The End of an Old Era, the Birth of a New Era!

Rebuilding the city defenses, compensating the families of fallen students, treating the wounded, temporarily suspending classes in the outer academy, reorganizing the inner academy disciples, and negotiating with the three great empires.

Every matter was of utmost importance, and after discussing each one, Mu En had to stop and catch his breath.

By the end, even his speech had become intermittent.

Yan Shaozhe knelt beside him, both hands braced against the edge of the wicker chair, tears streaming down his face as he pleaded.

"Teacher, enough, enough. Don't say any more. Leave the rest to us." Yan Shaozhe looked grief-stricken.

Mu En did not answer. Instead, he raised his withered right hand and slowly pressed it against his chest.

Golden patterns emerged beneath his skin, gathering along his arm into his palm.

An incomparably pure power of the light dragon began to separate from within his body.

"Elder Mu!"

The moment Zhuang Lao saw Mu En's actions, he realized what he intended to do, and his expression changed drastically.

"If you remove your dragon core now, your body will collapse immediately!"

"Does it make any difference whether my body collapses or not?"

Mu En answered in an even tone.

Zhuang Lao froze where he stood. He wanted to stop him, but there was nothing he could do.

There truly was no difference. Mu En's life force had already run dry. He had lasted until now only because the Golden Ancient Tree had sustained his final spark of vitality.

Even if the dragon core remained inside him, he would not survive the day.

The golden patterns grew denser and denser. Mu En's chest slowly split open, and a golden crystal core the size of an egg rose from within.

The crystal core rapidly expanded after appearing, eventually becoming the size of a fist.

A golden dragon silhouette coiled within it. The light elements inside Sea God Pavilion stirred in response, and several elders with dragon-type martial souls instinctively took half a step back.

This was the dragon core Mu En had nurtured for hundreds of years. It contained not only the bloodline essence of a light dragon, but also his complete understanding of dragon-type martial souls, the light attribute, and soul power cultivation.

Holding the dragon core, Mu En looked at Er Ming.

"Titan Sect Master, please keep this safe."

Er Ming raised a hand and caught it. The dragon core was tremendously heavy in his grasp, and the dragon power within immediately struck against his palm, but he firmly suppressed it.

"Is this for Huo Yuhao?"

"Yes." All color had completely drained from Mu En's face.

"Yuhao's physical body is too weak. Bearing the Ultimate Ice and Spirit Eyes twin martial souls has already been extremely taxing for him."

"This time, his meridians were shattered and his foundation damaged. His body needs to be tempered anew even more."

"Once his body recovers enough to withstand the dragon core, give this to him."

Er Ming glanced at the dragon core in his hand. "Aren't you afraid he won't be able to bear the power of the Light Sacred Dragon?"

"That is why I am entrusting it to you." The corners of Mu En's mouth lifted slightly.

"With your physique and cultivation, what harm is there in giving him a hand?"

Er Ming was silent for a moment before finally storing the dragon core in his storage soul tool.

"I promise you. Once his body recovers, I will personally guide him in refining it."

Mu En nodded. Having said everything that needed to be said, he was finally at peace.

Then, his arm dropped limply, and the last strength sustaining his form began to dissipate.

Golden motes drifted from the edges of his sleeves.

Yan Shaozhe's body suddenly began to tremble.

"Teacher..."

Xuan Zi, Song Lao, Zhuang Lao, and the others all knelt at once. No one spoke to hold him back. They all knew that Mu En had reached his end.

Mu En looked out the window. From Sea God Pavilion, he could see the collapsed buildings, as well as the teachers and students rescuing people amid the ruins.

The academy he had guarded for his entire life had become unrecognizable.

Yet the Golden Ancient Tree remained, Sea God Pavilion remained, and Shrek remained.

Mu En's gaze swept over Yan Shaozhe before settling on Xuan Zi.

"Do not always think about Shrek's glory."

