Inside the Star Emperor Hotel, only Shrek Academy remained; all other academies, including Sun Moon Academy, which had made a humiliating exit today, had already left.
In the meeting room, Zhu Ziyang and the others were discussing the ownership of the remaining two Spirit Bones. In fact, this had little to do with the three main team members, Zhu Ziyang, Ma Xiaotao, and Jiang Nannan; they were merely there as witnesses. The specific allocation would depend on Wang Yan and the seven members of the reserve team.
"These two Spirit Bones, the Saint Illusion Demonic Ape Skull and the Evil Demon Tiger Whale Left Leg Bone, I'm sure you've all heard Princess Xu Jiujiu's explanation," Wang Yan said, taking out the two Spirit Bones and placing them on the conference table in front of everyone. "What are your thoughts? Feel free to speak. Bei Bei, you're the captain of the reserve team, you go first."
Bei Bei, called upon by Teacher Wang, instinctively stood up. He then looked at his companions beside him, then at the two Spirit Bones, and said, "I believe that when Teacher Wang selected these two Spirit Bones, he already had candidates in mind. If I'm not mistaken, this Saint Illusion Demonic Ape Skull should be for Yu Hao."
"Huh? For me?" Huo Yuhao responded, surprised at being named.
"After all, Yu Hao is the only Spirit-type Spirit Master among us, and this skull bone can only maximize its value when given to him," Bei Bei continued to explain, disregarding Huo Yuhao's surprise. "As for this Evil Demon Tiger Whale Left Leg Bone, I think it would be better for Xu Sanshi to absorb it, as he is the only Spirit Master among us with a water attribute."
Xu Sanshi's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, but it quickly disappeared.
"Excellent!" Wang Yan's eyes showed admiration. He said, "This skull bone will naturally maximize its effect when given to Yu Hao, but for this left leg bone, Xu Sanshi isn't my only candidate. Tang Ya was also within my consideration."
"Oh? I'm involved too?" Tang Ya's face showed a bewildered expression.
"Yes, as far as I know, Tang Ya, your Spirit was originally Blue Silver Grass, right? Ten thousand years ago, Sea God Tang San also possessed an Evil Orca Spirit Bone, so I thought there would inevitably be some positive changes between the Blue Silver Grass Spirit and the Evil Orca Spirit Bone," Wang Yan nodded and said, "You all discuss it among yourselves to decide who gets this Evil Demon Tiger Whale Left Leg Bone. However, before that, I need to warn you, the seven of you are one entity. You must not let a Spirit Bone harm your harmony!"
"Heh!" Xu Sanshi let out a strange laugh and said, "This Spirit Bone should go to Xiao Ya; I don't need it."
"Xu Sanshi, what do you mean by that? Do I need you to give way?" Tang Ya immediately became unhappy when she heard Xu Sanshi's words, feeling that Xu Sanshi was deliberately trying to give her the Spirit Bone.
However, not everyone was as slow-witted as Tang Ya. At least Bei Bei understood the subtext of Xu Sanshi's words, and a hint of surprise and joy flashed across his face. He said, "Sanshi, do you mean you already have one?"
"Uh huh!" Xu Sanshi nodded proudly and said, "I am the Young Master of Dark Tortoise Sect after all!"
"That's good then. In that case, this Evil Demon Tiger Whale Left Leg Bone will be absorbed by Tang Ya!" Wang Yan's face also showed a hint of surprise, but he then directly said, "Does anyone else have anything to say?"
"We have no objections!" Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao said simultaneously. "We and Yu Hao are one. If he gets a Spirit Bone, it's equivalent to all three of us getting it."
"Teacher Wang, as you said, the seven of us are one, so no matter who absorbs the Spirit Bone, it strengthens our team's power. So, I also have no objections," He Caitou also said.
"Alright, since that's the case, then you should absorb the Spirit Bones tonight," Wang Yan said with a smile. "We'll rest for a day and can return to the academy the day after tomorrow."
"There's no rush to return to the academy for now," Old Lin suddenly appeared in the meeting room and said. "You all stay in Star Luo City for a few more days, and then return to the academy when you receive notification from the academy."
"Ah? Why?" Everyone expressed confusion.
"No why, it's an order!" Old Lin did not explain but said somewhat forcefully, "You just need to know that this is the academy's arrangement."
