Chapter 126: Elder Xuan Kneels! The Sea God Pavilion Elders Are Enraged
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Bone met solid stone. The dull, sickening impacts echoed across the deathly silent expanse of Star Luo Plaza.
Elder Xuan's forehead slammed heavily against the hard, ruined edge of the arena. Each brutal strike carried clearly into the ears of the hundreds of thousands of spectators packing the stands.
This Level 98 Super Douluo had completely stripped away his dignity. He was fulfilling a near-destructive act of submission, honoring the very terms of the bet he had arrogantly set himself.
After three consecutive, resounding kowtows, Elder Xuan squeezed his eyes shut. The muscles beneath his weathered, aged skin twitched violently. A vein pulsed at his temple, threatening to burst. Through clenched teeth, he forced out a raw, trembling shout:
"Du Busi! I, Elder Xuan, was wrong!"
Carried by his immense soul power, this voice did not merely wash over the plaza. It traveled with pinpoint precision to every corner of the entire continent, broadcasted flawlessly through the sixteen panoramic imaging soul tools hovering above the arena.
The entire venue plunged into an eerie, suffocating silence.
The once-rowdy spectator stands seemed to have been hit with a mute button. Everyone sat paralyzed. They stared blankly at the aged, hunched figure kneeling on the cold arena floor, their minds entirely blank, unable to process the sheer weight of reality.
It took several agonizing seconds for the masses to gradually regain their senses. Yet, the shock in their eyes did not fade; it burned even more intensely.
They stared dumbfounded at the scene before them. This was a Super Douluo. This was the man who represented Shrek Academy's ten thousand years of absolute glory, a symbol of the continent's top-tier strength. And here he was, fulfilling a bet that equated to utter social death in front of the entire world.
Although the atmosphere in the arena felt heavy enough to crush bone, all the spectators remained silent in a terrifying, tacit understanding.
No one dared to laugh out loud. No one dared to whisper a single word of mockery.
They were all acutely aware that the old man kneeling down there was still a Level 98 Super Douluo. Even if he had lost all face today, even if he had single-handedly shattered ten thousand years of Shrek's prestige, his terrifying, world-ending strength remained completely intact.
If anyone dared to speak rudely during this moment of extreme humiliation, and this eccentric, volatile powerhouse decided to hold a grudge, the consequences would instantly vaporize an ordinary Soul Master or commoner.
Therefore, the spectators kept their jaws locked tight, their expressions rigidly neutral, terrified of showing even a hint of an inappropriate reaction.
Of course, the spectators had their reservations, but Du Busi absolutely did not need to be polite.
Watching Elder Xuan's trembling shoulders and his forehead pressed firmly against the dirt, the Master of the Body Sect felt an incomparable surge of gratification.
He hovered high in the air, his arms crossed over his chest. Throwing his head back, Du Busi unleashed a wild, booming laugh that tore through the sky with extreme arrogance.
"Good! Elder Xuan, I'll count you as a man today. You've passed this bet!"
Du Busi's laughter dripped with the absolute satisfaction of a victor. He suddenly waved his wide sleeve, his tone shifting into undisguised disgust and biting mockery.
"Elder Xuan, since you've already kowtowed, then get lost! Crawl back to your precious Shrek, and don't let this old man ever see your arrogant old face outside again!"
As the booming voice faded, Elder Xuan slowly pushed his trembling body up from the ground. Amidst the crushing weight of extreme humiliation, he forced himself to stand.
He did not look up to see Du Busi's mocking face. He did not look at Liu Yuan. There was no light left in his bloodshot eyes, only a hollow, near-dead emptiness.
Elder Xuan said nothing. He did not even bother to check on the battered Shrek team members standing behind him. He simply turned around, his hunched figure swaying unsteadily as he dragged his feet toward the venue exit.
The atmosphere at the scene remained oppressively heavy. The visceral sense of a legendary idol shattering into pieces made the very air feel viscous and hard to breathe.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away at Shrek Academy, deep inside the Sea God Pavilion.
As Elder Xuan's figure swayed and stood up on the broadcast, the massive light screen in the center of the meeting hall flickered violently.
Every single elder present wore a grim, deathly pale expression. No one spoke a word.
Yan Shaozhe gripped the wooden armrest of his chair so tightly that his knuckles turned stark white. The veins on the back of his hand throbbed against his skin. He opened his mouth, but his throat was completely dry, refusing to produce even a single syllable.
This total humiliation did not just trample upon their strength; it trampled upon their character, their history, and their pride. For these elders who viewed Shrek's glory as their very lifeblood, this broadcast brought an unmatched, suffocating despair.
Finally, Elder Mu, sitting quietly at the head of the long table, let out a deep, rattling sigh.
