A gentle mist floated above the surface of Sea God Lake, blending with the fresh, clean air. The lake's deep blue waters shimmered in pure, serene beauty, its calm surface rippling softly like delicate strands of silk. Across the shimmering expanse, faint figures could be seen striding directly over the water, their movements swift and purposeful as they made their way toward the Sea God Pavilion's main meeting hall.
Golden-hued trees lined the shores, their towering reflections mirrored in the lake's surface, casting long, graceful shadows that danced gently with the waves.
Inside the grand pavilion, Cai Yue'er's voice broke the calm.
"Yue Lao, everyone is here now — except we're still missing one important person."
At these words, Ya Li frowned faintly. She already knew.
Yun Ming had gone to rescue Gu You. But even though they had seen the news reports, even though the Federation had publicly confirmed the outcome, Ya Li couldn't help but worry — what if something else had gone wrong?
Before she could finish the thought, a tear in space split open before them.
"I'm back."
Yun Ming stepped calmly out of the void, his voice cool and steady.
All eyes in the room immediately turned toward him.
"Brother Yun!" Ya Li rose swiftly to her feet, her gaze lighting up with a mix of relief and excitement.
"Mm." Yun Ming gave her a faint, reassuring smile.
"What on earth happened out there? Why did you personally step in?"
The speaker was Long Yueye. Despite her age, her fiery temper remained as fierce as ever — though her body, weakened by old injuries, now seemed frailer and more delicate, making her appear older than many of the others present.
"It's a long story." Yun Ming turned toward her, his tone softening slightly. "Sister Yue, how's your injury?"
"Not great," Long Yueye replied with a wry, bitter smile. "But I'm not dead yet. I'm over two hundred years old — honestly, at this point, I just hope for a peaceful end."
She sighed softly. Once, she had been a genius among geniuses — a dual-extreme martial soul wielder, the Light Holy Dragon and Dark Holy Dragon. In her youth, she had been hailed as a prodigy on par with the first generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters. But now, as age wore her down, she could only look back on those days with complex, wordless emotions.
"Ah… Elder Chen…" Yun Ming trailed off, shaking his head. "Forget it. Let's focus. I'm sure everyone here is curious about why I left, right? Let me explain everything at once."
He settled into the seat at the head of the long table, with Long Yueye seated beside him — she was, after all, the Pavilion's vice master.
Ya Li and the mad old man both already knew some of the details, but now Yun Ming spoke for everyone to hear.
"You've all seen the news, right? The recent headlines about the so-called 'New Era Model Youth' — that boy is my acknowledged godson. On his recent journey, he encountered a powerful evil soul master, one approaching Limit Douluo-level strength. At the time, I had linked a sensor to him, and when I realized the danger he was in, I had no choice but to personally intervene."
What?!
An evil soul master at Limit Douluo level?
Everyone in the room froze.
The revelation that Gu You was Yun Ming's godson was shocking, yes — but what truly left them speechless was the level of threat he had faced.
An evil soul master at Limit Douluo strength was like a Level Eleven Soul Tool Bomb dangling over the Federation's head.
"Don't panic," Yun Ming said coolly, his tone even. "She's dead. I killed her."
The others finally let out shaky breaths, shoulders relaxing — but not Long Yueye.
Her face had turned pale.
She raised her head slowly, her eyes sweeping across the room.
"Do you all still remember… the King of the Underworld?" she asked quietly.
The room fell into heavy silence.
Everyone here knew.
How could they forget?
The King of the Underworld Douluo — a true genius among evil soul masters, a man chosen by the planar will itself. Back then, it had taken countless top experts working together, sacrificing nearly everything, just to bring him down.
Everyone in this room knew that history well.
A true Limit Douluo, half a step into godhood — an evil soul master of terrifying might.
"Yue Lao, has something happened?" asked Zhu Shi, frowning.
Long Yueye sighed deeply, her gaze darkening.
"Yesterday, I saw the Golden Tree transform into human form. It told me something — that the Plane's Master had intervened directly. And not just a small touch, but with overwhelming force. The soul power level of the entire Douluo Plane has dropped by one percent."
Gasps echoed across the room.
Yun Ming's face tensed, his expression growing grim.
Inside, his heart seethed with a fierce, bitter fury.
If what Gu You had told him was true, then right now, the Plane's Master was none other than Tang Hao — once the father of the Sea God, Tang San.
But Yun Ming couldn't understand it.
What was this so-called Plane's Master thinking?
How could they choose a representative of the planar will who turned out to be an evil soul master? How could they, without warning, strike directly at Gu You?
It was too cruel. Too venomous.
Inside Yun Ming's chest, a painful crack was beginning to spread.
His faith — the faith he had held firmly for thousands of years, the faith Shrek Academy itself was built on, the foundation of the Douluo Plane's hope — was starting to crumble.
But still, he clenched his fists.
He forced himself to hold on.
Because it wasn't just his faith.
It was the faith of the entire Douluo Plane.
Two thousand years of belief, two thousand years of tradition, two thousand years of legends — if they let go of that, if they gave up, Shrek's name, Shrek's honor, Shrek's very existence would vanish like smoke.
Yun Ming's heart twisted with inner turmoil.
What was right?
What was wrong?
For the first time in his long, powerful life… he no longer knew.
He no longer understood.
And that terrified him.
(End of Chapter)
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