It wasn't just the Sky Kunpeng Douluo. The Giant Mallet Douluo, Giant Hammer Douluo, and Star Shatterer Douluo, who had accompanied him and were all renowned Titled Douluo within the Star Luo Empire, now felt as if they had been struck by a massive hammer. The color drained from their faces, their pupils violently contracted, and they sank into a state of extreme shock and stupor.
The scene before them, which defied all comprehension and resembled the apocalypse, clearly told them a cruel truth: they were late, and they were utterly late.
They had rushed here with the elite Soul Master military corps of their nation under the express command of the Star Luo Emperor, Xu Jiawei, to reinforce Shrek Academy. The distress call, transmitted through Shrek Academy's highest-level communication Soul Tool, clearly stated that the Beast Tide was of unprecedented scale, and Shrek City was in imminent danger. Given the extreme urgency, Sky Kunpeng Douluo had taken the lead with a few Titled Douluo experts, while the main Soul Master army marched at full speed behind.
However... who could have imagined that after rushing so desperately, this was the sight that greeted them?
Where was Shrek City?
Where was the academy with its ten thousand years of legacy?
Where was the mighty city hailed as the continent's number one?
Had they all been... obliterated?!
Just as Sky Kunpeng Douluo and the others were reeling in shock, unable to accept reality, several more powerful auras rapidly approached from the distance. This immediately raised the Star Luo Titled Douluo's alert. They instantly snapped out of their stupor, their Soul Power subconsciously surging as they cautiously looked over.
But upon recognizing the newcomers, Sky Kunpeng Douluo and the others slightly relaxed their taut nerves, though the grimness on their faces did not lessen. The arrivals were not enemies, but acquaintances: the Imperial Enforcers of the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Chief Imperial Enforcer of the Dou Spirit Empire, the Level 97 Super DouluoSun Douluo and others.
As the Chief Imperial Enforcer of the Star Luo Empire, Sky Kunpeng Douluo had dealt with the top powerhouses of the Heavenly Soul and Dou Spirit Empires for decades; they were all very familiar with one another.
"Sky Kunpeng, you arrived first. What... what exactly happened here?! Where is Shrek City?! Where is the Beast Tide?!"
A tall, gaunt Titled Douluo from the Heavenly Soul Empire, whose aura was somewhat sinister, immediately peppered Sky Kunpeng Douluo with anxious questions the moment he stabilized his footing. His voice was filled with shock and bewilderment. His gaze swept over the terrifying abyss below and then to the empty sky and land around them. Where was any sign of a Beast Tide? There was only deathly silence and the aftermath of destruction.
Although Shrek Academy was nominally located within the Heavenly Soul Empire, it was functionally an autonomous city-state due to its special status and geographic location. The Great Star Dou Forest was situated in the center of the continent, precisely at the border junction of the original Douluo Three Kingdoms: Heavenly Soul, Star Luo, and Dou Spirit. Shrek City, built to guard the entrance to the Great Star Dou Forest, was also situated at this three-way junction. In terms of straight-line distance, rushing to Shrek City from the Heavenly Soul Empire's capital, Heaven Dou City, and the Dou Spirit Empire's capital, Spirit Dou City, was slightly further than from the Star Luo Empire's capital, Star Luo City. This was why the Star Luo Empire's Sky Kunpeng Douluo and his group were able to arrive first.
When Shrek Academy sent out its distress call, it was sent simultaneously to all three empires. Upon receiving the plea, the three empires dispatched the strongest lineups they could currently muster without hesitation. Led by their top Titled Douluo, they rushed to aid the city, fully aware of the dire consequences should Shrek City fall.
Yet, even the fastest-reacting and nearest-arriving Star Luo reinforcement, despite their best efforts, was still... too late.
Sky Kunpeng Douluo, Elder Song, looked grim, his face so dark it could practically drip water. He slowly shook his head, his voice dry and heavy: "Sun Douluo, don't ask me... We just arrived and saw... this."
He pointed a trembling arm toward the all-consuming, pitch-black abyss below.
"We are just as ignorant as you are about what happened here. Shrek City... has completely vanished... from the map!"
"Hiss—!"
Nearly all the Titled Douluo inhaled a collective, sharp breath upon clearly seeing the hellish details of the scene below, a chill running straight up their spines. They were all powerhouses at the top of the continent, seasoned by countless storms and knowledgeable, believing their wills to be as hard as iron. However, this scene of utter stillness and nothingness, as if struck by divine punishment, was unlike anything they had ever witnessed or could even imagine.
"These... are the remains of Soul Beasts, and the number is terrifying..."
Elder Song's voice was dry. He exchanged a look with Sun Douluo, both seeing immense gravity in the other's eyes. The two chief enforcers took the lead, cautiously guiding the group down from the air. They gingerly investigated the bottomless abyss, which reeked of ill omen, and the surrounding scorched earth, which seemed to have been drained of all life by some power, leaving it utterly lifeless.
