17: Chapter 17, Section 17: Mu En: Follow me to the Star Dou Great Forest to demand an explanation.

Meanwhile, ten thousand years later, in Shrek City, the night had quietly blanketed the earth.

Outside the dormitory area of the Shrek Academy outer courtyard, moonlight filtered through the sparse branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

An antique rattan chair sat quietly there, and an elderly man with an aged face lay on it. His hair and beard were completely white, and his face was covered in deep wrinkles, etched with the marks of time like old tree bark, while the simple, plain-colored robe he wore made him look even more gaunt.

He was the stabilizing force of Shrek Academy, the Limit Douluo, Dragon God Douluo Mu En.

At this moment, Dragon God Douluo Mu En's eyes were slightly closed, his breathing long and steady, appearing as if he had fallen into a deep sleep; yet, a faint, intangible pressure lingered around his body. It was an ultimate power honed by the passage of time, making the surrounding air seem to solidify slightly.

"Elder Mu."

A low voice rang out outside the courtyard, breaking the tranquility. Yan Shaozhe, dressed in a white robe, walked in slowly. He stood tall with a handsome face, but at this moment, his face carried an undisguisable gravity. He walked to the side of the rattan chair, bowed slightly, and spoke in a very low voice that carried a heart-palpitating heaviness.

Dragon God Douluo Mu En's eyelids twitched, but he did not open them immediately; he merely let out a soft hum from his throat as a response.

Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath and spoke with difficulty, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth: "Over at the Star Dou Great Forest... something happened. Tang Ya has... fallen. Bei Bei... has disappeared, as if he had never existed in this world."

"Swish!"

Before the words had even faded, Dragon God Douluo Mu En on the rattan chair suddenly opened his eyes!

Those eyes, which had been murky before, were now startlingly bright, like two sharp swords suddenly drawn from their sheaths. Cold light shot directly at Yan Shaozhe, and the shock and fury churning within them were almost tangible.

His hunched body sprang up from the rattan chair. Although he remained hunched, he possessed an intimidating aura. His originally calm face was now twisted with anger, his wrinkles piling up, making him look even more ferocious.

"What did you say?!"

Dragon God Douluo Mu En's voice was as hoarse as a broken gong, trembling with disbelief. Tang Ya was Bei Bei's lover, and a child he had watched grow up, while Bei Bei... was his only remaining relative in this world, his only great-grandson!

But now, what had he heard? Tang Ya fallen, Bei Bei missing?

"Tang Ya's body... was found? And Bei Bei?" Dragon God Douluo Mu En stared fixedly at Yan Shaozhe, his hands gripping the armrests of the rattan chair tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. The hard mahogany armrests were actually indented with deep finger marks from his grip.

Yan Shaozhe lowered his eyes, his voice filled with thick bitterness: "Just a short while ago, we realized that the time they had spent entering the Star Dou Great Forest far exceeded expectations. The situation was wrong, so we immediately sent people to search. As a result... we only found Tang Ya's remains at the edge of the core area, as if... as if her Divine Soul had been instantly shattered. As for Bei Bei, we searched that entire area, but there was no trace of him, as if... as if he had vanished into thin air."

Dragon God Douluo Mu En staggered; had he not held onto the rattan chair, he would have almost collapsed on the spot. His chest heaved violently, and his eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, like engorged red agates.

He knew Bei Bei's personality best; the child appeared gentle but was actually terrifyingly stubborn, especially toward Tang Ya, whom he protected tightly. If he encountered danger, given Bei Bei's nature, he would certainly have stood in front of Tang Ya. If they were truly to die, it should have been Bei Bei who met with misfortune first. But now... Tang Ya fallen, Bei Bei missing?

This could only mean one thing—Bei Bei was likely already in grave danger, perhaps even leaving no corpse behind!

A bone-chilling cold rose from the bottom of Dragon God Douluo Mu En's heart, rapidly spreading to his limbs and bones. He had lived for over a hundred years and had witnessed countless life-and-death partings, having long since forged a heart of iron. Yet, only Bei Bei was the softest attachment in his heart. Now, could this attachment have been severed in such a tragic way?

"Who did this?!"

Dragon God Douluo Mu En's voice was as low as if it had come from the netherworld, filled with a chilling murderous intent in its hoarseness. The air seemed to have been frozen by this rage, and even the moonlight was stained with a touch of coldness.

