Chapter 50 – The Two-Year Eclipse: The Void and the Puppet, The Shrek Parasite and the Shattered Dragon
Lakan and Zhu Zhuqing did not linger in the aftermath of the Suotuo Arena. While the city was still reeling from the "Sky Sovereign's" dominance, they were already on a carriage provided by the local Bishop, heading back to Wuhun City.
Upon arrival, Lakan did not seek the spotlight. He reported to Bibi Dong, presenting the data he had gathered on the empires' borderlands and the "Monsters" of Shrek. Bibi Dong, seeing the cold, refined power in Lakan's eyes and the absolute transformation of Zhu Zhuqing, gave him her blessing to enter a two-year period of "Closed-Door Cultivation" in the Supreme Pontiff's private sanctuary.
Lakan's goal was no longer just level advancement. He sought transcendence. He sought to move beyond the limitations of human reaction time.
Inside the silence of the sanctuary, Lakan sat atop a slab of Batong-Pilak. He began the grueling process of integrating his five pillars into a single, autonomous system.
He pushed his Eight-Cycle Breath to its breaking point. Every breath was a 16-count symphony that synchronized his heartbeat with the rotation of his soul power. To prevent his heart from exploding under the 56x Overdrive, he used his soul power to "carve" the Baybayin glyph LA (ᜎ) onto his Dantian. This acted as a spiritual stabilizer, a governor that allowed the engine to roar without melting the machine.
The Filter: The 7-Melody Loop:
Lakan realized that the greatest enemy of movement was the mind. The time it took for a thought to travel from the brain to the muscles was a "lag" that could mean death.
He began the Song-Binding Meditation. He looped all seven melodies of the Adarna simultaneously within his consciousness. The result was a mental "white noise"—a static so loud that his ego, his fears, and even his name were drowned out. He became a passenger in his own body.
Finally, he opened the Eyes of the Origin God. He didn't look at the world; he looked at the "Silver Threads" of causality. He saw the "Ghost Image" of the future—three seconds of what was to be. By inscribing the glyph KA (ᜃ) on his 36 Heavenly Star Acupoints, he created a buffer that allowed him to process this future-sight without his brain frying from information overload.
The result was terrifying. In the training hall, Lakan stood still. Automated Spirit Tools launched thousands of needles at him from every direction.
Lakan didn't "dodge." He didn't even "move" in the traditional sense.
To an observer, Lakan's body seemed to blur, appearing to occupy multiple spaces at once. His feet followed the Triangular Pivot automatically, guided by the "Threads" he saw three seconds ahead. He moved by millimeters, the needles grazing his robes but never his skin. He was a Void in the Eight Directions.
This was Kilos ng Walang Malay (Void-Motion Pulse). His body moved faster than his brain could think, reacting to attacks before they were even launched. However, the strain was immense. At eighteen years old, he could only sustain this state for five minutes before his meridians began to hiss with heat, requiring a forced cooldown.
While Lakan mastered the Void, Zhu Zhuqing was not idle. Lakan provided her with Anting-Anting (Amulets)—Kampilan daggers inscribed with the glyph DA (ᜇ). These blades vibrated at the frequency of the Adarna's songs, allowing her to "cut" through the spirit power defenses of her enemies as if they were water.
Under Lakan's guidance, Zhuqing's loyalty evolved into a deep, regal stoicism. She was no longer running from the Star Luo; she was preparing to dismantle it. Her Shadow Severance became so refined that she could "kill" the light in a room, leaving her enemies blind while she moved through the darkness as the Sovereign's ultimate blade.
While Lakan evolved in the silence of Wuhun City, the "Monsters" of Shrek followed their own path—one of struggle and bitter rivalry.
Under Yu Xiaogang's grueling training, the Shrek team eventually traveled to Heaven Dou City. They attempted to join the Tiandou Royal Academy, only to be humiliated and driven out by Prince Xue Xing.
In this timeline, however, things were different. Dugu Yan, the granddaughter of the Poison Douluo, was no longer dying. Lakan's previous influence or perhaps a subtle shift in the "Flow" meant her poison was controlled. Yet, the arrogance of the Shrek team remained.
During a sparring match between Shrek and the Royal Team, Xiao Wu was accidentally injured by a stray jade-phosphor serpent strike. The "Hero" Tang San snapped.
In a display of terrifying hypocrisy, Tang San unleashed his hidden weapons with lethal intent. He didn't just win; he humiliated the Royal Team. To "save" Xiao Wu, he used his Eight Spider Lances to intimidate the healers, eventually "kidnapping" the support master Ye Lingling to force her to heal Xiao Wu.