"Yes!" Everyone immediately nodded in agreement.
"Alright, now return to your respective rooms. Those who need to absorb Spirit Bones, let us know, and we'll protect you," Old Lin said.
Although confused, everyone still left the meeting room.
In Zhu Ziyang's room, Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao were both there, the two girls directly occupying his bed.
Old Song and Cai Meier also appeared in Zhu Ziyang's room at this time; they were naturally there to protect the two girls.
Zhu Ziyang took out the two Spirit Bones and handed them to Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao respectively.
"Alright, you two begin merging with the Spirit Bones. Meier and I will protect you," Old Song said with a faint smile.
"Yes!" The two girls replied, immediately closing their eyes and beginning to merge with their respective Spirit Bones.
Seeing the two girls begin to merge with the Spirit Bones, Zhu Ziyang looked at Old Song and Cai Meier and asked, "Old Song, Junior Sister, how is it? Did those revered elders of the Star Luo Royal Family agree?"
"Mhm!" Old Song nodded in reply. "This is all thanks to you. They naturally understand the significance of a twin ultimate Spirit."
"That's truly excellent!" Zhu Zi Yang's face immediately showed joy upon hearing this, and then he said, "It wasn't in vain that I went to such great lengths to display it!"
"Haha! Junior Brother, you've become famous throughout the entire Douluo Continent now!" Cai Meier said with a smile on her face and a teasing tone, "You're even more famous than us Titled Douluo!"
"Isn't this also for the academy's plan?" Zhu Ziyang waved his hand and said, "Junior Sister, our plan shouldn't have any flaws, right?"
"Of course not!" Cai Meier's face showed a playful expression, and she whispered something into Zhu Ziyang's ear.
Zhu Ziyang's expression instantly changed from calm to astonished. "Really?"
"Mhm!" Cai Meier nodded, softly assenting.
"Alright, Ziyang, go rest. We'll be setting off at dawn," Old Song said to Zhu Ziyang.
"Okay!" Zhu Ziyang replied, then turned and left his room, heading to Jiang Nannan's room next door to rest.
He and Old Lin and the other four would leave Star Luo City at dawn tomorrow and return to Shrek Academy.
Of course, they would travel very slowly. If they went too fast, how could they fish?
This temporarily formulated plan had Zhu Ziyang as its key element, and the 'fish' they wanted to catch were naturally those forces with ill intentions towards Shrek Academy, such as the royalists of various Empires, and also the Sun Moon Empire.
In short, if these forces wanted to eliminate Zhu Ziyang, the future of Shrek Academy, and severely strike a blow to Shrek Academy's reputation and foundation, then this was their only chance.
This was a blatant fishing operation, but those forces had no choice.
As the most important part of this plan, Zhu Ziyang participated in the entire planning and implementation, understanding that the academy was truly determined this time to deter and weaken those restless forces.
Because in addition to the four Super Douluo—Old Lin, Old Song, Cai Meier, and Xian Lin'er—five Sea God Pavilion elders had also arrived, though they had not yet revealed themselves. Without exception, all of them were powerhouses at the Super Douluo level.
Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion collectively possessed twelve Super Douluo. At present, all of them were present, except for the severely injured Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe, who was in seclusion.
He arrived at Jiang Nannan's room, and just as he was about to close his eyes and meditate, Electrolux's urgent voice came from his mind, "Ziyang, come quickly!"
Zhu Ziyang was startled, then immediately entered the Saint Law Demiplane.
In the Saint Law Demiplane at this moment, five brand new life forms stood before Electrolux. Their bodies still contained a rich aura of Death, but this Death aura was no longer the Death qi of undead creatures; instead, it was the Death Attribute aura of normal living beings.
They were precisely the five great undead monarchs who had reversed life and Death, completing the transformation from undead to living beings. Upon seeing Zhu Ziyang, they immediately knelt down, reverently calling out, "We prostrate before our Master! May our Master be eternal and indestructible!"
"Congratulations!" Zhu Ziyang accepted the prostrations of the five undead monarchs, who could no longer be called undead creatures, while also observing their new forms.
The Hell Knight, who had once ridden a nightmare beast, clad in heavy armor and wielding a spear, and was headless, now had a new head and regained a flesh-and-blood body. His armor had changed from jet black to silver-white, with only the patterns remaining as black lines. The long spear in his hand had become a golden lance, and the nightmare beast beneath him had also been purified of its lingering resentment, transforming back into a unicorn, with pure white fur and golden wings, fully displaying the essence of Light.
