Star Luo Empire.
Imperial Palace.
Xu Jiawei sat on the throne, his face sallow and lifeless.
Below him, a crowd of ministers stood in silence, glancing at each other, none daring to speak.
Ever since news of the devastating defeat of the Continental Alliance spread across the land, rumors of a counterattack by the Sun-Moon Empire ran rampant. From noble sects to commoners, the entire populace had fallen into a state of panic.
Now, with the Sun-Moon Empire pulling the strings, the colossal scheme they had long been brewing finally surfaced. As high-ranking officials of the Star Luo Empire—each with their own assets and ambitions—how could they resist the temptation to profit from such an opportunity?
In fact, not a few had thrown in their entire fortunes.
As officials and elites of the empire, their political instincts were naturally sharp.
Losing their savings was painful, yes—but what truly terrified them was the state of the court, of the empire, and of the entire continent.
After this incident, an astronomical amount of Gold Soul Coins had been drained from the nations of the original continent and funneled into the Sun-Moon Empire. The personal losses paled in comparison to what lay ahead: financial turmoil, a complete upheaval of the monetary system.
"Your Majesty," the Minister of Finance fell to his knees, his face drawn with despair. "Today, merchants from the Sun-Moon Empire arrived in droves. They are purchasing our shops, goods, spirit bones—penetrating every sector of our industrial chain…"
Whether he mourned for the country or his pension, no one could say.
"Huuuh…"
Xu Jiawei let out a long breath, clenching and unclenching his fists.
His heart was overwhelmed with rage and sorrow.
Just days ago, their crushing defeat—
Regardless of the damage suffered by Shrek Academy or the Clear Sky Sect, the Star Luo Empire had lost four consecrates, including the top auxiliary-type Super Douluo Wang Xian'er and the Grand Consecrate, who was gravely wounded. Whether they could recover remained uncertain. The other two Titled Douluo had perished in the Sun-Moon Empire. Of eleven Soul Douluo, only six survived…
This wasn't just a blow to their vitality—it was the loss of half their lifeblood.
He had once hoped to use their earnings to purchase rare treasures from Shrek's Treasured Pavilion to heal the injured or strengthen the imperial soul master corps. But then came this devastating news.
Now, as the Sun-Moon Empire openly used their ill-gotten Gold Soul Coins to snatch up every asset in Star Luo, he felt his heart bleeding.
Perhaps this was why the Sun-Moon soul engineer legion, which had nearly breached Star Luo's capital, had suddenly withdrawn.
In the hands of a competent ruler, occupation has two meanings:
One is violent conquest—bombarding a city into submission.
The other is infiltration—taking over the city's lifeline, so that only the scars of war need repairing, and the system can continue to function.
He looked up at the pale blue sky beyond the hall.
That young ruler clearly did not settle for the former.
And in truth, he had succeeded, leaving them no room to resist.
Seek help from Shrek or the Clear Sky Sect?
A joke. They could barely protect themselves.
The failure of the recent alliance proved that better than anything.
Only now did Xu Jiawei fully understand—
From the very beginning, that youth had woven a web across the continent, waiting patiently for them to stumble into it. And now, they were so tightly entangled, there was nowhere left to run.
"Hehehe…"
Xu Jiawei laughed bitterly.
"He wanted it all from the beginning. The entire Star Luo Empire—this vast, resource-rich land."
Once, he had been filled with ambition. If the Sun-Moon Empire wanted to take the imperial capital, they'd have to be prepared to claim a pile of ruins at best.
But now…
As shops and industries changed hands,
The very financial arteries of Star Luo were being commandeered by the Sun-Moon Empire. And the real question was—did he even have the will to resist anymore?
No. His heart was dead.
"So, do you have any solutions?" Xu Jiawei lowered his head, looking mockingly at the Finance Minister.
The man trembled, collapsing fully to the floor, not daring to reply.
What solution could he possibly have?
Now that most of the wealth was in the Sun-Moon Empire's hands, and with Star Luo Empire on the brink, most merchants' first instinct was to liquidate and cut losses. With the Sun-Moon Empire wielding mountains of Gold Soul Coins, how could they resist?
The royal family only directly controlled less than a fifth of the empire's total assets.
And the remaining four-fifths…
"Court is dismissed."
Xu Jiawei rose slowly, walking toward the rear of the hall.
His steps were slightly unsteady.
From behind, he no longer looked like a thirty-something emperor in his prime, but rather an aged, broken old man…
Shrek Academy.
Sea God Pavilion.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Where once the kindly old man in a wheelchair sat at the head of the table, the seat now lay cold and empty.
Xuanzi kept downing liquor, eyes bloodshot.
Elder Lin had his eyes closed, his face filled with sorrow.
Elder Song, wrapped in bandages, sat in a wheelchair, gritting his teeth and cursing under his breath.
Yan Shaozhe and the others stood off to the side, their expressions varied but all filled with deep worry.
"Old Mu has passed. We must appoint someone to take the reins," Elder Lin said softly.
"Huiqun is right. I nominate Elder Xuanzi," Elder Zhuang nodded.
"I second that nomination."
"Elder Xuanzi is more than worthy."
No matter how unreliable he had seemed in the past, Xuanzi was now the only one left who could carry Shrek's banner after Mu En's sudden death. Without a leader, Shrek was on the verge of collapse…
"I… am not worthy of this…"
Though he was tempted—having waited long for the Pavilion Master's title—Xuanzi still intended to go through the ritual of refusal.
Sure enough, after a round of modest denial and persuasion, he finally looked conflicted, then relented:
"If that's the will of everyone, I'll take on the mantle of Pavilion Master. However… the position of the next-generation Pavilion Master should also be decided soon."
"I nominate Beibei. Elder Mu gave his life for Shrek, and Beibei inherited his Holy Bright Dragon. With proper cultivation, he could become a new Limit Douluo," Lin said.
"That's right. Huiqun speaks well," Zhuang agreed.
Yan Shaozhe stood off to the side, silently watching the elders name Beibei with just a few words.
His heart grew dim.
Though he didn't think much of Beibei, he had to admit—among all of Shrek's current students, only Beibei's talent stood out. No matter where it came from, it was undeniable.
He glanced at the Sea God Pavilion seats—now nearly half-empty—and the sorrow in his heart deepened.
With Shrek in its current state, how could they possibly contend with the Sun-Moon Empire, which was in its prime?
Their Treasure Pavilion had been thoroughly looted; Elder Lin's hair had gone half-white in grief. That vault had held the wealth accumulated by Shrek over ten thousand years—now taken by the Sun-Moon Empire without lifting a finger.
With such devastating losses—both financial and spiritual—could Shrek ever truly rise again?
(End of Chapter)