Level-12 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell

The shrill red alarm tore through the tranquility of Shrek Academy's morning like an icy blade cutting through the air. The Eternal Tree bloomed with a dazzling jade-green curtain of light, as though the heavens had descended, firmly shielding the entire academy within. The academy-protecting formation operated at full capacity, and the air was thick with grim tension. The instructors had fully unleashed their martial souls, soul rings circling them as they rushed toward their assigned areas in battle formations. Under orderly direction, the students evacuated toward safe zones, their footsteps uniform yet unable to conceal the anxiety and unease in their hearts.

The news that the Holy Spirit Cult intended to blow up Shrek hung over everyone like dark clouds. Tang Wulin's mention of "Level-12 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells" made Sea God Pavilion elder Yun Ming's expression turn grave to the extreme.

They were forbidden weapons capable of killing Titled Douluo and reducing an entire city to ashes—destructive armaments explicitly banned across the continent. If three Level-12 shells detonated at once, even with the Eternal Tree's protection, Shrek would be left devastated, littered with corpses and ruins.

Yun Ming's urgent gaze fell upon Tang Wulin, his voice heavy as metal. "Young friend, since you know of this plot, do you know exactly where the shells are hidden?"

Tang Wulin closed his eyes, and his heart suddenly clenched.

The earth-shattering blast from his previous life exploded once more in the depths of his soul. Flames soared into the sky, teaching buildings collapsed, training grounds caved in, and familiar figures vanished within the sea of fire. Countless desperate cries pierced his bones. He would never forget those charred ruins, nor the blood-and-tears years in which he had led the survivors to rebuild Shrek brick by brick, nor the regret and helplessness buried deep within his marrow on every sleepless night.

His fingernails dug deeply into his palms, and the pain dragged him back from those agonizing memories.

When he opened his eyes again, nothing remained in his golden pupils but absolute calm and determination. There was not a trace of fear—only the resolve to protect them to the death.

"Elder, the three Level-12 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells are hidden in the underground pipes beneath the Outer Academy training grounds, deep within the main teaching building's foundation, and at a concealed energy node north of Sea God Pavilion." Tang Wulin's voice was clear and steady, every word carrying unquestionable certainty. "The underground pipes are narrow. The fuses are triggered by both soul power and spiritual power, and there is also a backup self-destruction mechanism from evil soul masters. One wrong touch will trigger an immediate detonation."

Yun Ming sucked in a sharp breath, his expression growing even heavier. "Good. This old man will personally lead the team there and dismantle them at once!"

"I'm going too."

A cool voice sounded as Gu Yue stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Tang Wulin. Her silver-gray hair fluttered lightly in the wind, while six elements silently flowed around her. Frozen killing intent lay hidden in her calm eyes. She did not care about the shells or the Holy Spirit Cult. She only cared that the boy beside her could not suffer even the slightest harm.

Just then, a clear but panicked voice hurried over from afar.

"Big Brother! Sister Gu Yue!"

The girl's voice was clean and soft, like melting ice in early spring, carrying undisguised worry.

Tang Wulin's heart stirred, and he immediately turned his head.

A petite figure in white was racing toward them. The girl had smooth silver hair, fair skin, and crystal-clear eyes. It was Na'er. She had run in a hurry, her little face flushed and the loose strands over her forehead damp with sweat. The instant she saw Tang Wulin, her eyes lit up, only to be quickly clouded by unease.

"Big Brother, the academy alarm went off. I was so worried about you." Na'er hurried to Tang Wulin's side and instinctively grabbed his sleeve, her small body leaning slightly against him in complete dependence. "I heard people say there's danger. Is it very scary?"

Tang Wulin's heart instantly softened.

In his previous life, Na'er had suffered countless twists and turns and endured the agony of separation, ultimately merging with Gu Yuena and becoming a regret he could never let go of. But in this life, he had sworn that he would never let her suffer another grievance, never let her disappear, and never let her be dragged into meaningless sacrifice.

He immediately softened his tone and gently stroked Na'er's head, his voice so tender it seemed ready to melt. "Don't be afraid, Na'er. With Big Brother here, there won't be any danger."

"But..." Na'er raised her head, her clear eyes shifting to the stern-faced Yun Ming before looking at Gu Yue, whose aura was icy cold. Her little face was full of unease. "I don't want to be separated from Big Brother. I want to stay by Big Brother's side."

Gu Yue glanced at Na'er calmly. Rather than rejecting her, she gave a slight nod.

She could sense the bloodline-bound connection between this girl and Tang Wulin. She could also see that Na'er was one of the softest places in the boy's heart.

Tang Wulin pondered for a moment.

