The instant Arthur's feet touched the ground, gripping Excalibur, the holy sword swept out in a wide arc, transforming into an insurmountable barrier that forcibly knocked both Yue Zhengyu and Yuanen Yehui back.
Yue Zhengyu felt an overwhelming force surge through the blade, his arm going numb as he staggered backward several steps in quick succession, the golden flames around him flickering wildly, nearly collapsing altogether.
As for Yuanen Yehui, her martial soul possession collapsed outright, the black wings on her back vanishing.
Her figure hunched weakly, and only after switching to her Titan Ape martial soul did she begin to recover.
At the same time, the look she gave the holy sword in Arthur's hand carried an inexplicable hint of something more.
The aura of this sword had actually frightened her Fallen Angel martial soul.
Yue Zhengyu looked up in shock, and upon seeing Arthur's calm, unruffled holy azure eyes, his heart suddenly clenched.
At that moment, the teacher on duty at Shrek Academy arrived, a two-worded Battle Armor Master descending upon the scene.
"What's going on here?" The duty teacher's voice carried the pressure of a powerful soul master, his gaze sweeping back and forth across Arthur, Yue Zhengyu, and Yuanen Yehui.
Yue Zhengyu leaped up, pointing at Yuanen Yehui and shouting, "Teacher! She's an evil soul master! Her martial soul is a Fallen Angel, I was just acting on heaven's behalf!"
As he spoke, he pointed at Arthur too, his tone carrying a note of grievance and accusation. "Uncle Arthur is even helping the evil soul master, ganging up on me."
Hearing this, the duty teacher's gaze landed on Yuanen Yehui, his eyes narrowing with a touch of scrutiny.
Arthur stepped forward.
Of the two, one was his nephew, the other tied to his future plans.
This was a matter he'd have to handle himself.
He pulled out the token Ya Li had given him from the Sea God Pavilion and tossed it to the duty teacher, declaring with commanding authority, "This is Sea God Pavilion business. I'll handle it. You may leave."
The duty teacher's pupils contracted sharply, his hand rising almost on reflex to catch the token.
He lowered his head to examine the patterns on the token, and by the time he looked back up at Arthur, the scrutiny in his eyes had already turned to reverence. He hastily bowed.
After returning the token to Arthur, the teacher vanished in the blink of an eye, slipping away without a trace.
Yue Zhengyu froze on the spot. Watching the scene unfold, he suddenly recalled the arrogant words Arthur had said the first time they met, about being able to expel him.
Wait, bro, you weren't kidding?
Arthur turned his head toward Yuanen Yehui. "Tell me, what happened?"
Looking at the holy sword in his hand, a chill ran down Yuanen Yehui's spine, and she quickly recounted what had happened.
Then she carefully took out her identification. "My identity has been verified by the Sea God Pavilion."
"Although I possess a Fallen Angel martial soul, I am not an evil soul master."
Arthur took the identification, and sensing that the aura of the seal matched that of the Sea God Pavilion token, tossed it back to Yuanen Yehui.
Then he turned to Yue Zhengyu and asked, "Do you have any objections to what she's described?"
"Uncle Arthur." Yue Zhengyu swallowed hard, all his earlier arrogance gone. "Don't let this evil soul master fool you! How could someone with a Fallen Angel martial soul not be an evil soul master?!"
What on earth was he going on about.
He'd already been warned, yet Yue Zhengyu still insisted on being stubborn.
Throughout this whole affair, Yuanen Yehui had been entirely innocent, while Yue Zhengyu had kept pressing the attack, even threatening her life.
It was even worse than schoolyard bullying.
Arthur, the ever-helpful envoy of justice, was about to strike hard!
The holy sword in his hand lightly tapped the ground, and the spiritual-type soul skill granted by his hundred-thousand-year left arm bone spread outward from the blade across the ground.
A spirit domain unfurled: Return to the Void.
Terrifying Spirit Abyss Realm spiritual power spread out from the tip of Excalibur, and with Arthur at the center, the space around him seemed to be draped in an invisible film.
Return to the Void, this spirit domain born of his hundred-thousand-year soul bone, unfurled like a tide, drowning every stray thought and restless impulse within its reach.
Yue Zhengyu felt a buzzing hum in his mind, and the obsessive conviction that had been screaming "Yuanen Yehui is an evil soul master" was instantly crushed to pieces.
Along with it, the blaze of his holy fire dimmed as well, leaving him standing there in a daze, his eyes utterly vacant.
A moment later.
Arthur slowly withdrew the holy sword, and the spirit domain receded.
Yue Zhengyu shook his head, his unfocused gaze gradually sharpening, but the relentless, unforgiving look from before was long gone.
In its place was a wave of lingering fear and shame.
He looked at Arthur, then at Yuanen Yehui, his lips trembling for a long while, but he couldn't force out a single word.
In the end, all he could do was spread his white wings in a fluster and flee into the distance without looking back, not daring to leave even a word of excuse.
Yuanen Yehui straightened up, her Titan Ape martial soul quietly fading away. Still pale, she gave Arthur a slight nod.
Her cool voice carried a trace of gratitude. "Thank you. And for last time too."
"It's nothing." Arthur waved a hand and turned to leave.
"Wait."
Yuanen Yehui called out to stop him, her cool voice tinged with hesitation.
She pressed her lips together, seeming to weigh her words.
"Is what you said before, about being able to help me solve the problem with my Fallen Angel martial soul, true?"
Arthur's interest was piqued. "Oh? Did you change your mind?"
She thought back to how her Fallen Angel martial soul had collapsed the instant it touched Arthur's holy sword.
Yuanen Yehui pleaded, "Please help me remove this martial soul. I'll do anything you ask."
"Hm?" Arthur scratched his head.
That wasn't what he'd meant at all!
Remove the Fallen Angel martial soul? What was she talking about.
What Arthur had actually meant was for Yuanen Yehui to cultivate with peace of mind, and that he would deal with any problems from the demon plane down the line.
As he thought it over, realization dawned on Arthur. He remembered that at this point in time, Yuanen Yehui didn't know anything yet.
The secret of her martial soul, and everything that had happened with the Yuanen family back then, she knew none of it.
At this point, all Yuanen Yehui had to deal with was constantly being mistaken by outsiders for an evil soul master, along with her family, both of which weighed on her with immense psychological pressure.
It left her afraid and fearful, worried that her martial soul might bring some ominous outcome.
"Well, about that."
With Yuanen Yehui knowing nothing, this wasn't going to be easy.
Arthur said, a headache coming on, "How about this: once you have time, take me to visit your family, and we can settle this martial soul problem."
"What does this have to do with my family?" Yuanen Yehui felt a flicker of resistance; she didn't want to go back.
"There's a lot going on beneath the surface here, let's just say those who understand, understand." Arthur shrugged and turned to leave. "Think it over carefully. Once you've made up your mind, come find me. I'll go with you whenever you're ready."
Yuanen Yehui watched Arthur's retreating back and clenched her fists.
Should she go back?
She thought of the strange looks from her family, of the way her elders always trailed off whenever the Fallen Angel was mentioned.
Most of all, she had witnessed with her own eyes how her grandfather had coldly driven her mother to her death and crippled her father.
After a long while.
Yuanen Yehui walked off in the opposite direction.
What's done was done.
Better to just go to work. She was going to be late.