"Ju Zi?"
Shrek Inner Court.
Su Wen saw the girl sneakily leap the wall to return to the villa. Though her face was dusted and tired, there was a clear satisfaction to her, as though a vow had been fulfilled.
Actually, news had already reached the Academy days earlier.
This girl had snuck into Dai Huabin's sickroom and avenged her grievances right to his face.
Clever as he was, even he couldn't dodge her blow.
But in the end, he was just a Soul Emperor—his real purpose for the Star Luo Empire was as Duke White Tiger's son, a pawn to gather the Duke's remnants.
So there were no true strong guards.
And the few close guards Dai Huabin had were easily drawn away by Ju Zi, disguised as a nurse…
Dai Huabin's death didn't cause any stir at all. Xu Jiawei didn't care about appearances—no citywide wanted notices, no public hunt.
As if an irrelevant person had died.
Which made sense.
Xu Jiawei despised him the most.
After all, Dai Yaoheng was already struggling to keep the front together, fighting with veteran skill to patch up Duke Dai Hao's mess. He finally managed to stabilize the battered lines, giving Star Luo Empire a chance to breathe, only for Dai Huabin to ruin everything.
If Dai Yaoheng could manage the situation, Xu Jiawei might not complain, but with Dai Huabin both useless and reckless, Xu Jiawei was naturally incensed.
As Emperor, how could he not see through all of this?
He was just showing a last courtesy to the Dai family.
"Where've you been? You're so happy."
Su Wen smiled.
"I…" Ju Zi choked.
She knew how capable Su Wen was—in bed or in battle. He surely had seen through her actions from the start.
"I went to Star Luo," Ju Zi lifted her orange dress, pulling a miniature soul guide laser from a thigh holster and passed it to Su Wen with a pout, "Here, Pavilion Master. All the proof and evidence. If you want to punish me, I have no complaints. At least my grudge is settled."
"And the Duchess?"
Su Wen took the mini-soul guide, sniffing it for a trace.
Hmm… ninety-nine percent her.
"…"
Ju Zi's face turned bright red, head lowered: "Dead…"
"You snuck in to the Duke's mansion?" Su Wen asked in surprise.
"Yeah... Strangely easy—no real expert guards, all probably drafted to the front. I didn't harm innocents, just killed the Duke's main wife…" Ju Zi hesitated.
"Tut."
Su Wen prodded, "She was sick?"
"Nope, she looked just fine, even healthy. While the front was a mess, she was playing cards with the other noble ladies," Ju Zi complained.
"Heh…"
Su Wen smiled.
In this world, soul masters never get sick.
In the original story, Dai Hao's excuse to trick Huo Yuhao was plainly absurd. More likely, knowing Huo Yuhao would rise, Dai Hao wanted the Duchess to die one way or another, or else his own role would be exposed. He simply advised her to take the dignified route.
Who knows how Huo Yuhao felt, staring at that empty grave, with his "brothers" nearby.
Oh, right—there were several pairs of eyes watching from above too…
"I've avenged you," Su Wen said quietly.
"Rest easy now…"
"…"
Ju Zi: ???
"Who're you talking to?"
"Dugu Yan?"
Su Wen was speechless.
Staring at the tall beauty approaching with sinuous hips—more enchanting than ever—he was momentarily lost.
"Master really made us look for you…" Dugu Yan teased, putting her arm lightly around Su Wen's shoulder. Her emerald eyes were filled with joy and anger at being reunited.
"Ahem, how could you treat your master—ouch…" Su Wen froze. More familiar faces joined them.
Ye Lingling, the Shi brothers, Osler…
A lot had changed since he'd left.
Wait?
Then that meant, the one controlling Yin Yang Love Querying Valley... Wasn't it Ning Rongrong anymore?
He could sense a godly aura on Ye Lingling—the Nine-Colored Goddess's healing power.
Rakshasa God, Nine-Colored Goddess, God of Speed, God of War, the Black Tortoise twin gods...
The whole original Tian Dou class had nearly reassembled.
