Sanctimonious Hypocrite!

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

Either of these treasures would be enough to drive any Titled Douluo on the continent mad.

And now, the person who possessed both stood right before her, within arm's reach.

But...

Bibi Dong's gaze flickered slightly.

After all, she was the Pope of Spirit Hall. She hadn't secured this position through strength alone.

This had happened too suddenly, too conveniently.

That little girl had remained hidden in Spirit Hall for so long without being exposed, only to have her identity revealed at the very last moment of the Soul Master Tournament.

And it had happened under the Healing Halo of Ning Fengzhi, the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

Could someone have engineered this deliberately?

Was someone using Spirit Hall's hand to eliminate this Soul Beast, while also deepening the rift between Spirit Hall and Star Dou Forest?

There was more than one Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in Star Dou Forest.

The Sky Azure Bull Python, the Titan Giant Ape, and those ancient beings hidden in the depths of the forest...

When Bibi Dong had hunted another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, she had concealed the news quite cleverly.

But this time, it had happened in full view of everyone.

If they decided that Spirit Hall had deliberately hunted this Soft Bone Charm Rabbit who had taken human form and launched a massive attack, then even with Spirit Hall's deep reserves, it would inevitably pay a price.

Bibi Dong furrowed her brow in thought, fingers tapping slowly against the armrest of the Pope's throne. She was taking her time issuing an order.

Tang San took it all in.

Struggling to hold up his weakened body, he lowered his head, a cold smile tugging at his lips.

The Pope, renowned across the continent, was still hesitating at a time like this?

Tang San had only four words for it:

Indecisive and weak!

If that was the case, then he'd give her a little push.

Tang San took a deep breath, his face once more settling into that pale yet resolute expression.

Dragging his weakened body, he walked step by step to where the young Spirit Hall contestants lay. He bent down and pressed his palm against the wounds left by the Eight Spider Lances.

"I'll detoxify them."

His voice was low and sincere, as if he were making amends for some wrong.

The spectators around them were moved.

This young man had just fought with all his might to defeat his opponents, yet now he was ignoring his own injuries to detoxify and treat them. What an open heart and noble bearing!

No one noticed the faint, shadowy light glimmering deep in Tang San's palm as it touched their wounds.

The poison from the Eight Spider Lances was drawn out of the wounds, thread by thread, making it look like a genuine detoxification.

But even as the poison was drawn away, a far more insidious power seeped through his palm and into the contestants' bodies.

The young Spirit Hall contestants were already gravely injured and unconscious. They felt a warm current flow through them, and their brows relaxed, making it seem as though the poison was being purged.

In truth, their life force was being drained away, thread by thread, like grass and trees slowly withering.

On the high platform, Bibi Dong's eyelid twitched.

How keen were the senses of a Titled Douluo? The young contestants' life force was slipping away almost imperceptibly, but how could it escape her notice?

Their life force was being absorbed!

Even if it was only a tiny amount, for these young people it meant their foundation for future cultivation might suffer irreversible damage.

It was one thing for the promising talents Spirit Hall had spent countless resources training to be utterly defeated in a match. But now their future foundations were being hollowed out, too?

An inexplicable fury suddenly flared in Bibi Dong's heart.

She snapped her head up, her gaze sharp as lightning as it fell on Xiao Wu once more.

Give her a little push?

Tang San's little push had not only burned away Bibi Dong's retreat, but her reason as well.

To hell with her misgivings.

To hell with her schemes.

Spirit Hall had already suffered a humiliating loss today.

It had lost face, and its promising talents had been ruined.

If she let this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast slip away when it had practically been delivered to her door, what kind of Pope would Bibi Dong be?

"Give the order. Seal the hall!"

As Bibi Dong's voice fell, heavy footsteps sounded from the side doors on all four sides of the hall.

Spirit Hall's officials and Hall Guard Knights swiftly formed ranks, surrounding the resplendent hall until not even a drop of water could pass through.

The clanging of swords being drawn rose and fell, and the cold gleam of metal joined together beneath the candlelight like a river of ice.

Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang whipped around, astonishment filling his usually calm eyes.

"What do you mean?!"

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing all sprang into action.

They quickly closed ranks, forming a tight circle around Tang San.

Dai Mubai clenched both fists, Tiger Roar Soul Power surging through his body as he glared furiously at the high platform with his tiger-like eyes.

But Bibi Dong's gaze didn't fall on a single one of them.

She was looking at Xiao Wu.

Her eyes held a trace of condescending amusement.

"I can't believe you dared to come to Spirit Hall. Letting you escape last time was already an act of immense mercy on my part. Who gave you the nerve to come back now?"

Xiao Wu clenched her fists, breathing hard, her nails nearly digging into her palms.

She knew exactly what Bibi Dong meant.

That hunt, that rainy night—shattered fragments of the memory flashed through her mind.

She bit her lip and said nothing, her eyes burning like flames.

Just then, a hand gently patted Dai Mubai on the shoulder.

"Big brother, don't ask."

Tang San's voice was low and hoarse, weakened by his grave injuries, yet tinged with an indescribable sorrow.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Xiao Wu with a complicated expression. His lips trembled slightly, as though he were making an agonizing decision.

"Xiao Wu... isn't human."

Xiao Wu's body stiffened.

She turned around and stared straight at Tang San with her beautiful eyes.

He had known all along that she was a Soul Beast?

When had he found out? How long had he known?

Countless questions exploded in Xiao Wu's mind. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but not a single word came out.

She didn't know whether to explain or apologize.

Or ask him why, even after learning the truth, he had still chosen to stay by her side.

But she had no time to think it through.

Before she could utter a single word, Tang San had already stepped out of the protective circle formed by the Shrek group, placing his slender figure between her and the others.

His still-healing body staggered slightly, but he took that step with absolute determination.

Tang San's back wasn't particularly broad, yet at that moment he had the bearing of a man holding the pass against an entire army.

Though the Eight Spider Lances had shattered, his spine remained ramrod straight.

"Bibi Dong."

Tang San raised his head and met the Pope's gaze on the high platform without fear.

His voice wasn't loud, yet it rang clearly in every corner of the great hall.

"If you want to capture Xiao Wu, you'll have to step over my dead body!"