In the core area of the Star Forest, next to the Lake of Life.
Di Tian, Xiong Jun, Myriad Demon King, Zi Ji, and other "beings" gazed at the Lake of Life with deep reverence.
The master who had been in slumber for so long had finally awakened!
"Douluo Continent has undergone a sudden change. Do not act rashly for the next 100 years."
Upon hearing this, the ferocious beasts nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Even the most defiant Xiong Jun raised no objection to this matter.
Gods and human powerhouses are two entirely different concepts.
For soul beasts, a hundred years is but a fleeting moment, insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
At that moment, the waters of the lake began to churn. Di Tian and the others quickly stepped back, their eyes still fixed on the lake with utmost respect.
After a while, a girl with silver-white hair emerged from the lake. She wore a silver dress, her face pale, and she appeared extremely frail.
"My Lord, you..."
Before Di Tian could finish, the girl raised her hand and said, "I must see this new god with my own eyes."
"But your injuries..."
"It's fine, just a severe wound."
Di Tian and the others fell silent.
"I heard that in the human world, when visiting others, one must bring a gift. Di Tian, what is a gift?"
The girl glided lightly across the water to the lakeside and turned to Di Tian.
Hearing this, Di Tian and the others were momentarily stunned. As ferocious beasts, how could they possibly understand the concept of a gift!
"It should be... perhaps similar to offering sacrifices..."
Di Tian replied with some uncertainty.
The Lord of Soul Beasts going to offer sacrifices to human gods?
This... this was utterly unthinkable!
The silver-haired girl hesitated for a moment, pondered briefly, and then said, "We need to understand humans better, rather than remaining complacent."
"If we don't even grasp the most basic human customs, how can we speak of revenge?"
The girl sighed, then transformed into a streak of silver light and vanished.
She intended to travel through the human world, learn more about human ways, and then visit the "Martial God."
After the girl departed, Xiong Jun turned to Di Tian and said with some displeasure, "Di Tian, the master's injuries are not yet healed, and you didn't stop her!"
Di Tian glanced sideways at Xiong Jun, feeling that Xiong Jun's face was practically begging for a beating.
He was well aware that his master's injuries had not yet healed, but as a subordinate, how could he possibly oppose his master's decision?
"Lord Xiong, keep your petty schemes to yourself, or I won't hesitate to eliminate you."
With that, Di Tian flicked his sleeves and left.
The other "beings" exchanged glances, deliberately avoiding the Xiong Jun, and quietly retreated.
Who couldn't see through Xiong Jun's little schemes?
He simply wanted to replace Di Tian and become the ruler of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Di Tian!"
Though Xiong Jun seethed with anger, he knew he was no match for Di Tian. His only recourse was to vent his frustration.
Even if he launched a sneak attack, even if Di Tian didn't defend himself, he could only leave a scratch on Di Tian's scales.
Shrek City, not far from the Star Dou Great Forest, still lay in ruins.
Thousands of jade spears stood erect amidst the wreckage, a stark reminder of the one who had been here and taken action.
The silver-haired girl gazed at the desolate landscape of Shrek City and smiled faintly.
How many soul beasts had perished because of Shrek Academy?
Over tens of thousands of years, the number had become uncountable.
The destruction of Shrek City and Shrek Academy had not only pleased the empire's top leaders but had also brought immense joy to the soul beasts.
The silver-haired girl shook her head, her body dissolving into a silver light once more as she vanished.
She intended to visit a normal human town to learn more about human customs.
The ruined Shrek City clearly couldn't fulfill such a requirement.
Meanwhile, at the old site of Shrek Academy, not far from Shrek City, a group of people stood with flushed faces, visibly furious
"Those damned merchants refuse to sell us construction materials!"
Qian Duoduo's face was contorted with rage, his entire body trembling, a clear sign of his current fury.
In the past, whenever Shrek needed materials, a simple announcement would bring swarms of merchants competing for the opportunity.
Now, despite personally going to purchase the materials, the merchants kept making excuses.
Some were even more brazen, outright refusing to sell!
In the end, Qian Duoduo managed to acquire some construction materials, but only after paying several times the usual price.
Even then, the amount was barely enough.
But this meager supply of building materials was a drop in the bucket for the vast needs of Shrek Academy.
Shrek had suffered a catastrophic blow, and the merchants were exploiting the situation, which infuriated Qian Duoduo and the others.
If it were just the merchants acting this way, it might have been tolerable. But the attitudes of the Douluo Three Empires and former allies left Qian Duoduo and the others even more disheartened.
Not only did the Douluo Three Empires and the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect fail to offer any support to Shrek Academy, but they also provided Liyue with a large amount of building materials and daily necessities.
After tens of thousands of years of friendship, this was the "betrayal" they received in return!
"If we lack building materials, we can use what's available locally."
"Ten thousand years ago, when the first dean of Shrek, Flanders, established Shrek Academy, it was just in a small village."
"Can we, the descendants, really be held back by a lack of building materials?"
Mu En's words acted as a soothing balm, gradually calming everyone's anger.
Yes, Dean Flanders had done it ten thousand years ago... but this was ten thousand years later!
"Let's focus on building dormitories and teaching buildings first. We can handle the rest later."
Mu En was also at a loss. Although he possessed the strength of a Limit Douluo, he couldn't use that power to force the merchants.
They couldn't resort to the methods of evil soul masters, taking things by force.
Speaking of evil soul masters, ever since the name of the Martial God Zhongli spread, the entire Douluo Continent had fallen into an eerie silence.
The evil soul masters seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving no news at all.
Evil soul masters are still human, and humans feel fear.
If they were to act out during this time, wouldn't they just be handing merit to the Martial God?
They may be evil, but they're not stupid.
Especially the high-level evil soul masters, overnight, they all went into hiding.
If they didn't hide, they'd become instant merit for the Martial God!
"That's the only silver lining."
Mu En murmured to himself.
He harbored a deep hatred for evil soul masters. If it weren't for them, perhaps things wouldn't have come to this.
"Xishui, don't be foolish..."
Moon couldn't forget Ye Xishui. He couldn't help her, nor would he. He only hoped she wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal herself now.
If someone like her were killed, the name of the Martial God would likely resonate across the entire Douluo Continent once more.
The reconstruction of Shrek Academy was nothing short of a Herculean task.
Shrek Academy had truly lost the support of both the people and its "allies."
The most infuriated were the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Their young leader had nearly succeeded in winning over the Martial God, only for the Shrek leadership to interfere!
The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect hadn't placed any obstacles in Shrek Academy's path.
Even if they had upheld the ten-thousand-year alliance, what kind of support could they offer now?