The Hell Knight transformed into a Holy Temple Knight. From his aura, his strength should be even greater than Yan Shaozhe's before his seclusion, roughly at the level of a Rank 97 Super Douluo.
"The promise I made to you has now been fulfilled because of my disciple," Electrolux said with a smile. "From today onwards, you can reclaim your former names and honors. Therefore, pledge your loyalty to my disciple, Zhu Ziyang!"
"We understand!" The Holy Temple Knight took the lead in responding, then knelt on one knee, his right fist placed over his heart, and with an incredibly devout expression, he intoned, "By the Light God above, I, Holy Temple Knight Kou Marko, swear to serve with my life my master, Lord Zhu Ziyang, who has granted me new life. Should I break this oath, may I suffer the punishment of having my life stripped away by my Lord!"
"I accept your loyalty!" Zhu Ziyang replied.
In truth, this oath and loyalty were merely a formality, because these reborn undead monarchs had long since become native creatures of the Saint Law Demiplane. As the Lord of the demiplane, Zhu Ziyang only needed a thought to kill them. How could they possibly betray Zhu Ziyang?
However, a ceremony was still necessary.
After Holy Temple Knight Kou Marko, came the former Lich King, who should now be called a Light Priest. His appearance was no longer a black mist without discernible features, nor did he need to hide beneath a dark cloak. He looked very old, with a full head of silver hair, but his face was filled with kindness and holiness. His pure white priestly robe still had faint black-edged patterns, and in his hand, he held a dark staff.
"By the Light God above, I, Light Priest Rogier, swear to serve with my life my master, Lord Zhu Ziyang, who has granted me new life. Should I break this oath, may I suffer the punishment of having my life stripped away by my Lord!" Light Priest Rogier replicated Holy Temple Knight Kou Marko's actions and oath, and Zhu Ziyang repeated his earlier words.
Light Priest Rogier's combat power at this time could rival a Rank 95 Super Douluo. As the former Archpriest of the Holy Demon Continent's Church, he possessed a more complete understanding of Light Magic than Electrolux. Additionally, having been a lich, he still retained some shadow power, which was the sole testament to his past as an undead.
In fact, all five former undead monarchs still retained some abilities from their undead period. For example, Kou Marko still possessed the signature ability of a Hell Knight, Hellfire.
After Light Priest Rogier, came the monarch of the Bone Dragon clan. He was a fire dragon in life, and after his transformation from Death to life, he became a true dragon possessing both fire and Light Attribute. He called himself the Royal True Dragon Heavenly Flame Saint Dragon, but his appearance was not much different from the ordinary fire attribute true dragon, Red Fire Dragon, on the Douluo Continent. If there was a difference, it might be the golden underside of his dragon wings.
"By the Dragon God above, I, Olivier of the Fire Dragon clan, swear to serve with my life my master, Lord Zhu Ziyang, who has granted me new life. Should I break this oath, may I suffer the punishment of having my life stripped away by my Lord!" Fire Dragon Olivier swore, as a member of the dragon race, his worshipped god was naturally the Dragon God.
Fire Dragon Olivier's combat power could also rival a Rank 95 Super Douluo.
After Fire Dragon Olivier, came the Abomination. This unique artificial undead among the five great undead monarchs was, surprisingly, a Beimon behemoth in life! Originally the weakest in strength, his power increased the most after reincarnation, directly rising from Rank 92 to Rank 95.
At this moment, his body was five meters tall, covered in golden fur. His head was quite similar to a human's, his hands were massive, his claws like blades, and there was a small tuft of purplish-black scales on his neck, a symbol of his past as an undead creature.
"By the Thunder God above, I, Beimonstan of the Beimon clan, swear to serve with my life my master, Lord Zhu Ziyang, who has granted me new life. Should I break this oath, may I suffer the punishment of having my life stripped away by my Lord!" Beimonstan swore.
Beimon behemoths belong to a branch of the giant race, and giants generally worship the Thunder God, so Beimonstan swearing in the name of the Thunder God perfectly aligned with his identity as a Beimon behemoth.
