Tear the Space Barrier Apart!

Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City, Imperial Palace.

Dai Tianling stood by the window of the Imperial Study, his back to the table full of memorials and maps.

He held a glass of wine in his hand; the wine was hot, but his hand was cold.

He had been standing there for a long time, so long that the eastern sky outside the window began to lighten, so long that the hot wine in his hand had turned cold, so long that his shadow had moved from the west to the east.

"His Majesty."

The door to the Imperial Study was gently pushed open, and an elderly man with gray hair walked in.

Han Zhang stopped three steps behind Dai Tianling, bowed slightly, and said, "Shrek people are here."

Dai Tianling's fingers tightened.

"Shrek's people are here."

"Who?"

"Red Dragon Douluo"

Dai Tianling placed the wine glass on the windowsill, turned around, and looked at Han Zhang.

Have the people who caused the trouble been identified?

"... No."

Dai Tianling was silent for a moment, then said, "I understand. You may leave."

Dai Tianling turned around and faced the window again.

The pale dawn in the eastern sky had turned into a thin, golden line, dividing the sky and the earth into two distinct halves of light and shadow.

He stared at the line, remaining silent for a long time.

"Your Majesty." Han Zhang did not leave.

"Is there anything else?"

"The Red Dragon Douluo did not come alone."

Han Zhang lowered his voice slightly, "The Shrek City medical team is already on its way."

Dai Tianling tapped her fingers lightly on the windowsill.

The medical team... had more than one injured child, and the injuries were severe.

His Adam's apple bobbed as if he wanted to say something, but his lips only moved without making a sound.

"Besides."

Han Zhang took a deep breath. "Yun Ming... is probably on his way too."

It was as if a layer of air had been sucked out of the Imperial Study.

Dai Tianling's shoulders stiffened slightly, but quickly relaxed. He reached for the glass of wine on the windowsill, which had gone cold, and drank it all in one gulp.

The liquor was icy cold, spreading from his throat down to his stomach like an icy line. "Understood."

He put the empty cup back on the windowsill, turned around, took the cloak from the coat rack, draped it over his shoulders, and tied the straps slowly, making sure each knot was tied carefully, as if he were using these trivial things to delay something.

"Your Majesty," Han Zhang called out to him again.

Dai Tianling stopped in her tracks.

"May I be so bold as to ask, how do you intend to explain this to Red Dragon Douluo?"

Dai Tianling did not answer.

He pushed open the door to the Imperial Study and went out.

Han Zhang stood there, watching Dai Tianling's figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, sighed, and followed after her.

The corridor was long, with whale oil burning in the lamps on both sides. The firelight cast Dai Tianling's shadow on the wall, making it look very long.

The Imperial Palace, Taihe Hall.

He did not enter the Taihe Hall Zhuo Shi that turbulent time.

He stood in the center of the square in the Taihe Hall, his crimson Soul Power slowly flowing around him, dispelling a small patch of the darkness before dawn.

He had no servants, no guards, and not even a guide.

He stood there, like a crimson nail driven into the ground, firmly anchoring the entire palace square.

Han Zhang walked out of the side door, and his first reaction upon seeing Zhuo Shi was fear.

This man, at least a hundred years old, should be sitting atop the Red Armored Dragon in Shrek City, basking in the sun, sipping wine, and watching the younger generation of children sweating profusely on the training field.

But now he stands here, in the square of the Star Luo Empire's palace, alone, covered in wounds.

He's waiting, waiting for an explanation.

"Your Majesty, Crimson Dragon."

Han Zhang walked over and stopped three steps away from Zhuo Shi, bowed, and said, "His Majesty will be there soon, please wait a moment."

The Zhuo Shi did not look at him.

His gaze passed over Han Zhang's shoulder, landing on the tightly closed doors of the Taihe Hall, on the golden dragon reliefs on the doors, and on the faint candlelight shining through the cracks in the doors.

"It won't make a difference if we wait a little longer."

