“Heh… Young friend Bai Hong, since even that Divinity has deceived Shrek for so long, how can I trust the Divinity behind you? Will your Mr. Fantasist not become another… another Him?”
Facing the kindly smiling Bai Hong, and the Divinity hidden behind him, Mu En's heart was full of doubts.
“Because my Lord is not a Divinity from the God Realm of this World, but an external Divinity, whose very existence violates the taboo of that Divinity who regards the Douluo Plane as his private domain. Furthermore, my Lord’s philosophy is in complete conflict with that Divinity; it’s a fight to the death between Him and my Lord!”
Bai Hong explained, “Currently, my Lord’s power is limited due to His cross-planar descent into this World. To fully recover, He needs to exercise His authority on the Continent. One of the most crucial aspects of this is to ensure the development of the Douluo Continent’s era aligns with my Lord’s vision.”
“Then how will your Unfettered Church make the era’s development align with Mr. Fantasist’s vision?” Mu En asked.
“We hope to end the situation where the four great Empires divide the Continent, promote the establishment of a unified Douluo Continent, and reconcile the conflicts between humans and Spirit Beasts, so that the future destiny of all living beings on the Douluo Continent can completely escape the control of that Divinity,” Bai Hong answered selectively.
There was no way around it; he couldn’t just openly say he was annoyed by all the feudal nonsense everywhere and wanted to overturn the entire Continent, inside and out, right?
“If that’s the case, then why did you seek me out?”
Mu En wondered, “According to what you just said, the Sun Moon Empire currently has the most potential to unify the Continent. If your Unfettered Church is determined to unify the entire Continent, why bother seeking out an old man like me who’s about to die?”
“Because the unification by the Sun Moon Empire is not the unification we desire.”
Bai Hong shook his head and said, “Since you adopted Yan Shaozhe, you should know about the Holy Spirit Church, right? If these parasites were to rise with the momentum of the Sun Moon Empire, the entire Continent would be disgusted by these evil Spirit Masters. That would not align with my Lord’s vision of freeing the future destiny of all living beings on the Douluo Continent from that control.”
“What does this have to do with that Divinity? Wait… young friend, could it be?”
Mu En looked at Bai Hong in disbelief.
Seeing Bai Hong nod slightly, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of weariness. His already aged body now appeared even more decrepit and heavy with the twilight of his years.
“Therefore, our Unfettered Church must cooperate with you, and besides our church, you truly can’t find any other partners.”
Bai Hong held Mu En’s hand, and his mental force flowed through the physical contact, soothing Mu En’s Mind and body.
“Then what do you want this old man to do? I don’t have many years left to live.”
Mu En looked with sorrowful eyes towards the Sea God Island behind Bai Hong, sighing.
Xuan Zi couldn’t hold the line, Yan Shaozhe was incompetent, and among all the elders, not a single one could advance to Limit Douluo.
After Mu En’s passing, Shrek Academy would be without a Limit Douluo guardian for a considerable period, facing the precarious situation against Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, who stood with the Sun Moon Empire.
“Who said you only have a few years left? Did you ask my Lord’s opinion?”
Bai Hong chuckled, “A Limit Douluo can live at least three hundred years. Even that brute Long Xiaoyao is still in his prime. You just swallowed a Dragon Core, causing malevolent energy to invade your body, making you look neither human nor ghost, right? That’s simple. I’ll just help you calm the malevolent energy.”
“You have a way?” Mu En asked.
“Yes, and it’s guaranteed to be the right cure, because one of my Lord Mr. Fantasist’s revered names is ‘Supreme Ruler of the Mind World’!”
Malevolent energy, in the final analysis, was residual emotions and will from the Dragon Core’s original owner. This fell completely within the special attack scope of the Fantasist’s “Mind” authority. Whether it was pacifying it or forcefully obliterating it, both were feasible.
In fact, as long as Bai Hong’s Spirit Master cultivation and Audience Pathway unlocked to a high sequence, he could even handle this without using the quill and notebook to borrow the Fantasist’s power.
Of course, by the time Bai Hong reached that stage, Mu En would likely be unwilling to have his soul enter the Golden Tree, and the grass on his grave would probably be over a meter tall. So, borrowing power was still necessary.
There would be no plot where Huo Gua rapidly grew to support Shrek in the future. It was necessary to balance things out and strengthen Shrek Academy to maintain the continental equilibrium.
“Only by helping you prolong your life, allowing you to live for decades or even a century longer, will the Sun Moon Empire be apprehensive. The outbreak of war can then be delayed, giving our Unfettered Church more ample time to adjust the course of historical development to the direction we desire.”
Bai Hong looked directly at Mu En and said, “But I have conditions. These are also the terms of our Unfettered Church’s future cooperation with you and Shrek Academy.”
He took out the already prepared secret agreement, two copies, and spread them before Mu En: “More words are useless. If you find no issues, then sign it.”
…Ultimately, after a period of verbal sparring and entanglement over the terms of the secret agreement, Mu En still signed his name on it and pressed his blood handprint.
According to the secret agreement, Shrek Academy quickly cleared a private space for Bai Hong. As per Bai Hong’s request, the Blue Silver Grass lawn was completely removed, and a windowless wooden house was swiftly erected, where Bai Hong would resolve Mu En’s Dragon Core malevolent energy invasion problem.
However, during this process, the protector arranged by Shrek Academy was a bit problematic.
“Why is it you again? Is Shrek Academy out of living people?” Bai Hong squinted at the unkempt old man who was eating a chicken drumstick.
“Hey, I say, you little brat, don’t look down on people, okay? I’ve already quit drinking and reformed, and you’re still holding a grudge. Besides, this is Shrek Academy! The elders are all nearby, what danger could there be?” Chicken Leg Douluo puffed out his beard and glared.
If you set up a flag like that, I’ll be even more uneasy, Bai Hong thought.
“Elder Mu, please replace the protector here. Let this Drunken Douluo guard outside Shrek City, and he absolutely must not approach the Academy before the ritual is complete!”
“You little brat…” Xuan Zi puffed out his beard and glared.
“Alright, Xuan Zi, just listen to the child. At least let him perform the ritual with peace of Mind.”
Mu En knew that Bai Hong had always held a prejudice against Xuan Zi. Even though this was Shrek Academy, teeming with powerful experts, where it was almost impossible to encounter any danger, it was better to be safe than sorry.
What if… that Divinity residing high in the God Realm perceived something?
Since Bai Hong, this favored one, was well-versed in the inner workings of Divinities and could make targeted arrangements, Mu En could only let him do as he pleased.