In front of Shrek Academy.
Qian Duoduo, Fan Yu, and the others had returned.
But their faces were ghastly, as if covered by a thick layer of ash.
At the gates of Shrek Academy, all the elders of the Sea God Pavilion had gathered. They stood in a row, silently waiting.
The imposing sight weighed heavily on every Soul Tool Department teacher and student who had returned. They could barely breathe.
The number who had returned was the same as the number who had set out.
But...
Yan Shaozhe was missing. In his place was Radiant Ma Xiaotao, a girl who looked very much like Ma Xiaotao.
"Qian Duoduo!"
A sharp cry, choked with anger and unease, rang out. It was Xian Lin'er, the hot-tempered vice dean of the Soul Tool Department.
Beside her, Cai Mei'er had her brows tightly knitted. The two women hurried forward, their eyes fixed on Qian Duoduo.
"Where's Yan Shaozhe?! Where did he go?!"
Qian Duoduo's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word.
And he wasn't the only one.
Every teacher and student who had returned from the Star Dou Great Forest had their head bowed and their face pale. Their expressions were a complicated mixture of grief and self-reproach.
Seeing this, the ominous feeling in the hearts of the Sea God Pavilion elders present grew countless times stronger!
The atmosphere grew heavier in the ensuing silence.
"Ah..."
An old, heavy sigh broke the suffocating silence.
It was Elder Song.
Leaning on her cane, she slowly stepped forward. Her eyes, which had seen the vicissitudes of life, were filled with grief.
"Duoduo, tell us."
Her voice was hoarse and weary.
"Did something... happen to Shaozhe?"
At the words "something happen," Qian Duoduo shuddered. His eyes, which he had been struggling to keep dry, instantly