The Legend of the Dragon King

“Alright, that’s all for now. Don’t worry. Dealing with this matter will greatly accelerate our grand plan. When that has been accomplished, Shrek Academy will be nothing,” the Ghost Emperor’s tone softened. His voice seemed to possess a hypnotic quality.

Qiangu Dongfeng replied with a deep voice, “Very well, but I hope that you can do it quickly. I’ll do my best to learn what I can about Shrek.”

“The thing about you is that you’re being too indirect. There are many things in which you should be decisive. You’re already in control of the parliament, so why can’t you mobilize some of the military?” said the Ghost Emperor, clearly enjoying Qiangu Dongfeng’s misfortune.

Qiangu Dongfeng replied, “Shrek has been around for twenty thousand years. Don’t you know how great an influence it has on society? Ghost Emperor, I hope that you remember who destroyed your Holy Spirit Cult ten thousand years ago. It was Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect. They’re definitely our common enemy.”

The Ghost Emperor said casually, “One of those who led the movement which brought about the Holy Spirit Cult’s destruction ten thousand years ago was also your Spirit Pagoda’s founder. Aren’t you working with us now?”

Qiangu Dongfeng’s expression darkened. “Ghost Emperor, what are you implying?”

Ghost Emperor replied, “Nothing. I just want to tell you that we’re that close as well. Also, thank you for the new drug which you’ve developed.”

With that, he ended the call.

Qiangu Dongfeng almost crushed the soul communicator in his grip. His expression was so sour that it seemed possible for water to drip from his face at any moment.

‘The Holy Spirit Cult can’t be controlled!’ That was the first thing he noticed. ‘What are they up to? What goals do they have?’ Those were questions that he could not guess the answers to.

At this point, he regretted his actions somewhat. There was no doubt that the change in the Holy Spirit Cult’s attitude was closely related to the newly developed drug.

The Holy Spirit Cult had one monarch, two emperors, and four great heavenly kings. He wondered which drug was meant for the Demon Empress. However, according to the Ghost Emperor, the Demon Empress was more of a symbolic presence in the Holy Spirit Cult. What effects would the drug have on her?

When he agreed to cooperate with the Holy Spirit Cult back then, he did it to destroy Shrek and the Tang Sect and because the Holy Spirit Cult had convinced him with that grand plan. However, judging by the Ghost Emperor’s current attitude, the Holy Spirit Cult seemed to be intending to ditch him.

That was possible, but theSpirit Pagoda could be considered the unseen hand controlling the parliament behind the scenes. What good would it serve them to abandon him? Without his help, would they have other means to acquire the huge amount of resources needed for their grand plan?

At the very least, without the aid of the Spirit Pagoda, it would be impossible for them to see the war in their lifetime.

What exactly made the Ghost Emperor’s attitude change so drastically?

…

“With a more powerful collaborator, why do I have to continue to deal with a hypocrite like him, feigning courtesy? Qiangu Dongfeng, haha!” Deafening laughter echoed through the darkness.

…

Green grass covered the ground like a carpet. Every great tree in the dense forest was like a huge umbrella that blocked the sun’s rays from reaching the ground.

This was not Tang Wulin’s first time coming to the Great Star Dou Forest. The last time he was here, he came with Gu Yue and they were faced with a dangerous situation. In the end, even he was unsure how they escaped their terrible fate.

However, there was one thing which Tang Wulin could be sure about. There were surely some powerful soul beasts in the main area at the end of the Great Star Dou Forest. He was unsure of the actual number, but he was certain that they possessed terrifying strength. This was why this area remained untouched by humans all this while.

For the Shrek Seven Monsters, it was not difficult for them to infiltrate the Spirit Pagoda’s outer defenses. Infiltration was one of the most important skills they picked up on the Demon Island.

They put on disguises and entered the forest, after successfully finding their way there after one day. In truth, although the Spirit Pagoda had covered up the entire Great Star Dou Forest’s core area, the defenses were directed inward and were relatively lax toward exterior forces. This was because nobody else would have wanted to enter such a perilous place.

