Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

The light in Yan Shaozhe's eyes completely dissipated, turning into a blank emptiness. He did not answer, but a huge crack had appeared in the solid wall of trust deep within his heart.

The secrets of the Golden Tree are known only to the successive Sea God Pavilion Masters of Shrek Academy. Elder Mu's act of sacrificing himself to feed the tree is an absolute secret of Shrek, never revealed to outsiders. The fact that Kong Tianxu has explained it so clearly can only mean one thing—

What Ye Xishui said was true. And it's very likely that the so-called remnant of the evil soul master was...

A simple, honest figure with a chicken leg in one hand and a wine jug in the other made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

After all, only that person had the deepest understanding of Elder Mu and the Golden Tree, and could make his move in the most undetectable way.

No, that won't do. I can't assume anyone's position beforehand.

Yan Shaozhe forcefully cut off the association that could drag the entire Shrek Academy into an abyss of no return, shaking his head incessantly, as if resisting something, or as if trying to regain his rationality.

He forced himself to remain calm and said:

What should I do?

Ye Xishui picked up where Kong Tianxu left off, and said earnestly:

"Shao Zhe, we know this is hard for you to accept right now, but the influence of an evil soul master hiding in the Sea God Pavilion on the continent is too great. We hope that when you go back, you will not only use your eyes, but also your heart to see."

"You're willing to let me go?" Yan Shaozhe asked in surprise.

Kong Tianxu chuckled, stepped forward, and his demeanor suddenly changed. The candid truth of the Heavenly Decree permeated his speech, and his tone became generous and magnificent.

"Dean Yan, the conflicts between nations and the entanglements of interests may never truly end on this continent. But—"

Kong Tianxu's voice grew even more impassioned, carrying an undeniable conviction. His gaze was piercing, meeting Yan Shaozhe's bewildered eyes directly:

"The era of evil spirit masters will surely end completely in my hands!"

Looking into the burning, unwavering light in the young man's eyes, Yan Shaozhe felt a glimpse of his younger self.

They shared the same lofty aspirations and high spirits, firmly believing that light would dispel all darkness.

As the owner of the Radiant Phoenix Martial Soul, Yan Shaozhe is narrow-minded, suspicious by nature, and unrestrained. His obsession with Shrek Glory is almost distorted.

But he always firmly believed that what he had done was just and righteous.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to control his own martial spirit and cultivate to the level 96 Super Douluo realm.

In his youth, he once had a grand ambition to kill all the evil soul masters in the world, but due to various constraints from reality and his own strength, the years wore him down, and he became entangled in interpersonal relationships. His original aspiration was eventually tarnished, and the young man returned to mediocrity.

But the young man in front of them had no doubt that he was capable of doing what no one else could.

Kong Tianxu's tone softened:

"Out of consideration for Elder Ye's blood ties, I will spare your life today. Yan Shaozhe, will you continue to cling to the narrow-minded stance of the Three Kingdoms Soul Masters, wasting your talent and energy on endless factional conflicts, or will you return to your most fundamental duty as a Soul Master and Dean of Shrek Academy, to fight against true evil?"

"I can guarantee that Douluo Continent will always be Douluo Continent, and Shrek Academy will always be Shrek Academy."

Kong Tianxu's words seemed to possess a strange magic, reaching deep into people's hearts.

Yan Shaozhe listened blankly, watched, and felt the unprecedented bloodline resonance. The things that were once so firm in his heart began to waver.

The impact of Ye Xishui's relationship with himself, the shock of Kong Tianxu's grand ideals, the anxiety about Shrek Academy's future, and the confusion about his own path...

All of this made this once-powerful Super Douluo feel unprecedentedly lost.

In the instant his mind faltered, the phantom of the Holy Spirit Puppet behind him stirred slightly, and several invisible and intangible spiritual threads quietly entered the back of his head, deepening the bewilderment in his eyes.

His gaze shifted back and forth between Kong Tianxu's resolute face and Ye Xishui's sorrowful yet hopeful eyes. Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth, but found that he had no idea what to say.

"Go, child."

Ye Xishui waved her hand to release the light restraints on his body, then gently hugged him before she and Kong Tianxu made way for him.

Yan Shaozhe stood there for a moment, lost and dejected. Finally, the confusion in his eyes slowly faded, turning into a bottomless weariness.

