After hearing Xu Tianhao's analysis, Xu Tianran nodded in deep agreement: "Even if that old ghost Mu En, hindered by his reputation and face, could not commit such a vicious act as wiping out an entire family, Shrek's Xuan Zi would absolutely be capable of doing it!"
"That old thing Xuan Zi is inherently a ruthless character who stops at nothing. For the sake of Shrek's interests, there has never been anything he dared not do or could not do."
Hearing this, Poison Immortal let out a heavy, cold snort through his nose, and a violent aura faintly emanated from his body.
Clearly, the name Mu En had stirred up a deep, bloody feud that had been buried for many years.
Poison Immortal clenched his fists, his voice icy and bone-chilling: "Do you really think that Mu En is some sanctimonious gentleman?"
"My elder brother died at the hands of Mu En! Back then, when my brother sparred with Mu En, it was supposed to be a friendly contest between fellow Spirit Masters of the same level, meant to stop at the point of contact, with no intention of fighting to the death."
"Yet that sanctimonious Mu En, while pretending to be fair and upright on the surface, hid lethal moves during the fight. He struck ruthlessly, showing no mercy, and forced my brother into a dead end, ultimately causing him to die from severe injuries!"
"If my brother were still alive, he would surely have achieved the realm of Limit Douluo by now and led the Body Sect to even greater glory."
"That old thing is as deep and calculating as the sea. On the surface, he wears the cloak of a saint, acting kind and approachable to all Spirit Masters in the world, appearing as if he were here to save all living beings."
"In secret, he is a narrow-minded, vicious, and sanctimonious hypocrite. For the sake of Shrek's hegemony, there is nothing conscience-less that he wouldn't do!"
Hearing Poison Immortal's accusation, which was filled with hatred, Kong Deming's eyes, which had seen the vicissitudes of life, flickered slightly.
He was silent for a moment, then finally spoke slowly, his voice calm yet decisive: "Since that is the case, then we shall proceed according to the method Tianhao suggested."
There is a high probability that Mu En is still alive in this world, and this is not a baseless conjecture.
It is a conclusion Kong Deming reached two years ago after personally taking the risk to sneak into Shrek Academy and investigating, relying on his own peak-level spatial attainments.
In the original work, Mu En could silently infiltrate the Sun Moon Empire to gather classified information, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, undetected by anyone.
Therefore, given Kong Deming's strength and methods, he could naturally also travel silently to the territory of the Three Great Empires of the original Douluo Continent and infiltrate Shrek's turf.
Kong Deming's spatial attainments are beyond doubt; as long as he does not actively expose his own aura, even a Limit Douluo of the same level would not necessarily be able to detect his tracks.
Moreover, with Kong Deming's current strength, even if he were truly discovered by Mu En, the other party would be unable to stop him.
Escaping unscathed would be an easy task.
Kong Deming set the tone, finalizing the core of the entire plan, and Xu Tianhao and Xu Tianran immediately began discussing every detail of the plan.
They strove to make it watertight, ensuring this overt scheme would exert its maximum power.
Their goal was very clear: to subtly attribute the tragic massacre of her entire family to a calculated conspiracy by Shrek Academy within Zhang Lexuan's subconscious.
The most ingenious part of this matter is that once this thought takes root and sprouts in Zhang Lexuan's heart...
...then the training Shrek Academy has provided her over the years, and their various arrangements and ways of handling her, will become increasingly unreasonable, appearing more and more like a premeditated scheme.
If Shrek had not wiped out Zhang Lexuan's entire family and had not cut off the roots, then when Zhang Lexuan grew up...
...and learned that the blood of the Sun Moon Royal Family flowed in her veins, and learned that her family was deeply connected and inseparable from the Sun Moon Empire...
...even if she did not actively defect to the Sun Moon Empire, she would definitely not strike ruthlessly against the Sun Moon Empire, nor would she become the sharp blade for Shrek to use against the Sun Moon Empire.
What Shrek wanted was a blade that was absolutely loyal, absolutely sharp, and capable of piercing the heart of the Sun Moon Empire.
And Zhang Lexuan's background was the greatest hidden danger for this blade.
Only by erasing her family, erasing her roots, and letting her grow up under Shrek's upbringing, being instilled with hatred for the Sun Moon Empire...
...could she become a weapon without emotions, knowing only how to kill.
Xu Tianhao and Xu Tianran analyzed this logic clearly, waiting only to plant this seed of doubt into Zhang Lexuan's heart.
The plan was finalized, and there was no further hesitation.
Xu Tianran waved his hand, using his spirit power to activate the god-locking ring.
In an instant, the pale golden god-locking ring shone brightly, and the patterns engraved on the ring shimmered with radiance.
The next second, a slender figure slowly emerged from the ring.
Zhang Lexuan, who had already changed into a pure white robe, appeared in the courtyard just like that, without any defense.
At this moment, Zhang Lexuan's face had a pallor as if she had just recovered from a long illness, and her figure looked somewhat weak; clearly, the previous ordeal had caused her to lose quite a bit of vitality.
However, fortunately, her injuries had stabilized, and there was no danger to her life.
But hindered by the god-locking ring's property of suppressing spirit power, the spirit power within her body remained in a state of complete seal, unable to be mobilized at all, just like an ordinary person without the strength to truss a chicken.
Zhang Lexuan stepped out of the god-locking ring, her gaze quickly sweeping over everyone in the courtyard.
She recognized Xu Tianran, Xu Tianhao, and Xu Tianzhen at a glance, and she also felt the heart-palpitating, violent aura on Poison Immortal.
Finally, her gaze lingered longest on Kong Deming.
Zhang Lexuan's eyes were complex and difficult to read; there was confusion, shock, and a trace of a blood-connected sense of intimacy that even she herself had not noticed.
Clearly, on the way back to the Sun Moon Empire, in order to stabilize Zhang Lexuan's emotions and prevent her from putting up excessive resistance, Xu Tianran had already intermittently revealed to her a portion of the secret regarding her background.
It was just that those words were too shocking and too subversive to her long-held perceptions, making her unable and unwilling to believe them.
Zhang Lexuan stared at Kong Deming for a long time, her lips trembling slightly, wanting to open her mouth to question him, wanting to refute something.
But a thousand words were stuck in her throat, and in the end, she didn't say a single word.
In the end, she just stood silently in place, her back straight, maintaining the last shred of dignity belonging to a Shrek disciple.
Seeing Zhang Lexuan's silent and forbearing appearance, Kong Deming looked at this descendant who shared his bloodline, his heart stirred slightly, and a trace of complex pity flashed in his eyes, though he stopped himself from speaking.
In the end, it was Xu Tianran who broke the silence in the courtyard. He stepped forward, his tone straightforward and cold, not giving Zhang Lexuan any chance to escape:
"Zhang Lexuan, everything I told you on the way is the absolute truth, without a single word of falsehood."
"Just now, Elder Kong has already used your blood to verify your bloodline heritage and confirmed the blood relationship between you, the Kong Family, and my Sun Moon Royal Family."
"Otherwise, given the relationship between Shrek Academy and our Sun Moon Empire, you would already be a cold corpse right now, and would have no chance to stand here."
The last shred of hope was completely shattered. Having received the most definitive and irrefutable confirmation, Zhang Lexuan's figure swayed violently, as if she had been struck hard in the chest by an invisible heavy hammer.
Her legs went weak, and unable to support her body any longer, she slumped onto the cold ground.
Her eyes were vacant, her brain in chaos, and she was plunged into extreme shock and bewilderment.