Venting Fear, Blaming Ya Li

Especially when they heard that the Federation's soldiers had actually taken advantage of the cover of night to launch a purge against Tang Sect branches throughout the Federation, every one of them looked livid.

Those soldiers had voluntarily picked up weapons to clear out the remnants of a traitorous organization for the Speaker and the Federation.

What was this?

This was public support!

This was military morale!

This was the trust and loyalty that a Speaker had accumulated bit by bit over decades!

And what about Shrek?

What did they have?

They had twenty thousand years of glory, the legacies of countless powerhouses, and the title of the continent's number one academy.

But before Chen Yu's fists, before the muzzles of the Seven Great Legions' cannons...

All of it seemed so pale and powerless.

Yet they did not dare stop him.

After all, Chen Xinjie and Zang Xin's fates were right there before them.

Those were a Peak Quasi-God and a Demigod!

And what had happened?

Chen Yu had taken them down with one punch each, without the slightest hesitation.

If these old bones of theirs charged in, they would most likely just be throwing their lives away.

But the more emotions were suppressed,

the more violently they erupted.

They did not dare loudly condemn Chen Yu, did not dare attack the Federation forces, and did not dare say a single word of refusal to those soldiers.

But they still dared speak up against their own people.

Thus, Cai Yue'er was the first to strike.

She sat in the middle of the long table.

Her silver hair was combed flawlessly, and though her face was aged, it still carried a sharp, imposing air.

Her gaze crossed more than half the table and fixed directly on Ya Li, who had been seated beside Yun Ming all along. That look carried resentment and fury that had been suppressed for who knew how long.

"Shrek Academy and the Federation used to get along just fine. Where did all these troubles come from?"

Cai Yue'er's voice was shrill and grating.

"When all was said and done..."

"Wasn't it because of our Holy Spirit Douluo?"

Every word seemed to be forced through clenched teeth, carrying a hatred so intense it made her grind her teeth.

At that moment, Cai Yue'er was also burning with rage.

She loved Yun Ming too.

She had loved him since they were young.

But Yun Ming had always had Ya Li in his heart.

That healing-type Soul Master from Ming Capital, that soft, frail Holy Spirit Douluo who only knew how to cry...

Why did she get to occupy Yun Ming's heart?

Why could she make Yun Ming disregard everything for her?

For the sake of the love she had buried deep in her heart, Cai Yue'er had originally been unwilling to say much or put Yun Ming in a difficult position.

But now...

That madman Chen Yu had gone insane over Ya Li and relentlessly targeted Shrek. She truly could not endure it any longer.

After all, last time they had lost the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Supreme Elder, Long Yeyue.

That was an ancient clan with a legacy stretching back tens of thousands of years, as well as Shrek Academy's Limit Douluo.

Yet they had simply vanished.

This time, they had lost the Tang Sect and its Sect Master, the Affectionate Douluo Zang Xin.

The Tang Sect had been Shrek's most dependable ally.

Zang Xin had been a Demigod standing at the pinnacle of the continent.

And he too had simply vanished.

What about next time?

Who else could they push to the front...

To withstand Chen Yu's fury?

That was right.

Shrek's people might be overbearing, perhaps even foolish.

But there were truly very few idiots among them.

This time, it appeared that Chen Yu had acted against the Tang Sect because it had committed treason.

But had the Tang Sect only started doing this today?

Had Chen Yu only become Speaker today?

The Tang Sect had been sending resources overseas for far more than a year or two. It had been going on for centuries, even millennia.

If Chen Yu had truly wanted to investigate,

he could have done so long ago.

Why wait until today?

So, clearly,

this was because of Ya Li!

Because Ya Li had dumped Chen Yu and gone with Yun Ming, Chen Yu held a grudge and had turned his blade on Shrek.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been a scapegoat, and the Tang Sect was a scapegoat too. Who would be next?

No one could say for sure.

The moment those words were spoken, Ya Li's face turned deathly pale.

Her lips trembled slightly, her eyes reddened, and tears welled in them.

She wanted to say something, wanted to defend herself, but beneath Cai Yue'er's piercing gaze...

She could not say a word.

Yun Ming could not bear to see Ya Li wronged. His face darkened, and rage immediately surged in his eyes.

He abruptly looked at Cai Yue'er, his voice low and cold.

"Cai Yue'er, what do you mean?"

He did not gently call her "Yue'er," instead addressing her by her full name.

That icy tone and distant form of address were like a knife stabbing into Cai Yue'er's heart.

In response, Cai Yue'er merely snorted coldly, a mocking curve rising at the corner of her lips.

She looked at Yun Ming, and there was no love in her eyes, only disappointment and anger.

"Pavilion Master, I'm sure everyone knows exactly what I mean."

"After all, Chen Yu had never laid a hand on Shrek before."

With Cai Yue'er's renewed emphasis, the looks the elders cast toward Ya Li and Yun Ming changed as well.

Those gazes held suspicion, dissatisfaction, resentment, and blame.

They did not dare vent their emotions on Chen Yu.

Could they possibly be afraid of Yun Ming and Ya Li too?

After all...

No matter what, Yun Ming was the Sea God Pavilion Master. Unless he wished to sever all ties with Shrek, he could not attack them.

But did Yun Ming dare?

Without Shrek's protection and the identity of Sea God Pavilion Master, Chen Yu might have beaten him to death long ago.

This...

Yun Ming knew it himself.

Everyone present knew it as well.

Soon, everyone began voicing their complaints one after another. Their voices rose and fell, filling the Sea God Pavilion with clamor.

"Exactly."

"Elder Cai is right."

"We had always coexisted peacefully with the Federation."

"Wasn't it because of you, Pavilion Master, insisting on stealing someone else's fiancée?"

"Otherwise, how could we have fallen this far?"

One elder slammed the table, his voice filled with indignation.

"Exactly, exactly."

"The Federation had already stopped favoring Shrek with resources, but we still had supplies coming from the Tang Sect."

"The Tang Sect's overseas business had always been strong, and the share they gave us every year was no small sum."

"But now, the Tang Sect is gone."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Are we, the dignified elders of the Sea God Pavilion, supposed to run businesses ourselves?"

Another elder spread his hands, his face filled with helplessness and anxiety.

"And Elder Long and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan both died because of the Holy Spirit Douluo. Shouldn't she pay a price?"

A younger elder looked coldly at Ya Li, his voice carrying undisguised hostility.

"Pay a price? She's the Pavilion Master's darling. Who would dare make her pay?"

"And what about us? Who will compensate for our losses? Did the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan die for nothing? Were Tang Sect members arrested for nothing?"

"If this keeps up, I think we'll be the next ones to die!"

The more they spoke, the more agitated they became.

The more they spoke, the more wronged they felt.

Their voices grew louder and their words harsher.

Some slammed the table and rose to their feet, some glared furiously, and some pointed at Ya Li and cursed loudly.

That scene...

How did they still resemble the elders of the Sea God Pavilion in the slightest?

They were clearly a pack of trapped beasts driven into a corner, tearing at one another.