Yan Shaozhe slammed a heavy punch into the light barrier, frantic with anxiety. "What exactly is this black barrier? Why can't we break it open at all?!"
Xian Lin'er placed her palm against the light barrier and quietly sensed it. "The person who set up this barrier has completely surpassed us in cultivation. We have no way of breaking it..."
"Then what should we do, Shaozhe?"
Anxiety and helplessness showed between Cai Mei'er's brows.
Yan Shaozhe was at a loss too. His attacks had no effect whatsoever on the barrier. "All the elders of the Sea God Pavilion are there, and Elder Mu and Elder Xuan are inside too. There shouldn't be too much trouble. Let's wait."
The three waited quietly in the air above Sea God Lake.
Suddenly, Cai Mei'er's eyes widened as she discovered that the sky-obscuring black curtain had turned purple in the blink of an eye.
An utterly terrifying might seeped out from within, chilling her to the bone!
"This is bad! Quick! Fall back!"
Yan Shaozhe shouted!
Possessing the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul, he immediately sensed the extreme danger on Sea God Island.
All three were Titled Douluo and reacted extremely quickly, instantly retreating more than a hundred meters. Only then did the tightness gripping their hearts slowly fade.
Countless black shadows flew out of the light barrier. Spotting the three in the distance, the women all threw the inner courtyard students in their hands toward them.
Yan Shaozhe looked closely and realized that those being thrown out were all inner courtyard students. His Soul Power surged out, catching them one after another.
"They're the ones behind this! I'll stop them!"
Soul Power suddenly erupted around Xian Lin'er as she prepared to chase after the members of Shadow Garden.
Yan Shaozhe grabbed her at once and shook his head to stop her.
Although they had brought all the inner courtyard students out, he could sense that the presence emanating from several of those figures was stronger than that of any of the three of them. If they rashly approached, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Xian Lin'er fiercely glared at Yan Shaozhe and flung his arm aside. Her burning gaze fixed on the departing Garden members before she finally sighed helplessly and could only begin helping the inner courtyard students.
Hum!
Everyone at Shrek Academy felt their hearts jolt and looked toward Sea God Island in unison.
A purple pillar of light suddenly appeared, shooting into the air and spreading outward continuously. The white light shining from within was too dazzling to look at!
Hiding in the shelter, Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao felt their hearts clench. Fine sweat beaded on their palms, and their thin lips pressed tightly together as they watched the enormous pillar of light rising outside, deeply worried about Huo Yuhao, who was still out there.
The pillar of light soaring into the sky whipped up the lake water and fierce winds, sending Yan Shaozhe, the other two, and the inner courtyard students flying.
The pillar of light engulfed the entire Sea God Island. Terrifying might spread, and a silent fear lingered in everyone's heart.
"No!... Teacher!"
Yan Shaozhe reached toward Sea God Island, his fingers grasping at the air. Tears spilled despite himself, and the intense white light forced his eyes shut.
In a daze, he seemed to see Mu En's figure scatter like dust within the white light and disappear.
The pillar of light turned into an enormous mushroom cloud, taking everything at its center with it. Nothing within remained.
The pillar lasted for roughly half a minute before it began to slowly contract and finally vanished.
The Golden Ancient Tree that had blotted out the sky and sun was completely gone. The vast Sea God Lake had vanished into thin air, leaving only a gigantic crater more than a hundred meters in diameter.
The remaining water in Sea God Lake poured ceaselessly into the enormous hole. All of it flowed into the deep crater, leaving not a single drop in the vast Sea God Lake.
Huo Yuhao stood above the crater. Seven balls of light floated before him, continuously emitting gentle Soul Power.
Guided by his Soul Power, the balls of light slowly receded, revealing their original forms.
Six Soul Bones lay quietly before Huo Yuhao, giving off a gentle presence of light that felt wonderfully warm.
"A two-hundred-thousand-year light-attribute White Dragon torso bone?"
Of the six Soul Bones, three had reached the hundred-thousand-year level, with the most important torso bone reaching two hundred thousand years. The other three were also infinitely close to the hundred-thousand-year level.
The six Soul Bones contained a rich presence of light, and their presences were extremely similar. This was a matching set of Soul Bones.
It seemed Mu En had placed great importance on his own Soul Bones. Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao had still ended up reaping the benefits.
However, Huo Yuhao himself had spiritual and ice attributes, so this set of Soul Bones was clearly not the best fit for him.
With a wave of his hand, Huo Yuhao put away the six Soul Bones. If there were a light-attribute Soul Master by his side, he could consider taking them out.
Putting those thoughts aside, Huo Yuhao turned his gaze to the final item.
It was a fist-sized seed, continuously giving off the presence of light and life. Merely coming into contact with its presence could invigorate a person's spirit and enrich their vitality a little.
Huo Yuhao immediately recognized the item. It was none other than the seed of the Golden Ancient Tree!
The Divine Mark originally on the Golden Ancient Tree was already gone. This seed had become completely ownerless.
He had spent so long thinking inside the Golden Ancient Tree, only to achieve his goal unintentionally.
Was this what they meant by first bringing about its demise before it could be reborn?
Huo Yuhao condensed his spiritual power and sent it into the Golden Ancient Tree seed before him. Dark purple lines were engraved into it one after another, thoroughly imprinting his spiritual mark upon it.
Once everything was done, Huo Yuhao's figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot.
Only the hundred-meter crater remained there, alone.
"This... this..."
The light had stung everyone's eyes so badly that they could not open them for a long time. Once they finally recovered and saw that the entire Sea God Lake had been razed flat, they were too shocked to speak.
The Shrek students emerging from the shelters stared at the completely vanished inner courtyard, utterly dumbfounded.
What had happened? How could this be?
Questions circled through their minds, occupying them completely.
"Who was it? Where on earth did this organization come from?!"
Yan Shaozhe fell to his knees, his eyes wide, and smashed both hands hard against the ground before him. Sharp stones pierced his skin, drawing blood. As he looked at the devastation of Sea God Island, an immense sense of powerlessness filled his heart.
"Teacher... Teacher..."
Yan Shaozhe knew in his heart that the terrifying attack had vaporized even the Golden Ancient Tree, let alone allowed Mu En to survive.
Tears spilled despite himself. His palms clawed desperately at the sand and dirt, becoming a bloody mess as hatred filled his mind.
Xian Lin'er raised her head and rested one hand on Yan Shaozhe's shoulder, refusing to let her tears fall.
Cai Mei'er cradled Yan Shaozhe's hands, tears glistening in her eyes as she gently wiped his wounds.
A heavy pall settled over everyone's heart.
Over ten thousand years, Shrek Academy had weathered so many great winds and waves, yet it had never suffered such a devastating blow!
All the elders on Sea God Island had perished, and the current Sea God Pavilion Master had died in battle!
This was Shrek Academy's darkest day in ten thousand years...