The initial plan had been to rebuild Shrek Academy and revive the Tang Sect on the original site of Shrek City.
Unfortunately, this plan died in everyone's mind before it was even spoken.
Upon on-site inspection, they discovered not only was Shrek City utterly destroyed, but the lingering God-Slaying destructive force permeating the area made it impossible to cleanse.
Later, the Star Dou Forest expanded to completely encompass the former Shrek City.
After the catastrophic bombing by a Level-12 stationary soul-guided weapon, half of the surviving residents were forcibly relocated by the Sun Moon Federation.
Even the nearby headquarters of the Spirit Transmission Tower had to be moved to a different city.
This completely extinguished any hope the current generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters had of rebuilding the academy in its original location.
So, they hid on the fringe of the continent, quietly accumulating power—until now.
Now, with the alliances formed by the Shrek Seven Monsters, they had enough strength to stand on equal footing with the many aristocratic forces represented by the Sun Moon Federation.
With the new location for the reconstruction of Shrek Academy confirmed, it was time to move on to the final—and most crucial—topic: the current whereabouts and status of Di Tian.
At this moment, Xie Xie took over from Xu Xiaoyan and slowly began:
"Over the years, more than a thousand soul masters skilled in espionage infiltrated the Star Dou Forest. From all manner of factions, they each used their abilities. Despite a death rate of over 98%, they all returned with the same piece of information."
"Di Tian has been recuperating beside the Lake of Life in the core area of the Star Dou Forest."
"Most days, he listens to the singing of soul beasts like robins, frolics with a few female fierce beasts for pleasure... and yes, Gu Yuena is among them."
"Every now and then, he goes into a frenzy and destroys part of the Star Dou Forest that took him great effort to cultivate."
"This behavior aligns exactly with both the reports we've received from Tang Wulin and historical records that describe Di Tian retreating into seclusion for a millennium after being gravely injured by the Evil Emperor."
As the strongest agility-attack-type soul master on the continent, a Four-Word Battle Armor Master, and an expert in reconnaissance, Xie Xie's words held great authority.
Outwardly, Di Tian did indeed appear just as Xie Xie described.
Even now, Di Tian seemed like a muddled ruler—capable of fighting wars but falling into debauchery once the war ended.
He monopolized a luxurious architectural complex built from the wood of the Tree of Life, accompanied by only a few others.
Lan Fozi, who had initially felt shy, became calm again after returning to the ocean. In hindsight, she felt there was nothing wrong about it. After all, she had agreed to serve as Di Tian's personal handmaiden—she couldn't go back on her word.
So, after checking on her mother, the Demon Empress—who was cultivating hard in the deep sea, striving toward a god-level breakthrough—she returned to the Star Dou Forest's core.
But upon her return, she discovered her handmaiden position had already been taken.
Lan Fozi didn't end up doing any real servant duties—though she did plenty of... personal ones.
All the traditional handmaiden tasks had fallen to Gu Yuena.
Or rather—been forced upon her.
For example, at that very moment, Gu Yuena was walking toward her carrying several bottles of rare fruit wine.
Gu Yuena now bore far less of a maiden's youthful innocence and far more of a mature allure.
Even without trying to act graceful, every gesture of hers exuded charm that could outshine the world.
She left a bottle of rare fruit wine beside Lan Fozi and continued on with graceful steps.
Bi Ji and Zi Ji looked on at their former master serving them, and their feelings, initially complex and mixed, had now settled into a strange sense of normalcy.
They had come to realize that Gu Yuena, in comparison to them, didn't seem so high and mighty after all.
The Sea Princess and Yuanen Yehui were also present.
With the eldest daughter of the mermaid race overseeing their people, the Sea Princess felt at ease staying nearby.
Yuanen Yehui only left Di Tian's side when necessary—for example, to destroy the Body Sect or to handle personal affairs back in her family clan after reaching a new level of power.
Otherwise, whether it was the Sea Princess or Yuanen Yehui, both remained stationed near Di Tian.
Flying beasts, running beasts, swimming beasts—they had it all. Naturally, they also had cold-weather beasts.
From the extreme north came the twin sisters Bing Ji and Xue Ling, who—after being traumatized by Di Tian the first time—created a personalized work schedule for themselves.
"You take Monday, Wednesday, Friday; I take Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Sunday I rest and recharge, Monday we go again at full power."
As for how they felt about the former soul beast ruler Gu Yuena, now serving as the current ruler Di Tian's personal maid and companion—what could they say?
They watched from the sidelines.
Seated calmly, they watched as Gu Yuena approached Di Tian.
With a swish of her skirt and a gentle breeze of fragrance, Gu Yuena came to a halt before the sleeping Di Tian.
She held the final bottle of rare apple-flavored wine tightly in her soft hands.
One hand twisted the cork, making a faint creaking sound.
Her rosy cheeks puffed slightly—clearly, her teeth were clenched tight in frustration.
This kind of menial task was certainly beneath her dignity.
But Di Tian didn't care about her dignity.
He would deliberately interrupt her at critical points in her cultivation—at moments of recovery—just to make her suffer.
Thinking of this, Gu Yuena's delicate body trembled violently.
Because Di Tian's way of disturbing her was to go a hundred rounds with her—every single time. So much so that her body had developed muscle memory.
She had resisted, of course—but every time, Di Tian responded with "a hundred rounds."
Over time, to fulfill her grand dream of one day putting Di Tian back beneath her heel, she decided to lower her bottom line once again—to play the part a little longer.
Let him be on top for now—he couldn't stay there forever.
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west…"
With that thought of one day turning the tables, Gu Yuena obediently uncorked the bottle of apple wine.
Pop!
No, she didn't smash the bottle on Di Tian's skull like she imagined.
She brought the bottle to her lips.
With a graceful tilt of her swan-like neck, she took a mouthful of the wine.
Her cheeks puffed up, wine slightly leaking from the corners of her mouth.
Bang!
The bottle was slammed down on the table with a crisp thud.
Looking at the sleeping Di Tian, Gu Yuena raised one knee onto the bed, her silver high heels poking out from beneath her skirt.
She leaned forward slightly, her jade-like arms lifting to tuck a strand of her silvery hair behind her ear.
Lips met lips.
Gulp gulp…
(End of Chapter)