Chapter 57

In midair, only Xuan Lao's transformed Taotie Divine Bull charged forward fiercely, the yellow light behind him like a surging tidal wave bombing toward Du Bu Si.

Du Bu Si's transformed emerald‑green giant strode through the void, running forward without retreat, fiercely meeting the charge.

In a tremendous boom, the two collided in midair.

At that instant, whether from Shrek Academy or the Body Sect, all the strong ones originally floating in the air swiftly descended, each landing back on the ground.

The contest between Xuan Lao and Du Bu Si continues; although Xuan Lao's Taotie Divine Bull is one of the top martial souls of the present age, he loses out in soul rings—Du Bu Si possesses two yellow, two purple, two black, and three red rings, a formidable combination that explains why he dared to bring people straight into Mingde Hall and wreak havoc.

In the Sun Moon Empire, there simply are no Super Douluo above rank ninety‑five…

Xuan Lao's soul‑ring configuration is rather common: two yellow, two purple, four black, one red. A normal Soul Master following Yu Xiaogang's ideal setup would likely be the same, except lacking a hundred‑thousand‑year ring, because it cannot be killed.

In midair, the fierce collision of the two powerhouses made the sky seem to burst open with a blooming firework. Du Bu Si's emerald‑green light behind him instantly formed vast vortices, while Xuan Lao's yellow light behind him instantly condensed into countless massive yellow orbs, turning into a meteor shower that slammed into those emerald vortices.

But Du Bu Si is indeed powerful; the huge emerald vortex formed a funnel in the air, unmoving despite the terrifying meteor shower's impact. The yellow light that entered it vanished instantly, like a mud‑ox sinking into the sea.

The two titans locked in mid‑center now faced each other; the emerald giant Du Bu Si had become gripped Xuan Lao's massive horns with both hands, each straining against the other yet neither could prevail. Their auras flickered bright and dim, while their true bodies remained in a quasi‑static state.

The battle between Xuan Lao and Du Bu Si continues; though it appears even, Xuan Lao is actually at a disadvantage—if the fight drags on he will lose, and in a death match he will die. Such is a clash between peak Douluo: once this level is reached, killing across ranks becomes nearly impossible. Of course, that fellow Huo Yuhao, when he was in the mid‑nineties, directly killed and stood toe‑to‑toe with Di Tian for a short time, even wounding Di Tian's Eyeball Tyrant Overlord…

"Qi Ye, you're observing quite meticulously; why not tell me your thoughts?"

Mu Lao isn't worried that Xuan Lao will fall into a disadvantage in the short term, after all Mu Lao knows Xuan Lao's strength better than anyone.

Gazing at Mu Lao's appearance, Chen Qiye asked, "Are you sure you want me to speak?"

"En, speak." In fact Mu Lao has long had a plan; having presided over the Sea God Pavilion for years and roamed the continent for over two hundred years, without wisdom and means he could not have survived to this day, nor possessed his present strength.

Chen Qiye nodded and said, "Since Elder Mu wants me to speak, I will speak."

"Actually, this time we of Shrek are in the wrong; although the Body Sect is overbearing, Xuan Lao's actions that day, while not mistaken, were indeed overly aggressive. After all, the Douluo Continent has long had an unwritten rule; once such a rule forms it becomes accepted by all sides, and now whoever breaks it will inevitably cause dispute—today's situation arose precisely for that reason."

Saying this, Mu Lao's pupils twitched slightly; he couldn't help but stare in amazement at Chen Qiye—so mature, Chen Qiye is practically a born strategist, not only having pinpointed the key cause, but that old‑dao's experience is mature beyond a youth! Even after staying by his side for years, he had never felt this, yet today he did…

"What do you think should be done?" Mu Lao already had a new idea in mind; indeed, not only him, but also those beside him like Yan Shaozhe, following his gesture, all turned their gaze to Chen Qiye.

"But if we really talk about reason, what are we cultivating for? To reason with people? No, it's not so that others will reason with us."

"Since he won't listen to reason, we need not speak reason either."

"But if we must speak reason, we are not lacking in reason."

The purpose of the Body Sect is simple: because of Huo Yuhao's innate martial soul, they came to take him. But we Shrek Academy also have a martial soul department— isn't Huo Yuhao's second martial soul, the Ice Jade Scorpion, a normal martial soul?

If reason is heeded, we can live in harmony; if reason is not heeded, then we can only compare whose fists are bigger.

………Du Bu Si spoke tit-for-tat: "How? Do you think you can stop me? Hand over the person quickly, or don't blame me for going straight in to get them— then my methods won't be so peaceful."

"Xuanzi can't stop you, then what about me?" At that moment, a gentle voice sounded softly, followed immediately by a soft halo of light suddenly released from below Shrek Academy, to be precise, from the Sea God Pavilion.

The spread of the soft golden light seemed slow but was actually swift; in the blink of an eye it shot up into the heavens, and a wondrous sight appeared— whether Xuan Lao or Du Bu Si, their auras vanished completely under the golden light's envelop, and the pressure in the sky dissipated as well. The soft golden hue not only shrouded Shrek Academy, but also covered Shileke Cheng; at this very moment, Shileke Cheng looked from the outside like a golden city!

