The Current State of the Evil Soul Masters Is All Thanks to Tang San—They Should All Bow to Him; The Plight of the Current Tang Sect Master

"Burn it?!"

Hearing that Qian Jue actually wanted to burn her Inner Court uniform, Zhang Lexuan immediately panicked.

She instinctively lowered her head and glanced at the shamelessly improper outfit she was wearing.

If she went out dressed like this, wouldn't she die of embarrassment?

And if Shrek's younger students saw her...

Zhang Lexuan simply didn't dare imagine that suffocating scene.

"Why keep it, for New Year's?" Qian Jue sneered, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Lexuan's current outfit. He nodded in satisfaction. "What you're wearing now is quite nice. You won't need to change again in the future. I like it."

"No! You absolutely can't burn it!" Zhang Lexuan stuffed the Inner Court uniform, a symbol of Shrek's honor, tightly into her arms and refused to let go no matter what.

Seeing her wary expression, like a kitten guarding its food, Qian Jue shook his head in boredom. "Fine. I'll indulge you this once."

"Shrek really is a place that harms people."

Qian Jue's tone carried undisguised mockery. "They shout every day about defending honor, yet everything they do behind the scenes is more inhuman than the last."

"Starting with your precious ancestor Tang San—he was the biggest Evil Soul Master ringleader on the entire continent.

"Honestly, today's Evil Soul Masters should bow to Tang San in gratitude for living so comfortably.

"If he hadn't destroyed Slaughter City for his own selfish desires and released all those scum back onto the continent, how could Evil Soul Masters be enjoying such good times today?"

"Shut up! How could the Sea God ancestor possibly be that kind of person?!"

Zhang Lexuan instinctively rebuked him sternly in the tone of Shrek's senior disciple.

But the moment the words left her mouth, she froze. She suddenly realized that the person standing before her wasn't one of the juniors at the academy who obeyed her every command, but a terrifying monster who could suppress ninety-eighth-ranked Elder Xuan into the ground with a single strike...

Seeing her reaction, Qian Jue merely gave her an indifferent glance. Rather than getting angry, he spoke quietly.

"Time will prove everything I've said. If you don't believe me, we can make a bet. If I can prove it to you, you'll obey one command from me unconditionally."

"And if you lose?" Zhang Lexuan bit her red lip and stared at him.

"Lose? The word 'lose' doesn't exist in my dictionary."

Qian Jue chuckled, his tone arrogant. "Of course, if I really lose, I'll be merciful and allow you to change out of that outfit."

"How do I know you won't go back on your word?" Zhang Lexuan remained suspicious.

"You seem to have misunderstood something. You have no bargaining chips to negotiate with me now.

"Don't forget your current status. You're just my maid."

Before he finished speaking, Qian Jue suddenly reached out and lightly lifted Zhang Lexuan's smooth chin with his fingertip.

The somewhat frivolous gesture instantly flushed Zhang Lexuan's cheeks red. She wanted to break free, but didn't dare move.

"Not saying anything? Then I'll take that as your agreement."

Seeing Zhang Lexuan bite her lips in silence, Qian Jue withdrew his hand and walked straight out of the shop.

Zhang Lexuan hesitated where she stood for a moment. In the end, she gritted her teeth and hurriedly followed Qian Jue.

"Where are we... going?"

Under the strange looks occasionally cast by passersby, Zhang Lexuan lowered her voice and asked cautiously.

"Naturally, to prove what I said."

Qian Jue raised his head slightly, his deep gaze fixed on the distance.

And in the direction he was looking stood the sect Tang San had personally established ten thousand years ago—the Tang Sect.

Heaven Dou City, on what had once been a bustling street.

Qian Jue didn't choose to travel at a leisurely pace. He merely tore open space with a casual gesture, then took Zhang Lexuan one step across countless mountains and rivers, arriving directly before an estate somewhere in Heaven Dou City.