"First, think about how to keep the children alive. Only by living can there be hope, and only then can Shrek's glory be defended!"

Xuan Zi lowered his head, his shoulders shaking incessantly as he choked out, "Xuan Zi understands."

Mu En looked at Wang Dong again. "Take good care of Yuhao."

Wang Dong covered her mouth as tears continued to fall. She nodded forcefully.

Leaning back in the wicker chair, Mu En stared hollowly at the ceiling of Sea God Pavilion. His turbulent life flashed through his eyes like a film.

He saw many people. He saw the teacher who had raised him into the person he became. He saw himself traveling freely across the continent with Xi Shui in his youth—how spirited and carefree he had been then... In the end, his gaze settled upon Sea God Pavilion of Shrek, upon the portraits of its ancestral founders...

"Shrek's ancestors... Mu En is coming."

As that murmur sounded, Mu En's aged body completely transformed into golden motes that filled the air. Only a loose white robe remained on the wicker chair.

The next moment, the entire Golden Ancient Tree shook violently.

Countless roots unfurled from beneath Sea God Island, catching the golden motes Mu En had become and absorbing them all into the trunk.

The branches and leaves of the Golden Ancient Tree swiftly lit up. A vast power of the light dragon burst from Sea God Pavilion and shot into the sky.

Roar!

A dragon's roar that shook the heavens spread across Shrek City. The clouds were forcibly pushed apart as an enormous Light Sacred Dragon circled above the city.

It lowered its head to look upon the ruined academy, then raised its dragon head high as golden rain began to fall.

The cracks in the ground stopped spreading. The burning buildings gradually died out. Wounded civilians and students were covered by the golden rain, and their injuries began to heal slowly.

An outer academy student with a broken leg lay on a stretcher.

When he looked up and saw the golden dragon, tears instantly welled from his eyes.

"Elder Mu..."

More and more people stopped what they were doing.

Teachers put down their medicine chests. City defense soldiers straightened up against broken walls. Civilians searching through the rubble for their loved ones also raised their heads one after another.

Inside Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe lifted the white robe from the wicker chair and pressed his forehead against the fabric.

Xuan Zi remained kneeling where he was, unable to rise for a long time.

The Light Sacred Dragon circled several times in the sky before turning into even denser golden rain, scattering across every street of Shrek.

An aged human-shaped pattern appeared upon the trunk of the Golden Ancient Tree.

Above the Heavenly Soul Empire.

A terrifying Dark Sacred Dragon was flying at full speed, carrying Long Wushang and Tang Ya toward Sunset Forest.

Long Xiaoyao suddenly stopped. The massive dark dragon body hovered amid the clouds, no longer advancing.

Long Wushang raised his head in confusion. "Father?"

For once, Long Xiaoyao did not respond to his son. He slowly turned around and looked in the direction of Shrek.

The presence that had fought him for years and remained entangled with him for most of his life had come to an end.

The twin sacred dragons of light and darkness had known each other since their youth.

They had competed over who was stronger, competed over Ye Xishui, and once walked side by side through their hardest times.

Later, their positions had diverged, and they had gone their separate ways. Whenever they met, they had to determine who was superior. Now, it had finally all come to an end. Their era was ultimately drawing to a close.

Long Xiaoyao stood atop the Dark Sacred Dragon's head, his hands clasped behind his back.

There was no sorrow on his face, nor the joy of a victor. Only an indescribable weariness remained.

Tang Ya lowered her head. Looking in the direction Long Xiaoyao was watching, she roughly guessed what had happened, but she said nothing.

Long Wushang did not urge him either. Only after a long while did Long Xiaoyao withdraw his gaze.

"Mu En is gone." His tone was utterly calm.

Long Wushang nodded. "Sea God's Light drained the last of his life force."

Long Xiaoyao turned around, clarity returning to his eyes. "Let's go."

The Dark Sacred Dragon rose into the sky once more, carrying the three of them through the clouds as it continued toward Sunset Forest.