Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan were assigned to stay in a small courtyard. The courtyard was simple—a small house enclosed by a fenced yard with some vegetables planted inside. Some were familiar to Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan, while others were unique to the Tianhu Domain.
"So, this is the Tianhu Domain? I can't believe it. Even in this era, such tribal settlements still exist. The contrast between this and the ruthless, vicious image described by the citizens of the Star Luo Empire is quite stark," Yuanen Yehui said as she looked out the window. There were many similar courtyards in sight.
Beyond the settlement, lush green farmland stretched out.
The entire village exuded a sense of tranquility.
"With such a primitive way of life, how have they managed to resist the Star Luo Empire's attacks for so long?" Ye Xinglan examined the house interior before turning to Yuanen Yehui with a slightly flushed face. "Yuanen-jie, do you know how to cook?"
Since "Daji" wouldn't let them wander around, if no one brought them food, they would have to cook for themselves.
Yuanen Yehui glanced at the kitchen. The basic utensils were there. She said indifferently, "I can cook something edible, but don't expect it to be delicious."
"That's good enough!" Ye Xinglan breathed a sigh of relief. If geniuses from Shrek Academy starved to death simply because they couldn't cook, it would be an absolute disgrace.
"Soul communication devices have no signal here. I wonder how long we'll be stuck in this place. I wonder where Xiaoyan is. And I wonder if the message we sent to Her Holiness, the Holy Spirit Douluo, has reached her," Ye Xinglan asked with a frown.
They still hadn't fully trusted "Daji" and doubted that her rescue was out of pure goodwill.
However, the situation was beyond their control. With just the two of them, escaping from the Tianhu Domain was nothing more than a pipe dream. They could only stay put and observe what "Daji" intended to do next.
This morning, they had seen Xu Xiaoyan being taken away. They followed in pursuit, which led them into the Tianhu Domain.
However, after crossing Tianmu Mountain, they lost track of Xu Xiaoyan.
"Daji's" appearance had been too coincidental, so they didn't dare to ask her for help in finding Xu Xiaoyan.
"We were clearly deceived. The Xu Xiaoyan we saw might not have even been real," Yuanen Yehui said with a bitter smile.
She understood everything when she saw that the Soul Emperor-level assassins chasing them had left behind Green Skull organization tokens.
They had been caught in the Star Luo Empire's scheme from the very beginning.
The Sun-Moon Federation was already sharpening its blades. The Star Luo Empire would never dare to openly attack members of Shrek Academy within the Sun-Moon Federation's territory.
Just like they wouldn't dare to openly target Xia Yi.
"By the way, Yuanen-jie, are you missing anything?" Ye Xinglan suddenly asked.
"Nothing's missing. Why?" Yuanen Yehui responded indifferently.
"My storage soul tool is gone. I must have lost it during the fight," Ye Xinglan said.
"Was there anything important in it?" Yuanen Yehui frowned.
"It was valuable, but nothing irreplaceable. Everything inside added up to about the worth of a full set of One-Word Battle Armor," Ye Xinglan replied, shaking her head.
"You really are rich," Yuanen Yehui rolled her eyes. She had been nearly driven to desperation trying to afford a One-Word Battle Armor, yet Ye Xinglan had lost one as if it were nothing.
Meanwhile, in another location, Divine Realm Douluo En Ci led his people to the base of Tianmu Mountain.
He glanced at Yali, who had been stopped midair above Tianmu Mountain, and a subtle smile played at the corners of his lips.
He had just received word that Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan had already died in the Tianhu Domain.
The Tianhu Domain had now irreversibly offended both Shrek Academy and the Sun-Moon Federation.
At this point, he had no concerns that the Tianhu Domain would refuse to cooperate with them.
He knew Yali might suspect the Star Luo Empire.
But so what?
Without evidence, Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan's deaths would be blamed solely on the Tianhu Domain.
"Your Excellency Tiankui, as I have said, I mean no offense. Shrek Academy simply wishes to retrieve two of our students who mistakenly entered the Tianhu Domain," Yali said, looking at the Tiankui Douluo before her. Though they were both rank ninety-eight Titled Douluos, as a healing-type Soul Master, her advantage was only effective against Evil Soul Masters.
