Too Risky

That day.

Above Martial Soul City, a golden drizzle fell, continuing for three full days.

It seemed as if the final warmth of a great man was scattering into the mortal world after his passing.

Qian Chongguang, the highest-ranking Angel Ancestor of Martial Soul Hall and the universally acknowledged strongest powerhouse on the Douluo Continent, had fallen.

As the news spread, the entire continent shook.

Many did not even know that such an elder still existed within Martial Soul Hall, let alone that he had lived until now.

Martial Soul Hall held the funeral for this old enshrined elder with the highest honors. The mourning hall was set up before the Angel Temple, and white funeral banners stretched for ten miles, obscuring half the sky of Martial Soul City.

The royal families of the two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo, sent princes to lead their delegations in paying respects. Among the Upper Three Sects, Ning Fengzhi brought the Sword Douluo Chen Jianjun to attend in person, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family dispatched a direct-line elder, and the Clear Sky Sect—the very culprit behind this—also came quietly to partake in the funeral feast.

No one dared to deny this face.

Even though various factions harbored fear and dissatisfaction toward the increasingly powerful Martial Soul Hall, no one dared to be negligent in this matter—

The old elder had fallen while attempting to eliminate soul beasts hiding among humans and the traitor Tang Hao; this alone placed him on the moral high ground of humanity.

Publicly or privately, they were all required to attend this funeral and perform the rites of mourning.

At the funeral, all parties offered incense and paid respects according to protocol. Every eulogy that needed to be spoken and every tribute that needed to be paid was done without omission, yet no one dared to utter a single word of controversy.

The Title Douluos standing solemnly in the hall, along with that cold-eyed Adjudicator Elder Bibi Dong who held the power of law, caused everyone to swallow any unnecessary words back into their stomachs.

As the three-day grand funeral concluded and the white banners of Martial Soul City were slowly taken down, the internal deliberations of the enshrined elders were only just beginning.

The core leadership of Martial Soul Hall gathered in one hall, their gazes fixed squarely on Bibi Dong in the main seat, though their peripheral vision could not help but drift toward the cradle beside her—

Inside lay an infant still in swaddling clothes, with delicate features and steady breathing; it was none other than one of the twins that Tang Hao had personally abandoned not long ago.

"Adjudicator Elder."

Finally, Golden Crocodile Douluo could not help but speak, his tone filled with confusion: "Tang Hao is our number one enemy. He consorted with soul beasts and birthed a hybrid of man and beast. His most unforgivable crime is the killing of the old elder. This child is his bloodline; we have already done our utmost by keeping him alive. You are doing this..."

Before he could finish, Bibi Dong raised a hand to interrupt him.

She lowered her eyes to look at the infant in the cradle, her gaze calm and waveless, devoid of any hatred, possessing only an absolute certainty regarding the established plan.

"According to the instructions left by the Ancestor, name him Tang San."

She spoke, her voice cold and clear, yet carrying an unquestionable majesty.

At the same time, she was also curious about the name Tang San; why would the Ancestor choose this name for him?

Qian Chongguang: Naturally, it is to distinguish between Tang San and Tang San.

This single sentence caused a collective intake of breath to echo through the conference room, and the already tense atmosphere instantly exploded.

"This cannot be! Elder! This is the spawn of a human-beast union! It is the child of our enemy!" Falling Devil Douluo slammed the table, the Coiling Dragon Staff in his hand making the tabletop hum, his face full of disbelief. "It was already generous not to finish him off, how can we possibly legitimize him? If this gets out, what will the whole continent think of our Martial Soul Hall?!"

Mighty Lion Douluo frowned, his bell-like eyes full of concern: "The foundation of our Martial Soul Hall is helping soul masters hunt soul beasts and obtain soul rings. He is inherently entangled with soul beasts; keeping him is a hidden danger that will eventually strike!"

"The Ancestor has already fallen. We follow all the strategies he laid out while alive, but there is no need to take such a huge risk for the child of an enemy!" Azure Luan Douluo nodded solemnly, his aura surging. "This child is a ticking time bomb; no one knows where he will explode in the future."

