A deafening explosion echoed across the sky — boom! — and a colossal skull, over a kilometer wide, emerged from the clouds.
Everyone who saw it felt their hearts tremble. An immense pressure fell over them all as they looked anxiously toward the heavens.
Could it be… that they had lost?
"It's Emperor Di Tian who's gained the upper hand," Yun Ze said to Gu Yue Na at his side. "Looks like that guy plans to withdraw."
Gu Yue Na's tightly knit brows relaxed a little. When she first saw the skull appear, she had truly thought Di Tian was the one defeated.
Atop the massive skull stood the Ghost Emperor. His expression was dark and grim, and his already chilling face was now filled with a sinister, deathly aura — truly horrifying to behold.
A thousand meters away, Di Tian's figure appeared — cold and unyielding, but calm and in control.
"Do you still want to continue?" Di Tian said flatly. "If you don't leave now, you might not get another chance."
He had no intention of killing the Ghost Emperor. The man was a quasi-god-level powerhouse. Winning was possible — killing him would be much harder.
If Di Tian went all out, he could destroy him, but he would pay a heavy price for it — very likely suffering severe injuries himself.
And being seriously wounded in this unfamiliar continent was not something he wanted. That could lead to all sorts of unpredictable dangers.
The Ghost Emperor clearly held murderous intent toward him, and Di Tian wouldn't forget that. He would find another chance to eliminate him later — but now was not the time.
If the man hadn't endangered Yun Ze and Gu Yue Na, Di Tian wouldn't even have bothered to intervene. He would've just stood by and let the slaughter continue — what did it have to do with him?
To injure himself just for the sake of others, and risk being attacked while weak — that would be foolish.
Frankly speaking, no intelligent being would do that. Only an idiot would.
The Ghost Emperor clenched his fists, his aura violently surging. His demonic gaze locked onto Di Tian, filled with hatred, fury, and a deep fear.
Di Tian stood unfazed. His eyes turned into golden vertical pupils, sharp as blades, radiating raw ferocity as he met the Ghost Emperor's glare head-on.
Under that gaze, the Ghost Emperor felt the pressure mount until he was forced to avert his eyes — he had lost that silent battle of wills.
"We'll meet again," the Ghost Emperor said slowly, his voice cold. He gave Di Tian one last glance, then looked down briefly at Yun Ze below, before flying off into the distance.
He left decisively. Their mission had failed. Staying any longer would only mean being surrounded and killed.
He wasn't about to throw his life away. If he could live, he would never seek death.
The giant purple skull swiftly retreated and vanished into the horizon.
Di Tian did not stop him — this wasn't a fight to the death. Like the Ghost Emperor said, they would meet again.
"Next time," Di Tian murmured coldly, golden eyes flashing with a deadly gleam, "leaving won't be so easy."
When the skull finally disappeared from view, everyone on the battlefield let out a collective sigh of relief. Smiles broke across their faces — they had won.
Cai Yue'er exhaled too, though a hint of disappointment crossed her eyes.
If only both sides had ended up seriously wounded — that would have been perfect.
The Ghost Emperor, an evil Soul Master with deep enmity toward Shrek, was a major threat. And Yun Tian — Di Tian's human alias — was another.
If both of those threats had crippled each other, it would have been a blessing for Shrek Academy.
If given the chance, Cai Yue'er would have personally intervened, even at the cost of offending the Federation, to finish them both off while they were down.
Unfortunately, things hadn't unfolded the way she wished. That left her deeply regretful.
Di Tian reappeared beside Yun Ze and Gu Yue Na.
Everyone around them looked on with reverence and gratitude.
The Federation's Secretary-General, Pan Wen, and the Star Luo Empire's Foreign Minister, Lan Xiao, both approached to express their thanks.
"Many thanks, Your Excellency Yun Tian, for saving us," others echoed sincerely, their voices unified.
"I didn't act to save you," Di Tian said bluntly, waving his hand. "No need for thanks."
To him, their gratitude was meaningless — just empty formalities.
And it was true — he hadn't done this for them. If Yun Ze and Gu Yue Na hadn't been here, he would've just watched from the sidelines.
His honesty left the crowd awkwardly silent. They glanced at each other, unsure how to respond.
"Haha, Lord Yun Tian is truly humble," Pan Wen said quickly, smoothing things over with a diplomatic smile. "To save lives and seek no reward — admirable indeed."
"Yes, yes, few people these days have such noble character," Lan Xiao added, joining in to defuse the tension.
Knowing the two were only trying to keep things polite, Di Tian didn't respond. He simply stayed silent.
Once the awkward air cleared, Pan Wen's expression grew serious again.
"This matter," he said grimly, surveying the devastation around them, "your Star Luo Empire owes the Federation an explanation."
With Yun Tian — a quasi-god-tier being — standing there and the Federation's power at his back, Pan Wen spoke with confidence, his tone unyielding.
"You will have one," Lan Xiao replied at once. "But this attack came from a rebellious faction within our borders — the Green Skull Organization. It has nothing to do with the Empire itself."
"I sincerely hope this won't strain relations between our two continents," she added, voice steady.
Her greatest fear was that the Federation might use this incident as a pretext for war.
"The Green Skull's purpose," she continued, "was likely to incite conflict between the Star Luo Empire and the Federation. We can't let them succeed."
"Green Skull?" Pan Wen frowned. It was the first time he'd heard of such a group.
"Yes," Lan Xiao nodded. "It's a long story — I'll brief you in full detail later."
"Alright," Pan Wen said. "The Federation isn't unreasonable. If it truly was the Green Skull and not your government, our relations won't be affected."
"But," he added sharply, "if we find any connection between this attack and your imperial government… the Federation will not sit idly by."
His tone was firm — an unmistakable warning. Those who had died today demanded justice.
Truthfully, part of Pan Wen hoped it was connected to the Star Luo government.
Because that would be the perfect excuse.
An excuse for the Federation to launch a military campaign against the Star Luo Continent.
For years, the hawks within the Federation had been calling for expansion — only lacking the right justification.
Now, that justification might have just fallen into their lap.
If this attack could be linked to Star Luo, war would be inevitable — not even the neutral or pacifist factions could stop it.
Pan Wen himself was one of those hawks. His diplomatic visit to Star Luo wasn't just formal — he was also here to gather intelligence.
Lan Xiao inwardly resented his aggressive tone but didn't show it. She forced herself to remain calm and quickly began organizing rescue efforts.
Yun Ze, Gu Yue Na, and Di Tian did not participate — there were already plenty of people tending to the wounded.
The Lava Monarch and the Fiery Nine-Headed Bird spirit souls returned to Yun Ze's body, and his two mechas were stored away in special spatial rings.
(End of Chapter)