Shrek Academy was no different from usual, with Students scattered in twos and threes all over the campus.
Some were sparring on the training grounds, some were reading books on benches in the shade, and the deep voices of instructors lecturing could be faintly heard from the classrooms, occasionally mixed with the echoes of Students answering in unison.
Everything looked orderly, peaceful, and serene, no different from any other afternoon in the past.
After entering the academy, Huo Yuhao's group did not linger in the Outer Court, heading straight for the Inner Court.
Previously, even when the academy's elders had turned out in full force, they couldn't keep Huo Yuhao behind. Now, naturally, no one would stop him from stepping onto Sea God Island.
After stepping onto Sea God Island, they went straight to the simple and quiet courtyard in the center of the island.
Holy Spirit Douluo Yali was still as gentle as water.
Wearing a simple set of loungewear, she put down the watering can in her hand and came out to greet them as she saw the travel-worn youths enter the courtyard, asking them one by one about their experiences on Devil Island.
Everyone scrambled to recount their various experiences on the island, complaining while still showing lingering fear on their faces.
After chatting for a bit, Ya Li led everyone into the house, but they soon noticed that Yun Ming's expression seemed off.
This always calm and composed Sky-Supporting Douluo was currently sitting on a chair by the window, his brow furrowed, staring blankly at the sky outside, not even snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the youths entering the room.
Ya Li was slightly taken aback; she was the person closest to Yun Ming, so she naturally understood her husband's temperament better than anyone else.
She quickly walked over to Yun Ming, her voice gentle yet filled with genuine concern as she asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look so troubled?"
Only then did Yun Ming seem to be pulled back to reality, his expression remaining exceptionally grave.
He slowly shook his head and said softly, "I don't know why, but I keep feeling uneasy."
Hearing this, Ya Li's usually gentle and composed face suddenly changed color.
Her movements froze involuntarily, and her voice tightened slightly: "What? Even you feel uneasy?"
She knew Yun Ming's strength too well. Her husband's mental force had long surpassed the Spirit Domain Realm and stepped into the legendary Divine Origin Realm.
Cultivating to his level, his mental perception could already faintly touch upon some unseen threads of destiny.
Therefore, Yun Ming's feeling could never have arisen out of thin air; something must have happened.
Yun Ming raised his eyes and glanced at Huo Yuhao and the others who had entered, but at this moment, he was truly in no mood for pleasantries.
Looking at Ya Li, he spoke again, "The feeling is very strong. I'm afraid something major is about to happen, though I don't know if it's a natural disaster or a man-made calamity."
The conversation between the two was not kept quiet on purpose, and Huo Yuhao and the others heard it loud and clear from the side.
The expressions of the several youths also turned grave almost at the same time, realizing that something bad was likely about to happen.
Without explaining further, Yun Ming said in a deep voice, "I will contact the Federation to sound an alarm. Although it is still unclear where the issue will arise, giving them an early warning will at least allow them to make preparations, so they won't be caught off guard when the time comes."
Huo Yuhao and the others quickly stepped aside to clear a path, watching Yun Ming stride out of the room.
Ya Li remained standing where she was, her gentle eyes staring in the direction her husband had left, her face filled with worry, clearly still unable to snap out of the shock of this sudden bad news.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao knew it was not a good time to disturb her further, so he walked up to Ya Li and said, "Aunt Ya Li, we will take our leave for today and visit you and Elder Yun another day."
Only then did Ya Li seem to wake up from her daze, forcing a faint smile and nodding to the youths.
The six of them left the courtyard, and only after they had walked some distance away did Tang Wulin break the silence first.
Furrowing his brow, he asked, "What do you think could possibly happen that even the Sky-Supporting Douluo would find it serious? That was the first time I've ever seen Elder Yun look like that."
Na'er walked beside Tang Wulin, her expression also unusually serious.
"Teacher was so anxious just now that he didn't even have time to speak to me. I've never seen him like this since I met him. It must be a very serious matter."
On the surface, Gu Yue was as quiet as usual, but she secretly sent a voice transmission to Huo Yuhao: "I also have a faint bad feeling. We should head back to the Spirit Pagoda quickly."
Huo Yuhao turned his head slightly, met Gu Yue's gaze, and nodded, his pace quickening involuntarily.
Xu Xiaoyan walked behind everyone, clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands, and said, "Maybe the Evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult are launching another attack. You know, the Holy Spirit Cult has been very active recently, causing destruction in various cities at the drop of a hat."
Xie Xie had an entirely nonchalant look: "Alright, alright, stop looking so solemn, as if doomsday is upon us."
"We just got back from a hellish place like Devil Island, can't we just have some peace for a moment?"
"Taking a step back, even if the Evil Soul Masters are indeed launching some attack, do they really dare to attack Shrek?"
"Look at where we are. This is the continent's number one academy. There's a bunch of Titled Douluo alone. Even if you gave the Holy Spirit Cult a few more guts, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble at Shrek Academy."
This statement was unanimously agreed upon by everyone. Shrek Academy had stood tall on the continent for Ten Thousand Years, and its foundation was unimaginably deep.
Even if the Holy Spirit Cult threw all of its strength into it, they might not necessarily gain any advantage against Shrek Academy.
The group had just left Sea God Island and was walking out along the tree-lined path by the lake.
Xu Xiaoyan suddenly froze in her tracks, pointing her hand toward the distant sky, her voice carrying an irrepressible gasp: "What is that?!"
Hearing this, everyone stopped and turned their heads to look in the direction she was pointing.
In the distant sky, clusters of dazzling light were streaking across the heavens, trailing gorgeous yet eerie plumes of fire.
The lights were of various colors, weaving together high in the sky to form a heart-palpitating curtain of light.
They grew brighter and closer, and the direction of their descent was shockingly none other than Shrek Academy.
At the exact moment Xu Xiaoyan spoke, Huo Yuhao's face changed dramatically.
In an instant, his Spirit Eyes caught the true form of those lights. They were no meteors, nor were they any natural astronomical phenomenon, but Fixed-Mount Soul-Guided Shells.
Almost instinctively, he yelled at the top of his lungs: "Back to Sea God Island! Quick!"
Within Shrek Academy, Sea God Island was the safest place. Huo Yuhao made the most correct judgment in a flash, without the slightest hesitation.
With a thought, his Two-Word Battle Armor instantly covered his entire body in a blinding light, the sleek and gorgeous armor plates fitting seamlessly against his body, as a pair of massive metal wing blades deployed with a boom behind his back.
He grabbed Tang Wulin's arm beside him and transformed into a stream of light, shooting rapidly toward Sea God Island.
Before Tang Wulin could react to what was happening, he only felt his vision blur, and his feet had already left the ground.
On the other side, although Na'er and Gu Yue did not have Two-Word Battle Armor, a pair of gold and a pair of silver dragon wings deployed from their backs at the same time.
Each grabbing Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan beside them, they flapped their dragon wings violently, stirring up two wild currents of air, as they flew across Sea God Lake right behind Huo Yuhao.
Sea God Lake was not very large, and with everyone exerting their full strength, it took only a few breaths of time to cross the entire lake, landing back on Sea God Island.
At this moment, they also saw dozens of figures rising into the air from all over Sea God Island, the lights of various Spirits displaying in the sky.
These were all the elders of Shrek Academy; as the crisis approached, they reacted immediately.
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.