Chapter 238: The Final Request of the Dragon God Douluo
"Mr. Mu, if I can do it, I will try my best." When Moon En spoke of preserving the identity of Douluo Continent in the face of the Sun Moon Empire's growing dominance, Du Bu Si, a man who had lived for over two centuries, already grasped what Moon En was about to ask. So, he refrained from giving an immediate response.
"You're cautious of me, and rightly so. We've been enemies for decades. But for the sake of Douluo Continent's survival, I—an old man with one foot in the grave—still have one last favor to ask of you."
Despite being bolstered by his ninth soul skill, which kept his body at its peak state, Moon En looked visibly fatigued. At this moment, he no longer appeared to be the commanding Dragon God Douluo, but simply an old man nearing the end of his life.
"Can I ask you… to become the next leader of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion?"
"Mr. Mu, this is highly inappropriate!" Xuan Zi exclaimed in disbelief. He never imagined that Moon En's final request would be to entrust the leadership of Shrek to an outsider—especially one who had never even joined the Academy.
"Indeed, under normal circumstances, it would be entirely inappropriate to hand leadership of the Sea God Pavilion to someone who's never been part of Shrek. But this is no longer a normal time. After today's battle, the Soul Douluo, Title Douluo, and even Super Douluo of the Three Kingdoms have suffered tremendous losses. The Douluo Continent is now teetering on the edge of destruction."
"Neither Shrek nor the Body Sect can halt the Sun Moon Empire's advance alone. The only viable path forward is a union between the two powers. Only by consolidating our strength can we offer Douluo Continent even the slimmest chance of survival. It's not a perfect plan, but it's the best we have."
Du Bu Si stared at Moon En and asked, "Is this really for Douluo Continent?"
Moon En nodded solemnly. "For Douluo Continent—and for the future of everyone on it."
"Shrek's legacy and influence run deep throughout the continent. By combining forces, the Body Sect will gain access to more and better recruits. Likewise, Shrek's legacy will continue through new blood."
"As the holy land of soul masters, Shrek's appeal is unquestionable. Its name alone can rally the scattered forces of the continent."
After a long silence, Du Bu Si finally nodded. "Alright. I accept."
Moon En smiled in relief. He had seen this catastrophe coming and had been considering how to preserve Shrek's strength and influence amidst such heavy losses.
With this battle alone, Shrek had lost eight hundred thousand-year-old soul bones and sixteen fifty-thousand-year-old soul bones—nearly half the foundation they had accumulated over ten thousand years. A devastating blow, no doubt.
Yet within such crisis lies opportunity.
Moon En had long seen Xuan Zi's unreliability. Had he been granted another thirty years of life, he would have ensured that Xuan Zi was properly reined in. But there was no more time. With his body poisoned and nearing death, he had to act now, and saving Du Bu Si—and installing him as the new Pavilion Master—was his final gamble.
It was not a perfect choice. Du Bu Si lacked any deep connection to Shrek and had failed to ascend to the rank of Limit Douluo for many years. Moon En doubted whether he could ever take that final step, especially since Xiao Qiang had explicitly prohibited the transfer of his power.
To make matters worse, the many soul bones given to Xiao Qiang would greatly boost Mu Qingxue's future strength. Even if Du Bu Si were to reach the Limit Douluo stage, he might still fall behind her. And that was assuming he even reached that level.
But when all other options had been lost, this imperfect solution was the best Moon En could manage. He had staved off total collapse. That was enough.
Yes, Du Bu Si's sudden rise would inevitably cause internal unrest within Shrek. But the alternative was total ruin. With all that had been lost, this compromise was the furthest Moon En could go.
As for the future, that was now in other hands.
Before his final departure, Moon En made one last arrangement. With Kong Deming disappointed in Zhang Lexuan, he used the remote transmission soul guide provided by Jing Hongchen to negotiate Lexuan's return. In exchange, he offered one hundred-thousand-year torso bone and a set of fifty-thousand-year-old limb and head bones.
"Du Bu Si, before I go, one more request." Moon En's voice had softened, almost pleading. "When Le Xuan returns, don't let anyone disturb her cultivation. Let her grow at her own pace. When she reaches Rank 90, ask Shaozhe and Lin'er to help her acquire her final 100,000-year spirit ring."
"Her total soul ring age has already surpassed 200,000 years. With one more ring, she won't be bottlenecked. She might even reach Limit Douluo someday. Please… for the future of the next generation."
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Moon En bowed deeply to Du Bu Si.
Du Bu Si solemnly replied, "I understand, Elder Mu. I will personally lead the effort to help her find her final spirit ring, and do all I can to ensure she has the chance to reach the pinnacle."
"That… would be best," Moon En said with a faint smile.
After this final matter was settled, Xiao Qiang instructed Xuan Zi and Du Bu Si to never speak of Mu Qingxue or the Angel Martial Spirit. As part of the agreement, Xuan Zi stayed behind with Moon En as a hostage while Shrek prepared to deliver the agreed-upon soul bones.
Once everything was confirmed, Jing Hongchen borrowed a high-level flying soul tool from Du Bu Si—at no cost—to return to Shrek at top speed, where everyone waited with bated breath for news of what had happened.