It wasn't just Skyhawk Douluo. The Giant Hammer Douluo, Giant Strength Douluo, and Shattered Star Douluo—renowned Titled Douluo of the Star Luo Empire who had come with him—were likewise struck as if hammered in the skull. Color drained from their faces; their pupils constricted violently as they sank into utter shock and stupefaction.
The world-ending scene before them spelled out a brutal truth—they were late, and irredeemably so.
They were acting under a death-order from Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei to rush the empire's elite soul master legions to support Shrek Academy.
Shrek's highest-grade communication soul device had warned that this beast tide was unprecedented in scale and that Shrek City stood on the brink.
With the urgency extreme, Skyhawk Douluo led several Titled Douluo ahead while the massive legions advanced at full speed behind.
Yet… who could have imagined that after all their haste, this would be what they saw?
Where was Shrek City?
Where was the academy of ten millennia?
Where was the so-called Number One stronghold on the continent?
Had it all… been erased?!
As Skyhawk Douluo and the others reeled, unable to accept reality, several more powerful auras rapidly approached in the distance, putting the Star Luo group instantly on guard. They snapped out of their stupor, raised their soul power, and looked warily that way.
But when they saw who it was, they eased slightly—though their expressions remained grave.
Not enemies, but acquaintances: the Royal Worships of the Heavenly Soul Empire and the chief Royal Worship of the Dou Ling Empire—among them the Rank 97 Super Douluo, Sunward Douluo.
As Star Luo's Grand Worship, Skyhawk Douluo had dealt with the top experts of the Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling empires for decades; they knew each other well.
"Skyhawk, you arrived first—what… what in heaven's name happened?! Where's Shrek City?! Where's the beast tide?!!"
A tall, gaunt Titled Douluo from the Heavenly Soul Empire, aura gloomy, had barely stabilized in the air when he fired off questions in urgent, aghast tones.
His gaze swept the horrific abyss below, then the empty skies and land around them. Where was any sign of a beast tide? Only deathly quiet and the embers of destruction remained.
Although Shrek Academy lay within Heavenly Soul Empire's borders, its special status and location made it, in effect, an autonomous city-state.
The Star Dou Great Forest sat in the central continent—the old tri-empire border of Heavenly Soul, Star Luo, and Dou Ling.
To guard the forest's gate, Shrek City was likewise built where the three empires met.
In straight-line distance, getting here from the Heavenly Soul capital of Heaven Dou City or from the Dou Ling capital of Ling Dou City was actually farther than from Star Luo's capital.
Hence, Star Luo's reinforcements under Skyhawk Douluo managed to arrive first.
Shrek's SOS had gone to all three empires simultaneously.
All three responded without hesitation, dispatching their strongest available forces led by top Titled Douluo. They all knew how dire the consequences would be if Shrek fell.
Yet even the swiftest, nearest—Star Luo's—arrived… too late.
Old Master Song's face was so dark it seemed to drip ink. He slowly shook his head, his voice dry and heavy: "Sunward, don't ask me… We just got here too and saw… saw this…"
He pointed at the all-devouring black abyss below. His arm even trembled slightly.
"Like you, we have no idea what happened here. Shrek City… has been erased… from the map!"
Hiss—!
Almost every Titled Douluo drew a sharp breath as, taking in the infernal details below, a chill shot up their spines.
They stood at the continent's summit, veterans of countless storms. They fancied their hearts iron-hard.
Yet the scene before them—like divine judgment, leaving only death and void—was beyond anything they'd witnessed, or even imagined.
"These… are remains of soul beasts. And in such terrifying numbers…"
Skyhawk Douluo's voice was dry. He met Sunward Douluo's eyes; both saw profound gravity in the other.
The two Grand Worships led the way down, cautiously probing the bottomless chasm that exuded ill omen, and the scorched land around it, as if some power had drained all life from it.
