a towering storm about to erupt.
The Elders of Shrek Academy exchanged glances and saw the same determination in one another's eyes. No further words were needed. Their figures moved as they closely followed behind Mu En, racing toward the academy's gates.
One powerful aura after another tore through the night sky, converging toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
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