He said nothing, but struggled to his feet, staggering as if he had lost his soul, and flew towards Shrek City.

The phoenix's wings, not yet fully recovered, were bare, like a featherless pheasant, its silhouette appearing particularly desolate in the afterglow of the setting sun.

He didn't even notice that as he stumbled forward in a daze, a faint yet perfectly formed golden mark flashed by beneath his hair.

……

By the stream, Kong Tianxu watched Yan Shaozhe's figure rise and fall as he departed until he disappeared into the horizon.

Watching the direction he fled, the kind and gentle expression on Ye Xishui's face receded like the tide, returning to her usual indifference, and her voice took on a cold, mechanical quality:

"Master, why didn't you just kill him?"

Kong Tianxu withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

"It's just a side move. Killing him is easy, and with the power we have now, destroying Shrek Academy wouldn't be difficult either. But what happens after we destroy him? Perhaps because the core of the original three kingdoms has been removed, winning the war will be easier, but the seeds of hatred will be sown across the continent. The original three kingdoms' soul master world will fall into a frenzied counterattack and prolonged turmoil, and the Holy Spirit Cult will still find it difficult to expand its influence across the entire continent in a short period of time."

"Shrek's reputation, resources, talent network accumulated over ten thousand years, and its symbolic significance as the holy land of soul masters on the continent... these are the more valuable things. The dead Shrek will live on forever, but the living Shrek, under our guidance, can fully withstand the backlash after this ten-thousand-year god-making movement."

"I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of ladder that chaos will forge."

Ye Xishui had nothing more to say, but simply raised her head, her face filled with a fanatical adoration, which, combined with her pure and innocent appearance, created an incredibly strong sense of contrast.

"Change your personality." Kong Tianxu rubbed his temples with a hint of helplessness.

"Yes."

As they were talking, Kong Tianxu and Ye Xishui seemed to sense something and simultaneously looked up at the sky.

Two beams of light, one dark gold and one silver, suddenly appeared in the distant sky.

At first, the two beams of light were far apart, but soon, accompanied by several ear-piercing sonic booms, the dark golden beam of light accelerated several times in succession, tearing open several deep spatial rifts in the air at an astonishing speed.

The dark golden light arrived in an instant, and Kong Tianxu was able to see the face of the newcomer clearly, or rather, he didn't need to see it to know who it was.

He opened his arms.

Cain's terrifying speed stopped instantly, without even causing the slightest change in the surrounding environment.

Around her incomparably sharp dark gold bat wings, the seven soul rings—two yellow, one purple, three black, and one red—that had been neatly arranged all collapsed simultaneously. Before Kong Tianxu could even be surprised, she threw herself into his arms like a swallow nestling in its nest.

“Tianxu…” Like a deep murmur from countless dreams, it slowly spread from the tightly pressed chests, reaching the deepest part of the soul.

"Yes, I'm here." Kong Tianxu hugged the soft body in his arms tightly, his chin gently resting on the top of her soft hair. He knew that no other words were needed at this moment.

Feeling his lover's familiar scent and surging vitality, his fingertips unconsciously ran through her long hair, which resembled gilded wheat ears, his gaze never leaving her, as if he wanted to meld her into his own body.

Three years have passed, and the girl who was just beginning to show her charm has grown into a real young woman. Compared to three years ago, her slightly thinner face not only has the stubbornness and beauty that once made people love her, but also has a different kind of charm. Her waist is so slender that it can be encircled with one hand. Her long and straight legs did not wrap around her as usual, but just touching them, one could feel the indescribable elasticity through the fabric between her armor.

The full warmth at the only barrier between them brought a more perfect sense of envelopment than three years ago, silently telling the story of her growth.

After carefully sensing it for a moment, Kong Tianxu asked in a low voice with slight surprise:

"Yin'er, your soul power..."

In just a fleeting glimpse, Cain's soul power level had already reached the level of a Soul Saint of the seventy-second rank. His progress was so rapid that even with the Sun and Moon Soul-Nourishing Pill, it was still astonishing.

Cain buried his face in his shoulder, sniffed softly, and murmured "Mmm," filled with affection and contentment.

Kong Deming stood with his hands behind his back, looking at his long-lost children with a smile, his eyes full of joy.

