Tang Hao descended upon Shrek Academy like a mountain. He brought no warmth of a long-awaited reunion, only a suffocating, icy pressure.
His blood-red eyes fixed on Tang San. There was not the slightest trace of a father's affection in his gaze, only scrutiny that pierced to the bone, revulsion, and a... devastating resolve.
When Tang San saw Tang Hao, delight immediately filled his eyes. He didn't notice the chill in Tang Hao's gaze at all. "Dad! You're here! Xiao Wu was taken by Sword Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. She..."
He was eager to seek help from his powerful father.
But before he could finish, Tang Hao cut him off with a roar, cold enough to pierce to the bone and brimming with boundless fury and pain:
"Shut up, you wretch!"
The roar cracked like thunder, making everyone's eardrums ache. Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and the others, whose Soul Power was low, turned pale and stumbled backward.
Tang San stood there, stunned by the shout, staring at Tang Hao in disbelief.
It wasn't just Tang San. Yu Xiaogang and the rest of Shrek were also dumbfounded by Tang Hao's sudden outburst.
"Dad..."
Tang San stared at Tang Hao in shock, his eyes full of confusion.
Tang Hao stepped forward. His terrifying aura crashed down on Tang San like a solid wave, leaving him almost unable to breathe.
"What are you, to think you can call me Dad?!"
Tang Hao's voice was hoarse, each word seeming to grind out between clenched teeth, filled with utter hatred. "My son... my flesh and blood, the child I had with Ah Yin—his soul was devoured long ago by you, some wandering ghost from who-knows-where! You're a thief who usurped his body!"
Boom—!
Those words struck like a bolt from a clear sky, crashing into Tang San's heart and deep into the souls of everyone present!
Tang San's face turned as white as paper. His body rocked violently as if he'd been dealt a heavy blow, his mind gone blank. Only Tang Hao's hate-filled words echoed wildly in his head: "Soul devoured... thief..."
How could his father know?
"Soul devoured... usurped his body..."
"What on earth is going on?"
The rest of Shrek could only stare at Tang Hao's words with question marks all over their faces, unable to understand what he was talking about.
Was Tang San not his son?
"Dad... what are you talking about?"
"I'm your son!"
Tang San refused to accept it. He had never thought of himself as someone who had usurped another's body. He was Tang Hao's son!
He had simply been born with the memories of his previous life!
"Is that so? You know now that I'm a Titled Douluo!"
"Then do you really think I wouldn't know about the things you secretly did when you were little?"
Tang Hao gave a cold snort, then exposed the things Tang San had done as a child right to his face.
"I..."
At his words, Tang San felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. His face froze at once.
Only then did he realize that if his father truly was a Titled Douluo, then the furtive little actions he'd once believed he had hidden so carefully would have been no secret at all to Tang Hao.
"A child barely over a year old, never taught by anyone, gets up in secret and starts cultivating all on his own!"
"Tell me, how could you be my son?"
Tang Hao stared coldly at Tang San and continued to lay bare his secrets.
"I..."
Tang San opened his mouth, but no words came out. So his father had always known about his cultivation as a child.
"So... that's why you treated me that way before?"
Tang San suddenly remembered something, and his eyes reddened at once.
He had thought that even if his father treated him poorly, he must still have loved him at least a little. After all, he was his son.
But now he understood: his father had never considered him a son at all.
No wonder... no wonder his childhood had been so difficult.
It had been no better than his previous life as an orphan.
And his father had only started treating him better later because he had his Twin Martial Souls talent, right?
Realizing this, Tang San felt even more despondent.
"That's right. So tell me: who exactly are you?"
"When did you take over my son's body?"
Tang Hao looked at Tang San without a trace of warmth in his eyes.
As far as he was concerned, Ah Yin had broken with him and put a great big pair of horns on his head precisely because he hadn't dealt with Tang San properly.
Tang San was the reason he had lost Ah Yin.
If Soul Beasts still existed in this world and Tang San's talent could still be realized, he might not have exposed him. He would still have found a way to get Tang San to return to the Clear Sky Sect and acknowledge his roots.
After all, he had already lost Ah Yin. He couldn't afford to lose a monstrous genius with Twin Martial Souls, too.
But now that Soul Beasts were gone, Tang San's talent could no longer be realized.
There was naturally no need for him to keep acknowledging Tang San as his son.
"...Whether you believe me or not, I've always thought of you as my father. No... you are my father..."
"I didn't usurp anyone's body. I just have the memories of another life. After I died in my previous life, the next thing I knew, I'd become a baby..."
Looking at Tang Hao, Tang San felt ice-cold all over.
Everyone from Shrek stood there with their mouths agape, unable to believe what they were hearing.
Tang San had really started cultivating by himself when he was barely over a year old, without anyone teaching him?
He really had taken over someone else's body!
Yu Xiaogang was even more stunned, as if struck by lightning. His entire body went rigid.
The disciple he had always taken pride in, the one he'd poured his heart and soul into—the finest proof of his theories... was actually... actually a thief who had taken over Tang Hao's son's body?
How had he done it?
Was there some theory that explained it?
Along with his shock, Yu Xiaogang was overcome with curiosity.
"Hmph. You think I'll believe you?"
"If you won't tell me, then forget it. I'm no longer interested in knowing."
Whoosh~
Tang Hao flashed forward, appearing right before Tang San. His right hand shot out like lightning, clamped around Tang San's neck, and lifted him into the air.
"Urgh..."
Tang San's face contorted in pain, and his eyes filled with despair.
He hadn't expected that his father would finally come, only for him to meet his own death.
Tang Hao watched Tang San suffer, hesitation flashing through his eyes.
He had intended to kill Tang San, but when he was about to act, he couldn't help remembering how Tang San had cared for him as a child.
Tang Hao had refused to cook for Tang San, yet Tang San had turned around and cooked for him instead.
And all those moments they had spent together.
Besides, in the end, this body still belonged to his son.
"You took over my son's body for no other reason than his Twin Martial Souls talent!"
"So today, I'll take back with my own hands what should have belonged to my son."
Boom—
Unable to bring himself to kill Tang San, Tang Hao ultimately chose to ruin him instead.
Pfft~
Tang Hao slammed his fist into Tang San's stomach. His Soul Power invaded Tang San's dantian, then destroyed both Martial Souls within him.
"Ahhhhhh—!!!"
"Pfft—!"
With his Martial Souls destroyed, Tang San let out the most harrowing scream imaginable.
"Don't..."
Yu Xiaogang tried to stop him, but it was already too late. He could only watch helplessly as Tang Hao ruined his precious disciple.