Tang Wulin's hands were clenched up into tight fists as he uttered those words, and it was if he had just completed a herculean task.

The Atlas Douluo, his

 grandteacher, and his teacher, the Blazing Dragon Douluo, had all perished during that disaster, but in contrast with the crisis that had befallen the entire continent, Shrek Academy's revenge was nowhere near as important.

He had undoubtedly made the right decision, but for Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, this was a very bitter pill to swallow.

Cao Dezhi laid a hand onto Tang Wulin's shoulder before giving it a firm squeeze as a gesture of consolation and support.

There were tears in Tang Wulin's eyes as he turned to face Cao Dezhi, and he yelled, "Let's go!"

Immediately thereafter, he rose up into the air and flew back toward Shrek City.

He didn't dare to linger here any longer as he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold back the urge to follow through with this revenge operation.

For the sake of the continent, this was the only option available to him.

Gu Yuena was standing beside Qiangu Zhangting in a slightly disoriented manner, but her gaze had remained locked on Tang Wulin this entire time.

The mysterious man hidden within the Spirit Pagoda crowd was already prepared to strike, and his brows furrowed slightly upon witnessing Tang Wulin's departure. His brows furrowed even more tightly as he saw the concerned look on Gu Yuena's face.

Chen Xinjie looked on as Tang Wulin and the others departed, then turned to Qiangu Dieting with a faint sigh. "Brother Qiangu, I've repaid you for revoking my promise last time, but you have to take a stance on this matter as well."

Qiangu Dieting was naturally aware of what Chen Xinjie meant, and he replied, "I'll remember what you've done for our Qiangu Family, Brother Chen. We are indeed trying to claim the spot of the number one organization on the continent, and it's true that we once plotted against Shrek Academy through unscrupulous means, but at all times, the Spirit Pagoda is a part of this continent. Rest assured, I'll get Dongfeng to immediately mobilize all of the forces we're able to and send them to the front lines. We'll be operating alongside the Western Legion and Northwestern Legion with immediate effect."

"Good. This will be a chance for you to redeem yourselves," Chen Xinjie said as he took one last meaningful look at Qiangu Dieting, then flew toward Shrek Academy alongside Zhang Huanyun.

Qiangu Dongfeng's face was deathly pale, and on the surface, it looked as if this was because he had lost an arm earlier, but in reality, this was a reaction to something else entirely.

He finally understood what Ghost Emperor had been referring to during that cryptic call; those crazy bastards had opened up a passageway to the abyssal plane in the northernmost region of the continent and allowed abyssal creatures to flood into this plane!

"Father!" Qiangu Dongfeng turned to Qiangu Dieting with an aghast expression.

"Let's get back first before we talk," Qiangu Dieting said before immediately departing.

Only now did the Spirit Pagoda camp heave a collective sigh of relief before hurriedly following along back to the Spirit Pagoda headquarters.

Thus concluded the historic revenge operation.

At Shrek Academy. 

By the time Chen Xinjie returned to the academy, Long Yeyue was already waiting for him on the drill ground.

Chen Xinjie descended beside Long Yeyue, while in the distance, Cao Dezhi waved toward Zhang Huanyun.

A conflicted look appeared on Chen Xinjie's face, and he began, "Yeyue, I..."

Long Yeyue slowly turned around to face him with a complex expression, and Chen Xinjie was surprised to see that the usual coldness that she appraised him with was currently absent from her eyes.

"What's wrong, Yeyue? Are you angry that I prevented you from getting revenge? I had no choice! I..." Chen Xinjie wanted to explain himself, but Long Yeyue suddenly raised a finger and pressed it against his lips to silence him.

This was a rather affectionate gesture, and Chen Xinjie immediately shuddered in response. Despite the fact that he was well over 100 years old, this situation still made his heart skip a beat, as if he had returned to the moment he had fallen in love for the first time.

 "You're not to blame for this; I would've made the same choice in your place. Nothing is more important than protecting the continent, and one of the main goals of our Shrek Academy is to protect the peace of this continent; it's something that countless generations of people from Shrek Academy have worked tirelessly for. The one who had to make the most difficult decision was Wulin. He's already given far too much for this revenge operation, and to be honest, we're all very pleased to see that he was able to make such a hard decision. He's finally grown up and no longer requires our guidance."

