Douluo: This Legend of the Dragon King is not quite right

Chapter 118 The Justice of Shrek Academy
As the driver spoke, he looked around at the white, misty world with a sense of bewilderment:

"It's really strange. Not long after you left, this wretched place started snowing heavily without any warning. And it's snowing so heavily, even though it's not winter yet. The weather forecast didn't say anything about it. Strange things happen every year, but this year there seem to be more than usual."

Lu Jun's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm, only showing the same puzzled expression as he shook his head: "I don't know either, it is indeed very strange. The matter is now settled, thank you for your trouble, we will return to Mingdu immediately."

He glossed over the matter, revealing no details.

"Okay, please come in." Seeing that Lu Jun was unwilling to say more, the driver wisely stopped asking questions and immediately opened the cabin door.

Lu Jun boarded the aircraft, secured himself in his seat, and a wave of fatigue washed over him once again.

He closed his eyes, tried to regulate his breathing, and suppressed the churning blood and qi within his body and the stinging pain in his soul.

The aircraft engine emitted a deep hum, and once again transformed into a blurry shadow that was difficult to see with the naked eye, tearing through the snow-covered night and speeding towards Mingdu.

Shortly after Lu Jun left Maple Leaf City.

The city, which was permanently changed by ice and snow overnight, had a bizarre and shocking scene. Through the omnipresent Soul Guidance Network, it spread like wildfire throughout the entire Douluo Continent in no time.

"A shocking turn of events! Snow has fallen in Maple Leaf City in the height of summer, turning winter into a single day!"

"Strange weather phenomena? Energy burst? Maple Leaf City has been turned into a world of ice and snow!"

"Experts are shocked: Maple Leaf City's temperature has plummeted by thirty degrees Celsius, suspected to be caused by an unknown powerful soul skill or a natural disaster!"

All sorts of sensational headlines dominated the front pages of major news websites and Soul Guide Communicators.

This information storm instantly triggered the nerves of all forces.

Lu Jun's private aircraft tore through the wind and snow and disappeared into the steel jungle of Mingdu. Soon after, the scene of Maple Leaf City being swallowed by the eternal winter exploded in the power center of Douluo Continent, like boiling oil being poured into ice water.

At this moment, at Shrek Academy, in the Sea God Pavilion.

On the rustic wooden table, several huge soul-guided screens are displaying the situation in Maple Leaf City from different angles.

The snow was several feet deep, and the biting cold permeated the entire city and lingered for a long time.

The scene was silent, yet it carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

"The world has changed drastically, and the extreme cold has suddenly descended. The energy level... far exceeds the scope of a Title Douluo." An elderly man dressed in a dark green Shrek Academy Inspection Team uniform spoke solemnly, his fingertips tracing the energy peak graph displayed on the screen. "This power that alters celestial phenomena and freezes space reminds me of only one thing."

“A divine artifact.” Sitting in the main seat, Yun Ming slowly uttered two words, his gaze seemingly piercing through the screen to see the core of that frozen city.

"Twenty thousand years ago, when the Sea God Tang San first became a god, he also caused strange phenomena in the heavens and earth. Although the nature was different, the scale of this was beyond human capability."

"And ten thousand years ago... do you all remember the divine artifact that once descended upon the Douluo Continent, ultimately landing in the far north and causing a tremendous impact on the Douluo Continent?"

The elders all nodded in agreement.

"Could it be that the divine artifact... has reappeared in Maple Leaf City after ten thousand years?"

"Hmph, whether it's a divine artifact from ten thousand years ago or some other unknown divine artifact, the power to cause such a large-scale change in the celestial phenomena must be earth-shattering. Maple Leaf City is not an extremely cold place, so there must be something fishy about the divine artifact manifesting here."

"Was it taken out by someone, or did it choose its own owner?"

Yun Ming responded calmly:
"Regardless of which one, the appearance of such a divine artifact will inevitably attract covetous eyes from all sides, and bloodshed will be unavoidable."

"By the way, where did Cai Yue'er go?"

Faced with Yun Ming's question, the other elders exchanged glances and then shook their heads. "We don't know where she went."

