Correcting the form of address, Ning Fengzhi continued:
"In our world, after we learned of the history from Elder Xuan of Shrek Academy, we considered a way out—heading to Sea God Island to attempt to obtain the Sea God's inheritance. We hoped to cultivate a new deity to counter the Angelic God and the Rakshasa God of the Spirit Empire. However... the Spirit Empire moved too fast. Before we could act, we were besieged by their vast army, and in the end..."
He paused, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes, before his tone shifted to one of speculation:
"I am wondering, among those who traveled to our world, is it possible... that they obtained something from our world's Sea God Island? Perhaps... someone even inherited the Sea God's position? And then, they brought that power, or the person who inherited the divinity, back to your world?"
This hypothesis was like a bolt of lightning, instantly clearing some of the fog within the hearts of Ning Rongrong and Oscar.
"A Sea God inheritance from a parallel world?!"
Ning Rongrong cried out in a low voice. She exchanged another look with Oscar, both seeing the shock and gravity in each other's eyes.
If this hypothesis held true, then the Sea Abyss City might possess more than one Sea God.
One would be the Sea God who inherited the position from the parallel world, and the other would be the Sea God who obtained the position nurtured by the Holy Grail.
Furthermore, while a newly ascended deity usually required time to grow to fully match the status of their divine position, the blessing of the divinity itself was enough to grant them power far exceeding the mortal realm. They were not to be underestimated.
Oscar's expression grew several degrees more serious, but a sharp glint soon ignited in his eyes—a confidence accumulated over his long years in the Divine Realm.
"Mr. Ning's guess makes a lot of sense; it is indeed a possibility," Oscar said in a deep voice. An aura, vastly different from his usual gentle and joking demeanor, began to rise around him.
"However, even if Sea Abyss City might possess more than one God-level combatant, and even if the Lord of Extinction behind the Sun Moon Empire is rumored to be miraculous..."
A curve tilted the corner of his mouth—the pride of Oscar the God of Cooking, and more so, the pride of one of the Shrek Seven Devils who had once created miracles with his comrades.
"Rongrong and I aren't soft persimmons that anyone can just squeeze."
These words weren't born of blind arrogance.
In the Divine Realm, although they were only second-class deities—with Ning Rongrong being the support-type Nine-Colored Goddess and Oscar the support-type God of Cooking—they appeared on the surface to be ill-suited for combat.
But when had the Shrek Seven Devils ever been judged by common logic?
His sixth soul skill, the Mirror Image Sausage, had not been neglected after he achieved the status of the God of Cooking. Instead, under the nourishment of divine power and his deep understanding of the laws of "replication" and "mirrors," it had evolved into one of his strongest trump cards.
In the Divine Realm, he had once replicated Tang San's Asura Blood Sword—a divine skill belonging to the God of Asura.
Even if he could only exert less than sixty percent of its power due to the limitations of his divine power and divine body, sixty percent of that power was still the power of a God King.
As long as he unleashed that single sword strike, even a first-class deity would not be able to withstand it easily.
This was the source of his confidence.
The Asura Blood Sword, combined with the extreme amplification of the Nine-Colored Goddess, formed the ultimate guarantee for this "support duo" to challenge those above their rank and intimidate powerful enemies.
This was also a major reason why Tang San, after sensing the upheaval in the lower realm and even detecting an existence capable of destroying his divine sense clone, still chose to dispatch Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong, and the others to investigate.
He knew the true strength of his companions well.
Even if the Shrek Seven Devils seemed low-profile in the Divine Realm, each holding a second-class divine position, their potential, chemistry, and the unique methods they each mastered could never be fully summarized by their surface divine rank.
Therefore, Oscar had the confidence to take Ning Rongrong to investigate Sea Abyss City despite knowing it was not simple.
Ning Rongrong's mind was also completely settled. She stood up and addressed Ning Hongyue, Ning Fengzhi, and the others:
"Thank you all for providing this information. There is no time to lose; we will depart for Sea Abyss City immediately. For now, the sect should maintain the status quo. Do not publicize our movements."
With the decision made, two streaks of divine light quietly rose from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect once more, piercing the sky and heading toward Sea Abyss City in the Star Luo Empire.
At the same time Ning Rongrong and Oscar reached the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the God of War Dai Mubai and the Goddess of Speed Zhu Zhuqing had also entered the territory of the Star Luo Empire.
They did not go directly to Star Luo Imperial City. Instead, they chose to pass through towns and soul master gathering spots, quietly gathering information with their divine senses.
The changes wrought by ten thousand years far exceeded their imaginations.
