Meanwhile, outside the small city of Silves.
A group of more than a dozen people was heading toward the Heaven Dou capital.
At the head of the group was an old man with hawk-like features, thick glasses, and the air of a crooked merchant.
Beside him was a middle-aged man in a plain black outfit, with a flat crew cut and a gloomy expression as he pretended to be deep in thought.
"Xiao Gang, do you know exactly where Heaven Dou Royal Academy is?"
"Flender, you're the dean and you don't even know? How would I know?"
The two men held a map and bickered under their breath. They were, of course, the people of Shrek.
At this point in time, they had accepted Qin Ming's invitation and were heading to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to take up their posts.
They knew nothing about the recent upheaval, and events were unfolding according to the established course.
"Dean, Grandmaster, I know where it is..."
It was Ning Rongrong speaking. She had been to the Royal Academy before.
With her leading the way, the Shrek group reached their destination without taking any wrong turns.
Seeing the sprawling training grounds and pleasant scenery, everyone, Tang San included, couldn't help but look astonished.
However, the harmonious atmosphere didn't last long. The moment the group ventured farther in, they were stopped, and a large number of imperial soldiers appeared ahead.
"Strange. This is a place where Soul Masters train, so why are ordinary soldiers standing guard? And there are so many of them. It looks like a regular army regiment!"
Tang San was perceptive and sensed something amiss.
He looked toward Ning Rongrong, who had been leading the way, only to find her wearing a bewildered expression.
Clearly, a bizarre scene like this was not normal for the Royal Academy. Even she was at a loss.
"It's never like this normally!"
Ning Rongrong quietly explained to her companions.
As soon as she finished speaking, the group was surrounded by soldiers.
Several mid- and low-level Soul Masters stepped forward, keeping a safe distance as they warily questioned Shrek about their identities, looking as though they were facing a formidable enemy.
"So you're the friends Teacher Qin Ming invited. Sorry for the offense. Something happened recently, so the whole area has been placed under lockdown."
The officer apologized, showing the natural respect he felt toward Soul Masters.
Flender silently nodded. They had only just arrived, so there wasn't much he could say.
Before long, they followed several students away and headed straight to the vicinity of the academic affairs office.
If events had followed the original story, they would have run into the Third Prince, Xue Beng, around now, clashed with him, and planted the seeds of future trouble.
Later, after meeting with the education committee members, including Meng Shenji, and getting engrossed in conversation, Prince Xue Xing would arrive with Poison Douluo, ultimately ruining their chance to enroll.
But...the situation was clearly different now.
Dugu Bo and Gu Rong, two Titled Douluo, had vanished one after another.
Even though the imperial family hadn't received the kind of intelligence Qian Renxue had, they had realized that the situation was dire.
Naturally, they immediately contacted the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Both sides began taking action in tandem, and the entire area was placed under lockdown.
The Royal Academy was a top priority, so a whole regiment had been assigned to guard it. The education committee members, including Meng Shenji, were even busier than usual.
The three strongest Soul Douluo in the imperial faction had already been summoned to the palace. How could they spare time to deal with minor matters?
As a result, everything that followed was handled with minimal fuss.
Events had taken a complete twist: Shrek became part of the Heaven Dou Empire!
Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong, who had led the way earlier, now spotted a fellow sect member.
"Miss, the Sect Master asked me to wait here and tell you to return to the sect immediately."
With her unruly temperament, Ning Rongrong would never agree to such a request without a fight.
Life at Shrek was so much fun. Why would she go home for no reason? She shook her head on the spot and refused.
The commotion drew her teammates' attention. Tang San, Xiao Wu, Oscar, and the others curiously gathered around.
"Ahem, Miss, could I speak with you in private?"
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciple looked troubled.
"No need. These are my companions, people I've been through life and death with. If there's something to say, say it!"
Ning Rongrong waved her hand, her tone leaving no room for argument. The disciple looked pained and hesitated even more.
When Ning Rongrong saw him hemming and hawing, her impatience showed. She urged him to hurry up, adding that she'd leave if he didn't tell her.
"Sigh, all right. Here's what happened."
"You shouldn't really let outsiders know about this."
"But you said...they're your companions. I ask that all of you keep this strictly confidential."
He explained the general situation. Because of Dugu Yan, Dugu Bo's disappearance was no secret.
Then Gu Rong had helped investigate, and he too had never returned. With two powerful experts meeting with danger one after another, the whole empire was in a panic.
"What! Grandpa Gu has gone missing!"
Only then did Ning Rongrong's expression turn aghast.
She immediately understood why her father had asked her to return home.
Her young lady's temper vanished, and she stopped making a fuss. After saying goodbye to Tang San and the others, she followed the disciple away.
However, even back home, she wouldn't be able to see Ning Fengzhi. As one of the leaders of the Upper Three Sects, he was currently at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Would the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect do nothing after Gu Rong's disappearance? Of course not. Sword Douluo disregarded the danger and immediately headed to Sunset Forest as well.
After taking precautions and keeping himself hidden, he avoided detection by the Outpost. When he saw that the place was full of powerful experts, Chen Xin weighed his options and gave up on forcing his way in. He returned and made his findings public.
"So you're saying the enemy in Sunset Forest isn't just one or two people?"
"They set up an array to create a barrier and built solid defensive fortifications?"
"That doesn't sound much like the way Soul Masters operate... It sounds more like conventional warfare."
At that moment, everyone had gathered in the main hall of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
It had practically become a command center.
A storm seemed to be gathering. The feeling hung over everyone, leaving all their faces grim.
The speaker was Yu Yuanzhen, clan head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the only family among the Upper Three Sects.
"That's why I suspect this is the prelude to a large-scale invasion! Someone is targeting the Heaven Dou Empire!"
"But it's strange. Though Spirit Hall has many Titled Douluo, it doesn't have much of a regular army."
"The Star Luo Empire is the opposite. Its soldiers are indeed elite, but I've never heard of anyone there capable of defeating Poison Douluo and Bone Douluo."
Going by the clues Chen Xin had brought back, everyone shared their opinions, and the discussion grew lively.
The more they talked, the more they felt that whoever had taken over Sunset Forest was far too mysterious.
They had high-level fighters on a par with Spirit Hall, yet seemed to run their forces like a military organization. What faction could possibly manage that?
"Could Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire have formed an alliance?"
Someone raised the possibility, but it was quickly dismissed.
Come on, there were only three factions on the Douluo Continent. Everyone knew that.
If the other two joined forces, crushing the Heaven Dou Empire would be easy. Why go through so many twists and turns?
"All right, there's no point getting stuck on this. What we need to discuss now is how to handle it."
"Should we assemble the army and launch an attack, disrupting their plans before they can establish themselves, or should we wait and see?"
Emperor Xue Ye was no wise ruler.
Sitting on his throne, he felt nothing but restless anxiety.
He tossed the question to the assembled officials below, then looked around at them and at the Crown Prince, "Xue Qinghe."
Qian Renxue laughed to herself. This was exactly the question she'd been waiting for. The time had come to make use of her position!
She wanted to know what was happening at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, but she didn't want to risk sending one of her trusted followers. That left only one option.
She let everyone else discuss it first, then stepped forward to sum up their views. Using a plan that seemed like a compromise, she settled what they would do next.
"Father, we can't just sit here and wait!"
"The enemy is strong, and they may grow even stronger!"
"Even if there's a risk, even if there are casualties, at the very least...we have to find out who they are!"
"Whether it's Spirit Hall or the Star Luo Empire, only by knowing who our enemy is can we think of a better countermeasure!"
Before you continue