Amid the devastation lay not only a few scattered, already-charred-and-unrecognizable human remains, but a number of soul-beast corpses so great it made the scalp prickle.
The remains varied widely—from ten-year, hundred-year, to even ten-thousand-year beasts—mostly broken to pieces, burned to cinders, or showing strange signs of corrosion by some horrific energy. Their number far exceeded that of the few human bones that had left traces.
"The beast tide must have been real. But from the distribution and state of these corpses, the soul-beast army… suffered terribly as well, even more than the human side."
Sunward Douluo crouched, fingertips touching the glassified ground. The residual heat and destructive aura knit his brows tight.
And in his heart—beneath the massive doubt and bone-deep dread—an utterly inappropriate thought, one he forcibly suppressed, sprouted for the first time.
A furtive, unspeakable… lightness, even joy?
It wasn't just Sunward Douluo. The Heavenly Soul Titled Douluo with him, though wearing masks of shock and sorrow, let flickers of odd light show in their eyes, betraying the same complicated feelings.
Confirming Shrek City's destruction—that the "state within a state" looming over Heavenly Soul Empire for millennia had vanished—a sense of relief crept in despite themselves.
Skyhawk Douluo stood silent at the edge of the abyss, harsh winds tugging at his grizzled beard.
He could not deny it: after the initial shock, a complicated slackening—tinged with shame—even in him began to spread.
As Star Luo's Grand Worship, he had to consider the empire's interests first.
For the three empires, Shrek's existence had always been special and delicate.
Belonging to none of them, yet by sheer strength and ten millennia of prestige, it hovered faintly above them all.
Especially for Heavenly Soul: though Shrek lay on their map, when had the imperial house ever dared lay a finger on it?
It was never a city under their rule, but a Supreme Elder to be served with utmost care.
For any empire, having within its core territory a massive power beyond control—one that could even influence imperial decisions—was like a bone stuck in the throat, impossible to sleep well with.
In the past, faced with Shrek Academy's unfathomable depths, the Sea God Pavilion's terrifying might, and its vast alumni network permeating the continent, the three empires had to accept its transcendence.
Even when Shrek's Inspection Team often bypassed imperial justice to judge or execute criminal nobles, the imperial houses usually swallowed their resentment.
After all, Shrek was powerful and claimed the moral high ground, enjoying countless supporters among the people.
And to be fair, those nobles had indeed been guilty beyond doubt, deserving death.
But reason is reason; politics is politics.
Even a mad dog has an owner.
If you kill someone's vicious dog without the owner's consent—even if the dog bites—what owner would truly be pleased?
More likely, they'd feel their authority challenged and dignity affronted.
Thus, while outwardly respectful and cooperative with Shrek, the three empires nursed a quiet wariness and displeasure—an open secret.
One telling sign: the unwritten rule that core heirs of the three imperial houses were almost never allowed to study at Shrek.
They were guarding against infiltration—against Shrek's influence reaching the imperial core.
They knew too well that those who graduated from Shrek, whatever post they later held, carried a deep sense of belonging and identity toward the academy. Shrek's glory was etched into their souls.
Four thousand years ago, in the holy war that decided the continent's fate against the Sun-Moon Empire, Shrek's call summoned the world.
A single cloud-piercing signal arrow, and armies gathered—that terrifying rallying power the rulers still could not forget.
From then on, the three imperial houses tacitly agreed: never send their core heirs to Shrek.
They could cooperate, even rely on its strength, but must never let its influence touch the empire's throne.
Now, the mountain that had weighed upon their hearts for ten thousand years… seemed to have vanished.
"It's certain… Shrek City has been completely destroyed."
Skyhawk Douluo Song Ying's tone was grave. He slowly straightened, his gaze sweeping the giant, hell-like abyss, finally settling on where the Golden Tree had once stood—now empty.
"Even that ancient golden tree, Shrek's very foundation… is gone."
...
Bonus chapter at 100 PS