Douluo Continent: When Huo Yuhao Becomes the Lord of the End

Chapter 261 Zhang Lexuan: The moon in the lake can never be retrieved (4K)

While Huo Yuhao was engrossed in his research, Mingdu was also caught up in the excitement of the upcoming competition.

Although the relationship between the Sun and Moon and the Three Kingdoms is now like fire and water, this does not affect the enthusiasm of all countries to participate in the competition.

Even though the competition is still a few months away, many hotels in Mingdu have already been booked well in advance, and vetted members of Xingluo Tianhun have begun to appear in various places.

The royal families of the Three Kingdoms harbored the desire to avenge their past humiliations, while the forces within the Three Kingdoms' borders were considering making contact with the Sun and Moon Empire, or seeking alternative paths.

The Sun and Moon faction has practically laid out its choice openly. The Sun and Moon royal family's goal is simple: if the sects and noble forces of the Three Kingdoms pledge allegiance, they wouldn't mind planting a spies in the Three Kingdoms, but that's all they'll do.

Dogs fighting each other is fine, but it's impossible for the Sun Moon Royal Family to have any real trust in the forces of the Three Kingdoms.

The Three Kingdoms wanted to show off their power and take this opportunity to demoralize the Sun and Moon Sect. Their confidence stemmed from the fact that the competition had relaxed the restrictions on sects participating and the remnants of Shrek Academy.

In reality, they didn't have much confidence. After all, after Shrek Academy was destroyed, all that was left on Shrek's side were prodigal sons like Yan Shaozhe, Bei Bei, and Zhang Lexuan. Moreover, only a few people, such as Bei Bei, were suitable to enter the Three Kingdoms and participate in the competition.

When Ning Tian returned to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, and Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao returned to the Haotian School, Shrek Academy's only hope of turning the tide completely vanished.

The Sun and Moon faction shared the same idea; just as the Three Kingdoms wanted to demoralize the Sun and Moon faction, the Sun and Moon faction also longed to completely crush the morale of the Three Kingdoms into the abyss.

Moreover, with the disappearance of the Sun Moon Holy Spirit Cult, the technological explosion of soul tools, the addition of the Body Sect, and the rise of Kong Demingjing Hongchen, the royal family of the Sun Moon no longer takes the Three Kingdoms seriously.

The old emperor could die at any moment, and Xu Tianran's princeling faction had long coveted the throne.

In this competition, the Sun Moon Royal Family, led by Xu Tianran, even planned to use some underhanded means to completely eliminate the younger generation of the Three Kingdoms, causing the Three Kingdoms to suffer another major blow. After all, Shrek Academy is gone, so who can stand up for them?

In Mingdu, at a hotel not far from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Zhang Lexuan's face was icy as she clenched her fists as she stared at the gate that represented the highest institution of learning in the world.

Behind her were Yan Shaozhe, Bei Bei, and others who survived the destruction of Shrek Academy.

In recent years, they have been dependent on the Xingluo royal family, where they have suffered ridicule and humiliation. They dare not forget the nightmare of that year and are always thinking about revenge.

Now, taking advantage of the upcoming Continental Soul Master Tournament and the influx of people into Sun Moon City, they managed to slip in unnoticed and hide their identities.

They want to use this competition as an opportunity to announce to the world that Shrek has not perished, and that Shrek still has its members.

Even if it means death, they are determined to defend Shrek's honor!

Moreover, in the eyes of Yan Shaozhe and others, the reason why Shrek Academy was targeted by the Sun Moon Sect and the Body Sect was simply because the incident happened suddenly, and it was all because of the despicable actions of the Body Sect and the Sun Moon Sect.

They didn't believe, or rather, subconsciously refused to acknowledge, that Sun and Moon dared to annihilate them in the grand competition, right in front of the three kingdoms' teams and other major powers.

"Senior Sister, what do we do next?"

It was Beibei who spoke, and at this moment his expression was extremely ferocious, somewhat like someone who had gone mad.

