Word Count: 3,280 Words
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Sun Moon Empire. Imperial Palace.
"Trash! Trash! A pack of useless trash!
Good, let them die! Every last one of them can go to hell!"
Within the resplendent, opulent palace hall, Sun Moon Emperor Xu Tianran sat in his wheelchair and tore the blood-soaked dispatches from the front lines into a storm of fluttering scraps.
His fury reduced every maid and eunuch to silent terror. They softened their breathing to nothing, dreading that a single misstep would make them the next target of this doomed emperor's wrath.
The Sun Moon Empire's three great armies had been all but annihilated, with only a scattering of broken stragglers escaping alive. The expeditionary force War Empress Ju Zi had led against Star Luo fared worst of all, leaving behind a lone survivor: Illustrious Virtue Hall Master Jing Hongchen.
The first thing Jing Hongchen did upon returning to Mingdu was drag his gravely wounded body before Xu Tianran and personally confess his guilt. Midway through his account, he bitterly denounced the Star Luo Empire for hoarding an Ultimate Poison and resorting to such despicable means to slaughter six hundred thousand Sun Moon soldiers.
With morale already in ruins, the Angel Empire's reinforcements had launched a surprise assault. Silver Moon Douluo Kong Deming proved no match for Holy Evil Douluo Ling Bai, and Ju Zi perished alongside two of the empire's Hand that Protects the Nation Spirit Guidance Legions.
By Jing Hongchen's own account, once he realized the defeat could no longer be salvaged, he decisively deployed a newly developed Spirit Guidance Device from Illustrious Virtue Hall to conceal himself. He remained hidden until the Angel Empire withdrew, then quietly slipped back to the Sun Moon Empire.
Having recounted the entire war, Jing Hongchen declared with solemn righteousness that he no longer wished to live. He beseeched Xu Tianran to grant him a swift death so that he might atone for the crime of military defeat.
Xu Tianran's teeth itched with hatred. He wanted nothing more than to hack Jing Hongchen into a thousand pieces. Yet the Sun Moon Imperial Academy occupied the same place within the Sun Moon Empire that Shrek Academy held across the continent's three great empires, and as its dean, Jing Hongchen was a household name throughout the nation.
Moreover, in this timeline the Sun Moon Imperial Academy had not been destroyed. Moving against Jing Hongchen would be no simple matter.
Beyond that, the empire's five Hand that Protects the Nation legions had been wiped out entirely. Kong Deming, Ye Yulin, Xu Tianyuan, Wang Yiheng, and many other Class 9 Spirit Guidance Masters had all fallen. The strongest figure remaining in the Sun Moon Empire was none other than Illustrious Virtue Hall Master Jing Hongchen.
The three invading armies had collapsed in catastrophic defeat. The balance of offense and defense had wholly reversed, and the Angel Empire could launch a counteroffensive at any moment. If Xu Tianran insisted on executing Jing Hongchen at such a critical juncture, he might as well slit his own throat and follow the man into the grave.
So no matter how deeply he loathed Jing Hongchen, Xu Tianran had to swallow his rage and pardon him. He needed to rebuild his Spirit Guidance Legions with all possible speed and order Illustrious Virtue Hall to devote everything it had to producing the empire's most advanced Spirit Guidance Devices.
"Ju Zi, ah…"
His impotent fury finally burned itself out. Xu Tianran threw back his head and let out a long, weary sigh. Ju Zi had been the one to propose the strategy of feinting against the Heavenly Soul and Dou Spirit Empires while pouring their full might into the invasion of Star Luo. In the end, that strategy had buried a thousand years of carefully accumulated Sun Moon power.
Without the five Hand that Protects the Nation legions, without Kong Deming, without the Holy Spirit Cult… against an Angel Empire already sharpening its blades for the slaughter, did the Sun Moon Empire have any hope at all of turning the tide…
…
Half a year later. Shrek City. Tang Sect Headquarters.
Ever since the two academies launched their exchange program, Bei Bei had relied on Shrek Academy's support to recruit new disciples and rekindle Tang Sect's former glory.
The vision was beautiful. Reality was brutally thin. The road of restoration had never run smooth.
The Godly Zhuge Crossbow Cannon, on which they had pinned such towering hopes, failed to win the favor of either the Star Luo Empire or the Heavenly Soul Empire. Their attempt to acquire rare metals from the Duskwater Alliance ended in failure as well. From beginning to end, Tang Sect's growth crawled along at an agonizing pace.
