Flender spoke politely, but there was a trace of wariness in his voice.
Bibi Dong, however, didn't even glance at him. Her condescending gaze remained fixed on the petite figure huddled behind Tang San.
"Leave that girl here."
Bibi Dong raised a slender, fair finger and pointed straight at Xiao Wu from across the distance.
At once, the gazes of more than twenty thousand spectators converged on the Shrek Academy team once again.
Tang San's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
Without a moment's hesitation, almost on instinct, he stepped forward and shielded Xiao Wu behind his not especially broad shoulders.
"Your Holiness, Xiao Wu is my younger sister."
Tang San gritted his teeth and spoke against the immense pressure. His voice was dry, but carried a steely resolve.
"She was seriously injured in today's competition. She's extremely weak and needs to go back for treatment."
"What has she done to warrant Your Holiness personally ordering her detention?"
Yu Xiaogang hurried forward as well.
He believed that, given his history with Bibi Dong and the Elder Token from Spirit Hall in his possession, she would at least show him some respect.
"Bibi Dong!"
Yu Xiaogang raised his head and stared directly at the Pope on the high platform, demanding loudly,
"The tournament is over. Shrek Academy came here to compete as representatives of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"As the Pope of Spirit Hall, you're making things difficult for an injured child in full view of everyone. Aren't you afraid that Soul Masters across the continent will mock you? Aren't you afraid of tarnishing the reputation Spirit Hall has built over the centuries?"
Yu Xiaogang spoke with righteous indignation, hoping to pressure Bibi Dong into backing down with public opinion and the weight of the situation.
A heavy look of disgust flashed across Bibi Dong's face as she listened to Yu Xiaogang's accusations.
Toward the man she had once loved and hated, but now viewed only with contempt and scorn for his cowardice, she didn't even feel like sparing a single word.
"Reputation?"
A trace of disdain flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.
"Since when does a level-twenty-nine weakling like you get to tell me what to do?"
"Officer, stand down."
"Elder Ju, Ghost Elder, take action. Seize that girl!"
Bibi Dong's voice was firm.
"Understood!"
Yue Guan and Gui Mei didn't hesitate for a moment.
The two Titled Douluo streaked through the air like twin beams of light and landed in front of the Shrek group almost in the blink of an eye.
Terrifying Soul Power swept outward like raging waves.
Nine dazzling Soul Rings alternately glimmered beneath each of them, radiating a suffocating pressure.
Flender and Zhao Wuji instantly went pale.
Against two renowned Titled Douluo, their strength as Seven-Ring Soul Sages was utterly insignificant.
But as the academy's teachers, they couldn't stand by and watch their students be taken away.
Flender gritted his teeth and unleashed his Four-Eyed Owl Martial Soul. Seven Soul Rings rose around him.
Zhao Wuji roared as well, his Vajra Bear Martial Soul instantly enveloping him. His face grim, he stood in front of the children.
"Your Holiness, this is going too far!"
Flender gritted his teeth, braced against the terrifying pressure threatening to crush his bones, and protested loudly.
Tang San clenched his fists even tighter, like a beast driven into a corner.
Inside his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, countless Hidden Weapons were ready to fly.
His right hand had even slipped to the small of his back, prepared to summon his Clear Sky Hammer at any moment.
Anyone who wanted to take Xiao Wu would have to step over his dead body!
Meanwhile, Ning Fengzhi, watching from the stands, knitted his brows tightly.
Whatever else could be said about Shrek Academy, it had competed as a representative of the Heaven Dou Empire.
If Spirit Hall could simply seize its people here in Spirit City for no reason, what would become of the empire's dignity?
And what would become of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's authority?
He glanced at Emperor Xue Ye and saw that the emperor's expression had turned grim.
Ning Fengzhi knew he had to step in.
Holding the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Staff, he slowly rose from his seat in the VIP stands.
"Your Holiness, please hold your hand."
Ning Fengzhi spoke in an elegant voice, yet there was a weight to it that could not be ignored.
"Shrek Academy represents the Heaven Dou Empire. Even if this child has done something wrong, she should be judged according to the empire's laws."
"Isn't it inappropriate for Spirit Hall to seize someone in full view of everyone? At the very least, the Soul Masters here deserve a reasonable explanation."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin took half a step forward.
His fingers, withered as old wood, remained on the hilt of the Seven Kill Sword.
But in that instant, the sword intent within him burst forth.
An invisible greatsword seemed poised to pierce the heavens, tearing open a gap in the pressure Yue Guan and Gui Mei had imposed on the Shrek group.
Emperor Xue Ye spoke with a grim expression as well. "Pope, I also want a reasonable explanation."
"The students of the Heaven Dou Empire can't just be taken away by anyone."
Faced with the combined pressure from Ning Fengzhi and Emperor Xue Ye,
Bibi Dong stood at the edge of the high platform. Not only did she show no sign of retreating, but an inscrutable smile appeared on her noble, stunning face.
Her gaze, laden with mockery, slowly swept over Ning Fengzhi before finally settling on Emperor Xue Ye.
"A reasonable explanation?"
"Sect Master Ning, Your Majesty. You keep insisting she's a student of the empire, a hope for humanity."
Bibi Dong's voice suddenly rose.
Amplified by Soul Power, her clear voice boomed like rolling thunder over the vast plaza of Spirit City.
"But have you truly seen what she is?"
As soon as the words fell,
Bibi Dong gave no one else time to react.
She swung her fair right hand sharply, bringing the Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor Scepter down hard against the ground once more.
A strange pinkish-purple ring of light spread rapidly across the plaza, like ripples on the surface of water.
It moved incredibly fast.
In the blink of an eye, it swept over the Shrek group.
The moment the pinkish-purple light passed through Xiao Wu's body,
"Crack—"
A crisp sound, like shattering glass, rang out from Xiao Wu's embrace.
The Lovesick Heartbreak Red she had used to conceal her aura could no longer withstand the domineering burst of Soul Power unleashed by a Titled Douluo.
With that crack,
an immense life force beyond description erupted from Xiao Wu's petite body, like a volcano dormant for ten thousand years suddenly awakening.
"Boom!"
The energy wasn't destructive or aggressive. It was a pure, primal aura, rich with the fresh scent of forest plants and trees.
It was at once immense and wild.
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