Chapter 169: Shocking! The Poison Cannot Kill! Is the Embryo the Snow Empress?
Elder Xuan stood before the towering floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor of the Sea God Pavilion, his hands tightly clasped behind his back. His gaze pierced through the dense, glowing layers of Golden Tree leaves, remaining fixed on Bei Bei's retreating figure as the youth walked away.
Just moments ago in the office, he had put on a flawless performance. He had acted with righteous indignation, speaking as though every decision he made was solely for the sake of Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year foundation. Yet, beneath that mask of grand authority, only he knew that a layer of fine, icy sweat now coated his palms.
Embezzling the Dragon Pill was a scandal that could shatter his reputation overnight. If Bei Bei chose to expose the truth on a massive scale across the academy, the resulting public outcry would be impossible to suppress, even with his status as the Acting Pavilion Master. Worse, it would undoubtedly draw severe questioning from the other Elders within the Sea God Pavilion.
"Bei Bei, you are a smart child. Do not seek your own death."
Elder Xuan murmured into the empty room, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. A violent struggle flashed through his eyes, quickly replaced by a cold, calculating ruthlessness.
He truly did not want to raise a hand against Elder Mu's sole remaining descendant. However, if Bei Bei actually intended to broadcast this secret to the world, Elder Xuan would not hesitate to arrange a tragic, unforeseen 'accident'. Preserving his own supreme position—and maintaining Shrek's pristine facade of 'righteousness'—took absolute precedence over a single student's life.
A strand of his formidable mental force slipped out, trailing silently behind Bei Bei like an invisible spider's thread. He watched, waiting for the youth to make a mistake.
He tracked the boy's every step. It was only when he saw with his own eyes that Bei Bei bypassed Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er's offices, avoided the crowded public squares, and instead returned straight to the Tang Sect dormitory, locking his heavy wooden door tightly behind him, that the tension finally broke.
Elder Xuan released a long, ragged exhale. He raised a sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, his previously rigid shoulders slumping in relief.
"At least you know what is good for you."
Snorting coldly, he turned on his heel and walked deeper into the heart of the Sea God Pavilion.
He entered a hidden chamber constructed entirely from the core wood of the Golden Tree. The life aura in this enclosed space was so dense it practically liquefied, forming a faint golden mist that clung to the skin.
With the secret temporarily sealed away, Elder Xuan's determination to achieve a breakthrough to Limit Douluo flared into an all-consuming fire. It had become a sickness, a pathological craving that gnawed at his sanity.
He raised his hands, staring at his palms. The flesh had taken on an eerie, translucent quality, a direct result of forcibly absorbing the overwhelming energy of the Dragon Pill. He muttered to himself, his voice echoing off the golden walls.
"As long as I successfully break through to a Rank 99 Limit Douluo, I will be the only True God of Shrek Academy in ten thousand years. At that time, even if Bei Bei exposes me, even if the whole world knows I swallowed the Dragon Pill, what of it? In the face of absolute power, who would dare say a single word? Who would dare not follow my will?"
He dropped into a cross-legged position on the floor. The surrounding golden mist surged, rushing frantically into his body.
Behind his closed eyelids, he could already envision the future. He saw himself standing at the absolute pinnacle, capable of turning clouds into rain with a mere wave of his hand. He saw himself marching upon the Body Sect, completely wiping Du Busi and that wretched Liu Yuan from the face of the earth. Under his absolute domination, Shrek Academy would rise to rule the entire continent once more.
Hundreds of miles away, the atmosphere could not have been more different.
From Liu Yuan's perspective, after several grueling days of traveling day and night, their group finally returned safely to the towering, rugged mountain gate of the Body Sect in the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Outside the massive stone gates, the Elders who had stayed behind to guard the sect had already received the news. A grand welcoming party stood ready to greet them.
Du Busi strode at the very front of the returning group. His massive frame seemed to radiate an infectious, booming energy, his face glowing with unrestrained excitement. The results of this raid on Mingdu had clearly left him extremely satisfied.
The moment everyone filed into the grand discussion hall, they immediately began reporting their work and summarizing the battle results. The room quickly filled with the loud, boisterous voices of seasoned warriors.
"This time, we did not just smash Mingde Hall's North City energy hub into rubble. We also slaughtered several of their core Soul Engineers!"
Elder Zhang stood by the long wooden table, gesticulating wildly, his voice booming as he recounted the chaos to the stay-behind Elders.
"Most, this kid Liu Yuan achieved great merit! He infiltrated the first basement level entirely on his own, executed two Rank 8 Soul Engineers, and even emptied their secret library!"
