Sea God Island had vanished. The once rippling blue waters of Sea God Lake had completely dried up.
As far as the eye could see, only a bottomless giant pit remained, black as ink, as if leading straight to the earth's core.
This abyss, over ten kilometers in diameter and thousands of feet deep, still had earth crumbling and sliding down its edges, emitting a suffocating aura of deathly silence.
On the scorched black land, not a trace of life could be found.
"Sister Ya Li..." Fang Yang spoke softly.
Ya Li knelt on the scorched earth, tears silently falling, her entire being as if her soul had been drained away.
Fang Yang sighed helplessly: "Actually, the Pavilion Master isn't dead."
Ya Li suddenly raised her head, her tear-blurred eyes staring intently at Fang Yang. Those once bright eyes were now bloodshot.
She trembled, her voice hoarse to the point of being barely audible: "R-really?"
"Mm, he's just not convenient to appear."
Fang Yang's tone was calm as he pointed to the Atlas Spear in Ya Li's arms. "If you don't believe me, you can sense it."
Only then did Ya Li come back to her senses, as if grasping at her final lifeline.
She hurriedly circulated her soul power, pouring it into the Atlas Spear.
The spear body trembled slightly, and a familiar warm aura transmitted from the hilt, like a silent embrace.
Although that aura was weak, it truly existed—it was precisely Yun Ming's soul power fluctuation, as if he had never left.
Tears surged forth once more, but this time, they were no longer of despair.
"Sister Ya Li, you wouldn't want the Pavilion Master to worry either, right?" Fang Yang said softly.
Ya Li took a deep breath and nodded forcefully, raising her hand to wipe away the tear stains on her face.
Although her eyes were still red and swollen, those eyes had reignited with light.
Gu Yuena, Na'er, and Xu Xiaoyan, who had been standing quietly nearby all this time, said nothing.
Fang Yang spoke: "Na'er, stay with Sister Ya Li."
"Okay."
Na'er nodded gently, walking to Ya Li's side and tenderly supporting her arm.
Fang Yang's gaze turned toward the distance, where Luo Guixing and the others were approaching, supporting each other.
Their clothes were somewhat torn, their faces showing the exhaustion of having survived a catastrophe.
"Are you all alright?" Fang Yang stepped forward to meet them.
"We're fine."
Luo Guixing shook his head, his voice somewhat hoarse. "It's just... all of this happened too suddenly."
Just then, Ye Xinglan's figure flashed as she suddenly threw herself into Fang Yang's embrace.
Her shoulders trembled slightly, clearly still not recovered from the previous danger.
Fang Yang was slightly startled, then gently patted her back.
Yuanen Yehui and Wu Siduo exchanged glances, both their eyes carrying a hint of helplessness, but they said nothing more.
"Alright, it's alright now."
Fang Yang softly comforted Ye Xinglan in his embrace.
"Mm."
Ye Xinglan nodded, then released her hold, a barely noticeable blush appearing on her face.
...
Before long, dawn broke.
The rising morning sun cast golden light upon this scorched earth, yet it could not dispel that gloomy deathly silence in the slightest.
In the distance, several figures tore through the air. Leading them were representatives from the Sun-Moon Federation and the Spirit Pagoda.
Qiangu Dongfeng landed first at the edge of the abyss, his gaze sweeping across these ruins.
His tone carried some disbelief: "What is this situation? Shrek Academy... is just gone like this?"
"Pagoda Master Qian arrived quite quickly." Fang Yang's tone was calm, betraying no emotion.
Qiangu Dongfeng said nothing, only chuckling lightly. "Fang Yang, Gu Yue, are you two alright?" Leng Yaozhu quickly walked over, concernedly examining the two of them.
Her gaze swept over Fang Yang and Gu Yue respectively, carrying undisguised worry.
Gu Yuena gently shook her head. "We're fine."
Only then did Leng Yaozhu breathe a sigh of relief, turning to gaze at that abyss, her brows tightly furrowed: "Just what exactly happened? How could Sea God Island..."
"Let me explain..."
Ya Li stood up. Although her eyes were still red and swollen, her voice had recovered its usual composure.
Holding the Atlas Spear, she looked firmly at everyone. "This is what happened..."
As Ya Li narrated, everyone gradually came to understand the truth of the matter.
The Federation's powerhouse took a deep breath and solemnly bowed to Ya Li: "Understood, Your Eminence Holy Spirit. I now understand what transpired."
"The Federation will immediately convene an emergency meeting to discuss follow-up matters."
Qiangu Dongfeng looked deeply at Ya Li with profound eyes, said nothing, then turned and left with the Spirit Pagoda people.
"Next, we need to resolve the issue of Shrek Academy." Fang Yang spoke, his gaze turning toward the remaining buildings of Shrek Academy.
Hearing this, everyone looked at Fang Yang, waiting for his next instructions.
Fang Yang said nothing, slowly walking to the roots of the broken Golden Tree.
He crouched down, his palm gently pressing against the scorched roots.
A soft green light emerged from his hand—that was pure life energy, slowly pouring into the ancient tree's remaining roots.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, before long, a new green leaf grew from the roots of the Golden Tree.
That touch of emerald green stood out exceptionally on this scorched earth, like a ray of hope in the darkness.
"Thank you, my lord, for saving me."
A weak voice came from the tree roots, carrying deep gratitude.
"It's nothing."
Fang Yang spoke indifferently, standing up and gazing into the distance. "This is only the beginning."
The next moment, his figure appeared above Sea God Island.
He slowly raised his right hand, palm upward, and a pitch-black flame appeared out of thin air.
That flame was as deep as night, yet carried a heart-palpitating pressure.
"Annihilation!"
Fang Yang's voice was calm yet carried undeniable power.
The black flames moved in response, spreading like a tide, quickly engulfing the entire Shrek City and the former site of Shrek Academy.
The flames burned fiercely upon this traumatized land. The scorched soil gradually shed its filth within the flames, revealing fresh earth beneath.
Even the deathly silent aura permeating the air gradually dissipated under the flames' purification.
After who knew how long, the black flames gradually extinguished. What appeared before everyone was a completely renewed land.
Although the buildings were incomplete, the scorched blackness was gone, the soil restored to its original color, and fresh air once again flowed through the atmosphere.
"Deep Sea Vortex!"
As Fang Yang's voice rang out, sky-blue and deep-blue fused flames transformed into a rain of fire in the air, slowly falling.
This flame rain was completely different from ordinary flames—not only did it lack any scorching heat, but it carried a refreshing coolness that penetrated the heart.
Each drop of flame that fell upon the scorched earth would bloom with crystalline blue light.
Under the nourishment of the flame rain, the dried-up remains of Sea God Lake began to shimmer with rippling light.
Clear water gushed from deep underground, gradually gathering into a lake.
The water rose at a visible speed, quickly restoring its former scale, sparkling like gems under the morning sun.
The reborn Sea God Lake rippled with waves, faint water mist drifting upon its surface, forming a stark contrast with the previously dead scorched earth.
The lake water was crystal clear to the bottom, where one could faintly see newly grown water plants gently swaying.
Fang Yang slowly descended on the lakeshore, gazing at the scene of restored life before him, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
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