"..."
Sword Douluo felt helpless. He hadn't expected Ning Rongrong to blurt it out.
"What?"
"Xiao Wu is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
"How is that possible..."
"..."
Hearing Ning Rongrong's shocking revelation, everyone from Shrek was stunned. One by one, they immediately backed away from Xiao Wu.
Even Tang San, who had been protecting Xiao Wu, couldn't help taking a step back.
They had never imagined that Xiao Wu, who had entered Shrek Academy with them, competed alongside them in the Great Soul Arena, cultivated with them, and then traveled with them to the Star Dou Great Forest to gain experience, would actually be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
And she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had taken human form.
"Xiao Wu... is it true?"
Tang San stared at Xiao Wu in utter shock and asked in a trembling voice.
He truly didn't want to believe that the girl before him, who had spent every day with him for six years, was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
"Brother... I'm sorry..."
"I didn't mean to hide it from you. I never wanted to hurt you. I really do think of you as my brother..."
Xiao Wu looked at Tang San in fear, her eyes brimming with tears as she tried to explain.
"Brother... will you still accept me as your little sister?"
Xiao Wu wept. She knew she couldn't escape, and she was no longer afraid of dying. All she feared now was that Tang San, the person she cared about most, would no longer accept her.
Looking at Xiao Wu's tear-reddened eyes, Tang San's heart clenched. The shock he had just felt at learning her true identity was immediately cast aside.
"Of course. You're Xiao Wu. If you're my little sister for even one day, you'll be my little sister for life!" Tang San immediately stepped forward, embraced her, and said with unwavering conviction.
"Brother!"
Hearing Tang San's answer and feeling his warm embrace, Xiao Wu's tears flowed even faster, but this time, they were tears of joy.
Seeing the deep bond between Tang San and Xiao Wu, the others from Shrek were moved. The resistance in their eyes toward Xiao Wu's identity as a Soul Beast lessened.
"Knowing she's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and still standing with her—are you going to betray humanity?"
Clang!
The Seven Kill Sword in Sword Douluo's hand pointed straight at Tang San.
If not for the fact that Tang San was Ning Rongrong's companion, Sword Douluo would have already drawn his sword and cut him down for what he had just said.
Even so, the killing intent gathered on Sword Douluo's blade was impossible to hide.
If Tang San continued to resist, he would really attack.
"Please, Sword Douluo, don't..."
Seeing this, Flender hurriedly stepped forward, his expression changing drastically.
"Senior, since Xiao Wu is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, we naturally won't stand with her, nor will we stop you from taking her away!"
Flender first made his position clear, then swiftly turned and shouted at Tang San, "Tang San, move aside! Xiao Wu is a Soul Beast, born to be humanity's enemy! Don't throw your life away for a Soul Beast."
Yu Xiaogang was still unconscious. Tang San was his prized student, and Flender didn't want to see him killed for provoking Sword Douluo.
"No... Dean, I don't care whether Xiao Wu is a Soul Beast. I only know that she's my little sister. No one is taking her away!"
With his back to Sword Douluo, Flender desperately tried to signal Tang San with his eyes, but Tang San remained unmoved and spoke with unwavering determination.
"Traitor to humanity!"
Clang!
After hearing Tang San's answer, Sword Douluo gave a cold snort and drew his sword without hesitation.
Against a nobody like Tang San, he didn't even bother using a Soul Skill. He simply swung out a sword qi slash at him.
Whoosh!
A fierce streak of sword qi tore through the air and reached Tang San in an instant.
Tang San's pupils contracted. Even with his Purple Demon Eye, he couldn't escape the sword qi's lock. He didn't even have the chance to fire the Sleeve Arrow in his hand.
Only then did Tang San understand just how powerful a Titled Douluo really was.
Bang!
Tang San couldn't withstand it, but Flender could. He threw himself in front of Tang San in time and took Sword Douluo's slash for him.
"Sword Douluo, please hold your hand! Tang San is the son of Clear Sky Douluo!"
Seeing that Sword Douluo was about to attack again, Flender hurriedly stopped him, immediately revealing Tang San's identity.
He had no choice. If he didn't reveal Tang San's identity, he feared Sword Douluo would cut him down too.
Hearing Flender's revelation, Sword Douluo's Seven Kill Sword halted just before it could swing. He looked at Tang San in surprise.
If Tang San really was Tang Hao's son, then Sword Douluo couldn't kill him. Otherwise, he would only bring a powerful Titled Douluo down on his sect.
That was Tang Hao, who had once beaten the former Spirit Hall Pope to death!
"What?"
"Tang San is the son of Clear Sky Douluo?"
"So Tang San has such powerful backing too..."
"No wonder Tang San is so strong and knows so many Self-Created Soul Skills. He's from the Clear Sky Sect, so that explains it..."
"..."
Dai Mubai and the others were also astonished by Tang San's identity. They stared at him with wide eyes.
Tang San himself was taken aback. He looked at Flender in disbelief. "Dean Flender, are you saying my father is that Titled Douluo?"
As he asked, images of his father came to mind. No matter how he looked at it, Tang Hao's haggard, weather-beaten appearance didn't seem like that of a Titled Douluo!
And how could a Titled Douluo have refused to feed him when he was a child? He'd nearly starved to death several times.
His father hadn't seemed like a Titled Douluo at all!
"Third Brother's father is a Titled Douluo too?"
Xiao Wu was dumbfounded. She hadn't expected Tang San's father to be a Titled Douluo as well.
Did that mean her identity had been discovered long ago?
Why hadn't Tang San's father killed her? Had he kept her alive to leave her to his son, Tang San?
Suddenly, Xiao Wu felt as if she didn't know Tang San anymore.
Had he known her identity all along, too?
Xiao Wu's mind was in turmoil.
"That's right, Tang San. Your father is the Clear Sky Douluo of those days!"
Flender affirmed.
"Good. Thank you for telling me who my father is, Dean!"
Tang San replied. He didn't want to think about the reasons just then. He immediately looked up at Sword Douluo. "Senior, can I keep Xiao Wu with me now?"
"You're truly incorrigible. You've brought shame on your father. Even knowing she's a Soul Beast, you still want to protect her!"
Sword Douluo looked at Tang San and shook his head in exasperation. He truly couldn't stand people who fell in love with Soul Beasts.
Whoosh!
Sword Douluo's figure flashed, and in an instant, he appeared behind Tang San.
Bang—
Before Tang San could react, Sword Douluo struck him unconscious with the hilt of his sword.
He hadn't dared to kill Tang San, but he didn't want to listen to him prattle on, either. Tang San was bringing shame on Tang Hao's name.
Bang!
He knocked Xiao Wu unconscious too, then scooped her up with one hand.
"I'll take Rongrong back with me!"
"And I'll take this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast as well."
"You'd better keep this matter buried."
Carrying Xiao Wu, Sword Douluo returned to Ning Rongrong's side. After warning the people from Shrek, he took Ning Rongrong with him and departed on his sword.
"..."
Flender looked at the unconscious Tang San lying on the ground, then thought of Yu Xiaogang, who was still unconscious inside. He was at a loss for words.
He had thought Tang San might be able to comfort his teacher when he returned and help Yu Xiaogang pull himself together.
Now, he didn't know which of them would need comforting!