Tang Ya's pupils contracted in sheer shock as her mind flashed back to the words Feng Piaoling had previously spoken to her. He had claimed that they held an impartial policy toward all nations across the continent, which was supposedly why they had not stepped in to aid the Tang Sect.
Looking at it now, it was far from being impartial. It was plain and simple betrayal of their ancestors—they merely looked down on the Tang Sect now that it had fallen into decline.
Mu Jin continued to ask, "And what happened after that?"
Feng Piaoling replied, "Afterward, to evade Shrek's pursuit, we entered the Sun Moon Empire. By a stroke of luck, I crossed paths with a mentor from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Through his recommendation, we joined the academy. We will be representing the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy as the preparatory team in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament."
"So that's how it is. No wonder I haven't heard a single piece of news about you over the past year, despite paying close attention to all the advanced soul master academies across the three empires of Douluo." Mu Jin came to a sudden realization.
Then, a look of worry clouded her face. "But if that's the case, won't this tournament be incredibly dangerous? The one leading the team this time is that Xuan Zi, and he is by no means an easy person to deal with. Given his temperament, he might very well slaughter you under the pretense of executing Shrek traitors."
"You can put your mind at ease regarding that, Teacher Mu Jin. I have long since made preparations. For one, as long as we don't expose the fact that Shrek sent people to hunt us down, Shrek's immediate thought will be to recruit us back into the academy. Secondly, I have invited a few helpers, among whom are powerhouse figures at the Title Douluo level. This time, not only am I going to avenge the past pursuit, but I will also deliver a resounding slap to Shrek's face, dragging their so-called number one soul master academy down from its divine pedestal."
Feng Piaoling declared his grand ambition on the spot.
Mu Jin nodded heavily. "Fine, then I will place a massive gamble on you this time. It just so happens that I've been displeased with that scoundrel Zhou Yi for a long time. If I can give her a harsh slap to the face this time, I'll accept it even if I end up killed by Xuan Zi."
Only after saying all this did Mu Jin finally notice Tang Ya's presence.
"Piaoling, she is..." Mu Jin frowned as she looked at Tang Ya. According to what she knew, Tang Ya had always hung around with Zhou Yi's disciples, Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin.
"She has already decided to sever ties with Shrek Academy." While speaking, Feng Piaoling recounted everything Tang Ya had gone through.
Upon hearing the story, Mu Jin felt a deep wave of sympathy for Tang Ya's plight. "This Shrek truly remains as hypocritical as always. Good child, do not worry. From this day forward, we are your family."
As she spoke, her maternal instincts surged, and she pulled Tang Ya into a warm embrace.
This action left Tang Ya completely dumbfounded. However, as everyone knew, characters in the Douluo Continent were generally starved of affection, especially orphans like Tang Ya who had lost both parents. Soon, Tang Ya immersed herself within Mu Jin's overflowing motherly love, unable to extricate herself.
Watching this unfold, Feng Piaoling couldn't help but internally note that the sisterly bond was completely sealed.
This was a place that resembled a mass grave. Not only were there a vast number of human and soul beast skeletons scattered around, but there were also seven or eight barren mountains standing hundreds of feet high.
Atop the peaks of these barren mountains, over a dozen black-robed soul masters either sat or stood in a scattered fashion. Most of these soul masters either possessed pale complexions, sunken eyes, and blood-red pupils, or they exuded a sinister, malicious aura, presenting the archetypal manner of evil soul masters.
The individual leading them wore a blood-red outer robe, paired with an inner set of skeletal armor forged from metal. His appearance was unutterably bizarre and wicked, identifying him as none other than the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult, Zhongli Wu, a Rank 98 Super Douluo.
Xuan Zi was also located nearby at the foot of one of the barren mountains. However, due to the Rank 9 soul tool mental barrier that Zhongli Wu and his cohorts had deployed, he had completely failed to notice them. Of course, even if they hadn't set up the barrier, he still wouldn't have noticed.
Because at this very moment, he was thoroughly occupied with drinking wine and eating meat. Yes, the "Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult," Xuan Zi, was about to exert his signature power once again.
He had not taken the cautious approach of checking the mountaintops for potential ambushes. After sensing through his aura that the strongest enemy in the forest ahead was merely at the five-ring Soul King cultivation level, he simply left the Shrek students to handle it themselves.
Although there was more than one five-ring Soul King, in his eyes, these evil soul masters possessed absolutely no capability to resist before the elite disciples of Shrek Academy. Furthermore, Zhou Yi, an established Soul Emperor and an outer courtyard teacher, was present to oversee the overall situation. Thus, he felt perfectly secure drinking wine and eating meat on the periphery, as no one particularly enjoyed the smell of blood.
Meanwhile, the other members of Shrek Academy had already changed into dark green martial attire, donned dark green masks, and draped dark green cloaks over themselves. Three signal flares reserved exclusively for Shrek Inspectors hung from their waists.
Once everyone had changed into the distinctive attire of the Shrek Inspectors and gathered together again, Zhou Yi swept her gaze over the crowd. Finally, her eyes locked onto Ma Xiaotao. "Prepare to move out. Xiaotao, you will command the official team in battle, while I will take charge of commanding the preparatory team."
"Understood." Ma Xiaotao accepted the responsibility without hesitation, and the other inner courtyard students raised no objections. After all, they had always looked down on outer courtyard teachers whose strengths were merely at the Soul King or Soul Emperor level. If Zhou Yi were to command them directly, it would undoubtedly breed dissatisfaction. Ma Xiaotao was different; as the strongest member among the current generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters, she possessed both the status and the strength.
With a slight dip of her waist, Ma Xiaotao was the first to dash into the dense jungle beneath the barren mountains ahead. Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng flanked her on either side, with Ling Luochen, Xi Xi, Gongyang Mo, and Yao Haoxuan following closely behind.
A few seconds after they departed, Zhou Yi finally waved her hand and led the preparatory team to follow.
She considered victory to be absolutely guaranteed for this particular Shrek Inspectors operation to wipe out the evil soul masters. She had investigated beforehand and confirmed that the highest cultivation level of the Death Hand bandit group, which was comprised of evil soul masters, belonged to their leader, the Messenger of Death, who was merely a Soul King.
In contrast, on their side, including herself, there were as many as three Soul Emperors alone, all of whom were elites. With such overwhelming strength, they could win this battle even with their eyes closed.
Once this Inspector mission was complete, and she went on to lead Shrek Academy to claim the championship in this year's tournament, her name, Zhou Yi, would surely be recorded in the annals of Shrek Academy. If she waited for Huo Yuhao to grow up, it was not entirely impossible for her to become an illustrious figure in history, much like the great Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.
Precisely while Zhou Yi was indulging in her pipe dreams, Zhongli Wu, who was sitting cross-legged on the distant mountaintop, suddenly opened his eyes.
"You are late."
The moment Zhongli Wu's icy words fell, a yellow light surged from the ground beside him, and Feng Piaoling's figure gradually rose from within it. "Wasn't I going out to scout another Holy Virgin for Cult Leader Zhongli!"
As he spoke, he handed over a spherical soul tool, which was a Recording Pearl. It was capable of recording and storing events that occurred within a certain timeframe.
Feng Piaoling channeled his soul power into the Recording Pearl, and in the next instant, a white screen of light projected from it. The image of Tang Ya devouring the life force of ancient trees manifested within the projection.
"It truly is the Dark Blue Silver Grass. Although it hasn't completely awakened yet, this devouring ability cannot be faked." Zhongli Wu nodded, clearly thoroughly satisfied with this second Holy Virgin that Feng Piaoling had arranged.
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