Feng Ling

[Doulou II Period]

Inside the Sea God Pavilion's lounge, the atmosphere had frozen over.

Xian Lin'er was already in tears, her whole body trembling uncontrollably as if she had returned to that heart-shattering night.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, Qian Duoduo slammed his hand on the table and sprang to his feet.

His face was filled with towering rage.

His eyes were fixed on Yan Shaozhe by the window, his chest heaving as if he were a furious lion.

At that moment, everyone's gaze focused on Yan Shaozhe by the window.

But, to everyone's surprise,

after initially looking utterly devastated, Yan Shaozhe slowly straightened up.

The ashen look faded from his face, replaced by a calm that was almost twisted.

He even reached up to straighten his slightly rumpled robes, as though the person being condemned by the whole world on the Sky Screen wasn't him at all.

He knew these things couldn't be kept secret.

And since they couldn't be kept secret, there was no point pretending anymore.

"So what?"

Yan Shaozhe muttered. His voice was quiet, yet everyone heard him clearly.

He abruptly turned around, his gaze sweeping over Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er. There was not the slightest trace of guilt in his eyes, only a self-righteous challenge.

"Who hasn't made mistakes in their youth? I admit I was immature back then, and the way I handled my feelings hurt Lin'er."

"But does that give them the right to put me on this Hypocrite Ranking?"

His voice grew louder, as if he had suffered some great injustice.

"I guarded Shrek for a hundred years! I eradicated Evil Soul Masters across the continent! How many outstanding talents have I nurtured?"

"And just because of some old romance, you're going to deny everything I've done?!"

"Ridiculous!"

As his self-justifying words continued to echo through the lounge,

the Sky Screen changed, cutting him off.

Images shifted across the Sky Screen.

The scene showed Yan Shaozhe, who had just broken up with Xian Lin'er.

He didn't remain despondent for long, as people might have expected. Instead, he soon sought out Cai Mei'er, who had long been secretly in love with him.

Under Yan Shaozhe's deliberately tender advances, Cai Mei'er, who already cherished him, quickly fell for him.

[Not long afterward, the two married with Mu En, the Sea God Pavilion's master, as their witness.]

A grand wedding appeared on the screen.

Yan Shaozhe looked triumphant.

Beside him, Cai Mei'er wore a wedding dress, but her face betrayed an unmistakable hint of insecurity and unease.

[When Xian Lin'er learned of this, her anger and heartbreak led her to spitefully accept Qian Duoduo, who had been waiting for her all along.]

The scene shifted to another wedding.

Qian Duoduo was overjoyed, but Xian Lin'er, standing beside him, showed no joy at her wedding. Her eyes were cold.

[Their married life was brief and peaceful.]

[That lasted until Yan Shaozhe broke through to the Six-Ring Soul Emperor level and left on a solitary journey, under the pretext of gaining experience.]

The screen showed Yan Shaozhe, brimming with confidence, saying goodbye to his wife Cai Mei'er before setting out alone.

[It was during this journey that he met a woman who would change his life forever.]

[He met her—Feng Ling.]

[Doulou II Period]

The Holy Spirit Cult's main altar.

"Hm?!"

The moment the name "Feng Ling" appeared on the Sky Screen,

Zhongli Wu, seated at the head of the hall, sprang to his feet.

"It's the deputy cult leader!"

The elders and disciples below stared in stunned disbelief.

Zhongli Wu stared fixedly at the Sky Screen, his eyes full of suspicion and uncertainty.

How could his wife have become involved with Yan Shaozhe of Shrek?!

The images on the Sky Screen soon gave him the answer.

The narration continued.

[In a tavern in a bustling city, he met a woman.]

[She was dressed in black, exuding an intensely alluring aura. Her name was Feng Ling.]

[They both possessed phoenix-type Martial Souls, and there seemed to be a fatal attraction between them.]

In the scene, Yan Shaozhe approached her and struck up a conversation, quickly winning Feng Ling's favor.

They talked about poetry and song, then about their ideals in life; they discussed Martial Soul cultivation and the situation across the continent. They felt as if they had known each other for years.

[Although he knew that the aura of her Martial Soul was strange and that she was very likely connected to Evil Soul Masters, Yan Shaozhe not only refrained from reporting her to the academy, but chose to keep it secret.]

[In just three months, they had completely fallen in love.]

[Yan Shaozhe discovered that the aura of Feng Ling's Martial Soul was impure, and that it risked falling into darkness.]

In the scene, Yan Shaozhe spoke to Feng Ling with a grave expression:

["Miss Feng Ling, although your Martial Soul is a phoenix, it harbors evil energy. If this continues, it will turn against you, and you will fall into darkness."]

He put on the righteous, compassionate air of a virtuous man and declared:

["My Radiant Phoenix Martial Soul is naturally able to suppress evil. If you trust me, I'm willing to expend my own power of light to cleanse the evil energy from your Martial Soul!"]

Images flashed rapidly across the Sky Screen.

[For three whole months,]

[Yan Shaozhe forgot all about Cai Mei'er, who was far away at Shrek.]

[But Yan Shaozhe didn't know that Feng Ling's Martial Soul was at a critical stage of mutation.]

[His Radiant Phoenix Soul Power not only failed to purify Feng Ling. Instead, it acted like the finest nourishment, accelerating the complete awakening of her Evil Phoenix Martial Soul.]

At last,

"Ah—!"

Feng Ling let out a scream of pain as a tremendous blaze of black-purple flames erupted from within her!

Behind her, a lifelike apparition of an Evil Phoenix soared into the sky, letting out a shrill cry!

She had completely awakened as an Evil Soul Master!

"An Evil Soul Master!"

Yan Shaozhe's expression changed dramatically.

[The first thing he thought of wasn't how to save her, but how to kill her and silence her!]

[If this came to light, his crime of colluding with an Evil Soul Master would be enough to ruin his reputation and condemn him forever!]

The Radiant Phoenix Martial Soul within him erupted, and searing golden flames instantly gathered into a sword.

Without mercy, he stabbed it toward Feng Ling, who had only just fallen into darkness and was still weak!

["As a member of Shrek, I show no mercy to Evil Soul Masters!"]

Yet, faced with death, Feng Ling only gave a bitter smile.

["Are you really going to kill me and our child?"]

She gently touched her belly, despairing sorrow in her eyes.

["I'm already—carrying your child."]

[Doulou II Period]

Boom!!!

Those words exploded in the minds of Zhongli Wu and everyone at Shrek like billions of thunderclaps!

Inside the Holy Spirit Cult's main altar,

all was silent.

The elders, who had been gloating moments earlier, now sat in fearful silence, afraid of incurring someone's wrath.

At the head of the hall, Zhongli Wu's face beneath his black hood was twisted with a deep frown.

"Yan Shaozhe..."

"Hmph!"