After correcting the problem with the title, Ning Fengzhi continued.
"In our world, after learning history from Xuan Zi of Shrek Academy, we came up with a way out—we planned to go to Sea God Island, obtain the Sea God's inheritance, cultivate new gods, and fight the Angel God and Rakshasa God of the Spirit Hall Empire, but…
"The Spirit Hall Empire moved too fast. Before we could act, we were surrounded by their army, and in the end…"
He cut off mid-sentence. Pain flickered across his eyes, then gradually turned into speculation.
"I've been wondering… is it possible that the people who came to your world… did something? On Sea God Island in our world—what was born there? Could it be that… someone obtained the Sea God's inheritance? And then brought that power—or even the Divine Throne's successor—back to your world?"
That conjecture was like lightning, instantly cleaving apart the fog in Ning Rongrong and Oscar's hearts.
"Sea God inheritance… in a parallel world?!" Ning Rongrong blurted out, then turned to stare at Oscar again. In each other's eyes, they saw shock and intense focus.
If this guess was correct, then Haiyuan City might have more than one Sea God.
One would be the Sea God who inherited the Sea God position in a parallel world. The other would be the Sea God who obtained the Sea God position created by the Holy Grail.
Moreover, those who inherited a divine position usually needed time before their personality fully matched the divinity. However, the blessing of the divine position itself was already enough to grant power beyond the ordinary—it could not be underestimated.
Oscar's expression grew a bit solemn, but a sharp light soon gathered in his eyes—confidence forged through long years in the God Realm.
"Father Ning's speculation makes sense. There is indeed a possibility."
Oscar spoke in a low voice. A faint pressure rose around him, completely different from his usual gentle smile.
"But even if Haiyuan City has multiple god-tier combatants, and even if the Lord Ravager behind the Sun and Moon Empire is rumored to be a god…"
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. That was the pride of the Food God Oscar—one of Shrek's Seven Monsters, a man who had made miracles together with his companions.
"Rongrong and I are not soft persimmons for others to knead."
His words were neither blind nor arrogant.
In the God Realm, they were only second-tier gods. Ning Rongrong was the Nine-Colored Auxiliary Goddess, while Oscar was the Food Auxiliary God—on the surface, neither seemed particularly suited for direct combat.
But could Shrek's Seven Monsters be judged by common sense?
His sixth soul skill, Mirror Sausage Copy, had not been discarded even after he obtained the Food God position. Instead, through cultivating divine power and deeply comprehending the laws of "copying" and "mirror-transformation," it had evolved into one of his most powerful trump cards.
In the God Realm, he had once copied the Asura Blood Sword of Tang San, the Asura God's weapon.
Due to the limits of divine power and divine body, he could unleash less than sixty percent of the copied power—but even sixty percent was still the power of a God King.
As long as that sword was drawn, even a first-tier god would not be able to take it lightly.
That was the source of his confidence.
When the Asura Blood Sword combined with the Nine-Colored Goddess's ultimate amplification, their "support combination" became the ultimate guarantee for challenging and deterring powerful enemies.
This was also one of the key reasons Tang San, after sensing dramatic changes in the lower realm and realizing that a clone capable of destroying his divine consciousness existed, still sent Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong, and the others down to investigate.
He knew his partners' true strength.
Even if Shrek's Seven Monsters appeared low-key in the God Realm and each guarded only a second divine position, their potential, tacit understanding, and unique mastered abilities could never be fully summarized by the superficial level of their divine rank.
That was why, even knowing Haiyuan City was far from simple, Oscar still had the courage to bring Ning Rongrong along to confirm things in person.
Ning Rongrong also fully regained her composure. She stood and said to Ning Hongyue, Ning Fengzhi, and the others:
"Thank you for the information. In that case, we will set off at once and head to Haiyuan City immediately. The sect will maintain the status quo for now, and our whereabouts will not be made public."
With the decision made, two streaks of divine light quietly rose again from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, tearing through the sky as they headed toward Haiyuan City of the Star Luo Empire.
…
When Ning Rongrong and Oscar arrived at the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the War God Dai Mubai and the Speed God Zhu Zhuqing had also entered the territory of the Star Luo Empire.
They did not head directly to Star Luo's imperial city. Instead, they chose soul master towns and gathering points along the way, quietly collecting information with their spiritual sense.
The changes brought by ten thousand years far exceeded their imagination.
