Douling Empire, within the grand hall!
A soldier responsible for conveying information hurriedly burst in...
Seeing this, the other Daijins cast their denying and angry glances, rebuking, "How bold, to barge into the Imperial Palace Great Hall like this, do you know the consequences?"
Upon hearing this, the soldier "plop" fell to his knees, looking at Xue Yuntian on the throne in fear, "Your Majesty, I did not do it on purpose, but there is an urgent matter to report!"
Xue Yuntian, upon hearing this, spoke indifferently, "An urgent report? I hope you have a reasonable explanation!"
The soldier swallowed and then meticulously reported, "Your... Your Majesty, according to the information received not long ago, Shrek Academy has secretly dispatched dozens of Soul Sages and above to Lingbo City, and..."
Xue Yuntian's eyes sharpened as he questioned, "And what? Speak!"
The soldier continued, "And... they have completely destroyed the Spirit Transmission Tower Branch, most of its members were massacred!!"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Daijins widened their eyes in shock, exclaiming, "What? Has Shrek Academy gone mad? They dare to strike at the Spirit Transmission Tower Branch within our Douling Empire!"
"Damn it, could it be that someone else is using Shrek Academy's name to provoke a war!"
"Impossible, Shrek Academy has always advocated for peace, there must be another explanation!"
Seeing this, Xue Yuntian interrupted their discussion, "Silence! Shrek Academy has always been neutral, they definitely wouldn't do such a thing without reason!"
After all, Shrek Academy had just recently helped the Douling Empire alleviate its relationship with the Spirit Pagoda!
At that moment, one of the Daijins took a deep breath, "Your Majesty, I once heard a rumor that the entire Lingbo City, from top to bottom, has been controlled by the Spirit Transmission Tower Branch, and moreover, they are involved with the Holy Spirit Cult's Evil Soul Master!"
"Could it be that Shrek Academy took such action to eliminate these evil Soul Masters?"
Xue Yuntian propped up his chin, pondering for a moment, then nodded, "It's very likely!"
After a pause, he commanded, "Now, immediately dispatch someone to investigate the situation within the Spirit Transmission Tower Branch in Lingbo City! If it's true, absolve the involved Shrek Members from blame!"
"Otherwise, we'll demand an explanation from Shrek Academy. The Douling Empire is not to be insulted by just anyone!"
All Daijins bowed their heads in unison, declaring, "Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
...
After withdrawing from the Douling Empire and returning to Shrek Academy...
Tang Wulin locked himself in his room, sitting blankly on the bed, lost in thought...
"I never imagined, Sea God Tang San is my biological father, but why did they abandon me in the Lower Realm? What exactly happened in the Divine Realm..."
"Could my Golden Dragon King's bloodline also have been sealed by him deliberately?"
"And Mother, her soul taken to the Divine Realm, can her body truly be reconstructed?"
"Even the Pavilion Master, so powerful, has not become a god, do I, really possess such a talent?"
All these questions swirled incessantly in his mind, nearly collapsing his spiritual power...
At the same time, a steady knocking sound came from outside the door. "Knock knock knock!"
Tang Wulin immediately awakened from his pondering and sighed, "Is that you, Gu Yue? Come in."
As he spoke, Gu Yue pushed open the door and walked in, her worry plainly visible on her face...
After sitting down beside Tang Wulin, she asked, "Wulin, ever since you returned from the Spirit Transmission Tower Branch, your whole demeanor has been very strange. Can you tell me why?"
Tang Wulin forced a smile, "Gu Yue, I'm really okay. It's just that too many things have happened lately, and with Mother's death, it's hard to come to terms with it all at once!"
Who would have known that Gu Yue was utterly serious as she gazed directly into his light blue pupils, "Wulin, you can deceive everyone, but you can't deceive me. If it was just Aunt's death, you definitely wouldn't be as dispirited as you are now. Is there another reason?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin's smile gradually turned bitter, "Gu Yue, there are times when I truly wish you didn't understand me so well!"
Gu Yue didn't urge him, but gently coaxed, "Can you tell me about it?"
Tang Wulin took a deep breath and lamented, "Gu Yue, if you had lived with your parents for so long, then suddenly found out that your biological parents were someone else, and that they were people you absolutely wouldn't expect, what would you do?"
A flicker of astonishment crossed Gu Yue's eyes, "Wulin, are you implying that..."
Tang Wulin gave a confirming answer, "That's right, my biological parents are indeed others!"
Gu Yue pressed further, "Then do you know who they are?"
Tang Wulin nodded slightly, "Yes, but even if I reveal their identities, no one would believe it!"
Gu Yue pursed her lips and gave him a complicated look, "So that's it. This is the reason you've been acting so strangely these past few days..."
But then Tang Wulin suddenly showed a smile again, "Despite this, I've received some good news. Mom hasn't truly passed away, she's just continuing to live in a different way!"
Gu Yue was stunned all at once, "Wulin..."
In her eyes, this was just Tang Wulin consoling himself!
As if having unburdened his troubles, Tang Wulin chuckled, "Gu Yue, I want to be alone for a bit. Also, please tell everyone that I'm alright and ask them not to worry about me!"
Knowing that he needed some time alone, Gu Yue softly affirmed with an "Mm..."
...
Inside the Sea God's Pavilion!
Yuan En Zhentian stood up from his seat and declared word by word, "Due to my mistake, this operation nearly cost the children's lives!"
"For this, I request to resign from my position as an Elder of the Sea God Pavilion!"
Long Yeyue's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Elder Yuan'en, what are you talking about! You cannot be entirely blamed for this operation!"
Turbid World also spoke up, "That's right, under such circumstances, it's normal to have one's judgment affected by the threat of the evil Soul Master. There's no need to be so hard on yourself!"
Feng Wu Yu stood up beside him and patted his shoulder, "Yes, Elder Yuan'en must have been worried about the children as well. Resigning as an Elder of the Sea God Pavilion is too severe a punishment!"
Ya Li was taken aback as well, she had only wanted Yuan En Zhentian to give an explanation, but never expected that he would choose to give up his position as an Elder of the Sea God Pavilion!
She immediately offered comfort, "Elder Yuan'en, there's no need for this. When I said to give an explanation, I only meant..."
Yuan En Zhentian stroked his beard and refuted, "Elder Ya'li, this has nothing to do with you, it's a choice I made after much consideration."
"If something had happened to the children, it would have affected the future of the entire Shrek Academy! I would also become a sinner!"
"Now, merely losing the position of Elder of the Sea God Pavilion is already a great forgiveness for me!"
Tang Yinmeng and Lan Muzi exchanged glances, then spoke in turn, "I think we should go along with what Elder Yuan'en has said. Surely without doing so, he would still feel uneasy."
"I agree too, even if Yuan En Zhentian resigns as an Elder of the Sea God Pavilion, he is still a respected elder to us all!"
...
...
...