Shrek Academy is gone, and Xiaoya can't be found either. He now feels completely lost, without any spiritual support to continue his cultivation.

But the reason he has been able to hold on until now is not because of hatred for Shrek Academy, or rather, although there is some, it is very little. What truly supports him is Tang Ya, who is the real reason he has persevered until now.

If Beibei knew that his beloved teacher Xiaoya had long since turned into ice shards in the Shrek City explosion, he wouldn't have survived until now.

Sacrifice for love?

I am very sure of that!
Compared to the original route, BeiBei's current strength hasn't even reached the Soul Emperor level.

Without the nurturing of Shrek Academy and the resource support from Huo Gua in the original route, even with the legacy of Mu En, he simply couldn't raise his strength to the Soul Emperor realm in the original route.

You don't have that ability, do you?

"Wait."

Wait?
Although Beibei didn't understand, she was still willing to follow Zhang Lexuan's will.

After all, after Elder Xuan's death, Zhang Lexuan had already officially stepped down from her position as the successor of Shrek Academy and was now the one in charge of everything at Shrek Academy.

As for Dean Yan, he is more of a spiritual symbol and a man of considerable combat strength.

After calming herself down, Zhang Lexuan said to Yan Shaozhe.

"Dean, what we need to do most right now is to hide ourselves as much as possible."

“The Sun and Moon Capital is not like other places. Given our identities, once we are discovered, death is all that awaits us.”

"Let's hide ourselves first, and wait until the competition starts before we show ourselves."

"What Shrek has lost, we will take back little by little in the future!"

She longed to show herself right now, to slaughter these disgusting Sun and Moon people, and to avenge her Shrek friends.

However, Zhang Lexuan knew she couldn't do that, otherwise she would truly drag Shrek Academy's last remaining power into an abyss of no return.

Yan Shaozhe nodded. Although he was overwhelmed by hatred, he knew the importance of the matter.

He was well aware of the numerous dangers involved in this plan to appear at the competition.

If the Sun and Moon forces discover any trace of them, or if any oversight occurs within their ranks, these last hopes of Shrek will be utterly destroyed.

But he had no choice and had to do it.

The scene before Elder Xuan and Lin'er died was still vivid in his mind. Therefore, even in death, the thought of Lin'er risking her life to hold off those people and buy him a chance to leave made him feel compelled to avenge Shrek Academy and them.

After the storm subsided, he took Beibei back to Shrek Academy once and saw the Shrek ruins scattered everywhere after the explosion, as well as Shrek City, which was mostly destroyed.

The corpses of Elder Xuan and the other elders had long since turned to ashes with the ice explosion. The losses were too great. Although Yan Shaozhe, Zhang Lexuan, and the others learned some general details from the Star Luo Royal Family, they were still far from over.

They were glad they hadn't impulsively returned to Shrek City to collect the bodies of Elder Xuan and the others, but they also regretted their ultimate fate. To put it bluntly, they were simply unwilling to believe it subconsciously.

They refused to believe that Elder Xuan and the other elders didn't even have complete corpses in the end, and they were even more unwilling to believe that Shrek, which they regarded as one of their own, had actually been physically erased from this world by human intervention.

This is the last belief that has kept them going.

Especially Yan Shaozhe, when he heard that the Holy Spirit Cult was also planning to take advantage of the chaos, but instead suffered heavy losses in the explosion, a thought he was unwilling to admit lingered in his mind.

He thought of his disciple Xiao Tao and his old flame Feng Ling, and prayed that they hadn't been involved.

But when he thought about how the Holy Spirit Cult had also been destroyed by the Sun and Moon, and how those evil soul masters had already wandered into the Three Kingdoms region, coupled with the information that Xu Jiawei had vaguely revealed before, he actually already had a guess.

Could it be that Feng Ling and Xiao Tao didn't die in the targeted operation against Sun and Moon with the Holy Spirit Cult? Could it be that they didn't participate in Shrek Academy's final, desperate explosion? Could it be?
The Holy Spirit Cult deserves to die, as do evil spirit masters, but if one's own disciple is an evil spirit master, that's a different story.

