Under the sunlight, the deep blue sea surface shimmered with rippling waves. But the closer to the seabed, the deeper the color of the seawater became. It was as if an unknown colossal monster had opened its ferocious maw, poised to devour.
For an ordinary person with weaker mental fortitude, sailing in such a deep-sea region would likely have already caused their psychological defenses to collapse from fear.
That fear stemmed from the vastness of the ocean and one's own insignificance, as well as from the unknown.
Unless in those special windless zones, there were never truly calm seas in the deep ocean. The Demon Whale Ship rose and fell with the surging waves, yet Xu Zihuang, sitting cross-legged upon it, remained motionless as a mountain.
The setting sun was about to vanish beyond the western horizon, draping the boundless sea in a rose-gold glow. It added a touch of serenity and peace to this undercurrent-filled, unknown sea region.
Under Wang Qiu'er's control, the Demon Whale Ship sailed steadily westward. From a distance, it appeared to be heading straight toward that setting sun, gradually shrinking into an almost imperceptible black dot as time passed.
Facing the afterglow of the setting sun, Xu Zihuang slowly opened his eyes. In the depths of his deep purple pupils flickered purple-golden light.
With the assistance of the spiritual-attribute soul core at his brow, he had actually needed less than half an hour to fully restore his soul power. Afterward, he had merely been relieving the mental fatigue caused by several consecutive battles and reviewing their details.
For example, the peculiar spatial fluctuations created when Kong Deming activated his Silver Moon Divine Light Shield. These could potentially bring him inspiration and insight.
There was also the method the Demon Emperor used against the Demon Soul Great White Shark King. He wasn't sure if this was an innate ability of the Deep Sea Demon Whale Clan. The black-hole-like existence that formed in the Demon Emperor's palm earlier seemed related to the control of gravity and repulsion.
At the same time, Xu Zihuang had also noticed something else through a portion of his divided attention.
From the moment Wang Qiu'er began controlling the Demon Whale Ship, she had maintained a westward course without any significant deviation.
"Can you sense the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"Mm." Wang Qiu'er nodded, a trace of bewilderment flickering in her eyes.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly turned around.
Xu Zihuang and Wang Qiu'er faced each other, their long hair fluttering in the wind, bathed in the twilight glow, beautiful as a scene from a painting.
Wang Qiu'er's state of mind returned to calm. Her clear eyes were like an autumn pool. She met Xu Zihuang's gaze without avoidance and spoke indifferently, her red lips parting.
"Since you already know my true identity, are you still not going to make a move against me? You've seen my memories; you should know very well that my main attribute is spiritual. Whether my soul rings or soul bones, they could greatly enhance your overall strength. Besides, haven't you always harbored prejudice against soul beasts?"
"I have never said that I harbor prejudice against soul beasts. I simply adhere steadfastly to my position as a human." Xu Zihuang replied calmly.
"Human soul masters need to hunt soul beasts to advance, while soul beasts can accelerate their cultivation by devouring soul masters. This is merely the law of the jungle. But even among soul beasts, some earn my recognition. Of course, the fact that I have no intention of acting against you also has other reasons."
Wang Qiu'er was slightly stunned. She could naturally hear the implication in Xu Zihuang's words. And these frank statements were precisely what she most wanted to hear.
Just as Xu Zihuang himself had said, the reason he did not act against Wang Qiu'er, aside from concerns that Di Tian might launch a beast tide affecting the civilians in Shrek City, was mainly that, through their time together, Wang Qiu'er had gradually earned his recognition.
Wang Qiu'er's all-out effort in the quarterfinals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament against the Holy Spirit Team was not merely due to her own stubbornness; more of it stemmed from her true nature.
Though she usually appeared cold and distant, keeping people at arm's length, she was actually warm on the inside. Deep in her heart, a trace of purity and kindness had always remained.
That was why Xu Zihuang had saved Wang Qiu'er during the individual elimination round of the quarterfinals.
Later, when Wang Qiu'er threw her Golden Dragon Spear to severely wound Xu Tianran on his behalf.
Through this series of interactions, although Xu Zihuang and Wang Qiu'er could not yet be called particularly close friends, the relationship between them was no longer as rigid as before.
The sun completely set, and night fell. Tonight's sky was clear, with the starry expanse vividly visible.
Xu Zihuang walked past the dazed Wang Qiu'er to the bow of the Demon Whale Ship.