"At such a crucial moment, a meeting of the Sea God Pavilion was convened, yet she was conspicuously absent. It's quite strange," Yun Ming said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"However, now is not the time to pursue her."

Yun Ming stood up and surveyed the entire room:

"When a divine artifact appears in the world, destiny turns, and fortune may be the harbinger of misfortune, and misfortune may be the harbinger of fortune."

"Shrek Academy, with a history of over 20,000 years, stands aloof from the world, towering at the pinnacle of the continent. Protecting order and maintaining balance is our innate responsibility and a sacred mission bestowed upon us by our ancestral Sea God!"

"These divine artifacts, capable of altering the very fabric of the world, possess a power so immense that they are beyond the control of ordinary soul masters."

"If used properly, it will bring blessings to all living beings and protect the peace of the continent; if used improperly, it will bring endless disasters and may even unleash a massive bloodbath, causing immense suffering to all living beings!"

"I ask you, what would happen if this item fell into the hands of an evil soul master, or into the hands of an ambitious Federation or a profit-driven force like the Spirit Pagoda that is increasingly deviating from the righteous path?"

Yun Ming's words struck the hearts of every elder like a heavy hammer.

They were either stroking their beards in deep thought or staring intently, their faces filled with solemnity.

Beneath that solemn expression lay a deep fear of the divine artifact's power, and even more so, an indescribable longing for the supreme power and authority it represented.

"What the Pavilion Master says is absolutely right." A white-haired elder echoed in a deep voice, "The power of divine artifacts is of great importance. Shrek Academy, upholding the will of the Sea God, takes it upon itself to protect the continent. How can we sit idly by and watch such a thing, capable of overturning the world, fall into foreign hands and become a source of chaos?"

"Why not bring them under the supervision of the academy? This is not for personal gain, but for the sake of all living beings and for the eternal peace of the continent. This is the greater good!"

“Indeed,” another stern-faced middle-aged elder interjected, his tone resolute. “Only Shrek Academy possesses the deepest foundation, the most complete heritage, and the most impartial and selfless stance!”

"Only by placing the divine artifacts under the protection of the Sea God Pavilion can we ensure that their power is not abused and can be guided to benefit the world. This is an inescapable responsibility for Shrek Academy!"

He spoke the word "responsibility" with such conviction, as if Shrek were the sole chosen guardian.

The other elders nodded in agreement, their eyes flashing with approval and a hint of barely perceptible fervor.

Protecting the artifact within Shrek Academy is tantamount to controlling it within Shrek Academy.

How can we hand over this power, this glory, this opportunity that would allow Shrek to completely surpass all other forces?
Yun Ming watched the crowd's reaction with satisfaction:
"The struggle for divine artifacts is bound to be as perilous as a dragon's den or a tiger's lair. Various forces have already sprung up, eyeing the prize with predatory intent. Shrek Academy acts with integrity and uprightness, but it also needs swift and decisive measures to protect the common people! Issue my decree..."

"Immediately dispatch the Shrek Surveillance Team to secretly infiltrate Maple Leaf City at the fastest speed, at all costs, to find out the source of the artifact's energy and pinpoint its exact location or owner."

"Use all soul-guided detectors to analyze the residual energy and find clues to that suspected artifact. Allow any necessary means to clear obstacles and ensure that the artifact information is not leaked."

"But remember, unless absolutely necessary, never reveal your academy identity under the guise of maintaining order or investigating natural disasters."

"Second..." Yun Ming's gaze swept over everyone present, "Dean Cai Yue'er's whereabouts are a mystery. Her absence from the Sea God Pavilion meeting at this crucial moment is highly unusual. While investigating the clues about the artifact, we should also check where she went and what she is doing."

"Everyone," Yun Ming concluded, his voice filled with a sense of compassion, "the safety of the continent rests on our shoulders, the ownership of the divine artifacts is related to the future order, and the glory and responsibility of Shrek Academy cannot be lost. Let us act."

"We will obey the Pavilion Master's orders." All the elders responded in unison, their voices echoing within the Sea God Pavilion.

Every elder's face carried an almost religious fervor.

(End of this chapter)