Tang San's Hypocrisy!

Tang Xiao's voice echoed through the empty street like the tolling of a funeral bell, each peal striking Ma Hongjun's heart.

Ma Hongjun no longer even had the strength to scream. His Soul Power had completely vanished, leaving him a cripple with no cultivation whatsoever.

The Evil Fire inside him had burned through every meridian in his body, and even his bones had begun to melt in the intense heat.

"Please... kill me... just give me a quick death..."

Ma Hongjun used the last of his strength to plead weakly.

The torment of being consumed by his own power, unable to live or die, was more terrifying than any torture in the world.

Tang Xiao looked at him impassively and shook his head.

"A quick death?"

"You're thinking too simply."

Tang Xiao casually swept his right hand, and an invisible force sank into the earth.

In an instant, countless golden-blue strands of Blue Silver Grass began growing wildly in the soil around the pit.

These strands were nothing like ordinary soft grass. They were more like sharp vines, piercing into Ma Hongjun's body.

"Ah!"

Ma Hongjun let out another feeble scream, his body convulsing violently.

He could feel the Blue Silver Grass frantically devouring the flesh and blood left in his body, along with the savage Evil Fire.

The Phoenix Evil Fire that could melt even steel was assimilated and absorbed the moment it touched the Blue Silver Grass, its Supreme Life Origin turning it into nourishment for the grass.

Under their feeding, Ma Hongjun's body rapidly shriveled.

In just a few breaths, Ma Hongjun's life was gone, and his body became a desiccated skeleton.

At last, a gentle breeze swept over the bones, and they silently crumbled into dust, scattering on the wind.

Ma Hongjun, the Phoenix Douluo and one of the Shrek Seven Devils, had vanished from the world, leaving not a trace behind.

With Ma Hongjun dead, the Blue Silver Grass that had pierced his body slowly retreated underground.

All that remained around the pit was a patch of lush, golden-blue grass, its faint fragrance washing away the stench of blood and burning flesh that had filled the air.

Tang Xiao turned to look at the father and daughter, who had been frozen with terror for some time.

He walked over to them. Looking at the still-trembling girl, he gave her a gentle smile.

"It's all right now."

Tang Xiao spoke softly, his voice carrying a soothing power.

He gently brushed a hand through the air, and a wisp of pure Life Divine Power flowed into the old man's body.

The old man had been kicked by Ma Hongjun and left grievously wounded, on the verge of death and coughing up blood without pause. Nourished by this power, his complexion immediately grew rosy.

Unable to believe it, he moved his body and discovered that his injuries had completely healed. Even the chronic ailments that had plagued him for years had vanished, and he felt stronger than before.

"Thank you, immortal, for saving our lives!"

The old man took his daughter's hand and dropped to his knees again, knocking his head against the ground again and again, his eyes full of gratitude and awe.

To them, the handsome young man in white was an all-powerful immortal.

Tang Xiao lifted them with a gentle force, stopping them from bowing any further.

"Take your father and leave Wind Stone City. Go south; you'll find a place to settle there."

Tang Xiao gave them a quiet reminder.

The Blue Silver Empire had now unified the Sun Moon Continent and was expanding into the Douluo Continent. The south was within the Blue Silver Empire's sphere of influence.

There, ordinary people could live in peace and contentment. Nothing like what happened in the Heaven Dou Empire—where Titled Douluo were allowed to oppress the common folk—would ever happen.

The girl gazed at Tang Xiao's handsome, otherworldly face. A flash of admiration crossed her eyes, and she lowered her head shyly, replying softly, "Thank you, young master. I'll remember."

Tang Xiao nodded without saying anything more.

He turned to look at the soldiers sprawled on the ground.

At Tang Xiao's gaze, the commander shuddered and frantically kowtowed, cold sweat covering his forehead.

"Spare us, my lord! I was only following orders. I meant no offense!"

Tang Xiao looked at him and spoke coolly. "Take your men and get out."

"Yes, yes! We'll leave at once! Thank you for sparing my life, my lord!"

The commander, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to his feet and fled the street in a wretched state with the remaining soldiers, wishing he had two extra legs.

Soon, the once-bustling street fell silent again, with only the breeze stirring the golden-blue grass by the roadside.

Tang Xiao stood with his hands behind his back and looked toward Jialing Pass in the distance.

He could sense two powerful divine forces clashing fiercely in the void there, stirring up violent fluctuations in the energy of the world.

Those were the powers of Qian Renxue and Tang San.

"Xue'er, wait for me."