"During the day, you control the Demon Whale Ship toward the Douluo Continent. I'll handle night watch. If we want to return to the continent safely, it's best if we work together."
After saying this, Xu Zihuang ignored Wang Qiu'er further. He sat down with his feet in the grooves. As soul power poured in, a layer of white soul guidance protective shield swiftly enveloped the Demon Whale Ship.
In this way, the Demon Whale Ship strangely vanished into the night sea. Along with it disappeared the figures of Xu Zihuang and Wang Qiu'er.
This was the special effect of the Demon Whale Ship's Level 6 soul guidance protective shield. By distorting light, it achieved invisibility.
The inspiration for this invisibility soul guidance shield came from the Skydream Iceworm's innate soul skill, Simulation.
The light-distorting invisibility effect of the soul guidance shield was naturally one-way. Those inside the shield were unaffected in their vision. On the contrary, with the white light shield present, visibility at night was actually higher. It was a very peculiar sensation.
Xu Zihuang extended his spiritual power to sense the surroundings, while another part of his mind guided the soul power circulating through his meridians, entering a cultivation state once more.
Only then did Wang Qiu'er come back to her senses. She sat silently behind Xu Zihuang, arms wrapped around her drawn-up knees, outlining perfect body curves. Her head of wavy powder-blue long hair draped over her back and hips.
She lifted her head, gazing at the star-studded night sky, her long curled lashes trembling slightly.
Even Wang Qiu'er herself had not noticed that the bewilderment in her eyes had already dissipated, replaced by a greater sense of peace.
Though the journey back to the continent might be fraught with danger at every moment, it was a novel experience she had never had in her past ten thousand years.
She had never imagined that the night sky at sea could be so beautiful.
This was scenery she had never seen before.
The night deepened. By a twist of fate, the boy and girl who had come together once again had their destinies intertwined.
...
On the Douluo Continent side, after such a grand assassination attempt at the Sun Moon Empire's imperial palace, the entire continent seemed to have lost all desire for conflict. Every nation appeared extraordinarily calm.
The participating teams from the top academies or sects of the original three great empires of the Douluo Continent had all left the Ming Capital without a single casualty.
As for those teams from small and medium sects detained by the Sun Moon Empire, they safely returned half a month later.
Yet no rumors or gossip about it spread.
One reason was that these small and medium sect teams kept silent on the matter; another was that the ultimate final between Shrek Academy and the Body Sect had not taken place, drawing the attention of almost everyone.
This was the finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, and with the grievances and connections between Shrek Academy and the Body Sect, such a focal match was full of topics.
But no matter how heated the discussion was on the Douluo Continent, the only information that circulated was that both Shrek Academy and the Body Sect had simultaneously chosen to withdraw from this tournament.
The small skirmishes and conflicts that once frequently occurred along the borders of various countries had all vanished during this period. Everything was eerily quiet.
The only somewhat sensitive matter was that Xu Tianran, the crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire, had not appeared in public during this time. With the support of Kong Deming, the head of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family's worship hall, Crown Princess Orange forcefully took over the affairs Xu Tianran usually handled, overriding all objections.
At least on the surface, the internal situation of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family remained stable.
Meanwhile, the three great empires of the original Douluo Continent were all racing against time to prepare.
No matter what Xu Tianran's condition was, each additional day gave them more time to prepare fully. After all, at the present stage, the possibility of war breaking out was not zero.
In any era and any background, the development of Shrek Academy could always be described as flourishing.
Talent is eternal.
In the conference hall on the first floor of the Sea God Pavilion in Shrek Academy's inner court, a group of elders had gathered.
As the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, Xuan Zi naturally sat in the main seat. At the lowest positions on both sides of the conference table sat none other than Zhang Lexuan and Ye Guyi.
Zhang Lexuan originally held the status of a Sea God Pavilion member, while Ye Guyi was temporarily taking this seat due to her special relationship with Xu Zihuang.
More than a month had passed since Xu Zihuang and Wang Qiu'er went missing. During this time, the elders of the Sea God Pavilion had repeatedly mobilized, searching inside and around the Ming Capital, yet they found no trace.
Ye Guyi, who had gone along, ultimately confirmed through the strand of soul power belonging to Xu Zihuang in her spiritual sea that Xu Zihuang was not in the vicinity of the Ming Capital.