The situation was perilous. The Level-12 shells could detonate at any moment. While it would certainly be safer to leave Na'er in the safe zone, separating from him would only frighten her more. Moreover, Na'er possessed profound bloodline power herself. In a critical moment, she might not be without the ability to protect herself.

More importantly, in this life, he wanted Na'er to live forever beneath the sunlight, forever surrounded by family—not to be pushed away and forgotten again and again.

"Alright." Tang Wulin gently took Na'er's little hand. "Stay by Big Brother's side, Na'er. Don't run around. Hold on to me tightly, understand?"

"Mm!" Na'er nodded hard, relief instantly blooming into a smile on her little face. Her small hand tightly clasped Tang Wulin's, unwilling to let go for even a moment.

Watching this scene, a trace of gentleness appeared on Yun Ming's aged face, only to be covered by gravity again. "There is no time to waste. We'll go to the underground pipes beneath the Outer Academy training grounds first. That shell is closest to where the students gather. If anything happens, the consequences will be unimaginable."

As his words fell, vast soul power suddenly spread out, gently yet irresistibly enveloping Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Na'er.

The four figures became streaks of light, tearing through the sky as they flew straight toward the Outer Academy training grounds.

Within only a few breaths, they had landed.

The training grounds, normally bustling with voices and youthful energy, were now completely empty. The ground appeared flat and quiet, but Tang Wulin could clearly sense the heart-palpitating aura of destruction lurking ten meters underground like a venomous snake, ready to spring up and devour people at any moment.

"It's down there." Tang Wulin crouched, lightly pressing his right hand against the ground. The Golden Dragon King's bloodline power seeped silently into the earth like fine threads, causing not the slightest disturbance while clearly reflecting everything within the underground pipe into his mind.

The pitch-black shell was firmly fixed at the center of the pipe, its surface covered in strange dark-red patterns. Four hair-thin fuses coiled around it like a spiderweb, connected respectively to a soul power trigger, a spiritual power trigger, an evil soul master self-destruction backup, and the shell's core detonation point.

One wrong step in the sequence would mean being blown to pieces.

In his previous life, it had been this very shell that caused the entire training ground to collapse, killing over a hundred students who had been doing morning exercises. It had become the most agonizing scar in his heart while rebuilding Shrek.

Tang Wulin's fingertips trembled slightly. Pain flashed through his eyes before being replaced by an iron will.

"I'll go down and dismantle it." He rose to his feet, his tone calm but resolute.

"No!" Na'er immediately tightened her grip on his hand, her little face turning pale in an instant. "Big Brother, it's too dangerous down there! It'll explode! I don't want you to go down!"

Her voice carried a sob as her clear eyes reddened at once, tears welling in them. She did not understand what a Level-12 shell was, but she understood what "danger" and "explosion" meant. She only knew that she could not let Big Brother take such a risk.

Warmth filled Tang Wulin's heart. He bent down and gently wiped away the moisture at the corner of her eye, his smile tender and reassuring. "Be good, Na'er. Big Brother is very strong. Nothing will happen to me. Big Brother has to dismantle the bad thing to protect Shrek, protect Na'er, and protect everyone, right?"

"But..." Na'er bit her lip, still unwilling to let go.

Gu Yue stepped forward. Rare gentleness filled her silver-gray eyes as she looked at Na'er. "With me here, he won't die."

Five simple words, yet they were the Silver Dragon King's most overbearing promise.

Na'er looked at Gu Yue. For some reason, a trace of trust rose within her heart. This cool older sister possessed a power that made her feel safe, as though Big Brother would certainly be unharmed as long as she was there.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath and stopped hesitating.

He restrained his soul power and bloodline power to the utmost, suppressing his aura until it was even weaker than that of an ordinary person to avoid triggering the fuses. With a light flick of his fingertip, a thin ray of golden light sliced open the ground, revealing an opening barely wide enough for one person. The dark underground pipe stretched endlessly below, exuding a cold and dangerous aura.

"Na'er, wait here for Big Brother. Be good."

"Mm..." Na'er nodded quietly, but her little hand still clutched the corner of his clothes, reluctant to release it.

Tang Wulin gently patted the back of her hand, then turned and leaped into the underground pipe.

Outside the opening, Yun Ming fully activated his soul power, forming an absolutely sealed barrier that cut off all outside interference. Not even an insect could approach. Gu Yue stood at the very front of the opening, her silver-gray eyes fixed on the darkness below. The six elements circled around her, ready to use divine power to withstand the blast head-on at any moment. Even at a cost, she would protect Tang Wulin completely.

