Chen Xinjie wasn't afraid of the military. After so many years of mixing around within the ranks, he had plenty of connections and influence.
He believed that even if he withdrew from the War God Hall and stepped down from his position as the Sea God Legion Commander, the military would still let things slide for the War Gods of the War God Hall for his sake—even if they had committed treason.
But the police were a different story!
In the past, with their limited power, the police wouldn't have been able to intervene even if the Eternal Heaven was stolen.
But now, the police's reputation was soaring like the midday sun.
If the Eternal Heaven were stolen, the Parliament of the Sun Moon Federation would definitely assign the police to investigate.
To avoid suspicion, they might even bar the military from getting involved.
Chen Xinjie didn't even need to think—he could already guess that the person tasked with the investigation would be Xia Hong.
Other than Xia Hong, there was no one in the entire Federation police force who dared to take on a case like this.
Even the Minister of Police, Heaven Judgement Douluo, lacked the strength and resolve.
Once the Federation Parliament handed the case to the police, Heaven Judgement Douluo Lang Tian would surely push Xia Hong forward.
Even if the War Gods hadn't committed treason, the fact that the Eternal Heaven was stolen under their watch meant they were guilty of dereliction of duty.
Going back to the War God Hall now would be walking straight into a trap.
Judging from Xia Hong's past actions, there was no way she would show mercy.
If the War Gods dared to resist, she would absolutely kill them on the spot.
The more Chen Xinjie thought, the worse his headache got. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "Damn Mingdu Police! Damn Xia Hong! Always so rigid and obsessed with enforcement—no sense of the bigger picture. Can't adapt at all. If this were ancient times, she'd be a textbook case of blind loyalty!"
"Hall Master, why don't we all go with you to Shrek Academy?" Long Tianwu said in a low voice.
Truth was, he didn't dare go back to the War God Hall either.
He had no intention of returning when he left this time.
After all, Xia Hong was the kind of ruthless person who even dared to cripple the War God Hall's Vice Hall Master, Yue Heaven Douluo Guan Yue. If he went back, his fate wouldn't be much better.
"We have no other choice." Chen Xinjie sighed to the sky. If it wasn't out of sheer desperation, he really didn't want things to end up like this.
Leading the War God Hall into betrayal of the nation?
The mere thought of it gave him another splitting headache.
"We'll go to Shrek Academy first. As long as the Sun Moon Federation promises not to hold you accountable, you can return to the War God Hall later," said Chen Xinjie. With that, he and the War God Hall powerhouses shot into the sky, disappearing toward Shrek City.
Shrek City.
As soon as Long Yeyue returned, she began preparing for the reconstruction of Shrek Academy.
"Mingdu Police? So what. The Eternal Heaven is in Shrek Academy's hands. I don't believe they'd dare push us too far," she scoffed inwardly. At this point, Shrek Academy had nothing to lose.
They were ready to go down together if they had to—but the Sun Moon Federation wasn't.
That was the confidence the Eternal Heaven gave her.
It was also why she was so determined to get her hands on it.
Her first move was to find Ling Zichen, one of the few surviving Tang Sect members, and ask her to help design a soul tool formation that could resist the radiation from a level-12 God-Slaying Fixed Installation Soul Guidance Cannon explosion.
The Tang Sect's headquarters on Douling Continent had been destroyed, but Ling Zichen wasn't there at the time.
After learning about the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy's plan to seize the Eternal Heaven, she had pestered Zang Xin until he finally agreed to bring her to the Douluo Continent. Unexpectedly, that saved her life.
Ling Zichen agreed to help very readily—but her condition was that she wanted to study the Eternal Heaven.
Long Yeyue didn't refuse. As long as Ling Zichen didn't take it out of Shrek Academy, she could study it all she wanted.
As the reconstruction of Shrek Academy began, the surviving inner court students grew visibly more excited.
Tang Wulin, after planting the ancient Tree of Life formed from the Douluo Plane's life core, A'Yin, spent every day meditating under the tree.
Back in Mingdu, Long Yeyue had crippled his Xuan Tian Gong, causing his cultivation to plummet. He now had to meditate constantly just to recover.
"Wulin, Mom knows you're hurting. Don't worry, no matter what happens—even if you don't want to be the Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy—Mom will always support you and stand behind you," Lang Yue said with a heart full of sorrow as she looked at him.
At first, at the airport in Tianhai City, she had been quite fond of Long Yeyue.
She had really liked her as a daughter-in-law.
But after learning Long Yeyue's real age, both she and Tang Ziran firmly opposed the marriage.
No matter what, they couldn't accept their son marrying a 200-year-old woman.
And it wasn't just the age. If Long Yeyue looked like the eternally youthful Cold Yaozhu or Yali, they might have swallowed their objections.
But unfortunately, Long Yeyue's true appearance was that of a woman in her fifties or sixties.
That was something they just couldn't accept.
Even if Long Yeyue was pregnant with Tang Wulin's child, they wouldn't accept it.
They'd rather she get an abortion than agree to the marriage.
Yet Tang Wulin didn't listen.
To protest, they had refused to attend the wedding in Mingdu.
Now, after hearing how Long Yeyue fought a crowd of enemies alone, Lang Yue and Tang Ziran rejected her even more strongly.
"Wulin, your mom's right. We still don't know if that baby of hers even carries the Tang name. Trying to use that to tie you down? No way," Tang Ziran added.
"Dad, Mom, do you really think I have any other girls who'd want me now?" Tang Wulin said through clenched teeth.
Hearing that, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue fell silent.
Given Tang Wulin's current situation, and with Cao Dezhi having exposed him publicly, what girl would still want him?
"Wulin, forget the Sea God Pavilion. I'll take you to find a doctor. Even if we have to search every corner of the three continents of the Douluo Plane, Mom will make sure you get healed," Lang Yue cried, suddenly standing up. She couldn't bear for her son to be mocked forever as a failed man.
"Mom, it's useless. It's genetic. It can't be cured," Tang Wulin said with a bitter smile.
"Genetic?" Lang Yue froze. "Don't be ridiculous. Your dad's nothing like that."
"Mom, I actually found my biological father," Tang Wulin said quietly, head lowered.
"You… You know!?" Tang Ziran and Lang Yue's faces went pale. They had long expected this day to come—but not so soon.
"I know," Tang Wulin nodded. Seeing their ashen expressions, he understood what they feared and quickly reassured them, patting his chest, "Don't worry, Dad, Mom—even if you're not my birth parents, even if I've found my real ones, you'll always be my Dad and Mom. That'll never change."
"I knew it! Our Wulin would never be ungrateful!" Tang Ziran and Lang Yue finally relaxed. Their biggest fear was that he'd abandon them after learning the truth.
"Wulin, what do you mean it's genetic?" Lang Yue asked curiously.
"Dad, Mom, look." Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and took out a poster. On it were four large characters: Lone Hero.
"Dad, Mom, my biological father is actually the ancestor of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect—Sea God Tang San." Holding up the poster, he added, "This poster was made by the Holy Spirit Cult. But this time, they weren't lying. I've confirmed it with my real father—he truly is the 'Lone Hero.' I just don't know where the Holy Spirit Cult got their information."