Shrek "Innocent," Federation "Evil"

At this moment, all the elder council members were filled with righteous indignation.

Zhuo Shi's brows knotted together as he slammed both fists heavily onto the table, producing a dull thud.

Another elder council member's face had turned livid, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. Clearly, he too was furious to the extreme.

Even several of the elder council members who were usually the most composed could not help shaking their heads and sighing, their faces filled with resentment.

To speak from the heart...

They hated the Sun Moon Federation too.

Because...

Whether twenty thousand years ago or ten thousand years ago, the nations of Douluo had all fawned over Shrek, terrified of offending it.

Back then, Shrek Academy...

Was the sacred land in the hearts of all Soul Masters across the continent, an existence no nation dared treat lightly.

Whether it was the Heaven Dou Empire, Star Luo Empire, or Dou Ling Empire, every time they sent envoys, they were impeccably courteous and utterly respectful.

A single word from Shrek Academy...

Was enough to alter a nation's policies.

A single stance from Shrek Academy...

Was enough to determine the rise and fall of a power.

But what about now?

The Federation had broken down the barrier between geniuses and commoners.

Those common-born children who could once only look up at Shrek Academy could now obtain resources and opportunities equal to Shrek students through the Federation's selection system.

The development of Soul Tool technology...

Had made high-level combat power far less important.

A well-trained mecha brigade, paired with a host of refined Soul Tool weapons, was enough to contend with an army made up of high-level Soul Masters.

And when mechas had first appeared...

They had nearly caused Shrek to lose its voice entirely.

If not for the later emergence of Battle Armor, which allowed high-level Soul Masters to regain their advantage...

Would this world still be Shrek's world?

Would this Douluo Continent still be Shrek's Douluo Continent?

They had already yielded countless times!

Since the Federation's founding...

They had been yielding all along.

From resource allocation, to enrollment quotas, to their say in Federation decisions, they had retreated step by step and compromised step by step.

They believed that as long as Shrek Academy remained, as long as its twenty thousand years of glory remained, they would one day reclaim their rightful position.

But what had the Federation done?

They had developed Level 12 Fixed Soul Tool Shells!

And initially, there had actually been four Level 12 Fixed Soul Tool Shells!

They were ultimate weapons developed by the Federation only after expending countless resources and manpower, gathering the finest Soul Tool scientists of that era, and spending decades on the project.

The power of each one was enough to destroy heaven and earth.

The existence of each one was a silent deterrent to every power on the continent.

And the first one had been detonated before the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion of that generation and a group of elder council members!

It had been a silent demonstration.

The Federation had invited Shrek Academy's upper echelon to observe in an uninhabited region, then detonated a Level 12 Fixed Soul Tool Shell before their very eyes.

That godlike pressure and explosive force had filled every Title Douluo present with a fear that seeped into their bones.

In that instant, heaven and earth changed color, sun and moon lost their light, and land for thousands of miles in every direction was reduced to scorched earth by the explosion.

It was a deterrent!

It was also a declaration!

The Federation possessed the power to destroy Shrek Academy.

And it was precisely because of that shot that Shrek Academy had continued to endure, retreat, and refrain from truly breaking with the Federation over these past several thousand years.

They had strength, foundations, and countless powerful experts guarding them, but none of that could compare to the deterrent of a Level 12 Fixed Soul Tool Shell.

And the Federation still had three more.

Yet even now, the Federation still would not let them go!

Look at what Chen Yu was doing!

He had moved against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan...

Against such an ancient clan!

He showed no respect whatsoever!

No reverence whatsoever!

That clan had been passed down for over ten thousand years, with countless powerful experts among its ranks and a position of pivotal importance on the continent.

Yet Chen Yu had destroyed it simply because he wished to!

Without the slightest hesitation.

Without the slightest concern.

He had even nailed Long Yeyue to death with a single spear and sent an army to flatten the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

How could someone like that...

Be allowed to take the position of Federation Council Chairman!

One elder council member finally could not bear it any longer. He abruptly rose to his feet, his white hair trembling faintly in the candlelight, his voice filled with rage and sorrow.

"Chen Yu is nothing but a mud-legged brute who fought his way up with his fists!"

"What does he know of rank and status?"

"What does he know of rules?"

"In his eyes, there is only power and strength. Where is there any propriety, righteousness, integrity, or shame?"

Another elder council member also rose to his feet, his face livid as he echoed the sentiment.

"Exactly! How is his conduct any different from the tyrants of the Sun Moon Empire ten thousand years ago?"

"He is destroying the foundation of the continent!"

"He is destroying the traditions of our Douluo Continent that have endured for twenty thousand years!"

The elder council members spoke one after another, their furious voices rising and falling throughout the Sea God Pavilion.

Everyone vented the dissatisfaction and anger in their hearts, each using the fiercest words to condemn Chen Yu and the Federation.

But beneath that anger...

That trace of fear...

Never truly went away.

Yun Ming sat in the seat of honor without saying a word.

He merely listened quietly, his gaze deep and distant, his face revealing little expression.

Yet his hands gripped the armrests of his chair tightly.

Zang Xin was right.

Chen Yu's actions were indeed dangerous.

But the key question was—

What could they do?

Fight?

They could not win.

Chen Yu could nail Long Yeyue to death with a single spear...

Strength of that level was no longer something any one of them could contend with.

Endure?

They had already endured for thousands of years...

How much longer would they have to endure?

And if they continued enduring...

What would remain of Shrek Academy?

Within the Sea God Pavilion, the furious denunciations continued.

Yet in every heart...

There lay a heavy stone.

It was fear and confusion toward the future.

At that moment, Zhuo Shi's eyes lit up, and he immediately sprang to his feet.

Everyone turned their gazes toward him, the elder council members' faces carrying confusion and expectation.

Zhuo Shi stood there, his gaze sweeping across every face on either side of the long table. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"Do you all still remember how the academy has stood for twenty thousand years?"

His voice was loud and resonant, echoing through the Sea God Pavilion.

Thoughtful looks appeared in everyone's eyes.

Some frowned slightly, some sank into recollection, and some seemed to have already guessed what Zhuo Shi intended to say, light gradually appearing in their eyes.

Zhuo Shi raised both arms and shouted.

"It was righteousness!"

"It was justice!"

"Chen Yu wiped out the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan before the eyes of every great clan and sect. Do you think they are not afraid?"

"They are afraid!"

"But they also fear Chen Yu!"

"Yet as long as we unite, would Chen Yu really dare defy the will of the world and wipe out every one of our factions?"

His voice struck like iron, every word filled with strength and conviction.

His arms were raised high, as if embracing an incomparably grand vision.

A blazing light flickered in his eyes.

It was the pride and confidence that belonged to the people of Shrek.