"What?!"
"Teacher Zhao Wuji and the others are all dead?"
"No way! No wonder you weren't around, Dean. When Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were arguing earlier, you never showed up. We thought you didn't want to get involved!"
"So you discovered the Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo long ago, and still got beaten so badly?"
"Then... what do we do? Our Shrek can't go on anymore!"
Listening to the children, Flender finally let out a long sigh and used the last of his strength to say:
"I was pierced through by Chrysanthemum Douluo's soul skill. I do not have long to live..."
"I held on and came back only because I was worried about you..."
"You are Shrek's final hope."
"Go... go to Heaven Dou City and find Liu Erlong, the dean of Blue Tyrant Academy. She is an old friend of mine. She will... take you in..."
"Remember, you must avenge Shrek!"
"You must..."
"Dean?"
"Dean!!"
"No! Don't!!"
In the end, Flender could no longer endure it. Zhao Wuji and the others could not survive, so how could he?
He had merely forced himself to endure the final pain because he wanted to see whether Shrek's students were safe.
After all, they were his final concern.
Fortunately, he had made everything clear before dying. At the very least, he had found Dai Mubai and the others a way out.
Dai Mubai and the others wept bitterly, consumed by grief as they continued shouting and calling out around him.
But the dead could not be brought back to life. Flender and the others were not protagonists either; even in death, they died so hastily.
In the distance.
Tang Hao took Tang San and completely left Shrek behind, unaware of Flender and the others' deaths.
Or perhaps Tang Hao had seen it long ago and simply did not care.
Once they arrived at a quiet place, Tang Hao set Tang San down. For the time being, they were safe.
Tang San immediately took out a firestarter from his Storage Soul Tool, gathered some firewood, and lit it. Father and son sat beside the fire.
Tang Hao took the initiative to speak. "I know you should have many questions, right?"
Tang San did not ask anything. He merely said calmly, "I can tell that you have things you cannot speak of, Father."
"Don't worry, Father. No matter what, Xiao San believes in you!"
Tang Hao nodded and sighed. "There are some things I did not tell you only because you are not strong enough yet. I was afraid that if you knew, you would do something rash."
"But you can also see that our family has a grudge against Spirit Hall."
"This hatred could even be called irreconcilable!"
"If the Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo had not appeared, I might not have stepped in. When I saw that little girl's letter, I also wanted to see how you would handle such a situation."
"Xiao Wu's letter..." Tang San pondered it and found it reasonable.
His father was a Titled Douluo. His Mental Power had to be frighteningly powerful.
When he had opened the letter to inspect it, even if his father had been far away, he should still have been able to roughly see it.
Tang San hurriedly asked, "Then Father, do you know why Xiao Wu suddenly left?"
"And why did Spirit Hall's people not come to capture me, but instead wanted to capture Xiao Wu?"
Tang Hao explained, "They did not capture you because Yu Xiaogang informed on you, so they knew I was by your side. They could not defeat me."
"As for why they wanted to capture Xiao Wu, Yu Xiaogang probably realized that the girl was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and reported it to Bibi Dong."
"What?"
"A Soul Beast?"
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?! H-how is that possible?!"
Tang San was nearly stunned senseless. How had his perfectly fine Xiao Wu suddenly become a Soul Beast, and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast at that?
That was not right, was it?
Tang Hao explained calmly, "That's right. Your Xiao Wu really is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
"Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts can take human form. After cultivating to the later stages, they can even become completely human."
"I guess the reason that little girl left this time was that she discovered Yu Xiaogang had seen through her identity, and then learned of the truth about that trash Yu Xiaogang being in contact with Spirit Hall."
"So she chose to leave in order to avoid being captured by Spirit Hall, while Yu Xiaogang likewise went to inform Spirit Hall."
"As for how Yu Xiaogang saw through Xiao Wu's identity as a Soul Beast, perhaps it had something to do with those strange theories of his..."
"But don't worry. Didn't your Xiao Wu want to take you with her before she left? You got angry for some reason at the time and frightened her, so she left by herself first."
"But since she was able to leave in advance, she should have returned to the Star Dou Great Forest. She is perfectly safe."
"Xiao San, when that girl talked about theft and passing oneself off as famous in that letter, she was referring to Yu Xiaogang. Why did you suddenly get angry and even frighten that little girl?"
Tang Hao found it somewhat strange as he asked this.
Although he had not realized at the time whom Xiao Wu was indirectly referring to, it could not possibly have been Tang San, could it?
What did a person who stole someone else's achievements and claimed them as their own have to do with a child like him?
Why had he gotten so angry then? He had nearly caused that girl to take him away with her.
Tang San felt somewhat embarrassed and somewhat afraid upon hearing this.
At the time, he had truly thought Xiao Wu knew his secret and was hinting at it, warning him.
He could not let anyone know that he had betrayed the Tang Sect and used the Tang Sect's things to show off, which was why he had gotten angry.
Who the hell knew Xiao Wu had been talking about Yu Xiaogang, and had even spared his feelings by not directly saying Yu Xiaogang's name?
Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, if you had just cursed Yu Xiaogang directly back then, maybe I would have left with you long ago!
Tang San sighed and found an excuse. "Sigh, I actually vaguely guessed at the time that she was talking about Yu Xiaogang. Since he was my teacher, I wanted to defend him."
"Father, who could have imagined that Yu Xiaogang was really trash..."
Tang Hao nodded without dwelling on the matter and agreed, "Indeed. Even I had not seen through him before."
"Of course, that was also because I had been too dispirited and irresponsible."
"But at least you no longer need to listen to Yu Xiaogang. And since Xiao Wu escaped in advance, she will almost certainly be fine. I saw it at the time—the place those three girls went was the Star Dou Great Forest."
"So just cultivate properly. In the future, you can always go to the Star Dou Great Forest to find that girl."
"And in that letter, the girl said Yu Xiaogang had led you astray, that you should have followed the Life Route..."
"Only then did I realize that something was indeed wrong!"
At this point, Tang Hao spoke with a solemn expression. "Xiao San, there are many things that are inconvenient for me to tell you now."
"But I can tell you that your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul came from your mother. Your mother excelled in life force back then."
"I should have thought of it long ago. Blue Silver Grass spreads across the continent and thrives endlessly. Following the Life Route is best. Yet after being influenced by Yu Xiaogang, all three of your Soul Rings took the path of control and poison, suppressing your life force instead."
"Yu Xiaogang has harmed you deeply..."
"What?"
Tang San was also surprised upon hearing this. He had not expected his mother to be a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master who followed the Life Route.
So had he really gone down the wrong path?
Tang San's face instantly darkened. Thinking of Gangzi's face again, he said viciously, "Damn Gangzi!"
"He actually made me waste so much effort, and even waste three whole Soul Ring slots! He does not deserve to be a teacher at all!"
"When I see him again in the future, I will kill him!!"
Before you continue