Tang Hao

Bibi Dong picked up another urgent document from the desk.

"If there's nothing else, you may leave."

It was an unmistakable dismissal.

Gu Qing had no intention of lingering. He turned and took Qian Renxue's slightly chilled hand.

With steady strides, he walked out of Pope Palace without looking back, leaving behind that suffocating, oppressive place.

Only when the heavy purple-gold doors had closed behind them

did Qian Renxue's rigid body finally go limp, as though all her strength had been drained away.

The early autumn sunlight fell upon them, bringing a long-missed warmth.

Gu Qing stopped and turned to look at his silent fiancée.

Qian Renxue's peerlessly beautiful face bore a sorrow and desolation she could not hide.

After more than a decade of risking her life in disguise, she still couldn't get so much as a word of affirmation.

"What is it? Are you still upset about what just happened?"

Gu Qing raised both hands and cupped Qian Renxue's slightly pale cheeks.

Tears welled in Qian Renxue's eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"I got used to it a long time ago. She's always looked at me that way."

Qian Renxue's voice was slightly hoarse, as painful as if a knife had scraped across it.

Gu Qing drew Qian Renxue into his broad, warm embrace.

His right hand gently patted her trembling back.

"She's blind if she can't see how wonderful you are. That's her loss."

Gu Qing lowered his head, resting his chin on Qian Renxue's soft golden hair.

"During these years in the Heaven Dou Empire, you've done better than anyone."

A ring of emerald-green Life-Type Blue Silver Grass silently spread from Gu Qing's fingertips.

Pure life force flowed along Qian Renxue's meridians and slowly into her heart, battered with countless wounds.

Under Gu Qing's control, the slender vines quickly wove themselves into an exquisite ring of grass.

Gu Qing lifted Qian Renxue's right hand and slipped the faintly glowing ring onto her ring finger.

"On our wedding day, I'll put the most dazzling diamond ring on your finger."

Qian Renxue gazed at the vibrant ring of grass on her finger, and at last her tears broke free.

She hugged Gu Qing tightly around the waist and buried her face against his broad chest.

Her tears soon soaked the front of Gu Qing's shirt.

All the hurt and fear she had kept bottled up for years poured out in that moment.

Gu Qing said nothing, answering her vulnerability only with an even tighter embrace.

The sunlight stretched their shadows long across the bluestone path.

After a long while, Qian Renxue finally stopped sobbing and lifted her head from Gu Qing's arms.

The eyes that had been dim now shone with renewed brilliance.

"Thank you, Gu Qing."

Qian Renxue carefully stroked the ring of grass on her ring finger.

"Come on. I'll show you how they've decorated our new home."

Gu Qing took Qian Renxue's hand, and together they walked toward the mansion beneath a sky filled with red silk.

That day, news that Gu Qing, Spirit Hall's newly appointed Holy Son, would oversee the entire tournament spread through the city as if it had grown wings.

People in every street and alley were talking about the peerless genius who had appeared out of nowhere.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was shrouded in a storm cloud of despair.

Deep within Thunder Canyon, thunder raged through the clan's great hall.

The violent lightning-attribute Soul Power shattered the hall's priceless decorations.

Yu Yuanzhen stood atop the high steps, his tiger-like eyes blazing with tangible fury.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

Yu Yuanzhen slammed a fist into the load-bearing pillar beside him.

Web-like cracks instantly spread across the thick stone pillar, and fine strands of lightning raced wildly through them.

Several clan elders stood below, trembling so badly they barely dared to breathe.

Half a month earlier, Yu Tianheng, the heir in whom the clan had placed its hopes, had been carried back to the sect.

His horrific condition had made the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan draw a sharp breath.

Every meridian in Yu Tianheng's body had been forcibly severed by an overbearing life-type Soul Power.

The ribs across his chest were almost completely pulverized, and even his breathing had to be sustained with precious medicinal pills.

Yu Yuanzhen had personally examined him, only to discover that the Soul Power clung to him like a parasite and could not be purged.

The hope of the mighty Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been brutally reduced to a cripple.

And the culprit responsible for all of this was none other than Gu Qing, who had made a name for himself in Heaven Dou City!

"Clan Chief, please, you must stay calm."

The Great Elder steeled himself and stepped forward, pleading earnestly.

"That Gu Qing has now become Spirit Hall's new Holy Son."

"Bullshit!"

