Chapter 192: The Divine Power of Shrek
Feeling the overwhelming pressure of the Level 93 Soul Douluo, Lu Hu—the lowest ranked Soul Douluo at Level 81 and Qingmu City's old city lord—broke out in a cold sweat. He was also secretly relieved that his grandson had been sent to Shrek Academy. He had heard that Shrek protected its own, but he never expected Shrek to send a Titled Douluo to personally avenge the death of a student from the outer school. This was something Lu Hu had never imagined.
"Your Majesty, thank you for avenging my son and grandson. As long as I live, Qingmu City will always obey Shrek and stand as its vanguard," Lu Hu said sincerely, bowing deeply to the Titled Douluo.
Before Lu Hu could finish his bow, a soul force lifted him off the ground. The Titled Douluo's voice was calm but resolute: "No need for such courtesy. Defending those bullied within Shrek is the duty of us elders. Go contact the mayors of the neighboring cities and order them to assist in finding those who dared to kill my Shrek Academy's student. Tell them this is a command from the Divine Power Douluo. I will personally lead the team to eliminate them. The world must know that killing Shrek people is a death sentence."
"Thank you, Senior Divine Power! I will contact the mayors immediately and rally support!" Lu Hu replied respectfully.
Shrek's Divine Power Douluo waved his hand dismissively. "Go. Don't keep me waiting."
Lu Hu took his leave, and soon the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion was empty except for the Divine Power Douluo.
Alone in the grand hall, he tapped his fingers restlessly on the armrest of his chair.
"You dared to provoke Shrek with only eight soul rings. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't waste time on someone not even admitted to the inner courtyard. But this time, everyone must rally to Shrek's side. Blame your own bad luck—who told you to provoke Shrek now? Such a pity for a Level 85 Soul Douluo."
Shenli Douluo's thoughts drifted silently. Since Shrek's defeat at the last All-Continental High-Level Soul Master Competition—and with no hope in the next one—Shrek had begun encouraging its soul masters to stir up trouble.
By provoking conflict, Shrek divided the forces between families of its own students and the non-Shrek families. This forced non-Shrek high-level soul masters to attack Shrek, providing Shrek with a continuous source of power and talent.
Although morally questionable, it was a shrewd tactic. The rising threat of the Sun-Moon Empire meant Tianhun, Xingluo, and the other empires had to tolerate Shrek's provocations. Acting against Shrek would risk destruction by the empire's combined might.
As long as the empires did not destroy Shrek first, no single family dared to challenge Shrek openly. Thus, Shrek could enforce high-pressure policies, crushing or recruiting non-Shrek forces.
Pulling in nobles, dominating others, growing stronger with their resources, and sharing profits with those brought into Shrek's fold—that was the source of Shrek's power.
Under the motto, "If you don't dare to cause trouble, you are a mediocre person," and with its ability to protect students, Shrek gained broad noble support and grew ever stronger.
Especially now, after the defeat, Shrek sent a Titled Douluo to punish a mere four-ring Soul Master's killer, demonstrating its might to the world.
"Now then, what kind of killing method can better demonstrate the consequences of making Shrek an enemy?" the Divine Power Douluo pondered.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qiang and his group had arrived at the gate of the Qianfeng Family estate. They met the head of the family, Qianfeng Lie, and explained their intentions.
"So, young lady, you are the owner of the Angel Spirit, and already possess two hundred thousand year spirit rings?" Qianfeng Lie asked calmly.
"Yes," Mu Qingxue replied, her voice steady.
Though he concealed it, Qianfeng Lie's heart raced.
He knew the deal his ancestors had struck with the owner of the Angel Spirit and understood the background of that matter.
Originally, the Qianfeng family was a vassal under the Qian family of the Spirit Hall. Unlike the powerful Qiangu and Qianyun families, the Qianfeng and Qianli families lacked strong spirits and were closer to slaves within the Qian family hierarchy.
Being weak was not ideal, but during the decisive battle at Jiayuguan, their family was spared from the front lines due to their remote location.
Thanks to this, the Qianfeng and Qianli families survived, and since their strongest family member was only a Soul Saint, they never attracted much attention. No Soul Douluo had ever appeared from their family.
Weak, remote, and decimated by war, Tang San had eventually ordered a ceasefire across the continent, allowing them to live quietly afterward.
At first, this survival was acceptable, as having a Soul Saint was respectable for a middle-level noble family.
Then came the Sun-Moon Empire. Its sudden rise unsettled their ancestors. To the strong, a Soul Saint was merely a minor threat—destroyed when the time came.
Thus, the Qianfeng and Qianli families sought out a Soul Master with an Angel Spirit, hoping to regain protection by powerful Soul Masters.
Their ancestors were right. Without powerful protection, the Qianli family would have disappeared from history.
But that was the past. Now, thanks to medicine from the Sun-Moon Empire, the Qianfeng family boasted three Soul Douluos. Though not top-tier, it held near full status and strength.
The current head, Qianfeng Lie, no longer wished to be anyone's vassal. To answer to others and make decisions independently were two different things.
Just as he was about to refuse vassalage again, Mu Qingxue's six black and two red soul rings appeared before him, and a fierce flame of high temperature flickered in her hand.
"I have attained two hundred thousand year soul rings before turning thirty. The soul ring I fused is the hundred thousand year Liehuo Xingjiaoshu, granting me soul skills and ultimate fire. Though I am Level 86, no ordinary Titled Douluo can defeat me. Even a Level 95 Super Douluo would be a worthy opponent."
"Qianfeng Lie, head of the Qianfeng family, greets the master!"
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