A thin mist floated above the Yinyin Lake, where fish swam leisurely, creating ripples on the surface.
Suddenly, a figure swiftly swept across the water, its terrifying aura causing the water to part to both sides.
Startled, the fish flicked its tail and plunged headfirst into the water.
Cai Mei'er hurriedly boarded the Sea God Island, holding the information she had just received, and rushed into the Sea God Pavilion without stopping.
Pushing open the door, Zhang Lexuan was already seated in the main seat, calmly watching Cai Mei'er enter.
' Xuan Zi ' remained quietly seated behind the main seat, leisurely sipping his wine. His complexion was rosy, indicating that his injuries had almost healed, and he seemed completely unconcerned about what had happened.
Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo looked at the anxious Cai Mei'er with puzzled expressions, wondering what had happened.
They were all secretly lamenting that the Sea God Pavilion Meeting had been held far too frequently since Sea God Pavilion destruction.
Zhang Lexuan's gaze was solemn, and she asked with a hint of seriousness, "Dean Cai, is there something important that you're so eager to convene Sea God Pavilion Meeting?"
After calming herself down, Cai Mei'er handed the note to Zhang Lexuan without even sitting down.
Zhang Lexuan took the note and glanced at it, a strange glint flashing in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
Everyone should take a look.
As Zhang Lexuan passed the note down, she glanced at ' Xuan Zi ' behind her.
Seeing that he was not in any discomfort, her worries were completely dispelled.
Qian Duoduo gasped, "Hiss, what happened to Lao Yan? How come he's seriously injured, and one of the students is still missing?"
Xian Lin'er slapped him hard, then said with a heavy expression, " Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao, Qian Duoduo, what can I say to you? Even if Mu En were alive, he would probably only be able to force back a peerless expert like you. It's a miracle that Yan Shaozhe survived."
Qian Duoduo rubbed the spot where she had been hit and smiled sheepishly, saying, "I didn't know."
After saying this, their gazes all turned to ' Xuan Zi ' on the recliner.
"The world belongs to you young people, stop staring at this old man." A calm yet authoritative voice rang out, and everyone's gaze, which had been fixed on ' Xuan Zi,' immediately turned away.
Cai Mei'er looked at the two of them and sighed softly, then added, "It's said that they were able to survive because of the appearance of the Shadow."
Xian Lin'er frowned and said, " Shadow again?"
Cai Mei'er nodded and continued, "The missing student is Tang Ya. The Tang Sect has quite a history with Shrek... If what Yan Shaozhe said is true, then her chances of surviving are extremely slim. It's truly a pity."
Upon hearing this, sadness welled up in everyone's eyes.
After a while,
Zhang Lexuan broke the silence, saying, "Let's search with all our might. We shouldn't give up even if there's only a sliver of hope."
Cai Mei'er and the others all nodded.
"Also, let Xiaotao and the others focus on preparing for the competition. I believe that with their strength, winning first place will not be a problem. Leave the rest to the other inner court disciples."
Zhang Lexuan said again in a deep voice, " Dean Xian, Dean Qian, from now on, our academy must also vigorously develop Soul Tool, even though we made changes ten years ago."
"However, we still have too few high-level Soul Tool; otherwise, we wouldn't have suffered any casualties in this incident."
Qian Duoduo patted his chest and assured her, "Understood, Lexuan, don't worry. As long as we have sufficient funds, I can guarantee that within twenty years, Shrek will definitely be able to catch up with the Sun Moon Empire!"
He wasn't just talking nonsense; Shrek truly has the strength now, after all, Shrek made changes ten years ago.
The reason that made all of this possible and provided Qian Duoduo a guarantee was the emergence of the Mitsugoshi Company.
Ten years ago, the Mitsugoshi Company emerged out of nowhere and quickly gained a foothold on the mainland by its own efforts.
The items they sell are also quite unusual; for example, the hamburgers that students love are theirs, and this chamber of commerce has interests in multiple fields.
Even the Soul Tool, which the Sun Moon Empire is most proud of, is something the Mitsugoshi Company has a deep understanding of.
It can be said that many of the novel Soul Tool in Shrek City today were brought by the Mitsugoshi Company.
