A cave somewhere within the Star Dou Great Forest.
The remnants of the Holy Spirit Cult had gathered here in batches under the escort of several Worship Hall elders.
When the operation began, the Holy Spirit Cult had assembled nearly half of its mid- to high-ranking forces. Now, fewer than seventy percent of those who had left were still able to return on their feet.
The ordinary cultists had suffered the greatest losses, with more than half killed or wounded.
Masked Douluo sat against the stone wall, the shattered mask on his face reduced to only half of its former shape.
"I told you already, a place like Shrek, with its ten-thousand-year legacy, could probably dig up two life-saving treasures from under a bed. Good thing I ran fast just now. That thing came out the moment they said it would—who the hell could've reacted in time..."
Bone Flute Douluo wiped the blood from his face and watched Jia Mian complain with an amused half-smile.
"You weren't saying that before you went in."
"I hadn't seen divine power before I went in."
Masked Douluo removed the remaining half of his mask, revealing a pale face.
"Besides, that Sea God Tang San ascended how many years ago? Yet he still managed to leave something behind in Shrek Academy. Isn't that ridiculous?"
"Watch your words. There are gods three feet above your head. Be careful not to bring divine punishment upon yourself."
One of the worship elders reminded him quietly.
Caught off guard by the remark, Masked Douluo instinctively looked up. All he saw was the pitch-black ceiling of the cave, but he still curled his lip and ultimately said nothing more.
To Evil Soul Masters, gods were distant. They even remained skeptical about whether gods existed at all.
But when that golden divine radiance descended just now, they finally understood that there was no room for a Title Douluo to confront god-level power head-on.
Many of them still had not recovered from that terror.
Long Xiaoyao stood before the group, listening as the elders counted the losses.
"Two worship elders and three elders suffered severe injuries and will be unable to fight again anytime soon. They need to return to the Holy Spirit Cult to recuperate. Dozens of experts above Soul Saint rank were lost outright, while the severely wounded are too numerous to count."
"Of the cultists who took part in the siege, six hundred and seventy-two have returned to the ranks. More than three hundred are still missing."
"Word has also come from the Sun Moon Empire. Three Soul Engineer legions have begun withdrawing, and the border garrisons of the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire do not dare pursue them."
As each number was reported, the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.
The Holy Spirit Cult had suffered considerable losses this time, but the price Shrek paid was far greater.
The Outer Court was nearly destroyed, the Inner Court's defenses had been breached, and students had fallen in droves.
Even Mu En, the Ultimate Douluo whose name shook the continent, had been forced to the brink of death by this operation.
More importantly, they had forcibly drawn out the trump card Shrek had hidden for years. That was undoubtedly the most important point.
Now that the Sea God's Light had been exposed, it was hard to say what the various powers would think or how they would respond.
An academy that claimed not to interfere in continental politics still held power left behind by a god. That alone was enough to keep the three great empires pondering for a long time.
After hearing the report, Long Xiaoyao raised the Supreme Hierarch's Command Token and issued his orders.
"All worship elders and elders are to lead the cultists back to the Sun Moon Empire."
"The wounded are to be sent to the branch altars first. Those unable to travel will be received by personnel from the Worship Hall."
"After returning, cooperate with the hierarch's plans. Our focus from now on will be the Sun Moon Empire."
Upon hearing this, everyone rose to their feet and bowed to accept the order.
They all understood that the battle against Shrek was only the beginning. Once Mu En died, the real show would begin.
To buy time for the Holy Spirit Cult, Xu Tianran had mobilized the already limited Soul Engineer legions of the Sun Moon Empire ahead of schedule and pressed them toward the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire.
Neither nation dared gamble on whether the Sun Moon Empire would take the opportunity to start a war, so they could only leave large numbers of powerful experts stationed at their borders.
By the time the two nations figured out that Xu Tianran was merely bluffing, Shrek's Outer Court had nearly been slaughtered through.
The coordination had been flawless, leaving the three nations and Shrek unable to attend to both front and rear.
Naturally, there was a price. Someone within the Sun Moon Empire would inevitably notice the abnormal troop movements. Xu Tianran needed to deal with his political enemies quickly, then shift responsibility for the deployment onto someone else.
He was very familiar with such matters. Borrowing a knife to kill, then burying the knife afterward—Xu Tianran had never shown mercy when doing so.
The Holy Spirit Cult members soon departed in batches.
Tang Ya stood beside Long Wushang, her head lowered as she pondered something. She had not spoken since leaving Shrek Academy. The events in the Outer Court were likely still weighing heavily on her mind.
The way Beibei had looked at her in the end left her emotions tangled, but she had never considered going back.
Because she knew that academy could not save the Tang Sect, nor would it slaughter all the enemies who had wronged her back then. If she returned, those people would only judge her as an enemy.
At least now, she possessed power, and someone was willing to place the choice before her.
The cost might be ugly, but at least this was a road she had chosen for herself.
Only after the last group left did Long Xiaoyao turn around.
"Wushang, are you planning to return to the Sun Moon Empire, or do you have other arrangements?"
According to the original plan, they should have returned to Mingdu as quickly as possible.
Xu Tianran could be worked with, but he was not worthy of trust.
That man could even use his own crippled body as part of his schemes. To him, wives, subordinates, and allies could all be given a price.
In the original timeline, Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao's ending had also been orchestrated by Xu Tianran alone.
Long Wushang had originally planned to leave something behind on Xu Tianran after returning, perhaps one of the Original Sin Contracts.
But considering Xu Tianran's extreme wariness, he would also be on guard against methods involving the mind and soul.
To control someone like him, he could not act too hastily. It was best to let him taste enough benefits first, then make him realize that the ledger could no longer be turned back to its first page.
The idea was good, but plans could not keep up with changes. When the Sea God's Light appeared, the long-silent Destruction Core within his Spiritual Sea finally sent out a message.
There were no words, only a brief pulse of divine intent.
That divine intent came from the God of Destruction, and its target was not Shrek, but Tang San behind the Sea God's Light.
Tang San had used divine power to interfere with the lower realm. Even if he had merely drawn upon reserves left behind years ago, he could not evade the rules of the God Realm.
Since the God of Destruction had noticed it, the other gods of the God Realm Committee would sooner or later take notice as well.
For some time to come, Tang San would find it difficult to devote too much attention to Douluo Continent.
This was the real window of opportunity. Xu Tianran was not going anywhere.
But the things within the Icefire Yin Yang Well would be delivered into Shrek's hands as Huo Yuhao grew stronger. No one could guarantee that, after suffering damage to his foundation this time, Huo Yuhao would not enter the Icefire Yin Yang Well ahead of schedule to gather immortal herbs.
And if one had to choose between immortal herbs and Xu Tianran, anyone would choose the immortal herbs.
"We're not returning to Mingdu yet."
Long Wushang said, "We're going to the Heaven Dou Empire."
Long Xiaoyao was puzzled. "The Heaven Dou Empire? What are we going there for?"
"There is a treasure land in Sunset Forest. It has not only a Yin-Yang hotpot, but all sorts of delicious vegetables for blanching. Since we finally have the chance, wouldn't it be a waste not to taste it?"
Long Xiaoyao glanced at his son, a strange look flashing through his eyes. Places of treasure were generally occupied by sects or high-level soul beasts, and he had visited Sunset Forest several times. After all, he was from the Heaven Dou Empire himself. Yet he had never discovered any treasure land there.
And what was this Yin-Yang hotpot, and what were these vegetables for blanching? The words were simply incomprehensible. Had a generation gap already formed between him and young people?
Before you continue