"Damn it, what can we do now?"
Tai Tan, enduring his injuries, almost roared in suppressed rage.
"We cannot use the power of the priests. The Emperor Auspicious Beast is protected by the Di Tian; how can we possibly take it back?"
"Alright." Niu Tian, panting heavily, took two steps back, looked at Tai Tan's gradually healing wounds, and breathed a sigh of relief. "If the two of us work together, we might be able to hold off Di Tian."
"As for retrieving the Emperor Auspicious Beast, we'll have to rely on the people from the Shrek Academy."
Tai Tan smashed the stone bench beside him with a single punch, sending shards of stone flying.
"Most importantly, who exactly is that black-robed human? How could his ice sword possibly have hurt me?!"
"He only has the cultivation level of Soul Saint, but his Soul Ring are as high as seven hundred thousand years!"
Niu Tian also remained silent.
"I understand, it's him, it's this human!"
Tai Tan seemed to remember something and roared.
"It was this human who caused the Emperor Auspicious Beast to escape Tang San's control,"
"... I wasn't there at the time. I only came to the Far North because I was worried about something going wrong," Niu Tian added quietly. "When I went in, I saw you getting beaten to a pulp by Di Tian."
Tai Tan: "..."
"However, since all seven Soul Ring are 100,000-year-old, the result is obvious: finding the person who sabotaged Tang San's plan is enough."
"Next..."
"Wait a minute." Tai Tan suddenly interrupted Niu Tian, his pupils contracting sharply as if he had just remembered something. "The ice sword that the man in black robes used... could it be... the Snow Empress's Emperor Sword, the Unparalleled Ice?"
"So, even the Snow Empress has become his ally? Tch, that human is cunning enough to know he can't reveal his true form in front of us."
"However, his abilities have been exposed!"
"That's true." Niu Tian nodded. "Next, we'll check with the Shrek Academy to see if this person actually exists."
Shrek Academy.
Sea God Island.
A dazzling golden light streaked across the night sky as Mu En's figure fell like a shooting star.
He held the dying Xuan Zi in his arms; the latter's iconic Martial Soul Avatar was shattered, and his wounds were covered with congealed scabs.
Upon Yan Shaozhe hurriedly returned to Sea God Island.
Especially when he sensed the familiar aura of light, he murmured:
"Teacher?"
In the blink of an eye, Yan Shaozhe transformed into a golden light and rushed out, his long robe fluttering in the night wind. However, when he arrived at his destination and saw the scene on Sea God Island, the dean of the Martial Soul Department of the Shrek Academy, Super Douluo of level Level 95, froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
Mu En's white robe was half-stained with blood, and the Xuan Zi he was holding had a shocking penetrating wound in his chest. Dark green poison gas lingered at the edges of the wound, constantly corroding the surrounding flesh.
"Teacher... what exactly happened?"
"Early this morning, Xuan Zi led many elders and teachers away to the Far North to search for information about the Emperor Auspicious Beast, but how could this have happened..."
"Well."
Mu En shook his head.
" Xuan Zi was Du Busi, so he was killed; even his Martial Soul Avatar was shattered."
"This is impossible..." Yan Shaozhe's voice trembled as he staggered and knelt before Mu En, his trembling hand hovering over Xuan Zi's wound but not daring to touch it. " Xuan Zi is Level 98 Super Douluo, and he had seven Titled Douluo accompanying him..."
Mu En slowly raised his head, his eyes, which had seen through the ways of the world, were now bloodshot.
"Things have changed in the Far North." Mu En's voice was terribly hoarse, filled with sighs. " Xuan Zi's team, along with the seven titled warriors... have been completely wiped out."
"If I hadn't had the ability to foresee danger and arrived in the Far North to rescue Xuan Zi, I'm afraid even Xuan Zi would have perished Far North."
Yan Shaozhe felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He mechanically helped his teacher support Xuan Zi.
"It's... Qian from the Body Sect?" Yan Shaozhe's voice tightened. "Why? Why would the Body Sect attack us?"
"Who knows? We were just cooperating with the Clear Sky Sect to capture the Emperor Auspicious Beast."
Mu En coughed a few times, but coughed up blood.
"Teacher, you..."
"Unexpectedly, before the Sun Moon Empire launched its war against us, our Douluo Continent, originally comprised of three kingdoms, found itself embroiled in internal strife."
Mu En sighed and said.
"The overall strength of the Body Sect is currently at its zenith. If I am not included, the current strength of the Body Sect has far surpassed that of the Shrek Academy."
"How... how could this be?"
Yan Shaozhe was shocked to hear his teacher say that.
Is the most mysterious sect in the world really that powerful?
"It seems we won't be able to complete the task the gods have given us for the time being."
Within the Sun Moon Empire.
Mingdu, Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Inside Jing Hongchen's office, the large mahogany table was covered with complex Soul Tool design blueprints. The Core Array of the Level 9 Soul Tool was densely outlined, and each line contained terrifying energy that could change the course of a battle.
Jing Hongchen rested her forehead on one hand, her brows furrowed, and her fingertips tapped lightly on the table, producing a dull sound.
His gaze lingered on a key point on the blueprint, but his thoughts drifted far away.
Just then...
"Bang!"
The office door was pushed open, and a figure slowly walked in.
The commotion interrupted Jing Hongchen's train of thought, causing him to abruptly look up, a flash of anger in his eyes. "Who? Didn't I say that no one is allowed to disturb me—"
The words abruptly stopped.
His pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the drawings on the table, the paper making a slight tearing sound under his palm.
The person standing at the door was dressed in a black robe, with a cold and stern face, and black hair as black as ink. His deep eyes calmly gazed at him.
"... Toji?" Jing Hongchen's voice trembled slightly, as if she had seen someone who should never have appeared. "It's you... you've come back?"
"It's me," Toji said calmly. "Master, it's been a long time. I'm back."
Jing Hongchen suddenly stood up, causing his chair to slide backward and crash into the bookshelf with a dull thud.
He stared intently at Toji, as if confirming whether the person before him was real.
"You... you're still alive?" Jing Hongchen's voice was low and hoarse, his eyes flashing with shock, doubt, and even a hint of barely perceptible... joy?
"What, does the sect leader really want me dead?" Toji's lips curled up slightly, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.
Jing Hongchen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and slowly sat back down in her chair, her fingers still trembling slightly involuntarily.
"You should know that you've been missing for five whole years." He narrowed his eyes, his voice gradually regaining its composure. "I thought you were sent on a secret mission by His Highness the Crown Prince, that you failed, and that you would never return."