Xuan Zi finished speaking, and a powerful force shot forward, arriving before Xu Tianyuan in the blink of an eye.
Xu Tianyuan hastily pulled down his mask, and light appeared across his full armor.
However, Xuan Zi's force did not possess much destructive power. It merely stirred up a strong wind that, after bypassing Xu Tianyuan, lifted the hood of another person behind him, revealing her face.
After seeing her appearance, Yan Shaozhe, who had ascended Shrek City's wall with Xuan Zi, subtly changed his expression. "You Evil Soul Masters are indeed all cloaked figures. How about it, do you still dare to speak as you did just now?"
Xu Tianyuan's mask was lifted again, but the expression on his face was much colder.
"I know Your Excellency comes from Shrek Academy, but does Shrek Academy truly have the strength to protect Shrek City under the Empire's artillery fire?"
"Your Majesty has long admired Shrek Academy. If Your Excellency can open the city gates, I swear by the Sun and Moon above my head that I will not encroach upon Shrek City in the slightest. After unifying the Douluo Continent, Shrek Academy will still be the continent's top academy."
"Furthermore, Mingde Hall's Soul Guidance Device technology will be shared without reservation with your esteemed academy. At that time, Shrek Academy might even far surpass its current scale."
Xuan Zi's gaze swept over the distant army. "I have to admit, your conditions are indeed good. Even an old man like me is a little tempted. It is just a pity that Shrek can never stand with people who resort to such unscrupulous means as the Sun Moon Empire."
"Even if we do not mention past grievances, from the moment you collaborated with Evil Soul Masters, Shrek and you have been irreconcilable."
"I understand."
Xu Tianyuan cupped his hands again, then turned and flew back toward the Sun Moon Empire's military camp.
"Elder Xuan, aren't you going to act?" a Shrek City guard officer beside him asked, puzzled.
"The Sun Moon Empire's two great Soul Master legions are aimed in this direction. Acting rashly would not only fail to keep them but would also give them an excuse," Xuan Zi sighed, the easygoing expression gone from his face. "Maintain vigilance."
With that, Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe rose into the air and flew toward Shrek Academy.
On Sea God Island, in a conference room, a long table was already filled with people. Representatives from the Three Great Empires and Shrek Academy were all gathered there.
Looking around, Princess Vina of the Tianhun Empire, Du Busi and Jin Peng of the Body Sect, Tianyang Douluo of the Douling Empire, Princess Xu Jiujiu of the Star Luo Empire, and even Wang Nan, who had previously been in Yu Ming City, were all seated.
As Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe walked in, the conference room immediately fell silent.
"Elder Xuan, how are things outside?" Vina was the first to lose her patience and ask.
Xuan Zi shook his head. "As we expected, the Sun Moon Empire's three major legions have all gathered. Led by the Imperial Dragon, Dreadclaw, and the Evil Monarch Soul Guidance Group that rushed from the border, they have established more than ten Soul Guidance Device positions. If these positions launch an attack simultaneously, even Shrek City cannot claim to block them all."
Vina's face turned pale upon hearing this.
Ever since Princess Xu Jiujiu received news of the Sun Moon Empire Emperor's demise, she had quickly surmised that the Sun Moon Empire's offensive would become even more frenzied. At this time, the Three Great Empires were united against a common enemy, and she did not hold back, informing the other Empires of this news.
However, even with preparations, and with Du Busi not yet fully recovered, they still could not withstand the Sun Moon Empire's assault.
Tianling City had fallen, and the Sun Moon Empire's next direction of attack was not hard to guess. Therefore, before the Sun Moon Empire arrived, the Three Great Empires had already sent people to Shrek Academy to discuss the war.
If even Shrek City could not stop the Sun Moon Empire, there would probably be no hope left. This place was already considered the final battlefield.
"How about we send a few top experts to assassinate Xu Tianran in the Sun Moon Empire?"
"No," Du Busi coughed lightly. "I already tried before. The defensive Soul Guidance Devices around Xu Tianran are very special. My attacks had no effect whatsoever. I am afraid even a Limit Douluo would not easily succeed."
"Not to mention, with the Sun Moon Empire's reconnaissance methods, our people would probably fall into their encirclement before even getting close."
At the mention of the Sun Moon Empire's reconnaissance Soul Guidance Devices, everyone else fell silent. After all, everyone present who had experienced the front lines had suffered losses in terms of reconnaissance.
"Even if we succeed in assassinating Xu Tianran, the Sun Moon Empire will not stop the war. Do not forget that the previous commander of the Sun Moon Empire is now the Empress of the Sun Moon Empire. Once she seeks revenge, the situation will likely be even more severe than before."
Wang Nan's gaze swept through the crowd, wanting to see who had just spoken. There was no shortage of intelligent people in this conference room, and his words were indeed correct. In Wang Nan's memory, after Xu Tianran's death, the Sun Moon Empire did not stop its expansion.
"But if even Shrek Academy has no solution, are we just going to wait for death?"
"Actually," Yan Shaozhe, who had been silent, spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "Shrek Academy possesses a means capable of annihilating a Sun Moon Empire Soul Master legion with a single blow."
As soon as these words were uttered, the entire conference room fell silent, and everyone's gaze turned toward Yan Shaozhe.
Even Wang Nan was no exception. He, of course, knew what Yan Shaozhe was referring to. The power he spoke of could even be called divine force, certainly enough to annihilate the Sun Moon Empire's army. He just had not expected Yan Shaozhe to bring up this matter.
Xuan Zi also looked at Yan Shaozhe upon hearing this.
"Elder Xuan, if Master were here, he would definitely not just want to protect Shrek Academy."
Xuan Zi fell silent. Outside the conference room, the gigantic Golden Tree swayed slightly, as if sighing, or perhaps smiling. He was relieved that his disciple had finally become the person he envisioned.
"Alright." After a long silence, Xuan Zi let out a deep sigh, and, ignoring the presence of outsiders, plopped down into a seat, pulled out a wine gourd, and took a big gulp.
A hint of eagerness appeared in the eyes of the others.
"Everyone, Shrek Academy does indeed have a means to repel the Sun Moon Empire, but it is a one-shot ability.
"Therefore, before that, we must find a way to maximize the effect of this single strike."
"Dean Yan means to lure the Sun Moon Empire into Shrek City?" Although not explicitly stated, everyone could more or less guess that the method Yan Shaozhe spoke of was likely related to Shrek Academy itself. Thus, only by luring the Sun Moon Empire into the city could it achieve its maximum effect.
"Exactly."
"How about Shrek City feigns defeat?" Although Princess Xu Jiujiu's cultivation was not high, her words still made everyone look at her.
"If Shrek City is breached by the Sun Moon Empire, they will naturally enter the city."