Defecting from Shrek, Defecting to Spirit Hall!

Heaven Dou Empire, Imperial Palace.

The magnificent palace was soon emptied of its attendants, leaving only Crown Prince Xue Qinghe in the room.

She sat at the table, examining the talisman in her hand in detail. It was the size of a palm, and the patterns drawn upon it depicted a lifelike sheep with just a few simple strokes.

She truly could not fathom what was so special about such a simple object that her mother, the Pope, would specifically send her a message demanding it.

"What on earth do you want this thing for?" She gripped the talisman tightly, staring at it intently as if trying to uncover its mysteries.

Suddenly, a flash of intense light erupted.

Swish—

Xue Qinghe—or rather, Qian Renxue—collapsed onto the table, her body limp as if her soul had been ripped away.

She was alone in the room, and no one else noticed the anomaly.

Above the table, hovering in mid-air above the corpse, a phantom figure floated, looking down at the body below in stunned bewilderment.

"What is happening? Am I dead?"

Qian Renxue instinctively clutched her chest, feeling all over. Her body appeared intact, but that proved nothing.

She flew toward the table, but her body passed straight through it like an intangible ghost.

"This... am I a soul?" She finally realized.

Almost instantly, her thoughts turned to the talisman.

Is this the power of the talisman? It can actually force my soul out of my body. She was shocked.

In her anxiety, she flew back toward her own body.

The next second.

Swish—

On the table, Qian Renxue jolted awake, gasping for air as she smoothed her chest.

It was fortunate that she could return; the sensation from just a moment ago had truly made her believe she was dead.

After resting for a few minutes, Qian Renxue could not help but recall the experience.

She had been terrified by that hollow, void-like feeling at first, but now that she was back in her body, she found herself lingering on the sensation.

Just then, the door was knocked upon.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Enter!"

A guard opened the door and stepped inside, bowing respectfully. "Your Highness, the Pope has sent word requesting that we return the item as soon as possible."

"Fine, I know!" Qian Renxue waved her hand impatiently, dismissing the man.

After the guard left, she recalled the face of that woman and could not help but reveal a playful smile. If she wants a talisman, then I shall give her a talisman.

She smiled with deep, hidden meaning.

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, the group had just gathered after completing their assessment.

"Zhuqing, I know I failed you in the past, but from today on, I will face danger alongside you. The throne of the Star Luo Empire can only be inherited by the two of us."

Dai Shengyang spoke with solemn vows and a sincere tone, causing Zhuqing to soften slightly.

However, the current situation did not allow her to make a decision.

Since joining Shrek, she had learned of Dai Mubai's current predicament: he had been split into two due to a strange talisman.

More than anything, she wanted the two Dai Mubais to merge back into one before competing for the throne.

Especially after witnessing Dai Mubai's current strength, she felt increasingly confident about seizing the throne.

The plot had changed.

This time, Dai Shengyang and Dai Xieyue had completed the assessment together. Both possessed extraordinary strength; although they were still defeated by Tang San's hidden weapons, they had inflicted significant injuries on their opponents, with Tang San's wounds being particularly severe.

Supported by Xiao Wu, he found Dai Xieyue and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Senior, may I take a look at your..."

"Get lost!"

Before Tang San could finish, he was met with Dai Xieyue's disdainful cursing and rebuke.

"How can you be like this? Third Brother spoke to you kindly, yet you insult him," Xiao Wu said, puffing out her chest and frowning.

Tang San's expression darkened.

Such a boorish person, daring to humiliate him—you have already invited your own death.

The hidden weapons in his sleeves were already prepared, ready to be fired at any moment.

"Hmph, so what if I said that? What's the point of a guy who uses hidden weapons pretending to be honorable? If you used the talisman, you'd be even more evil than me," Dai Xieyue said dismissively.

"How can you say that about Third Brother? Third Brother is no villain!" Xiao Wu stood with her hands on her hips, accusing him.

"Hmph, someone like you wouldn't see it, but you'll be ruined by him sooner or later." Dai Xieyue cast a look of disdain at them before turning to leave.

"You!"

Xiao Wu was just about to step forward when Tang San stopped her. He remained expressionless, his tone icy as he said, "Don't bother with him."

Though he said that, Tang San took a deep look at the other man, having already etched this incident into his heart. If the opportunity arose, he would definitely make the other man taste the power of his hidden weapons.

At night, the deep of night at Shrek Academy was silent.

In a dilapidated room, Dai Xieyue lay on the bed with his arms crossed, his eyes wide open, unable to sleep.

Ever since he had been split in two, he had been living in this run-down spare room. Although Flender and the others claimed that both of them were the real Dai Mubai, in truth, they had long since accepted Dai Shengyang as the real Dai Mubai, while he was the one who was unwelcome.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but clench his fists, his heart filled with resentment.

The true power of the Tiger Talisman was to balance yin and yang. When split into two halves, it would evolve into one good individual and one evil individual. But this did not mean that the evil one was destined to destroy the world.

A true villain was like the Shadow Mask; whoever wore the mask would be possessed by a demon and transformed into a monster that would destroy the world. But the Tiger Talisman was not like that.

It merely separated the two types of power.

However, there was no doubt that while evil did not necessarily represent destruction, it was much easier to stray onto the wrong path.

The hatred in Dai Xieyue's heart for Flender and the others spread like a wildfire...

Just then.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind blew in, the candle by the bed suddenly flickered out, and the curtains rustled.

"Who's there?" Dai Xieyue scrambled up and stared intently. A figure flashed into the room from outside the window and dragged him out.

The back mountain.

A burly man dressed in a black robe looked at Dai Xieyue without a trace of emotion.

"Who are you?" Dai Xieyue watched him vigilantly, but the man did not speak; what greeted him instead was a massive hammer.

"Bang—bang—"

Tang Hao had seen someone at the academy dare to harm his son—how could he endure that? He raised his hammer and swung it fiercely at Dai Xieyue, giving him a solid beating.

A few minutes later, Dai Xieyue lay on the ground, covered in wounds, his hands clawing at the dirt until they bled, his eyes filled with intense hatred.

"No matter who you are, I will make you pay the price!" he shrieked hysterically and miserably.

The next day, the sun was shining brightly.

Several girls had just emerged from their dormitory when they heard shouting coming from the boys' dormitory: "Oh no! Oh no! Dai Xieyue is gone!"

They hurried over to find the teachers already surrounding a furious Dai Shengyang.

When he woke up today, he saw that his precious Dragon Staff was missing. Almost instantly, he suspected Dai Xieyue, and when he went to the other man's room, he was indeed gone.

"Damn it, he must have stolen my Talisman Locator and run away," Dai Shengyang said, gnashing his teeth in anger.

Beside him, Tang San's eyes glinted.

Talisman Locator? Was that something that could find talismans? If he could get his hands on it, that would be perfect.

On the other side, Dai Xieyue had already left the city with the Sacred Dragon Carving. Thinking of the black-robed man from yesterday, he gripped it even tighter.

"Damn it!"

"To treat me with such contempt, not even bothering to stop me?"

Fine, if that's how it is, then don't blame me for being ruthless.

Shrek Academy, I'm done with this place!

Having decided to leave Shrek, he already had a better destination in mind: the strongest force on the continent—Spirit Hall.