Against a powerful assault-type Soul Master like Tiankui Douluo, she had no chance of winning.
With no other choice, Yali had to invoke the name of Shrek Academy.
"If you trust the Tianhu Domain, we can assist in your search. If you do not, then I suggest you find another way. The Tianhu Domain is not a place where anyone can come and go as they please," Tiankui Douluo stated.
At that moment, Divine Realm Douluo En Ci soared into the air. "Tiankui Douluo, the Sun-Moon Federation is preparing a massive invasion of the Star Luo Continent. Although the Tianhu Domain and the Star Luo Empire have long been at odds, we are all citizens of this continent. If we do not unite, we will have no hope of survival. Surely, you do not wish to see the Sun-Moon Federation's armies flatten the Star Luo Continent, do you?"
"As expected, the Angel has foreseen this. The Star Luo Empire has indeed come to seek cooperation," Tiankui Douluo muttered, raising an eyebrow as he cast a glance at Yali. Then, in a cold voice, he said, "Cooperation? Return our land to us first, then we'll talk."
Hearing this, En Ci's face darkened. He replied solemnly, "Tiankui Douluo, we are serious. If you cannot decide on this matter, then go consult your High Priest and Chieftain. Tell them that I respect the Tianhu Domain. Without your permission, I will not step foot inside. I will wait at the base of Tianmu Mountain."
"Cunning old fox!" Tiankui Douluo sneered internally.
En Ci spoke of respecting the Tianhu Domain, but in truth, he was afraid of being lured inside and having the negotiations take place at Crystal Mountain.
Within the Tianhu Domain, if they summoned "Tian" and decided to take action against him, he would have no chance of escape.
To prevent any trickery, negotiating at the border was the safest choice.
"Then you can wait here," Tiankui Douluo snorted before vanishing.
Gritting her teeth, Yali ignored his warning and entered the Tianhu Domain.
"It seems the Green Skull organization already knows that Shrek Academy's students died in their territory. Otherwise, Tiankui Douluo would not have left so readily; he would have ordered an ambush instead. Heh, have the arrangements been made?" En Ci asked with a confident smile, as if everything was proceeding according to plan.
"Yes, Your Excellency," a subordinate answered.
"Good. That puts me at ease," En Ci nodded.
Inside the Tianhu Domain, Holy Spirit Douluo Yali, holding a video recording obtained from Pan Wen, pursued the direction where Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan had last been seen.
She moved swiftly, her Spirit Domain-level mental power fully unleashed. Before long, she found the site of their battle.
"The battlefield has been cleaned up, but I can still see traces of the Star God Sword and Titan Giant Ape," Yali muttered, her expression darkening as a dreadful premonition arose in her heart.
With Na'er already missing, if something happened to Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan as well, she would be utterly devastated.
"There are footprints here," Yali noted, spotting traces of movement in the nearby foliage. Without hesitation, she followed the trail.
Before she even left the forest, her spiritual senses detected a blazing fire at the entrance of a small village.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky.
"They're cremating bodies."
In an instant, Yali appeared before the fire, only to find that it had nearly burned out, leaving behind nothing but ashes.
"What are you doing?" Yali asked, her voice trembling.
"Honorable one from the Changsheng Tribe, we are cremating the corpses," an elderly man, who appeared to be in his fifties or sixties, said in a deep voice.
"Where did these corpses come from?" Yali continued to ask.
"Honorable one, they were illegal immigrants from the Star Luo Empire, killed by the Green Skull Organization. We were worried that the bodies might cause an outbreak of dysentery, so we brought them out of the forest to be cremated," the old man explained, respectfully taking out a token engraved with a green skull and handing it over to Yali.
In the Tianhu Domain, the Tianhu Tribe was the largest, and its chieftain also served as the Grand Chieftain of all the tribes.
However, among the common people, the most beloved tribe was the Changsheng Tribe.
(End of Chapter)