"How dare he!"
"How dare he kill Zhuo Shi!"
Sea God's Pavilion.
A golden conference room.
A furious roar rang out as Feng Wuyu's face twisted in rage, veins bulging, staring at the dejected Zang Xin as he rushed over and seized his collar, glaring, "Why did you stand by and watch that bastard kill Zhuo Shi, doing nothing?"
"Shrek Academy and Tang Sect have always been one—how many geniuses and fresh blood have we supplied each other for thousands of years, and now you want to cut ties?"
"Can you really cut so cleanly?"
"…"
The room was dead silent.
The pressure was stifling.
Yesterday, Zang Xin had come back to Tang Sect, bringing Zhuo Shi's corpse.
Blood pressure was already soaring—never mind that the bastard told Zang Xin to pass on the order: Shrek and Tang Sect, completely banned and punished.
That was extermination!
Why could Shrek endure for so many years, standing atop the continent? Because endless top talents kept pouring in every year, forming a virtuous cycle that forged Shrek's pride and its two-thousand-year myth.
Now, Shrek had to close its doors?
No more students…
"If Cao Dezhi dies, I'd have no desire to live either. This is all your Shrek Academy's fault! Feng Wuyu, how dare you blame me!" Zang Xin exploded.
"Pavilion Master—aren't you going to say anything?" Feng Wuyu fumed, looking to Yun Ming at the head.
"You didn't want me to go before; now you want me to speak? What could I even say?" Yun Ming opened his eyes, sighing. "As Pavilion Master, if I hadn't gone, it was a slight; now, we reap what we sow."
"Regardless, you need a plan." Feng Wuyu flopped back in his seat in a huff.
"I still want answers from Shrek," Zang Xin was riled up. "Because of your issues, Cao Dezhi is on death's door. Will you save him or not!?"
"…"
Feng Wuyu went silent—no way he'd try that.
Didn't they see how Haishen Douluo Chen Xinjie was kicked into the ICU? Barely alive! They were all scared stiff—trying to break into the execution grounds?
Who had a death wish…
"It can be done."
A gentle female voice suddenly resonated throughout Sea God's Pavilion.
"Golden Tree Spirit?" Zang Xin brightened.
"But it must be done tactically and with a plan," the voice was clear and ethereal.
"…" Zang Xin clenched his fists, suppressing anger. "Then, may I ask—what is your plan?"
"Time is short!"
"What do you all think: the Sun Moon Federation's twelve-level fixed soul guidance cannon—could the strongest one, the Eternal Heaven, kill Su Wen?" The gentle voice was calm.
Silence.
Shrek's elders exchanged glances, something stirring in their hearts.
The twelve-level fixed soul guidance cannon could wipe out a medium-sized city; even half-gods would be obliterated.
Yun Ming, the strongest present, might only hold out a few seconds longer thanks to the Golden Tree; no match for such power.
Across the Federation, there were only three twelve-level cannons—the strongest being the legendary Eternal Heaven, whose force surpassed the other two combined.
Even a true god would struggle to survive that… not that they'd ever seen a true god.
"But, he has the Dragon God with him." Zang Xin hesitated.
"It's not the Dragon God," the voice said with certainty. "Or rather, not a full Dragon God. If she was, she'd have devoured the Abyss days ago. Since she's only just revived, she's hungry for energy—there's no way she'd spare the continent."
"There's only one explanation: even with the core, she's only half-revived. Otherwise he wouldn't have killed Zhuo Shi as a warning—he'd have come straight for us at Shrek."
"He sensed my presence; that's why you were spared that day…"
"…!"
So that's it!
The elders understood.
No wonder. Now it made sense: set an example by killing Zhuo Shi, but move the meeting to Spirit Pagoda headquarters!
Instantly, they felt steadier.
He was just posturing! Shrek's foundation still stood—why should they fear?
"So… we're to steal from the Sun Moon Federation?" Zang Xin's eyes narrowed.
"Correct." The female voice was cheery.
"We've been backed into a corner, but for some reason, Su Wen hesitates to strike directly. We can only seek our own way out."
"Alright, but what about Cao Dezhi—when will we rescue him?" Zang Xin's fists tightened, struggling—though hope was dim, he had to try.
"We'll collect his soul into the Golden Tree after his execution, to meet you. But giving him a new body after… that will be very difficult." The Golden Tree was silent for a moment.
"This is already the best we can manage…" Ah Yin emphasized.
"I understand." Zang Xin lowered his head, face heavy. In the end, he could only sigh and look away.
"In that case, let's plan how to steal Eternal Heaven from within the Federation." Feng Wuyu was eager.
"Haishen Douluo Chen Xinjie… perhaps we could try via him," Zang Xin smartly adapted. "He's the highest-ranked military officer we can reach, and the most suitable."
"Especially since he was injured by Su Wen yesterday…"
"Has he woken?" Feng Wuyu frowned.
"Reliable sources say… yes, he's awake."
Golden Tree Core
A beautiful woman in pale blue robes softly stroked the head of a burly man sitting cross-legged at the core.
"Still can't reach Xiao San?"
Ah Yin asked gently.
"Sigh…"
Tang Hao shook his head in silence.
Back in the day, the God Realm suffered a catastrophe; though it survived, the Douluo Star was swept away by the turbulence of space-time and flung into the unknown.
Now, even the Gods were out of touch—no telling when they'd meet again.
And now this Dragon God, the Beastmaster, had ruined all their millennia-old plans…