"You little beast, I'll kill you!" Old Tang's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, his face flushed with anger, and thick veins bulged on his forehead. He roared at Zhu Ziyang, his voice hoarse, clearly choked with rage.
"Hmph!" Zhu Ziyang was unfazed by Old Tang's threat. He swung his hand again, delivering a solid slap to Old Tang's face. He said, "Behave yourself!"
"You, you, you..." Old Tang was completely bewildered. He never expected Zhu Ziyang to slap him again, and more importantly, Zhu Ziyang's attitude was as if he was toying with a child. He had never suffered such humiliation. His eyes were bloodshot, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he was so overcome with anger that he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.
"He fainted just like that?" Zhu Ziyang was a little surprised. Looking at the old man who had gone limp in his hand like a dead dog, he felt bored. He loosened his grip and threw him towards the Titan Giant Ape.
The Titan Giant Ape quickly caught Old Tang, his eyes filled with anxiety as if his own father had died, checking Old Tang's injuries. Only when he found that he had merely fainted did he let out a heavy sigh of relief. He looked up at Zhu Ziyang, his eyes full of anger, and roared, "Is your Shrek Academy really prepared to fall out with our Clear Sky Sect?"
"Huh?" Zhu Ziyang was so amused by the Titan Giant Ape's questioning that he laughed. He retorted, "Are you kidding me? It was your Clear Sky Sect that first injured our Shrek Academy's elder, not the other way around! Please be clear, it was your Clear Sky Sect that fell out with our Shrek Academy!
What? Do you think our Shrek Academy shouldn't just overlook your injuring Elder Xuan, but should also apologize to you?"
"..." The Titan Giant Ape was momentarily at a loss for words, but he did indeed think so, and the expression on his face showed his thoughts. He said, "Aren't you afraid of Sea God's wrath? You know, Sea God's surname is Tang!"
"Because Sea God's surname is Tang, our Shrek Academy should worship the Clear Sky Sect?" Zhu Ziyang sneered, saying, "How ridiculous. Even if Sea God's surname was Qian, he would still be a student of Shrek Academy. Could it be that he would betray his teachers and ancestors? Hmph!"
"You..." The Titan Giant Ape was speechless, only able to stare blankly at Zhu Ziyang. What Zhu Ziyang said was too disrespectful, but he was helpless. The strength Zhu Ziyang displayed showed that he was no match for him. This World, after all, still respected strength. Even if his backer was Sea God, distant water couldn't quench a nearby fire, so it was better to back down when necessary.
"I ask you, is Xiao Xiao in your Clear Sky Sect?" Zhu Ziyang saw that the Titan Giant Ape had fallen silent, knowing that he had probably chosen to yield, so he asked.
"She left Clear Sky Fortress a month or two ago." The Titan Giant Ape was expressionless, but a strange light flickered in his eyes as he answered Zhu Ziyang's question.
"Left?" Huo Yuhao, who had been quiet for a long time, immediately pressed, "Are you saying Xiao Xiao woke up? Is that right?"
"Mhm!" The Titan Giant Ape nodded silently.
"Then do you know where she went? Why didn't she return to the Academy?" Huo Yuhao was very anxious and confused, he asked.
The Titan Giant Ape did not answer, remaining silent. Zhu Ziyang, seeing this, immediately let out a cold snort. The Titan Giant Ape flinched at the sound and immediately replied, "I don't know either. She said she wanted to travel the continent. At this time, I'm not sure where she would be."
"I see." Huo Yuhao still had considerable concerns and doubts in his heart, but the joy on his face was visibly growing. Regardless, he now knew that Xiao Xiao had awakened and could even travel the continent. This indicated that Xiao Xiao's physical condition was at least good.
"What about Wang Dong'er?" Zhu Ziyang, however, felt a hint of something strange. He inquired.
"Dong... Dong'er..." The Titan Giant Ape paused, a hint of sadness clearly flashed deep in his eyes, but his face remained calm. He replied, "She should be with Xiao Xiao."
"Is that so?" Zhu Ziyang looked deeply at the Titan Giant Ape. He clearly sensed that the Titan Giant Ape's words had a hidden meaning; at the very least, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong'er's condition would not be as good as Huo Yuhao thought. However, he did not pursue it further, as there was no need. He said, "I hope you haven't lied to us, Yu Hao, let's go!"
"Mhm mhm!" Huo Yuhao was overjoyed at this moment; at least he had received news of Xiao Xiao, at least he knew that Xiao Xiao was alive.
