Agravaine quickly recovered from his shock; he had grown accustomed to it. He coughed dryly to ease the atmosphere: "Ahem, Pagoda Master Leng, forgive the display. This brat didn't even say hello when he got back, making such a scene."
Giving him a sidelong glance, Leng Yaozhu took Na'er away, exchanging warm greetings as they left.
Gu Yue said to Arthur, "Then I'll head to the academy first."
Only Agravaine and Arthur were left.
"Thud."
The office door was gently closed, isolating them from the outside world. The room suddenly fell quiet, leaving the uncle and nephew, Agravaine and Arthur, staring at each other.
"Just as well, I have some good news to tell you," Agravaine said cheerfully.
"What a coincidence, I also have some big news for you." Arthur leaned forward a couple of steps, resting his arms on the edge of the desk. "You go first. Let's see how good your news is and if it can beat the bombshell I brought back."
Agravaine cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow smugly. "That old fellow Qiangu Dongfeng has gone crazy for some reason and promoted me. I'm now the Spirit Pagoda Inspector in charge of Shrek City... Hey, what's with that look, kid?"
"Well, then I have some bad news for you." Arthur shook his head with a strange expression. "Shrek City is about to be blown up."
Agravaine: "?"
The smugness on Agravaine's face instantly froze, his brows knitting into a knot. The teacup he had just picked up stopped mid-air. "What nonsense are you talking about? Shrek City's defenses are full of masters. Who would have the guts to blow it up?"
"The Holy Spirit Cult, using a god-slaying soul tool cannon shell." Arthur put away his playful grin, withdrew his arms from the desk, and his tone turned heavy.
Agravaine's hand trembled, spilling a few drops of tea. The pressure of a Rank 95 Super Douluo instantly filled the entire office, causing the files on the desk to rustle loudly. "A god-slaying soul tool cannon shell? How is that possible!"
Arthur spread his hands. "I hope it's impossible too, but if my guess is correct, the god-slaying soul tool cannon shells in the Federation should already be gone."
"..."
After a long silence, Agravaine did not doubt Arthur's words or press him for the source of the information. He stood up abruptly, walked quickly to the window, and looked down at the bustling city below, his expression frighteningly solemn.
"When will they make their move?"
"So Gu Yue went to deliver the message just now? Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect must coordinate immediately!"
"I don't know." Arthur shook his head. "Maybe in a few years, maybe tomorrow."
"Wait." Agravaine suddenly realized something. "If I didn't know this information, wouldn't I, being in charge of Shrek City, definitely stay here until I was blown to bits by that god-slaying shell?"
"Oh, that bastard Qiangu Dongfeng is digging a pit for me here."
"There's no such thing as a coincidence."
Agravaine was furious. "He must be in league with the Holy Spirit Cult."
From his years of investigating the Holy Spirit Cult, Agravaine had already harbored suspicions about Qiangu Dongfeng from various clues.
"Perhaps." Arthur didn't say much. He would deal with Qiangu Dongfeng, but not now.
After their conversation, Arthur turned and left the office. He took the soul tool elevator downstairs, passed through the grand hall of the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, and blended into the afternoon crowds of Shrek City.
The sunlight hit his body, but he didn't feel much warmth, only a heavy sense of responsibility and urgency.
He looked toward Shrek Academy, and a massive golden ancient tree was reflected in his eyes.
"There shouldn't be a problem," he murmured to himself.
In the original story, the golden ancient tree withstood the main impact of the god-slaying soul tool cannon shell.
And that was while giving Tang Wulin thirty percent of its energy.
At full strength, it should be able to block it completely. Even if there were remaining shockwaves, they wouldn't be a threat if Shrek City was prepared.
Therefore, next, Arthur would prevent Tang Wulin from approaching Sea God Island.
Whether Tang Wulin would still absorb as much energy as he did originally didn't matter to him, but before the god-slaying shell problem was solved, there could be no issues.
Meanwhile, inside the Sea Gods Pavilion.
The atmosphere was indeed so heavy it was almost frozen. Yun Ming, Ya Li, Zhuo Shi, Feng Wuyu, and the other elders...
All had solemn faces as they looked at the young girl standing in the center of the meeting room, her expression as calm as still water: Gu Yue.
Arthur was too dazzling.
But Gu Yue, who stood beneath his shadow, had not been ignored; she had long since entered the eyes of Shrek Academy's higher-ups and was a focus of their attention.
After all, putting Arthur aside, one couldn't find a more outstanding Genius than her.
And such a high-profile Genius had just finished stating her case in the most concise and clear language.
The earth-shattering news was: "The Holy Spirit Cult has obtained at least one Rank 12 god-slaying soul tool cannon shell and has very likely secretly deployed it somewhere in Shrek City, intending to cause maximum casualties."
As for the source of the information, she only said she learned it by chance from the Green Skeleton organization that had been wiped out on the Star Luo Continent.
This reason sounded a bit forced, but these experienced Peak powerhouses could not afford not to take it seriously.
"Student Gu Yue, do you know what the words you have spoken imply?" Yun Ming spoke slowly, his voice calm but carrying immense weight.
"It means that if the intelligence is true and the academy is unprepared, the millions of lives in Shrek City, as well as the academy's ten-thousand-year foundation, could all be turned to ash." Gu Yue looked directly at Yun Ming, her silver eyes clear and firm. "I cannot guarantee its truth or falsehood; after all, I am merely reporting the information I accidentally learned."
The meeting room was silent, save for the sound of heavy breathing. Ya Li gently took Yun Ming's hand, her eyes full of worry. Zhuo Shi's fists clenched until they cracked.
Gu Yue's answer caused the air in the meeting room to almost solidify.
She didn't make any guarantees, didn't emphasize personal intuition, and even proactively pointed out the indirect nature of the intelligence source. However, this "objectivity" actually made her statement seem more credible.
She wasn't looking for credit; she was simply delivering a warning sufficient to overturn everything.
"We cannot guarantee its truth, but we must respond." Yun Ming's voice broke the silence, his gaze sweeping over every elder present. "It is better to believe it exists than to ignore it. Especially when it involves god-slaying weapons."
"From now on, Shrek City enters its highest Rank of alert."
"Do not contact other factions for now, as we are not yet certain of the information's truth."
Ya Li nodded slightly. As the Holy Spirit Douluo, her perception of the unseen was the most acute. At this moment, her brows were tightly furrowed. "Recently, while meditating, I have indeed felt occasional palpitations, as if a giant shadow were looming over the city. Thinking about it now..."
Yun Ming stood up and said decisively, "I will make a trip to the Federation."
Looking at everyone's solemn expressions, Yun Ming lightly patted the back of Ya Li's hand, his tone softening slightly but remaining firm. "If the Federation lost a god-slaying shell, they must know but are deliberately hiding it. I'm not going to ask for their support; I'm going to find out where the shell went."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said deeply, "While I am away, Ya Li, use your Holy Spirit power to cover the entire city and sense the movements of any Evil Soul Master."
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