A flimsy token shouldn't have been enough to incapacitate a Soul Sage.
However, if that token came from an elite Shrek Inner Courtyard disciple, and that disciple also happened to be in the right, then it was a different story entirely.
Now, the pressure was on the Star Luo Royal Academy.
Everyone's faces were pale, their hearts pounding. They couldn't imagine what fate awaited them if this person truly went to Star Luo City and posed that question to His Majesty the Emperor.
Perhaps… even death would be a luxury.
No one doubted that Xu Tianxi's identity as a "Shrek Inner Courtyard disciple" was fake. Without using his Martial Soul, he'd taken down a Quasi Soul King with just his fists and feet—he was an absolute monster among monsters!
Furthermore, a Shrek Inner Courtyard Disciple Token had never been faked before. No one had ever done it, and no one dared to!
And Xu Tianxi dared to brazenly curse the teachers and students of the Star Luo Royal Academy in a military base within the Star Luo Empire, displaying an arrogance that shocked heaven and earth. How could this possibly be fake?!
Other than those Shrek Inner Courtyard disciples who enforced laws across the continent, which other force would dare to be so arrogant?!
This time, the people from the Star Luo Royal Academy had truly kicked a rare metal alloy plate capable of producing Ninth Level Soul Guided Devices!
No one in the inn dared to speak. Everyone waited for the unparalleled Shrek Inner Courtyard disciple to fully unleash his anger, and no one dared to ignore the terrifying threat posed by the two Soul Sage powerhouses.
Don't let that old man's Soul Ring configuration fool you; his exquisite Soul Guided Device equipment was something no one from the Star Luo Royal Academy, apart from Xu Jiujiu, had ever seen!
The Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department truly possessed terrifying power!
As for the other cold-faced, Yama-like plant-type Battle Soul Sage, he must also have come from Shrek. It was no surprise for any powerhouse to emerge from there.
In the dead silence, the highly anticipated Shrek Inner Courtyard disciple finally spoke again. This time, his gaze swept past the others and landed on Xu Jiujiu. He sneered, then said eerily,
"I didn't realize it earlier, but I never expected even the Princess of the Star Luo Empire to be here. My apologies, I must have been blind. With the Princess here to back them up, it seems what your academy's teacher said earlier truly wasn't empty words!"
"Alright, alright, alright! What a Star Luo Empire! What a Star Luo Royal Academy! I won't go to Star Luo City anymore; I'm returning to Shrek!
I will definitely relay your academy's teacher's words, exactly as they were said, to Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan and Dean Yan Shaozhe! I'll ask them to arbitrate this matter!"
As Xu Tianxi's words fell, Xu Jiujiu felt as if five bolts of lightning had struck her. The sky was about to collapse!
Given her sensitive identity, if this matter wasn't handled properly, it would truly become the Star Luo Empire's first major diplomatic incident in thousands of years!
Even if her Imperial Brother loved her dearly, he would sacrifice her for the greater good to appease Shrek's wrath!
If she couldn't stop him, even if she remained alive and could cultivate, she would never again be able to step forward into the public eye. Everything she yearned for would turn to dust and nothingness...
As she thought of such consequences, a thousand "no's" rose in Xu Jiujiu's heart. Her fair, snow-white cheeks flushed with extreme anxiety, and she waved her hands frantically, saying urgently,
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, there's a misunderstanding! Our Star Luo Royal Academy has never had any intention of being an enemy of Shrek Academy!
Our Imperial Family, myself, my Imperial Brother, and other members of the Imperial Family, all hold Shrek Academy in immense respect and admiration. We wish nothing more than for Shrek to come to our Star Luo Empire. How could we possibly have thoughts of being enemies with Shrek?!"
Xu Tianxi scoffed, saying coldly, "You wish nothing more than for Shrek to come to your Star Luo Empire? I think your Star Luo Empire wants to annex our Shrek! Do you really think we're unaware of all the grievances you've secretly harbored against our academy over the years?!"
"No, no! Absolutely not! How could our Star Luo Empire be dissatisfied with Shrek? You've misunderstood, you've truly misunderstood..."
Xu Jiujiu waved her hands faster than a windmill, speaking lies she herself didn't believe, hot tears almost spilling from her beautiful eyes.
"I'm telling you! The reason the academy has ignored your petty actions isn't because we haven't noticed them, but because a True Dragon never cares about the opinions of ants! This is what Dean Yan Shaozhe taught us!
Our Shrek's ten-thousand-year glory is something your Xu Family Imperial Family, with only four thousand years of history, cannot possibly comprehend!"
Xu Tianxi tried to recall Yan Shaozhe's demeanor and gestures from back then, and under the simulation effect of the Mirror Flower, Water Moon Soul Skill, he vividly brought them to life.
Every word was a stab at Xu Jiujiu's heart, every word deliberately targeted the Star Luo Royal Family's pain points, his expression reaching an utterly outrageous level of arrogance.
He believed that if an Oscar award were to be given out on the Douluo Continent, this top prize would undoubtedly be his.
Today was the day he pushed his acting to the limit. Even if Xu Jiujiu's mindset was calm now, she would surely hate Shrek to death later.
The unbreakable alliance between the Three Great Empires and Shrek? From today onwards, it would cease to exist! I'll act you to death!
