Facing his son's substantial questioning and pained gaze, Tang Hao's facial muscles twitched.
A complex and barely perceptible regret flashed across his rugged face, and then he turned his head away, his voice low and hoarse as he said:
"I... I didn't know it would turn out like this, I thought..."
"You didn't know?!" Tang San's voice suddenly rose, cutting him off, tears mixed with endless hatred pouring from his eyes as he urgently cried:
"You didn't know that beast Tang Chuan would use such despicable methods?! You didn't know Xiao Wu would... she would choose to sacrifice?! Now it's good! Xiao Wu is gone! Her hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and Soul Bone were all stolen by that bastard! Are you satisfied?!"
The thought of Xiao Wu's deeply affectionate and resolute gaze ultimately falling upon Tang Chuan, the thought of her burning her Soul to become nourishment for her enemy, made Tang San feel as if his heart was being twisted.
A sweet, metallic taste rushed to his throat, his breathing instantly became heavy like an ox, and the blood-red in his eyes almost overflowed.
"I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill Tang Chuan right now! And reclaim everything that belongs to me!" Roaring in anger, Tang San's Soul Power uncontrollably surged outwards, and he turned to rush towards Spirit City.
"Stop!"
Seeing this, Tang Hao suddenly stood up, blocking Tang San's path like an iron tower, the flames of anger burning fiercely in his eyes.
"Slap!"
The next second, he raised his large, fan-like hand, bringing with it a fierce gust of wind, and delivered a resounding slap to Tang San's face.
The immense force made Tang San stagger back several steps, his cheek instantly red and swollen.
"You bastard!" Tang Hao's hair stood on end as he roared furiously:
"Have you forgotten who you are now?!"
"You are an Evil Soul Master wanted throughout the continent! A public enemy in the eyes of all Soul Masters! If you show your face now, let alone seeking revenge on Tang Chuan, Spirit Hall, the major Sects, and countless people will pounce on you like hyenas smelling blood and tear you to shreds! Are you trying to die?!"
"I don't care!" Tang San clutched his burning cheek, looking distraught, and said, "Even if I die, I'll drag Tang Chuan down with me! I can't let Xiao Wu sacrifice in vain!"
"You can't act recklessly!"
A hint of pain flashed in Tang Hao's eyes, but more than that, there was an undeniable resolve.
"Ah! Father, you cannot stop me from avenging Xiao Wu!"
Completely consumed by anger and sorrow, Tang San, disregarding everything, raised his hand and summoned the Clear Sky Hammer, which, with a mournful whistle, smashed towards his own father!
"Bastard! What are you trying to do?"
"I am your father!"
Seeing this, a hint of sorrow flashed in Tang Hao's eyes, and he roared.
His movements were even faster; his body swayed, avoiding the hammer's edge, and a palm imbued with profound Soul Power accurately struck Tang San's back neck.
Tang San's charging movement abruptly halted, the madness and hatred in his eyes not yet faded, when he softly fell down, caught by Tang Hao.
Looking at his son, who had already fainted in his arms, his face still streaked with tears, Tang Hao let out a long, heavy sigh and murmured to himself:
"Little San, don't worry, I will find a way to help you reclaim what you have lost. Father will now take you to Slaughter City for training."
"Once you pass through Hell Road and acquire the Slaughter God Domain, I will teach you the Clear Sky Sect's secret technique, Ring Explosion. At that time, it will be up to you to cleanse our Tang Clan!"
...Inside Spirit City, in the hotel room where Shrek Academy was staying.
A strong smell of alcohol almost replaced the air.
The Master was slumped on the ground, leaning against the cold wall, still clutching a tilted wine bottle tightly in his hand.
Wine spilled all over him, but he was completely oblivious.
At this moment, his face was flushed, his eyes unfocused, and his hair disheveled.
There was no trace of the usual rigor and composure of the Master of theories; he was completely a picture of drunken despair.
"Xiaogang! Stop drinking!"
Flender frowned and stepped forward, trying to take the wine bottle from his hand.
"Get lost!" The Master suddenly waved his arm, roughly pushing Flender's hand away.
The wine bottle crashed to the ground, shattering, and leftover wine splattered everywhere.
Then, he raised his bloodshot eyes, glaring fiercely at Flender, his voice hoarse from drunkenness and agitation, saying:
"You tell me not to drink? What can I do if I don't drink? Huh?!"
He waved his arms as if trying to grasp something, but couldn't grasp anything.
"Little San is gone! He was taken by Tang Hao, and now we don't know if he's alive or dead! Xiao Wu... Xiao Wu is dead! She sacrificed right before our eyes! She became someone else's spirit ring! Hahahaha..." The Master let out a laugh uglier than crying, filled with despair.
"It's all gone, everything's gone!"
Flender tried to calm him: "Xiaogang, calm down, what's done is done..."
"Calm down? How can you tell me to calm down?!" The Master abruptly interrupted Flender, spittle flying, and said, "The finals of the Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition for the entire continent! It's about to begin! Where is my Disciple Tang San? Where is my hope of proving the ten core competitiveness of Martial Souls? Who can I rely on? Dai Mubai and the others? Can they make it to the end? No!"