And the most awkward news of all was the change of imperial power in the Star Luo Empire.
"The Star Crown Sect… Xu family…" Dai Mubai stood by the restaurant window, listening to a few old soul masters talk. He sighed and frowned slightly.
He learned that several thousand years ago, the Star Luo Empire had faced a massive crisis that nearly destroyed the nation.
At that time, the White Tiger bloodline leading the empire performed poorly in the war and suffered tremendous losses, pushing the empire to the brink.
In the end, someone stepped forward—using powerful support abilities and political wisdom to rally the entire army, reverse the tide, stabilize the situation, and finally pull the empire back from disaster.
After the war, whether due to deep guilt and powerlessness or because of sober judgment, the White Tiger Emperor of that era made a shocking decision—he abdicated, handing the throne to the meritorious Star Crown Sect Master, the ancestor of the later Xu family.
The White Tiger bloodline retreated to the position of dukes, commanding the empire's most elite legion. The royal family's orthodoxy, from then on, belonged to the Star Crown Xu clan.
"To retreat bravely at the height of the current, preserve vitality… The White Tiger Emperor back then was truly courageous and clear-headed." Dai Mubai said to Zhu Zhuqing with appreciation.
As a former Star Luo prince, he knew that changes in imperial power often came with bloody purges.
For the White Tiger bloodline to voluntarily step down, yet keep the title of duke and retain military power, was already a blessing amid misfortune—and it proved that the White Tiger Emperor of that time had been wise.
A flash of understanding passed through Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes, and she nodded lightly.
"Knowing how to make trade-offs is the wisest choice."
She was not obsessed with power, so she could see things more objectively.
However, the follow-up news suddenly weighed heavily on the hearts of these two gods.
They heard a recent battle report—Mingdou Mountain suffered a catastrophic defeat. The Northwestern Army was nearly annihilated. At the same time, the contemporary White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, was confirmed dead or suspected missing, and his eldest son and heir, Dai Yaoheng, had confirmed his death.
Earlier, the second son, Dai Huabin, had also fallen in the Sun and Moon Empire.
The White Tiger Duke bloodline, famous for thousands of years, had now withered—only one ordinary son remained: Dai Luoli.
The White Tiger Duke's Manor, which had once shaken the empire, was already in chaos, reduced to a hollow name.
"So the Dai family… has declined to this point." Bright golden light flickered in Dai Mubai's eyes. An indescribable emotion surged in his chest.
Even if they were not direct descendants, they still shared the same bloodline—still the inheritance of the White Tiger martial soul in this world.
Ten thousand years apart, with no intersections… and yet, hearing such a tragic ending for the same lineage, as an ancestor figure, he still could not help but feel ripples in his heart.
Zhu Zhuqing gently tightened her grip on his hand, silently offering comfort.
"Let's go to the White Tiger Duke's Manor," Dai Mubai said in a low voice, changing their original plan to explore Star Luo City.
He wanted to see what the only remaining bloodline—what the boy carrying the last glory of the Dai surname—looked like now.
…
Star City, White Tiger Duke's Manor.
The once-bustling traffic and crowded gates had long since vanished.
The tall manor gates were shut. The white tiger decoration on the doors had lost its former majesty, carrying a faintly gloomy air.
The residence was desolate. Few figures moved within. There were fewer servants now, and they walked carefully, afraid of offending the new master—who was currently sunk in depression inside.
In the back courtyard, a young man wearing luxurious duke's robes sat alone on a stone bench, completely mismatched with the splendor of his outfit.
Several wine jars sat before him—most of them empty.
He was the new White Tiger Duke, Dai Luoli.
Dai Luoli had a fairly honest-looking face and inherited the Dai family's signature blond hair, but his eyes lacked sharpness—filled instead with confusion, degeneration, and deep helplessness.
He grabbed a wine jar and took another big gulp. The burning liquid seared his throat, but it could not clear the haze in his heart.
"Duke… heh, White Tiger Duke…" He laughed at himself, his voice hoarse.
"Am I worthy?"
He had never imagined this position would fall onto his head.
In front of him had been his outstanding elder brother Dai Yaoheng, carrying his father's great expectations. And there had been Dai Huabin, the gifted yet extreme second brother, spoiled by his mother.
