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--- Chapter 487 ---
The emergency parliamentary meeting concerning the "world-shaking shade" thrown by the Mechanical Demon was convened with terrifying speed.
Unfortunately for Shrek Academy, the proud representatives of a twenty-thousand-year-old ancient glory, they had not merely been invited to a debate. They had been summoned directly to the chopping block.
To ensure the trap was complete, Xu Deming had used Gnosia's own networks to broadcast the entire congressional proceeding live on every digital screen worldwide.
The Shrek-Tang alliance could have chosen to boycott the summons. But in the court of public opinion, empty seats would only serve as a silent admission of guilt, reinforcing the terrifying accusations of worldly imprisonment.
They had no choice but to walk into the lions' den.
The grand chamber of the Central Parliament was packed to the brim, a dense gathering of the most powerful political, corporate, and military figures on the continent:
The Federal Senate: Led by the neutral head Speaker Mo Bu, flanked by the aggressive leader of the Hawk Faction, Long Taizu, and the cautious head of the Dove Faction, Peng Bai.
The Corporate Giants: Representing the Spirit Pagoda, Pagoda Master Qiangu Dongfeng sat with a calm, calculating posture, alongside the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, Leng Yaozhu. Representing the industrial capital of Mingdu stood the influential director Xu Chentian.
The Shrek-Tang Alliance: Anchored by the Amorous Douluo, Zang Xin, representing the Tang Sect, alongside a grim-faced Light Dark Douluo, Long Yeyue, and the Scarlet Dragon Douluo, Zhuo Shi, representing the Sea God Pavilion.
The Military High Command: The five regional pillars of the Federation's armed forces sat in silence. Yu Guanzhi of the Central Army, Chen Xinjie of the War Good Temple, Yue Zheng'en of the Southern Army, Dong Zian of the Western Army, and Xu Tianzu of the Eastern Army.
Speaker Mo Bu stood squarely behind the center podium, his calm voice echoing through the amplified arrays. "Everyone, we gather today under extraordinary circumstances to address an issue that threatens the very stability of our continent, no, world..."
"A glaring, massive issue regarding the recent events in the southern ocean involving Shrek Academy, the Tang Sect, and by extension, the legacy of the Clear Sky Sect."
The Speaker struck a key, bringing up the global problem. "During this event, the Sea God Pavilion Master, Atlas Douluo Yun Ming, engaged in a mechanical anomaly."
"At the climax of that battle, the mechanical entity broadcast classified spatial and historical allegations, or revelations about planar secrets that this government has been left entirely unaware of for millennia."
"We, Shrek, deny that completely!" Long Yeyue shouted. Her loud voice, infused with the immense pressure of a Limit Douluo, nearly shattered the etiquette of the parliament floor, cutting the Speaker off mid-sentence.
Instantly, a heavy, collective frown swept across the senate floor. Powerful officials and regional generals turned their heads, glaring at this seemingly bold, yet utterly brainless display of arrogance.
Across the global network, millions of citizens watching the live stream gasped at the raw hostility of Shrek's immediate deflection.
'Yeyue... you shouldn't have spoken like that in parliament. Now, it's going to be harder for me to shield you...' Chen Xinjie sighed deeply from the military bench.
The Boundless Douluo felt grief over the devastating death his brother-in-arms, Chen Bofan, had suffered at the hands of the mechanical demon.
But in the eyes of the Federal government, Chen Xinjie's secret, lifelong ties to the Sea God Faction made him a massive liability. He had hidden the true form of his martial soul for years to maintain his neutral military standing, and Long Yeyue's outburst was threatening to pull everyone down with her.
Qiangu Dongfeng didn't say a word, but a cold, venomous smirk spread across his face. 'Foolish old hag, do you honestly believe your precious Shrek is in any position to deny anything?'
'So what if the machine's statement was entirely one-sided? So what if it was arranged to incite panic?'
'What matters is that you, Shrek, have lost your glorious aura.'
'Yun Ming lost. His unyielding, undefeated legend is officially dead. You failed to neutralize the threat that threatened the world, and you couldn't even dream of disproving the entity's claims because your own ancestor, Tang Hao, manifested at the very end, practically confirming that the cage may exist.'
'You, Shrek, are completely done for.'
Long Yaozhu was stunned by Long Yeyue's outburst. She sighed because she actually planned to help Shrek a little bit, as the continent was not ready for another chaos.
Yet, it was too late. Shrek had become a common enemy of everyone for too long.
'Yun Ming... I wonder if you're still alive...' She shook her head gently.
