What Are You, Exactly? Choose Now!

Under the lead of the man at the front, the group soon arrived above Shrek Academy.

Looking down, they saw dust and smoke billowing through a lifeless scene that sent a chill down their spines.

Nearly two hours had passed since the launch.

Yet even with the protection of the Origin armor, the residual waves of heat from the energy still made Leng Yaozhu uncomfortable.

One could only imagine how terrifying the energy unleashed here had been when the explosion first erupted!

"So this is the power of the Soul Cannon shells A-Yue improved?"

After a moment of silence, Leng Yaozhu looked at Ming Yue with both awe and admiration.

"Even with Finality protecting me, and my Martial Soul being fire-attribute, I still feel so hot standing here."

Leng Yulai followed up with her own thoughts, gazing at Ming Yue with the same awe and admiration.

"Not bad." He merely nodded before propping his chin on his hand and examining the energy remnants around them.

"It's only city-destroying energy. Seems like it can only take down someone at the level of a Limit Douluo."

Ming Yue shook his head regretfully.

"But compared to Hidden Weapons, those pure-iron objects that can injure gods—that brain-dead setting..."

"Can only say that the children of fortune really are all cheaters."

After another sigh over Little Scumbag's luck, Ming Yue changed the subject.

"Besides those two old things who are recovering, I've sensed a dozen or so energy signatures that aren't particularly strong."

"Looks like Shrek Academy's Golden Ancient Tree does have something going for it."

He glanced with interest in a certain direction, then started walking that way. "Come with me."

The sisters immediately followed, as did the puppets, who only regained their own memories during battle.

They soon reached the Golden Ancient Tree, now reduced to a charred stump, and Ming Yue stopped.

"Are you two old things still pretending to be dead?"

A playful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth beneath his faceplate. Ming Yue gathered two balls of Soul Power and hurled them straight at the old men's heads.

"...!" x2

The moment the whoosh of their flight rang out, the two old men sprang up, moving with a speed utterly at odds with their aged bodies.

They flashed over beside the Golden Ancient Tree's stump.

"Not bad. After taking that much energy, you two old things are only half dead."

"Looks like this Golden Ancient Tree does even more than I thought."

With his arms folded across his chest, Ming Yue glanced at them, then turned his gaze toward the Golden Ancient Tree, his eyes burning with interest.

"Spirit Pagoda!!!"

"Qiangu Mingyue!!!"

Seeing that their opponent had no intention of hiding anything—and was even acting so brazenly right in front of them—the two old things felt both humiliated and furious. Thinking of the top fighters who had just sacrificed themselves for the academy, and all the Shrek glory built into the city itself, the hatred in their eyes turned blood-red as they glared at Ming Yue.

"Why are you shouting so loudly? We're not hard of hearing like you two old things."

Despite the death glares of the two half-dead Limit Douluos, Ming Yue only responded with an unhurried sneer.

"We're all human! How can you kill the continent's top fighters from an entire city without batting an eye? The future hopes of the continent, all in one city! You didn't even spare the ordinary people!"

"Qiangu Mingyue! You're a demon! You have no human feelings at all!"

One of the old men instantly snapped. Weeping tears of blood, he screamed at Ming Yue in grief and fury.

"You demon! Lord Sea God will punish you sooner or later!"

The other old man was just as overcome with grief, tears of blood streaming down his face, but his words had no effect on Ming Yue.

"Sure, sure, I'm a demon. I don't think I've ever gone around claiming to be anything else since I became Tower Master, have I?"

"Wasn't it always you people who imagined all sorts of things about me?"

Ming Yue removed his faceplate, revealing a mocking expression, then pointed at the Golden Ancient Tree, now reduced to a charred stump.

"Enough, old things. I have no interest in arguing with you."

"Tell me what this Golden Ancient Tree does, and I might spare the lives of the dozen or so little things still inside its barrier beneath it."

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers and summoned Void Archives, which took the form of Star of Eden and appeared beside the Golden Ancient Tree's stump.

The ground beside the stump immediately collapsed, revealing a barrier reinforced with special metal and wrapped in tree roots. Inside lay a dozen or so unconscious men and women, who had just begun to stir.

"Well?"

Watching the scene with amusement, Ming Yue signaled for the puppets to spread out and encircle the area.

"You...!"

The old man pointed at Ming Yue and stammered for a long while, then let his arm fall and sank to the ground in defeat.

"...For the children's sake, shouldn't we tell him?"

After another stretch of silence, the other old man sighed.

"But that's... That's..."

"We've already come this far! Shrek is nothing but a name now! If we can't even protect the few children we have left..."

"...Sigh!"

After arguing for a while, the two old men let out a long sigh in unison. Then one of them spoke.

"Let this old man be the sinner, then! But on one condition: you, Qiangu Mingyue, must keep your word."

His eyes fixed on Ming Yue's, the old man looked solemn and resolute.

"Ha ha ha. One moment you're cursing me for lacking human feelings, and the next you're asking me to keep my word."

"I have to say, you old thing really know how to make Tower Master laugh."

Ming Yue clapped with a cheerful smile, then fixed him with an expressionless, indifferent stare.

"What are you, exactly? You're a half-dead old man. What gives you the right to make demands?"

"You have only one choice now: take that so-called secret to your grave, or use it to trade for a chance for those little things to live."

"Choose now."

Ming Yue toyed with Void Archives in his hand as he spoke, glancing at the dozen or so men and women whose barrier was gradually fading, and who were about to rush out.

"...The Golden Ancient Tree was transplanted tens of thousands of years ago by one of the great seniors from Shrek Academy, using a supreme technique."

"In essence, it's an ancient tree containing immense life force. It can continuously absorb the natural energy of the world around it, draw that energy into itself, and refine it."

"It can even release that refined energy back to us Soul Masters for cultivation! That's why cultivating near the Golden Ancient Tree yields twice the results for half the effort!"

As he spoke, he looked at Ming Yue, but the other man's expression remained indifferent.

Ming Yue still glanced now and then at the restless young men and women who were nearly out.

The old man's heart sank. With a long sigh, he put aside his last reservations and stopped concealing the truth.