As for him, Dai Luoli—talent was mediocre, temperament inadequate, the youngest child who had been ignored since childhood. His greatest wish was only to live peacefully. At best, he wanted to become an honorable imperial officer guarding the border like his father—even if it was only as a captain.
But fate played a cruel joke on him.
The second brother died inexplicably in the Sun and Moon Empire. Then the eldest brother and his father fell one after another in the Mingdou Mountains.
When the bad news arrived, he felt as if the sky had collapsed and the world had gone dark.
Before he could even catch his breath, the Emperor's decree arrived. Under Xu Jiawei's strong push, and amid the complicated gazes of several old ministers, he was forced onto the scorching-hot seat of the White Tiger Duke.
He knew he didn't have the ability.
A soul master who had only just broken through four rings was no more than a middle-or lower-level officer in the army. What merit did he have to inherit the empire's once number-one military family?
What right did he have to sit in this position that countless people admired and pinned their hopes on?
"Father… Big Brother… what should I do?" Dai Luoli looked up at the sky with bewildered eyes, as if he wanted to see Dai Hao's dignified, resolute figure among the clouds.
He worshipped his father and feared his eldest brother. Now they were all gone—leaving behind an immense void that could not be filled, and a crumbling manor burdened with troubles from within and without.
He wasn't stupid.
Once he calmed down, he could also sense that there were many problems with this war.
Why were the Sun and Moon Empire's attacks—especially the later pursuit and encirclement—so precise in targeting White Tiger-system generals and soul masters?
Why did the loyal and powerful uncles under his father fall one after another, as if deliberately erased by an invisible hand?
The only explanation he could think of was that the Sun and Moon Empire, after decades of war and enormous losses at the hands of the White Tiger Duke's Manor, hated them to the bone—and wanted to kill every last one of them no matter what.
That thought made him shiver, and hatred for the Sun and Moon Empire seeped into his very marrow.
But he did not know that all of it had been manipulated by Ju Zi and her people.
For personal revenge—and to remove the greatest obstacle and potential opposition within the Star Luo Empire for Lu Jingming, who was truly loyal—she used the Sun and Moon Empire's power to systematically eliminate the White Tiger faction's core strength.
Now that her revenge was complete, she could be said to have retired, leaving Dai Luoli trapped in uncontrollable chaos and mystery.
And Xu Jiawei, the Star Luo Emperor, wanted to protect Dai Luoli—he even pushed him into the duke's seat—yet his own feelings were just as complicated.
On one hand, there was guilt and compensation toward Dai Hao, his old brother. In the end, he had borrowed a knife to kill, exploiting Dai Hao's loyalty.
On the other hand, Dai Luoli's mediocre talent, weak temperament, and lack of ambition made him the most ideal candidate.
Keeping the White Tiger Duke title could soothe part of the old faction and show imperial favor.
An incompetent duke would not threaten imperial power—and could also preserve a trace of the Dai family's bloodline.
This was not only calculation; it was also one of the few comforts by which Xu Jiawei could soothe his conscience.
Dai Luoli did not understand these twists and turns. He only felt heavy, lonely, and afraid.
The glory and responsibility of the White Tiger Duke pressed down like a mountain on his immature shoulders.
Alcohol surged. His vision blurred. He collapsed onto the cold stone table and murmured unconsciously:
"I don't want to be a duke… I can't do it… Father… take me with you…"
The White Tiger Duke's Manor back courtyard was bleak and silent. Only the rustling of dead vines in the wind echoed, along with the suppressed, wine-scented sobs and whispers of the young duke at the stone table.
Dai Luoli lay on the cold stone table, his consciousness rising and falling between alcohol's numbness and reality's pain.
Under the heavy shadow of an old giant tree in the corner of the courtyard, there stood a figure in a black robe—blending into the darkness—silent for a long time, unseen.
Huo Yuhao watched this half-brother through the gap of his hood, his gaze complicated.
The killing intent, hatred, and joy of revenge in his heart had long since been hollowed out by Dai Hao's death. What rose at this moment was, unexpectedly… a trace of guilt.
He remembered the duke's manor's cold, oppressive, and rotten back courtyard from his youth.
The only ones who had occasionally given him and his mother warmth and protection were Dai Luoli—low-status, gentle, and timid—and Dai Luoli's mother, who at the time was still an ignorant child, secretly stuffing pastries into his hands and calling him "big brother."
Dai Luoli and his mother were among the few bright colors in his gray childhood.