Even though Yan Shaozhe and Zhang Lexuan could deceive themselves, deep down, these feelings of hatred still turned into a raging fire.

At that time, Shrek was almost a dead end. Apart from the ruins everywhere, there was no trace of its former prosperity. Even the outskirts of Shrek City, which were not affected by the explosion, were almost deserted.

The environment there is no longer suitable for survival.

Even so, there are still some absolutely loyal forces who are willing to pledge allegiance to Shrek and have expressed their willingness to support these remnants of Shrek.

It's not hard to guess. Although they had all sorts of ulterior motives, back then Shrek Academy had many descendants who were nurtured by large families and powerful forces with a lot of resources.

The indiscriminate attacks by the Sun Moon Sect and the Body Sect not only took down Shrek Academy's elders and the Sea God Pavilion, but also harmed the younger generations of those nobles and sects. The nobles and sects on the Three Kingdoms side dared not openly oppose the Sun Moon Sect and the Body Sect, but they could still use underhanded tactics, such as supporting them against the Sun Moon Sect to kill their enemies.

This aligns with the interests of both parties, making their objectives coincide.

Therefore, they later subtly utilized those survivors in Shrek City who were still willing to rely on their Shrek forces.

The Xuanming Sect, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Earth Dragon Gate, and even the royal families of the Three Kingdoms all expressed their willingness to support them, to varying degrees.

In recent years, they have selected some young Soul Masters with decent abilities from among them, and together with some disciples from the supervisory group who were not in the academy back then, they brought them here in a way that was like herding ducks onto a shelf.

Furthermore, they secretly used the name of the Tang Clan to participate in this competition.

The purpose was to fire the first shot in the rebellion against the sun and moon.

To declare to the world that Shrek is still here, and the spirit of Shrek lives on!

The Sun and Moon Sect and the Body Sect can destroy Shrek Academy and Shrek City, but they cannot kill the spirit of Shrek!
Without a doubt, this is an extremely foolish and utterly brainless act.

If Huo Yuhao and the Sun Moon Royal Family knew about Yan Shaozhe and Zhang Lexuan's plans, it would be hard to guarantee they wouldn't burst out laughing.

Shrek's eternal glory has truly caused a lot of harm.

Zhang Lexuan breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, she felt that the burden on her shoulders could crush her at any moment.

As the eldest disciple and the successor to the Pavilion Master designated by Elder Mu after Elder Xuan's death, she had no choice but to shoulder her responsibilities.

As for Dean Yan, to be honest, Zhang Lexuan was well aware of his abilities.

She was frivolous and impulsive, lacking the composure and magnanimity expected of a leader. Elder Mu had told her many times that the dean was not capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities. Even though Elder Mu tried to change her in the last few years of his life, the dean ultimately failed the test of becoming the master of the Sea God Pavilion.

She didn't want to come on this mission because she knew deep down that it was no different from running to her death right under the enemy's nose.

However, including the Dean, these remnants of Shrek Academy had been suppressed to the extreme, and with the added pressure from the powerful nobles and sects behind them, they had no choice but to come here.

These individuals alone cannot uphold the prestige of Shrek Academy, and the fact that they can even maintain their current facade of respectability is already a testament to the reputation of all previous generations of Shrek Academy members.

Once those noble families and royalty can no longer see the value of supporting Shrek Academy, these people will truly have nowhere to go.

"Hopefully, the Sun Moon faction will consider the reputation of the Three Kingdoms and those sects, and won't wipe out Shrek Academy completely."

Zhang Lexuan was truly at her wit's end. Senior Sister?
Huh~
No one knew better than her that all of this, like the moon reflected in a lake, was ultimately unattainable.

Just like her life, it was all within reach, yet forever separated by an impenetrable fog, which was never worth it in the first place.

Old Master Mu's dying words were like chains, binding her throat for all eternity, a fate she could never escape.

