Anger

He simply could not believe it.

Nor was he willing to believe that an ordinary child could achieve such a thing!

Not even if that boy was a genius!

Perhaps...

Only the reincarnation of a god could do it.

Thus, he knelt before Cao Xin.

"I am willing to tell you everything."

His voice was hoarse and trembling, carrying the desperate will to survive of someone on the verge of collapse. He lowered his head deeply, no longer daring to look at Cao Xin.

And at that moment...

Cao Xin, who had arrived riding the wind, paused slightly.

Just before his foot touched the ground, it halted for a moment, and a flicker of surprise flashed through his eyes.

This was no longer that forest.

Therefore, his influence over the surrounding world was limited.

He had prepared himself for a grueling battle because of that.

Yet this Seven-Ring Soul Sage had somehow knelt down?

He remembered that he had not drawn conceptual abilities like [Long Aotian] or [Domineering CEO], the kind that made people bow their heads in submission.

But since this Seven-Ring Soul Sage had surrendered...

It saved some time.

Thus, Cao Xin spoke.

"Who was it?"

The captain knelt on the ground.

He took a deep breath, as if using his last bit of courage to prop himself up, then shouted.

"It was Elder Cai!"

"She sent us!"

The instant his words fell...

A violent wind rose around them, carrying biting cold as it swept fragments of stone and withered grass across the ground.

It frightened the captain so badly that he began to tremble violently.

He curled into a ball, clasping his head in both hands, not even daring to breathe loudly.

And at that moment...

Cao Xin's gaze turned icy.

He had not expected Cai Yue'er to be insane to this extent.

One had to know...

To clean up Cai Yue'er's mess.

Yun Ming had paid a Fifty Thousand Year Soul Bone, along with the resources required by the technology for raising soul bone age limits.

It was a price painful enough to make even a Peak Quasi-God wince, and only then had they barely managed to suppress the matter.

Yet Cai Yue'er was still courting death.

Moreover, Cai Yue'er had clearly been confined...

How had she arranged for them to come here?

Many thoughts flashed through Cao Xin's mind.

But because he knew too little.

He could not piece together the full truth.

Still, none of that mattered now.

What mattered was...

Cai Yue'er had made a move against him!

That madwoman had actually sent people to kill him!

If his strength had not far surpassed what his age suggested, and if he had not had First Dad's backup plan...

He would have been the one lying in the forest today.

Cao Xin took out the silver-gray soul tool communicator from his clothes and pressed the call button.

The soul tool patterns on the communicator's surface glowed faintly and let out a brief hum as the connection was quickly established.

"Little Xin."

Zang Xin's voice came from the other end.

"Second Dad, someone is trying to kill me."

The instant Cao Xin's words fell...

He suddenly felt everything around him grow blurry.

The air, the light, every piece of sensory information became warped and distant in that instant.

It was as though he were viewing the world through the surface of water.

The sound of wind, the chirping of insects, and the rustling of fallen leaves all seemed like vague echoes coming from an immense distance.

The next moment, everything returned to normal.

That warped sensation vanished completely, as if nothing had happened.

But screams came from the communicator, chaotic and terrified.

It sounded as though someone was desperately trying to evade something in fear.

Then, those sounds vanished.

Only a brief silence remained in the communicator.

Zang Xin's gentle voice sounded again.

"Little Xin, wait where you are."

A moment later, space tore apart.

Cao Dezhi and Zang Xin stepped out of the rift together, standing side by side.

One was cold and stern as frost, the other gentle as the wind.

"First Dad, Second Dad."

Cao Xin called out.

The two of them nodded.

Zang Xin quickly stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Cao Xin from head to toe to see whether he was injured.

Cao Dezhi, meanwhile, walked straight toward the Seven-Ring Soul Sage.

He said nothing, merely standing there.

Looking down at the trembling captain kneeling on the ground.

The aura of a Peak Quasi-God erupted without restraint, like an invisible mountain descending from the heavens...

It pressed down upon the captain's back.

The captain felt like a lone boat in the sea, engulfed by waves weighing ten thousand tons.

Both his body and mind groaned beneath that overwhelming pressure, as if he might drown at any moment.

Then, that aura abruptly dissipated.

The captain gasped for breath, collapsing limply onto the ground. Cold sweat had already soaked through his clothes.

Terrifying!

Too terrifying!

Just who was this boy?

Why had he brought the Tang Sect's master, one of the continent's only three Peak Quasi-Gods, here in person?!

At that moment, only endless regret remained in his heart.

He regretted accepting this mission.

He regretted provoking someone he could never afford to provoke.

Before he could explain...

Cao Dezhi's cold voice rang out.

"Shrek Inspection Corps."

Those three words fell into the captain's ears...

Making his body jolt violently.

His face turned ashen.

Merely having his identity exposed had already made him feel something called "consequences" drawing closer.

Then, Cao Dezhi extended a hand and clenched it in empty space.

A rift opened again before him.

He grabbed the captain by the collar and threw him into the rift as if tossing in a chick.

Zang Xin then wrapped an arm around Cao Xin's shoulders and led him into the rift as well.

A moment later, the world spun around them.

The scenery around them whirled rapidly.

By the time everything stabilized...

They were already standing on Sea God Island.

Before them stood the Sea God Pavilion.

The waters of Sea God Lake shimmered all around them...

Silver ripples glistened beneath the moonlight.

The next moment, Cao Dezhi spoke.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his face cold as iron. His voice exploded over the entire Sea God Island like thunder.

"Cai Yue'er! Get the hell out here!"

His voice resounded through the clouds.

The leaves in the treetops trembled and rustled from the force of it.

Ripples spread across Sea God Lake under the impact of his voice. Even Shrek City in the distance could faintly hear that thunderous roar.

Boom!

The next moment, the auras of Titled Douluos and even Super Douluos erupted from all across Sea God Island.

But the instant those auras touched Cao Dezhi's utterly unrestrained Peak Quasi-God aura, it was as though they had been doused with cold water. Fear surfaced within them, and they swiftly retreated, lowering their banners and ceasing all resistance, no longer daring to make the slightest move.

Then, Yun Ming emerged from the Sea God Pavilion.

His gaze fell upon the four of them.

Though he still did not know what had happened.

Looking at this scene...

A bad feeling had already risen in his heart.

Yet he could only steel himself and step forward, then cup his hands slightly toward Cao Dezhi.

"Captain."

"Have Cai Yue'er come out."

Cao Dezhi's tone was icy.

Even though he and Yun Ming had a good relationship.

And the two had once been among the Shrek Seven Monsters.

The matter involved was far too serious, and he did not want Yun Ming dragged into this mess.