After the four returned to Shrek Academy, Yan Shaozhe and Cai Meier immediately went to see Mu En, while Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan each returned to their dorms to rest.
In the Sea God Pavilion hall.
"...Teacher, that's what happened." Yan Shaozhe and Cai Meier recounted their entire experience to Mu En, both still feeling lingering fear. Yan Shaozhe asked, "Teacher, do you know the background of that person?"
Mu En pondered, his eyes tightly closed, but one hand continuously tapped the armrest of the wooden chair. After a long while, he sighed and said, "From your description, a Limit Douluo with seven black and two red spirit rings, a robust body full of power, and a domineering aura, it's highly possible he's from the Body Sect!"
"Body Sect!" Yan Shaozhe and Cai Meier couldn't help but show surprise and doubt.
"Besides the Body Sect, I can't think of any other possibilities." Mu En opened his eyes, his cloudy gaze filled with solemnity, and said, "The Body Sect has always been mysterious and possesses a secret method to increase spirit ring years. Furthermore, they are the national religion of the Tianhun Empire, so their appearance in the Sunset Forest outside Heaven Dou City is not inappropriate. It's even possible that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a blessed land that once belonged to the Tang Sect and the Academy, is where their Sect is located!"
"If it's truly as Teacher says, then the Body Sect is simply too overbearing!" Cai Meier's expression was quite solemn as she said, "They might have a way to be immune to the miasma, but how innocent are the common people in the towns surrounding the Sunset Forest!"
As Cai Meier spoke, anger filled her heart. She was a Tianhun Empire native, her hometown was in a small town west of the Sunset Forest. Seeing her hometown about to be destroyed by the miasma, how could she not be anxious!
"The Body Sect is a bunch of lunatics to begin with; it's not surprising they would do something like this." Yan Shaozhe also felt a headache, saying, "From their forceful intrusion into a dangerous area to hunt a 100,000-Year Soul Beast, it's clear they are unscrupulous individuals and will undoubtedly be a great enemy of our Shrek!"
"Alas!" Mu En sighed, slowly saying, "Let's put this matter aside for now. The era of great contention has arrived, and my time is short. Before Ziyang has fully matured, let's try to avoid conflict with the Body Sect!"
"Yes, Teacher!" Yan Shaozhe and Cai Meier both respectfully replied. This was not the first time Mu En had expressed his hopes for their Junior Brother in front of them. Neither of them had any dissatisfaction, because in their view, it was only natural. Zhu Ziyang's talent was undeniably stronger than theirs, and his future achievements surpassing them were almost a certainty.
"Alright, you two go rest." Mu En dismissed them, and Yan Shaozhe and Cai Meier did not linger.
"...Body Sect...could it really be you?" Mu En's gaze was distant as he murmured, "Or...is it another unknown force?"
—
Meanwhile, after Zhu Ziyang returned to his small room, he eagerly sat on his bed, not even bothering to greet Xingcai. He closed his eyes directly, his mind entering his mental force sea.
"Teacher, hurry and tell me, what kind of gift is it?" Zhu Ziyang was already impatient. After entering his mental force sea, he shouted.
However, the expected response did not come. Zhu Ziyang was horrified to discover that Electrolux had disappeared from his mental force sea! He was terrified; where Electrolux had been, there was no longer any sign of him, only a grayish-white circle remained.
"Teacher!" Zhu Ziyang was burning with anxiety, calling out loudly, "Teacher! Teacher!"
However, he called three times without receiving any response from Electrolux, which made Zhu Ziyang's heart sink to the bottom. Could Electrolux's divine soul have dissipated? Could everything he said on the way have been a lie concocted to comfort him?
Zhu Ziyang's heart was cut like a knife; he refused to believe that Electrolux's divine soul would suddenly dissipate. He still held a sliver of hope, his gaze fixed on the grayish-white circle.
This was a halo about half the size of Zhu Ziyang's body, appearing out of thin air in the mental force sea, which was very eerie. In his anxiety, Zhu Ziyang hadn't noticed its unusual nature, but now, looking closely, he realized it might hold a secret. The halo emitted a grayish-white light, and within the light, spatial fluctuations subtly shimmered. The inside of the halo was a misty, unseen gray, but from the back, it was transparent.
Zhu Ziyang was filled with doubt and surprise, realizing that Electrolux's disappearance might be related to this mysterious halo.
Could this be the gift Teacher gave him? Zhu Ziyang pondered, deciding to test the halo. With a thought, a mental force-condensed rod appeared in his hand, and he carefully extended it into the halo.
A surprising scene occurred for Zhu Ziyang: the mental force-condensed rod penetrated the halo without any obstruction. Through his mental force perception, he realized that the halo seemed to connect to a huge space! He retracted the mental force rod, dissipated it, and then pondered. Where exactly did this halo connect? Was Electrolux on the other side of the halo?
He decided to split off a wisp of his mind and personally enter it to investigate.
Zhu Ziyang acted immediately, splitting off a wisp of his mind and approaching the grayish-white halo. As that wisp of mind neared the halo, a huge suction force suddenly came, pulling that wisp of mind into the halo before Zhu Ziyang could react. Zhu Ziyang's expression changed abruptly, but the next second, his terror immediately turned to surprise.
