Dragon God Douluo

"Is that so? Then let's try again!"

Xuan Zi was completely consumed by blind rage, unable to listen to anyone's persuasion.

All nine Soul Rings on his body lit up in an instant, and the terrifying Soul Power of a ninety-eighth-rank Super Douluo erupted fiercely, the radiance of his Soul Power surging straight into the sky.

The huge phantom of the Godly Taotie Bull condensed and formed behind him, and terrifying pressure instantly flooded the entire arena.

"Truly arrogant!"

Xuan Lao let out a low shout, his figure flashing as he lunged straight toward Jing Hongchen, carrying a gale-force blow that slammed down fiercely at his head.

Jing Hongchen did not dare to be careless, instantly taking flight as several ninth-tier Soul Tools on his body activated simultaneously. A layer of crimson defensive light barrier instantly enveloped his whole body, and several Hovering Soul Tool Cannons emerged at his sides, one blazing Soul Tool ray after another blasting out in succession to meet Xuan Lao's blow head-on.

"Boom!"

The fist force and the Soul Tool rays collided violently, and the terrifying energy shockwave instantly exploded outward in all directions.

Even though the two of them fought at a high altitude, the aftermath of the duel between peak powerhouses still swept across the arena below.

The competing soul masters reacted quickly and were able to dodge in time, but many ordinary spectators were completely defenseless; swept by the pressure wave, they cried out in pain on the spot.

The stone railing of the grandstand shattered inch by inch, and broken stones splashed across the sky.

Xuan Lao shattered the void beneath his feet and pressed forward once more, the giant mouth of the Godly Taotie Bull phantom opening wide as thick Soul Power transformed into towering waves, crushing downward toward Jing Hongchen.

Jing Hongchen's own Soul Power was far inferior to Xuan Zi's, yet he barely managed to maneuver by relying on a full set of high-tier Soul Tools. The two traded blows back and forth, locked in a fierce entanglement where neither could suppress the other for a time.

Firelight burst forth consecutively in midair, the violent aftermath causing the blood of everyone below to surge turbulently. Even the soul masters present were shaken until their entire bodies felt deeply uncomfortable.

The scene grew increasingly intense, with even the hard ground of the arena cracking open into staggered gullies of varying depths.

Du Busi hovered high in the air, merely raising a hand to protect the Body Sect disciples beside him without intervening in the battle, quietly looking on with cold eyes.

On the high imperial platform, Xu Jiawei watched the citizens and competing contestants getting injured one after another below, finally losing all remaining tolerance.

He shouted in a deep, angry voice, "Enough! Pass my decree: all Titled Douluos of the Hall of Consecration, strike at once!"

As his voice fell, not long after, ten tyrannical auras surged into the sky from all corners of the imperial city, and ten Star Luo Empire consecrators arrived above the battlefield in an instant.

Almost simultaneously, several figures took flight together from the viewing areas of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Douluo Empire. Headed by the Golden Sun Douluo of the Dou Ling Empire, plus two Titled Douluos from the Heaven Dou Empire, a full thirteen Titled Douluos closed in to form an encirclement in an instant.

Thirteen powerful pressures erupted simultaneously, sealing off all of Xuan Lao's advance and retreat routes at once and trapping him right in the center.

Xu Jiawei's voice resounded through the entire venue via the amplifying Soul Tool, suppressing a chestful of fury.

"Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi!"

"Countless civilians and participating contestants from various nations are gathered at the tournament venue! You ignored the safety of everyone present, started a brawl in broad daylight, and wantonly unleashed your power!"

"Today, we must demand an explanation from you and from Shrek Academy!"

tightly surrounded by thirteen Titled Douluos, the light of the Taotie phantom on Xuan Lao's body paused slightly. He looked at the various powerhouses sealing him in on all sides with a livid expression; the violent Soul Power within his body still churned, yet he no longer dared to make a rash move.

Jing Hongchen seized the opportunity to retreat backward, putting away a portion of his Soul Tools. His condition at the moment was not easy either, and the Hongchen's Protection light barrier on his body was already covered in dense cracks.

The entire Star Luo Plaza was utterly silent, everyone tilting their heads back to gaze up at the high altitude with their hearts hanging in their throats.

"I... I..."

The encirclement by the crowd made it difficult for Xuan Zi to maneuver for a moment, plunging him into a passive state, and after running into consecutive walls, Xuan Zi calmed down slightly.

