Chapter 57 Mu En's Gradual Ideological Decline
"Lexuan, come to me."
Having just completed her mission, Zhang Lexuan had only stepped through Shrek Academy's gates when she heard a calm and aged voice echo gently in her ears.
"Yes, Elder Mu." Zhang Lexuan bowed slightly. She carried with her the ashes left behind by the bizarre middle-aged man who had self-immolated at Han Ruoruo's place. After securing them, she proceeded toward the freshman dormitory building.
Before long, Zhang Lexuan arrived at the dormitory, where she stood before the old man.
Sunlight fell across Mu En's face. His eyes opened slightly, and in the sunlight, the dim pupils revealed a faint luster. Yet they could not conceal the fire of life within him, a flame that seemed as though it could be extinguished at any time.
"How goes the investigation?" Mu En asked softly, gazing at the tall and graceful Zhang Lexuan before him.
"No leads at all." Zhang Lexuan shook her head gently, handing over the collected ashes. "Following many clues, we tracked down a man selling books. But we gained no useful information from him."
"When we surrounded him, he said some very strange words. Then, his entire body turned into ashes, just like those in this box."
"Strange words?" Mu En murmured softly. As he slowly opened the box and looked at the ashes within, his gaze sharpened, a cold glint flashing by.
At the first sight of Zhang Lexuan, he had already sensed a peculiar aura upon her. Now, upon opening the box, he identified the source.
"Yes. He said, 'The plan to destroy Shrek was designed by that lord.' He also claimed Shrek is nothing more than another Spirit Hall, destined to be destroyed. On Shrek's ruins, a new order would be established to guide people to believe in the true god." Though Zhang Lexuan had scorned the man's words, she still relayed them to Mu En exactly as spoken.
It was not her role to interpret—her duty was to recount every detail faithfully so Mu En would not be misled.
"A new order… the true god…" Mu En pinched a small amount of ash between his fingers, his gaze flickering uncertainly.
"That lord? It seems things are far from as simple as we imagined. Return to the inner court. Leave the rest to us old bones." Mu En smiled gently.
"Yes, Elder Mu. This disciple takes her leave." Zhang Lexuan bowed slightly and turned away.
After she departed, Mu En's eyes turned sharp as he looked down at the box filled with ashes.
This was the method of a puppet clone, able to be controlled remotely to self-immolate. The ashes carried intense spiritual fluctuations and a faintly eerie aura.
Evil soul masters…? Having dealt with them his entire life, Mu En immediately locked onto them as suspects. A familiar figure even surfaced in his mind.
"Could it be you?" Mu En murmured under his breath.
With such limited intelligence, it was no wonder he was led astray. Intrigue and scheming had always been the hallmark of humanity. Only humans would pour all their efforts into civil war.
Unity… division… civil war… then unity again.
The cycle repeated endlessly.
One must not forget the true nature of the Myriad Demon King. The name "Demon-Eyed Tree" perfectly described his essence.
Though the Ten Thousand Demon King disdained cultivating through mass devouring like evil soul masters and evil soul beasts, across his hundreds of thousands of years of life, he had done it many times.
Moreover, because his true form was that of a Demon-Eyed Tree, his aura naturally incited hostility within a light-attribute cultivator like Mu En.
To Mu En, there was little difference between him and an evil soul master.
Unlike Xuanzi, Mu En had once interacted closely with evil soul masters. He had even nearly married their leader.
He well understood that after Shrek's pursuit of them for thousands of years, evil soul masters had grown into a formidable force, one that undoubtedly possessed its own organization.
Moreover, the words Zhang Lexuan had repeated carried a clear charlatan's undertone. Aside from those evil soul masters who longed day and night for blood and souls, who else would be so deranged as to constantly spout nonsense about a "new order" and some so-called "true god" irrelevant to everything?
Other than the Shrek Seven Devils, where else on the Douluo Continent were there gods? (Mu En's perspective)
Most importantly, evil soul masters and Shrek Academy shared an irreconcilable blood feud. They had every reason to strike at the academy!
Ye Xishui: ?
Long Xiaoyao: ?
Zhongli Wu: ?
"They are in the shadows while we are in the open. Without knowing what their true intentions are, we must not panic." Mu En tapped the armrest of his recliner in silence. The originally steady rhythm of his tapping grew hurried under the weight of his tangled thoughts.
For the first time, this pillar of Shrek felt caught in a dilemma.
Allowing those books to spread unchecked across the continent was unthinkable. Yet moving openly to suppress them would be just as inappropriate.
If they chose the first, they had no idea what other tricks the enemy might use to slander them, or how much more filth would be thrown on Shrek's name. If they chose the latter, those ignorant yet self-assured fools with just enough wit to cause trouble would think Shrek was guilty and trying to cover it up—only making things worse.
"Evil soul masters… I was far too merciful to you in the past. To think you dare act with such impunity before I'm even dead." As Mu En's thoughts gradually slipped, killing intent began to spread within his heart.
"And that outer court girl…"
Originally, Mu En had no intention of pursuing anything against Zhou Yi. In his view, she was nothing more than a young woman. Though her methods were extreme, she possessed a sense of responsibility toward Shrek. With proper guidance, she could have become an excellent teacher for cultivating talent.
Mu En had tolerated Zhou Yi because she was considered Shrek's own, with a clean background, and had remained at the academy to teach after graduation.
But now it was impossible. The entire continent knew of Zhou Yi's actions, leaving Mu En no opportunity to correct her reputation.
At first, Zhou Yi had not even passed the inner court examination. With the cultivation of a four-ring Soul Sect, she graduated from the outer court and stayed on as an assistant teacher.
It was only about ten years ago, after breaking through to Soul Emperor, that she officially began teaching.
Yet in those short ten-plus years, the students she expelled already exceeded the number taught by some teachers in their entire careers.
Mu En… was preparing to make her the example.
In the eyes of this farsighted elder, Shrek had already rotted from within. From the Sea God Pavilion Elders at the top down to the students, all were blinded by so-called ten-thousand-year glory.
A grave illness required a strong medicine. Only by cutting swiftly and decisively could Shrek continue its legacy.
Mu En vanished, recliner and all.
(End of Chapter)
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 8 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 64 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/anish_44
{
Dear Readers,
Due to recent Patreon cancellations, I face financial constraints affecting my ability to maintain current output. I respectfully request your support to sustain this work.
Incentive:
For every 5 new members joining Tier 2 or 3, I will publish one additional chapter daily beyond my regular schedule.
Your patronage directly enables continued creation. Contributions at any level are valued, though Tier 2/3 memberships activate the enhanced chapter delivery.
}