A few days later, inside the Sea God Pavilion, Mu En lay quietly on a reclining chair, his vitality having reached its end.
Although the life aura from the Golden Ancient Tree continuously fell, Mu En's body was like a sieve, unable to retain it.
Xuan Zi, Dean Yan, the elders of the Sea God Pavilion, as well as Beibei and Huo Yuhao, all gathered around Mu En.
Outside the Sea God Pavilion, dozens of Inner Courtyard Disciples sat quietly in front of the door, led by the chief Disciple, Zhang Lexuan.
The other Disciples sat in ten rows behind her. Wang Nan sat in the first row, head bowed, a hint of sadness in his heart.
From first entering Shrek to seek guidance from Mu En, to later learning how to use mental force and spirit power from him, and then frequently meditating and training in front of the Sea God Pavilion, listening to stories of Mu En's youth and his insights during cultivation.
Unbeknownst to them, their relationship had become that of both teacher and friend.
For Mu En, Wang Nan was a special person, and the same was true for Wang Nan.
Initially, he chose not to hide his emotions solely because of Mu En's strength, but later, Wang Nan also knew that Mu En's lifespan was nearing its end, and he would occasionally confide in the old man who was about to pass away.
Even having lived two lives, his previous life was only in his early twenties, and he still learned a lot from Mu En.
Although the two were separated by over two hundred years, for Wang Nan, Mu En was indeed one of the few friends in this world.
Mu En slowly opened his eyes, scanning the people around him, finally looking at Huo Yuhao. "Children, don't cry. I have no regrets in this life. I hope you can send me off happily."
"Xuan Zi, after I'm gone, you will take over as the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion. You must remember what I told you before. Shao Zhe, I'm glad to see you've changed in the end, but remember, leading Shrek Academy requires more than just strength."
"Beibei, you are the sole successor of my bloodline. Come closer. I will stabilize the bloodline of the Holy Light Dragon within you. From now on, your Spirit will become the unique Blue Lightning Holy Light Tyrannosaurus Rex. I hope you can continue on this path."
After speaking, he gently extended his right hand, and once Beibei was close, it rested on his head. A strong golden light flashed and disappeared. Beibei immediately groaned, falling backward, golden lightning constantly flickering around him.
"Yuhao, your ultimate Spirit cultivation is relatively slow, but never be discouraged, nor be too hasty. Your greatest strength, child, is your strong sense of loyalty, but it is also your weakness. The world is vast; never be confined by a single thought."
"Mm." Huo Yuhao only nodded, but tears involuntarily streamed down.
After saying these words, Mu En let out a long breath, his gaze looking out of the Sea God Pavilion, yet also seemingly towards the distant horizon.
"Ancestors of Shrek, Mu En has arrived."
In his last sentence, Mu En's voice suddenly amplified, and a powerful golden light burst from his body. His body slowly floated up, and nine spirit rings—two yellow, one purple, three black, and three red—slowly appeared around him.
An incomparably clear Dragon roar suddenly resounded, and the entire Sea God Pavilion instantly turned a brilliant gold. Immediately after, Mu En's body grew younger and younger, golden Dragon scales covered his entire body, and with a transformation, a white Dragon emitting a strong golden light appeared out of thin air.
The white Dragon ascended higher and higher, its body growing larger and larger. A strong golden beam shot straight down, enveloping the entire Sea God Island. A faint golden mist appeared on everyone on Sea God Island, and the pure light force cleansed their entire bodies, making everyone's spirit power more condensed.
Wang Nan's perception was the most obvious. His internal spirit power was already constantly compressed by his powerful mental force. At this moment, the spirit power flowing through his meridians, while liquid, was much more "viscous," needing only one more step to transform towards a "solid" state.
"Everyone, sit cross-legged and meditate with focused minds." Dean Yan suppressed his grief, his voice spreading throughout Sea God Island.
In the sky, the enormous white Dragon glanced at Shrek, then gently swayed its body, its eyes looking towards the Star Dou Great Forest.
There, an extremely dense dark aura slowly emerged, forming a Dragon shape that gazed back at the white Dragon Mu En had transformed into.
An extremely powerful aura shot up from the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest. Wang Nan seemed to sense something; the dragon god's tear on his wrist subtly emitted a nine-colored light, and the phantom of the Evil Breaking Dragon appeared from within him, circling around him.
Finally, the black Dragon shadow in the sky dissipated, and Mu En turned his head back.
Without a sound, the enormous white Dragon transformed into countless golden light particles, converging towards the Sea God Pavilion.
A colossal figure slowly appeared.
It was a towering tree, entirely brilliant gold, a hundred meters tall, its roots spreading and covering the entire Sea God Island.
That was the true form of the Golden Ancient Tree. The moment it appeared, Wang Nan felt a familiar aura from it, an aura he had also felt from the Dragon God—the aura of the God Realm.
The golden giant tree flashed and disappeared, and all the light aura surged away in an instant. The entire Sea God Island seemed to return to normal.
After a long while, the Sea God Pavilion, both inside and out, finally quieted down. Dean Yan walked out of the Sea God Pavilion and looked at the many Inner Courtyard Disciples.
"Everyone, go back."
Only then did everyone stand up and walk down the mountain.
Wang Nan looked around, then approached Dean Yan.
"Dean Yan, are there any surveillance missions?"
Dean Yan looked at Wang Nan, seeing that his eyes had returned to calm, showing no emotion. After a moment of silence, he nodded slightly.
"Do you remember the Evil Soul Masters we encountered a few days ago when we returned? According to news from the Purge Evil Alliance, Evil Soul Masters have appeared there again."
Wang Nan's brows furrowed upon hearing this.
If it was just a guess before, it could now be confirmed that there must be something in Jialing Pass that interested the Evil Soul Masters, or rather, the Holy Spirit Cult.
Dean Yan had clearly thought of this as well.
"This matter is a bit unusual. I hope you can investigate their true purpose."
"Also, before that, there's another Disciple I'd like you to see."
With that, Dean Yan had already led the way into the Sea God Pavilion.
Wang Nan followed him. Soon, they arrived at a quiet room filled with a bright aura, where Tang Ya lay.
At this moment, Tang Ya's black hair had turned dark purple, and even with the suppression of the Sea God Pavilion, the dark aura emanating from her could not be contained.
"Her Spirit contains a trace of dark aura, coupled with the hatred in this child's heart. The two influenced each other, resulting in her current state."