Chapter 219 Public Opinion Stirs Up Again! Have Shrek Academy Colluded with Evil Soul Masters?
That night, the darkness was as black as ink.
Although the capital of the Heavenly Soul Empire was plunged into a deathly silence, the intelligence network across the entire Douluo Continent was in an uproar because of the events that took place on the execution platform during the day.
Within just a few hours, news of what happened at the execution platform spread rapidly.
Whether it's the three great empires of Tiandou, Xingluo, and Douling, or the Sun Moon Empire, or even some remote border towns, wherever soul masters gather, they are all discussing the same topic: the connection between Shrek Academy and evil soul masters.
Inside a simple tavern outside the capital city, several Soul Masters sat together, exchanging words in hushed tones.
"Have you heard? What happened on the execution platform today?" A dark-skinned middle-aged man took a sip of wine, his voice trembling slightly.
"How come I haven't heard about this? Who doesn't know about this now?" Another young Soul Master put down his wine glass, his face full of disdain. "Dean Yan Shaozhe of Shrek Academy was actually saved by an evil Soul Master. I think they're colluding with evil Soul Masters."
"Don't talk nonsense. Shrek Academy has been established for ten thousand years and has always been a leader in fighting against evil spirit masters." In the corner of the tavern, an old man couldn't help but interject. "They would never collude with evil spirit masters. There must be something going on."
"Hidden reason? What hidden reason could make an evil soul master save a dean of Shrek Academy?" The young soul master sneered, his tone full of doubt.
"Look at the results. What did Shrek Academy lose in this incident? Ma Xiaotao survived, which is what they wanted. Yan Shaozhe also returned alive, so there was no loss for them. Besides, if there was no collusion, why didn't those evil soul masters just kill Yan Shaozhe directly, but instead protected him?"
"Yes, that's right," the dark-faced man chimed in. "We can't just look at what they say; we have to look at the results. Shrek Academy profited from this, that's a fact, isn't it? The more you try to explain, the worse it gets."
Such dialogues are constantly taking place across mainland China.
Public opinion began to spiral out of control in a direction unfavorable to Shrek Academy.
People no longer care about the truth; they only care about the outcome that would make the claim of "collaboration between the academy and evil" true.
At this moment, in a secluded camp not far from the capital, Yan Shaozhe was sitting on a wooden chair.
His left shoulder was wrapped in layers of bandages, and blood was still slowly seeping out.
His face was deathly pale. He sat in the chair, staring blankly ahead.
Beside him, Old Song and Xian Lin'er paced anxiously back and forth in the tent.
"Shao Zhe, public opinion is completely out of control." Old Song's voice trembled as she held a piece of intelligence she had just intercepted, which detailed negative comments about Shrek Academy from various regions.
"The public simply won't listen to our explanations. The more we emphasize that we didn't collude, the more they think we're guilty."
"Yes," Xianlin'er sighed as well, her face etched with exhaustion.
"If this isn't handled properly, Shrek Academy's reputation will be ruined."
Yan Shaozhe slowly raised his head. His eyes no longer held the confidence and composure of the past, but only a deep sense of powerlessness.
"Public opinion is never reasonable."
Yan Shaozhe's voice was hoarse, and with each word he spoke, the wound on his left shoulder would ache terribly due to the muscle tension.
"We have no choice but to hurry back to Shrek Academy and issue a statement."
...
Meanwhile, in the Sun Moon Empire, at the Royal Soul Master Academy.
Jing Hongchen sat behind a spacious desk, holding a steaming cup of tea in her hand.
On the table in front of him lay a top-secret intelligence report that had just been sent back from the Heavenly Soul Empire.
The intelligence report detailed everything that happened on the execution platform during the day, including Yan Shaozhe's injuries, Ma Xiaotao's abduction, and the entire process of Xue Di's appearance.
Looking at the intelligence report, Jing Hongchen showed no anger, but rather a playful smile.
"Good, very good." Jing Hongchen gently put down her teacup, tapping her fingers on the table a few times, making a crisp sound.
"Shrek Academy must be having a real headache right now, right? In that case, let me set them on fire."
He waved to his assistant: "Make a copy of this intelligence report and send it to the major conglomerates and members of the royal family in the country."
"We don't need to make any evaluations; we just need to let them see this result. Shrek Academy has fallen from its pedestal, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Sun Moon Empire."
Jing Hongchen's tone was full of schadenfreude.
He doesn't need to take any action; simply letting these rumors fester will cause Shrek Academy to sink deeper and deeper into the quagmire of public opinion.
...
Inside the Sun Moon Royal Academy, Huo Yuhao stood by the window, looking at the dark night sky outside.
The intelligence report in his hand was crumpled and somewhat deformed.
Huo Yuhao frowned.
He knew that although Ma Xiaotao was not dead, she had fallen into the hands of the Holy Spirit Cult, which meant that she was very likely to become a tool that only knew how to kill in the future.
Although Yan Shaozhe survived, Shrek Academy's reputation was ruined this time.
This was not the outcome he wanted.
"Not only did it fail to save Sister Tao, it made the situation even worse."
Huo Yuhao muttered to himself, his voice tinged with helplessness.
"Ugh... this is such a hassle."
In his mental world, the figure of Hyotei slowly emerged.
She ignored the outside noise and looked at Huo Yuhao with a serious expression, her tone revealing a deep sense of incomprehension and worry.
"Yuhao, Xue Di, why did she make a move?"
The issue of Hyotei was also a question that had been lingering in Huo Yuhao's mind.
"I can't figure it out either," Huo Yuhao responded in his mind. "Ever since Xue Di was taken away by Liu Yuan that day, we haven't had any news about her. Perhaps, there was some other deal between her and Liu Yuan?"
Hyotei's brows furrowed even more.
"That's strange. The Snow Empress has always been arrogant and unwilling to negotiate with humans. What kind of deal could they possibly have?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm then spoke up, "Perhaps, he can help the Snow Empress?"
"Don't forget, when Xue Di was imprisoned on the Conferred God Platform, she was extremely weak. But this time, the fact that she was able to withstand the attack of that Limit Douluo means that she has recovered. And all of this is obviously related to Liu Yuan."
Hyotei frowned: "How could he possibly have that ability?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was also puzzled: "Yes, I'm also puzzled. How could he have such an ability?"
But Huo Yuhao suddenly thought of something and continued, "Perhaps he doesn't have that ability, but what if it's Elder Yi?"
"Don't forget, Elder Yi is also with him, so this kind of thing isn't impossible to accomplish..."
(End of chapter)