The Sea God Pavilion Still Struggles On

A deathly silence.

Like a stagnant pool.

The elders sat in their respective seats.

Some had their eyes closed. Some stared at the ceiling. Some stared blankly at the wood grain on the table.

They had watched today's broadcast as well.

Since morning...

They had been seated within the Sea God Pavilion, watching the entire public livestream through Soul Guidance screens.

They watched Chen Xinjie kneel on the judgment platform.

They watched the prosecutor read out Chen Xinjie's crimes one by one.

They watched thirty Level 9 Soul Guidance Rays fire at once, completely vaporizing Chen Xinjie's body.

Chen Xinjie had died just like that.

The dignified Vast Sea Douluo, a Peak Quasi-God and the master of the War God Temple, had been executed like a dog before the eyes of hundreds of millions.

What they found even harder to accept was Long Yeyue.

Long Yeyue's corpse had also been dragged out and exposed before the world.

The public pointed at Long Yeyue's corpse and discussed it endlessly. Some had even posted vicious comments and ridicule on the Soul Guidance Network.

Long Yeyue, the Light and Dark Douluo, the supreme elder of Shrek Academy, an elder of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

After her death, her corpse had been desecrated, she had been humiliated and burned, and her ashes had been poured into a cesspit.

This had also dealt an enormous blow to Shrek Academy's Ten Thousand Year Glory.

In Shrek Academy's twenty thousand years of history, it had never suffered such humiliation.

Their supreme elder had been publicly tried and publicly humiliated. Even after death, her ashes had not been laid to rest.

This was not merely Long Yeyue's disgrace. It was the disgrace of Shrek Academy as a whole.

Of course, the more serious matter was...

Chen Xinjie was dead.

And Chen Yu was about to strike at the War God Temple.

One of Shrek Academy's tentacles extending into the Federation was about to be severed completely.

Chen Xinjie's connection to Shrek Academy might have seemed to consist of only Long Yeyue.

But they could not forget.

Chen Xinjie was the patriarch of the Sea God Family.

The Sea God Family had worshipped the Sea God for generations.

And Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San, one of the original Shrek Seven Devils, was the current Sea God.

The Sea God Family and Shrek Academy had always been bound by countless threads.

Every generation of the Sea God Family's patriarchs had maintained more or less close ties with Shrek Academy.

Thus, Shrek Academy's relationship with Chen Xinjie had in fact been exceedingly close.

How much had Shrek Academy contributed behind the scenes for Chen Xinjie to reach his current position in the Federation?

And how many connections had Shrek Academy called upon to make Chen Xinjie the master of the War God Temple?

Furthermore, how much help and protection had Chen Xinjie provided Shrek Academy over the years?

These were matters that could not be brought into the open.

But everyone knew them perfectly well.

It was just that, in outsiders' eyes...

They still needed to keep a certain distance.

Shrek Academy was Shrek Academy, and the Sea God Family was the Sea God Family. The two had no direct subordinate relationship, nor any public alliance agreement.

This allowed Shrek Academy to maintain its transcendent status within the Federation while ensuring the Sea God Family would not be implicated within the War God Temple.

But now...

It was all ruined!

Chen Xinjie was dead.

The War God Temple was about to be purged!

Shrek Academy's greatest ally in the Federation and its deepest-reaching tentacle had been severed by Chen Yu in a single stroke.

And the person who had destroyed all of this...

Was Chen Yu!

"Speak."

"Weren't you all quite talkative last night?"

"Why are you all mute today?"

Yun Ming spoke irritably, his voice filled with obvious impatience and mockery.

He sat in the seat of honor, his expression dark as water.

His gaze swept over the elders on both sides of the long table.

Those who had been fervently denouncing others and making veiled jabs last night now looked like ducks with their throats clutched shut. Not one dared make a sound, and they barely dared breathe.

Although last night...

The elders' accusations had enraged him beyond measure.

Now was not the time to dwell on that.

A great enemy stood before them...

Internal conflict would only grieve those who cared for them and delight their enemies.

Therefore, he needed to unite every force that could be united. He needed everyone's support and cooperation, not mutual blame and shirking responsibility.

Now, the Tang Sect had been sealed, and Zang Xin had been arrested.

The entire Tang Sect had been uprooted.

Then came the War God Temple. Chen Xinjie had been executed, and Chen Yu had personally gone up West Mountain to purge the War God Temple.

Once the War God Temple was cleared out as well, Shrek would no longer have a single ally among the top powers.

As for the Spirit Pagoda...

If not for Long Yeyue's slap, perhaps they could still have stood on the same side as the Spirit Pagoda.

But that slap had not merely struck Qiangu Dieting's face. It had struck the face of the entire Spirit Pagoda and the entire Qiangu Family.

Even if Qiangu Dieting had not erupted at the time.

Even if Elder Bei had suppressed the matter.

The seed of hatred had already been planted.

At present, they would be fortunate enough if Qiangu Dongfeng did not hold them back.

They could forget about expecting him to lend a hand.

And at this moment, faced with Yun Ming's mockery.

Though the elders' gazes were gloomy.

They also understood that now was not the time for internal conflict.

Someone took a deep breath and suppressed the dissatisfaction in his heart.

No one spoke up to refute him.

Nor did anyone continue speaking without restraint as they had last night.

Because they all knew that once Chen Yu turned his gaze toward Shrek, they would have to join forces and face the enemy together if they wished to preserve Shrek.

Of course, although everyone feared Chen Yu.

It was only fear.

Even if Shrek Academy had lost all its allies, even if the Tang Sect was gone, the War God Temple was gone, and the Spirit Pagoda refused to help.

Shrek still possessed twenty thousand years of foundations, countless experts, and that final trump card.

With Yun Ming's cultivation as a Peak Quasi-God, combined with the Golden Ancient Tree as his trump card, he could fully unleash combat power at the level of a God.

When the time came, he could still suppress Chen Yu...

And restore Shrek's prestige.

But under normal circumstances...

The Golden Ancient Tree's power could not be used lightly.

The Golden Ancient Tree was the foundation of Shrek Academy.

It was a supreme treasure nurtured by the lives of countless generations of Shrek Academy's experts over twenty thousand years.

Its power was not limitless.

Each use meant less remained.

The more it was used, the weaker it became.

If it could be used freely, the Golden Ancient Tree would have been drained dry long ago. How could it still possess its current strength?

Therefore, unless they had no other choice, unless they stood at the final moment between life and death, the Golden Ancient Tree could not be used.

This was Shrek Academy's ironclad rule for twenty thousand years, an ancestral precept that every generation's master of the Sea God Pavilion had to obey.

At that moment, Zhuo Shi spoke.

"No matter what, we must protect Guan Yue."

"After all, he is one of us at Shrek, and he is also the deputy master of the War God Temple."

"As long as he remains alive."

"Then the War God Temple..."

"Will still be Shrek's War God Temple."

Guan Yue was the most important piece Shrek Academy had placed within the War God Temple.

Moreover, he had spent decades building his influence within the War God Temple, and he had a group of people loyal to him under his command.

He also controlled an enormous amount of resources.