Tang Xiao murmured to himself. A gentle look flashed in his eyes, soon replaced by a cold one.

His figure wavered, and he merged into the void, disappearing without a trace.

When he appeared again, he was already high above the ground, a hundred li away.

Moving at a terrifying speed, he crossed layer upon layer of space and raced toward the battlefield at Jialing Pass.

Meanwhile, the battle at Jialing Pass had reached its most critical moment.

In the sky, golden and blue light split the heavens in two. The terrifying aftershocks of divine power made the million-strong army below tremble.

Tang San held the Seagod Trident and clashed fiercely with Qian Renxue in midair.

Every collision shook heaven and earth.

The wind howled past Tang Xiao's ears.

His figure darted through the void. Each step he took distorted and overlapped space.

He did not activate any flight Soul Skill. Merely relying on his command over the laws of the world, gained through a million years of cultivation, he had reached the realm of traversing a thousand miles in a single step.

"Almost there, Xue'er."

Tang Xiao whispered to himself.

He could clearly feel the Angel Divine Power that belonged to Qian Renxue surging violently in the distance. She was evidently locked in an extremely grueling battle.

Besides Qian Renxue's aura, there was another force that filled him with loathing.

It was the vast Sea God Divine Power—the power of Tang San.

"Tang San, you call yourself the Sea God, yet you trample this land without restraint."

"Today, you and your father will pay your debt."

A merciless glint flashed in Tang Xiao's eyes.

He would never forget the look of disgust and coldness in Tang Hao's eyes when he had just been born.

Because he carried the bloodline of a Soul Beast and his true form was Blue Silver Grass, his own father had coldly abandoned him on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

If he hadn't been lucky, if he hadn't awakened the Seclusion System, he would have become food for the Soul Beasts long ago.

But now, he was a million-year Blue Silver Emperor, possessed the Supreme Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, and ruled the Blue Silver Empire, which had unified the Sun Moon Continent!

And his father Tang Hao, who had abandoned him, and his younger brother Tang San, hailed as the darling of heaven, were still sowing slaughter across this land for the sake of empty fame and power.

"King... we're in so much pain..."

"The earth is burning, and our life force is fading..."

Just then, countless faint, jumbled voices flowed through the veins of the earth and entered Tang Xiao's mind.

They came from the Blue Silver Grass spread across the entire Douluo Continent, crying out to their king.

For this war, the Heaven Dou Empire's army had trampled countless plants. During the battle, Tang San had also recklessly siphoned the life force of the surrounding Blue Silver Grass to replenish his own.

In Tang San's eyes, the Blue Silver Grass was nothing but fodder for his Soul Skills, a tool to be sacrificed whenever he pleased.

"I know."

Tang Xiao closed his eyes and soothed the tiny lives with his consciousness.

"I'm back. From now on, no one will trample you at will again."

"I'll make those who stole your life force repay it a thousandfold, ten thousandfold."

His voice was calm, yet carried an unshakable power. It raced along the veins of the earth and spread across the Douluo Continent in an instant.

In a flash, the Blue Silver Grass that had withered and trembled amid the flames of war fell silent.

They stopped crying and began to glow with a faint golden-blue light, as if welcoming their king's return.

Tang Xiao opened his eyes and looked straight toward the distant, towering fortress.

Jialing Pass was already close at hand.

By then, the battle before Jialing Pass had grown horrific beyond measure.

Countless corpses were piled beneath the city walls, and blood flowed in rivers, staining the dry ground a dark crimson.

Under Marshal Ge Long's command, the million-strong army of the Heaven Dou Empire launched wave after wave of fierce assaults.

The siege engines roared deafeningly, and countless arrows poured down on the city walls like a torrential rain.

On the walls, the defenders of the Spirit Hall Empire fought desperately, but they were still stretched to their limits in the face of the Heaven Dou Empire's overwhelming numerical advantage.

"Your Majesty, at this rate, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold Jialing Pass!"

A Spirit Hall Empire general, covered in blood, knelt before Bibi Dong, his voice full of panic and despair.

Bibi Dong was deathly pale, with a trace of blood still at the corner of her mouth.

In the battle earlier, Tang San had severely wounded her with the Seagod Trident. The Rakshasa Divine Power inside her was now flowing poorly, preventing her from fighting at full strength.

She looked up at the sky, a complicated look flashing in her eyes.

"Why are you panicking?"

"Xue'er is still fighting up there. As long as she doesn't fall, the Spirit Hall Empire still has hope."