Moreover, it was a striking coincidence that Beimonstan, the Beimon behemoth, possessed the lightning attribute.
The last undead monarch was the Skeleton King. To Zhu Ziyang's surprise, this Skeleton King was actually female in life!
After reincarnation, her appearance returned to her former state; otherwise, Zhu Ziyang might not have discovered this fact.
"By the War God above, I, Zhang Weiwei of the human race, swear to serve with my life my master, Lord Zhu Ziyang, who has granted me new life. Should I break this oath, may I suffer the punishment of having my life stripped away by my Lord!" Zhang Weiwei swore.
Unlike the other two humans who worshipped the Light God, the deity Zhang Weiwei worshipped was the War God, which was related to her profession. As a high-ranking member of the Warrior Alliance in life, Zhang Weiwei's profession was naturally a warrior, a profession that Zhu Ziyang, a Douluo Continent native, could not comprehend.
Zhang Weiwei's strength was naturally also at the Rank 95 Super Douluo level. Possessing both dark and Light Attributes, if she fought with her life on the line, she might even be able to unleash Rank 97 or even Rank 98 strength.
After all, according to Electrolux, this Zhang Weiwei was a top-tier expert of Rank 9 Tier 6 in her previous life!
Having spent so many years with Electrolux, Zhu Ziyang naturally understood the cultivation realm levels of his World. Rank 9 Tier 6, when converted to the spirit power realm of the Douluo Continent, was at least a Rank 98 Super Douluo!
"Excellent!" After all five powerhouses declared their loyalty to Zhu Ziyang, Electrolux smiled with great satisfaction and said, "I won't hide it from you all, this World has a God Realm, and Ziyang has also inherited the legacy of a god. You all know what this means!"
"Yes!" Kou Marko and the other five powerhouses all showed expressions of pleasant surprise.
Zhu Ziyang looked at these five Super Douluo-level powerhouses, and his inner joy was self-evident.
He thought of the situation that was very likely to occur tomorrow, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled upwards. He really wanted to say to those unlucky fellows, "Guess how many Super Douluo I can summon?"
With a joyful mood, Zhu Ziyang returned to his room and quickly entered meditation to rest.
— —
The next day, early morning.
Outside Star Luo City's city gates, Zhu Ziyang was bidding farewell to Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao. Although they would only be separated for seven days or half a month, both girls knew the reason for Zhu Ziyang's early departure, and their worry was understandable.
Old Lin and the other three watched the three young people's reluctant farewells from the side, all with the smiles appropriate for elders.
"Big Brother, you must be very careful!" Jiang Nannan held Zhu Ziyang's hand, the worry on her pretty face making Zhu Ziyang feel pity.
"Don't worry." Zhu Ziyang gently smoothed Jiang Nannan's tightly furrowed brow and said, "The Academy has dispatched several elders for this operation, and I will be very careful to hide behind them!"
"Here, take this bottle." Ma Xiaotao handed the bottle they bought at the auction to Zhu Ziyang and said, "If things go wrong, run away immediately, run as far as you can!"
"I say, Xiaotao, aren't you looking down on us old folks a bit too much?" Hearing Ma Xiaotao's words, Zhu Ziyang hadn't even responded when Old Song, who was beside them, immediately retorted, "Are we really that untrustworthy to you?"
Ma Xiaotao didn't speak, but her pursed lips betrayed her thoughts.
"Teacher, you must protect Big Brother Ziyang!" Jiang Nannan looked at Old Song, her large eyes full of pleading.
"My dear disciple, rest assured, unless this old woman dies, no one will be able to touch Ziyang!" Old Song said with a wry smile, assuring Jiang Nannan.
"Alright, it's time for us to depart!" Old Lin interrupted Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao, who still wanted to say something, and simply stated.
Then, without waiting for their rebuttal, she took the lead and left.
Seeing this, the others had no choice but to follow. Zhu Ziyang only managed to send a reassuring look to Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao before Old Song pulled him along, chasing after Old Lin.
Because Old Song was an agility-attack system Super Douluo, the task of protecting and carrying Zhu Ziyang naturally fell to her. In terms of travel speed, no one could catch up to her unless they were a Limit Douluo.
Not long after Zhu Ziyang and the five departed, the entire Continent began to stir with undercurrents, and a great battle, one that could potentially change the Continent's future for a hundred years, was brewing!