It wasn't until this moment that the silver light on the distant horizon slowly dissipated.

With his cultivation level, he couldn't possibly arrive any slower than Cain. That silver light was merely a spatial shadow he left behind.

After a long while, when Kong Deming stroked his long beard for the seventh time, Cain belatedly felt a little embarrassed and loosened his arms that were tightly wrapped around Kong Tianxu, but still kept his head down and refused to leave his embrace too far.

The two then separated slightly.

"Alright, alright, you two little ones, let's go home first and then get intimate," Kong Deming said with a smile, stroking his beard.

Kong Tianxu then noticed that Kong Deming was floating in the air so naturally without the aid of any soul tool, his aura was harmonious and vast, as if he were one with heaven and earth.

He exclaimed in surprise, "Grandpa, your cultivation level...?"

Kong Deming's smile deepened, his eyes gleaming:

"Thanks to you, my grandfather broke through the bottleneck one after another with the Sun and Moon Soul Nourishing Pill and the three 100,000-year-old soul beasts he hunted. Now he has reached level 98 and has finally officially stepped into the realm of a level 10 Soul Master."

"I just don't know if my old bones will have the chance to glimpse the profound realm of the Limit Douluo in my lifetime."

"Limit Douluo isn't enough, Grandpa needs to be at least the first level eleven, or even level twelve Soul Master!" Kong Tianxu chuckled.

"You brat," Kong Deming said with a laugh, but he didn't seem to deny it at all; instead, his eyes gleamed with eager anticipation.

The group chatted as they headed towards the Sun Moon Empire. Kong Tianxu briefly shared some of his gains and insights from the Fallen Star Plane, mentioning that his soul power had stabilized at level eighty, and that he only needed to acquire a soul ring to become a true eight-ring Soul Douluo.

While marveling at this, Kong Deming also briefly summarized the current situation of the Sun Moon Empire:

After the royal family confirmed Kong Tianxu's death, their efforts to win over and trust Mingde Hall and Kong Tianxu himself were significantly restored. The top-secret Imperial First Research Project, the High-Energy Compression Array Soul Guidance Device, which had been stalled due to various conflicts of interest, was able to resume its full-scale development.

Moreover, within the Holy Spirit Cult, there seemed to be some unrest due to Ye Xishui's long-term seclusion and the fall of Kong Tianxu.

Although the most powerful group of evil soul masters did not make any unusual moves, especially Zhongli Wu, who could even be described as very obedient, there were already some signs of differentiation among the younger generation.

As he listened to Kong Deming's words, Kong Tianxu's eyes gradually became more and more profound.

Chapter 251 Xuanzi: Yan Shaozhe, I am the true master!

To quell external threats, one must first secure internal stability. In the past year, the Holy Spirit Cult may still have some influence from Ye Xishui and dare to act furtively, but the Sun Moon Royal Family is probably already impatient. Kong Tianxu needs to think carefully about who to target.

I'm really looking forward to it.

In a few months, it will be the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament. This tournament will be held in the Sun Moon Empire, in the Mingdu City, which has no city walls.

Undoubtedly, the competition itself no longer poses any challenge to Kong Tianxu at this point, as his current level has created a significant gap between him and all other young Soul Masters.

Competing on the same stage would be meaningless in the face of such a huge gap in strength.

But the storm he wants to stir up with this grand event, and the schemes he wants to achieve, will be unprecedentedly grand.

Even with Kong Tianxu's temperament, the thought of the magnificent waves that were about to sweep across the continent stirred his heart slightly.

In the distance, Mingdu was finally in sight, and Kong Tianxu also calmed his mind.

They're finally back.

Led by Kong Deming, the group flew directly over the capital of Ming. When Kong Tianxu saw the gates of the imperial city again, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

A quirky, pretty face surfaced in his mind along with his memories, making him hesitate to speak.

"By the way, Tianxu, it seems the rules of the competition will be changing a bit. I'll have Xiaotong compile the details and bring them to you later. Now that you're back safely, unless something else comes up..."

After a few steps, the group arrived at the area of ​​the ancestral hall. Kong Deming patted Kong Tianxu on the shoulder and said:

"Go find Tianzhen right now, immediately. Although I have already told her the truth that you are still alive, her worries and torments over the past year have not lessened in the slightest. She is at Mingde Hall right now, go there quickly."