"I'm not crazy."
"Ah Yin, listen to me."
"His strength is immense, and his talent is unparalleled throughout history. The power of his bloodline surges like the sea."
"As long as I kill him, drain his bloodline, and take the endless resources he controls, I'll be able to bring you back to life."
"I want you to become whole again, not remain a plant that can only hide in the darkness!"
Ah Yin was overcome with grief and despair.
"No! I will never let you do this!"
"He's my son, the flesh and blood I risked my life to give birth to!"
"I'd rather be a plant for the rest of my life, or wither and die this very instant, than trade my son's life for my own!"
"Tang Hao, if you dare lay a finger on him, I will never forgive you!"
The blades of grass drooped weakly to the ground, their crystalline glow growing dim.
Ah Yin was crying. Her voiceless grief filled the entire stone chamber.
Tang Hao rose to his feet and looked down at the Blue Silver Grass.
His expression did not change at all, and his tone remained flat.
"Think whatever you like, but I've made up my mind."
"I have no feelings for him."
"When he was just born, we were hunted by Spirit Hall. Though Qian Xunji is to blame for that blood feud, I lost you because of him."
"I haven't raised him for a single day all these years."
"In my heart, only Xiao San is my son. He's nothing but a stranger with a treasure trove inside him."
"If it can bring you back to life, I wouldn't even furrow my brow at killing a son I've never met, let alone wiping out everyone in the world."
With that, Tang Hao turned and strode toward the curtain of water.
He paid no heed to the Blue Silver Grass behind him, trembling wildly as it begged him desperately.
In a flash, he passed through the waterfall and disappeared into the night.
The moon was dark, and the wind howled.
In a small grove behind Shrek Academy.
Tang San sat cross-legged on the ground, circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
Sweat trickled down his cheeks, and a large patch of his clothes was already soaked through.
Lately, he had been training even harder than before, almost to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep.
A faint breeze swept over the treetops.
Tang San's eyes snapped open, and he warily looked ahead.
Tang Hao emerged slowly from the shadows, dressed in his ragged black robe.
"Father."
Seeing who it was, Tang San quickly stood and brushed the dirt from his clothes.
Tang Hao looked Tang San up and down.
Seeing his younger son looking weary yet determined, his eyes softened.
"How has your cultivation been going lately?"
Tang Hao walked over and sat beside a large rock, asking casually.
Tang San sighed, unable to hide his disappointment.
"I've hit a bottleneck."
"Everyone's training desperately, but we're still making very slow progress."
"Especially Mubai and Hongjun. Ever since that Tang Yu forcibly took Zhu Zhuqing away, they've been burning with anger."
"The atmosphere at the academy has been oppressive."
"The teachers are at their wits' end, too."
Tang San paused, then continued to report what he had heard lately.
"Oh, right, Father. We've received word from the Northwest Three Provinces."
"Tang Yu, who was recently granted the title of Prince Wuyang, is holding a grand banquet at the Blue Silver King Mansion and has invited forces from all over the land."
"Grandmaster went to see Senior Liu Erlong earlier, hoping to ask her to get Zhu Zhuqing back, but he failed."
"Everyone at Shrek Academy is torn now. We don't know whether we should go to the banquet and see what happens, or look for a chance to sound them out."
Tang Hao let out a cold laugh.
"Go and see what happens? With the little strength you have now, you'd be walking to your deaths."
"This isn't a game you can afford to play."
"That Tang Yu just made an example of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to establish his power. This banquet is a test of obedience."
"If you go, all you can do is bow your heads and act like obedient lackeys. Instead of wasting your time on that, you'd be better off running a few more laps around the training grounds."
"You don't need to go, and neither does anyone else from Shrek."
Tang San clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
"I can't accept this!"
"Father, the Shrek Eight Devils were supposed to be a single unit, ready to live and die together."
"Now Zhuqing has fallen into the clutches of the enemy, and we don't even dare knock on their door."
"At the end of the day, we're just too weak. But we really lack top-tier cultivation resources."
"Just meditating and training in ordinary simulated environments won't let us catch up to the core disciples of those great sects, let alone fight Tang Yu, who commands an army and is richer than a kingdom."
The more Tang San spoke, the more aggrieved he felt. His eyes even reddened.
Looking at his son's dejected expression, Tang Hao immediately formed a plan.
That eldest son he had never met was now a walking treasure vault.
He had brought the richest sect in the Heaven Dou Empire, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, under his control and seized the Northwest Three Provinces.
Who knew how many rare treasures he had in his hands?
If Tang Yu were killed, his life could be used to revive Ah Yin and restore her.
And all that wealth and the vast supply of cultivation resources could be used to pave the way for Xiao San!
It was a gift from heaven.
Tang Hao stood up and gave Tang San's shoulder a heavy pat.
"You don't need to worry about resources."
"Leave everything to me."
"Since he's holding a grand banquet at the Blue Silver King Mansion, I'll go there myself."
"I'll bring back enough cultivation resources for you and your companions to make rapid progress in a short time."
Tang San looked up in surprise.
"Father, you're going to the banquet yourself? But Tang Yu—"
"Just stay at the academy and focus on your cultivation."
Tang Hao cut him off.
"Remember, you mustn't set foot in the Northwest Three Provinces without my permission."
"Once I've infiltrated the banquet and taken care of things, all your problems will be solved when I get back."
Without even saying goodbye, Tang Hao sprang into the air.
He soared like a night bird, vanishing into the vast darkness after only a few bounds.
Tang San was left standing there alone, his face full of confusion.
He didn't understand why his father would go to such a dangerous place himself.
But since his father had made a promise, he must have been absolutely certain he could do it.
Tang San took a deep breath, sat cross-legged once more, and continued cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
A towering, precipitous mountain peak soared into the clouds, shrouded in dark clouds all year round.
Every so often, thick bolts of lightning tore through the sky and struck the mountain's lightning-conducting formation, unleashing deafening booms.
This was the home of one of the Upper Three Sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
The atmosphere in the great hall atop the sect's main peak was oppressive beyond measure.
Yu Yuanzhen sat high on a massive throne of thunder and lightning, his beard and hair bristling as fury filled his face.
On the bluestone floor below, Yu Xiaogang stood stubbornly, neck craned as he argued his case.
"Father!"
Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists at his sides, his voice trembling slightly with emotion.
"That Tang Yu has gone too far!"