Before Zhang Lexuan could recover from the dizziness of spatial travel, a cold wind blew past. Her legs, clad only in thigh-high white stockings beneath an extremely short skirt, immediately felt a chill.

She instinctively clutched the Inner Court uniform in her arms tighter and, ashamed and indignant, hid further behind Qian Jue's broad back, trying to block the strange stares of the surrounding pedestrians.

"We're here. Open those eyes Shrek has blinded and take a good look."

Qian Jue stopped walking, his long finger pointing toward the expansive and rather imposing estate ahead.

Zhang Lexuan followed the direction of his finger, expecting to see some grand and magnificent sect holy ground.

But when her gaze landed on the brand-new gilded plaque above the estate gate, she froze.

Three large characters were written on it—Ironicblood Sect.

"Where is this? Didn't you say you were taking me to see the Tang Sect?"

Zhang Lexuan's face was full of disbelief. Though she had lived long within Shrek's Inner Court,

she still knew that the Tang Sect was the number one sect in the world, personally founded by the Sea God Tang San ten thousand years ago. How could it be some unfamiliar place called the Ironblood Sect?

"This is the former site of the Tang Sect personally founded by that great ancestor of yours, Tang San."

Qian Jue crossed his arms, an undisguised sneer curling across his lips.

"It just doesn't bear the Tang name anymore.

"A third-rate sect without even a Titled Douluo can openly seize the Tang Sect's ancestral property and drive its descendants out like stray dogs."

"Impossible!"

Zhang Lexuan instinctively retorted, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

"With the Sea God ancestor's protection, how could the Tang Sect decline to the point of being bullied by a third-rate sect?

"Shrek Academy would never stand by and do nothing!"

"Protection? What a joke."

Qian Jue laughed coldly, his voice carrying a chilling coldness.

"This is the first lesson I'm going to teach you. Do you think that after Tang San ascended to the God Realm, he ever truly cared about these disciples and descendants he left behind in the lower realm?"

Qian Jue slowly walked beneath the Ironblood Sect plaque. Turning back to look at Zhang Lexuan, who stood rooted to the spot, every word pierced her heart.

"One day in the God Realm is one year in the Mortal Realm.

"Tang San stands high above in the God Realm, enjoying endless life and faith.

"Do you think he doesn't know the Tang Sect is declining?

"Do you think he doesn't know hidden weapons have been eliminated by soul tools?

"Of course he knows.

"With the power of a God King, even sending down a single strand of divine will to the lower realm would be enough to return the Tang Sect to its peak and reduce ants like the Ironblood Sect to ash."

"But he didn't."

Qian Jue's eyes turned exceedingly mocking.

"He watched helplessly as the Tang Sect declined, as its foundation was seized, as its last descendant couldn't even afford food and could only try his luck on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest."

"Why?" Zhang Lexuan's voice trembled slightly. Her faith was violently shaken by Qian Jue's words.

"Because it no longer had any value to him."

Qian Jue walked up to her and looked down at her pale, lovely face.

"To him, the Tang Sect was nothing more than a stepping stone he used to become a god back then.

"Once a stepping stone has served its purpose, naturally it should be thrown away. This is the 'Sea God' your Shrek worships day and night—a selfish, cold-blooded hypocrite."

"And as for why Shrek doesn't care?"

Qian Jue sneered. "Shrek is now completely preoccupied with preserving its hollow reputation as the 'number one on the continent' and flirting with the Holy Spirit Cult. Who has time to care about some ruined household that has lost its value?"

Zhang Lexuan felt her mind buzz, as though something deep within her head had shattered with a crash.

She looked at the glaring Ironblood Sect plaque before her, then recalled Qian Jue's words, yet couldn't find the slightest reason to refute him.

Yes. If the Sea God truly cared for the Tang Sect, how could it have fallen so far?

Seeing Zhang Lexuan's devastated, lost expression as her faith crumbled, Qian Jue smiled in satisfaction.

He reached out and lifted Zhang Lexuan's smooth chin again, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Do you want to see the current plight of the Tang Sect's master?"