Mu En wasn't a fool.
Xu Tianyao had come to see him as soon as he arrived at Shrek Academy, and after laying so much groundwork, he clearly wanted something.
In Mu En's eyes, though, that was actually a good thing.
If Xu Tianyao needed his help, it meant there was still a chance they could work together.
Xu Tianyao had a special status.
He was a member of the Sun Moon Imperial Family and the prospective grandson-in-law of Jing Hongchen, the master of Mingde Hall.
Today's conversation could represent both the Sun Moon Imperial Family and Mingde Hall.
Of course, there was a third possibility: Xu Tianyao was representing himself.
At the thought, a glint flashed in Mu En's eyes.
If that was the case, then his earlier guess had been right.
The Sun Moon Imperial Family wasn't as united as it appeared. There were struggles within its ranks, too.
How could an imperial family with a history stretching back thousands of years, having endured countless succession battles, coups, and palace intrigues, truly have no cracks in its façade?
Mu En certainly didn't believe it. He'd lived a long time and experienced plenty; he'd seen more than his share of schemes and rivalries.
As long as there were still internal power struggles, there was an opportunity for Shrek.
Whether it meant driving the tiger to swallow the wolf or borrowing a knife to kill, the method didn't matter.
What Shrek needed now was time.
As long as the Academy's next generation could grow up safely, what did it matter if he helped the enemy? As long as he could make them turn on each other, Mu En didn't care.
What the hell were justice and light? He'd thrown those things away thousands of years ago!
At the thought, his smile grew even more benevolent.
"In that case, young friend, why not speak plainly? This old man is all ears."
Xu Tianyao smiled faintly. He knew Mu En had probably already made up his mind, so he stopped beating around the bush and said directly:
"Elder Mu, do you know where those Evil Soul Masters who attacked me a few days ago came from?"
At his words, the benevolent expression on Mu En's face shifted slightly.
His somewhat languid gaze instantly sharpened.
"Those Evil Soul Masters..."
Mu En pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "To be honest, they were the strongest group of Evil Soul Masters this old man has encountered in all these years."
"Three Titled Douluo traveling together. If this old man hadn't secretly arranged for Elder Song and Lin'er to escort you all the way, then with only Xuan Zi... ah, no, with only Duoduo there, you might all have been in grave danger that day."
As he spoke, he shook his head gently.
"As for where they came from..."
"This old man has his suspicions, but no proof, so I dare not draw any hasty conclusions."
"But they certainly weren't a disorganized mob."
"So many powerful people acting together can only mean one thing: these Evil Soul Masters have been brought together and formed into an enormous force."
"And this force is most likely based somewhere along the continent's border, or perhaps..."
Mu En's gaze slowly settled on Xu Tianyao.
"Right there in your Sun Moon Empire."
Xu Tianyao nodded inwardly.
He had to admit that Mu En had earned his reputation as the head of Shrek Academy all these years.
From the tiniest clues, he'd already guessed seven or eight tenths of the truth.
Xu Tianyao couldn't tell whether Mu En genuinely didn't know the rest or was only asking despite knowing the answer.
After all, Ye Xishui had gone down the path of evil many years ago.
Xu Tianyao didn't believe Mu En had failed to notice anything amiss all these years.
At the thought, he spoke slowly.
"Elder Mu's guess is right."
"The Evil Soul Masters have indeed been brought together."
"They've established an organization called the Holy Spirit Cult."
"Now, that organization is based in the Sun Moon Empire."
Sure enough, Mu En's heart lurched when he heard this, and his expression grew much more grave.
Xu Tianyao didn't pause. He continued:
"I don't yet know how many Titled Douluo the Holy Spirit Cult has, or what other trump cards they're hiding."
"But there's one thing I can be certain of."
"Their overall strength..."
"Is definitely greater than Shrek Academy's."
The moment he heard that firm conclusion, Mu En's expression faltered for the first time.
He slowly sat upright. His cloudy eyes had grown much clearer as he stared straight at Xu Tianyao and said, word by word, "What did you say? The Holy Spirit Cult is stronger overall than Shrek Academy?"
Xu Tianyao nodded calmly, then dropped another bombshell that left Mu En completely stunned.
"Besides that..."
"They seem to have already reached an agreement with the Sun Moon Empire—or, more precisely, with my imperial elder brother, the current ruler of the Sun Moon Empire."
If the previous statement had been enough to make Mu En take notice, this one was like a thunderclap exploding in his mind.
He abruptly clenched the armrest of his chair.
Crack!
The incredibly hard Dragon Pattern Wood armrest had been crushed by Mu En's grip, several cracks appearing in it. The force was enough to reveal his shock and unease.
"Absurd!"
"Utterly absurd!"
Mu En's voice suddenly rose, and his expression turned exceptionally dark.
"Cooperating with Evil Soul Masters is no different from making a deal with a tiger!"
"Your Sun Moon Empire—does your emperor not understand that if he lets these powerful Evil Soul Masters run wild, or even encourages them, one day they will turn on him?"
Seeing Mu En so worked up, Xu Tianyao had thought he was about to fly into a rage. But after saying this, Mu En suddenly fell silent.
His unusual, almost eerie behavior left Xu Tianyao momentarily bewildered. He had no idea what Mu En was thinking. Could anger have muddled his mind?
In truth, Mu En hadn't lost his reason. On the contrary, he was perfectly clearheaded.
A far more terrifying thought was slowly taking shape in his mind.
If Xu Tianyao was telling the truth...
Then the Holy Spirit Cult was no ordinary Evil Soul Master organization.
To surpass Shrek, it had to have at least one Limit Douluo backing it!
And there were only a handful of people on the entire continent who fit the bill.
Mu En slowly closed his eyes. A beautiful face, familiar yet strange, quietly appeared in his mind.
Ye Xishui...
There could be no one else. She'd already shown signs of falling into darkness back then. Unfortunately, Mu En hadn't been able to find her all these years, and there was nothing he could do about her.
At the thought, Mu En slowly opened his eyes and couldn't help but sigh.
If that was really the case, then this wasn't just bad news for Shrek. The entire continent would be plunged into endless disaster.
Evil Soul Masters cultivated through evil and slaughter. If they joined forces with an ambitious man like Xu Tianran, war would be unavoidable.
If that was how things stood, it seemed they would have to prepare for war ahead of time.
The situation wasn't promising, but it wasn't the worst-case scenario either. There was still a glimmer of hope.
Mu En looked at Xu Tianyao, who was beside him. Xu Tianyao was watching him intently, too. They met each other's gaze in silence, yet it seemed they understood everything.
Right. There was still this young man. Since the Evil Soul Masters had sent an elite force to intercept and kill them, how could Xu Tianran, whose ties to the Holy Spirit Cult ran so deep, not know about it?
And how could someone as clever as this young man fail to see that? It seemed he already had a plan to deal with it.
Before you continue