Chapter 148: Escalation of Events

With Qian Daoliu's formidable strength, he had sensed early on that Qian Renxue wasn't within Shrek Academy. The expressions of Grandmaster Yu and Flender also didn't seem to indicate deceit.

At that moment, he realized he had been played. Yet, he had no intention of letting the people of Shrek Academy off the hook.

The grudge between Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire had deepened. Once war broke out, those from Shrek Academy would undoubtedly side with the Heaven Dou Empire. If there was a chance to eliminate them now, it was better to act sooner rather than later.

After settling matters here, he swiftly left Shrek Academy with his entourage, exiting Heaven Dou City via a secret passage. With Spirit Hall currently at the center of the storm, as its de facto leader, he couldn't afford to be away for too long.

Shortly after their departure, news of what had transpired at Shrek Academy quickly spread.

At the royal posthouse near Heaven Dou Imperial City, Ning Fengzhi was the first to receive the news. Without delay, he dispatched Bone Douluo Gu Rong with over a hundred soul masters to reinforce Shrek Academy.

At this time, Sword Douluo Chen Xin was stationed at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, while Bone Douluo had been sent away. Ning Fengzhi was left without any Titled Douluo-level protection, with only twenty to thirty other soul masters by his side.

Fortunately, the posthouse was located close to Heaven Dou Imperial City and had some royal soul masters guarding it, so the defenses weren't entirely weak.

But just then, a shadowy figure silently infiltrated his room, evading even the Soul Douluo guarding his door.

Ning Fengzhi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, a cold sensation rapidly spreading through his entire body.

As he opened his mouth to call for help, a strand of spider silk sealed his lips, followed by a pitch-black spider leg piercing his chest.

Ning Fengzhi's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the intruder. Though he had never met Fang Chang before, based on Emperor Xue Ye's descriptions, he had a rough idea of this mysterious Spider God Envoy. The young man before him was unmistakably that very person.

But why... would he assassinate him?

Ning Fengzhi would never get the chance to unravel this mystery. The potent venom on the spider leg swiftly extinguished his vitality, and Fang Chang gently placed his body back onto the chair.

After completing this task, Fang Chang retrieved a Spirit Hall elder's token—salvaged from Snake Spear Douluo's belongings—and placed it on the wound on Ning Fengzhi's chest.

Then, reactivating his "Stealth" skill, he slipped out through the open window, swiftly moving toward his next target.

Among the Shrek Seven Devils, after the Soul Master Tournament, Tang San and Xiao Wu had been rescued by Tang Hao and hadn't been seen since.

Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had temporarily returned to the Star Luo Empire; Ning Rongrong spent most of her time at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, occasionally visiting the academy; and Oscar had vanished without a trace.

That left only Ma Hongjun, who, due to his unresolved Evil Fire issue, had remained at the academy.

Coincidentally, the night before, Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire had flared up, prompting him to leave the academy alone. Shortly after his departure, Qian Daoliu had arrived with his forces. By sheer luck, Ma Hongjun had narrowly escaped disaster.

As dawn broke, the now-grown, rotund Ma Hongjun trudged wearily back toward Shrek Academy.

From a distance, he noticed a crowd gathered at the academy's entrance, though he didn't find it unusual—hadn't it been like this for the past few days?

But as he drew closer, he saw white cloth-wrapped objects laid out on the ground, with royal guards continuously carrying similar items out of the academy.

A sense of foreboding gripped him. He rushed forward, lifting one of the white cloths to reveal the cold corpse of a person clad in Shrek Academy's distinctive green uniform.

He lifted another cloth—another corpse...

Ma Hongjun's mind reeled. He grabbed a guard, frantically demanding answers.

The guard, unwilling to divulge much, only advised him to wait for the official investigation results before whispering into Ma Hongjun's ear, "Most likely... Spirit Hall's doing."

With that, the guard returned to his duties, ignoring Ma Hongjun's further questions.

Panicked, Ma Hongjun sprinted to the northernmost part of the academy, only to find it cordoned off—even he was barred from entering.

It was then that the grim reality struck him: Shrek Academy was finished.

News of the massacre of hundreds of soul masters at Shrek Academy spread rapidly throughout the city, inciting outrage among both soul masters and commoners alike.

The perpetrators needed no guessing—it had to be Spirit Hall. This was Heaven Dou Empire's imperial city! How could such a tragedy occur here?

Before the uproar could settle, another devastating blow followed: Ning Fengzhi, patriarch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, had been assassinated in the royal posthouse the previous night—with a Spirit Hall elder's token left on his body!

This was a blatant provocation! The soul masters in Heaven Dou City grew even more restless.

Ning Fengzhi had always been well-regarded, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had long supported the Heaven Dou royalty as one of the Upper Three Clans. His brutal murder was nothing short of a direct challenge to the Heaven Dou Empire's authority!

The bad news continued to pour in: the three deans of Heaven Dou Royal Academy—Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin—were reported killed; Emperor Xue Ye's personal guard captain was ambushed and crippled; and Moon Pavilion's master, Tang Yuehua, had mysteriously vanished...

Coupled with the tragedy at Shrek Academy, these events cast a dark shadow over Heaven Dou City overnight.

Within Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, Emperor Xue Ye appeared even more exhausted. Early that morning, he urgently summoned several high-ranking generals and renowned soul masters to discuss the crisis.

"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on last night's events?" Emperor Xue Ye's voice trembled slightly, as though struggling to contain his fury.

Among the deceased were many of his old friends, people with whom he shared deep bonds. As emperor, his inability to protect even his closest allies filled him with profound guilt.

"Your Majesty, Spirit Hall has already pushed us to the brink. What more are you waiting for? If we delay further, they'll pick us off one by one!"

The speaker was Bone Douluo Gu Rong, who had just returned from delivering Ning Fengzhi's body back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. He had rushed to represent his clan at this meeting.

"I will consider it carefully," Emperor Xue Ye sighed, stopping short of immediate commitment.

With Bone Douluo leading the charge, most soul masters voiced support for declaring war on Spirit Hall. However, the majority of Heaven Dou's generals opposed the idea.

"Your Majesty, you're well aware of the continent's current state. Beyond Spirit Hall, the Star Luo Empire is also watching us like a tiger eyeing its prey."

"If we engage in full-scale war with Spirit Hall now, the drain on our national strength will only benefit Star Luo in the end."

"Moreover... while we have hundreds of thousands of troops, the number of soul masters under our command pales in comparison to Spirit Hall's. The outcome of such a war is far from certain."

After listening to their arguments, Emperor Xue Ye fell into deep contemplation. Had it not been for these considerations, he would have declared war on Spirit Hall the moment Xue Qinghe's true identity was exposed.

After a long pause, he turned to Fang Chang, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, and asked with deference, "Spider God Envoy, what is your view on this matter?"