Du Bu Si, who had always been overbearing in aura, couldn't help but change color at this sight: "Sea God's Light? How is that possible— how could Shrek still have someone capable of unleashing the Sea God's Light?"

"Bu Si, it's been years— it seems you've forgotten this old man." The kind voice sounded again, but only reached Du Bu Si's ears.

"You, you are—" Du Bu Si stared in shock at the Sea God Pavilion below, which was radiating brilliant golden light; for a moment, beads of sweat appeared on his dark green forehead.

Mu Lao said lightly: "What your elder brother bestowed upon me back then, I still remember clearly to this day. You and your elder brother have the exact same temperament. Impulsiveness is the devil. If it weren't for your elder brother's impulsiveness back then, perhaps he would still be alive in the mortal realm now."

Du Bu Si finally confirmed his suspicion upon hearing this, and turned pale with shock: "You, you're still alive? How is that possible? You weren't already—"

Mu Lao said lightly: "If I were dead, would you then bully our Shrek Academy?" That simple sentence struck Du Bu Si like an invisible giant hammer. A flash of intense golden light flickered in the air, and Du Bu Si's dark green body suddenly shrank by a meter, while a strong emerald-green light also spilled from his body.

Du Bu Si said somewhat ruefully: "Dragon God Douluo, our initial battle wasn't just a simple clash of tempers. On what grounds should I have my elder brother yield?"

Mu Lao said calmly: "You know the full story well enough. No need to argue with me. You only need to know that I am still the master of the Sea God Pavilion. I have already asked Huo Yuhao of our academy and told him about your Body Sect's situation; he expressed his willingness to stay at Shrek. Please go back. This time, I will not hold it against you for your elder brother's sake. But if there is a next time, or if your Body Sect schemes against my disciple in the future by other means, then don't blame me for personally going to the Body Sect to demand an explanation."

Mu Lao said calmly: "You know the full story well. No need to quarrel with this old man. You only need to know that the Sea God Pavilion Master is still this old man—that's enough. I have already asked Huo Yuhao of our academy, and I have told him about your Body Sect's situation; he expressed his willingness to stay at Shrek. Please go back. For this matter, this old man will not hold it against you out of respect for your elder brother. But if there is a next time, or if your Body Sect schemes against this disciple of mine in the future by other means, then do not blame this old man for personally going to your Body Sect to demand an explanation."

Mu Lao said coldly: "Indeed. What? Do you think you're more suited to teach him than I am?"

Du Bu Si took a deep breath: "Dragon God Douluo, out of respect for your face, let's call today's matter settled. As honest people don't do shady deeds, I must also tell you that regarding this child, our Body Sect cannot give up. In terms of age, you are somewhat older than me; you should know that at our age, we are already not far from our limit. Moreover, our Body Sect currently has no heir."

Du Bu Si took a deep breath: "Dragon God Battle Master, out of respect for your face, today's matter will be left as is. Honest people don't do covert deeds; I also must tell you, regarding this child, our Body Sect cannot give up. In terms of age, you are a bit older than me; you should know that at our age, we are not far from our limit. And our Body Sect currently has no inheritor."

Du Bu Si said somewhat ruefully: "However, our sect has seen no new members for nearly twenty years. Moreover, do you think the heir can be passed on to just anyone? That's it for today. That brat will stay one day at your Shrek Academy, and I won't move him. But once he leaves Shrek Academy, it's every man for himself. Dragon God, even if you're still alive, I don't believe your elder brother left nothing behind in you. I am no match for you, but if you try to kill me, the cost will certainly not be small. Shrek Academy's opponents are not limited to our Body Sect either. The green hills remain unchanged, the clear waters flow forever— until we meet again."

Having said that, Du Bu Si's dark green light blazed up violently, burning a hole in the golden radiance of the Sea God's Light; he shot forth, and with a wave of his hand in the air declared: "Body Sect members, retreat!"

More than twenty silhouettes swiftly fled into the sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye. The golden light in the air also gradually retracted, returning entirely to the Sea God Pavilion.

At this moment, not only was Shrek Academy in an uproar, but the entire Shileke Cheng was abuzz with discussion due to the previous miraculous situation.

"Shao Zhe, go calm the populace; Xuanzi, you and Su Yu follow me."

As he spoke, Xuan Lao followed Chen Qiye to the Sea God Pavilion. When Mu Lao lay back in the recliner once more, Xuan Lao's face looked somewhat grim. Mu Lao lay still in the recliner, appearing as the frail, dying old man he seemed; who would have thought, judging only by his appearance, that he had almost single‑frightened the entire Body Sect into retreat? "Mu Lao." Xuan Lao greeted him with a somewhat disgruntled tone.

Mu Lao gave a faint smile and said: "What? Feeling down? You haven't lost. Being suppressed by Du Bu Si is nothing. If it weren't for my good luck back then, I would have died just like Du Bu Si's elder brother. Even if I managed to keep this life, I would still be permanently crippled. Even if I really took action, I might not be much better than you. After all, the current Dragon God is no longer the Dragon God of old."

Mu Lao's era will eventually pass, whether he is a peak Douluo or an ultimate Douluo; if he does not become a god, he will ultimately return to a handful of dust.

Mu Lao's era will eventually pass, whether it be Peak Battle Master or Extreme Battle Master; if one does not become a god, they will ultimately become a handful of yellow earth.

(End of chapter)