"Without Little San, they are nothing! I, Yu Xiaogang... Ugh..."
As he spoke, he dry-heaved.
"My twenty-plus years! Twenty whole years of effort! I endured the ridicule of everyone on the continent, I locked myself in those moldy piles of books! All my theories on Martial Souls, all my hopes, were placed on Little San! Now it's all over! It's all fucking over! All for nothing! I'm a waste! A complete and utter waste! Hahahaha..."
At this point, the Master looked completely deranged, raising his hands and forcefully pounding the ground, his knuckles scraped and bleeding, but he didn't care.
Flender looked at the Master in this state, feeling both heartbroken and angry, and couldn't help but raise his voice and roar, "Yu Xiaogang! Pull yourself together! As long as there's life, there's hope!"
"Hope? Where is the hope?!" Hearing this, the Master sneered, his face full of sarcasm and disdain, and took another gulp of wine, retorting, "You tell me where the hope is? Is it in that monster Tang Chuan? Or in your broken Academy?"
"Flender, stop being so hypocritical! You don't understand at all! You don't understand anything! My path to proving myself through Martial Soul theory is broken! Broken, do you understand?!"
He pointed at Flender's nose, venting all his unwillingness and resentment on his best friend.
"It's all fate! This damned fate! Why me? Why isn't my Martial Soul the Golden Sacred Dragon but the waste Martial Soul Luo San Pao? Why must I suffer such a blow even when I take a Disciple? Heavens, why are you doing this to me?!"
He no longer looked at Flender, but simply tilted his head, facing the empty ceiling, roaring and questioning again and again, until his voice gradually grew softer, turning into meaningless whimpers and sobs, as he curled up in the corner, like a stray dog that had lost all hope.
On one side, strength surged, and the future was bright.
On the other side, Opportunity was stolen, and the road ahead was uncertain.
This was a case of some finding joy, while others found sorrow!
...Meanwhile, in a forest outside the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
At this moment, a chaotic chase was unfolding here.
"You bastards! What did you do to me?! I'm going to kill you all! Tear you all to shreds!"
A deafening roar broke the silence of the forest.
Devil Bear Douluo was completely naked, his bronze-colored, muscular body particularly striking under the moonlight, and his massive physique charged wildly like a human tank.
Trees fell in his wake, and dust flew.
At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, his face a mixture of extreme rage, humiliation, and an indescribable sense of collapse, as he fiercely pursued several figures fleeing in disarray.
Running at the very front was Yu Luomian, the Vice Clan Leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
At this moment, he had lost all the dignity of a high-ranking member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan; his robes were tattered by branches, his hair disheveled, and he was desperately running while turning back to explain in exasperation:
"Misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! Elder Devil Bear, please listen to my explanation! We... we didn't know it was you! We thought it was... it was that little girl with the golden dragon bloodline!"
A nearby Elder, running and pulling up his pants, added with a mournful face:
"Yes, yes! If we had known it was you, old man, we wouldn't have dared even with a hundred guts! This... this... we are victims too!"
The thought of the indescribable events that had just occurred in the forest.
Several Elders felt their Worldview crumble, wishing they could gouge out their own eyes.
"Bullshit!" Devil Bear Douluo was so angry that all his fat trembled.
He punched and broke a large tree blocking his path, roaring, "Little girl? You call me a little girl?! Does my physique look like a little girl's?! Are your eyes on your ass?! And you even... even dared to... Ahhh! I'm so mad!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and his speed increased by three points.
Another slower Elder was almost caught, scared to Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, and shrieked:
"It's an illusion! Someone must have cast an illusion! They turned you into the appearance of a little girl! We... we were also deceived in feelings and stamina, Elder Devil Bear!"
Yu Luomian was also internally collapsing; he felt he had never been so humiliated in his life.
Not only had his plan fallen through, but he had also completely offended an Elder of Spirit Hall, and he cried out with a choked voice:
"Elder Devil Bear, please calm your anger! We... we can compensate! Even if it means losing everything! We just beg you to be lenient!"
"Compensate? Compensate your head! My lifelong reputation and purity have been ruined by you all! Pay with your lives!" Devil Bear Douluo completely ignored Yu Luomian's explanation.
He just wanted to pound these bastards who had defiled his purity into meat paste.
For a moment, a bizarre scene unfolded in the forest.
Several disheveled old men were chased by a naked strong man, scrambling in fear, with pleas for mercy, roars, and the sound of falling trees echoing, creating a chaotic and eye-watering scene.
Finally, an Elder who had fallen behind could no longer run.
He slumped to the ground, looking at the approaching Devil Bear Douluo, and cried out in despair:
"Don't hit my face! Elder Devil Bear, just now... just now I was the gentlest!"
Upon hearing this, Devil Bear Douluo stumbled, almost fainting from anger, and roared, "You dare to mention it again! I'll tear you apart first!"
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