Return! Liu Family of Shrek City?

At that very moment!

A surge of intense Soul Power suddenly erupted from Bai Lan's body!

He lowered his head and looked at himself.

Beneath his feet, three Soul Rings were slowly emerging.

The first—black.

Thirty thousand years, Tiangang Bamboo.

The second—gold-red.

Four hundred thousand years, Void Shadow Empress Yinye.

The third—gold-red.

Seven hundred thousand years, Lord of Eternal Freeze Ice Empress.

Three Soul Rings, one black and two gold-red.

They shone in mutual brilliance.

The aura they emitted caused the surrounding ice and snow to solidify.

Elder Mu narrowed his eyes.

"The Soul Rings have changed..." he muttered, "The third Soul Ring, seven hundred thousand years."

He looked at Bai Lan, his gaze complex:

"Kid, you are only level thirty-seven right now."

"A level thirty-seven Soul Venerable, carrying a seven hundred thousand-year Soul Ring."

"If you told anyone, who would believe it?"

Bai Lan smiled, saying nothing.

He felt the power surging within his body.

That was the power of the Ice Empress.

Although his Soul Power had not increased.

Because the Ice Empress was his fourth substitute Contract Beast, not the first one in the third position, her evolution did not directly bring about a massive spike in Soul Power.

But this seven hundred thousand-year Soul Ring was shocking enough on its own.

"Let's go," he said.

Yinye walked over and stood by his side.

The Ice Empress stood on the other side.

The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder.

Elder Mu watched this scene, suddenly feeling a bit dazed.

Two transformed beasts of over four hundred thousand years, standing left and right beside a seven-year-old child.

One with silver-purple hair, the Void Shadow Empress.

One with ice-blue hair, the Lord of Eternal Freeze.

Either one of them, if placed outside, would be an existence capable of shaking the continent.

And now.

They both called him "Master."

"Elder Mu?" Bai Lan's voice came through.

Elder Mu snapped back to reality.

"Coming."

He walked over and waved his hand.

Soul Power surged.

Four figures vanished from the vast, snowy plains.

In front of the ice peak.

Snow Empress stood where she was, gazing in the direction they had disappeared.

The wind blew through her ice-blue hair.

Snowflakes landed on her shoulders, only to slide off silently.

She just stood there.

For a long time.

A very long time.

Then, she smiled.

"Bai Lan..."

She whispered the name softly.

"I will wait for you."

She turned around and walked back toward the ice peak.

Behind her, the wind and snow began to rise.

Slowly swallowing her retreating figure.

Shrek Academy, outside the main gate.

A flash of light.

Four figures appeared out of thin air.

Bai Lan steadied himself and looked up ahead.

A massive city gate.

On the city wall, the three characters for Shrek shone brilliantly under the sunlight.

"Is this Shrek City?" the Ice Empress's voice rang in his ear.

Bai Lan turned to look at her.

The Ice Empress stood there, gazing up at the city gate.

Her ice-blue hair shimmered faintly in the sun; the ice crystal crown had vanished, yet a subtle chill still lingered around her.

"What do you think?" Bai Lan asked.

The Ice Empress was silent for a second.

Then, she smiled.

"It's not what I expected."

Bai Lan raised an eyebrow: "How so?"

The Ice Empress looked at him, a hint of novelty in her eyes:

"I thought the human world would be very noisy and crowded."

"But here..."

She looked at the crowd coming and going at the city gate:

"It actually seems quite nice."

Yinye walked to her side and said softly:

"Once we go inside, you will discover even more interesting things."

The Ice Empress looked at her.

Yinye smiled.

"For example, the master's dormitory."

"Although it isn't big, it is very warm."

The Ice Empress was stunned for a moment.

"Warm?"

She had lived for seven hundred thousand years and had never feared the cold.

But the word "warm" was very foreign to her.

Bai Lan looked at the two of them and smiled.

"Let's go."