What made them feel the transience of worldly affairs the most was the news regarding the change of imperial power in the Star Luo Empire.
"The Star Crown Clan... the Xu family..."
Dai Mubai stood by the window of a tavern, listening to several old soul masters conversing with sighs below. His brow furrowed slightly.
He learned that approximately several thousand years ago, the Star Luo Empire had encountered a major crisis that nearly led to its destruction. At that time, the White Tiger lineage ruling the empire had performed poorly in the war, suffering massive losses and leaving the empire in a precarious state.
In the end, it was the Star Crown Clan that stepped forward. Relying on their powerful support capabilities and political wisdom, they united various forces to turn the tide, stabilized the situation, and ultimately led the empire out of its predicament.
After the war, perhaps out of a deep sense of guilt and impotence, or perhaps out of an assessment of the situation, the White Tiger Emperor of that time made an astonishing decision—he voluntarily abdicated, yielding the throne to the meritorious Sect Master of the Star Crown Clan, who was the ancestor of the later Xu Jiawei lineage.
The White Tiger lineage then retreated to the rank of Dukes, still commanding the empire's most elite legions, but the imperial legitimacy had since belonged to the Star Crown Xu family.
"Retreating at the height of power to preserve vitality... that White Tiger Emperor was quite bold and clear-headed," Dai Mubai transmitted his voice to Zhu Zhuqing, his tone carrying a hint of admiration.
As a former prince of Star Luo, he knew well that changes in imperial power were often accompanied by bloody purges. For the White Tiger lineage to be able to yield the throne voluntarily and keep their ducal status and military power was a blessing among misfortunes, and it also showed the wisdom of the White Tiger Emperor.
A flash of understanding crossed Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes, and she nodded slightly:
"Knowing when to let go is the only way to endure. It was indeed the wisest choice."
She held no obsession with power and could view it objectively.
However, the subsequent news caused the moods of these two deities to turn heavy abruptly.
They heard the recent battle reports—the disastrous defeat at the Mingdou Mountain Range. The Northwest Army Corps was nearly wiped out, the contemporary Duke of White Tiger Dai Hao was suspected to be dead or missing, and his eldest son and heir to the Duke title, Dai Yueheng, was confirmed killed in action.
Even earlier, the second son, Dai Huabin, had perished in the Sun Moon Empire.
The White Tiger Duke lineage, which had been prominent for ten thousand years, saw its direct bloodline wither to such an extent that only a youngest son, said to be of mediocre talent, remained—Dai Luoli.
The once empire-shaking White Tiger Duke's Mansion was now swaying in the storm, existing in name only.
"My Dai family has actually withered to this point."
Within Dai Mubai's double pupils, a brilliant golden light flashed and vanished as an indescribable emotion surged into his heart.
Even if they were not his direct descendants, they were of the same bloodline—the continuation of the White Tiger martial soul in this world. Despite being separated by ten thousand years and having no personal connection, hearing of such a miserable end for those of the same blood caused waves to rise in his heart as their ancestor.
Zhu Zhuqing gently took his hand, silently offering her comfort.
"To the White Tiger Duke's Mansion," Dai Mubai said in a deep voice, changing his original plan to investigate Star Luo City.
He wanted to see what kind of life that last remaining bloodline—the youth carrying the final glory of the Dai surname—was living now.
Star Luo City, the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
The bustling scenes of the past, with carriages and crowds at the gates, were long gone.
The grand gates of the mansion were tightly shut, and the White Tiger relief on the doors seemed to have lost its former majesty, appearing somewhat dull.
The interior of the mansion was filled with a sense of desolation and coldness. Servants were few, and they walked with great caution, fearing to anger the dejected new master of the house.
In the back garden, a young man wearing the luxurious ceremonial robes of a Duke—which looked completely out of place on him—sat alone on a stone bench.
Several jars of wine sat before him, more than half of them already empty.
He was the new Duke of White Tiger—Dai Luoli.
Dai Luoli's appearance was decent enough, having inherited the signature blond hair of the Dai family, but his eyes lacked sharpness. Instead, they were filled with confusion, despondency, and a deep sense of helplessness.
He grabbed a wine jar and took another large gulp. The spicy liquid burned his throat, but it couldn't burn away the haze in his heart.
"Duke... Heh, Duke of White Tiger..." He laughed at himself in a low, raspy voice. "Am I worthy?"
He had never imagined this position would fall onto his head.
Before him, there was his brilliant eldest brother Dai Yueheng, who carried their father's high hopes, and his second brother Dai Huabin, who was eccentric but equally talented and pampered by the Duchess.