Han Zhang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the oppressive aura emanating from Zhuo Shi was too heavy, so heavy that he even had difficulty breathing.

He could only bend over, take a few steps back, and stand in the shadows at the edge of the square.

Zhuo Shi remained standing there, motionless.

The gates of the Taihe Hall finally opened.

Dai Tianling came out from behind the door.

He was not wearing court robes or a crown, but only a dark purple casual robe with the golden emblem of the Star Luo Empire embroidered on his chest.

There was no smile on his face; the "bold" smile that the old man had described in the auction stands had completely vanished, replaced by a tired, heavy expression, as if he had been crushed by something but was stubbornly holding on.

He walked down the steps, slowly and deliberately, each step firm as if afraid of falling.

Zhuo Shi watched him walk down, watched him stand before him, watched him stop, and looked into his eyes.

The two stared at each other for about three seconds before Dai Tianling spoke first.

"Your Majesty, Crimson Dragon."

"His Majesty."

"How many Shrek students were injured?"

Zhuo Shi watched him.

There was no anger, no sadness, no superfluous emotion in those cloudy old eyes.

There was only a cruel calm, like the deathly stillness of the last moments before a storm, a chilling stillness that makes your scalp crawl.

"Four seriously injured, two slightly injured, and one missing."

Every number Zhuo Shi uttered sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.

Dai Tianling's eyes widened slightly, and her lips moved, but no sound came out.

Zhuo Shi continued, "The one who went missing was Yun Jingheng, Yun Ming's son."

Dai Tianling's face paled for a moment.

His skin appeared almost transparently pale in the dim light before dawn, as if someone had drained most of his blood from his body.

He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse. "I know nothing about this."

Zhuo Shi did not respond.

His gaze shifted from Dai Tianling, sweeping over the upturned eaves of the Taihe Hall, over the white stone pillars carved with dragon patterns in the square, and over the guards lined up on the distant palace walls.

Whether His Majesty knows or not is unimportant.

He withdrew his gaze and focused it back on Dai Tianling's face. "The important thing is that this happened in Star Luo City, the heart of the Star Luo Empire. The assassins entered from Star Luo City 'Star Luo City territory and laid an ambush from its dark alleys."

"They chased Shrek students through the streets of Star Luo City in the middle of the night and blew up a large part of the northern part of Star Luo City. And the Star Luo Empire... reacted very slowly."

Dai Tianling clenched her hands tightly inside her sleeves.

Zhuo Shi stepped forward, now less than an arm's length away from Dai Tianling.

"Your Majesty, we don't need you to know. We need you... to find the people involved—the planners, the executors, and the cleanup crew—not a single one can be missing."

What if we can't hand it over?

The Zhuo Shi laughed.

"Shrek Academy has been closed. All Shrek students currently on missions outside the academy are to be recalled."

Zhuo Shi's voice was very soft, so soft that it sounded like he was talking about something trivial, "The Sea God Pavilion did not choose to hold a meeting, and the Titled Douluo of the Shrek Academy have already set off."

Dai Tianling's hands tightened suddenly inside her sleeves.

His fingernails were embedded deep in his palm, but he felt no pain.

"This is not a declaration of war."

Zhuo Shi said, "This is a notification."

The two remained silent for a long time.

The light of dawn grew brighter and brighter, turning from grayish-white to pale gold, bathing the entire square in a warm hue.

But neither of the two people standing in the square felt any warmth.

Dai Tianling spoke first, his voice hoarse and unlike his own. "Give me three days."

"One day," Zhuo Shi said.

"Two days."

"One day."

Zhuo Shi turned around, his back to Dai Tianling, and said, "By this time tomorrow, if His Majesty cannot hand over the person, Shrek will find them themselves."

He strode forward.

Crimson Soul Power spread beneath his feet, each step leaving a dark red footprint, like a road dripping with blood.