Yu Yuanzhen roared, the veins bulging along his thick arms.

"What Holy Son? In my eyes, he's nothing but a vile little beast!"

A torrent of thunder burst from Yu Yuanzhen's mouth and exploded in midair.

"Tianheng is my most beloved grandson, the future of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"

Yu Yuanzhen paced back and forth across the hall, his entire body radiating a suffocating, terrifying killing intent.

"What does Gu Qing amount to? How dare he shit on the heads of the Upper Three Sects!"

The Second Elder seized the moment and cautiously approached the steps.

"Clan Chief, I've just received confirmed news from Spirit City."

"The finals of the High-Level Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament will be overseen entirely by that boy, Gu Qing."

"And on the day the tournament ends, he'll marry Qian Renxue, Spirit Hall's Saintess."

At those words, Yu Yuanzhen abruptly stopped.

His rough hand snatched the secret letter away, and he skimmed through its contents in a few swift glances.

"Good! What a double celebration!"

Yu Yuanzhen laughed in furious disbelief, his laughter mixed with a thunder that sent chills down the spine.

"He crippled my grandson, and now he thinks he can hold a grand wedding?"

Yu Yuanzhen crushed the letter in his hand, reducing it to ash.

"Does he really think that with that bitch Bibi Dong backing him, he can run roughshod over the whole continent?"

The Third Elder stepped forward and lowered his voice as he offered a plan.

"Clan Chief, why don't we take advantage of this tournament, with all the factions gathered, and pay Spirit City a visit?"

"Those people from Shrek Academy are also clamoring to get revenge on Gu Qing, aren't they?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We can use them to do our dirty work."

Yu Yuanzhen narrowed his eyes. The savagery in them did not fade; it only grew more intense.

"Use them? That would be letting him off too easily!"

Yu Yuanzhen strode to the Thunder Throne and abruptly turned around.

"Bring out those ancestral Thunder Prison Formation Disks from the treasury!"

The elders' expressions changed at once.

"Clan Chief, are you planning to strike directly in Spirit City?"

The Great Elder's voice trembled. That was Spirit Hall's home ground.

"Not only will I strike, I'll take his miserable life in front of the entire world!"

Yu Yuanzhen clasped his hands behind his back, his formidable Soul Power whipping up a gale inside the hall.

"His wedding day? I'll turn his wedding feast into a funeral banquet!"

"I'll offer Gu Qing's head as a sacrifice for the future stolen from Tianheng!"

Yu Yuanzhen's gaze passed over the layers of thunderclouds beyond the hall, fixed directly on Spirit City.

"Summon every clan elder at the Soul Saint level or above."

"Tomorrow morning, you'll accompany me to Spirit City!"

At that moment, the war machine of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan began to turn.

The seed of hatred had grown into a towering tree.

Amid Yu Yuanzhen's madness, a deadly trap targeting Gu Qing was rapidly taking shape.

Meanwhile, in Spirit City, Gu Qing sat at ease in the newly built Holy Son Mansion, sipping tea.

The crisp clink of porcelain sounded especially clear in the quiet study.

Gu Qing held a freshly brewed cup of Yuqian Longjing Tea, gazing thoughtfully at the red-clad Cardinals bustling outside.

A faint wisp of steam rose from the cup in his hand, blurring his calm, composed features.

"A storm's brewing."

Gu Qing gently set the cup down on the sandalwood desk.

An emerald-green bird, formed entirely from Life-Type Blue Silver Grass, flew in through the window.

It was a covert method of transmitting Soul Power messages, used specifically for the highest-level classified intelligence.

The bird circled once in midair, then settled on Gu Qing's fingertip.

Gu Qing closed his eyes, and a faint ripple of Soul Power traveled from his fingertip into his mind.

In an instant, he finished deciphering and absorbing the mass of information.

The emerald-green bird had served its purpose. It dissolved into flecks of light and vanished into the air.

Gu Qing opened his eyes again, a mocking chill flashing in them.

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is mobilizing its entire force, with Yu Yuanzhen leading them himself."

Gu Qing tapped the desk rhythmically with his fingers, each tap making a soft sound.

"And over in the Heaven Dou Empire, members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have started gathering in secret too."

These so-called great sects really were all a handful.

Every one of them was counting on this Soul Master Tournament to undermine Spirit Hall's prestige.

