Huo Yuhao: When I Return After My Re-cultivation, the God Realm and You Will Be Nothing!

His gaze swept past the three statues in the front row, which represented the academy's origins and its "legendary romance," and landed on the row behind them.

There stood seven younger statues in various poses—the original Shrek Seven Devils.

Huo Yuhao's eyes skipped over the other six, fixing precisely on the statue in the absolute center, the focal point of the group.

It was the image of a young man with a tall, upright build and an exceptionally handsome face.

Long blue hair cascaded down his back, fluttering slightly in the breeze.

He wore simple, fitted attire, and the statue was coiled with lifelike vines of blue, clearly representing his martial soul—the Blue Silver Grass.

The corners of the statue's mouth held a faint, all-knowing smile, while its gaze was rendered with vivid detail, directed with a touch of tenderness and focus toward the statue of a woman with a scorpion braid (Xiao Wu) standing in the fifth position among the seven.

Tang San.

This name, which had caused Huo Yuhao to burn everything he had in his past life to perish together with him, and which now filled him with boundless hatred upon his return—this so-called "Sea God" who sat high above, wantonly manipulating the fates of others—stood here as a statue, receiving the admiration and worship of countless successors.

The moment he saw this statue, Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted sharply!

A violent surge of emotion, mixed with overwhelming hatred that threatened to breach the dams of his reason, erupted in his chest like volcanic magma!

His breathing hitched uncontrollably, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into tight fists. His fingernails dug deep into his palms, the sharp pain barely enough to suppress the killing intent and roar that threatened to manifest into reality.

Yet, to outsiders, this thin, black-haired youth had merely paused for a moment before the statue representing legend and glory, his eyes appearing slightly deeper than before, with nothing else out of the ordinary.

He slowly took a deep breath, drawing the cold, metallic-tasting air into his lungs, as if to freeze and crush every trace of his emotions.

Then, in his heart, he unleashed a silent yet iron-willed roar at the handsome statue:

"Tang San... the day I return after re-cultivating, the God Realm and you shall both be reduced to nothing!!!"

Every word, etched deep into his soul, carried the finality of an irreconcilable blood feud.

He steadied his turbulent emotions, using the mental state of his past life to suppress the overwhelming hatred.

He was currently nothing more than a small soul master whose soul power had just broken through to the thirteenth rank (having cultivated the Heaven Dao Art to advance from the twelfth to the thirteenth), his body not yet fully grown and his means extremely limited.

And his enemy was Tang San—a God King who already stood at the pinnacle of the God Realm, possessing endless believers and vast influence, holding the dual god positions of Sea God and Asura God!

The gap in their strength was as vast as heaven and earth, separated by countless insurmountable chasms.

Any impulsiveness or exposure at this moment would be tantamount to suicide, turning every hope gained from his rebirth into a bubble.

What weighed even more heavily on Huo Yuhao's heart was one of his deepest regrets from his past life: his mother, Huo Yun'er.

According to the memories from Wang Teng—which were absurd yet potentially contained fragments of "truth"—and his own understanding of Tang San's style, it was highly likely that his mother's soul had been "collected" or "controlled" by Tang San after her death, becoming another shackle used to restrain him and force his submission.

Although his mother had passed away long ago in this life, with the means of a god, interfering with the soul of a mortal after death was not impossible.

This possibility sat like a cold, massive boulder upon his fire of vengeance, forcing him to be even more cautious and forbearing.

"Hoo..."

A barely audible sigh, tinged with the scent of blood, escaped his lips.

Huo Yuhao slowly and with extreme restraint shifted his gaze, refusing to look any longer at the statue of Tang San that stirred such churning hatred within him.

The Shrek students passing by were either lost in thought or chatting and laughing in small groups.

Many of them would pause before these legendary statues, especially the one in the center—the statue of the Sea God Tang San, representing the academy's supreme glory and faith—which attracted many gazes filled with reverence, longing, and even fanaticism.

Therefore, Huo Yuhao's brief pause appeared perfectly normal to those around him.

He was just another new student stunned by Shrek's glorious history and legendary figures, lost in admiration or contemplation; no one would detect the raging storm of destruction beneath that calm exterior.

Huo Yuhao straightened his still-slender frame and set off again, continuing deeper into Shrek Academy.

Turning left from the statue cluster, he found a road that remained wide enough for several carriages to travel side by side.

By the roadside stood an exquisite wooden sign with four elegant characters written upon it—"Lakeside Path."

Walking along the path, to his right were lush green trees, and through the gaps in the branches, one could vaguely see a wide, shimmering expanse of water.

As it turned out, the ten magnificent statues were backed by a massive lake.

This lake was named Sea God Lake.

The origin of the name was self-evident: it was to commemorate the "great achievements" and "benevolence to the continent" of the Sea God, Tang San.

The lake water was clear, sparkling with golden light under the sun, and a breeze blowing across it brought a moist, cool mist.

The view over the lake was expansive, and in the distance, a lush green island was faintly visible. That was the true core of Shrek Academy, the holy land that countless genius soul masters dreamed of—the location of the Inner Court, also known as Lake Heart Island.

The scenery was pleasant, with its lakes and mountains, but Huo Yuhao felt only a cold indifference.

This lake named after his enemy, this so-called "holy land," was in his eyes nothing more than another conspicuous marker on a chessboard.

He had no interest in appreciating the scenery and continued walking quickly along the Lakeside Path without stopping.

Soon, a very wide, rectangular plaza appeared before him.

The ground was paved with massive bluestone slabs, flat and hard, large enough to accommodate thousands of people for a gathering.

At the edge of the plaza, a prominent stone tablet was engraved with four vigorous characters—"Shrek Square."

Passing through Shrek Square, what came into view behind it were rows of tall, majestic teaching buildings.

These buildings were not of a uniform color but were primarily divided into four distinct shades: white, yellow, purple, and black, appearing particularly sharp under the sunlight.

Looking past these main buildings and gazing further toward the north side of the plaza, one could also see a cluster of gray buildings with a relatively understated tone.

Possessing the memories of Wang Teng, Huo Yuhao naturally understood the meaning represented by these colors—they corresponded directly to the colors of soul rings and the grade levels of the students.

The white teaching building: the primary place for freshman students to study and engage in activities. White corresponds to ten-year soul rings.

The yellow teaching building: where second and third-year students are located. Yellow corresponds to hundred-year soul rings.

The students who had stopped him at the city gate earlier were wearing yellow school uniforms.

The purple teaching building: the area for fourth and fifth-year students. Purple corresponds to thousand-year soul rings.

The black teaching building: for sixth-year students and certain examination and research facilities. Black corresponds to ten-thousand-year soul rings.

As for that cluster of gray buildings to the north, it was the Soul Guidance Department—a relatively independent and uniquely positioned entity within Shrek Academy, though it appeared somewhat "unconventional" according to the traditional soul master concepts of the three original empires of the Douluo Continent.