Zhu Ziyang took Huo Yuhao and leaped, leaving Clear Sky Fortress. The Titan Giant Ape watched Zhu Ziyang leave and finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, just as he was about to pat his chest to calm himself down, Zhu Ziyang's warning came to his ears.
"After that old fellow wakes up, tell him to keep a low profile from now on and not be so arrogant anymore! Oh, and you too, don't go looking for trouble again, or that green snake will be your fate!"
The Titan Giant Ape's body suddenly stiffened, and a huge wave of sorrow surged in his heart.
Their gaze returned to Zhu Ziyang and Huo Yuhao. They had already reached the foot of the mountain. Huo Yuhao was radiating excitement and joy. He said to Zhu Ziyang, "Senior Brother, this is great, this is great, Xiao Xiao is alive! I want to go find her!"
"Yu Hao, I advise you not to be so optimistic." Zhu Ziyang looked at the excited Huo Yuhao. Although he didn't want to dampen his spirits, he still warned, "This matter is full of strangeness."
"..." Huo Yuhao's excitement visibly cooled down. He became much calmer and said, "Senior Brother, do you mean that person was lying to us?"
"It's hard to say." Zhu Ziyang shook his head and analyzed, "I actually hope he was lying to us, but if what he said is true, then things will be troublesome."
"This..." Huo Yuhao's expression was a little numb. He understood Zhu Ziyang's meaning and felt a surge of panic in his heart. "Senior Brother, this..."
"If everything that person said is true, then we should consider why Xiao Xiao, after waking up, didn't return to the Academy immediately but instead chose to travel the continent." Zhu Ziyang analyzed, "There are only two possibilities. The first possibility is that Xiao Xiao suffered amnesia and doesn't remember what happened before, which is why she didn't return to the Academy immediately."
"The second possibility is that she was controlled by Sea God!" Huo Yuhao continued Zhu Ziyang's words, his face extremely grim. After all he had been through, if he couldn't even see through this, he would be too foolish.
"I hope it's the first one!" Zhu Ziyang said with a sense of helplessness.
"Senior Brother, I want to go find Xiao Xiao!" Huo Yuhao expressed this desire again. He now urgently wanted to find Xiao Xiao and see what tricks that Sea God was trying to play!
"No need." Zhu Ziyang, however, shook his head and refused his request. He said, "Since Sea God's target is you, then he will definitely make Xiao Xiao appear before you herself. So there's no need for you to go looking for her; it would be better to wait at the Academy."
"That makes sense!" Huo Yuhao's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. He said, "Alright then, I'll wait at the Academy!"
After returning to Shrek Academy, Zhu Ziyang began his final preparations before inheriting the God Position of Death.
He gave Fifth Huan'er two bottles of Source Golden Pill liquid, telling her to use one herself and give the other to Ma Xiaotao. Then he found Xian Lin'er, Cai Meier, and Elder Lin, three elders, and entrusted them with the Academy's affairs after he went into seclusion. The three elders were overjoyed to hear that Zhu Ziyang was about to take that final step, and they all assured him that they would take good care of the Academy's matters.
Zhu Ziyang met Huo Yuhao again, also giving him a bottle of Source Golden Pill liquid, and told him that he would be going into seclusion for a period. He warned him not to act impulsively in any situation and to always consult Xian Lin'er and the others. Huo Yuhao earnestly agreed.
Then Zhu Ziyang left the Academy and found Qian Lingyi, who was traveling the continent. Qian Lingyi had been traveling for two years, and her cultivation had surprisingly reached the realm of a Titled Douluo. She was now only one spirit ring away from becoming a true Titled Douluo. Zhu Ziyang then accompanied Qian Lingyi to hunt for her ninth spirit ring. Within the Sun Moon Empire, they found a 100,000-year-old Sun Worm Emperor. Through physical means, he persuaded it to become Qian Lingyi's Soul Spirit, after which Qian Lingyi's cultivation soared to level 94, which was quite exaggerated.
Zhu Ziyang informed Qian Lingyi that he was preparing to go into seclusion to accept the God Position inheritance and asked her what she planned to do next. Qian Lingyi's answer was straightforward: to continue traveling the continent and eliminate Evil Soul Masters. Zhu Ziyang was not surprised by Qian Lingyi's answer. Thus, after leaving Qian Lingyi a bottle of Source Golden Pill liquid, he parted ways with her.
For the last period of time, Zhu Ziyang came to Mingdu. After staying in the Mingdu Imperial Palace for several days, he returned to Shrek Academy's Tian Yuan Pavilion.
All matters were arranged, taking exactly one month. His state of mind was now as calm as still water. With a thought, he vanished from the Tian Yuan Pavilion.