Di Tian's Unconventional Play and Shrek Academy's Despair

The night was as thick as ink that refused to dissipate.

Mu En and his companions stumbled out of the Star Dou Great Forest's boundary. The icy rain soaked their clothes, mixing with the bloodstains on their bodies and dragging shocking trails across the muddy ground.

No one spoke, only heavy panting echoed in the silent night. Each step felt like treading on knife edges, so heavy it tightened their chests.

Qian Duoduo's eyes were vacant, and it was impossible to tell if the tears or the rain streamed down his face.

The vice-dean of Soul Tools, at this moment, was like a soulless sculpture. Only the slight trembling of his body revealed that his emotions had not yet collapsed.

Although Xian Lin'er was only his wife in name and not in deed, he had already regarded Xian Lin'er as his wife in his heart.

Now, his wife had been killed by a Soul Beast right before his eyes. How could he possibly feel alright?

Yan Shaozhe and Cai Mei'er supported each other. Their wounds were still bleeding, and every breath sent waves of sharp pain through them. Yet, they barely had the strength to frown—the despair in their hearts was more suffocating than their physical injuries.

Xuan Zi walked at the forefront. The powerful physique granted by his Godly Taotie Bull Martial Soul meant his injuries were slightly lighter, but his tightly pressed lips and ashen face betrayed his suppressed rage and grief.

Elder Lin, Elder Song... his old friends with whom he had worked for a lifetime, had just perished forever in that dark forest.

Mu En was half-supported, half-dragged by Xuan Zi. His already hunched back bent even lower now, as if carrying a thousand-pound burden. His face was paler than paper, with dried bloodstains at the corner of his mouth. His eyes, which once sparkled with wisdom and authority, were now filled with a dead, ashen grayness. He gritted his teeth, letting the icy rain lash against his face, but he didn't even have the strength to lift a hand to wipe it away.

He couldn't understand it at all.

He thought that by bringing the prestige of Shrek Academy, even Di Tian, as arrogant as he was, would at least show some respect, considering the centuries-long balance of power between their two factions. He had even prepared his speech, intending to use the academy's foundation and potential threats to force the other party to compromise, even if it was just a pretense of helping to find Beibei, it could buy them a sliver of hope.

But reality had delivered the harshest blow.

Di Tian didn't play by the rules at all. There were no negotiations, no probing, not even an extra question. It was a direct fight to the death. That overwhelming dark power, that merciless slaughter, struck like a heavy hammer, shattering all his calculations and the invincible pride of Shrek Academy.

"We... lost."

Someone at the back of the group murmured softly, their voice as light as a sigh, yet it pierced through everyone's forced composure like a needle.

Yes, they had lost. They had lost utterly, at a terrible cost.

Returning to Shrek Academy, the familiar campus seemed exceptionally desolate in the night. The dormitory buildings, usually brightly lit, were pitch black. Only the direction of the Sea God Pavilion still emitted a faint light, like a lonely eye silently watching their return.

No one suggested treating their wounds, nor did anyone want to rest. The group stood on the plaza in front of the Sea God Pavilion, lost and dejected. Rain dripped from their hair and clothes, pooling at their feet, reflecting their haggard figures.

The heavy atmosphere was almost drowning.

"Te... Teacher,"

Yan Shaozhe was the first to break the silence. His voice trembled uncontrollably, each word seeming to be squeezed from his throat as he asked, "What... what do we do next?"

This question weighed on everyone's heart like a massive stone. Elder Lin, Elder Song, and Xian Lin'er had perished. Mu En was severely injured. How would the remaining people face the teachers and students of the academy? How would they face the covetous powers outside? How would they face that nightmarish Star Dou Great Forest?

Mu En did not answer.

He merely stared blankly at the top floor of the Sea God Pavilion, where the memorial tablets of Shrek Academy's past sages were enshrined. He could feel his Soul Power draining madly within him. His old and new chest wounds erupted simultaneously, causing him such pain that he almost fainted. But compared to the physical pain, the regret and helplessness in his heart were even harder to bear.

