The Sea God Family was annihilated, and the continent trembled.
One night of bloodshed left ten thousand acres of blue sea steeped in desolation.
The Sea God Family, which had awed the continent for centuries and commanded the forces of the boundless seas, was destroyed in a single day alongside the Sea God Legion that guarded the four seas. Not a soul of the family remained.
The news was not concealed in the slightest. Like a tsunami sweeping across heaven and earth, it thundered through the entire Federation in an exceedingly short time.
The Federal Parliament.
Within the resplendent parliamentary hall, the usually calm and orderly proceedings erupted into chaos.
Qian Gu Fenfeng sat high in the presiding seat, quietly watching the parliamentarians below with their varied expressions.
Some parliamentarians' faces changed drastically, and they could neither sit nor stand at ease. The Sea God Family had deep roots and had guarded the seas for generations. It was the absolute pillar of the Federation's coastal defenses, as well as one of the continent's foremost ancient supreme families.
Such a colossus, with such profound foundations, had been overthrown overnight, with no survivors.
Some wrung their hands and sighed, grieving the demise of a mighty clan; some harbored cold indifference in their eyes; still others from various factions secretly rejoiced. The Sea God clan had monopolized naval power for far too long, and its fall was precisely what they wanted.
The parliamentarians of the Spirit Pagoda faction, however, all lowered their eyes to their noses and their noses toward their hearts, sharing an unspoken understanding.
Undercurrents from every side intertwined. Unease filled the entire parliamentary hall. No one dared readily pronounce right or wrong, and no one dared readily offer an opinion. They merely waited for the man in the presiding seat to speak.
Silence was tonight's Cambridge.
After a long while, a dove-faction parliamentarian abruptly rose, his tigerlike eyes wide as he pointed at Qian Gu Fenfeng and said:
"Qian Gu Fenfeng! You... you are unworthy of being called human!"
"You have committed such an unrighteous act! Shrek Academy will not let you get away with this!"
In an instant, the atmosphere in the meeting chamber dropped to freezing.
Qian Gu Fenfeng slowly looked toward the old man from the dove faction, his expression as tranquil as water.
"Hahaha... hahahahahaha!"
"That our Sun Moon Federation has a parliamentarian who dares to remonstrate so frankly is my good fortune, and the good fortune of our Sun Moon Federation!"
"Who else here objects to my annihilation of the Sea God Family? Speak freely!"
Yet no other parliamentarian dared stand up.
At this, the old man from the dove faction grew hotheaded and roared:
"You... you truly disgrace our Shrek!"
"Shrek is the continent's ambassador of peace! The elders of the Sea God Pavilion had us join Parliament precisely to prevent such things from happening!"
"Yet you remain indifferent, caring only whether you yourselves live or die!"
"Fine! If you will not stand up, I will force you to!"
At his words, some of the seated parliamentarians' expressions stiffened.
"Xu Jiayin! As the patriarch of the Star Crown Family, are you so blind to reason?"
"And Ye Zhan! Your Stargod Sword Family ought to advance and retreat together with Shrek!"
"And..."
As the old man called their names, parliamentarians turned deathly pale one after another and slid from their seats.
"Oh, no, no, no... I am undoubtedly terrified. Speaker, nothing escapes your discerning eye! This was not our wish! Please spare us!"
"Shut your mouth, you old fossil!"
In the eyes of the various family patriarchs, the dove-faction elder's "righteous speech" was unquestionably "the King of Hell calling the roll."
"Oh? Only today did I learn that so many people in Parliament are dissatisfied with me."
The family heads' expressions froze. They felt the world spin, and their heads had already fallen to the ground.
"Guards, dispose of these people who openly disrupted parliamentary order."
Then Qian Gu Fenfeng looked at the old man from the dove faction and said with a smile:
"Also, take this great loyal servant of ours to the dungeon and subject him to severe interrogation!"
"Meeting adjourned!"
The Spirit Pagoda was silent.
Deep within the ancient tower that soared into the clouds, the senior council chamber was terrifyingly quiet.
Qiangu Dongfeng sat in the high seat, his expression calm and unruffled.
The Spirit Envoys stood with bowed heads, chills rising in their hearts.
Everyone understood that the annihilation of the Sea God Family was a case of killing a chicken to frighten the monkeys, one that intimidated the entire continent.
Today, the Sea God Family had been exterminated. Tomorrow, every established power that refused to be manipulated might meet the same fate.
From the presiding seat, Qiangu Dongfeng ran his fingers over a file. Written prominently on it were the Ye Family, the Xu Family, the Xu Family, and other great families close to Shrek. He raised his eyes and asked:
"How are the preparations?"
"Pagoda Master, everything is ready!"
"Begin."
"Yes!"
At Shrek, the Sea God Pavilion was steeped in sorrow and cold.
Pavilion Master Yun Ming sat quietly in the presiding seat, his cool eyes gazing at the sea of clouds beyond the window, the aura around him heavy and still to the utmost.
Their ties stretched back centuries. For generations, the Sea God Family had guarded the seas and sheltered countless coastal lives. It had also been Shrek's most reliable ally beyond its own territory.
But now, the vast sea remained, while the family was gone.
"With this precedent set, great turmoil is coming to the continent."
A white-haired elder's voice was hoarse and filled with sorrow.
"I will go demand an explanation from Qian Gu Fenfeng!" Long Yeyue's shrill voice suddenly rang out.
"Sister Yue, you mustn't!" Yun Ming hastily tried to stop her.
"Yun Ming, you have grown weak."
"My mind is made up! No one can stop me today!"
Seeing this, Yun Ming drew a deep breath. Thinking that Qian Gu Fenfeng probably would not go so far as to openly break with Shrek yet, he let her go.
Though their hearts were filled with indignation, Shrek's people could only endure and remain still. Forcibly intervening would mean all-out war with the Federation and the Spirit Pagoda.
Compassion, helplessness, and worry shrouded the entire Sea God Pavilion.
Within the Federation's military, everyone feared for their own safety.
The coastal defense lines across the four seas were left entirely vacant and were taken over by a legion organized by the Spirit Pagoda.
The continent's countless great families all fell silent.
North, south, east, and west, every established sect and medium-sized family sealed its mountains and locked its courtyards, sheathing every sharp edge and not daring to draw the slightest attention.
The supreme Sea God Family, once looked up to by all, had become a handful of yellow earth in an instant.
That bloody end struck terror into the entire world of Soul Masters.
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