In the wreckage-filled scene, they saw not only scattered, charred human remains, too broken to recognize, but also a staggeringly high number of Soul Beast corpses that made their scalps tingle. These Soul Beast remains varied in form, ranging from ten-year, hundred-year, to ten-thousand-year beasts. Most were fragmented, scorched, or in bizarre states after being eroded by some horrific energy. Their total number far exceeded the traces of human remains that survived.
"The Beast Tide definitely happened, but judging by the distribution and state of these corpses, the Soul Beast army... also suffered catastrophic losses, perhaps even more severe than the human side."
Sun Douluo squatted down, touching the vitrified ground with his fingertip. The residual heat and destructive aura made him frown deeply. In addition to the immense confusion and bone-deep fear, a thought that he had been forcefully suppressing, one that absolutely should not appear at this moment, surprisingly began to sprout.
It was a secret, unspeakable feeling of... relief, perhaps even joy?
It wasn't just Sun Douluo. The few Titled Douluo belonging to the Heavenly Soul Empire, while maintaining expressions of shock and grief on the surface, revealed a similar complex sentiment in the fleeting exchange of glances—a complexity identical to Sun Douluo's inner turmoil. After confirming that Shrek City was truly annihilated and that the "state within a state" that had hung over the Heavenly Soul Empire for thousands of years had completely vanished, a feeling of uncontrollable relief quietly took root.
Sky Kunpeng Douluo stood silently at the edge of the abyss, the strong wind tousling his gray hair and beard. He could not deny that, after the initial shock subsided, a complex sense of ease, one that made him feel a little ashamed, also spread within him.
As the Chief Imperial Enforcer of the Star Luo Empire, he had to prioritize the empire's interests. For the three empires, the existence of Shrek City had always been special and delicate. It belonged to none of them, yet, thanks to its transcendent strength and ten thousand years of accumulated prestige, it subtly stood above all three. This was particularly true for the Heavenly Soul Empire, where Shrek City was nominally located. Yet, when had the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family ever dared to dictate terms to the city? It was not a subject city, but a de facto Grand Emperor that needed to be cautiously revered!
For any empire, having a massive, completely uncontrollable power within its core territory—one that could even influence imperial decisions—was like a bone stuck in the throat, causing constant unrest.
In the past, constrained by Shrek Academy's unfathomable heritage, the terrifying strength of the Sea God Pavilion, and its vast, influential network of graduates across the continent, the three empires could only silently accept its transcendent status. Even when the Shrek Surveillance Corps, under the academy's command, often judged and even executed nobles who committed crimes without going through the imperial judicial process, the Imperial Families of the three empires usually had to bite the bullet and accept it. After all, Shrek Academy was powerful, always held the moral high ground of justice, and commanded countless supporters among the populace. Furthermore, in fairness, the nobles they dealt with were indeed guilty and deserved to die.
However, principle is one thing; politics is another.
One must look at the owner before hitting the dog. If you kill someone's pet—even a vicious one—without their consent, would the owner genuinely be happy about it? What they felt more was the humiliation and fear of having their authority challenged and their majesty infringed upon.
Therefore, while the three empires publicly maintained an attitude of respect and cooperation toward Shrek Academy, the hidden vigilance and dissatisfaction were an open secret among them. The unwritten rule that core children of the three Imperial Families were almost never allowed to study at Shrek Academy was a clear testament to this.
They were guarding against it.
Guarding against Shrek Academy's frightening influence penetrating the core of the Imperial Family. They were keenly aware that those who graduated from Shrek Academy, no matter what position they ultimately held, often possessed a deep sense of belonging and identity with the academy. That Shrek Glory was practically etched into their souls.
Four thousand years ago, during the Holy War against the Sun Moon Empire that determined the continent's fate, Shrek Academy rallied the continent, and the world responded. That terrifying call-to-action—"A single piercing arrow into the clouds, and a thousand armies rush to answer"—remained unforgettable to the rulers of the three empires. That terrifying cohesion, which transcended nation and royal authority, was a potential threat that no ruler dared to ignore.
It was from that time that the Imperial Families of the three empires tacitly agreed never to send their most core children to Shrek Academy. They could cooperate and rely on its strength, but they absolutely could not allow its influence to directly touch the core seat of imperial power.
Now, this immense mountain that had weighed on their hearts for ten thousand years... seemed to have suddenly vanished.
"It can be confirmed... Shrek City has been completely annihilated."
Sky Kunpeng Douluo, Song Ying's, voice was heavy. He slowly straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the colossal abyss, which looked like a gateway to hell, and finally settling on the now-empty spot where the Golden Tree had once stood.
"Even the Golden Ancient Tree that symbolized Shrek's foundation... is gone."
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