Surprise, Bloom!

"What does 'surprise... bloom' mean?"

"B-Brother Third, this is bad! Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu is gone!"

Just as Tang San was still repeatedly pondering what Qin Shiyuan's words meant, he heard everyone cry out in alarm. Looking down, he was instantly dumbfounded.

In the hands that had originally been supporting Xiao Wu, there were now two round, bluish-black balls the size of chicken eggs.

Xiao Wu, who had been there moments ago, had seemingly vanished into thin air without a trace.

"Xiao Wu! Where is my Xiao Wu?!"

"Qin! Where did you take my Xiao Wu?! Give her back to me, now!!!"

Listening to Tang San's red-eyed roar, Qin Shiyuan wore an utterly innocent smile.

"Little San, you should trust your own judgment. How can you ask me?"

"Didn't you just swear that mine was fake, and that Xiao Wu was in your hands?"

"I can't get through your turtle shell either. What does Xiao Wu disappearing have to do with me?"

"Ah!!! Don't think you can trick me again! Xiao Wu is in your hands! Give her back to me, or I'll be your sworn enemy!!!"

Tang San no longer cared about saving face. Veins stood out across his neck.

It was as if, should Qin Shiyuan say no, he would dare to attack him on the spot.

"Oh? Sworn enemies? Then I'm really looking forward to it... though I wonder whether you have what it takes."

The delight on Qin Shiyuan's face gradually faded. He gave a mocking sneer, his tone instead carrying a trace of teasing.

"Hehe, to tell you the truth, since you haven't been very obedient, I'm planning to kill Xiao Wu right now."

"Absorb her Spirit Ring, then slowly refine her Spirit Bone..."

"Tsk, tsk, these are all fine things over a hundred thousand years old."

"Tang San, tell me—once I've completely refined your little girlfriend, how much do you think my strength will increase?"

"You!!! Qin! What are you trying to do?!"

Hearing that Qin Shiyuan did not seem to be lying, Tang San's heart immediately fell into panic.

"Give Xiao Wu back to me now! Don't think I won't tell you—Xiao Wu has two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast friends. If you dare kill her, your death day will come before long!!!"

"Oh? You mean that snake and that monkey in the Star Dou Forest?"

Qin Shiyuan was not surprised in the slightest. Crossing his arms, he spoke calmly.

"Don't worry. Even if they don't come, I'll be going to find them soon enough."

"After all, they knew each other. I'm so kind that I can't bear to let the three of them be separated by life and death."

"I'll definitely arrange for them to reunite in the underworld as soon as possible. A family should be nice and complete, after all."

"You... how do you know?!"

Hearing that Qin Shiyuan even knew about Xiao Wu's relationship with Great Ming and Second Ming, Tang San had no idea what else to say and could only stand there stupidly, frozen in place.

"Tsk, nothing left to say? I thought you were tougher than that. How boring."

Seeing that Tang San was completely speechless, Qin Shiyuan curled his lip with a look of disdain.

"Fine. We've talked for so long, and I still haven't given you my little surprise."

"As your girlfriend's unboxing ceremony, I'll treat you to a fireworks show..."

"Oh, no, that's for the audience present. As for whether you'll get to see it... tsk, tsk, that's hard to say."

"Surprise?"

Unlike the stunned Tang San, the rest of Shrek remained highly vigilant.

Hearing Qin Shiyuan mention the word "surprise" for the second time, everyone present felt their hearts tighten.

After scanning their surroundings, they immediately shifted their gazes to the two inexplicably appearing balls in Tang San's hands.

"This is bad, Little San! Throw away whatever's in your hands!"

Snap!

At that moment, Qin Shiyuan smiled and snapped his fingers, teasing them with a playful look.

"Congratulations, you guessed right... unfortunately, it's a little too late!"

The instant his words fell, the two Ink Pearls in Tang San's hands abruptly began heating up at a rapid pace.

It was only then, from the heat and everyone's earlier warning, that Tang San hurriedly came back to his senses.

Feeling the terrifying energy in the two Pearls in his hands about to erupt, his face instantly changed in shock.

Mysterious Jade Hand! Chasing Stars and Catching the Moon!

In his panic, Tang San immediately used the Mysterious Jade Hand to ward off the intense heat.

Then, adding a hidden weapon technique from his previous life, he instantly flung the two Pearls back toward Qin Shiyuan, one after the other.

"Hmph! You should savor these fireworks yourself!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Perhaps you still don't know—if I hadn't been waiting for you to finish building that turtle shell, I wouldn't have had to hold myself back for so long."

"Turtle shell?"

Just as Tang San was still puzzled, Gu Rong beside him broke out in a cold sweat.

"Not good!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the two beads that had flown into the air slammed into a transparent film.

This film was precisely the defensive measure Gu Rong had erected earlier, following Tang San's suggestion, to prevent Qin Shiyuan from launching a sneak attack.

Yet who would have thought that the bone shield originally meant for defense would now become a cage that trapped them all?

Bang! Bang!

With two crisp impacts, the two beads fell from the air one after the other, ricocheting back toward the people below.

"Sect Master! Rongrong! Take cover!"

At the critical moment, Bone Douluo Gu Rong gritted his teeth and charged alone toward the two beads.

With no time to unleash a soul skill, he could only summon his martial soul to block the attack.

Fortunately, his martial soul—the Bone Dragon—was of the defensive type.

With the enhancement of his martial soul, his physical condition had now reached the level where he could withstand an ordinary Titled Douluo head-on without using soul skills.

And until now, he had never seen any external object capable of threatening a powerhouse of this level. It was one of the few comforts he could still cling to.

However, how could a surprise Qin Shiyuan was willing to present possibly be that simple?

As Gu Rong's thoughts raced, the two dark cyan beads had already collided solidly with him.

BOOOOOOM!!!

At once, an explosion that seemed capable of shattering heaven and earth resounded through the world.

Within the enormous barrier, every sight was swallowed by thunder and fire filling the sky.

Only after several breaths, when the flames had finally burned out, did the horrifying scene within gradually emerge.

The ground had caved in deeply. The once-level floor had unbelievably vanished downward by dozens of centimeters.

As for the plants, there was no need to mention them. As far as the eye could see, everything was scorched brown, without even a trace of green remaining.

Even the Shrek Seven Devils' green uniforms had been singed by the flames into nothing but black and gray.

Inside the enormous barrier, a much smaller shield had now appeared.

The one sustaining this shield was Dugu Bo, one of the only two Titled Douluo among the group.

His Soul Power barrier divided the group into two parts—or rather, it isolated one person outside: Gu Rong!

Those within the Soul Power barrier were hardly in good condition either, each of them left with blood at the corners of their mouths from the shockwave.

But outside that barrier, Gu Rong, already down on one knee, was undoubtedly in a far more miserable state.

He kept coughing up blood, and along with it, chunks of shattered internal organs splattered onto the ground.

Even more horrifying was the left hand he had initially extended to block the attack.

At this moment, more than half of his palm had been blasted away.

Only several three-to-four-centimeter bone stubs remained of the entire hand, with his wrist directly connected behind them.

"So, everyone, did you enjoy the fireworks?"