Chapter 149: The Price of Negligence
When Ning Tian and the others narrowly escaped death in the Star Dou Great Forest, the group that had originally consisted of three teachers and eleven students—fourteen people in total—was reduced to just one teacher and three students. Only four returned.
Before they had time to feel grateful for surviving, Zhou Yi, who happened to spot them returning, stormed over and began scolding them harshly. The exhausted survivors were left completely stunned.
It was Ning Tian who recovered first and asked, "Teacher Zhou Yi, what are you saying? Who are we supposed to kneel and apologize to?"
"Xuan Lao! What do you think you're doing? He's so furious he's about to leave Shrek! Thanks to you, the entire Sea God Pavilion is in chaos!"
Zhou Yi was furious. She didn't know the full story, but it was clear that Xuan Lao was infuriated enough to resign, and the cause was undoubtedly tied to the students' expedition. Zhou Yi loathed troublemakers, and even though these four had barely escaped with their lives, she didn't soften her tone.
"What… what do you mean? Us?" Ning Tian was bewildered, unable to piece together what was going on.
"Who else could it be if not you? Come on, Elder Mu wants to see you at the Sea God Pavilion!"
…
Meanwhile, far away, after Xiao Qiang teleported Xuan Lao to a pre-set anchor point in a manure pit, the old man quickly burst out of the filth. After all, to someone of Xuan Lao's strength, escaping from an eighth-level fixed-type soul guide trap was nothing.
But once outside the pit, Elder Xuan was dumbfounded.
Xiao Qiang had used an anchored teleportation, a type of long-distance fixed-transmission method that required pre-planning but could transport someone over great distances—unlike normal soul skills, which had much shorter ranges.
The teleport had dropped Elder Xuan somewhere near the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. And in that moment, Elder Xuan realized something was terribly wrong.
He had led the teachers and students deep into the forest's mixed area, confident that his overwhelming power would keep them safe. His presence had given the team false confidence, leading them to venture far beyond what was normally safe.
But now… he was gone. And he hadn't told anyone he was leaving. He'd assumed it would be a brief detour, but judging by his current location, it might take him two days just to find them again.
By then, it would be far too late.
Sure enough, when Xuan Lao rushed back into the forest to search, near the path they had taken before, he found the gruesome sight of a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear devouring the corpse of one of the soul saints who had accompanied them.
Without hesitation, Xuan Lao obliterated the beast with a single slap. But not far off, the Bear King appeared. The two glared at each other and clashed, sparking a fierce battle right in the heart of the mixed area—one intense enough to trigger a small-scale beast tide.
Eventually, knowing he couldn't afford to linger any longer, Xuan Lao fought his way out of the forest. But the chaos he left behind made the area even more dangerous. The students still trapped inside now had almost zero chance of surviving.
Faced with the consequences of his actions, Xuan Lao returned to Shrek Academy and headed straight to the Sea God Pavilion to confess.
"Elder Mu, I am guilty!"
Hearing those words, Elder Mu, lying back in his chair, felt a deep ache in his chest.
"Calm down. Tell me what happened first."
Xuan Lao took a breath. "It's about Ning Tian. Since she's considered one of the future Shrek Seven Devils, I thought it was too risky to let her hunt soul rings with only one Soul Saint and two Soul Emperors. So I decided to accompany them myself."
Mu frowned. "But Ning Tian is only around level 40, isn't she? That level of escort should've been more than enough. Did Di Tian appear in the forest outskirts?"
"No, it wasn't Di Tian. This has nothing to do with him." Xuan Lao sighed. "I've been cautious ever since something went wrong with Huo Yuhao last time. So I've been scanning the surroundings extensively. That's when I sensed an Angel Spirit Master."
Mu's expression darkened. "An angel? Was she strong?"
"No, just an eight-ring Soul Douluo. But it wasn't her that concerned me—it was the person with her. I recognized him. He's the one from the Sun Moon Empire, the one who defeated Yuheng."
Mu's eyes lit up. "You saw Xiao Qiang? Did you kill him?"
Even if Ning Tian had perished, Mu could accept that loss if it meant eliminating a dangerous enemy like Xiao Qiang. Though regrettable for the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, they could be compensated with resources—such was the price of loyalty to Shrek.
"No… I didn't."
Mu's excitement faded slightly. "Well, it's understandable. He's Jing Hongchen's disciple, so his protectors must be powerful. An angel Douluo is still formidable."
"Uh…"
Mu stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Xuan Lao's shame-filled face—like he wanted to explain but couldn't find the words.
"Wait… You didn't kill Xiao Qiang? Didn't kill the angel? And then you lost the students?!"
Xuan Lao nodded, unable to meet his eyes.
Mu felt a sudden rush of blood to his head. A few more strands of hair fell from his already-thinning scalp.
"Explain. Everything. Now."
Xuan Lao detailed everything: how Xiao Qiang had no visible protectors, how he'd been outsmarted and teleported away with only a fixed-type soul guide, and how this blunder had led to catastrophic losses. When Mu realized the enemy hadn't even needed overwhelming power to humiliate Shrek like this, he nearly collapsed with frustration.
"Xuan Zi… tell me honestly. Are you really on Shrek's side?"
"Mu Lao! You might doubt my judgment, but I swear on my soul—I've never betrayed Shrek!"
Mu sighed and nodded slowly. "If you say so, then I'll believe you. As for this…"
Before he could finish, Xuan Lao knelt on the floor.
"Mu Lao, I'm truly sorry. This mistake was too grave. I no longer have the face to remain here. I voluntarily resign as the Deputy Leader of the Sea God Pavilion to take full responsibility."
Mu stared at him in silence.
The last time he had seen this much determination from Xuan Lao was when Zhang Lexuan had fallen into trouble years ago, and she had knelt to him for help. And now…
Suddenly, a voice whispered beside him.
"Teacher, good news—Ning Tian and the others have returned. They're in bad shape, though."
It was Yan Shaozhe.
Mu nodded solemnly. Of course, they would be in rough shape. Asking them to forgive Xuan Lao now would be cruel.
But as a Level 98 powerhouse, Xuan Lao was irreplaceable. The others, even if they trained for decades, might never reach that height. And with Mu's days numbered, Shrek Academy… could not afford to lose Xuan Lao now.
"It's good that they're back," Mu muttered. "I'll go and see them myself. No matter what, Shrek… can't do without Xuan Zi."