His pupils gradually cleared, and looking down at the ravaged arena below along with the injured students and commoners, he was at a complete loss for what to do for a moment.

He let out a long sigh, slowly gathering back all his Soul Power, and wore a bitter expression as he gazed at the angry gazes of everyone surrounding him.

"It was this old man who acted rashly; I apologize to everyone."

"You muddle-headed fool, Xuan Zi."

An aged and heavy sigh suddenly drifted down slowly from the distant horizon.

Upon hearing this voice, the expressions of all the Titled Douluos in midair changed drastically all at once.

Within the void, a thin, aged figure slowly solidified and appeared. The newcomer had white hair and a white beard, a stooped figure, and deep within his eyes, a trace of faint sea-blue light flashed and vanished.

Du Busi's pupils below shrank drastically as he cried out in involuntary shock, "Mu En?! You're actually still alive!"

Jing Hongchen's entire body shook as he reacted instantly, "Dragon God Douluo?! Mu En?!"

Above the imperial platform, Xu Jiawei's expression shifted slightly as he hurriedly rose into the air, his expression exceptionally solemn.

Upon seeing Mu En, Xuan Zi's expression turned pale as paper, and hanging his head low, he dared not say a single extra word.

Mu En's gaze swept across the ravaged arena, then glanced without a trace in the direction of Just Sky Academy before withdrawing his line of sight.

He looked at Xuan Zi, who was full of remorse, his tone calm yet carrying a trace of anger.

"What on earth is going on, Xuan Zi? Give me a proper explanation."

Xuan Zi took a deep breath, his face revealing shame. "Sigh, Elder Mu, it was my fault for acting rashly..."

"..."

Listening to Xuan Zi's brief recounting, Mu En remained completely silent throughout, not uttering a single word.

A moment later, he spoke in a deep voice, "Today's matter's fault lies with Xuan Zi, and it also lies with Shrek."

"Xuan Zi's Godly Taotie Bull Martial Soul naturally possesses a flaw: his mind is easily swayed by Bloodline Fiendish Qi, making him prone to anger and loss of control. Having caused a massive disaster today, Shrek cannot shirk its blame."

"However, Mu Jin was eager to defend the academy's reputation earlier, and in her agitation, her words were exaggerated and her approach was indeed improper. But she was not deliberately spreading rumors; she simply did not want the years of dedication Shrek has spent guarding the mainland and purging Evil Soul Masters to be completely wiped out by a single stroke."

"Right and wrong have their own public consensus, and we also ask everyone not to be misled by people with ulterior motives. From now on, Shrek will use concrete actions to prove itself."

Having said that, Mu En turned to face the entire audience, his expression solemn.

"I, Mu En, today represent Shrek Academy and hereby make a formal statement."

"Effective immediately, all of Xuan Zi's posts within Shrek are revoked, all external affairs permissions are stripped, and he is to return to the depths of the Sea God Pavilion immediately to close his doors and reflect on his mistakes."

"All related losses, including the site damage caused by this battle, the healing expenses for the citizens and students, and so on, will be fully compensated by Shrek in their entirety."

Mu En swept his gaze across the audience, slowly stabilizing the overall situation.

"When Shrek personnel make mistakes, we will never shield them, nor will we shirk responsibility."

"However, Shrek's original intention of guarding the mainland, sheltering living beings, and purging evil souls for thousands of years has never changed. Individual personnel making mistakes and deviations appearing in the academy's ethos cannot negate the dedication of the entire academy from this point on."

"From now on, we will strictly rectify the academy's ethos and put an end to such incidents happening again."

"Let this storm end here; hopefully, it will no longer affect the normal proceedings of the tournament."

Hearing this, Xu Jiawei nodded in a timely manner and spoke up.

"Since Your Excellency the Dragon God Douluo has personally come forward to apologize and pay compensation, this matter shall be let bygones be bygones."

"The tournament schedule remains unchanged, and the matches will proceed as usual!"

Elder Mu let out a soft sigh, looked at Xuan Zi who lowered his head in silence, and said indifferently:

"In a few days, Shaozhe will rush to the Star Luo Empire. Xuan Zi, you will return to the academy with me first."

"When this tournament concludes, a plenary meeting of the Sea God Pavilion will be held immediately to properly readjust the academy rules."

After saying that, he spoke no more, his figure slowly fading and disappearing into the horizon.

High up in the sky, the thirteen Titled Douluos exchanged glances, successively dispersing their own pressure and retreating from the battlefield.