At the entrance of the Sea Gods Pavilion, Xuan Zi's voice was hoarse and broken, filled with endless remorse and despair as he roared and blamed himself frantically over and over again.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I deserve to die! I deserve to die! Ahhh! I deserve to die—!"
Every roar was accompanied by violent coughing and the spurting of fresh blood.
Xuan Zi seemed completely unable to feel the intense physical pain, caring only about punishing his own incompetence in the most humble and desperate way.
To the side, Zhuang Yusen, who was also an Elder of the Sea Gods Pavilion, watched Xuan Zi's state of being more dead than alive with a heart full of both anger and pity.
He knew well that Xuan Zi had always been coarse in nature and loved alcohol as much as life itself, but the mistake committed this time was truly too fatal, too preposterous.
Looking at the wounds on Xuan Zi's body that were constantly seeping blood, Zhuang Yusen ultimately could not bear it.
He took a step forward and raised his hand, intending to release spirit power to suppress Xuan Zi's injuries and treat the wounds.
"Elder Xuan, you first..."
"Get lost!"
But just as Zhuang Yusen's hand reached out, he was interrupted by Xuan Zi's near-manic, harsh shout.
Xuan Zi suddenly lifted his head; his eyes were bloodshot and crimson, and his face was distorted and hideous, like a crazed demon.
"Don't touch me! I have no right to receive treatment! I'm not worthy! I'm just a piece of trash! I'm the one who killed them! I'm the one who lost Le Xuan! I deserve to die!"
Zhuang Yusen's extended hand froze in mid-air. Ultimately, he could only sigh helplessly, silently withdrawing his hand and retreating to the side with a face full of complex emotions.
In front of the Sea Gods Pavilion, several other Sea Gods Pavilion Elders with heavy auras and esteemed statuses were also standing.
Every one of them was a powerhouse standing at the peak of the Douluo Continent. They had witnessed countless storms at Shrek, and their temperaments had long since become as steady as an abyss.
But at this moment, looking at Xuan Zi kneeling on the ground like a madman, and seeing the empty scene where not a single Inner Court student had returned with him,
everyone's expressions were so dark they could practically drip water, and their moods were complex to the extreme.
Disappointment, anger, heartache, anxiety... all sorts of emotions intertwined in their hearts, pressing down on them until they could hardly breathe.
There was no need to ask, no need for any explanation; the scene before them already explained everything.
The Shrek Inner Court geniuses who followed Xuan Zi to the Star Dou Great Forest for training had likely... all perished.
And this was not the first time Xuan Zi had made such a fatal mistake.
The Elders all knew in their hearts that Xuan Zi possessed overwhelming strength and celestial combat power.
In terms of single combat, in the entire Sea Gods Pavilion, almost no one was his match except for Elder Mu.
But his greatest problem was his reckless and impulsive nature. His obsession with food and alcohol caused him to neglect his duties; he had plenty of responsibility but lacked enough care and caution.
In the past, he had caused the academy various troubles, large and small, many times due to carelessness and negligence.
It was just that his past mistakes were far less tragic and irredeemable than today's.
In the past, the Elders had shown him much tolerance and respect out of consideration for Xuan Zi's strength, seniority, and loyalty to the academy.
But this time, the mistake Xuan Zi committed had already touched Shrek's bottom line.
What truly made the hearts of all the Elders heavy, even causing a hint of panic, was not those fallen Inner Court disciples, but Zhang Lexuan.
Those fallen Inner Court students were certainly all exceptionally gifted with startling potential, the future strength carefully cultivated by Shrek.
However, most of them had their respective families backing them. Even if they grew up in the future, they would inevitably be tied down by their families, making it difficult for them to give everything to Shrek without reservation or wholehearted devotion.
But Zhang Lexuan was completely different.
She had a clean background, no father or mother, and no one to rely on. She had been adopted by Mu En since childhood and raised by his own hand.
Shrek's will and spirit were etched into her very bones. She was Shrek's designated and undisputed future successor.
