Mu En's Decision, Against the Sea God's Will

However, just as a has-been star can still have die-hard fans, Sea God Tang San also had a small number of devout followers on the Douluo Continent.

At this moment, aside from a few extreme fanatics, the vast majority of those who had become his devout followers because of Tang San's glorious legends were collapsing.

They couldn't accept that the glorious and just god they believed in could actually have such a disgusting face behind the scenes.

Compared to these people, the sea soul beasts who also believed in the Sea God were actually more accepting of his sinister and ruthless nature.

Because sea soul beasts had simpler minds and valued strength more, their demands on a god's character and morals were not as high as those of human believers.

Leaving aside the unimportant sea soul beasts and Sea God believers, as well as the ordinary Douluo populace just watching the show, there was one force that reacted strongly to the scene in the Heavenly Screen.

That's right, Shrek Academy.

To a certain extent, the fame of Sea God Tang San initially made Shrek Academy what it was.

But after Shrek Academy stood on the continent as the First Academy for thousands of years, the fame between Shrek Academy and the Seven Gods had become mutually reinforcing and complementary.

By now, ten thousand years later, Shrek Academy's fame and reputation came more from Shrek itself than from the Seven Gods led by Tang San.

It could even be said that today's Shrek Academy provided far more positive influence to the Seven Gods across the continent than the Seven Gods provided to Shrek Academy.

However, given the long-term, tightly bound connection with the Seven Gods, this exposure of Tang San's despicable side in the Heavenly Screen was a heavy blow to Shrek Academy's reputation.

An indelible stain had inevitably been added to the originally glorious history of the school.

Inside Shrek Academy, by the Sea God Lake, a group of Sea God Pavilion members who had been grinning at the Heavenly Screen were no longer smiling.

"Sigh..." Mu En let out a silent sigh in his heart, his already aged face seeming to have aged several more years in an instant.

Throughout the thousands of years of history, Shrek Academy had stood above the nations. Although its status was exalted, it had secretly incurred no small amount of dissatisfaction and hostility.

Now that this had happened, Mu En could already imagine that a large number of questions about Sea God Tang San's righteousness would soon arise across the continent, which would then develop into attacks on Shrek Academy.

Mu En could think of this, and so could everyone else present. Their expressions all turned grave.

"Elder Mu, what should we do next?"

Facing the hesitant and confused inquiries of the Shrek people, Mu En closed his eyes in thought for a moment. When he opened them again, there was a resolute determination in his gaze.

"Find that child and bring him back to the academy."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed slightly. Elder Song pressed further: "What do you mean by that?"

Mu En let out a long breath, closed his eyes again, and said in a calm tone: "Let that child leave the Tang Sect and join Shrek Academy. Then assign special personnel to protect him, and never let him set foot on Lake Heart Island at any time."

"Isn't this too risky?" Yan Shaozhe hesitated for two seconds, then steeled himself and said: "Teacher, would you like to reconsider?"

The others didn't speak, but their expressions were equally conflicted. Because they understood what Mu En's arrangement meant.

Why was the lake inside Shrek Academy called the Sea God Lake? Why was Shrek Academy's highest authority called the Sea God Pavilion?

It was because Shrek Academy held the Sea God's legacy, and the Golden Ancient Tree, the Sea God Pavilion itself on Lake Heart Island, had countless connections with the Sea God.

As the master of the Sea God Pavilion, Mu En could summon the Sea God's Light within the bounds of Shrek Academy.

From another perspective, this meant Shrek Academy was the place most easily influenced by the Sea God's power.

Now, having learned of Sea God Tang San's intentions through the Heavenly Screen, Mu En's decision to have Huo Yuhao leave the Tang Sect and stay away from Lake Heart Island was undoubtedly a sign that he was preparing to defy the Sea God's will.

As for why not simply arrange for someone to take Huo Yuhao far away from Shrek to train in the outside world?

That was because Shrek Academy had many experts, and judging by the scene in the Heavenly Screen, the Sea God seemed only able to influence that child through subtle guidance, not directly control him.

In that case, keeping him in the academy was actually safer. If any变故 occurred, they could react in time. Sending him outside might make him more vulnerable to certain "accidents."

This was clearly an extremely risky move, unlike sitting back and watching the Tang Sect be destroyed.

If the Tang Sect was destroyed and Shrek looked on coldly, even too lazy to exert effort to avenge them, that would at most count as inaction.

But insisting on protecting Huo Yuhao and blocking the Sea God's plan—that was a clear provocation of a god.

It was precisely because of this huge risk that Yan Shaozhe begged Mu En to reconsider.

"What about the rest of you? What are your thoughts? Speak your minds." Mu En swept his gaze across the people around him.

After two seconds of silence, Qian Duoduo was the first to speak: "I support Elder Mu's idea!"

"Qian Duoduo, have you lost your mind? Do you know how big a risk this is? If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility? Are you still engaging in jealous rivalry with me at a time like this?!" Yan Shaozhe roared in anger.

Xian Lin'er's expression turned cold: "I think you're the one who's lost your mind! Yan Shaozhe, can't you use your pig brain and think carefully about why Elder Mu made this decision?"

Yan Shaozhe was stunned.

Then Elder Song slowly spoke: "Elder Mu's decision is correct. Moreover, we actually have no other choice."

Yan Shaozhe still didn't quite catch on: "Why do you say that?"

"Sigh..." Mu En lifted his eyelids, a flash of disappointment passing through his gaze as he looked at his disciple, then said in a calm tone: "Now that the Heavenly Screen is above, and everyone on the continent knows the Sea God's thoughts, only three paths lie before us."

"The first is to choose the Sea God. The second is to help neither side. The third is to choose that child."

"If we choose to stand on the Sea God's side and help him control this child, Shrek's ten thousand years of glory will be destroyed in an instant. No one will trust an academy that betrays its students."

He paused, then continued: "If we choose to help neither side and let that child join another force, then it's foreseeable that we won't gain that child's goodwill, and we'll also incur the Sea God's displeasure."

"If we choose to help that child, we will undoubtedly incur the Sea God's wrath, but we will also gain that child's goodwill."

"Most importantly, Shrek's glory will be sublimated thereby! Even if we die under the Sea God's wrath, an academy that can defy a god's will for its students—as long as there is a spark, it can be rebuilt immediately elsewhere!"

"At that time, even without the Golden Ancient Tree or the Sea God's Light, Shrek will still be recognized by all as the continent's First Academy! A Shrek reborn from the flames will have even stronger cohesion! And Shrek's glory will shine even brighter!"