Bibi Dong's voice was weak, but it still held the authority of a ruler.

In the Heaven Dou Empire's ranks, however, the mood was light.

"Teacher, it seems we're certain to win this war."

Standing beside Yu Xiaogang, Ning Fengzhi smiled as he watched the golden and blue figures clashing repeatedly in the sky.

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, a smug smile on his face.

"Of course. Little San is now the exalted Sea God, and he wields the divine artifact, the Seagod Trident."

"Though Qian Renxue is a god as well, her Angel Godhood lacks a solid foundation, and her state of mind is flawed. She can't possibly defeat Little San."

"Once Little San defeats Qian Renxue, the Spirit Hall Empire will crumble in an instant, and our Heaven Dou Empire will welcome true peace."

Yu Xiaogang spoke at length, brimming with pride and faith in Tang San.

"Master is absolutely right."

The generals nearby chimed in, looking at Yu Xiaogang with reverence.

But just then, Dai Mubai frowned and stared at the ground in confusion.

"Master, look at the grass."

"Something's... wrong with it."

At Dai Mubai's words, Yu Xiaogang paused and looked down.

The Blue Silver Grass around the battlefield, which had been battered by the flames of war, was now standing tall again.

Unaffected by the divine power fluctuations in the sky and ignoring the earth-shaking cries of battle around them, the strands bent in unison toward the south and bowed.

"What... what's going on?"

Yu Xiaogang furrowed his brow. His knowledge raced through his mind, but he could find no theory to explain this phenomenon.

"Little San is the Blue Silver Emperor, and he's up there in the sky. Why aren't these Blue Silver Grass bowing to him? Why are they kneeling toward the south instead?"

Ning Fengzhi's expression grew solemn as well.

"Could there be someone coming this way from the south who's even more powerful than Lord Sea God?"

Hearing Ning Fengzhi's words, Yu Xiaogang immediately shook his head and rejected the idea.

"Impossible! Little San is already a god! How could anyone on this continent be stronger than a god?"

"These Blue Silver Grass are just ordinary plants. Perhaps some unusual Soul Power fluctuation is affecting them. There's no need to make a fuss."

Though he said that, a powerful unease rose in Yu Xiaogang's heart all the same.

He clenched his fists without thinking, staring fixedly toward the south, but he could see nothing.

Not far from Yu Xiaogang, the other members of the Shrek Seven Devils had gathered together as well.

Ning Rongrong held Oscar's hand, worry written across her delicate face.

"Xiao Ao, I don't know why, but my heart's pounding so fast. I can't shake the feeling something big is about to happen."

Oscar gently patted the back of her hand and reassured her.

"Rongrong, don't let your imagination run wild. Third Brother is the Sea God now, and he's pressing Qian Renxue hard in the sky. What could possibly happen?"

"But..."

Ning Rongrong looked up at the enormous Golden Ranking List in the sky, still feeling uneasy.

Above them, the battle between the gods had reached its most critical moment.

"Qian Renxue, you're obstinate to the end!"

Tang San held the Seagod Trident, his blue hair flying in the wind as boundless Sea God Divine Power radiated from him.

Every swing carried the force of a landslide and an overturning sea, driving Qian Renxue back again and again.

Qian Renxue wore the Angel Divine Raiment. The six golden wings on her back had grown dim, but she gritted her teeth and wielded the Angel Holy Sword, filling the sky with golden light as she desperately held off Tang San's attacks.

"The Spirit Hall Empire has done every evil imaginable. It deserves to fall!"

"I stand for justice. Today, I will wipe out an evil Angel God like you!"

Tang San's voice rang with arrogance and righteousness, as though he were the savior of the world.

Qian Renxue sneered. Her face was pale, but her eyes brimmed with contempt and mockery.

"Justice? Tang San, you dare talk about justice?"

"How many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts have you slaughtered for your own selfish ends?"

"To become a god, you dragged countless people across this continent into war, leaving them homeless and tearing their families apart."

"The justice you speak of is nothing but a fig leaf, hiding your selfishness and ambition!"

At Qian Renxue's words, Tang San's expression darkened, and the killing intent in his eyes grew stronger.

"Those who achieve great things don't sweat the small stuff."

"As long as I can unite the continent and lead humanity toward prosperity, what do a few sacrifices matter?"

"As for those Soul Beasts, they're resources for Soul Masters to cultivate. It's their good fortune to become part of my Godhood!"

Tang San spoke with self-righteous conviction, his words full of disdain and coldness toward Soul Beasts.