Sitting a few seats down from Long Yeyue, Zang Xin's handsome features twitched in disbelief. The Amorous Douluo stared at the older woman as if he were looking at a fool, his knuckles turning white against the polished wood of his desk.
He grumbled internally. 'What on earth are you doing, Elder Long?'
'At a critical juncture like this, the strategy is to be cooperative! You speak as little as possible, agree to transparent investigations, and let the Tang Sect's public relations handle the damage control!
Beside her, Zhuo Shi closed his eyes, his breathing heavy as he fought the overwhelming urge to slam his own face into the mahogany table. Damn it all... I knew I shouldn't have come to this circus!'
The Scarlet Dragon Douluo grumbled bitterly in his heart, realizing that twenty thousand years of reverence had left Shrek's senior leadership entirely incapable of playing a defensive political game.
The trap had sprung, and Shrek had walked right into it, chin held high and entirely exposed.
Speaker Mo Bu remained completely calm under the residual pressure of the Limit Douluo. His thin frame shook slightly from the environmental force, but his steady gaze never left Long Yeyue's eyes.
"Light Dark Douluo... is that your only statement?" The Speaker's voice fell with a chilling, formal tone. "Is the official stance of Shrek Academy limited entirely to denial?"
"Not good..." Zang Xin and Zhuo Shi exchanged panicked, warning glances.
Sure enough, as if being directly challenged by a lesser authority, Long Yeyue leaned forward and shouted once more, "I already said that we, Shrek, have done nothing wrong!"
"All of you sit here and question our desperate efforts to save the world, while Yun Ming and others paid the price to protect the people while you all enjoyed warmth and comfort here in the capital!"
'Sigh...' Chen Xinjie closed his eyes, feeling an even greater wave of frustration wash over him upon hearing those words.
"Warmth and comfort..." Yu Guanzhi and the other regional military heads almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of the statement.
Xu Tianzu calmly leaned forward, using his own immense presence to effortlessly neutralize the lingering Limit Douluo suppression over the chamber floor.
"Speaker, if I may be permitted to ask a few questions?"
"Please, General Xu..." Speaker Mo Bu's breathing finally calmed under the Eastern Commander's intervention.
"Light Dark Douluo, Amorous Douluo..." Xu Tianzu mentioned the two names with an entirely indifferent, professional tone.
"If I may know... what exactly were Atlas Douluo and his allies doing out on the Southern Sea in the first place?"
"Don't tell me that Shrek Academy believes it can just randomly hold an unauthorized gathering of powerhouses... and then conduct a high-scale martial operation inside Federal territory without a shred of permission, correct?"
Long Yeyue frowned deeply, her expression darkening as she answered Ultimate Sanction and Unforgiving Future for Shrek and Its Allies!warily, "We... we detected a severe anomaly tearing into our world! We moved immediately to eradicate it from the face of the planet before it could threaten the livelihood of the common people!"
Yue Zheng'en immediately leaned forward to capitalize on the opening given to him. "Then, as the Commander of the Southern Army Corps, I must add a critical fact to this record."
"My souuthern army never received a single communication, request for airspace clearance, or emergency alert from Atlas Douluo's side when he led his group into our operational territory."
The Southern Patriarch's voice grew sharp. "You entered a military danger zone without legal permission! Moreover, you still completely failed to eradicate the so-called threat!"
"The Southern Region did not just lose one or two islands. The Federation has lost countless important, highly strategic maritime assets due to the fallout of your unauthorized battle!"
Yu Guanzhi tapped his finger on the table, the rhythmic sound echoing clearly through the silent room.
He turned his sharp eyes toward the Shrek delegation. "Then, that leaves us with a massive problem regarding your... motive."
"How precisely did Shrek Academy know about the exact arrival time, localized coordinates, and specific nature of this extra-planar threat before it even entered our atmosphere?"
"Atlas Douluo and others arrived there before the 'mechanical' entity even made its appearance..."
The Central Marshal leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "Don't tell me it was just an accidental spiritual vision or a prophetic dream, Elder Long, because this military council does not base defense on superstitions..."
"Unless, of course, Shrek still maintains a connection with their ascended ancestors, and secretly receives divine oracles while the rest of the world is intentionally kept in the dark."
'Or should I say kept in prison...' He murmured inwardly.
The moment those heavy, solemn words fell, the entire chamber fell into a suffocating silence. Every neutral official, corporate head, and regional general turned to gaze at Yu Guanzhi deeply.
He had just openly voiced the exact suspicion they had all harbored for centuries. Shrek was just too autonomous, too secretive, and far too suspicious.
