Watching the ground, wet with tears, Tang Ya rubbed her already reddened eyes and forced a faint smile. "Hehe, let's not talk about those unhappy things anymore."
She gave the new-type Storage Soul Tool in her hand a little shake, a hint of delight appearing between her brows. Smugly, she said, "Pretty, right? Gui Yun gave it to Xiao Ya!"
At the mention of Mu Guiyun, the sorrow in Tang Ya's heart vanished in an instant. Even the corners of her mouth couldn't help lifting into a smile. "Oh, right, Gui Yun is Xiao Ya's very best friend!"
"Ever since the day we met, Gui Yun has always looked after me. It's just... it seems he only thinks of Xiao Ya as a good friend."
As she said this, Tang Ya's tone grew a little more accepting. "That's true. Gui Yun is a once-in-thousands-of-years genius on this continent. How could he ever fall for someone like me?"
"But I can't accept it..."
Thinking of her parents' deaths and all the moments she'd shared with Mu Guiyun, a surge of unwillingness rose in Tang Ya's heart.
"As long as I can gain power, I'm willing to pay any price!"
Tang Ya pressed her lips together, her longing for power reaching its peak.
As if it had heard the obsession deep in her heart, a seductive voice suddenly exploded in Tang Ya's mind.
"Do you... truly desire power that badly?"
The unexpected voice made Tang Ya freeze. She hurriedly turned to look around, but the bamboo grove remained deserted. A flicker of wariness rose in her heart, and she instinctively clenched the jade slip in her hand.
"Who... who's speaking?"
"Heh, who I am doesn't matter. All you need to know is that I have the power you desire most!"
The voice whispered like a devil at Tang Ya's ear, relentlessly tempting her.
Power...
Tang Ya swallowed, then quietly took half a step back with her little feet.
"No need, thank you!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Ya turned and ran.
Mu Guiyun had warned her many times: if she ever encountered anything strange or anyone strange while out and about, she had to stay away.
"No need? Hehehe."
Watching Tang Ya flee, the eerie voice wasn't surprised in the least. Instead, it gave a soft chuckle. "I, The Emperor, can guarantee that if you leave like this today, it'll be the most regrettable decision of your life!"
Regret? I'd regret it if I listened to you! I, the Sect Master, can tell at a glance you're no good!
Ignoring the voice, Tang Ya quickened her pace even more.
"Don't you want revenge for your parents? Accept me, and I'll grant you boundless power!"
Revenge...
Thinking of the Tang Sect's stolen legacy and the blood feud over her parents' deaths, Tang Ya's steps gradually slowed.
"And then there's that... Gui Yun? I can tell you seem to like him very much. What a pity, though. How could a genius ever allow himself to be with a good-for-nothing? Hehehe!"
By the end, the voice had taken on a hint of emotion. It sounded like mockery, or perhaps it was mocking itself.
At the mention of Mu Guiyun, Tang Ya slowed further and further, until she finally stopped in her tracks.
Tang Ya knew all too well what her talent was like.
She might have reached the two-ring level at such a young age, but with a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, cultivation would only grow harder as her Soul Power Level increased. She might not even manage to graduate from Shrek Outer Court.
At the thought, a bitter smile crept onto Tang Ya's lips.
She was just a little scatterbrained and spoke without thinking. She wasn't actually stupid.
Mu Guiyun had been able to bring an outsider to the third floor of the Treasure Pavilion. His identity was already clear enough. He would certainly stay at Shrek Academy in the future.
But what about her?
Where could she go after leaving Shrek Academy?
As if it could read Tang Ya's thoughts, the voice whispered temptingly in her ear again. "You have nothing left to lose anyway. Why not give it a try?"
"A Titled Douluo lives a very long time. That person you spoke of will one day be with another woman, marry her, have children, and live out his life happily."
"And you? You'll only be like a mouse, watching it all in silence from a corner, until you finally turn to a mound of yellow earth."
"Of course, he might occasionally remember that he once had a good friend like you. But that's all it'll ever be. Hehehe~"
The eerie voice ruthlessly prodded at the softest place in Tang Ya's heart, leaving her dazed for a moment.
That was true. She had nothing left anyway, so why not give it a try?
Having made up her mind, Tang Ya looked into the depths of the bamboo grove and raised the jade slip, trying to sound fierce as she threatened, "I-I... I'm warning you, don't try anything funny, or Gui Yun will come riding on seven-colored clouds to save me!"
"Hehehe, he really is a good friend of yours."
The voice's undisguised mockery made Tang Ya lower her head.
"Come with me."
With determination on her face, Tang Ya followed the voice deeper into the bamboo grove, finally stopping in front of a hidden cave.
"How come I don't remember there being a cave here?"
Tang Ya blinked in confusion. When she'd buried her parents, she had searched every inch of the bamboo grove.
At her words, the voice spoke again, brimming with arrogance. "Heh, if I wish it, no one in this world can find this place."
"Go inside. It's in there."
Not a single ray of sunlight shone into the cave, yet Tang Ya could still see her surroundings clearly.
The strange sight filled Tang Ya with unease, but she didn't back down. Gritting her teeth, she headed straight toward the depths of the cave.
After who knew how long, the passage suddenly opened up onto a broad, empty space. But the sight before Tang Ya left her too stunned to speak.
In the center of the clearing stood a dilapidated statue, clearly worn by countless years.
The statue's surface was covered in cracks, its edges battered and chipped. Its original appearance was long lost, and all three pairs of wings on its back had broken off, leaving it with an eerie, ancient air.
Behind the statue stood an old, unadorned altar.
Right in the center of the altar lay a fearsome-looking scythe. Its entire surface shimmered with a deep black-purple glow, as if wisps of black smoke were rising from it. The terrifying aura it gave off made Tang Ya's heart pound just to look at it.
"Where are we?"
Tang Ya swallowed. She couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't exactly a respectable place...
"Where we are doesn't matter. What matters is that it can give you unprecedented power!"
"Go pick it up."
The voice was clearly referring to the scythe on the altar, wreathed in wisps of black smoke.
After hesitating for a moment, Tang Ya nodded firmly.
"Let's do it. Worst comes to worst, I die!"