Guardian Stalking the Deep Sea--Demigod Mu En!

"Pavilion Master..."

Looking at the silent, reclusive old man reclining in his chair, Xuan Zi called out softly.

Creak...

The old man rose and closed the outward-opening wooden window, shutting the ruins and rubble out of his world.

"Some people want to dig at the site again. This time, the allied forces are quite numerous, so I wanted to ask for the Pavilion Master's opinion..."

Though he said this, Xuan Zi knew that the very fact he had come to ask already revealed his own inner thoughts.

That... was truly a chance at godhood!

In the past, he could still sense some extraordinary aura from the old man before him, but now there was none at all. If he didn't know this was Dragon God Douluo Mu En, he would have genuinely mistaken him for an ordinary elder.

Though Mu En hadn't completed the Path to Godhood, merely by absorbing a set of Soul Bone Armor for his physical body and four Melting Rings for body refinement, he had already grown to a level Xuan Zi couldn't comprehend.

"How many students have left?"

Instead of answering Xuan Zi's question, Mu En asked something entirely unrelated to the ruins. His voice was low and slightly hoarse—nothing like what a Demigod powerhouse should sound like.

"...In the past month, seventeen have withdrawn from the inner courtyard, and one hundred twenty-one from the outer courtyard. Among them, Zhou Yi's class of new students is nearly empty..."

Xuan Zi quietly reported a situation unprecedented since Shrek Academy's founding.

It was worth noting that Zhou Yi, who had taught Chen Fu and was the wife of Chen Fu's teacher Fan Yu, was considered one of the most anticipated teachers for new students. As a result, many had voluntarily joined her class. It ultimately became famous across the academy for being both an oversized class and having an ultra-high dropout rate.

Many students who hadn't been expelled had gritted their teeth and persisted, mostly because they had come for Chen Fu's sake.

But in the end, they realized: no wonder Senior Brother Chen Fu was sent by you to the Soul Tool Academy. With a teaching method like yours, teach your mother, will you? Always stirring up trouble for your mother, constantly trembling to provoke your mother's affairs, and under your watch, campus bullying is at its damn highest. I came here to study, and you just make me run and exercise every day—do you think we're stupid and don't know how to run ourselves?

Now they discovered that the Sea God of Shrek Academy was somewhat different from what the textbooks advertised. Rumors even said that Senior Brother Chen Fu's Level Nine Soul Tool had been destroyed by the Sea God, who then drove him away.

How could this stand? What was I enduring humiliation for? You old hag torturing me daily with your grating voice—if I had any backbone, would I put up with this? What? I hear Senior Brother Chen Fu is recruiting? Screw you, Old Lady Zhou, I'm out!

Although the academy had forbidden students from spreading what Chen Fu said when he left, it couldn't be stopped. The commotion that day was too big; many students knew about it, and after exchanging information, the news spread like wildfire.

"Pavilion Master, the Sea God Island... reconstruction plan is ready. Please take a look..."

Xuan Zi brought up another important agenda. These matters had previously been entirely his responsibility, but now, seeing Mu En's clearly off state, he felt it necessary to consult him more.

"Ignorance stems from the unknown. Open a portion of the outermost ring track to them..."

A slow, aged voice came from Mu En's mouth. He understood that blocking was worse than guiding—letting those self-proclaimed prodigies who looked down on everyone see that there were always greater heights.

"Sea God Island? Why rebuild it?"

Mu En turned his head slightly to glance at Xuan Zi. Under the faint, warm yellow sunlight filtering through the window screen, black-blue mysterious divine patterns occasionally surfaced and crawled across his face like insects. In Mu En's abnormally azure eyes, Xuan Zi could see the foul stench and coldness hidden deep within the vast ocean.

"Pavil—"

"Xuan Zi, from now on, you are the Pavilion Master."

With that, he ignored Xuan Zi, who was frozen stiff, and lay back down, closing his eyes in the faint glow.

This degree of radiance felt just like that sunny afternoon...

When the [Path to Godhood] energy mixed with the Soul Bone Set was injected into his body, although the total energy level didn't seem to have increased dramatically, his foundational Soul Power had risen terrifyingly. The Self-Created Soul Skills he could execute from that foundation would receive unimaginable amplification multipliers.

Moreover, he had also absorbed a Dragon Pill that had melted and fused along with it, causing his Soul Power quality to soar as well.

Combined with the path he was gradually forging, in terms of pure frontal combat strength, he was a Demigod closer to godhood than Di Tian.

'So, I've also become the mortal you see as most promising to become a god on my own, haven't I?'

Watching his body gradually mutate over this period, Mu En's mood was oppressively low.

'So this is what they call... a god's... mercy?'

'Then I am truly grateful for your mercy... choosing this gentlest way to erase any further possibility for me.'

His initially divine-like, blank-slate physical body couldn't resist the erosion of the Sea God's divine power at all. Bit by bit, it would slowly mutate into something unknown, like the eerie, terrifying, indescribable things in the dark, deep sea.

'After all... I am your most devout Sea God Pavilion Master... Directly blasting me to death would have been too ugly an influence, wouldn't it, Ancestor Tang San.'

Mu En's mindset was subtly shifting. The piety of a believer was slowly being replaced by an unknown fervor.

A lifelong pursuit saw light in the darkness, only to be utterly crushed piece by piece within that light.

Mu En could sense his own changes—the physical mutation and the mental mutation left him unable to resist.

Fortunately, he felt his time should be enough.

"Hm? Mu En, what's wrong?"

Chen Fu, who was directing the crowd and beasts in planning territory while setting up a physical mainframe for [Youlan], looked toward Mu En, who had crossed over from the void.

"Found the little girl."

With that, Mu En set down Mo Ling, who was wrapped in his Soul Power.

"Wow! Chen Fu, Lin, Lin Pavilion... and Sister Xiaotao... sob sob..." The girl whimpered as she ran toward Chen Fu, wanting to throw herself at him but hesitating. Finally, she slumped to her knees and sobbed quietly.

Mu En's raised hand quietly lowered, and he silently slipped away.

Under Mu En's gaze, Chen Fu placed his hand on the girl's head.

"No trouble. The Lin Pavilion is in the past."

His fingers pinched the girl's bun as he spoke with feigned ease:

"The Crimson Phoenix and Nirvana have Xiaotao's soul imprint and blood data. She'll have a chance to be reborn through nirvana."

Though, some people had no chance at all.

"Wuwu... I never should have left..."

Mo Ling finally understood why Chen Fu had insisted on adding the toxin purification function to Emerald—it was a form of protection for her.

"It's fine. If you hadn't left, more people might have died."

That motley crew of Titled Douluo wouldn't care about the lives of Shrek City's residents.

"Alright, go rest for now. We still have matters to attend to."

Chen Fu suddenly looked toward the distant horizon. Mu En, Di Tian, Long Xiaoyao, and the others instantly appeared beside him.

"They're here. Looks like they've gathered enough numbers."

"In my lifetime, this is the first time I've seen so many Titled Douluo."

"Should we..."

At Chen Fu's glance, Di Tian cut off his own words.

PS: Let me show you one of my organization's names: [Sword Pavilion].

[Sword Pavilion]: A high-precision technology research institute under Chen Fu's leadership.

Technology is a double-edged sword, And I, Am your Sword Wielder.

Thank you to all my good brothers for the monthly tickets (σ′▽‵)′▽‵)σ

Thank you to all my good brothers for the recommendation tickets (σ′▽‵)′▽‵)σ

Begging for tips, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets (σ′▽‵)′▽‵)σ

Give the kid some tips, will ya (ω｀)(hands on hips)