Then the Star Dou beast tide swept down on Shrek City, and the back that Tang Sect had spent so long bending finally snapped clean in two.
The true mastermind behind that beast tide had been the founder of Tang Sect himself, Tang San. Thousands upon thousands of Shrek City's defenders had perished in the disaster, and how could their grieving families ever spare Tang Sect?
The 'Tang' in Tang Sect was Tang San's Tang.
Tang Sect could not do what Shrek Academy had done and erase Tang San from its history. Tang San's significance to the two factions was simply too different. To one, he was an outstanding graduate. To the other, he was the founding ancestor. Which weighed more was obvious at a glance.
Under the relentless pressure of Shrek City's populace, Tang Sect's disciples withdrew one by one. In the end, only seven remained: Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Xuan Ziwen.
Setting aside He Caitou, Xiao Xiao, and Xuan Ziwen, who had not experienced the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley, the others—Xu Sanshi, Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, and even Huo Yuhao—had all grown somewhat disappointed in Tang San. There were moments when they felt utterly lost, as though propping up the empty shell of Tang Sect any longer was meaningless.
Their ancestor's sins boomeranging back upon them, the curses of the masses, disciples leaving in waves, Shrek Academy's stony silence... Tang Sect had perhaps already reached the end of its road. Today, acting sect master Bei Bei had finally made his decision and called everyone together for a sect meeting.
The Shrek Six Monsters and Xuan Ziwen sat around a round table, every face shadowed with the same dejection. None of them were fools. They had already guessed why Bei Bei had summoned them.
"This is our final sect meeting, so don't all wear such miserable faces."
Bei Bei seemed to have made his peace with everything. He smiled and said, "Even if Tang Sect disbands, we'll still be the closest of brothers and sisters."
"Big Senior Brother..."
Xiao Xiao was the first to lose her composure. Tears tumbled down her cheeks like beads from a broken string. Huo Yuhao clenched his fists, and a flicker of desolation passed through his eyes.
Bei Bei's voice was gentle. "When you make a mistake, you have to bear the consequences. Ten thousand years ago, Tang Sect rose to glory because of Ancestor Tang San. Ten thousand years later, it falls apart because of that same Ancestor Tang San.
These dreary days will pass. Let's look forward instead. The academy has already chosen to embrace tomorrow. The statues of the Shrek Seven Monsters at the center of the square have all been taken down and replaced with an angel statue of Holy Evil Douluo. It symbolizes Shrek Academy stepping into a bright new era."
Ling Bai needed faith, and the Angel Empire needed a standard-bearer for its reforms. Ma Xiaotao, ever devoted to her beloved, had backed him without reservation, so Shrek Academy had erected the angel statue. Even so, she had slipped in a private flourish of her own. Cradled in Ling Bai's open palm rested a mighty, magnificent fire phoenix.
"We've all graduated from the Inner Courtyard, and now Tang Sect is dissolving as well. Why don't we each share what we plan to do next? I'll go first."
Bei Bei opened the topic. A deep yearning surfaced in his blue-purple eyes. "With Tang Sect's burden lifted from my shoulders, I plan to leave Shrek City and travel the continent in search of Xiao Ya. Once I find her, I'll ask the Angelic Sanctuary to purge the evil taint from her Dark Blue Silver Grass."
By order of Angel Empress Ye Guyi, the deacons of the Angelic Sanctuary now awakened the Martial Spirits of six-year-old children free of charge. Children with evil Martial Spirits were no longer executed on the spot. Instead, the deacons would escort them to Angel Holy City, where angelic power would cleanse the evil from their Martial Spirits.
Bei Bei believed this was Tang Ya's chance. What he did not realize was that the Angel Empire's mercy extended only to children who had never harmed innocent lives.
The fate of an Evil Spirit Master was always the same, summed up in a single word: death.
He Caitou, the second senior brother, picked up the thread next. His low, gravelly voice rumbled out, "I'm joining the army. I want to watch Xu Tianran fall with my own eyes."
He Caitou's true name was Xu He. Xu Tianran's father had butchered his branch of the family in a bloody purge, leaving behind a hatred carved into bone.
Huo Yuhao let out a quiet sigh. He alone knew He Caitou's secret, and he understood that craving for vengeance. Yet now that the three empires of the continent had been unified, joining the army meant joining the Angel Empire and serving as a foot soldier under Ling Bai.
Xu Sanshi scratched his head and spread his hands. "The Angel Empire has already granted me the title of Dou Spirit Duke, and my parents keep pressing me to come home.
