Leaving

Xuan Xiao stood atop the Bone Dragon's back, looking down at the stunned teachers and students below as he calculated swiftly.

He could indeed tear down Shrek and completely derail the original story, earning himself a massive amount of deviation points.

But what concerned him was that Tang Hao and Ah Yin might stop at nothing to kill him.

One was seizing control of the Lord of the Plane, while the other was seizing control of the Golden Tree—the source of life on Douluo Star. Both stood at the pinnacle of this world.

It was not that he feared them. If it truly came to a fight, he had ways to deal with them.

But he needed time to grow. Right now, time was what he lacked most.

It was not that time was particularly urgent. He simply did not want the environment he was familiar with for growing stronger to be destroyed.

Shrek might be rotten, but it was at least a stable platform where he could develop peacefully for a while.

If he tore it down, the entire continent would fall into turmoil. Then he would have to deal with all kinds of unpredictable variables, which would be far too troublesome.

Looking down at Mu En from above, Xuan Xiao said coldly, "Hand over a set of hundred-thousand-year soul bones, and this matter ends here."

Mu En frowned. He was silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"The four limb bones are not a problem, but you already took the torso bone."

Xuan Xiao sneered, his tone carrying an unquestionable dominance.

"Then go kill some. There are plenty of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts on the continent. For every piece short, I'll hunt Shrek people down for ten years."

"You can choose not to give them to me, but for the next sixty years, Shrek can forget about setting foot on the continent."

As soon as those words fell, all the Sea God's Pavilion elders present sucked in a breath.

Hunt Shrek people down for ten years?

Make Shrek unable to travel the continent for sixty years?

This was no longer a threat. It was a declaration of war.

Yet, looking at the four Light Bone Dragons in the sky, radiating terrifying pressure, no one dared doubt his words.

Mu En was silent for a long time. In the end, he sighed. He seemed to have aged ten years, and his voice was filled with weariness and helplessness.

"Fine. Within half a year, I'll have someone deliver them to you."

Xuan Xiao nodded, his voice softening slightly. "I don't care what methods you use. Deliver them to Star Luo City within half a year."

He said that for Xiao Xiao's benefit, letting her know where he was so that she could come find him after arranging her family's affairs.

He could have taken Xiao Xiao away directly, but she had a family behind her. He was still alone; taking care of Xiao Xiao would not be a problem, but he could not take care of her family as well.

Standing amid the crowd, Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously upon hearing him. Her eyes reddened, but she bit her lip and held back her tears.

Xuan Xiao patted the Bone Dragon beneath his feet. It let out a deep roar, then beat its enormous wings and carried the two of them into the distance, quickly vanishing beyond the horizon.

Shrek Academy fell into dead silence.

Everyone stared blankly in that direction, speechless for a long while, as though they had yet to recover from the shock.

Mu En stood where he was, leaning on his cane as he watched the direction Xuan Xiao had disappeared in. A complicated emotion flashed through his cloudy old eyes.

There was anger, helplessness, regret, and a trace of indescribable apprehension.

After living so many years, this was the first time he had been humiliated so thoroughly by a boy.

Yet he did not even dare to lose his temper.

Because he could sense that the power hidden within that boy far exceeded his imagination.

Those four Light Bone Dragons were merely the tip of the iceberg of what he had revealed.

Song Yunzhi walked over to Mu En's side and asked quietly, "Elder Mu, are we really giving him a set of hundred-thousand-year soul bones?"

Mu En fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, his voice filled with weariness and helplessness.

"Xuan Zi, get lost and hunt soul beasts."

"If you can't obtain a hundred-thousand-year torso bone within half a year, don't bother coming back."

Xuan Zi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he could only lower his head. Like a defeated rooster, he slunk away.

He knew that this time, he had truly caused a catastrophe.

Meanwhile, in Bright Capital of the Sun Moon Empire, Zhi An, who was making soul tools, received a message from Xuan Xiao.

He set down the carving knife in his hand and read the message. Then he could not help but laugh, shaking his head as he muttered to himself.

"As expected of the Holy Spirit Cult's Supreme Elder. That move was absolutely brilliant."

He rose to his feet and went to find the grandfather and grandson who were modifying the Invincible Shield.

Xiao Hongchen held a carving knife as he carefully altered the soul-tool circuits. A fine layer of sweat covered his forehead, and his intensely focused appearance made him seem unusually reliable.

Jing Hongchen guided him from the side, offering occasional pointers. The grandfather and grandson worked together rather smoothly.

Zhi An walked over, cleared his throat, and said,

"One piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Without even looking up, Xiao Hongchen said, "The good news."

Leaning against the wall with his arms folded, Zhi An said casually,

"That guy has left Shrek."

Xiao Hongchen's hand abruptly froze, and his carving knife nearly slipped. He looked up, his eyes wide with disbelief and wild delight. "Really?"

With that, their chances of defeating Shrek and winning the championship had risen by at least fifty percent out of nowhere!

Without that freak, Shrek's remaining students were nothing to fear!

Jing Hongchen was not swept away by excitement. He set down the blueprint in his hand, looked at Zhi An, and asked, "What's the bad news?"

Zhi An spread his hands, looking innocent.

"He went to the Star Luo Empire to break off an engagement for his maid."

Xiao Hongchen's smile froze on his face. He stared blankly for a moment, then asked,

"He went to the Star Luo Empire to break off an engagement? Whose engagement?"

Zhi An shrugged, his tone carrying the air of someone enjoying the spectacle.

"Apparently, it's an engagement with the White Tiger Duke's Estate. He ran off with Dai Huabin's fiancée, the White Tiger Duke's son, and now he's going to Star Luo City to settle the matter."

"I heard that girl is from the Netherworld Spirit Cat Clan. Her family has served as vassals of the White Tiger Duke's Estate for generations, and he ran off with their fiancée."

Xiao Hongchen and Jing Hongchen exchanged another look. They saw the same thought in each other's eyes.

This guy was truly ruthless.

He ran off with the White Tiger Duke's son's fiancée, then intended to personally come to their door and break off the engagement?

This was no mere humiliation. He was grinding the White Tiger Duke's Estate's face into the dirt.

He could no longer be called merely ruthless. He was a monster—more ruthless, and even more overbearing.

Xiao Hongchen was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, his voice carrying admiration and emotion.

"I suddenly feel that compared to him, my little bit of arrogance and tyranny is nothing."

"He is the truly arrogant one, the truly tyrannical one, the one who truly sees no one else."

Jing Hongchen patted his shoulder and said earnestly,

"That's why there is always someone greater beyond you, and a higher sky beyond the heavens."

"From now on, keep a lower profile. Stop always thinking you're invincible. Look at him, then look at yourself—the difference is clear."

For once, Xiao Hongchen did not argue back. Instead, he nodded seriously and lowered his head to continue modifying the Invincible Shield. However, the hand holding his carving knife was steadier than before.