There was disbelief in the eyes of the two, as if they had thousands of words to say, but they could no longer utter a single sound.

A man in black snorted coldly and said disdainfully: “It is true that people are fickle, and everyone flees when disaster strikes. How many times has this happened? It has never failed.

This place is really strange. It must be activated by the lives and blood of men and women who betrayed their love.” He paused, and added: “An ancient power is sleeping at the bottom of this lake, and it needs this kind of extreme negative emotion to awaken it.

Only by witnessing the brokenness of love can the door to the altar be opened.” Another man in black nodded silently in agreement.

He looked down at the lake and whispered, “I hope this offering is powerful enough to satisfy the sleeper’s needs.”

After saying that, he took out a black talisman from his bosom and threw it into the lake. The moment the talisman came into contact with the blood, it emitted a dazzling light, and the lake surface began to roll violently, as if something was about to break out of the water. The man in black nodded with satisfaction and said, “The ceremony has begun.”

They were suspended quietly in the air, waiting for movement at the bottom of the lake.

The lake water rolled more and more violently, forming a huge whirlpool, exuding a suffocating feeling of oppression.

Suddenly, a blood-red light shot up from the center of the vortex, illuminating the entire night sky. The man in black saw this and a fanatical look appeared on his face.

“Success!” They cheered in unison, as if they saw the dawn of victory.

Another man in black frowned and shouted impatiently, “Stop talking nonsense! Let’s drain their blood so we can go back and report.”

He paused, with a barely perceptible nervousness in his tone, “Once this place is activated, it will erupt in full force in an hour.

At that time, even the gods will be unable to escape, and all humans in it will…” The man in black suddenly stopped talking, as if he realized that he almost revealed a secret that he shouldn’t have revealed.

The first man in black seemed to suddenly think of some taboo. His face changed slightly and he immediately fell silent, concentrating on the movements of his hands.

The dagger in his hand flashed coldly and stabbed into the couple’s body again. Blood gushed out, dyeing the lake red.

The couple’s breathing became weaker and weaker, their eyes gradually became dull, and the flame of life flickered like a candle in the wind. Their bodies trembled slightly, and finally stopped struggling.

The bright red blood dripped down the sharp blade of the dagger, creating ripples on the surface of the lake.

The couple’s faces gradually turned pale, their lips lost their color, and their eyes lost their luster.

Their vitality quickly faded away and their bodies gradually became cold and stiff.

The blood spread in the lake, dyeing the clear water blood red.

The couple’s blood was finally drained and their lives came to an end.

The two bodies fell into the lake one after another, making two muffled “plop, plop” sounds. The lake water rippled for a while, but soon returned to calm.

Seeing that their mission was accomplished, the two men in black did not dare to stay for a moment and quickly turned around and flew into the air.

Their figures were agile, like two black bats in the night sky, and they quickly disappeared into the night.

In a flash, their figures disappeared without a trace, as if they had never appeared.

A few minutes later, the lake surface began to surge, and the water that was previously dyed red by blood gradually faded, replaced by a strange color.

The golden and silver lights complement each other, flickering and dancing on the lake like stars in the night sky.

The golden light is like a leaping flame, emitting a blazing glow, while the silver light is like flowing mercury, emitting a soft glow.

The gold and silver colors are intertwined and blended together, forming a strange sight that is breathtaking.

The golden light continued to expand, like a golden wave sweeping across the entire lake.

The silver light followed closely behind, like a silver ribbon wrapped around the golden waves.

The gold and silver colors spread to the surroundings at an astonishing speed, covering the entire lake in a strange light.

The lake was rolling and the waves were surging, as if something was about to break out of the water.

The golden and silver light on the lake became more and more dazzling, illuminating the surrounding scenery with a golden and magnificent look.

The energy fluctuations in the lake became increasingly intense, as if some powerful force was brewing.

“What’s the situation?” The Regent and Crown Prince Xu Tianran of the Sun-Moon Empire asked in mourning clothes with a gloomy face.

His brows were furrowed, his eyes were sharp, and he exuded a majestic aura.