A chorus of sharp gasps swept through the hall, immediately followed by a thunderous eruption of continuous cheers. Men slammed their fists against the table in approval.
Du Busi looked down at Liu Yuan, a wide, proud grin splitting his face. He gestured toward the youth. "Liu Yuan, take out that treasure you brought back to open everyone's eyes. This is meat we carved right out of Jing Hongchen's heart."
Liu Yuan's expression remained perfectly calm. He reached out, his fingers lightly brushing the surface of his Storage Ring under the gaze of dozens of expectant eyes.
A flash of silver light illuminated the room. With a heavy thud, the tightly sealed God-Sealing Platform materialized in the center of the table.
A faint, pulsing blue light emanated from the artifact. Even though the energy was suppressed by a thick lead box and multiple layers of complex sealing formations, a biting, extreme chill immediately bled into the air, making the surrounding Elders' skin sting. Frost began to creep across the polished wood of the table.
Elder Chen stepped forward, rubbing his arms against the sudden drop in temperature. He observed the glow for a moment before turning to Du Busi, his face splitting into a joyous smile.
"Sect Master, this aura cannot be wrong. It is definitely a high-quality, hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast embryo. It is truly a waste for this thing to be in the hands of those iron-playing fellows in the Sun Moon Empire. Why do we not leave this for Liu Yuan?"
Elder Chen turned back to the table, his eyes shining with anticipation. "When he reaches Level 60, with this hundred-thousand-year soul ring, his strength might be enough to directly contend with a Titled Douluo!"
"Yes! Our Liu Yuan has a Gold-tier Body Awakening. If his sixth ring is another hundred-thousand-year one, he truly will be the first of his kind in history!"
The surrounding Elders offered their congratulations one after another, their voices overlapping. In their minds, they clearly already regarded this priceless treasure as Liu Yuan's rightful possession.
Liu Yuan looked at everyone's excited expressions, but slowly shook his head.
He walked up to the God-Sealing Platform and placed a single finger against the transparent, icy shield. Deep within his eyes, a deep purple-gold light ignited. Under the piercing gaze of his Double Pupils, the ball of snow-white energy trapped within the platform revealed its true, restless nature, surging frantically against its invisible chains.
"Elders, I am afraid you have misunderstood." Liu Yuan raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the room. His tone became extremely serious, instantly snuffing out the celebratory mood.
"This is no ordinary hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast."
Hearing this, Du Busi's thick brow twitched slightly. "Oh? Liu Yuan, what did you discover?"
Liu Yuan stared at the faintly visible, infant-like form suspended inside the God-Sealing Platform. He spoke slowly, emphasizing every single word.
"Sealed inside is the leader of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North, and the true Dominator who has ruled the Far North for hundreds of thousands of years—the Snow Empress. Her cultivation is not a hundred thousand years, but nearly seven hundred thousand years. She is an Ice Heaven Snow Woman born of heaven and earth, and while attempting to transform into a human to cultivate again, she was ambushed and forcibly captured using the God-Sealing Platform."
The originally cheerful atmosphere in the grand hall instantly fell into a suffocating, dead silence. The crackle of the frost spreading across the table suddenly sounded deafening.
"Seven... seven hundred thousand years? The Snow Empress?"
Elder Zhang's voice became somewhat shrill due to pure shock. He stumbled half a step back, staring at the glowing blue box.
Although he knew the embryo was precious, he never in his wildest dreams imagined that it sealed a terrifying, mythical existence capable of standing on equal footing with Sect Master Du Busi.
Du Busi's expression also changed completely. The relaxed demeanor vanished, replaced by the hardened edge of a supreme predator. His emerald-green Double Pupils locked onto the God-Sealing Platform as he asked solemnly, "Liu Yuan, are you sure?"
Du Busi took a slow breath. "If it is the Snow Empress, then it is a bit tricky! At her peak, even I would have to avoid her edge."
Liu Yuan kept his hand resting near the frost-covered shield. He looked at that ball of snow-white energy, marveling at how pure and flawless it was, devoid of a single impurity. The purple-gold light in his eyes swirled even more intensely.
"I am very certain."
Liu Yuan finally pulled his hand back, his voice steady and pragmatic. "However, there is no need for everyone to worry. Although she is the Snow Empress, she is no longer at her peak."
He looked up, meeting Du Busi's grave stare with calm confidence. "So, right now, we hold the initiative."
"Even if we release her, with her Origin currently damaged, she will not be able to exert her full strength."
A faint, cold smile touched the corner of Liu Yuan's mouth. ", this is our Body Sect..."
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