"Are you saying Tang San deliberately set things up so that Tang Ya's martial soul would be poisoned and turn into a dark, evil martial soul? Wasn't it Yu Xiaogang who harmed her?"
"Every one of Tang Ya's soul rings had already been poisoned, and her martial soul had become a dark, evil Blue Silver Grass. Yet he still used the same method he'd used on Tang San's martial soul to force her to become a Dark Soul Master. Wasn't he trying to turn her into an evil Soul Master?"
Tang Ya's expression paled.
Xiao Ge's words had once again struck a nerve.
She had long known that her martial soul was special. It could devour other living beings and strengthen itself, and there was no denying that it was an evil martial soul. It was just that, on ordinary days, she had always tried to restrain the desire to devour.
But now her cultivation had already fallen behind. Under the pressure of her desire to avenge the Tang Sect and her parents, her will was growing weaker by the day.
Perhaps, as Huo Yuhao had said, it wouldn't be long before she fell completely into darkness and became a true Dark Soul Master.
Zhuo Zhuo, standing beside Tang Ya, noticed her expression. His handsome face showed a hint of concern. "Sorry, Tang Ya. I'm a little late."
"You..."
Zhuo Zhuo looked uncertainly at the dark, twisted corpse on the ground, then at the pale-faced Xiao Ge, who had just broken through to Soul Sage. Regret filled his expression.
A Soul Sage's first soul ring was especially important. A ten-thousand-year soul ring was already considered a soul ring beyond the norm; this one had even been a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
If only he had been able to come a little earlier.
"Don't mind him, Zhuo Zhuo."
Mo Yu frowned. Though she looked calm, she couldn't help glancing toward Xiao Ge, who stood a short distance away from the others.
Of everyone present, only Huo Yuhao clearly understood the process by which he and the Heavenly Dream Iceworm had merged. He was also the only one who knew that his soul core wasn't the so-called Dark Soul Core.
Even if his cultivation wasn't stable yet, he knew that the Heavenly Dream Iceworm was now his greatest weakness. But the Heavenly Dream Iceworm's existence had already been discovered...
Mo Yu felt deeply uneasy.
[Xiao Ge has already obtained a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. Next, he'll probably enter the Ouyang Family's academy and end up in the same dormitory as the Wang brothers. After that, he'll go to the Land of the Far North to find the Ice Empress, obtain his second martial soul, and officially begin his journey to become powerful.]
[Not only did Yilakus get taken away by me, I don't know what will happen to Xiao Ge in the future... Still, none of that has anything to do with me. The most important thing is that the key to everything in the original story is Tang San's plan. He'll definitely pay special attention to Xiao Ge.]
[Even if I can conceal the Heavenly Dream Iceworm and avoid Tang San's notice, I still have to keep my distance from Xiao Ge. Hah. I'm such a clever girl. So... I'll just leave now!]
With that, Xiao Ge turned toward Duoduo and the two guards behind her. His tone was respectful as he addressed Duoduo alone.
"Shall we go?"
Duoduo had been thinking the same thing, so she nodded without hesitation.
But when she saw Xiao Ge move, Tang Ya's face turned even paler.
She had heard his name many times in her diary, but she still didn't know if she was the person who had appeared most often in it.
That meant she might not be able to learn the diary's secrets.
She had finally met Huo Yuhao, and naturally wanted to make her presence felt a little more.
With that in mind, Tang Ya hurriedly took a step forward and called out:
"Three of you are going to register at Spirit Academy, right? Why don't we go together?"
But what Tang Ya hadn't expected was that, after hearing her voice, Xiao Ge didn't stop. Instead, he quickened his pace.
[Oh no. Does Tang Ya want to come along with us? She can't be planning to drag us into the Tang Sect, can she?]
[You're thinking too much. With Tang Ya's personality, she probably just wants to invite you. But there's no Tang Sect anymore, and with you, Zhuo Zhuo, and Xiao Ge... ]
[What? If I join the Tang Sect, I can learn the Tang Sect's secret techniques?]
[Absolutely not! Never mind that those Tang Sect techniques may have been altered by Tang San. Even if they were the complete versions, I still wouldn't want to learn them, would I? My Mysterious Heaven Skill is already stronger than the one from the original story!]
[Besides, isn't the Tang Sect's secret technique just a hidden weapon? Wouldn't it be better to take a few steps back and shoot them with a crossbow?]
At Duoduo's final words, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. She couldn't help speeding up.
Behind her, Tang Ya's face darkened. She felt both resentment toward Xiao Ge and a helplessness she couldn't put into words.
After all, what Xiao Ge had said was true.
The Tang Sect of today had only her, Zhuo Zhuo, and Huo Yuhao left.
That was all...
Zhuo Zhuo's expression turned a little unpleasant.
Xiao Ya had already shown her goodwill. Even if there were some misunderstandings, she shouldn't have treated her so coldly!
These three were far too much. They couldn't even be bothered to say a word, acting as though they were avoiding some plague!
"Xiao Ya, don't worry about them. The three of us should hurry back to the academy."
Zhuo Zhuo comforted Xiao Ya. Seeing that she looked a little downcast, he couldn't help sighing. Then he patted her shoulder and took a step away from Tang Ya, careful not to let her get hurt.
Zhuo Zhuo's eyes held a trace of astonishment.
"Xiao Ya, what's wrong?"
Realizing her behavior had been strange, Tang Ya took a deep breath. She forced a smile and said, "It's nothing. I was just surprised to hear that Xiao Ge absorbed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring."
As she spoke, Tang Ya walked over to Zhuo Zhuo. Zhuo Zhuo's expression turned blank, and he had no idea what had just happened.
Even the zither spirit found it a little strange.
She hadn't eaten many of the fruits between Zhuo Zhuo and Tang Ya back in the Star Dou Great Forest. Their actions had been intimate enough to draw attention, and the sour smell of jealousy between them had been obvious.
But now...
It felt as though another barrier had opened up between them.
What on earth had just happened?
The zither spirit couldn't make sense of it. But she looked at Zhuo Zhuo, whose expression had fallen, and understood.
Zhuo Zhuo was young, tall, stern, and talented. He was the dream lover of countless girls from the outer court. Tang Ya had actually found herself a near-perfect boyfriend, so she was naturally proud of him. Yet even if she wasn't envious, she couldn't help feeling a little jealous.
She even thought to herself that it would be nice if Zhuo Zhuo were her boyfriend.
Zither, oh, Zither. What on earth were you thinking?
He's your friend's boyfriend!
For the sake of her dignity, Zither hurriedly pinched her own pale cheek, pretending she hadn't just tried to snatch Tang Ya's boyfriend.
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