He took a step and walked toward the city gate.

Yinye and the Ice Empress followed behind him.

One on the left, one on the right.

One with silver-purple hair, the other with ice-blue hair.

The two stunning figures drew countless gazes.

But neither of them cared.

They simply followed the seven-year-old boy into this unfamiliar city.

Into a new world that belonged to them.

Shrek City, South City Gate.

The midday sun spilled onto the ancient city walls, gilding this ten-thousand-year-old city in a faint layer of gold.

The city gate was bustling with people coming and going; the hawking of vendors, the chatter of pedestrians, and the clatter of hooves on cobblestones wove together, playing the symphony of the human world's clamor.

Bai Lan stepped through the city gate.

Mu En had departed on his own after they returned.

He left the remaining time to Bai Lan and the two others.

Yinye walked on his left, her silver-purple hair shimmering faintly in the sunlight, her silver-purple eyes calmly surveying everything around them.

Ice Empress walked on his right, her ice-blue hair cascading down like a waterfall, every strand appearing as if it were crystallized with tiny ice shards.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at the bustling streets inside the gate, a hint of novelty in her eyes.

"Is this a human city?" she asked softly.

Bai Lan nodded: "How does it feel?"

Ice Empress was silent for a second.

"Noisy," she said, "but... quite interesting."

Yinye chuckled softly beside them.

"When I first came here, I also thought it was noisy," she said. "But after getting used to it, I actually think a bit of liveliness is quite nice."

Ice Empress looked at her, appearing thoughtful.

The three of them continued walking forward.

But they hadn't even gone ten steps.

Trouble arrived.

"Hold on, you three."

A voice came from the side.

Bai Lan paused his steps and turned his head to look.

A youth of about seventeen or eighteen was walking toward them.

He wore a brocade robe with a jade pendant hanging at his waist, followed by four attendants.

The attendants were all burly with strong auras, at least at the level of a Soul Ancestor.

The youth walked up close, his gaze passing directly over Bai Lan to land on Yinye and Ice Empress.

A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes, followed by undisguised greed.

"Young ladies," he began, a smile he deemed dashing plastered on his face. "I am Liu Minghui, the legitimate son of the Liu Family in Shrek City. May I ask for your names? Where do you come from?"

Yinye glanced at him without speaking.

Ice Empress didn't even look at him.

Liu Minghui's smile stiffened for a moment.

He was accustomed to running rampant in Shrek City, and relying on the influence of the Liu Family, he had never been ignored like this before.

But he looked at the two women before him.

One had silver-purple hair and a temperament as cold and elegant as a fairy from a moon palace.

The other had ice-blue hair and beauty that was truly breathtaking.

Either one was a rare beauty he had never seen in his life.

Such beauties were worth a little more of his patience.

"Young ladies."

"I see you are unfamiliar faces; this must be your first time in Shrek City, right?"

"Why don't I play the host and take you around?"

"I know Shrek City well; I know where the fun spots are and where the good food is."

He spoke again, his smile becoming even more radiant.

Yinye finally glanced at him.

There was no emotion in those silver-purple eyes.

It was just a faint look, as if she were observing something insignificant.

"No need," she said.

Liu Minghui's smile stiffened once more.

The attendants behind him exchanged glances, their expressions turning sour.

When had their young master ever been rejected like this?

Liu Minghui took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

His gaze finally landed on Bai Lan.

"And who is this..." he asked, his tone laced with a hint of disdain.

Bai Lan looked at him and said calmly:

"I am their master."

Liu Minghui was stunned for a moment.

Then, he laughed.

That smile carried a clear sense of mockery.

"Master?" He looked Bai Lan up and down: "You?"

A seven-year-old child, dressed in ordinary clothes, with an aura that was nothing special—could he be the master of these two stunning women?

"Little kid." He shook his head with a smile: "Even bragging should have a limit. Move aside quickly, don't get in the way."