(Currently, Zhang Lexuan is undoubtedly the successor of Shrek; her talent and strength make her the number one person among the younger generation.)
She was the core spark that would support Shrek's glory for the next few decades, or even centuries!
In the hearts of all the Sea Gods Pavilion Elders, Zhang Lexuan's status had long since surpassed that of ordinary genius disciples.
She was Shrek's future; she was Shrek's hope!
But now, Xuan Zi had not only allowed a large number of Inner Court geniuses to perish in the Star Dou Great Forest,
he had even lost Shrek's future successor, Zhang Lexuan, with her life or death unknown!
Even though these Elders usually held Xuan Zi in immense respect and trust, at this moment, a thick sense of resentment and blame uncontrollably grew in their hearts.
If it weren't for Xuan Zi's dereliction of duty and his alcohol-induced negligence, if it weren't for his carelessness and inadequate protection, such a heavy tragedy could never have happened!
However, seeing Xuan Zi's current miserable state—severely injured and in agonizing pain—the Elders ultimately could not bear it.
The words on the tips of their tongues eventually turned into heavy sighs.
No one was willing to further berate this companion who was already on the verge of collapse at a time like this.
Time passed bit by bit in a deathly, oppressive silence.
In front of the Sea Gods Pavilion, only the sounds of Xuan Zi's intermittent sobbing, roaring, and coughing of blood remained. The air was as heavy as if it were filled with molten lead.
After an unknown amount of time, an old, calm voice that also carried a hint of unavoidable anger and majesty
slowly drifted from deep within the Sea Gods Pavilion, echoing clearly in everyone's ears.
"Get in here."
Three simple words, without any vast spirit power pressure or violent release of aura,
yet they caused all the Sea Gods Pavilion Elders present to involuntarily feel a chill in their hearts.
Even the demon-like Xuan Zi instantly stopped his roaring and struggling.
This voice belonged to Shrek's stabilizing force, the Master of the Sea Gods Pavilion, and a top-tier powerhouse of the current age—Mu En!
Hearing Mu En's voice, Xuan Zi felt as if he had caught a final life-saving straw, yet also like a sinner facing the ultimate judgment. He could no longer hold himself up, and his whole body went limp.
Xuan Zi used both hands and feet to scramble and crawl toward the interior of the Sea Gods Pavilion in a pathetic manner.
He didn't have the slightest bit of dignity left as a Super Douluo. Only endless fear and remorse remained in his heart. Every step he moved felt like enduring the torment of a thousand cuts.
The other Elders did not follow him into the Sea Gods Pavilion. They only stood silently at the entrance, staring with complex gazes at the deep, dark gates, their hearts in turmoil and filled with unease.
They knew that the conversation that was about to take place inside the Sea Gods Pavilion would determine Xuan Zi's fate and, more importantly, the future direction of Shrek.
Inside the Sea Gods Pavilion, on the main seat of the hall, Mu En sat in a wheelchair, wearing a simple gray robe, his face aged and kind.
Xuan Zi, covered in dirt and blood, scrambled and crawled before Mu En's wheelchair and fell to his knees with a "thud."
Xuan Zi pressed his forehead tightly against the floor at Mu En's feet, crying out with an exhausted voice and flowing tears.
"Elder Mu! I've failed you! I've failed Le Xuan! I've failed those dead Inner Court disciples! My crime is worthy of ten thousand deaths! Please kill me!"
Xuan Zi cried heart-wrenchingly, his tears gushing out like broken strings of pearls, soaking the floor at Mu En's feet.
Mu En lowered his head, silently watching Xuan Zi, who was sprawled at his feet blaming himself like a mad dog.
A flash of sternness passed through his cloudy eyes as he suppressed the urge to directly slap this idiot to death.
He hadn't taken many disciples in his life. Although Xuan Zi wasn't his disciple, he was considered the one he valued most, and also the one who gave him the most headaches.
He had enough strength and enough loyalty, but his brain alone was always useless at critical moments, causing huge messes for him time and time again!
But things had already reached this point; anger and punishment were already meaningless.