"Do they really think a few old geezers can turn Spirit City upside down?"

Gu Qing stood and pulled the tournament bracket from the bookshelf.

It was packed with detailed information on the teams that had advanced from each division.

The name Shrek Academy had been circled heavily, making it especially conspicuous.

Light footsteps sounded outside the door.

Qian Renxue entered, carrying a plate of delicate pastries.

Having changed out of her military attire, Qian Renxue now wore an elegant, pale-gold dress.

She had shed the sternness she had worn while disguised as Xue Qinghe, and now carried a trace of feminine grace.

"What are you so absorbed in?"

Qian Renxue set the pastries on the desk and looked at the bracket.

"A few suicidal bugs are lining up to come and die."

Gu Qing casually picked up a piece of Osmanthus Cake and popped it into his mouth. It was sweet without being cloying.

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is making a move?"

Qian Renxue was clever and immediately guessed where the intelligence had come from.

"That old Yu Yuanzhen can't swallow his pride, so he's bringing his people straight to Spirit City."

Gu Qing brushed the crumbs from his hands, his tone as casual as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.

"Are they planning to use the tournament to find a chance to come after you?"

Qian Renxue's brows furrowed slightly. Yu Yuanzhen was a long-established Titled Douluo.

He was certainly not to be underestimated, especially with the resources of his entire clan behind him.

"I'd be glad if they came out sooner."

Gu Qing braced both hands on the desk and leaned over to look into Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes.

"This is the perfect chance to kill a chicken and scare the monkeys."

"I'll show the whole world just how much weight Spirit Hall's Holy Son carries."

Looking at the domineering man before her, Qian Renxue felt her worries vanish in an instant.

"Our wedding is set for dusk on the day the finals end."

Qian Renxue placed an invitation embroidered with a dragon and phoenix bringing prosperity on top of the bracket.

"Grandpa said he'll personally officiate our wedding."

Deep in a dark, damp underground cavern, water trickled down the stalactites.

With a "plop," a drop struck the muddy rock below.

Tang Hao leaned against the rough stone wall, panting heavily.

His tattered black cloak was already soaked with blood, clinging to his flesh.

His right shoulder was empty; the once-powerful arm was gone.

A terrifying wound, flat and charred black, remained.

The flesh around it gaped outward, and dark red blood continued to seep out.

The violent pain was like countless sharp blades, constantly scraping at his nerves.

Tang Hao clenched his teeth, the veins bulging across his forehead.

Sweat mingled with grime and rolled in heavy drops down his stubbled cheeks.

The fierce battle outside Spirit City just days ago remained vivid in his mind.

He had planned to launch a surprise attack on the eve of Gu Qing's wedding, using Zhao Wuji's death as an excuse to sacrifice Qian Renxue to his late wife.

Who could have imagined that the brat named Gu Qing would be so powerful?

Not only had he lifted Princess Qian Renxue into his arms right in front of him and shielded her completely,

he had even brought out that strange and formidable Life-Type Blue Silver Grass, forcibly severing one of Tang Hao's arms.

"Damn that little bastard!"

Tang Hao suddenly slammed his remaining left hand into the ground beside him.

His violent Soul Power poured out through his fist, smashing a deep crater into the solid rock.

Shards of stone flew everywhere, cutting his cheek.

Yet he felt no pain at all. His eyes held nothing but endless venom and hatred.

The mighty Clear Sky Douluo had actually been driven into such a wretched state by a junior.

It was a disgrace beyond measure.

Tang Hao endured the blood surging backward through his meridians and roused the remnants of his Soul Power.

He had to seal the wound as soon as possible and stabilize his injuries.

The phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer flickered behind him, releasing a heavy pressure.

Black Soul Power became thin strands, forcibly stitching together the severed blood vessels in his right shoulder.

Each tug brought piercing agony.

A wounded beast's growl rumbled in Tang Hao's throat, and his eyes burned red.

"Gu Qing, Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong..."

He rolled their names over and over in his mouth, wishing he could devour them alive.

On the day of the wedding, when the Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament's final match came to an end—

he would never let those people have their way.

The Shrek Seven Devils had already sworn a blood oath to win justice for Zhao Wuji on the tournament stage.

And Tang Hao would strike a fatal blow at the moment Gu Qing was most triumphant.

He would make that brat watch with his own eyes as Qian Renxue died beneath the Clear Sky Hammer.