Chen Xinjie sighed, "Indeed, he has. Shrek Academy has always been able to produce such exceptional talents, and in all honesty, I greatly admire that. In fact, I'm even a little bit envious. In this area, no other organization can hope to compete with Shrek Academy."

Long Yeyue asked, "You're going to the front lines, right? Are you going to be the commander-in-chief again?"

Chen Xinjie's brows furrowed slightly as he replied, "I'm not sure, but I'll do my best to fight for the role; I don't trust anyone else in that position."

"Alright, go on then," Long Yeyue said with a nod.

Chen Xinjie was a little dumbstruck as he looked at her. He could clearly sense that there was something different about her today. In contrast with how cold she had been toward him in the past, she was being far more gentle and compassionate.

"H, have you forgiven me?" Chen Xinjie asked. This was what he wanted to find out the most before his departure.

Long Yeyue sighed, "It's already been so long; what's there to not forgive? I shouldn't have been so stubborn all this time."

Chen Xinjie stepped forward and grabbed onto her arms in an urgent manner. "What's going on with you, Yeyue? You're scaring me! This doesn't fit your personality; what's making you say this?"

Long Yeyue allowed him to hold onto her arms as a faint smile appeared on her face. "You're already an old man, so quit acting like a brash young boy. Let me go now; don't make a scene."

Chen Xinjie's heart rate began to quicken even further. "What's going on, Yeyue?"

Long Yeyue sighed, "During the bombing, Yun Ming and all of the teachers sacrificed themselves to protect the academy, yet I didn't stay behind with them. I felt like I had unfinished business at the time, and I was fixated on taking revenge against you, so Yun Ming was able to persuade me to flee. Now, the younger generation has grown splendidly, and I can finally relax a little. Under Wulin's leadership, the academy is only going to become more and more prosperous. I'm sure you're aware of the situation in the abyssal plane, and I'm sure you know what it had taken to seal the abyssal plane 6,000 years ago.

"I'm already well over 100 years old and I don't have long left to live; it's time I make my final mark on history."

Chen Xinjie finally understood why Long Yeyue had suddenly become so open and forgiving; it was because she had already worked up the resolve to sacrifice herself, so none of this mattered anymore in her eyes. During the upcoming battle against the abyssal army, she was undoubtedly going to be protecting everyone from Shrek Academy at all costs.

Tears instantly welled up in Chen Xinjie's eyes as he threw his arms around Long Yeyue. "Don't do this! I need you to live; you have to live!"

Long Yeyue didn't struggle. Instead, she returned his embrace and rested her head onto his broad shoulder as she murmured to herself, "It's been a very long time since I've felt this. I still clearly remember the last time you held me like this. After that time, you left and never came back."

Chen Xinjie stiffened upon hearing this, and he released her as tears began to flow down his face. "I'm sorry, Yeyue, I really am."

Long Yeyue gently wiped the tears from his face. "You're still like a little boy; don't you feel embarrassed? Stop crying; this isn't the Chen Xinjie I fell in love with. The Chen Xinjie I love is the one who rules over the battlefield like an unshakeable mountain, the Battle God who stands at the pinnacle of the Soul Master World. Return to your legion; only there will you return to becoming the Chen Xinjie that I hold so dear in my heart. Go and become a hero. Regardless of what happens, this will perhaps be the last time we get to fight alongside each other."

Chen Xinjie took a deep breath, and in that instant, his emotions underwent a sudden shift.

In that instant, it was as if he had returned to his former self, the Boundless Ocean Douluo who had the world at his fingertips.

"Alright, in that case, let's go for one last dance. We'll show those clowns from the abyssal plane that we can still glow despite our age. As long as you're still alive on the battlefield, I'll be sure to remain by your side. This time, I'm never going to leave you again. Even if I die, I must die by your side."

Looking at the Chen Xinjie of old, Long Yeyue was overcome by a flood of emotions.

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