Xiao Wu: I just like Third Brother, so what? Gu Yuena: Shameless, traitor to the spirit beast race!

Xiao Wu spread her arms, using her seemingly fragile body to resolutely block the path in front of Tang San, facing the figure that stood like a god or demon.

Xiao Wu did not look at Gu Yuan.

The pressure Gu Yuan exerted upon her was truly too terrifying, leaving Xiao Wu without even the courage to look him in the eye.

Xiao Wu's gaze drifted past Gu Yuan, landing on the silver-haired woman standing behind him—Gu Yuena, whose beauty was not of this mortal world, her temperament cold, noble, and aloof.

The plea in her eyes was plain to see.

She could sense an aura emanating from that woman, one that made her feel both a sense of kinship and awe.

Kneeling on the ground, Tang San felt the familiar fragrance wafting from before him; he struggled to lift his head, only to see Xiao Wu's resolute back.

In an instant, his heart, which had already sunk into the abyss, felt as if it had been illuminated by a ray of warm light.

He had originally thought that after the Sky Screen revealed the cruel truth—that his father viewed Xiao Wu as a backup soul ring and soul bone—Xiao Wu would resent him, hate him, and never pay him any mind again.

Yet now, she had stood before him without a second thought.

The corners of Tang San's mouth curled upward involuntarily, blooming into a weak yet immensely joyful smile upon his dust-covered and disheveled face.

She still can't let me go... She still has me in her heart!

However, this smile of his caused the gaze of another to turn completely icy.

Gu Yuena stood quietly behind Gu Yuan. The look she had originally directed at Xiao Wu had contained a trace of complex emotion as a fellow Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, even a hint of an elder's scrutiny toward a junior.

But when she saw Xiao Wu defending the human who had put her in such peril without hesitation, and saw the gratified smile on the face of the human kneeling on the ground, the last shred of favor and pity Gu Yuena held for Xiao Wu vanished in an instant.

That was not love; that was stupidity.

That was a betrayal of their race!

"Heh..."

A faint, cold sneer escaped Gu Yuena's lips.

Xiao Wu shuddered, looking at her in astonishment.

There were no more ripples in Gu Yuena's purple eyes, only endless indifference and disappointment. She spoke coldly, her voice ringing clearly in Xiao Wu's ears:

"To think that little snake and that little monkey asked me to save you; I never expected that you would have completely defected to the human side by now!"

Little snake?

Little monkey?

Xiao Wu's mind buzzed, instantly thinking of the Sky Azure Bull Python Daming and the Titan Giant Ape Erming in the Star Dou Great Forest!

This woman... she knows Daming and Erming?!

And, they were the ones who asked her to save me?

But before Xiao Wu could make sense of the connection, the bone-chilling coldness in the second half of Gu Yuena's words washed over her like a basin of ice water, soaking her from head to toe.

"Completely defected to the human side..."

This sentence, like an invisible heavy hammer, struck Xiao Wu's heart with force.

Xiao Wu subconsciously looked back at Tang San kneeling behind her, then blankly at Gu Yuena, finding herself unable to formulate a rebuttal.

I only wanted to protect San... is that... wrong?

This question, laced with a sob, sounded exceptionally clear on the silent street.

Xiao Wu's body trembled slightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

She did not understand why this silver-haired woman, whose aura made her feel a sense of kinship, would look at her with such cold eyes and speak such hurtful words.

"I... I just like San, is that wrong?"

Xiao Wu gathered her courage and repeated it, her voice filled with grievance and confusion.

Hearing this, the disappointment in Gu Yuena's indifferent purple eyes deepened.

Gu Yuena took half a step forward, emerging from behind Gu Yuan; the invisible aura she projected caused the surrounding air to congeal.

"You like him?"

Gu Yuena's voice was as cold as ice, devoid of any emotion.

"It may seem like there is nothing wrong with that."

Gu Yuena paused, her gaze piercing Xiao Wu like a sharp sword, also sweeping over the bewildered Tang San behind her.

"But do not forget, the Sky Screen laid it out clearly."

"His father, Tang Hao, is the one who forced your mother, the Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin, onto the path of sacrifice step by step."

"Ah Yin's Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast soul ring and soul bone became the capital for Tang Hao to flaunt his combat power and shake the world!"

"And you."

Gu Yuena's gaze locked back onto Xiao Wu's pale face.

"You and Ah Yin are both Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and knowing full well that this father and son pair view you as a second Ah Yin—as a 'backup' soul ring and soul bone—what have you done?"

"You did not choose to leave, nor did you choose to seek justice for your kin or for your 'sister.'

Instead, you continue to stand before this human who views you as nothing more than prey, pleading for him, defending him!"

Gu Yuena's voice rose sharply, carrying the oppressive weight of dragon might that made Xiao Wu's very soul tremble.

"This is not love; it is self-degradation!

This is not kindness; it is a betrayal of the entire soul beast race!

In this light, you are nothing but a traitor, through and through!"

The word "traitor" struck Xiao Wu's mind like a thunderbolt from the heavens!

Xiao Wu froze, the color draining from her face until she was as pale as a sheet.

She opened her mouth, but no sound could escape.

Every word from Gu Yuena was like a sharp blade, piercing her most vulnerable spot and tearing all her justifications and excuses to shreds.

Following these words, a deathly silence fell over the scene.

The surrounding soul masters dared not even breathe, crushed by the sudden, earth-shattering revelations and the terrifying atmosphere that left them gasping for air.

As for Tang San, kneeling on the ground, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Tang San unleashed his Purple Demon Eye to its limit, desperately trying to discern the true nature of the man and woman before him.

Yet, no matter how he channeled his soul power, their figures remained shrouded in a thick, hazy mist, impossible to penetrate or even glimpse.

This feeling was even more helpless than facing a Titled Douluo!

Though, aside from Tang Hao, Tang San had never actually faced a Titled Douluo before.

Combining Xiao Wu's exposed identity as a soul beast with the silver-haired woman's mention of "little snake" and "little monkey," a terrifying thought instantly took root in Tang San's heart.

Could it be... that these two are not human at all?

Are they soul beasts as well?!

Could they be soul beasts that have taken human form?

And have they already cultivated to the level of Titled Douluo?

Tang San had no idea that Great Beasts could freely transform into human form.

This speculation left Tang San chilled to the bone, a despair even deeper than when he faced Gu Yuan surging into his heart.

If they were soul beasts, their purpose in appearing here today was self-evident.

They were here for Xiao Wu!

Yet, their attitude toward her was so cold...

Just as Tang San's mind was in turmoil, Gu Yuan finally spoke.

He ignored the kneeling Tang San and did not look at the devastated Xiao Wu, instead turning to gently take Na'er's hand, saying softly:

"Na'er, why lose your temper with such a dull-witted creature? It is not worth it."