The Xuanwu Sect is throwing every ounce of its weight behind the Angel Empire. They've told me to build a solid relationship with Holy Evil Douluo, absorb a Golden Tortoise Heaven-Bestowed Spirit Ring, and evolve my Martial Spirit into a Golden Xuanwu."
"Dou Spirit Duke, hm? When you've made it big, don't forget to help your brother search for Xiao Ya." Bei Bei laughed and slung an arm around Xu Sanshi's shoulder.
"Yes, yes, yes, now let go of me already!"
Xu Sanshi feigned annoyance, then snuck a sly glance at Jiang Nannan and forced a casual tone. "Nannan, what about you? Want to come with me to Dou Spirit City?"
Because certain key moments that might have deepened their bond had never come to pass, He Caitou and Xiao Xiao had never become a couple, and Xu Sanshi was still tragically stuck in the role of devoted simp. This was his last attempt.
Jiang Nannan glanced at him and answered coolly, "Not interested. The Angelic Sanctuary has invited me to join, and I'd start directly as a rank-six deacon.
I might as well accept. I'll choose Tianxuan City. It's close to home, so it'll be easier to look after my mother."
Xiao Xiao twirled a strand of dark green hair around her fingertip and parted her red lips. "Fourth Senior Sister, the Angelic Sanctuary invited me as well. By the looks of it, the Angel Empire is trying to absorb as many of the continent's Spirit Masters as it can, especially Inner Courtyard graduates like us.
My family wants me to take a post at the Angelic Sanctuary's headquarters in the Angel Empire's capital and spend more time around the Sanctuary Master, Dugu Lin, who was also our senior sister in the Inner Courtyard. They say it would be good for my future."
"Wow, Xiao Xiao, get me a Golden Tortoise Spirit Ring!"
Xu Sanshi's eyes lit up at once. The headquarters! Wouldn't that place be overflowing with Heaven-Bestowed Spirit Rings?
"What about you, Teacher Xuan?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
"An old friend wrote to me a long time ago." Xuan Ziwen patted his Storage Spirit Guidance Device. "The entire weight of the Angel Empire's Spirit Guidance Technology rests on a single person's shoulders. She says she's about to drop dead from exhaustion and demanded I hurry over and take the reins."
"So all of you are joining the Angel Empire..."
A complicated emotion flickered across Huo Yuhao's face. Every one of them, in some form or another, was now bound to the Angel Empire. That fact alone laid bare just how formidable the Angel Empire's grip on the continent had become. Heaven-Bestowed Spirit Rings had reshaped the entire landscape.
"Yuhao, are you staying on as an elder of the Sea God Pavilion?"
"No. I've already withdrawn from the Sea God Pavilion." Huo Yuhao's voice carried a quiet note of loss.
The great ship of the new era had no use for sailors left over from the old. Huo Yuhao was a Tang Sect disciple and the lover of Tang San's daughter. Out of consideration for Elder Mu, Ma Xiaotao had not deliberately made things difficult for him, yet Huo Yuhao could feel countless strange gazes turned in his direction all the same.
He was not someone who clung to power, so he had simply relinquished his seat as a Sea God Pavilion elder.
Not long after the defense of Star Luo City, word arrived from the Angel Empire that Dai Hao had succumbed to his grave injuries and passed away. His eldest son, Dai Yueheng, had inherited the title of White Tiger Duke.
His nominal father was dead. His mother's deepest grievance was avenged at last.
Tang Sect was disbanding. Shrek Academy had cast him aside. The Angel Empire had killed Ju Zi, and he had no desire to join them and serve their cause…
Dong Er!
The thought struck like lightning splitting through his mind. Huo Yuhao shot to his feet, his voice ringing out with iron resolve:
"I'm going to rescue Dong Er!"
…
After bidding farewell to his senior brothers and sisters, Huo Yuhao raced through the night toward Nine Treasure City. His Spirit Eyes blazed brighter with every passing mile. In his heart, Tang Wutong had always been Wang Dong Er, and his longing for her surged through him like a flash flood, awakening the comprehension of several new abilities along the way.
Within the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Ling Bai sat in his usual quiet meditation, refining his comprehension of the spatial attribute. Over the past half year, the Angel Empire had steadily integrated the strength of all three former empires and progressed in measured, orderly fashion. Once its rule grew a touch more unshakable, the Angel Empire would launch its final campaign and counterattack the Sun Moon Empire.