Tilting his chin up, every feature of Xu Tianxi's disguised face was filled with undisguised fanaticism and disdain. He spoke with an air of absolute superiority:
"Shrek Academy's history can be traced back a full ten thousand years! Ten thousand years, do you understand?!
Under the leadership of Ancestor Tang San, our Shrek Academy defeated the evil Martial Soul Hall. From that day on, our Shrek became the number one power in the world, transcending all other existences! No force on the Douluo Continent can lord over us, and no one dares to!"
Xu Tianxi raised his arms and shouted, his face radiating an air of sacred inviolability. Then, he adopted a disdainful expression, looking down on the world, and sneered,
"We don't want to manipulate imperial power changes simply because we have the most noble ideals. We've long since looked down on you despicable, disgusting creatures who scheme and scramble! Pure Soul Masters should possess boundless ambition that looks down on the world. Our wish is to protect the peace of the continent, not participate in your childish games!"
"Do you believe that one day, even if your Star Luo Empire no longer exists, our Shrek will still stand on this Douluo Continent?! Do you believe it?!"
"Your names and bodies will perish, but the rivers will flow on forever! Shrek's status and glory will be passed down eternally! We are the eternal number one academy on the Douluo Continent!
We cultivate the most top-tier talents, but we will never bother to participate in your petty schemes, unless, of course, you seek your own demise!"
Xu Jiujiu was speechless. Truly speechless. The other party's words were too sharp, too ruthless. They left them no dignity whatsoever. It was as if trampling the Star Luo Empire's dignity underfoot wasn't enough; they had to grind it into dust eighteen times over.
Perhaps the other party's words were correct from a Soul Master's perspective, but from her standpoint, this was simply a group of lawless lunatics who disdained imperial power. When had they ever acknowledged the existence of the Three Great Empires?
Heh, actually, they had known these things for a long time, hadn't they? Shrek possessed the ability to overthrow any empire, and they hadn't done so simply because they disdained it.
They saw themselves as divine dragons soaring above the nine heavens. How could they be willing to lower their heads to look at the dust and align themselves with empires that clung to worldly imperial power?
Moreover, they had autonomous tax collection rights, diplomatic rights, and military power that surpassed the three empires. Their internal affairs were handled by the Sea God Pavilion, and Sea God Pavilion Meetings were said to have altered the course of continental affairs multiple times...
Shrek City, possessing all these things, was practically a nation within a nation!
This was a nation within a nation that lorded over their Three Great Empires, plundered their most precious talents, swallowed their economic and cultivation resources, and then had the audacity to call itself "neutral"!
The Star Luo Empire doesn't even exist anymore, yet they can still stand tall on the Douluo Continent. Does that mean...
As long as Shrek can continue its legacy, they could even watch the Star Luo Empire be destroyed by the Sun Moon Empire or other enemies in the future and do nothing to help?!
They exploit all the benefits, monopolize all the good reputation, and shirk all responsibility. They're far worse than the Martial Soul Hall was ten thousand years ago! At least back then, there weren't so many rampant Evil Soul Masters!
At this moment, Xu Jiujiu, deeply pained, made up her mind. As long as she could get through this ordeal, as long as she could return to Star Luo City unharmed, she would definitely convince Xu Jiawei to initiate the plan to eradicate Shrek Academy!
If one generation couldn't do it, then two, three, a hundred generations!
No matter how many generations it took, they absolutely had to remove this cancerous tumor that kept them from resting easy!
She didn't know how many people at Shrek shared the same thoughts as the person in front of her, but it couldn't be few. And the attitude of those Shrek Inner Courtyard disciples acting outside, as reported in intelligence, sent shivers down Xu Jiujiu's spine.
He repeatedly referred to Yan Shaozhe and possessed such astonishing combat talent. He was likely a top-tier existence within Shrek's Inner Courtyard, perhaps even a direct disciple of Yan Shaozhe!
And Yan Shaozhe, back then, had dared to accept a respectful bow from the Emperor of the Dou Ling Empire, who hadn't even graduated from Shrek Outer Courtyard, and had done so with composure!
There was no other choice. To avenge today's humiliation, and for the future of the Empire, she had to destroy Shrek with every ounce of her life's effort!
But all of this depended on one thing... that she could return unharmed, and even more, that the other party couldn't go back to Shrek and report her!
Biting her lip deeply with her pearly teeth until crimson blood seeped out, Xu Jiujiu dug her fingernails into her flesh, then did something that shocked everyone.
In front of everyone, she abandoned the dignity and pride of a princess of a nation. Gathering her skirt and gauze dress, she knelt before that Shrek Inner Courtyard disciple!
"Jiujiu knows that a misunderstanding has already occurred, and I dare not hope for your forgiveness, nor do I dare hope you believe Jiujiu's words. But I only ask that you, in consideration of Jiujiu's identity as the Princess of the Star Luo Empire, spare the lives of Jiujiu's companions, and not trouble Dean Yan and his esteemed presence."
"As for Jiujiu myself, I am willing to offer my neck for the blade, to atone for today's incident!"
Her long hair cascaded down, obscuring Xu Jiujiu's face, which was a mix of hatred and emotion. She was gambling, gambling that this arrogant, world-defying madman in front of her wouldn't lay a hand on her!
She was gambling on... his disdain and arrogance!
Shrek, I, Xu Jiujiu, will forever remember the humiliation of this day! Today's insult will be repaid a hundredfold in the future!