Chapter 97: Predecessor Xuanzi’s Participation Rate of 100%

"That was personally stated by the hundred-thousand-year Deep Sea Demon Whale King!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Shi's reply was filled with a sense of cunning.

He said eerily, "'Old friend,' you must be careful with your words."

"How do you know that the hundred-thousand-year Deep Sea Demon Whale King isn't simply trying to sow discord?"

"If you would rather believe a soul beast than trust me, a fellow human, then I must seriously question where your true allegiance lies."

"You! You...!"

"Sophistry! This is pure sophistry!"

"Sophistry?" Zhuo Shi responded slyly, "I am not engaging in sophistry."

"You lack undeniable, irrefutable proof that this sea soul beast attack on the exchange delegation was caused by our Shrek Academy students."

"However, I do have evidence proving that soul beast kings and ferocious beasts appear near their habitats."

"In our Shrek Academy's glorious history, the great predecessor Xuanzi once led the yet-to-mature ancestor Huo Yuhao into the outskirts of the Great Star Dou Forest to hunt for a third spirit ring, only to encounter the ferocious beast, the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, as well as the Emperor Auspice Beast."

"This glorious history tells us that powerful soul beasts do indeed appear at the edges of their settlements."

"You...!"

Zhuo Shi's response left his opponent utterly speechless. This was the very definition of sophistry!

He had never met someone so shameless!

The debate raged on, but even with Zhuo Shi's cunning rhetoric, the blame on Shrek Academy was not so easily dismissed. However, his words had effectively shifted the narrative, making it difficult for others to completely pin the responsibility on them.

Meanwhile, the Shrek Academy students, who could vaguely hear Zhuo Shi fiercely defending them, were deeply moved. This only strengthened their conviction that protecting Shrek's honor was the right path.

Tang Wulin, whose morale had nearly fully recovered, glanced around at his companions but failed to find Gu Yue. He quickly expanded his search radius.

Soon, he spotted Gu Yue standing motionless beside a large tree, looking like a frozen statue.

She was gazing into the distance, silent tears streaming down her pale cheeks, falling to the ground below.

Seeing this, Tang Wulin stopped in his tracks, murmuring to himself, "It seems Gu Yue is still mourning the loss of Dean Cai Yue'er."

And it made sense. When they had first enrolled at Shrek Academy, Dean Cai had given them a hard time, but only because she saw great potential in Gu Yue.

Given such a deep impression, it was understandable that Gu Yue would be deeply saddened by her passing.

But in truth, Gu Yue's sorrow was not for Cai Yue'er.

Her tears fell for the memories flashing through her mind.

The direction she was staring at was not the site of the shipwreck but inland—toward the heart of the Star Luo Continent.

If Di Tian were here, he would recognize that Gu Yue was gazing toward the Dragon Valley Small World.

Her memories seemed to transcend time and space, bringing her back to the ancient battlefield of the Divine Realm.

A blood-red figure appeared, wielding a crimson longsword that pointed toward the sky. A sky-splitting, earth-shattering blood-colored sword light shone as it slashed toward "herself."

Everything she had—all that was hers—was reduced to ashes under that sword light.

A sea of corpses. A land drenched in blood. The wails of young dragons filled the air. Countless colossal dragon corpses crashed to the ground, devoid of life, perishing like a rain of fallen stars.

Her own body was split in two—one half burned with rage and charged at the enemy, while the other half, which was her current self, fled with the remaining survivors.

Her dragon soul, along with the souls of many fallen divine dragons, fled through the void.

From that moment on, the downfall of her race had begun.

She had hidden away in the Great Star Dou Forest for countless years.

Now, as the half-body of the Dragon God, stepping onto this ancient continent—this land formed from the body of the Mountain Dragon King—she immediately sensed the presence of the Dragon Valley Small World.

One part of her heart mourned the genocide of her race, while another part was filled with complex emotions.

She had a mission.

And now, that mission was calling her.

But...

Just as she was about to turn back, she hesitated and instead turned to look at the nearby tree.

Her soul power evaporated the tears in her eyes. Her soft lips parted slightly, but she said nothing.

Moments later, the tree seemed to shrink, as if something had been extracted from it.

After finishing what she was doing, Gu Yue composed herself and returned to the group, walking to stand beside Tang Wulin.

When she stopped, Tang Wulin's voice, filled with concern, reached her ears.

"Gu Yue, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Gu Yue replied, her tone cold and distant.

Tang Wulin was puzzled.

Was she still grieving?

Back on the cruise ship, she had been so enthusiastic, even personally preparing a suit for him to wear to the banquet. But now, she was suddenly acting distant again?

Could this be what people meant when they said, a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean?

As he was lost in thought, Zhuo Shi returned from his verbal battle.

Though he was parched from arguing, he had successfully thrown the problem onto the Federation Parliament for them to resolve.

When dealing with difficult issues, the best solution was to push them to tomorrow—just like Zhuo Shi was doing now.

No matter what conclusion the Parliament reached, it would be a matter for those politicians to fight over.

Meanwhile, other issues had been resolved amid Zhuo Shi's relentless defense.

Most of the exchange groups from the Sun-Moon Federation decided to rest in a coastal city of the Star Luo Empire to recover from the traumatic sea attack. Afterward, they would board another ship, escorted by powerful protectors, and return home.

But where there were those who gave up, there were also those who pressed forward.

The Shrek Academy delegation showed no signs of weakness. They marched forward with determination, ready to participate in the Monster Academy's Soul Dueling Exchange, vowing to protect the honor of Shrek.

Under the guidance of Star Luo Empire's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sima Lanxiao, the group boarded a soul train bound for the empire's capital.

However, due to the shipwreck delaying their schedule, the train departed in the evening.

After many days of exhausting travel, most of the passengers quickly fell into deep sleep.

Tang Wulin glanced curiously at Xie Xie, who was fast asleep in the seat beside him.

Why wasn't Gu Yue sitting here?

Normally, she would have kicked Xie Xie aside and taken this seat for herself.

Slightly stretching his back, Tang Wulin craned his neck to search for Gu Yue.

It wasn't until he looked toward the last row of seats that he found her, sleeping alone in a separate seat.

That made him give up the idea of moving to sit beside her.

But what Tang Wulin didn't realize was that the "Gu Yue" on the train was a fake.

Meanwhile, in the Dragon Valley Small World…

Five years had passed since En Ci and Hu Jie perished.

What was once a highly secured, heavily guarded location had now relaxed into little more than a routine patrol zone in a remote wilderness.

In an unnoticed corner, space suddenly condensed. A figure, wrapped in silver light, stepped out.

She landed at the closest point to the small world's barrier.

She wore a silver dress, her face concealed behind a silver veil, and long silver hair cascaded down her back.

(End of Chapter)