Shrek had already established a partnership with its merchant guild, so catching up with the Sun Moon Empire in the field of soul guidance was truly just a matter of time.
Having received a definite guarantee, Zhang Lexuan waved her hand and announced the dissolution of the Sea God Pavilion Meeting.
After everyone else had left, Zhang Lexuan approached Xuan Zi and respectfully said, "Lord Shadow, the 'joyful'... thing is..."
' Xuan Zi's ' body blurred for a moment, and when it became clear again, he had transformed back into Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao's previously colorless eyes lit up, and he replied calmly, "Behind the darkness, there's always a need for a sharp knife. Don't you agree, 'You'?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Yuhao transformed back into his ' Xuan Zi ' form, slowly closing his eyes. No matter how Zhang Lexuan called out to him, Huo Yuhao did not respond.
Zhang Lexuan had no choice but to torture herself in detail, even recording what Huo Yuhao had just said and having the members of the Garden secretly take it away.
Before long, the members of the Garden reappeared and whispered a few words in Zhang Lexuan's ear.
Zhang Lexuan suddenly realized, "Lord Shadow is truly brilliant. Behind the darkness lies the enemy lurking in the shadows. The need for a sharp blade means Lord Shadow has already sent 'Xi' as an undercover agent."
" Shadow, this is more like you."
Zhang Lexuan's lips curled slightly as she looked at Huo Yuhao's clone on the recliner, feeling much better.
Her high heels clicked lightly on the ground as she quickly left.
Star Luo City.
As the capital of the Star Luo Empire.
Star Luo City is undoubtedly the largest city in the empire, and also the political, cultural, and economic center of the Star Luo Empire, earning the title of an imperial capital that will never fall.
The walls of Star Luo City are hundreds of meters high and hundreds of meters thick, all constructed from the hardest rock.
"In recent years, our Star Luo Empire has deliberately mixed a lot of rare metals with hard texture into this rock. Even a full-force attack from a Titled Douluo cannot break through it directly."
Sitting in the carriage, Dai Yueheng proudly introduced everything he knew to the crowd.
Wu Feng and the others couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur and prosperity of Star Luo City, and their praise for its prosperity was endless.
Only Chen Zifeng looked somewhat dissatisfied and asked Dai Yueheng, " Yueheng, how will White Tiger Duke deal with Dai Huabin?"
Dai Yueheng's expression stiffened for a moment, then quickly relaxed, and he smiled, "Don't worry about that. Now that Dai Huabin has become Evil Soul Master, Father will not forgive him easily."
Chen Zifeng frowned deeply, "Forgive?"
" Dai Huabin's meridians are all severed, and there is a spatial force within his body constantly destroying his physical structure. Moreover, my father also hates Evil Soul Master."
"But Huabin is still my brother, my father's child. My father probably won't hang him or anything like that. He'll likely keep a close watch on him and let him fend for himself. That's the least I can do for him."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zifeng finally felt relieved.
Seeing his expression, Dai Yueheng teased, " Zifeng, what's wrong? You don't suspect I'll favor my brother, do you? Don't worry, I'll take you to confirm it myself after the competition."
Chen Zifeng smiled somewhat awkwardly, but still nodded in agreement. "Then it will be troublesome."
Even though Dai Yueheng had made it extremely clear, and based on Chen Zifeng's understanding of aristocratic inheritance rights, he also knew that Dai Huabin's death would only benefit Dai Yueheng.
Dai Yueheng had no reason to let Dai Huabin live.
As for your argument that family ties are the reason, that's utter nonsense!
In a place like the Duke's Mansion, where people devour each other without a second thought, talking about family ties is simply naive.
However, since Chen Zifeng was a member of the Shrek Inspection Team, he had a responsibility to verify the final result, so he shamelessly agreed.
Dai Yueheng wasn't angry. He then pointed to the city gate not far away and began to introduce the various aspects of Star Luo City to everyone.
Huo Yuhao sat there quietly, with one head resting on each of his shoulders, the unique fragrance of the young girl flooding his nose.
Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao leaned quietly against him, fast asleep.
As Huo Yuhao watched Star Luo City draw ever closer, a complex expression flashed in his eyes, suggesting a strong resistance to returning to Star Luo City.