The Shadows Emerge: The Work of an Evil Soul Master

"This is the Douluo Continent. This is Shrek Academy. Here, strength has always been supreme.

Those rats who only know how to skulk in the shadows and scheme like flies, even if they band together, how much trouble can they truly cause?

When the time comes to lay everything bare and overturn it all, they will still be nothing before me."

Mu En gazed quietly at him, his eyes deep and solemn, saying nothing.

Chen Xuan turned around. His gaze was clear and frigid, his sharpness fully exposed without the slightest trace of leniency.

"This is precisely why I intend to uproot these parasites completely.

They are wary of me and fear me like a tiger, but I have never feared them in the slightest.

Even if following the trail leads to towering figures and powerful masterminds behind the scenes, so what? This old man will go meet them in person.

I would very much like to see what sort of people dare reach out and meddle with Shrek's foundations, with Shrek Academy's livelihood!"

Mu En remained silent for a long time. Only after a while did he let out a soft sigh. "Do not underestimate these people. Open enemies are nothing to fear; the blades hidden in the dark are the hardest to guard against."

"That is why I will not give them the chance to scheme in secret and strike back when the opportunity arises." Chen Xuan's tone was firm, without the slightest wavering.

He slowly took his seat. His stern tone softened somewhat, yet every word remained forceful.

"Checking the accounts is merely the beginning.

As for the codename 'Gray Harrier,' I have already instructed Elder Lin to investigate it thoroughly and follow every clue to its source.

No matter who lies at the end of this black web, as long as they remain within the Douluo Continent, there will be no chance for them to escape."

Mu En closed his eyes, seeming to rest, yet an invisible, weighty pressure lingered around him.

After a long while, he spoke in a low voice. "Go. I will suppress any turmoil within Sea God Pavilion for you. Investigate without restraint."

Chen Xuan nodded slightly, bowed solemnly to Mu En, then turned and slowly walked out of the small hall.

By the time he reached the bottom floor of Sea God Pavilion, dawn had fully broken.

Clear morning light swept across the crystalline lake and flooded the entire pavilion, making its carved beams and ornate rafters gleam brilliantly, leaving everything bright and open.

Yet only Chen Xuan knew that beneath that dazzling daylight still hid endless darkness and filth that never saw the sun.

He stood upon the bluestone steps, slowly breathing in and out as he purged the cold, vicious aura that had lingered around him all night from his bones and blood.

"Gray Harrier..."

He softly repeated the unfamiliar codename.

He had originally thought this would be an ordinary internal investigation, yet it had unexpectedly uncovered a hidden figure who had never appeared in the original story.

"Hopefully, you can bring this old man a little surprise. Otherwise, simply waiting for the Child of Destiny to be born would be far too boring."

Chen Xuan did not have to wait long.

That very evening, Elder Lin's people brought new information.

"Elder Xuan, we have a lead on Gray Harrier."

Chen Xuan was reviewing the testimonies in Sea God Pavilion. He raised his head at those words. "Speak."

The man was the leader of a Treasure Gathering Pavilion covert cell. He looked ordinary and dressed ordinarily; thrown into a crowd, he would never stand out.

He stepped forward two paces and handed Chen Xuan a letter sealed with wax.

"We followed the message channel Han Tai confessed to.

Gray Harrier never appeared openly. All orders were relayed through a warehouse outside the city.

On the surface, that warehouse dealt in tea, but it was actually operated by people from the Sun Moon Empire.

The owner's surname is Mu, supposedly called Mu Tong. No one knows whether that is his real name.

Whenever Gray Harrier sent a message, Mu Tong's subordinates delivered it into the city."

Chen Xuan tore open the envelope and scanned its contents by lamplight.

"The warehouse?"

"It is still there. We have not touched it; we only left covert operatives to watch it.

There are fewer people moving goods tonight. They likely caught wind of something and are preparing to pull out."

Chen Xuan tossed the letter onto the table and slowly rose to his feet.

"He will not be pulling out." He sneered. "What does he think Shrek is? A place he can come and go from as he pleases?"

He strode toward the door, then suddenly stopped and turned back.

"Invite two Titled Douluo elders. Have them lead the encirclement of the warehouse tonight. This old man will not charge in at the front."

The covert operative nodded softly, then withdrew.

Chen Xuan walked to the window and watched the deepening night. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Anyone who can relay messages to Han Tai's group from afar will not be ordinary.

If we can lure him out tonight, that would be a true gain."

The night was thick enough to congeal, yet Shrek City remained as brightly lit as day.

The warehouses in the western part of the city were gathered north of Clearwave River. During the day, carts and horses never ceased their traffic, while at night, the place was so quiet that only an occasional dog bark remained.

The operation was led by two outer-pavilion elders from Sea God Pavilion, both veteran Titled Douluo.

They did not make a grand display. They merely brought a dozen or so capable men and slipped toward Clearwave River under cover of night.

Chen Xuan did not join the group.

He concealed his aura and landed atop a distant bell tower, looking down from above and taking the entire riverbank into view.

"Remember: surround them first, capture them second. The goods can be sorted out later, but not a single person may be allowed to escape."

He spoke to the messenger covert operative beside him.

"Yes."

The warehouse stood beside the water. Its storefront was small, and the sign above it bore the four words: Mu's Tea House.

The doors were tightly shut, yet not a trace of light shone from within.

About half an incense stick's time later, the warehouse's back door quietly opened a crack. Several figures emerged in crouched postures and hurried along the riverbank.

They were dressed differently. There were porters, an accountant, and even a woman in a green robe. They looked no different from an ordinary merchant caravan.

Yet Chen Xuan needed only one glance from atop the bell tower to see that every one of them carried a considerable evil aura.

"They are out," he said quietly. "Five of them. The weakest is a Soul Emperor, and two may be Soul Douluo."

The two Titled Douluo elders moved at once. One of them darted out from across the river and kicked the porter at the front to the ground.

Soul Power abruptly erupted from the porter's body. He truly was a Soul Emperor, but after only one struggle, the other outer-pavilion elder pressed a hand onto his shoulder.

Mountain-like Soul Power crashed down. His knees buckled, and he was forced straight into the mud.

"Shrek is conducting business!" the leading elder shouted coldly. "Move again, and you die!"

Yet those people were fiercer than expected.

The two Soul Douluo erupted at once, one to the left and one to the right. Their martial souls were both bizarre dark creatures, and a sinister wind rose around them.

Working together, they actually withstood the first round of suppression from the two outer-pavilion elders.

But a Titled Douluo was still a Titled Douluo. Within only a few breaths, the two Soul Douluo were forced down, blood spilling from their mouths as their faces turned ashen.

The remaining Soul Emperors and Soul Sages saw that the situation was hopeless. Some tried to leap into the river, while others attempted to charge toward the alley entrance, but all were intercepted by the covert operatives and accompanying stewards.

The sounds of clashing Soul Power rang endlessly along the riverbank. Before long, all five had been pinned to the ground.

"They really are all Evil Soul Masters."

One outer-pavilion elder bent down to inspect one man's Soul Power aura, his expression darkening.

"They still carry the scent of blood fiendishness. They are not fledglings newly entered onto the evil path."

Just as everyone was preparing to withdraw, a fierce surge of Soul Power suddenly exploded from within the warehouse.

The doors shattered with a boom, and a black shadow shot out from inside.