Through that wisp of mind, Zhu Ziyang saw a different World. A desolate, silent World of Death!
The light in this World was very dim; there was actually a black sun in the sky, and the black sun emitted purple sunlight, which was very eerie. Beneath the black sun was a desolate land, undulating and as black as ink. No plants grew on the soil, and as far as the eye could see, there were only barren hills and a gloomy sky.
At the distant junction of sky and earth was a mountain peak, extremely high, far exceeding all surrounding terrain. At the summit of the mountain, an old man stood with his hands behind his back, an arrogant aura of being one with heaven and earth instantly piercing into Zhu Ziyang's eyes. Below the mountain, however, were various creatures Zhu Ziyang had never seen before: flying dragons made of white bones, headless black horse knights, stout two-headed Abominations. But without exception, all exuded a strong Death aura, and they were prostrating themselves before the old man.
That old man was Electrolux!
"Hahaha, Ziyang, you've come!" Electrolux instantly discovered Zhu Ziyang, and with a flash, he crossed a thousand li to appear beside Zhu Ziyang, his mood joyful, laughing heartily.
"Teacher, where is this?" Zhu Ziyang swallowed, still looking at this World with an incredible gaze, and asked.
"This is the gift I prepared for you, the Undead Demiplane!" Electrolux's tone was extremely proud, his face glowing with unprecedented radiance.
"Undead Demiplane?!" Zhu Ziyang was greatly shocked. He never expected that Electrolux would be so generous as to directly give him a demiplane!
"That's right, this Undead Demiplane is the pinnacle of my life's work!" Electrolux proudly introduced the origin of this Undead Demiplane to Zhu Ziyang. He said, "This Undead Demiplane is a small World I created using my Light Attribute origin and Death origin as cornerstones, with all my lifelong power. After years of nurturing, it was promoted to a demiplane. If I hadn't ultimately fallen, this demiplane might even have become a true World plane!"
"Teacher, you're too amazing!" Zhu Ziyang listened dumbfounded, his admiration for Electrolux arising spontaneously. To open up a demiplane with one's own power was something unimaginable on the Douluo Continent!
"Hahaha!" Electrolux was very happy to hear his disciple's admiration and said, "This demiplane is yours starting today. I am no longer able to nurture it. The task of promoting it to a full plane will depend on you."
"Mm-hmm, Teacher, don't worry, I will definitely make it a true plane!" Zhu Ziyang solemnly promised.
"Teacher believes you can do it!" Electrolux patted Zhu Ziyang's shoulder with satisfaction and said, "When your body can enter here, that will be when you truly master it. With your talent, I imagine after five spirit rings, your physique will be fully capable of withstanding the pressure of the demiplane's gate."
"Mm-hmm!" Zhu Ziyang saw the glowing gate behind him. That was the entrance to this Undead Demiplane. Those whose physiques were not strong enough would likely be torn apart if they entered.
"Also, do you see those undead creatures?" Electrolux took Zhu Ziyang to the mountain peak they were on earlier, pointing to the boundless undead creatures below, and said proudly, "This is my Undead Army! As long as this Undead Demiplane exists, these undead creatures are immortal. No matter how they are destroyed, they will eventually revive perfectly within the demiplane!"
"This... isn't this too overbearing!" Zhu Ziyang was dumbfounded, but his heart was exceptionally excited, because these Undead Army would soon be his.
"Hehe, Ziyang, ordinary undead creatures fear Light Attribute and holiness, but mine do not." Electrolux's eyes held a strong hint of madness. This was the first time Zhu Ziyang had seen Electrolux show such an expression. He said, "I am called the Blasphemer precisely because this group of undead creatures are of the Light Attribute! Besides lightning, which embodies the righteousness of heaven and earth and can truly eliminate them, any Light Attribute or holy attack cannot harm them!"
Zhu Ziyang was thrilled by Electrolux's words. The combination of Ultimate Light and Death—wasn't this precisely why he had initially become Electrolux's disciple? The existence of this group of undead creatures now was the greatest proof of Electrolux's monumental achievements in the path of Light Attribute and Death!
"There are thirteen types of these undead creatures, and the strongest five are all Ninth Rank, which is the Titled Douluo realm." Electrolux continued to introduce, "Bone Dragon, Hell Knight, Abomination, Lich King, Skeleton King, step forward!"
As Electrolux summoned them, five undead creatures of various forms appeared, kneeling at Electrolux's feet, shouting, "Greetings, Master!"
Their auras were all very powerful. Among them, the strongest, a headless knight clad in armor, wielding a black long spear, and riding a nightmare beast, had an aura comparable to Yan Shaozhe's.
"From now on, he, Zhu Ziyang, is your new Master!" Electrolux pushed Zhu Ziyang forward and announced.
The five kings of the undead creatures all knelt before Zhu Ziyang without objection, saying, "Greetings, Young Master!"
Being knelt to by a group of Titled Douluo-level powerhouses instantly gave Zhu Ziyang an unprecedented sense of control. In that moment, it was as if the World itself was prostrate at his feet.
His Reign Over The World had actually risen another level!