And Dugu Bo, that old freak...
So, just in the Divine Realm alone, he now had a solid base—enough to stand as an equal against Tang San, even with the power to overwhelm him.
"Everyone…"
A pale blue figure silently appeared.
In Sea God Pavilion.
The air rippled with tension.
All the gods watched intently, their eyes grave.
One of the divine law enforcers—Asura God, one of the six God Kings. An old foe from their time in the Divine Realm: Sea God Tang San.
"I advise everyone not to make a wrong move. Descending to the mortal realm without permission is a serious crime…" Tang San glared coldly at the gods. When he was on Douluo, he had suffered beatings from these very people. His first tournament, all of Shrek had been beaten senseless. At the finals in Spirit City, they'd been flattened again.
But in the end, by fate's will and as the Asura God's favorite, he gained dual divine seats, finally turning the tables. The only pity was not bringing his brothers to the Divine Realm.
Now, his gaze was even colder as he glared at Su Wen.
He wanted nothing more than to tear Su Wen limb from limb.
That familiar aura—he couldn't be mistaken—
It was the one who'd trampled him and his teacher and trounced the whole Shrek Academy: Su Wen.
"And it's been a long time, Su Lin…" Tang San ground his teeth.
Only now did everything become clear to him.
And he regretted, deeply, the old trap he'd set—treating Wang Dong'er as bait. At the time, he'd felt so clever watching Su Wen take the hook, thinking the fated son was nothing special.
Looking back now, he wanted to slap himself twice.
Lost daughter; defeated army.
Su Wen even used Wang Dong'er's affinity for the Sea God position to pull a switch—ripping off Tang San's Sea God title for himself!
If not for the God Realm core and Asura seat given by Good and Evil at the central power, he'd probably be friendless by now.
His heart was full of shock and rage.
He prided himself as a genius once hailed as the God of Wisdom, yet had been toyed with and left holding scraps. All his careful moves ended in ruin—he seethed with heat and anger.
Of course, as the God of Wisdom, he would never admit fault.
Such as: tearing his daughter's soul, father and daughter at odds; turning his wife a stranger; treating Douluo as his villa, allowing his parents to devour and invade unchecked; constant meddling, playing games for a thousand years, always with tragic results…
Now, this bitterness was his own karma, but he still wanted to blame Su Wen. Cunning wretch, traveling through time, always ruining his plans.
Why didn't you take the bait?
Build feelings with Wang Dong'er, go to Yin Yang Love Querying Valley, let me as father crush your pride thousands of times, grind you down, make you a dog to be trampled!
Why, WHY?!!
The more Tang San thought, the angrier he grew.
"Today, my Sea God Pavilion is certainly lively."
Su Wen eyed the barely-controlled Tang San, without fear, his mood serene, a gentle smile on his lips.
His wings were now full. Tang San—he no longer feared him.
"But a guest is a guest…"
"Please."
Su Wen's tone was light.
"I said… descending without sanction is a serious crime!!" Tang San stared at Su Wen, the Asura God Sword slowly appearing in his palm, the dark red glow flickering violently, slaughter and bloodthirst radiating across Sea God Island.
"Are you deaf?!"
"Asura God, such arrogance? What if I said… this wasn't unauthorized descent?"
Dugu Yan's foot tapped forward, placing herself before Su Wen, deflecting the full force of the godly might, utterly unyielding.
Even though she was only a First-tier God.
The rest also stood before Su Wen—just as once, he'd sheltered them.
"It's a crime, period. There's no room for negotiation, I—" Tang San made to move, but his divine power stalled violently, as if shackled and flooding back.
Su Wen paused.
Something was wrong…
But before he could process it, Dugu Yan produced a command token, face grave and defensive. "This is the Destruction God King's order. He permits our descent."
Tang San kept his head down. No one could see his expression or guess his mind. But, wary of his Asura power, everyone prepared for the worst.
"Fine."
Tang San cast a cold glance at everyone.
"Very well."