Na'er pressed tightly against Gu Yue's side, her hands clenched into fists and her little face full of tension. She murmured softly, "Big Brother, good luck. Big Brother, be safe..."

Inside the underground pipe, it was dim, narrow, and cold.

Tang Wulin slowly approached the pitch-black Level-12 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell, each step as light as a feather falling to the ground. His spiritual power spread out completely, firmly locking onto the four fuses. His breathing was as steady as if he were asleep, while his heart beat calmly in his chest.

Throughout countless days and nights spent rebuilding Shrek in his previous life, he had studied shell fragments over and over again, carving the detonation structure, dismantling sequence, and weaknesses of the mechanisms into his bones. This was his unique advantage, one no one else could replace.

The first fuse—soul power trigger.

The second fuse—spiritual power trigger.

The third fuse—evil soul master self-destruction backup.

The fourth fuse—core detonation point.

The sequence could not be wrong.

He slowly extended his right hand. His fingertips trembled faintly, not from fear, but from the pain of his previous life that he was suppressing. The Golden Dragon King's bloodline power flowed as gently as water, wrapping around the first fuse. With the lightest and most precise movements, he peeled it away from the mechanism bit by bit.

One second, two seconds, ten seconds...

Time seemed to stretch infinitely.

Outside the opening, Na'er held her breath so tensely that her small body trembled. Gu Yue's fingers curled slightly, the elemental fluctuations around her minute to the extreme as she remained on maximum alert. Yun Ming did not blink, his soul power on standby to handle any accident.

Inside the pipe, fine beads of sweat covered Tang Wulin's forehead. They slid down his jaw and fell silently to the ground.

The first fuse was successfully removed.

The second was safely taken off.

The third—the evil soul master's self-destruction mechanism—was completely severed.

The instant he gently plucked off the final core fuse, the dark-red patterns on the shell went out at once. The suffocating aura of destruction receded like the tide.

He had done it.

Tang Wulin let out a long breath, and his tightly wound mind finally relaxed. His back was already soaked with sweat. He looked up toward the opening, a relieved and gentle smile appearing in his golden eyes.

He had protected it.

He had protected the training grounds, protected this land that should never have been stained with blood, and protected the lives lost in his previous life.

"I'm fine."

His voice drifted softly out through the opening.

The next second, Na'er's eyes instantly lit up outside. All the tension on her little face vanished, replaced by a radiant and relieved smile. She nearly jumped up. "Big Brother is alright! Big Brother is amazing!"

The tightly coiled elemental power around Gu Yue gradually settled. A faint warmth flickered in her silver-gray eyes, and the tension at the corners of her lips relaxed almost imperceptibly.

Yun Ming let out a long sigh of relief, genuine release appearing on his aged face. "Good... excellent!"

Tang Wulin picked up the completely disabled black shell and sprang out of the opening, landing steadily on the ground. Sunlight fell over him, gilding the boy's figure with warm gold.

The instant he landed, Na'er threw herself into his arms. She buried her little head against his chest, both happy and frightened, her voice soft and sweet. "Big Brother, I was so worried... You're not allowed to go somewhere so dangerous again."

Tang Wulin smiled and hugged her, gently patting her back. "Alright. I'll listen to Na'er."

Gu Yue stepped forward, her gaze falling on the discarded shell as she spoke coolly. "There are still two more."

Yun Ming nodded, his expression turning stern once again. "That's right. Before the Holy Spirit Cult makes its move, we must eliminate every hidden danger. Not one can be left behind!"

Tang Wulin securely lifted Na'er into his arms, letting her sit in the crook of one arm while he protected her with one hand and naturally stood close to Gu Yue with the other. The boy's presence was warm and steady, the girl's cool and powerful, while the little girl between them curved her brows with dependence and peace of mind.

Of the three Level-12 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells, one had been dismantled.

The fiery ruins of his previous life had been completely rewritten in this one.

Tang Wulin raised his head toward Shrek Academy in the morning light. An unquenchable flame burned in his golden eyes.

From this moment on, the Holy Spirit Cult's plot had already failed.

Shrek would not fall. The teachers and students would not die. Na'er would not disappear. Gu Yue would not leave.

Every regret would be made whole.

All darkness would be crushed.

He lowered his head and looked at Na'er, smiling peacefully in his arms, then at Gu Yue beside him, whose gaze had never left him. A gentle yet resolute curve rose at the corner of his lips.

"Let's go dismantle the remaining ones."

"Mm!"

"Alright."

Three figures—one warm, one cool, one innocent—walked side by side beneath the morning light, racing toward the next danger.

Shrek's fate had already turned completely toward fulfillment and light from the moment they stood together.