After glancing at Beibei, who was still thinking about Xiaoya, Zhang Lexuan turned her head away, revealing a self-deprecating smile.

Look, Elder Mu, I've always worn the shackles of the choices you made for me back then very well.

Sun and Moon Palace.

Xu Tianran personally fed his sick father the medicine, and then carefully wiped the corners of his mouth with a silk handkerchief.

After watching the old emperor finish the medicine and make sure there was none left, and then fall into a drowsy, delirious sleep, Xu Tianran carefully put the medicine bowl into his storage soul tool.

On the surface, he acts like a loyal and filial son, but deep down he can't wait for his biological father to kick the bucket.

He wouldn't delegate the task of administering the medicine to anyone else; he only felt at ease doing it himself.

Xu Tianran silently counted down in his mind.

"It'll be soon! After this competition ends, I'll send you down to join my brothers, Father, so you can watch me rise step by step to the pinnacle, unify the continent, and become the greatest emperor in the Xu family's history!"

As soon as he stepped out of the main hall, before Xu Tianran could snap out of his reverie, a dark figure appeared behind him.

The servants, sensing the situation, turned and left. The shadowy figure spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, in a tone only the two of them could hear.

"Your Highness, traces of Shrek remnants have been discovered in the city. They thought they were being discreet, but everything they did was being monitored by our people."

Xu Tianran's eyes turned cold, and he gave a forced smile.

"Don't worry about them, they're just some small insects, they can't cause any trouble."

Shrek?
He wants to laugh whenever he hears those words; they're just a bunch of stray dogs, what can they possibly do?

He was actually hoping these vermin would jump out and do something irrational, so that the sun and moon could freely smear the Three Kingdoms.

They really think that a place like Mingdu is a place they can easily sneak into; they are overestimating themselves.

"Yes."

The 'bodyguard' beside Xu Tianran now is not Long Xiaoyao, but a retainer from the Xu family. He was about to step down when Xu Tianran called him back.

"What's been happening at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy lately?"

As a trusted confidant, how could he not know what his prince truly cared about?

"Some time ago, Huo Yuhao and two juniors from the Hongchen family returned, and their strength seems to have greatly improved."

"The Poison Immortal Sect Master of the Body Sect and Huo Yuhao's senior brother Xuan Ziwen both met with them. After that, the Red Dust Hall Master, the Poison Immortal Sect Master, and Hall Master Kong Deming all went into seclusion, seemingly..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Tianran's lips twitched. He had a bold idea in his mind that he himself dared not believe.

The scene after Huo Yuhao returned from the Body Sect last time was remarkably similar to the one now.

That time, both the Red Dust Hall Master and Elder Kong went into seclusion. After they came out, they became Super Douluo, and Elder Kong even became a true Level 10 Soul Master, which made him no longer have any worries about eradicating the stain of the Holy Spirit Sect.

This time, it won't be like last time, will it?

Master Kong is already a level 96 Super Douluo, and the only level 10 Soul Master in the Sun Moon Sect. If he breaks through again, he could reach level 98, or even level 99.
Where is Huo Yuhao?

This trusted aide clearly knew that his lord would definitely ask about this person's information, and said...

"After returning, this person had a private conversation with a student who had dropped out of Shrek Academy and was now at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Her name was Su Tong, and her martial soul seemed to be an ice elemental spirit."

"Afterwards, he appeared at the Soul Guidance Arena, where he chatted happily with his senior brother from the Body Sect, Long Aotian, and Ji Juechen from the Mingde Hall. As for the specifics of their conversation, the people below dared not offend him, so..."

Xu Tianran remembered Su Tong's name and then gave the order.

"Make some preparations, keep a close eye on things over there, and when Elder Kong finishes his seclusion, he will accompany me to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy."

After saying that, he hesitated for a moment, then added.

"Inform the princess that it was my idea to give her a chance to try to make contact with that woman named Su Tong at the academy."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

(End of this chapter)