With that, the pale blue figure vanished.
"Elder Yi, about Tang San?" Su Wen's eyes narrowed.
"Heh, you guessed. Since the Dragon God appeared and the soul beasts' ban on godhood was lifted, Xiao Wu has begun manifesting as the Asura God's primary soul. Strictly speaking, it was she who inherited the seat, not Tang San. And now…"
In Su Wen's spiritual sea, Elder Electrolux's voice was gloating.
Because of Wang Dong'er, Xiao Wu became estranged from Tang San, and just now the Asura God's power was cut off—she was choking off his lifeline.
Cutting the divine source itself.
"So it was real…"
Su Wen mused.
He'd actually heard Wang Dong'er mention this: Da Ming and Er Ming fell into the Beast Path, discovered by Xiao Wu, who, after asking their reasons, merely sighed—her face growing more distant from Tang San.
Now, it had taken shape.
No more Asura power from Xiao Wu; they were probably…
Divorcing, with half the Godhood at stake?
"Long time no see."
Coming back to himself, Su Wen saw Dugu Bo slap his shoulder, eyes full of joy at the reunion. The old Tian Dou class was lounging in the hall, lively and curious.
"Decades on, you only get younger, huh?"
"Damn!"
"Damn!"
"Ungrateful bastards, the lot of them!"
The Divine Realm.
Tang San panted, eyes bloodshot, smashing an ornate artifact as the divine officials nearby dared not even breathe.
He'd returned to the Divine Realm in fury, trying to contact Xiao Wu for a confrontation, but couldn't reach her.
When he went to the Sea God's Palace, he was blocked by the officials.
Now, not only had the Asura power faded, even the seat itself was flickering away.
Meanwhile, Tang Hao looked the same, squatting next to Tang San, his eyes purple with misery.
"Oscar inherited the title of God of Food, and keeps coming to bother me—because the Nine-Colored Goddess chose me, not his woman Ning Rongrong. Still, with Big Sister around and having joined the Destruction God, life in the Divine Realm is pretty comfortable," Ye Lingling explained softly.
Pouring strong tea for Su Wen.
"And after that?" Su Wen mused.
"Bibi Dong went mad. The Spirit Hall was completely taken over by the Angel Clan. With your warning—that the Divine Realm would not allow Douluo to be ruled by a single empire—Qian Daoliu didn't openly break with the Heaven Dou Empire. Once Tang San became a god, he dissolved Spirit Hall and brought the Angel Clan into Heaven Dou, making them the greatest hidden sect for millennia."
"Qian Renxue cultivated in silence, but after attaining godhood, she stayed in the mortal world for a century waiting for you, then finally went to the Divine Realm…"
"A hundred years…"
Su Wen thought back to his reunion with Qian Renxue, his eye twitching—not surprised she would react so madly.
A hundred years alone—it must have been hard.
"You met her already?" Dugu Bo lifted an eyebrow.
Reading Su Wen's complicated expression, the old man grinned wickedly, "Looks like you saw her, huh…"
"You asked for it, boy. Leading her on and then running off—tsk tsk."
"Love debts are hard to repay!"
Dugu Bo shook his head.
"Sigh, don't tease me, Old Master…" Su Wen chuckled grimly, sipping his tea.
"But honestly… this era is interesting. I'm a divine official with no real duties—might as well retire here. Mecha, soul guides…" Dugu Bo chuckled suggestively, "You all need an elder at Shrek Academy?"
"We're short of elders…"
Su Wen grinned.
"And I'm Pavilion Master, so let me recruit you."
"There, Yan Yan, old man's too tired of the Rakshasa Temple—you need old friends around," Dugu Bo beamed.
"Grandpa, just admit you don't want to stay in the Divine Realm! Why drag Master into this?" Dugu Yan rolled her eyes.
"Shrek City is your turf?" Dugu Bo asked with interest.
"Yes, it is." Su Wen nodded proudly.
"Then I'll have to see the sights…" Dugu Bo smiled.
"A little mutual hospitality."