Under the dim, flickering light of the Pavilion, the Dragon God Douluo's silver hair appeared incredibly desolate, stripped of its usual divine luster.
"Everyone, return to your quarters for now."
Elder Mu's voice was weighed down by endless exhaustion. He slowly closed his eyes, refusing to look at the light screen that continued to broadcast Shrek's greatest shame in ten millennia.
"Whatever happens next, we will discuss it when Elder Xuan returns."
The group of Sea God Pavilion elders rose from their seats one after another. They did not exchange a single glance or whisper a word of communication. Keeping their heads bowed low, they quickly filed out of the ancient meeting hall, their hurried footsteps resembling a shameful retreat.
Meanwhile, back at Star Luo Plaza.
Watching Elder Xuan's staggering, retreating figure disappear into the shadows of the exit, Emperor Xu Jiawei was the first to break the spell.
As a mature, calculating politician, he recognized the dangerous precipice the event teetered upon. The atmosphere absolutely could not remain stuck in a state of silent shock and unspoken ridicule toward Shrek.
Emperor Xu Jiawei forcibly seized control of the venue's rhythm. He stood tall from his golden main seat, projecting his voice with a masterful blend of joy and solemnity, completely omitting any mention of the humiliating farce that had just concluded.
"History is rewritten today! Heroes are born today!"
His voice boomed across the plaza, amplified by soul tools.
"I declare the award ceremony officially begun!"
"Please invite the Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy team, who fought with unmatched valor to win the grand championship of this tournament, to step onto the stage and receive their rightful glory!"
Following the Emperor's personal guidance, the grand, sweeping notes of ceremonial music suddenly erupted from the brass instruments. The heavy, viscous atmosphere was instantly shattered, and the scene ignited once again.
Although the spectators were still internally ruminating on the sheer shock of a Super Douluo's kowtow, a new king had officially ascended the throne. The realization washed over the crowd, and enthusiastic, deafening cheers once again resounded through the sky, shaking the clouds.
Liu Yuan stood at the very front of the champion's podium. He calmly watched the glittering trophy, the ultimate symbol of continental glory, as Emperor Xu Jiawei personally brought it over.
His expression remained entirely placid. His dark eyes were cool and pragmatic, showing absolutely no wild elation. Looking at him, one would never guess that this calm young man was the very same person who had just forced a Level 98 Super Douluo to his knees begging for mercy.
At the other end of the sprawling city, Elder Xuan had already led Huo Yuhao, Ma Xiaotao, and the remaining battered remnants of the Shrek team out of the venue entirely.
The bustling streets of Star Luo City were still draped in massive, colorful banners celebrating the tournament's grand conclusion. To Elder Xuan's bloodshot eyes, these vibrant decorations felt like jagged blades dragging across his retinas, extremely jarring and mocking.
His face was terrifyingly gloomy, cast in deep, dark shadows.
He walked at the very front of the group, his entire body exuding a freezing, volatile aura that instinctively kept the pedestrians on the street at a wide distance.
On one hand, Elder Xuan had absolutely no idea how to even look at the children walking behind him.
He remembered his own arrogant boasting in front of Huo Yuhao, Ma Xiaotao, and the others. He had puffed out his chest and claimed with absolute certainty that he would protect them, that he would definitely bring back Shrek's eternal glory.
But the reality was a nightmare. Not only did he fail to lead the team to victory, but he had also forced these young, impressionable children to watch their invincible team leader press his forehead into the dirt, kowtowing to an opponent to beg for mercy.
This total, irreversible collapse of his prestige made his chest burn with a shame so intense he wished the earth would swallow him whole. He felt utterly unworthy to face these juniors.
On the other hand, Elder Xuan knew better than anyone that the kneeling back in the plaza was only the very beginning of his personal nightmare. Far greater, more terrifying difficulties lay ahead.
This time leading the team, his string of catastrophic failures had reached an absolute peak.
First, the main team members had suffered horrific, life-altering injuries because of his negligent failure to protect them at the Star Luo border. Then, he had led the remaining team to completely lose the championship throne that Shrek had held tightly for ten thousand years. And finally, he had dragged Shrek's untouchable reputation through the mud in front of the entire continent.
Any single one of these massive failures, if picked out alone, would be more than enough to have him permanently nailed to the pillar of shame within the Sea God Pavilion.
Elder Xuan lowered his head further, his footsteps becoming increasingly heavy, as if he were dragging iron chains attached to his ankles.
He truly did not know how he was going to face Elder Mu. The old Dragon God Douluo had always placed such high, unwavering hopes on him. He didn't know how he would look into the eyes of those Sea God Pavilion elders he had fought alongside for decades.
Despair and remorse gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes, biting deep into his soul with every step he took.
'I must think of a way...'
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