Another late night, moonless.
The wind blew hard, making the woods beyond the courtyard wall rustle. Every so often, a few crows called out, their cries especially jarring in the darkness.
Flender was still awake. He stood by the window, staring into the darkness outside, with the nagging feeling that something was wrong.
His Cat Eagle Martial Soul was at its most sensitive at night. There was something in the wind tonight that shouldn't have been there.
Then he saw them.
Several shadows silently climbed over the courtyard wall.
One, two, three... They wore black outfits and moved lightly, landing in the courtyard like ghosts.
Flender's eyes flew wide open as his Soul Power erupted.
"Enemy attack!"
His voice tore through the night sky. A moment later, all of Shrek Academy erupted into chaos.
Zhao Wuji was the first to rush out. His Vajra Bear form swelled in the darkness, and his massive paw slammed toward the nearest shadow.
But the shadow dodged to the side and struck Zhao Wuji in the chest with a palm. Zhao Wuji staggered backward, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
Flender's eagle cry ripped through the night sky. He dove from the rooftop, claws aimed straight at another shadow.
But the shadow raised a hand, and a Soul Power barrier appeared out of thin air, deflecting his attack.
By the time Flender landed, his expression had changed.
Soul Saints! And more than one.
More shadows climbed over the courtyard wall. They worked in perfect coordination, each with a clear role. Three Soul Saints pinned down Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Shao Xin,
while four Soul Emperors held off Lu Qibin and Li Yusong. The last two Soul Emperors headed straight for the student dormitory.
Their target was Tang San.
Dai Mubai was the first to rush out. He activated White Tiger Vajra Transformation to its fullest, his golden fur gleaming in the darkness.
He punched at a Soul Emperor, but the man merely dodged to the side and struck him in the chest with a palm.
Dai Mubai flew through the air, smashed through a wall, and crashed into the rubble.
"Boss Dai!"
Oscar's voice rang out from behind, but before he could hand over a sausage, a blast of air sent him tumbling to the ground.
Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flame burst out from the side, an orange-red streak of fire cutting through the darkness.
But the Soul Emperor simply clenched one hand, and the flames burst in his palm, scattering into a shower of sparks.
Then he kicked Ma Hongjun in the chest. Ma Hongjun spat out a mouthful of blood and couldn't get back up.
Tang San stood at the dormitory entrance, Blue Silver Grass spreading wildly from beneath his feet. But as soon as his grass wrapped around the Soul Emperor's ankle,
Soul Power shattered it, scattering fragments of leaves through the air.
Hidden Weapons flew from Tang San's fingers—steel needles, throwing knives, Sleeve Arrows—one after another, filling the Soul Emperor's path from the front.
But the Soul Emperor simply waved a hand, knocking all the Hidden Weapons away. They embedded themselves in the wall with a series of metallic clangs.
Eight Spider Lances burst from Tang San's back. The blue-violet spears gleamed coldly in the darkness, their tips aimed at the Soul Emperor.
But he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
Xiao Wu charged from the side, her Waist Bow kicking toward the back of the Soul Emperor's neck. Without even looking back,
he slapped her shoulder with one hand. Xiao Wu flew through the air, hit the ground, and slid three or four meters.
"Xiao Wu!"
Tang San tried to shout, but his voice caught in his throat.
She lay face-down on the ground, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. She struggled to stand, but her shoulder hurt as if it had been shattered.
The Soul Emperor walked toward Tang San, step by step.
Tang San had used up all his Hidden Weapons. His Blue Silver Grass had been shattered, and his Eight Spider Lances were trembling slightly.
He had almost no Soul Power left. His breathing was ragged, like bellows.
The Soul Emperor raised a hand and brought his palm down.
At that moment,
a shadow dropped from the sky.
There was no warning, no sound. Only a massive Clear Sky Hammer, bearing the force to destroy the heavens and shatter the earth, slammed into the Soul Emperor and crushed him to pieces.
"Bang!"
The other Soul Emperor didn't even have time to scream. He flew through the air like a cannonball, smashed through two walls, and crashed into the ruins, his fate unknown.
The moment the Clear Sky Hammer hit the ground, cracks spread across the earth, rubble flew, and dust billowed.
Half the courtyard wall collapsed, and roof tiles clattered down,
the air split apart, the ground trembled, and everyone felt that earth-shattering power.