“Be careful, everyone,” Tang Wulin reminded his companions.

“It’s so beautiful in here!” Xu Xiaoyan could not refrain from saying.

The eight of them kept a perfect formation. Xu Xiaoyan and Xu Lizhi were protected in the center while the other six formed a hexagon around them.

Yu Zhengyu said, “It’s said that the Great Star Dou Forest covered an extremely wide area and was the largest pristine forest on the continent. Millions of soul beasts lived within it. The beast tide that broke out every now and then would bring great disaster to mankind.”

Tang Wulin sighed softly. “In ancient times, soul beasts were much more powerful than us humans. Back then, mankind struggled to survive while facing dangerous soul beasts. That’s how the career of soul masters gradually came to be. As the human race advanced, armed with unity and creativity, we slowly made a place to live. Gradually, nations were formed and so did the Martial Soul Hall. Come to think of it, the Martial Soul Hall was created so that the soul masters could be under a single command. It was the reason that humans were able to survive. However, the Martial Soul Hall’s nature changed in the end.”

Yuanen Yehui said with a deep voice, “But we’ve progressed too quickly. The appearance of soul devices meant that soul beasts were no longer our opponents. Beast tides aside, even a real soul beast is a rare sight these days. What we can see now are spirit souls.”

Tang Wulin had a slight frown. “Yeah, the soul beasts will go extinct sooner or later if this keeps up. Hence, the Hawk Faction’s theories are logical in a way. We’ve overdeveloped the Douluo Continent. The dire shortage of resources and the increasing human population is at great odds with each other. Starting a war is only a way to avert everyone’s attention from this conflict.”

Ye Xinglan said direly, “If we don’t change this situation for the better soon, we’ll destroy ourselves one day.”

Tang Wulin nodded and replied, “Actually, the best course of action now would be for the Federation to work together with the two great empires. We should pool our forces and explore the universe. If the Spirit Pagoda had any foresight, they would be nurturing soul beasts. I think that they’re able to produce spirit souls because they’re rearing soul beasts in their various branches. The only thing wrong with them is their ideals.”

Xie Xie said, “The Spirit Pagoda’s current goal is to produce the perfect man-made spirit soul. There’s no reason for the soul beasts to exist anymore.”

Tang Wulin responded, “The idea is laughable. Soul beasts are a part of the Douluo Continent. A large part of why there’s a lack of resources, including the Ancient Gold Tree’s withering is because there isn’t enough life force on the continent and the ecosystem’s balance is destroyed. When we’ve finished rebuilding Shrek and stabilized ourselves, I plan to work together with the Dove Faction to bring back the soul beast population. If we continue to destroy the natural ecosystem, I’m worried that we won’t be able to successfully explore the universe before the continent collapses.”

When he said this, a heavy weight bore down on everyone’s hearts. The parliament was currently in the grip of the Hawk Faction, which was backed by the Spirit Pagoda. It was not an easy feat to bring back the soul beast population!

As they discussed, they continued toward the depths of the Great Star Dou Forest. The further they went, the more they could sense the existence of the dense life aura. The air here was clearly different from the outside world. When they breathed, they could feel the plants’ aura passing through their nostrils, which was a pleasant sensation.

“If we could build a small wooden hut and live here, it would be the life!” Xie Xie exclaimed.

Yue Zhengyu said with scorn, “Are you sure you can leave the red lanterns and green wine of the city behind?”

Xie Xie retorted, “Since when have I indulged in those things? I’m a decent person, you know? Don’t you spout nonsense in front of my Yuanen.”

Yuanen Yehui rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

Yue Zhengyu laughed. “Xie Xie, how’s indulging in red lanterns and green wine indecent? Have you been doing anything indecent lately?”

Xie Xie rolled up his sleeves and flexed his arms, as if he wanted to fight it out. “Yue Zhengyu, I’ll let you have it for sure.”

“Shh!” Tang Wulin suddenly made a silencing gesture. The others quickly quietened down. They knew that Tang Wulin had the most powerful spiritual power among them. He must have sensed something.