"That is indeed highly inconsistent..." Dong Zian commented coldly from the Western bench, adding fuel to the fire without fully committing his forces just yet.
The influential representative of Mingdu, Xu Chentian, smoothly adjusted his glasses and added, "Then, that completely solidifies the possibility of rogue Divine Intervention. And we all know the historical facts of the past ten, no, twenty thousand years..."
"The only group of entities who have ever ascended to godhood on this plane is heavily connected with Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect."
Xu Chentian raised his hands defensively, though his faint smile remained razor-sharp. "I am not saying your organizations are completely acting as agents for these deities... But in the grand scheme of the modern world, we know that God's Realm is no longer anchored above our heads."
"The connection was lost a long time ago. So, who truly knows what hidden cards Shrek is still holding close to their chest?"
"That massive, divine hammer manifested at the end of the footage looked remarkably like the Clear Sky Hammer to me..."
"Damn it!" Long Yeyue cursed under her heavy breath, her chest heaving in fury as the walls of the legal trap closed tightly around them.
Zang Xin firmly held Long Yeyue's hand down, applying pressure before she could burst out again. The Amorous Douluo leaned forward, casting his voice clearly across the floor to mitigate the disaster.
"I recognize that the current circumstances leave us in a highly suspicious light."
"However, we cannot prove innocence on the spot here today... That is exactly why we would welcome the Federation to launch a formal investigation."
"Of course, our only caveat is that the investigation remains completely transparent, honest, and thorough..."
"An investigation? Haha, Vice-Sect Master Zang, you must be joking..." Qiangu Dongfeng finally spoke his mind, his voice carrying an effortless, cutting power that echoed across the chamber floors.
"Don't you know that Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect have always fiercely maintained that your sacred grounds cannot be touched by federal hands?"
"You have consistently demanded complete, untaxed sovereignty over 'that' land instead of allowing the sovereign Federation to manage its own boundaries."
The Pagoda Master scoffed openly. "And now, you ask the Federation to investigate divine secrets? Are you offering to let us look into the matter, or are you merely setting up another trap behind closed doors?"
Qiangu Dongfeng stood up, adjusting his immaculate robes as he turned to face the global broadcast cameras. "I say... let the Federation monitor Shrek Academy and its core members' movements until they are proven definitively innocent. We can conduct the investigation, but we must also ensure the safety of the public while doing so."
He turned back to the room, his eyes narrowing a little. "Furthermore, the core members of Shrek Academy, especially Sea God Pavilion, should be strictly prohibited from accessing several sensitive areas... and prevented from running away entirely. What does this council think?"
"Refused! Shrek Academy completely refuses to agree to such tyranny!" Long Yeyue roared madly, her aura flaring wildly as she realized Qiangu Dongfeng's words were designed to cleanly cut the livelihood of Shrek Academy right at the roots.
"Refuse?" Qiangu Dongfeng sneered, leaning over his desk as his eyes flashed with cold light. "Why refuse? Is Shrek not merely an educational institution? An academy? Why does your academy require such immense authority in the first place? Don't you always claim you only want to do good for the world? Let me tell you, the Federation is doing the 'greater good' for the continent by securing its borders!"
It wasn't just a political sanction. It was a formal decision to turn Shrek City into an isolated prison on its own homeground.
Zang Xin and Zhuo Shi both had incredibly ugly expressions on their faces, their options narrowing down to zero as the global broadcast sealed their fate.
"Let us bring the motion to a vote..." Speaker Mo Bu opened his mouth, his expression grim as he decided to take this historic matter to its ultimate legislative conclusion.
The digital ballot locked instantly.
Shrek Academy: No!
Tang Sect: No.
Dove Faction: No.
Hawk Faction: Yes.
Spirit Pagoda: Yes.
Mingdu Sector: Yes.
Federal Military: Yes.
Affiliated Independent Factions: Yes.
Speaker Mo Bu read the veto one by one on the screen and spoke the final ultimatum, "The motion passes!"
"It is hereby decided that Shrek Academy will be placed under strict sanction, constant federal observation, and an indefinite investigation until sufficient proof of compliance is found."
"This is completely unfair!" Long Yeyue yelled indignantly, her voice shaking the room.
Speaker Mo Bu completely ignored her outburst, signing the decree with a swift stroke of his pen. "At the same time, all core personnel of Shrek Academy, the Sea God Pavilion, the Tang Sect, and all affiliated entities will be placed under immediate, restricted observation..."
"This session is adjourned!"
The heavy strike of the gavel closed the meeting once and for all.