A tall figure slowly emerged from the dust.
He held the hammer's handle as casually as if it were a stalk of straw. He wore tattered clothes, his beard was unkempt,
and his hair was a mess. But his eyes were like blades.
It was Tang Hao.
He had been there all along. He hadn't intervened when Spirit Hall came because he wanted Tang San to face reality and didn't want to reveal himself too soon.
But he had no reason to show any mercy to these black-robed men who had dared to go straight for the kill.
"Clear Sky Douluo!"
Someone cried out in shock.
The remaining black-robed men went deathly pale and scattered in every direction. They had come like ghosts, but fled like beaten dogs.
Tang Hao didn't pursue them. He crouched down, turned over a corpse, and pulled off its mask. The man had a pale face, sunken eye sockets, and black blood at the corner of his mouth.
He recognized what they were: Evil Soul Masters, but not people from Slaughter City.
Flender walked over, breathing hard, blood still at the corner of his mouth.
"His Excellency Haotian, who are these people?"
"I don't know." Tang Hao stood up and fell silent for a moment.
He didn't tell the truth. He hated Evil Soul Masters, but he hated Spirit Hall even more.
Besides, he didn't want twelve-year-old Tang San to come into contact with this darkness too soon.
He walked over to Tang San and looked at him.
Six years.
Ever since he'd awakened his Martial Soul and joined Nuoding Academy, he hadn't seen his father again.
That lazy drunk who'd spent his days blacksmithing had actually been a Titled Douluo—and the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent.
Tang Hao patted him on the shoulder.
"Be careful. You've been targeted."
Then he disappeared, as suddenly as he'd arrived, like a shadow melting into the darkness.
After Tang Hao left, Shao Xin silently handed out Sugar Beans to everyone.
No one spoke. The Sugar Beans tasted sweet in their mouths, but when they swallowed, they tasted of blood.
Tang San stood rooted to the spot, his father's hand still warm on his shoulder.
He stared in the direction the man had disappeared, with only one question on his mind.
Why?
Why had he kept it from him?
Why had he left him in Nuoding City for six years? Why had he let him believe he was an orphan?
He thought of his mother, of the name his father had never mentioned. Whenever he asked about his mother,
his father only said three words: "Not yet."
He suddenly realized he knew nothing about his own past.
His hand clenched tighter. Even the wounds on it were bleeding, but he couldn't feel the pain.
And Xiao Wu stood farther away.
The moment Tang Hao struck, her body moved faster than her mind. She took a step back.
She wasn't moving closer to Tang San for protection. She was moving away.
Her heart felt as if an invisible hand had seized it. Her breath stopped, and her blood turned cold.
She watched Tang Hao's back. That man hadn't looked at her once from beginning to end.
It wasn't that he'd forgotten her. He didn't need to.
He'd known all along. He'd known from the very beginning.
Then what about these six years?
Every time Tang San had protected her, every promise he'd made, every time he'd said, "I'll always be with you,"
had it all been genuine, or was it a script written long ago?
She didn't dare think about it, or ask.
She only stood there, an invisible distance opening up between her and Tang San.
It wasn't wide. Only one step.
But she knew she might never be able to take that step back.
Tang San didn't sleep at all that night.
After daybreak, Flender stood in front of the ruins for a long time, silent.
He looked at the broken courtyard wall, the collapsed dormitory, and the rubble and bloodstains scattered everywhere.
He thought of the days when he'd started from nothing in Suotuo City, and the day he'd hung up the sign.
But now, he couldn't even keep his students safe.
He took a deep breath and turned to face everyone. His voice was hoarse, but calm.
"This place was in worse shape than this when I took it over. I thought I could make it bigger,
and let everyone know how many monsters had come out of Shrek."
He gave a bitter smile.
"Now I see I was getting ahead of myself."
His gaze swept over every student: Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Pack your things. We're going to Heaven Dou City."
No one spoke.
Zhao Wuji lowered his head, and his clenched fist slowly relaxed.
Tang San stood where he was, dried blood still in his palm.
Xiao Wu stood at the edge of the group, her gaze empty.
They packed their belongings, preparing to leave the dilapidated academy that held so many memories.
In the morning breeze of Suotuo City, Shrek turned a new page.
But some pages, once turned, could never be turned back.