A Seat Full of Shit

[Dou Er Era]

Star Luo Empire, inside the imperial palace.

Emperor Xu Jiawei was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slammed his hand onto the armrest of his dragon throne, erupting into hearty, unrestrained laughter.

"Hahahaha! Good! This is truly wonderful!"

He faced his court of civil and military officials, making no effort to hide his schadenfreude:

"Shrek, always waving the banner of justice, letting their Inspection Group point fingers at our national affairs in the name of 'striking down Evil Soul Masters,' repeatedly violating our territorial sovereignty!"

"Now look, their own house is full of filth!"

"With their home base infiltrated by Evil Soul Masters to this extent, what face do they have left to call themselves the guardians of the continent? It is simply laughable!"

A general immediately chimed in:

"Your Majesty is wise! Shrek is now unable to even protect itself!"

"I believe that so-called Inspection Group can be disbanded as well!"

"A bunch of fellows who can't even manage their own home, what right do they have to inspect the world!"

Xu Jiawei nodded in satisfaction, his eyes gleaming with sharp light:

"Pass on my decree: from this day forward, the Star Luo Empire no longer recognizes any law enforcement authority of the Shrek Inspection Group!"

"If any dare to trespass, they shall be treated as invaders and executed without mercy!"

Holy Spirit Cult headquarters.

Inside the gloomy grand hall, a group of black-robed elders first fell into an eerie silence.

"Do we... have such a high-ranking member lurking in Shrek?"

One elder asked in a hoarse voice.

"I have never heard of it... to be able to achieve this, aside from the Cult Master, I fear only a few Supreme Elders could..."

"But the Supreme Elders are all in seclusion..."

At this moment, the Cult Master Zhongli Wu, sitting on the main seat, waved his hand, and the noisy discussion stopped immediately.

"That was a powerhouse who joined our cult long ago; his status in our cult is that of an Honorary Supreme Elder."

Zhongli Wu's voice carried a hint of a smile.

"He only maintains a single-line connection with me, so it is normal that you do not know."

Hearing Zhongli Wu's explanation, an elder couldn't help but sigh with regret:

"That is truly a pity, to be exposed by this Sky Screen, revealed far too early."

"It does not matter."

Zhongli Wu's voice rang out, without a trace of panic, instead filled with pleasure.

"The seeds have already been sown; even if they are discovered, so what?"

"Suspicion, fear, internal strife... the good show for Shrek has only just begun."

Once these words were spoken, all the elders realized the implication and erupted into bursts of strange laughter.

"That's right! Shrek's reputation is completely ruined this time!"

"Hehehe... let's see how they have the face to come out and hunt us down in the future!"

"Exactly, watching the geniuses they personally cultivated turn into 'Evil Soul Masters' that need to be purged—that scene will surely be magnificent..."

"Hehehehe..."

The cold, sinister laughter echoed through the room, filled with malice and anticipation.

Sun Moon Empire, Mingde Hall.

Hall Master Jinghchen watched the Sky Screen, his eyes gleaming with sharp light.

"Interesting, truly interesting. This seemingly lush and leafy tree of Shrek is actually rotting from the roots."

Beside him, the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen also wore expressions of disdain.

"Grandfather, Shrek's reputation is completely swept away this time."

Meng Hongchen said.

"More than just swept away."

Jing Hongchen sneered.

"That Wang Yan is only the beginning; that mysterious mole is the key!"

"Once the seeds of suspicion are planted, they will take root and sprout in the hearts of all their high-level members. An academy that cannot even trust the comrades beside them—how can they speak of cohesion?"

"Perhaps a great war won't even be necessary."

"We only need a gentle push, and this rotting fortress will collapse from within all on its own!"

On the Sky Screen, the images did not cease despite the clamor of the outside world.

[Next, we elaborate on the second reason for the ranking:]

[Harboring Malice, Controlling Geniuses]

It replayed the scenes of Qiangu Wangyan "teaching" his students.

But this time, it was accompanied by his internal monologue.

First was the scene of Xu Sanshi training under a waterfall!

[Xu Sanshi, Black Tortoise of Profound Darkness martial soul, what a fine seedling.]

[He thinks I am helping him stimulate the thin ancient bloodline within his body? How ridiculously naive.]

[The soul power circulation path I taught him was never meant to stimulate any bloodline; it was to plant a Seed of the Abyss within the core of his martial soul!]

[Every breakthrough, every painful endurance, every so-called bloodline surge—it was all using his own will to nourish this seed.]

[The day the seed sprouts, his Black Tortoise of Profound Darkness will completely degenerate into a "Dark Black Tortoise" that knows only consumption and destruction!]

[At that time, he will become the sturdiest shield in my hands, a puppet manipulated by me!]

[And he, until the day he dies, will be grateful to me, his mentor!]

[Dou Er Era]

In Shrek Plaza, Xu Sanshi, who had been standing with Jiang Nannan, was struck as if by lightning!

He stared fiercely at his own hands, his eyes instantly filled with endless terror!

He could clearly feel that deep within his martial soul, there was indeed a cold, sinister power... one he could not control!

Every time he thought his bloodline had improved, it was actually that power growing stronger!

He had been pushing himself into the abyss with his own hands all this time!

"No... no!!"

Xu Sanshi roared in a broken voice, acting like a madman.

The scene shifted again to the female student who had been "saved" by Wangyan.

[That female student with the "Withered Vine" martial soul.]

[I told her there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters.]

[I guided her to evolve her martial soul into the "Soul-Devouring Withered Vine," capable of absorbing the soul power of enemies.]

[This naive little girl, she really thought I helped her evolve her martial soul? That I turned her from a failure into a genius?]

[Soul-Devouring Withered Vine, what a beautiful name.]

[But she doesn't know that once these vines have tasted the flavor of soul power, they can never be satisfied with ordinary nutrients again.]

[Soon, she will need to consume life force to suppress the backlash of her own martial soul.]

[By then, she will have no other choice.]

[She will have no choice but to pierce her vines into the body of a living person and drain their life force... until they are completely withered!]

[She will become a true monster, an Evil Soul Master who, in order to become stronger, will not hesitate to devour her own companions.]

[And all of this is her own choice, isn't it?]

[Dou Er Era]

"No!!"

Within the crowd, the female student with the "Soul-Devouring Withered Vine" martial soul let out a shrill, piercing scream.

She shook her head frantically, her face smeared with tears and snot.

"I didn't! I wouldn't!"

She recalled the inexplicable cravings for flesh and blood that had occasionally surfaced in her heart during recent training—that hunger that had terrified even her.

So... those weren't just her own fantasies!

It was her martial soul, urging her to "feed"!

Panic, like a tidal wave, instantly engulfed her.

The entire Shrek Plaza fell into complete chaos.

Those students who had once received guidance from Wangyan turned pale, frantically checking their own bodies and martial souls, terrified that they too were experimental subjects.

Trust, at this very moment, had completely collapsed.

The seeds of doubt took root and sprouted in everyone's hearts.

Huo Yuhao's body was trembling slightly.

He looked at the suffering Xu Sanshi, looked at the distraught female student, and then looked at Qiangu Wangyan, who was shrouded in golden light.

A chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

"Then... what about me?"