What comforted everyone present was that the strand of soul power in Yu Tianhuang's spiritual force was extremely solid. This meant Xu Zihuang had not suffered any life-threatening danger.
"How is the situation?" Xuan Zi asked an elder at the lower end.
The elder said gravely, "According to the information we obtained, we can confirm that the anomaly that appeared in the Ming Capital that day had nothing to do with the Sun Moon Empire."
Lin Huiqun, seated at the first position to Xuan Zi's right, mused and interjected, "Old Xuan, do you think Zihuang and Qiu'er were drawn into some kind of spatial secret realm?"
Various secret realms existed on the Douluo Continent, and occasionally, certain spatial secret realms would connect with the Douluo Continent's space.
Though very few people had truly come into contact with such spatial secret realms, over ten thousand years of inheritance, Shrek Academy still possessed fragmentary records about these matters.
Xuan Zi shook his head helplessly and said,
"I've considered what you said. Zihuang and Qiu'er are indeed very likely in such a situation. Judging from the condition of that strand of spiritual power Zihuang merged into Guyi's spiritual sea, even if they were drawn into a spatial secret realm, it should be one with low danger. This is the only good news we have."
"If it really is a spatial secret realm, finding it will be quite troublesome. Spatial secret realms can move at any time," Song Yunzhi frowned.
Xuan Zi restrained his emotions, his expression solemn as he made the decision.
"Pass down the order: mobilize all of the academy's resources and spare no effort to investigate any information related to this."
"Yes." The group of elders, including Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin'er, and the others, responded solemnly in unison.
After learning from Xuan Zi about Xu Zihuang's performance during this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, Yan Shaozhe found it almost unbelievable.
With seven-ring Soul Saint cultivation possessing such terrifying combat power, once he broke through to Titled Douluo, he would practically stand at the pinnacle of this world.
Without a doubt, Xu Zihuang was the future of their Shrek Academy and absolutely could not be lost!
Xian Lin'er, Qian Duoduo, and the others shared the same view.
The elders dispersed one after another, but Ye Guyi stayed behind.
Standing at the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion, Zhang Lexuan sensed something and looked toward Ye Guyi. Sure enough, in her line of sight, Ye Guyi stepped forward to Xuan Zi and spoke directly.
"Elder Xuan, I wish to leave the academy for a while."
"That works. Go ahead."
After a moment of silence, Xuan Zi sighed softly.
He could understand the anxiety in Ye Guyi's heart and could not stop her. Moreover, with a strand of Xu Zihuang's soul power in Ye Guyi's spiritual sea, she would sense something once within a certain range.
Ye Guyi was indeed the most suitable person to search for Zihuang.
"But remember: consider everything carefully before acting. Believe in Zihuang's abilities, and he will surely return safely. I believe he also would not wish to see you take risks."
"Yes, Elder Xuan."
Ye Guyi bowed slightly to Xuan Zi in respect, then turned and left the Sea God Pavilion. Xu Zihuang's disappearance had returned her to her former self. Her gaze was cold and clear, her stunningly beautiful face devoid of expression.
"Guyi." Zhang Lexuan approached Ye Guyi's side and comforted her gently.
"What Elder Xuan said is right. You don't need to be too anxious. From what I know, those spatial secret realms with relatively low danger usually reconnect with the continent after a period of time. With Zihuang's ability, as long as the spatial secret realm opens again, he will certainly seize the opportunity."
"Senior Sister, how could I not know these things?" Ye Guyi's expression finally softened somewhat as she sighed with melancholy.
Walking side by side, Ye Guyi and Zhang Lexuan conversed as their figures disappeared together along the mountain path.
At the same time, within Shrek Academy's inner court, a figure had left Shrek Academy even before Ye Guyi. And her departure this time would be forever.
Shrek Academy and commoners like her ultimately belonged to two different worlds.
Jiang Nannan withdrew her gaze melancholically from the distant Sea God Island, pursed her lips, and resolutely turned to leave. Yet as she walked, her steps were somewhat limping, her back figure filled with loneliness.
That ten-thousand-year Ghost Shadow Leopard left leg bone, and everything belonging to Shrek Academy had been placed by her on the table in her dormitory. From now on, they owed each other nothing.
Her original intention of fighting for commoners had not been wrong; her mistake had only been overestimating herself too greatly.
Reality was just this cruel. Not everyone was the self-proclaimed protagonist.
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