Dai Tianling stood there, watching Zhuo Shi's figure walk further and further away, watching those dark red footprints slowly disappear in the morning light.

He suddenly realized that the palace where he had lived for over fifty years had never felt so cold.

Han Zhang emerged from the shadows and stood behind Dai Tianling.

"His Majesty."

"Pass down the order."

Dai Tianling's voice was hoarse. "Martial law is in effect throughout the city. Search every house. Gather all the clues related to the North City bombing and send them to the Imperial Study."

"Yes."

Star Luo City, Treasure Pavilion, second floor, east wing private room.

"Bang--!"

When the door was kicked open, Wang Tiangu was sitting on the sofa flipping through his notebook. The tea in his cup had gone cold, and a layer of dark red tea stains floated on the surface, like a ring of dried blood.

He looked up and saw Zhao Yu'an Zhao Yu'an standing at the door, his chest heaving violently, his face showing extreme anger.

"Zhao Yu'an..."

"You fucking tell me!"

Zhao Yu'an rushed in, grabbed Wang Tiangu by the collar, and lifted him off the sofa.

The notebook slipped from Wang Tiangu's hands and fell to the ground. The open pages were covered with dense writing, the top line being Yun Jingheng's name, followed by a question mark, the ink of which was still wet.

"Didn't you say Chen Weitao wouldn't touch him? Didn't you say he just wanted to stop him and wouldn't hurt him? What exactly happened last night?"

Su Qian rushed in from outside and grabbed Zhao Yu'an's arm.

"Zhao Yu'an, let go! If you strangle him to death, who will speak up?"

Chen Jingcheng followed behind Su Qian, the beaded curtain swaying violently behind her, making a rapid sound.

Zheng Yongkang didn't come in. He stood at the door, leaning against the wall of the corridor, looking up at the ceiling.

Zhao Yu'an released his grip.

Wang Tiangu slumped back onto the sofa, reaching up to touch his neck. He wasn't coughing or panting; he just looked down at the open notebook on the floor for a long time before bending down, picking it up, closing it, and placing it on the coffee table.

"I have no idea."

Wang Tiangu's voice was very soft, so soft it seemed to come from a great distance, "I really don't know."

"You do not know?"

Zhao Yu'an's voice rose, not in a questioning tone, but in a near-collapse, desperate need for an answer but not knowing who to ask for it.

"You swore to me last night that you wouldn't, but where are you now?!"

"Yu An, Chen Weitao was within Li Xianhua's sight the entire night; he didn't leave at all!" Zheng Yongkang walked in.

"Then how did his men get out?"

Zhao Yu'an's voice grew louder, so loud that the crystal chandelier in the private room trembled slightly. "Did his people crawl out from underground in Star Luo City? Or did they fall from the sky? One Soul Douluo, several Soul Saint, and more than ten Soul King —these people aren't Chen Weitao's men?"

"They stayed in Star Luo City Star Luo City for at least a month and set up at least three encirclements. You're telling me you didn't know?"

Su Qian sat between the two, one hand supporting herself on the coffee table, the other hand covering Zhao Yu'an's chest.

Her glasses had slipped down to the tip of her nose, and the lenses were covered in water stains that had been splashed on them sometime during the night, making her vision blurry.

She couldn't see Zhao Yu'an's face clearly, nor Wang Tiangu's face; she could only see their blurry outlines swaying violently in the dim light, like two balls of fire being blown about by the wind.

"Stop arguing."

Chen Jingcheng's voice wasn't loud, but both of them fell silent at the same time.

"If arguing could solve problems, we'd just verbally break down the walls of Star Luo City right now."

A brief silence fell over the room.

The beaded curtain was suddenly flung open from the outside, and two figures rushed in almost simultaneously.

Running ahead was Yun Zhishui, wearing a plain white dress. The hem of the dress billowed as she ran, revealing a pair of dusty white cloth shoes underneath.

Her face was very pale, so pale that her lips were almost bloodless.

Following behind was Yun Biechen.