Yan Shaozhe shook his head, his expression grave: "It is not clear yet. However... Bei Bei is a possessor of the Holy Dragon of Light Spirit. Although he had not consolidated it, he was gifted with extraordinary talent and was the undisputed candidate for the next Dragon God Douluo, with limitless potential. The fierce beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest have always been protective; could it be... that they felt Bei Bei threatened them and thus killed him?"

The fierce beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest, especially those Old freaks who had lived for over ten thousand years, were all incredibly powerful and had always harbored hostility toward human Spirit Masters. Bei Bei's talent could indeed have aroused their wariness; this was not impossible.

Dragon God Douluo Mu En turned his head abruptly, looking toward the pitch-black distance outside the academy—that was the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest. A flash of near-insane ruthlessness crossed his eyes, as if he wanted to tear that darkness apart.

"Star Dou Great Forest..."

He gritted his teeth as he uttered these words, and the Soul Power around his body began to churn uncontrollably. The surrounding ground even faintly began to tremble as he said: "Good, very good! Anyone who dares to touch my, Dragon God Douluo Mu En's, people, even if they are fierce beasts, must pay the price!"

He took a deep breath, suppressing the violent rage in his heart. His voice regained a touch of cold calm, yet it carried an unquestionable command: "Go, pass down the order, have all the academy Elders gather here immediately!"

"Yes!" Yan Shaozhe did not dare to delay, turning and walking away quickly, his white figure rapidly disappearing into the night.

The place fell into silence once again, leaving only Dragon God Douluo Mu En's heavy breathing. He stood with his back to the dormitory area, still gazing in the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest, his hunched back stretched long under the moonlight, like an ancient blade about to be drawn, charged with astonishing power.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, several figures appeared in the courtyard like ghosts.

Leading them was an elderly man dressed in black, with a resolute face and sharp eyes; it was Xuan Zi. Following closely behind were a white-haired old woman, a beautiful woman, and several men and women with steady auras—without exception, they all radiated the powerful aura of Titled Douluo level, and they were indeed the Elders of Shrek Academy.

These top-tier powerhouses, who were rarely seen on ordinary days, all had grave expressions, clearly having learned some information from Yan Shaozhe.

Xuan Zi stepped forward, his gaze falling on Dragon God Douluo Mu En, and asked in a deep voice: "Elder Mu, what has happened? Why did you need to summon all of us?"

Dragon God Douluo Mu En did not turn back, still gazing into the distance, while Yan Shaozhe explained in a deep voice from the side: "Bei Bei and Tang Ya met with misfortune in the Star Dou Great Forest. Tang Ya has fallen, and Bei Bei is missing, likely... in grave danger. I suspect that it was done by the fierce beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest."

"What?!"

Xuan Zi and the others' expressions changed drastically, their eyes filled with unbelievable shock.

They all knew what Bei Bei meant to Dragon God Douluo Mu En. Elder Mu had lived a lonely life, and Bei Bei was his only bloodline descendant, his important attachment for living. Now that something had happened to Bei Bei, it was no wonder Elder Mu was so furious, even summoning all the Elders—this meant he was getting serious!

An Elder, a woman dressed in a green robe, could not help but speak up: "The fierce beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest are too bold! Knowing that Bei Bei is Dragon God Douluo Mu En's great-grandson, how dare they kill him?"

"No matter who it is, anyone who dares to touch our people from Shrek must pay the price!" Another old man snorted angrily, his body erupting with a scorching fluctuation of Soul Power.

Xuan Zi took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, looked at Dragon God Douluo Mu En's back, and said in a deep voice: "Elder Mu, what shall we do next?"

Dragon God Douluo Mu En turned around slowly. On that aged face, there was no longer a trace of ripples, only an ice-cold stillness. His gaze swept over every Elder present, and his voice, though not loud, clearly reached everyone's ears:

"What shall we do?"

"Bring your gear and follow me to the Star Dou Great Forest—"

"To demand an explanation!"

The last few words exploded in the courtyard like a clap of thunder, carrying a resolute murderous intent that shot straight into the sky.

Under the moonlight, Dragon God Douluo Mu En's hunched body seemed to straighten slightly for an instant. In his bloodshot eyes, the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest was reflected, as was a monstrous storm about to be unleashed.

The Elders of Shrek Academy looked at each other, and they all saw the same determination in each other's eyes. Without the need for further words, they moved, following closely behind Dragon God Douluo Mu En, and sped off toward the outside of the academy.

Streaks of formidable auras tore through the night sky, converging in the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest.

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