He, Dai Luoli, was merely the youngest son with ordinary talent and a personality that wasn't strong enough. He had been ignored since childhood. His greatest wish was simply to live a peaceful life, ideally becoming an honorable imperial officer guarding the borders like his father, even if only as a small squad leader.
However, fate had played a cruel joke on him.
His second brother died mysteriously in the Sun Moon Empire, and his eldest brother and father perished one after another in the Mingdou Mountain Range.
When the bad news arrived, he felt as if the sky had collapsed and the world had turned grey.
Before he could even recover, the Emperor's decree arrived. Under the forceful push of Xu Jiawei and the complex gazes of some veteran officials, he was hoisted into this scorching seat of the Duke of White Tiger.
He knew he didn't have the ability.
A Soul Ancestor who had just broken through to the fourth ring was merely a lower-middle-ranking officer in the army. By what virtue or ability could he command the Empire's former number one military family? What right did he have to sit in this position that countless people coveted and that carried the expectations of so many?
"Father... Brother... what should I do?"
Dai Luoli gazed at the sky with blurred vision, as if trying to see Dai Hao's grand and steadfast figure within the clouds. He worshipped his father and stood in awe of his eldest brother, but now they were both gone, leaving behind a massive void he couldn't possibly fill, and a crumbling mansion filled with internal and external troubles.
He wasn't an idiot.
As he calmed down, he could sense many things that weren't right about this war.
Why were the Sun Moon Empire's attacks—especially the later pursuits and encirclements—so precisely targeted at the generals and soul masters of the White Tiger faction? Why did those loyal and powerful elders under his father's command perish one after another, as if being deliberately erased by an invisible hand?
The only explanation he could think of was that the Sun Moon Empire harbored bone-deep hatred for the Duke of White Tiger, who had fought them for decades and caused them massive losses, so they were willing to pay any price to wipe them out completely.
This thought made him shudder and caused his hatred for the Sun Moon Empire to sink into his very marrow.
He did not know that Ju Zi was the one manipulating everything behind the scenes.
For personal vengeance, and to clear the greatest internal obstacles and potential opposition within the Star Luo Empire for the Lu Jingming she truly served, she had utilized the power of the Sun Moon Empire to meticulously plan the systematic purge of the core strength of the White Tiger lineage.
Now that her great revenge was settled, she had "retired after success," but this left Dai Luoli with an unmanageable mess and a mystery.
As for the Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei, his feelings were equally complex as he protected Dai Luoli and even forced him onto the Duke's seat.
On one hand, it was guilt and compensation toward his sworn brother Dai Hao—he had, after all, "borrowed a knife to kill," exploiting Dai Hao's loyalty. On the other hand, Dai Luoli's mediocre talent, weak personality, and lack of ambition made him the ideal candidate.
Retaining the title of Duke of White Tiger could appease some of the old forces and demonstrate the Emperor's vast benevolence. Meanwhile, an incompetent Duke would pose no threat to imperial power and would preserve a thread of the Dai family bloodline. This was both a calculation and one of the few comforts Xu Jiawei could find for his conscience.
Dai Luoli didn't understand these twists and turns. He only felt heaviness, loneliness, and fear. The glory and responsibility of the Duke of White Tiger were like a massive mountain pressing down on his young shoulders, nearly crushing him.
The alcohol surged, and his vision blurred. He slumped over the cold stone table, unconsciously murmuring:
"I don't want to be the Duke... I don't want to... Father... take me away..."
The back garden of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion was desolate and quiet, save for the rustling of the wind through withered vines and the suppressed, boozy sobs and murmurs of the young Duke by the stone table.
Dai Luoli lay on the cold stone table, his consciousness drifting between the numbness of alcohol and the pain of reality.
He could not see that, within the heavy shadows of the ancient giant tree in the corner of the garden, a figure in black robes—almost blending into the darkness—had been standing silently for a long time.
Through the slit of his hood, Huo Yuhao watched this half-brother with a complex gaze.
The killing intent, hatred, and pleasure of revenge in his heart had long since turned hollow following Dai Hao's suicide. What surged up now was actually a trace of guilt.
He remembered his childhood in that cold, oppressive, and malicious backyard of the Duke's Mansion. The only ones who had given him and his mother scraps of warmth and protection were Dai Luoli's mother—who was of low status and had a gentle, timid personality—and Dai Luoli himself, who was then just an ignorant child who would secretly slip him a piece of cake and call him "Brother."
Dai Luoli and his mother were among the few bright spots in his dismal childhood
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I have caught up with the author's current pace. From now on, I will be posting one chapter per day. However, if the author releases extra chapters, I will continue with two chapters a day to keep up. Thank you for your patience and support!