With Di Tian's intervention—Ye Xishui's death and the Demon Empress's escape—this soul hunting operation came to a close at this moment.
As Shrek cleaned up the remaining soul masters and soul engineers, Yan Shaozhe, along with the reinforcements he had requested from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the people from the Body Sect, arrived one after another.
Upon learning that it was Di Tian's timely rescue, Yan Shaozhe immediately expressed his gratitude, but was dismissively refused by Di Tian who didn't care about such formalities.
At present, he was more concerned about the situation of the Auspicious Beast.
He had nearly gone mad with worry when he didn't sense the Auspicious Beast's aura in Shrek City. If he hadn't been clear that the Auspicious Beast wasn't dead, he might have turned Shrek City upside down.
Fortunately, he finally remembered through the words of these Shrek Academy people that last night seemed to be Chen Junting's engagement ceremony, and he had sent the Auspicious Beast to deliver gifts on his behalf over a month ago.
Thinking of this,
Di Tian decided to go to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to take a look.
"Won't the Beast God stay a while longer?"
Hearing that Di Tian was leaving, Xuan Zi and the others also politely tried to keep him. But undoubtedly, he was firmly refused.
"No need."
His majestic dragon eyes swept over the devastated city.
"You should focus on cleaning up this mess first."
After saying this, he suddenly beat his dual wings, letting out an ear-shattering dragon cry that dispersed the dark clouds covering the sky, allowing the first light of dawn to shine upon the earth. Then, with magnificent momentum, he tore through space and headed toward the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
And the several Elders of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, seeing that the situation was settled, also bid farewell to the people of Shrek Academy and turned to leave.
Dawn broke, and the fish-belly white gradually appeared in the east. The light of dawn illuminated the earth, illuminating the large number of corpses inside and outside Shrek City, making the blood on the ground and walls especially glaring.
This battle, due to the internal chaos, not only caused the casualty rate of Shrek City's defense army to exceed one-third, with massive consumption of related supplies, but the casualties within the city were even more severe.
The cruelty of the evil soul masters, combined with the powerful lethality of the soul engineers, caused massive deaths among the civilians in Shrek City. Even at the end, those mad evil soul masters, seeing that they couldn't survive, forcibly dragged soul engineers along to trigger massive explosions in the city.
This directly caused casualties within the city to exceed half!
Mu En overlooked Shrek City, his eyes full of melancholy.
The former prosperity now seemed like fleeting clouds.
Everything had been reduced to ashes in the fires of this war.
Xuan Zi respectfully stood beside Mu En's soul body, similarly unable to bear looking at this ruined city, "Elder Mu, Shrek City can still be rebuilt. But what should we do?"
These words seemed to comfort Elder Mu, yet also seemed to comfort himself.
"Rebuild, huh."
The melancholy in Elder Mu's eyes gradually disappeared, transforming into resolve.
"Xuan Zi, from now on, do everything possible to comfort the casualties, restore order within the city, and heal the wounded and save the dying. As for the rebuilding of Shrek City... when the time comes, reduce the city scope by two-thirds, and never change it. Then, relocate the ordinary civilians."
Xuan Zi was greatly shocked upon hearing this!
"Elder Mu! This..."
"No buts about it. This matter is settled as I say!"
Mu En's words were firm, yet softened.
"Xuan Zi, I am a dead man and should no longer interfere in the academy's affairs. But this matter, consider it this old man's caprice."
"Elder Mu, what are you saying?!"
Xuan Zi immediately waved his hand, like a child who had done something wrong, "You will always be the Sea God Pavilion Master in my heart, even in death. If you are willing, even as a soul body, I can give up my position and let you continue to lead the academy!"
"Xuan Zi, that's not what I mean."
Mu En's words seemed quite helpless. He glanced at the other venerable elders gathering around, and said solemnly, "Actually, this old man had this intention long before his death. Only at that time, neither the timing nor other conditions were ripe or suitable—after all, it was impossible to forcibly demolish the houses everyone had built and the careers they had established here, then forcibly drive them away, right? So it could only be left unsettled. But now, we can take advantage of the opportunity to rebuild Shrek City to push this matter forward."
"You must always remember, we Shrek are only an academy. But do you know what this old man has seen in the past?"
When Mu En said this, he paused slightly, giving the venerable elders ample time to react before continuing, "The Spirit Hall!"
The moment these three words came out, everyone was shocked. Before they could recover, Mu En's words rang in their ears once more, "I see our Shrek Academy as the Spirit Hall of ten thousand years later, and even surpassing it to some degree."
"Elder Mu, these words..."
One of the venerable elders spoke up, just about to say something, when he saw Mu En turn his gaze toward him. "Isn't it so?"
This simple rhetorical question left the venerable elder speechless. Out of instinct to defend Shrek Academy, he wanted to object. But his trust in Elder Mu made him close his mouth.
And this, in exchange, was the contemplation of the other venerable elders.
"Look, what does this Shrek City resemble? It resembles the Spirit City of ten thousand years ago. Look, what does the honor of this Shrek Academy resemble? It resembles the honor that the Spirit Hall was praised as the 'Holy Land of Soul Masters' back then. And aren't you venerable elders present here the elders and worships of the Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago? Actually, some contradictions have long existed—they just haven't erupted yet."
"You must know that our Shrek Academy seems to be covered in blooming flowers, but is actually being burned in a fierce fire. Many things and many matters are at their peak and will decline. I hope you can remember these words I just spoke."
"Yes." ×N
The venerable elders led by Elder Xuan immediately agreed.
"Remember. Even if we truly relocate, we must provide adequate compensation."
Elder Mu took one final look at the Shrek students. Illuminated by the sunlight, his aged face gained a faint golden hue, and similarly, a gentle smile.
"Xuan Zi, Little Song, I'll leave it to you."
Then, he transformed into a halo of light and drifted back into the Golden Tree.
If not for the previous battle having consumed the Golden Tree's power too greatly, he truly wanted to use the Golden Tree's power once more to give those severely injured a chance to recover. Unfortunately...
Watching Elder Mu return, Xuan Zi and the others fell into silence.
Just at this moment, "Actually, this old man thinks Mu En spoke quite rightly. Your Shrek has indeed made the three great empires uneasy. If not for the great enemy of the Sun-Moon Empire still existing, humph humph—"
The Body Sect Master Du Busi had not been far from Elder Mu and the others. Without deliberately concealing themselves, with his cultivation level, he naturally heard every word Elder Mu and the others said. And with his personality, he naturally expressed his own opinions without any scruples.
Xuan Zi was slightly stunned upon hearing this.
Who would have thought...
"Really?"
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