The Imperial Defense Minister, who knelt on one knee in front of him, said in a deep voice: “The situation has stabilized. But the losses are heavy. Especially the losses in soul guides.

Most of the soul guides we have stored for many years are…”

Xu Tianran waved his hand, interrupting the defense minister and said, “I don’t want to hear the loss data. I want to ask you, what is the public mood now?”

The Defense Minister said: “The public’s mood is relatively stable. After all, this is a domestic loss and has little to do with them.”

Xu Tianran nodded and said, “Pass my order on. Spread the information about the stolen soul guide throughout the continent and mobilize the people’s emotions. Strictly block the news of His Majesty’s death.

At the same time, you wrote an article yourself, blaming the theft on the Xingluo Empire and the Tianhun Empire.”

“Yes.” The Minister of Defense agreed respectfully, and he was very impressed that His Royal Highness the Regent was able to calm down and respond quickly in the first place.

With so many things happening at once, he was able to handle them in such an orderly manner. He is indeed a wise ruler!
The Minister of Defense bowed and asked in a deep voice, “Your Highness, what about Shrek Academy? This matter may also be related to them.

When we announce it to the public…” He paused slightly, waiting for Xu Tianran’s instructions, with a hint of inquiry and expectation in his eyes.

Xu Tianran slowly shook his head, his deep gaze cast towards the bright sunshine outside the window, but it seemed as if he had penetrated the heavy fog and saw somewhere farther away.

He pondered for a moment, his voice low and firm: “Let’s not mention them.” He paused, tapping the table with his fingers in a rhythmic sound, as if he was thinking about some important strategic deployment.

“Shrek is just an academy after all.” He spoke again, with a hint of contempt in his tone, but also a certain fear hidden in it. “But at the same time, they are also the spiritual leaders of many soul masters.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

“If we add them in,” he paused, as if weighing the pros and cons, “it will have an impact on our strategy.” His tone became decisive, with unquestionable majesty.

“As for dealing with them,” he said with a confident smile, “I have my own way.”

He waved his hand gently, indicating that the Minister of Defense could leave. “Yes.” The Minister of Defense responded respectfully, bowed again, and then turned and left, his steps steady and powerful. The heavy palace door slowly closed behind him, isolating the sounds from inside and outside.

Silence returned to the hall. Only Xu Tianran sat there quietly, like a towering mountain, standing still.

The sunlight shone through the window onto his body, giving him a golden glow.

A moment later, the sound of light footsteps broke the silence in the hall.

A figure in black appeared silently at the entrance of the palace. It was the mysterious imperial master.

He walked in without announcing anything, his steps light and steady, as if a breeze was blowing past.

There was an unconcealable joy on his face, and he walked with a breeze, as if he had brought some good news.

Xu Tianran raised his head, his eyes fell on the mysterious national teacher, and a look of concern appeared on his face.

“National Master,” he asked, with a hint of urgency in his tone, “how is the situation?”

The mysterious national teacher walked up to Xu Tianran, bowed, and then said with a slightly excited tone: “The situation is not good.” He paused, as if organizing his words.

“The Tianhun Empire, the Xingluo Empire, including the people from the Body Sect, have all fled.” There was a hint of surprise in his tone, as if they did not expect the other party to evacuate so quickly.

“They actually prepared a large number of earth-drilling soul guides.”

He continued, his tone full of disbelief.

“Send all their key personnel out.”

He paused and added, “According to the drilling holes we found, at least hundreds of people were taken out.”

He shook his head and sighed, “Even if there are still remnants, they are scattered among the people and are difficult to find.”

Upon hearing the news, Xu Tianran’s facial expression instantly became distorted, like a crumpled piece of paper.

He slammed his right fist into his left palm with a dull sound, revealing his inner anger and unwillingness.

“Bastard!” he gritted his teeth, his tone full of anger.

“I should have thought of it long ago!” He stood up suddenly and paced back and forth like a beast trapped in a cage. “Tell the Red Dust Hall Master to strengthen underground monitoring throughout the city.”

