Compared to the Far Ocean, the Heavenly Sea, since its power system was not compromised, had the plugins installed by the Demon Emperor easily removed without incident.
By the time Chen Xinjie and Yun Ming arrived, the Far Ocean had already completely sunk. Thanks to the many Soul Masters assisting in the evacuation, the personnel transfer went smoothly.
Apart from six Title Douluos, including Chen Zeyu, there were no casualties.
A few ordinary people were seriously injured, but with Yali around, their conditions were not critical.
The bodies of Chen Zeyu and the others were recovered, but only in fragments.
Chen Zeyu was in the worst state—only half of his head was found.
"What the hell happened here?!" Chen Xinjie's icy voice made the entire sea seem even colder.
Because he could never forget Long Yeyue, even though he got married, he spent very little time with his wife. As a result, he had only one child—Chen Zeyu.
Now, in his twilight years, he was experiencing the grief of a parent burying their child. In an instant, his already aging body seemed to age another ten years.
"They were targeted by the Star Luo Empire. The Star Luo Empire's goal was never the ordinary people on the Far Ocean—it was the powerful figures aboard the Sea Emperor and the War God Hall." Seeing Chen Xinjie like this, Yali felt a pang of sorrow. She had always been most affected by such heartbreaking scenes.
Moreover, in her heart, she knew that Shrek Academy couldn't escape responsibility for this matter.
"This wasn't the Star Luo Empire. It was the Holy Spirit Cult!" Yun Ming appeared beside Yali and sighed helplessly.
He could only express his condolences for Chen Xinjie's loss.
The incident had already happened, and no amount of words could change that.
"The Holy Spirit Cult?" Yali was taken aback. If the Holy Spirit Cult was involved, then the consequences were far more severe than she had initially thought. She immediately asked, "Has the Holy Spirit Cult's reach extended this far?"
"The Douluo plane is now shrouded in uncertainty. I can no longer predict what the future holds," Yun Ming sighed lightly. "The Star Luo Empire, the Holy Spirit Cult, Xia Yi… It feels like everything is slipping out of control."
"Why are you dragging Xia Yi into this?" Yali rolled her eyes. "Are you suggesting he has ties to the Holy Spirit Cult?"
"That's unlikely, but it doesn't mean he's unrelated to this," Yun Ming shook his head, his gaze turning profound. "Haven't you noticed? Everything in the Douluo plane has gradually spiraled out of control ever since he appeared."
"You're just pinning the blame for everything on Xia Yi. Don't you think that's unfair?" Yali was exasperated and pleaded, "Brother Ming, I beg you—think this through. When has Shrek Academy ever had the moral high ground in its conflicts with Xia Yi? You know deep down that the current tension between Shrek Academy and Xia Yi stems entirely from Yue jie and the others insisting on defending Shrek's so-called 'honor' and their fear of his talent, leading them to repeatedly make things difficult for him. Brother Ming, it's not too late to reconsider. Xia Yi is not a petty person. As long as Shrek Academy stops antagonizing him, there's still room for reconciliation."
"Do you really think Xia Yi is that extraordinary by chance? Let me tell you—he came from another plane. The Heavenly Phoenix Douluo received a legacy from another plane through him, which is why she was able to break through so quickly. The place he came from is definitely above the Douluo plane—possibly even beyond the Abyssal plane. It's even possible..." Yun Ming looked at Yali, paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "He might even be from the vanished God Realm."
"The God Realm?" Yali was stunned and spoke solemnly, "Are you saying he could be a divine heir?"
"I'm not sure." Yun Ming shook his head. "The Plane Lord told me that Xia Yi is from beyond this world, but I don't know which plane exactly."
Yali suddenly raised her head and stared at Yun Ming, speaking in a serious tone: "You want me to use my influence to announce to the world that Xia Yi is from another plane, so you can justify mobilizing against him, don't you?"
She understood Yun Ming too well. The moment he spoke, she had already guessed his intentions.
"Xia Yi comes from beyond this world. Whether he is good or evil, benevolent or malevolent, his presence is a disruption to the Douluo plane." Yun Ming tried to justify himself.
"Stop making excuses. The truth is, you're still afraid that he threatens Shrek Academy's position." Yali snorted. "Maybe Xia Yi does have secrets we don't know, but if you don't understand him, you at least understand Sister Yaozhu, don't you? If Xia Yi truly posed a threat to the Douluo plane, Sister Yaozhu would be the first to act against him. Why are you so worried?"
Yun Ming fell silent, no longer arguing with Yali. He merely said flatly, "Take the students with you. We need to return to Shrek Academy first."
"Aren't we traveling back with the Heavenly Sea?" Yali was surprised. Leaving the fleet midway—was this a sign of guilt?
"If we go to Skysea City, we'll likely be detained the moment we arrive." Yun Ming clenched his fists and explained how Shrek Academy had been blackmailed by the Demon Emperor, as well as how he and Chen Xinjie had attempted to capture him. "Now that Lan Muzi's betrayal in leaking the Far Ocean's power system has been exposed by the Holy Spirit Cult, we must return to Shrek Academy to take control of the situation."
Deep down, Yun Ming felt a small sense of relief.
At least this time, only Chen Xinjie's subordinates had died.
And Chen Xinjie wouldn't come after Shrek Academy over this.
If the power system failure had caused mass casualties, Shrek Academy would have been condemned regardless of who was responsible.
The situation was dire, but it wasn't the worst-case scenario yet.
"You take Wulin and the others back first. I'll go with the Heavenly Sea," Yali said after glancing in Xia Yi's direction, her beautiful eyes filled with concern.
What if Yun Ming turned around and targeted Xia Yi after she left?
Yun Ming clenched his fists even tighter, but in the end, he could only relent and say, "I won't make a move against Xia Yi for now."
Shrek Academy was already being accused of treason. If they also provoked Leng Yaozhu at this time, even Yun Ming had to consider the consequences carefully.
"Are you just trying to get rid of me?" Yali asked cautiously.
She didn't believe Yun Ming would so easily give up on dealing with Xia Yi.
"What? You don't even trust me now?" Yun Ming countered calmly.
"You've changed so much recently, I can barely recognize you." Yali lowered her head and whispered.
"Maybe." Yun Ming also lowered his head. Even he hadn't expected himself to become like this.
But for Shrek Academy, he had no choice.
"Brother Ming!" Yali looked at him, her heart aching.
Yun Ming shook his head and said solemnly, "I promise, I won't act against Xia Yi for now. Shrek Academy needs you—you must come back with me."
Shrek Academy desperately needed Yali to negotiate with the Sun-Moon Federation.
If they sent anyone else, given Shrek's usual arrogance, the consequences would be even worse.
That was why Yun Ming had come for Yali first before even returning to Shrek.
"Fine. If you keep your word, I'll go with you," Yali said seriously.
"Let's go." Yun Ming nodded and turned to leave.
As she watched him walk away, Yali suddenly frowned. Something felt off.
"What now?" Yun Ming asked irritably.
"It's nothing… You're walking strangely, but I can't pinpoint why." Yali frowned.
"Am I? I've always walked like this." Yun Ming took a few steps and asked, "Doesn't it look normal?"
"It still feels odd, but I can't explain it." Yali mused.
"Probably just a leftover habit from pretending to be crippled. I'll get used to it again," Yun Ming said indifferently.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it." Yali shook her head and stopped dwelling on it, following Yun Ming as they left.