An elder trembled with rage and slammed his palm down. The hard stone table instantly crumbled into dust.
"Tang Hao's actions back then brought shame upon our sect and forced us into seclusion for over twenty years!
"And now his son turned out to be such a heartless, treacherous wretch!"
"This boy's nature is even more terrifying than Tang Hao's was!"
"Sect Master, give the order!"
Another elder looked at the man at the head of the room, his gaze resolute. "No matter what, this boy must never be allowed to return to the sect! The Clear Sky Sect cannot afford such disgrace!"
Tang Xiao, seated at the head, slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were filled with killing intent.
"Deliver my order as Sect Master: Tang San shall forever remain a cast-off disciple of the Clear Sky Sect!
"Even if he becomes a god someday, he will have nothing more to do with the Clear Sky Sect!"
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Sect Master Ning Fengzhi's expression was incomparably grave.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, standing at his side, wore equally dark expressions.
"Fengzhi, this boy... must not be associated with deeply."
Chen Xin spoke slowly, getting straight to the point.
Ning Fengzhi gave a bitter smile.
It was more than a matter of not associating with him deeply. He should be avoided at all costs.
Ning Fengzhi had judged countless people in his life and prided himself on his discerning eye, yet he had misjudged Tang San completely.
He had even once wanted to entrust his daughter to him.
Thinking of it now only left him with lingering fear.
"Pass down the order."
Ning Fengzhi's voice regained its usual calmness, though it carried an unyielding decisiveness.
"From this moment on, terminate all hidden weapon dealings with the Tang Sect and reclaim every advance payment."
"From now on, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect shall have no relationship whatsoever with Tang San."
Heaven Dou Empire, Imperial Palace.
Xue Ye stared at the contents of the Sky Screen in silence for a long time. An emperor's majesty kept his emotions hidden, but his faintly trembling fingertips exposed the turmoil in his heart.
What would someone who could repeatedly harbor murderous intent toward his own benefactor become if he held power?
"Convey my decree."
Xue Ye's voice echoed through the empty hall.
"List this boy as the most unwelcome person in the Heaven Dou Empire. Within the Empire, all official institutions and noble families are forbidden from cooperating or associating with him in any form."
"I do not wish to see such an ungrateful wolf wreaking havoc upon the Empire's lands."
For a time, Spirit Hall, two of the Upper Three Sects, the Heaven Dou Empire...
Several of the continent's foremost powers shut every door on Tang San at the same moment.
He had become the enemy of the entire world.
Yet Tang San, standing at the center of the storm, seemed completely unaffected.
Or rather, he simply did not care.
Did the opinions of a group of ordinary mortals, a group of ants destined to be trampled beneath his feet, matter at all?
With his Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, and his future status as a dual god, there would always be shortsighted fools rushing to invest in him like moths to a flame.
And there would always be opportunists hoping to take a share of his gains.
He arrogantly looked at Yu Xiaogang, who lay at death's door in Flender's arms. There was not the slightest trace of guilt in his eyes, only the exhilaration of liberation.
"Yu Xiaogang."
He could not even be bothered to call him "Teacher" anymore.
"This is the last time I will call you Master."
Tang San's voice rang throughout the academy.
"From this day onward, all ties of gratitude and righteousness between us are severed. We will have nothing to do with each other!
"And please, stop using your erroneous theories to mislead students!"
"Hack... hack..."
A sound came from Yu Xiaogang's throat. He used every ounce of strength in his body to raise a trembling hand, pointing at Tang San before laboriously turning it toward Flender.
He could not utter a single word.
Yet the meaning in those bloodshot eyes could not have been clearer.
Drive him out!
Drive that ungrateful wretch out of Shrek!
Flender's heart ached. Seeing his friend of decades angered into such a state, fury surged straight to his head.
Supporting Yu Xiaogang, he abruptly rose to his feet and glared at Tang San.
"Tang San! You... get out of Shrek Academy!"
Yet the moment the words left his mouth, Flender hesitated.
His dream, his lifelong wish, had been to cultivate monsters who would truly become renowned across the continent, had it not?
And Tang San was undoubtedly the most monstrous genius he had ever seen.
If he drove Tang San away, could Shrek Academy... still have its day of fame and glory?
Tang San keenly caught that brief moment of hesitation.
"Ha... hahaha!"
Tang San suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly, his laughter filled with endless mockery and disdain.
"See that, Yu Xiaogang? Did you see it?!"
He pointed at the hesitant Flender, then at himself, his face frenzied and smug.
"This is reality!"
"I, Tang San, am a god who will stand above all others in the future! And you are merely trash who cannot even break through Rank Thirty!"
"Even if I repay kindness with betrayal, even if I am heartless and treacherous, Flender will still hesitate and still be reluctant to give me up for the sake of my potential!"
"Your affection, your fury, are worth less than nothing before absolute talent!"
"..."
"You..." Flender's face flushed red. Having been struck at the heart of his thoughts, he was both ashamed and enraged.
Just as Tang San's laughter reached its most arrogant peak.
Bzzz—!
The Sky Screen above, which had only just fallen silent, suddenly blossomed with dazzling golden light once more!
All laughter, curses, and discussion came to an abrupt halt at that instant.
People instinctively raised their heads to look at the sky.
Tang San's laughter also stopped, and a powerful sense of unease rose within him.
It wasn't over yet?!
Light and shadow flowed across the Sky Screen. This time, a cute little girl in a pink dress with a scorpion braid appeared.
Xiao Wu!
At the sight of Xiao Wu's figure, everyone from Shrek—Tang San especially—changed expression.
Could it be...
The cold golden words gave no one time to think. Once again, they were engraved across the heavens like the blade of Divine Punishment.
[His father, Tang Hao, had once told him that his mother, Ah Yin, had been a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor who took human form. Later, driven to desperation by Spirit Hall, she sacrificed herself and died.] [Upon hearing this, Tang San did not grieve over his mother's fate. Instead, he drew inferences from it and, using it as a clue, saw through the true identity of his "younger sister," Xiao Wu, as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast through the Purple Demon Eye and countless details.] **Boom!!!** Dai Mubai and the others looked as though they had been struck by lightning as they abruptly turned toward Tang San. He had known all along?! The words on the Sky Screen continued to appear. Every word was like a massive hammer striking everyone's hearts. [Yet there was not the slightest pity in his heart, much less any desire to protect her. There was only extreme greed and calculation.] [His love was a disguise, his protection was a means, and their sibling bond was merely an excuse for keeping her captive.] [What he plotted was to perfectly replicate his father Tang Hao's path: use Spirit Hall as a blade to force Xiao Wu onto a dead end. [In the end, she would willingly sacrifice herself for him, allowing him to take her Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Spirit Bone to forge the supreme foundation of his own power!] [The father and son were exactly alike!]
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