After hearing Feng Piaoling's words, Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Huo Yuhao's worldviews were rocked like never before.
Even Tian Meng was stunned. Good grief, so the man who had become a god ten thousand years ago had been such a black-hearted bastard.
Tang Ya broke down completely. Her grip tightened on Feng Piaoling's shoulder, and she forced a smile. "No, that can't be true. How could this happen? Xiao Piaoling, you're joking with your big sister, aren't you?"
Fortunately, Feng Piaoling had warned her earlier, so she still had a sliver of reason left. Otherwise, she and Bei Bei might have been trapped in the earth and suffocated to death.
As for Huo Yuhao, he had Sky Dream Ice Silkworm protecting him, so there was no need to worry about his life being in danger.
Feng Piaoling stopped and turned around to take Tang Ya's trembling hand. As he led them back up to the surface, he said expressionlessly:
"Do you really think I'm joking with you? In the end, you Tang Sect descendants are pitiful people too. You've upheld the rules left behind by that hypocrite, shed blood and tears for him, and yet he got the good name while you're left to bear the bitter consequences."
"Do you know why the Tang Sect fell into decline so quickly after Soul Tools came along? The inability to reliably produce strong experts and your insistence on clinging to outdated Hidden Weapons are only part of the reason."
"The main reason is that you sold those Hidden Weapons to the three nations of Douluo Continent. The people hurt by them don't dare take revenge on the powerful nobles of those nations. But do you think they wouldn't dare take revenge on the Tang Sect, a paper tiger with no teeth? That's the main reason I said you profited from war."
"What you said earlier—that every generation of sect master gave most of the sect's income to help commoners and kept only a little for themselves—is ironclad proof. And you said some of the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons once threatened the gods."
"Even if that's true, then answer me this: where are those Hidden Weapons that could threaten gods? Were they lost, or were they never passed down at all? In the end, you aren't that hypocrite's descendants. Or rather, given his despicable nature, even if you were his descendants, he might not have passed them on to you."
"You and I are both unfortunate souls poisoned by that hypocrite."
By then, Feng Piaoling had led Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao to the ground at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Tang Ya let out a wail and could no longer hold back. She crouched on the ground and burst into tears.
Bei Bei had abandoned his earlier gentleness. His hair bristling with rage, he shouted at Feng Piaoling, "Enough, Feng Piaoling! This is all just your side of the story!"
He didn't know whether Feng Piaoling was telling the truth.
But he knew that Xiao Ya was hurting—hurting so badly that her whole heart and mind were on the verge of collapse.
He couldn't imagine how much pain Xiao Ya would suffer if all of this turned out to be true.
As he spoke, Bei Bei didn't forget to shoot Huo Yuhao a meaningful glance.
Because of the ten-year Wind Baboon First Soul Ring, Huo Yuhao had long been dissatisfied with Feng Piaoling. Seeing this, he didn't even know whether he was helping Bei Bei or standing up for himself, but the feelings he had been bottling up finally erupted:
"Big Brother Feng, this is the last time I'll call you that. You've disappointed me so much. How could you say such things about Teacher Xiao Ya?"
"You and I both lost our families, but I know exactly who my enemy is. And one day, I'll take my revenge with my own hands."
"But what about you? You have such incredible talent and strength, and you know that Evil Soul Masters killed your parents. Yet you've taken it out on the Tang Sect because of rumors you heard somewhere. That's cowardly."
"Feng Piaoling, from this day on, you're no longer my big brother. We're done."
Huo Yuhao's words had been so righteous that Bei Bei couldn't help looking at him with approval.
Even Tang Ya, who had been on the verge of emotional collapse, seemed to have a light return to her eyes.
But to Feng Piaoling, they were laughable. He wasn't angry; he simply looked Huo Yuhao up and down and said with an air of calm detachment:
"What a fine declaration that we're done. On the way to the Star Dou Great Forest, when you were under my protection, why didn't you cut ties with me then? After I killed the Wind Baboon that ambushed you, when you begged me to let you absorb its Spirit Ring, why didn't you cut ties with me then? You kept calling me Big Brother Feng, but now that you've joined the Tang Sect, you've switched to calling me Feng Piaoling. You sure change your tune fast."
Feng Piaoling's mockery made Huo Yuhao's face burn. But when he thought of his First Soul Ring, that nonexistent shame once again turned into anger:
"Public matters are public matters, private matters are private matters. We're talking about you insulting my Tang Sect. Don't bring up unrelated things. Besides, I gave you grilled fish along the way. I don't owe you anything."
Feng Piaoling smiled, his expression serene. "Huo Yuhao, do you know why I looked after you so well on the way here?"
Huo Yuhao said nothing—or perhaps he didn't know what to say.
Feng Piaoling continued, "Huo Yuhao, the illegitimate son of the White Tiger Duke of the Star Luo Empire. From the time you were little, the current White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, ignored you and your mother, letting the White Tiger Duchess bully you both. That indirectly led to your mother being tormented to death."
"Y-you... who are you, exactly?" When Feng Piaoling revealed his background, Huo Yuhao could no longer sit still. In addition to his shock, his eyes held a trace of fear he hadn't even noticed himself.
After Bei Bei and Tang Ya heard Feng Piaoling reveal Huo Yuhao's background, they looked at him in shock too. They clearly hadn't expected that the younger boy who had just joined their Tang Sect would be the current White Tiger Duke's illegitimate son.
Feng Piaoling said calmly, "I'm just a passerby who was heading to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a Spirit Ring. I passed by the White Tiger Duke Mansion, and after you left, I happened to overhear some wicked servants discussing what had happened to you and your mother. As for confirming who you were, that wasn't difficult."
As he spoke, he pointed. "The White Tiger Dagger at your waist is a level-five Soul Tool unique to the White Tiger Duke Mansion. It's proof enough. I'm not usually one to meddle in other people's business. But when I saw that you and I had suffered the same fate, I took pity on you."
"Now it seems you and that hypocrite are the same sort. No, I should say you've surpassed your predecessor."
"A favor as small as a peck of rice earns gratitude; a favor as big as a bushel earns resentment. You've only just become a Soul Master, yet you can't wait to belittle your benefactor and become that hypocrite's dog... No, you're not even as good as a dog."
"Give a dog a bone and it knows to wag its tail. You're an ungrateful wolf that can never be tamed."
As soon as those last three words rang out, the whole scene fell silent. Huo Yuhao's head buzzed. Clutching it, he threw his head back and roared, "No, I'm not an ungrateful wolf! I'm not... I'm a man, a man who stands tall between heaven and earth! I'm not an ungrateful wolf!"
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