He said it in a firm tone, with an unquestionable command.

“They must have been responsible for the stolen bombs from the underground warehouse.” He paused, his tone full of certainty. “Except for drilling into the ground, there is no way to break into the warehouse.”

What exactly happened in the underground warehouse has become a complete mystery.

No one knew what happened. Xu Tianran could only blame the Xingluo Empire and Tianhun Empire for this incident based on the principle of maximizing benefits.

This will make the war he is about to launch in the future more justifiable.

Although the soul guides were stolen, many soul guides that could not be taken away were left behind, which was a blessing in disguise.

And this also gave Xu Tianran a reason to take action. No matter who did it this time, the Sun Moon Empire believed that it was done by Tianhun and Xingluo Empire.

The mysterious national teacher took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, his tone heavy, and he spoke word by word: “The loss this time is indeed heavy.”

He raised his eyelids and his eyes fell on Xu Tianran. The word “Your Highness” that he had originally addressed him rolled around on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it back and changed his words: “Oh, no, I should call you Your Majesty now.”

He bowed slightly to show his respect for the new emperor, then stood up straight, stared at Xu Tianran with burning eyes, and asked, “Your Majesty, when do you plan to send troops?”

His bony fingers tapped the table unconsciously, again and again, as if beating the drums of war.

As the leader of the Holy Spirit Church and the actual controller of this group of evil soul masters, no one is looking forward to the coming of war more than him.

War means death, destruction, and it also means that countless soul forces will flow into his control and become the source of his strength.

He seemed to have seen, on the smoke-filled battlefield, countless souls wailing and struggling, and finally transforming into pure energy to be devoured and absorbed by him.

Xu Tianran paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, brows furrowed, as if weighing the pros and cons.

He stopped, pondered for a moment, and said, “This incident happened too suddenly. Stabilizing the internal situation is the top priority.”

He walked to the window, looking into the distance, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: “Also, the underground warehouse was stolen, and we suffered heavy losses. Most of the soul guides that were prepared for the war disappeared.”

He turned around and looked at the mysterious national teacher, with a hint of temptation: “If the national teacher is willing to devote all his efforts, we may be able to start the war in advance, but…”

There was a hint of hesitation in his words, and it was obvious that he did not hold much hope for the full support of the Holy Spirit Church.

The mysterious national teacher shook his head decisively and said firmly: “We can only assist secretly, and we can never devote our full efforts.”

His tone was firm and unquestionable: “The Soul Master World has never tolerated us. Although our current strength is enough to protect ourselves, if we fully participate in the war, it will definitely draw out those hidden sects.”

He walked to Xu Tianran’s side and said in a low voice: “By that time, it will be even more difficult for Your Majesty to complete the invasion.”

He paused, a gleam in his eyes, and continued: “In my opinion, the war can be postponed, but we can take this opportunity to deepen the hatred of the people towards those two countries.”

He stretched out his hand, made a fist, and said in a grim tone: “Continue to increase troops, train soldiers, and make soul guides with all our strength to be fully prepared for war.”

He stared at Xu Tianran with a sharp gaze, and said word by word: “Since the relationship has been torn apart, we must start the arms race in advance. If we don’t start, it’s fine. Once we start, we must do it with a thunderous force and succeed in one fell swoop!”

Xu Tianran nodded with satisfaction, a faint smile on his face, and praised: “I also have this idea. To fight against foreign aggressors, we must first stabilize the internal situation.”

He walked to the table, picked up a list, handed it to the mysterious state teacher, and said in a deep voice: “I need to stabilize the domestic situation first, and take this opportunity to eliminate a group of traitors. I’ll trouble the state teacher for this matter.”

At this point, a cold light flashed in Xu Tianran’s eyes, and a murderous look appeared at the corners of his mouth.

The mysterious national teacher took the list and replied calmly: “Yes.”

He glanced at the names on the list, and said in a calm tone that made people’s heart tremble: “Some people should indeed be held responsible for this incident. As for those who are not at fault, we can also say that they are the ones responsible for this theft.” (End of this chapter)