"The Ancestor has already fallen; we have no need to take such a huge risk for the child of an enemy!"

The high-ranking officials spoke up one after another to dissuade her, their faces full of incomprehension.

Bibi Dong, however, did not waver in the slightest. She swept her gaze over the group, her tone deepening: "This is not my decision; it is a plan the Ancestor set in motion before he passed."

A short sentence caused all the noisy voices to stop instantly.

In the hearts of all of them, Qian Chongguang was synonymous with being infallible, and the currently flourishing Martial Soul Hall was a continuation of the strategies he had set at the time.

Every move he made while alive had been proven to have profound intentions afterward; no one dared to question him even half a word.

To use the phrase the Ancestor said most often: This is all part of the plan.

"The Ancestor's will is written clearly: once this child has consciousness, he is to enroll in the Martial Soul Hall Soul Master Academy. He will be treated like all ordinary students, receiving the same quality education—learning to read and write, cultivating soul power, training his body, and studying moral character and history."

Bibi Dong's voice continued, a hint of imperceptible softness in her tone: "Beyond that, he must be given some different education."

"Different education?" Qian Xunji could not help but ask.

Bibi Dong lowered her eyes, looking at the defenseless infant in the swaddling clothes, and said softly: "When he has learned enough in the future and reaches the standard we require for judgment, we can tell him the truth."

The secret room fell into silence once again.

The high-ranking officials looked at each other, still unable to grasp the Ancestor's deep meaning.

Even the usually playful Guang Ling Douluo could not help but gasp.

"This is too risky."

Mighty Lion Douluo nodded: "Indeed. If we tell him such things in the future, what will happen? What if this child grows up to be just like his father? Aren't we just raising a white-eyed wolf in the heart of Martial Soul Hall?"

On the Douluo Continent, the word "lineage" is as heavy as Mount Tai.

Even if one's own family is despicable or sinful, even if one claims not to recognize their ancestors, the bond of blood cannot be severed. Furthermore, Tang Hao is his biological father and the Blue Silver Emperor is his biological mother. Once he learns the truth—that Martial Soul Hall "forced" his parents to their deaths and destroyed his home—who can guarantee he won't turn against them and become a second Tang Hao?

"Guang Ling is right."

Mighty Lion Douluo nodded heavily, echoing in a muffled voice, "How can we gamble on such a thing? Once he knows the truth, what then? If he starts a rebellion, are we old bones supposed to fight a second Tang Hao?"

"In my opinion, to prevent any trouble, we should just throw him into a manure pit and drown him. That would settle it once and for all!" Thousand Jun Douluo slammed his Coiling Dragon Staff onto the floor, causing the ground to tremble slightly, and spoke in a gruff voice.

Falling Devil Douluo then spoke: "I'm afraid if he finds out later, he might say something like, 'Why can't humans be slaughtered and eaten?'"

This statement made everyone gasp in fear.

What kind of heaven-defying, anti-human remark was this?

Fortunately, it was a comparison made by one of their own kind to their own kind. If Tang San were to say it himself in the future, wouldn't that be a disaster?

This uncertain factor, they truly dared not gamble on it.

In the end, would they kill or not kill?

Bibi Dong simply smiled: "Everyone, please rest assured. The Old Ancestor said this child is absolutely different. I believe in the Old Ancestor, don't you?"

Did they dare not believe?

No matter what, they did not dare to be disrespectful to the Old Ancestor.

Even if their hearts were pounding, even if they felt it was a risk, they would never dare to show the slightest disrespect to the Old Ancestor's decision.

Golden Crocodile Douluo sighed deeply, cupped his hands towards Bibi Dong, his aged voice filled with helplessness: "Since it is the Old Ancestor's will, we will naturally obey with all our might. However, Adjudicator Elder, this child's upbringing must be foolproof, absolutely no mistakes are allowed. If there is even the slightest sign of deviation, we must be prepared in advance."

Bibi Dong nodded faintly: "I will."

Finally, Qian Daoliu solemnly confirmed it.