He was wearing a moon-white robe, the hem of which was torn by something, revealing a white lining underneath.

His hair was tied up tightly with a silver ribbon, with a few stray strands of hair escaping from the ribbon, damp with sweat, and sticking to his forehead.

He held a palm-sized soul-guided device in his hand. The device's screen was still glowing, and the green light reflected on his face, making his pale face appear somewhat bluish.

He paused at the door, took a breath, and then strode into the private room, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Zhao Yu'an, Wang Tiangu, Su Qian, Chen Jingcheng, and Zheng Yongkang.

"Still water?"

Su Qian stood up from the sofa, her glasses slipping down to the tip of her nose. She didn't push them up. "Why are you all here?"

Yun Zhishui did not answer.

She walked to the coffee table, placed her hands on it, lowered her head, and gasped for breath.

The two ran a long way.

Her lungs felt like they'd been burned; every breath carried a metallic, rusty smell. But she didn't stop, because she had something very important to say, so important that she couldn't wait a second longer.

Yun Biechen walked to her side and placed the soul guidance device on the coffee table with the screen facing upwards.

The screen displayed a satellite image of Star Luo City to the northeast, densely marked with red dots, blue lines, and yellow arrows.

"We found it."

Yun Biechen's voice was slightly breathless, but very steady; every word seemed to have been carefully considered before being uttered.

"Yun Jingheng's final landing point."

The air in the private room seemed to be suddenly compressed by something.

Zhao Yu'an stood up from the sofa, walked to the coffee table, and looked down at the screen of the soul guidance device.

Wang Tiangu also stood up, his notebook still in his hand, his fingers pressing hard on the cover until his knuckles turned white.

Su Qian pushed her glasses back into place, leaned down, and her face was almost touching the screen.

Chen Jingcheng walked over from the window and stood behind Su Qian, his gaze falling on the red dots and blue lines.

Zheng Yongkang walked in from the doorway, his right hand still in his pocket, the bloodstains already dried, his left hand resting on the coffee table, his fingers slightly curled.

"Early this morning, Zhishui and I hacked into the Star Luo Empire's surveillance network."

Yun Biechen's finger slid across the screen. "We spent three hours reviewing footage from over two hundred surveillance cameras and finally found Yun Jingheng."

He clicked on a file on the screen, the image loaded briefly, and then began to play.

"He used three level-six Fixed Soul Guidance Cannonball at close range. The shells tore the Soul Douluo to shreds, while Yun Jingheng was thrown away by the huge shockwave."

"Although we don't know how he managed to withstand it, judging from the kinetic energy, direction, and resistance, he most likely flew five kilometers in the air."

"A Moon Domain rift appeared five kilometers away, but it only lasted for three seconds."

Yun Biechen's voice echoed in the private room. His finger was still on the screen, hovering over the green cursor mark, his fingertip gliding slightly across the smooth surface.

"I went there, and there was no trace of Yun Jingheng within a three-kilometer radius. There were no signs of impact, no bloodstains, and no evidence that he had ever landed. It was as if he had vanished into thin air."

The private room was as quiet as a tomb.

"He... crashed into the Moon Domain?"

Su Qian's glasses slipped off her nose and hung from a thin chain around her neck, swaying gently and reflecting the green light from the screen of her soul-guiding instrument.

"... very likely."

Zhao Yu'an's legs went weak, and he bumped into the corner of the coffee table, which tilted and caused the soul guidance device to slide off the table, where it was caught by Yun Zhishui.

We have to go back.

Zhao Yu'an straightened up from the coffee table. His voice was hoarse, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Otherwise..."

"How should we reply?"

Wang Tiangu's voice wasn't loud, but every word was heavy. "It's not like we haven't tried. We've never been able to go back since we left the Moon Domain."

"Then tear down the spatial barrier!"

"Once the spatial barrier is broken, the Moon Domain will be exposed to the public!"

"That's better than him dying inside!"