It was his misjudgment, his arrogance, that caused the academy to suffer such heavy losses.

He had failed his deceased old friends, the academy's teachers and students who trusted him, and even more so, Beibei, whose whereabouts were unknown...

"Cough... cough cough..."

Mu En suddenly coughed violently, his body trembling intensely. His already aged face was now creased with wrinkles, as if he had aged decades in an instant. His bent back was almost touching the ground.

"Elder Mu!" Xuan Zi, sensing something was wrong, quickly reached out to support him.

But it was still too late.

"Pfft—"

A mouthful of bright red blood spurted from Mu En's mouth, splashing onto the cold ground like a tragically beautiful flower. His body swayed, his eyes rolled back, and he completely lost consciousness.

"Elder Mu!"

"Teacher!"

Everyone's faces changed drastically. They cried out in alarm and surrounded him. Qian Duoduo also snapped back to reality and rushed over to check on Mu En.

"Quick! Carry him into the Sea God Pavilion!" Xuan Zi made a decisive command, carefully picking up Mu En and rushing towards the Sea God Pavilion.

Yan Shaozhe and Cai Mei'er, along with Elder Zhuang and Qian Duoduo, followed closely behind.

In a secret chamber on the top floor of the Sea God Pavilion.

"Elder Zhuang, I'm counting on you," Xuan Zi said, his voice hoarse, his eyes filled with worry.

Elder Zhuang nodded gravely, "Don't worry, I'll do my best."

If anyone was least injured, almost unharmed, it would be him, as a healing-type Soul Master.

Xuan Zi turned around and, with Yan Shaozhe, Cai Mei'er, and Qian Duoduo, walked out of the secret chamber, gently closing the door.

The four stood in the corridor, looking at each other's disheveled state, and fell silent again.

"This matter... cannot be revealed."

Xuan Zi spoke first, his voice low and firm, warning, "The deaths of Elder Lin, Elder Song, and Xian Lin'er, as well as the news of Elder Mu's coma, must be strictly kept secret."

Yan Shaozhe's face turned pale, "But..."

"No buts!"

Xuan Zi interrupted him, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone. "Once the news leaks, the academy will inevitably fall into panic. If the outside powers, especially the Sun Moon Empire and the Sacred Spirit Cult, learn that we have lost so many elders and Elder Mu is unconscious, they will absolutely take advantage of the situation! At that time, Shrek Academy will truly be in danger. It will be a life-or-death crisis!"

Qian Duoduo clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "I understand."

He couldn't let the academy, which Xian Lin'er had protected with her life, collapse at this time.

Cai Mei'er also nodded. "Elder Xuan is right. It's not the time to announce it yet."

Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in his heart. "I understand. It's just... what about the Soul Tool Institute?"

He looked at Qian Duoduo, his eyes full of worry. "Xian Lin'er is the backbone of the Soul Tool Institute. If she doesn't show up, the researchers and students there will definitely become suspicious."

The Soul Tool Institute was an important part of Shrek Academy. If there was any trouble there, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Xuan Zi frowned, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. "We can only keep it a secret for now. We'll say that Xian Lin'er, Elder Lin, and Elder Song have gone out on a secret mission and need to go into long-term seclusion. We'll hide it for as long as we can."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of hope. "I hope... we can hold on until Xiao Tao and Le Xuan, those two girls, grow up. They are the most talented juniors in the inner court. Perhaps... only when they can truly stand on their own will we be able to catch our breath."

Xiao Tao and Le Xuan, one Yan Shaozhe's prized student, the other a genius girl from the inner court, were the future hope of Shrek Academy.

But now, this hope seemed so distant.

The four fell silent again. The candlelight in the corridor flickered, casting long shadows that stretched across the cold stone walls, filled with heaviness and confusion.

This crushing defeat was like an invisible shackle, firmly bound to them. They didn't know how to proceed in the future. All they knew was that they had to persevere, for Mu En, for their deceased old friends, and even more so for the glory of Shrek Academy that had continued for tens of thousands of years.