"She is my life!" Tang San roared at the Royal Academy teachers, his face a mask of self-righteous fury. "If she suffers, you all suffer!"
He didn't see the irony. He didn't see that he was doing exactly what he accused the "evil" clans of doing—using his strength to bully the weak to satisfy his own heart.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
(Weeks after and while Lakan is in training)
In Heaven Dou City, the Shrek group was at their lowest. After being kicked out of the Royal Academy by Prince Xue Xing, they didn't look inward at their own arrogance. Instead, they relied on Qin Ming.
Qin Ming was a Shrek alumnus who had reached the Spirit Ancestor rank at a young age. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy had given him prestige, resources, and a high-ranking teaching position.
Yet, the moment his "alma mater" arrived, he turned his back on the institution that fed him. He showed his true "White-Eyed Wolf" nature, prioritizing his biased loyalty to Flender over his professional duty to the Royal Academy.
To help Shrek regain their shattered ego, Qin Ming re-arranged another "underground" match at the Heaven Dou Arena between the Shrek Six and the Tiandou Royal Team (Team Emperor).
Team Emperor was led by Yu Tianheng, the proud genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Beside him was Dugu Yan.
However, the "Butterfly Effect" of Lakan's intervention had already struck. Dugu Yan, now free from the agonizing poison thanks to Lakan's detox and the protection of the Spirit Hall, had been forced to make a choice. Her grandfather, Dugu Bo, had made it clear: The Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan is an enemy of our Savior, the Holy Son. You cannot walk with a Dragon if you wish to survive the Sun.
Dugu Yan had coldly broken up with Yu Tianheng weeks prior.
"Why, Yan'er?" Yu Tianheng had pleaded, his lightning-scarred face etched with bitterness. "Is it my clan? My status?"
Dugu Yan remained silent, her eyes full of a pity that stung worse than a slap. She couldn't tell him that his "Great Clan" was a target on the Sovereign's map.
During the match against Shrek, Yu Tianheng fought with a reckless, distracted fury.
Tang San, ever the opportunist, exploited this emotional instability. He didn't just win; he used the Eight Spider Lances to humiliate the "Dragon," proving that even a broken dragon is no match for a "Hero" with plot armor and poison.
With no place to go and their confidence "restored" by bullying the distracted Royal Team, Shrek looked for a permanent home. They found the Blue Tyrant Academy, run by Liu Erlong.
The takeover was a masterclass in emotional manipulation. Yu Xiaogang—or Yu Scumgang as we know him—knew exactly how to play on Erlong's lingering obsession with him.
Scumgang appeared before Erlong, looking worn and "tragic," playing the victim of a world that didn't understand his "genius."
Erlong, blinded by her distorted love for her cousin, immediately offered her entire academy to him.
Without a single thought for the teachers who had worked there for years or the students who had built the academy's reputation, Flender and Scumgang systematically erased the "Blue Tyrant" name.
Within a week, the signs were torn down. The curriculum was scrapped. The faculty was replaced by the Shrek teachers. It was a parasitic takeover—Shrek didn't build an academy; they stole one, renaming it the New Shrek Academy. They sat in the offices built by others, calling themselves "independent monsters" while living on Erlong's resources.
It was during this time of "settling in" that Tang San, exploring the Sunset Forest under the guise of "strengthening the perimeter," found the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He stood at the edge of the cliff, his Purple Demon Eye reflecting the shimmering red and blue mists. He felt the sheer density of the spiritual energy.
"This is it," Tang San thought, his heart thumping with a dark, possessive greed. "Teacher's theories say such a place shouldn't exist, but my Tang Sect records call it a Treasure of the Heavens. With these herbs, I can become a God. With this well, Shrek will rule the continent."
He didn't see the well as a natural wonder; he saw it as his monopoly. He returned to Scumgang, spinning a tale of a "cursed land" that only they could "purify."
"Teacher," Tang San said, his voice dripping with false concern. "The land is being wasted. Dugu Bo is a 'Poison Freak'; he doesn't deserve such purity. We must take it... for the good of the Spirit World."
Scumgang's eyes lit up. He saw the chance to finally break his Rank 29 bottleneck. "You are right, San-er. Natural resources belong to those who can use them best. Let us go. If Dugu Bo resists, he is simply standing in the way of progress."
They marched toward the well, unaware that inside, a Chrysanthemum was waiting to turn their "progress" into a nightmare.