Teacher, I've come to atone!

"A half-step to level one hundred. Hmph." After sizing up Elder Bei's Avatar of the Martial Soul, Ming Yue suddenly felt bored.

With a disdainful sneer, he waved his hand, and the Void Archives once again simulated into Judah, casting the Divine Grace Barrier directly over Elder Bei and the Golden Ancient Tree!

"How impressive, a half-step to level one hundred~"

To Elder Bei, Ming Yue's gentle voice sounded like the whisper of a demon.

His Avatar of the Martial Soul and his entire reserve of soul power vanished in an instant; he gripped his palms in disbelief.

"What kind of soul skill is this!?" His aged face was filled with shock.

Elder Bei suddenly looked to the side, sensing something, only to see the Golden Ancient Tree, which had been slowly recovering and growing, now frozen as if time itself had stopped.

"Hehehe, I heard that ever since the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao ascended to the God Realm, every successive Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy has been bound by a secret order."

"No matter who succeeds as Pavilion Master, when they are on the verge of death, they must fuse themselves into this Golden Ancient Tree."

Without answering his confusion—and having no interest in doing so—Ming Yue simply paced forward, speaking to himself.

"Your teacher, the previous Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, must have already done so, right?"

Stopping outside the Divine Grace Barrier, he looked at Elder Bei with a gentle smile.

"." Elder Bei did not answer; he merely lowered his head to hide his expression from Ming Yue.

"Hehe. Truly interesting, that 'thread' that resembles Blue Silver Grass but carries an aura far more noble."

"It was originally just an attachment, or perhaps, a parasite."

As he spoke, he pointed to a thin, blue-gold patterned thread that had already manifested on the Golden Ancient Tree within the Divine Grace Barrier.

Ming Yue then sneered: "But it is precisely because of the sacrificial acts of brainwashed lapdogs like you."

"That this natural Star Lord, which originally belonged to Douluo Planet, held the same status as the plane's will, and would have gained sentience and taken human form in another ten thousand years..."

"Has become the fuel for the ascension of the mother of that Sea God Tang San, whom you all obsess over!"

Ming Yue's sneer was like a thunderclap, causing Elder Bei in the barrier to jerk his head up.

Following the direction Ming Yue pointed, he too saw that blue-gold patterned thread, which was already beginning to coil around the roots of the Golden Ancient Tree!

"Blue Silver... Emperor...!?"

His body swayed violently, and Elder Bei opened his mouth in disbelief.

The teachings of his late mentor surfaced in his mind, along with the look of glory on his mentor's face when he had desperately fused himself into the Golden Ancient Tree while dying!

Now, realizing that everything they had done had nothing to do with the glory of Shrek Academy, and that they were merely acting as pawns for Tang San's family, Elder Bei found it profoundly ironic: "Shrek Academy? Tang San's Academy?"

"Douluo Continent... or is it still his Tang San's continent?"

His knees gave way and he knelt before the Golden Ancient Tree. Unconsciously, Elder Bei cried out, "Teacher!", as two lines of hot tears streamed down his face.

Seeing this, Ming Yue couldn't help but sigh:

"I must say, Tang San's dog-training skills are truly something. Could it be that the ancients were naturally more gifted in this regard?"

He then raised his hand in a phantom grip, and the Divine Grace Barrier contracted until it only enclosed the Golden Ancient Tree.

"Well, now that you know the truth, do you still wish to risk your life for that so-called Shrek glory against this Tower Master?"

Ming Yue asked, looking at him with a gentle chuckle.

"Heh." With a self-deprecating laugh, Elder Bei slowly stood up: "Though the grave error is already cast, you chose to tell this old man these things at this time."

"Presumably, you must have a way to resolve all of this?" Elder Bei looked straight at Ming Yue and asked calmly.

"Oh? It seems you've cleared your head?" Ming Yue looked him up and down, sensing a unique temperament in Elder Bei.

"From the moment I fused myself into the Golden Ancient Tree, Shrek was already thoroughly dead."

Sighing with a complex tone, Elder Bei turned serious:

"Any high-sounding reason now seems false. Not for Shrek, not for the people of the world, and not for Douluo Planet."

"Simply as the disciple of a sinner, having been cultivated by my mentor, I must naturally make amends for him here."

With that, the aura of the Heaven-Gifted Douluo, a half-step to level one hundred powerhouse, surged once more.

But this time, Elder Bei did not represent Shrek; he represented only himself and his sinful mentor!

"Haha, a fine 'making amends'." Ming Yue applauded in praise, then continued:

"According to this Tower Master's recent observation, the essence of your martial soul actually carries a touch of the nature of destruction."

"So the method is actually quite simple. In the Divine Grace Barrier, just like your teacher, offer up everything! Fuse yourself into it."

"Leave the rest to this Tower Master."

As he spoke, Ming Yue snapped his fingers again, and the instantly expanding Divine Grace Barrier enveloped both of them along with the Leng Sisters.

"." Feeling something completely different from when he was just in the barrier, Elder Bei looked at Ming Yue, his gaze momentarily dazed.

"What, you don't trust this Tower Master?" Seeing his hesitation, Ming Yue raised an eyebrow and asked.

"I truly don't know if having you on this continent is a blessing or a curse!"

Coming back to his senses, Elder Bei shook his head indifferently and suddenly smiled with relief: "Looking back on the past, my life can be considered magnificent."

"It is only upon facing death that I realize the falsehood of this life. Oh, life!"

"Qiangu Mingyue, in all my life, I have never begged anyone as a weakling, but before I die, I wish to beg you for one thing."

His soul power surged throughout his body, his soul rings shone brightly, and his Avatar of the Martial Soul gradually manifested.

"Speak," Qiangu Mingyue replied, his gentle expression unchanged.

"I have had no children in this life, only that child Yun Ming as my disciple. Therefore, I hope that after I die, you can give that child a chance to survive."

Having said this, he did not wait for an answer from Qiangu Mingyue, let out two loud laughs, and formed a few strange hand seals.

Roaring, "Teacher, I have come to atone for your sins!" his massive Avatar of the Martial Soul crashed headlong into the Golden Ancient Tree!

A brilliant light erupted within the Divine Grace Barrier, under the control of Qiangu Mingyue.

His fusion was no longer feeding that thin blue-gold line, but instead transforming into pure golden pigment!

Starting from near the roots and moving upward, it began to cover and devour that blue-gold line bit by bit!

"Ah, the old thing was of some use, but making requests of me before dying? Does he think I am some kind of benevolent person?"

Taking the hands of the sisters beside him, he led them toward the outside of the Divine Grace Barrier, and Qiangu Mingyue looked up at the sky:

"The tentacles of that Little Scoundrel have been severed for the most part, so Plane Spirit, you should hold on for a while longer."

Whispering as he withdrew his gaze, the figures of the puppets intercepting and dragging back Yun Ming and the others gradually emerged in the distance.