He... Is Your and Xi Shui's Child...

High in the sky, Mu En took in the situation within the city at a glance.

Shao Zhe was tied down, and so was Xuan Zi.

The Holy Spirit Cult had not concentrated its forces on assaulting the Sea God Pavilion. They had even deliberately avoided the Golden Ancient Tree.

They were killing teachers and students, seeking to destroy the order Shrek relied upon to endure.

Even if several powerful figures died, Shrek could still nurture new ones through its deep foundations and inheritance.

But if the younger generation was slaughtered, the academy would face a gap in talent for decades, perhaps even a century.

This attack had never been a clash of pride between powerful individuals. Their goal was to destroy Shrek's future!

Another barrage rained down, striking Mu En's left wing repeatedly. Several golden dragon scales fell from the sky.

Just as life energy flowed toward his wounds, a fresh fluctuation of soul power emerged from the depths of the black clouds.

He looked up. The Dark Sacred Dragon had been circling above the clouds all along, neither joining the siege nor stopping the barrage.

Long Xiaoyao was waiting for him. Or rather, Xiaoyao was forcing him to go over.

If Mu En continued defending the city, the upper ranks would remain pinned down, and the younger students would sooner or later be unable to hold on.

But if he charged into the black clouds, the cannon fire would be able to directly blanket Shrek City without the Light Sacred Dragon's protection.

It was a simple choice, yet helpless and cruel. He could not sacrifice Shrek's future for the sake of the civilians within the city.

"Xiaoyao..."

Mu En let out a long sigh and heavily closed his eyes. The life aura of the Golden Ancient Tree flowed through his meridians into his origin, forcefully awakening his long-decayed body.

His depleted vitality began to circulate once more, and the wounds on the Light Sacred Dragon started to heal.

The only price was what little lifespan he had left.

Within the Sea God Pavilion, the elders all raised their heads at once.

"Elder Mu!" they cried in grief and fury. Tears filled their eyes, and they choked with sobs. They knew Elder Mu was likely about to leave them!

Yet their calls received no response from Mu En.

Above Shrek City, the enormous Light Sacred Dragon folded its wings and transformed its remaining soul power into a golden curtain of light, leaving it above Shrek City.

Then, the dragon body suddenly soared upward, charging through the endless cannon fire and into the roiling black clouds.

The interior of the black clouds was far from empty. A dark dragon body stretched across the sky, with Long Xiaoyao standing atop its head, his black robes clinging to his body.

How many years had it been since they had last met? His figure remained straight and tall, but the carefree air of his youth was gone from his brows.

To his left stood Long Wushang with his hands behind his back. He watched the slaughter below expressionlessly. Behind him stood the phantom of a mysterious demonic puppet, as though absorbing the most exquisite nourishment in the world.

Tang Ya stood behind Long Wushang, quietly gazing down at Shrek. Looking at the Tang Sect recruitment station in the plaza, her fingers slowly curled. Sinful Blue Silver Grass emerged from her sleeves, only to be withdrawn again.

Long Wushang noticed the small gesture and reached out to wrap an arm around her waist.

"Can't bear to part with it?"

Tang Ya moved half a step closer to him, a trace of complexity flashing through her eyes.

"Master, I... My heart hurts. I can't simply stand by and do nothing..."

Long Wushang was fairly satisfied with that answer. Naturally, he could sense what Tang Ya was thinking. What reassured him was that she was willing to tell him the truth without reservation.

How many people died below had nothing to do with him. What he wanted was for Shrek to suffer a crippling blow, for Mu En to exhaust his life ahead of time, and for Huo Yuhao and the others to lose their protection.

So long as those goals were achieved, the ordinary Holy Spirit Cult members who died could be counted as part of the cost.

They were not his people, anyway.

Light burst through the clouds. Mu En stopped a hundred meters away, and an aged figure emerged from the dragon's head. He first looked at Long Xiaoyao, then saw Long Wushang and Tang Ya.

Tang Ya's changes made him linger on her for an extra moment.

"Tang Ya, you actually fell into becoming an evil soul master. Do you know how much Beibei and Yuhao suffered while searching for you?"

Tang Ya lowered her eyes and leaned her head slightly against Wushang's chest. Faced with Mu En's questioning, she said nothing.

Long Wushang smiled at the old man before him. "The Dragon God still has the leisure to concern himself with such matters? Xiaoya has already become my woman, so there is no need for your academy to trouble itself. I will take good care of her."

Mu En gave the youth a long look. Staring at the enormous demonic puppet phantom behind him, no one knew what he was thinking.

His gaze returned to Long Xiaoyao. He knew that the only way to make a breakthrough now was through Xiaoyao.

The two Sacred Dragons faced each other across the black clouds, while shouts of battle and cannon fire echoed up from the city below, one after another.

"Why?"

Mu En asked, "Xiaoyao, why are you helping evil soul masters? Have you fallen as well? I don't believe it!"

Long Xiaoyao merely gazed deeply at him, at this powerful figure from his own generation. Faced with Mu En's question, he did not answer.

Seeing that he would not respond, Mu En could not help growing anxious. He stepped forward again, and the aura of the Light Sacred Dragon pressed once more toward the dark dragon's head.

"Xiaoyao, why are you attacking Shrek Academy?"

This time, Long Xiaoyao finally spoke. Yet he still did not answer Mu En's question. Instead, he said, "Mu En, you asked the wrong person."

He turned slightly, revealing Long Wushang standing behind him.

"Everything that happens today is decided by my son."

Mu En's gaze fell upon the young man.

Seeing Mu En look at him, Long Wushang's lips curved faintly upward. Then he raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Below them, the soul tool positions that had already fallen silent unleashed another round of synchronized fire.

And the target of that barrage was the outer academy teaching building where Huo Yuhao was.

"You!" Mu En roared, his lips trembling slightly as he pointed at the utterly unrestrained youth.

"Xiaoyao, what did you just say? He is your son? Is he the son of you and Xi Shui?"

Mu En was about to speak, but the words suddenly stopped at his lips.

His eyes settled on Long Wushang, as though he had finally understood something at that moment.

A complicated, indescribable emotion flashed through those aged yet still sharp eyes.

"He is... the child of you and her?"

Mu En murmured, his feelings complicated.

The news that Xiaoyao and Xi Shui had a child was simply too sudden for Mu En.

It even left him dazed for a moment.

After all, Ye Xishui in those days had been astonishingly gifted and peerlessly brilliant.

Her talent was extraordinary, her grace unmatched. As a woman, she had stood at the pinnacle of the soul master world, on equal footing with Mu En and Long Xiaoyao.

In some respects, her talent and strength had even surpassed the two of them.

In that era, Ye Xishui had been like a blazing sun, eclipsing countless gifted youths.

And it was precisely because of this woman that he and Long Xiaoyao had ultimately turned against each other.

For Ye Xishui, they had once disregarded their brotherhood of many years and fought fiercely.

That battle shattered not only their relationship, but also the youthful spirit they had once shared.

Later, only after their teacher's guidance did he finally awaken.

He came to understand that some feelings were destined not to be forced, and he also saw that some matters were likely not as simple as they appeared.

In the end, he chose to withdraw from that years-long conflict, marry and have children, inherit his teacher's legacy, and become the guardian of Shrek Academy.

Long Xiaoyao, meanwhile, embarked upon another entirely different path.

Over the years, the paths their lives had taken had long since diverged.

Yet Mu En had never imagined that, after so many years, he would hear news of the two of them again in this manner.

And that they had actually had a child together.

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