"My Lord, a visitor has come. He gave his name as Huo Yuhao."
Mermaid Princess Li Jing's gentle voice drifted in from beyond the door.
"Huo Yuhao..."
Ling Bai blinked in mild surprise. Now there was a rare guest indeed!
"Show him to the reception hall."
"Yes, my Lord."
Huo Yuhao sat on the luxurious sofa with his back ramrod straight. A spatial gate parted before him, and Ling Bai stepped through wreathed in overwhelming pressure. Huo Yuhao's body began to tremble violently, completely beyond his control.
A Rank 61 Spirit Emperor enduring the aura of a Rank 98 Yin-Yang Complement twin spirit core Super Douluo. Truly, poor Xiao Huo had been pushed past every reasonable limit.
"You wouldn't come knocking without a reason. Speak."
Ling Bai smiled faintly. Huo Yuhao had already lost his chance to become a God, and Sea God Tang San had cast him aside. There was no need for Ling Bai to lower himself by targeting a mere Spirit Emperor.
"Release Dong Er." Huo Yuhao's gaze blazed with conviction.
"Throw him out."
Ling Bai's interest evaporated in an instant. He waved a hand at Li Jing, and the 100,000-year Golden Crown Mermaid princess instantly conjured a golden trident.
"Wait!"
Huo Yuhao shouted, "Let's make a wager! Suppress your strength to Rank 61, and neither of us will use spirit rings or spirit bones. We'll settle it on pure combat skill alone!
If you win, I'll submit to whatever you decide. Not a single word of protest.
If I win, you release Dong Er and pardon her past transgressions!"
Ling Bai's expression turned distinctly odd the moment those words left Huo Yuhao's mouth, and Li Jing had to raise a hand to her lips to keep from laughing aloud.
"Allow me to enlighten you. Only an idiot would ever agree to a so-called wager like that.
Still, for the sake of Skydream Iceworm's million-year origin power, I'll make an exception and grant you one chance.
Where does this confidence of yours come from, that you believe you can defeat me at the same level? Show me, and I'll permit you to see her once."
"...Done!"
Even a single meeting was enough. Huo Yuhao nodded fiercely!
He rose to his feet and stood motionless. His eyes lifted toward some distant point, his expression turning hazy and faraway. Then he hurled a punch into the empty air and bellowed at the top of his lungs:
"Longing for Dong Fist, Thoughts Gushing Like a Spring!"
"…"
Ling Bai nearly blacked out on the spot. For a moment he had genuinely wondered whether Huo Yuhao might have comprehended some heaven-defying secret technique. After all that buildup, it turned out to be the Haodong Three Moves!
"Stop. Quit shouting."
Ling Bai tore open space, unable to bear another second of it, and connected the passage directly to the underground secret chamber of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Wang Dong Er, Tang Wutong...
If he is so set on seeing her, then so be it. Let him look.
Huo Yuhao plunged into the spatial passage without a moment's hesitation, desperate to lay eyes on the lover he had ached for through every waking hour.
The lamplight burned a dim, sickly yellow. Beads of water seeped from the walls and crept down the cracks in the stone before falling onto the icy floor with faint, intermittent taps that echoed through the deathly silent chamber. A heavy, suffocating air pressed down on everything within.
At the center of the room, a woman slumped weakly against a rough wooden chair. Her body had been tortured to its absolute limit. Her clothes hung in tatters, and the pale skin laid bare beneath was mottled with dark purple bruises. The lingering marks of countless lashes and cruelties. Every breath sent a tremor rippling through her body.
Whoever had tormented her possessed a craftsman's precision in cruelty. Her peerlessly beautiful face remained entirely untouched, her skin still carrying that bright, lustrous sheen. Yet her once vivid eyes now held nothing but exhaustion and despair, hollow and lightless, as though every last fragment of hope and pain had been buried within them together.
"Dong Er! Dong Er! Dong Er!"
Huo Yuhao's heart shattered in an instant. He flung himself toward her in unbearable anguish, longing to gather his beloved into his arms, but the appalling wounds scattered across her delicate body left him frozen, his hands hovering uselessly in the air like a puppet with severed strings.
Ling Bai watched the touching reunion with leisurely composure. The woman's injuries had nothing to do with him. Within the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, he was not the one who hated Tang San the most.
The sound of his cries reached her at last. The woman lifted her head with numb, mechanical slowness, looked at the weeping Huo Yuhao, and pronounced each word with absolute, unwavering clarity:
"I am Tang Wutong."