Spirit Hall, Angel God Mountain.
This was the holiest place in Spirit Hall. Only the Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu, and Qian Renxue were allowed to set foot here.
Golden light poured down from the dome, illuminating the entire temple.
At its center stood a ten-zhang-tall statue of the Angel God, its six wings spread wide, its face sacred and dignified.
A golden-haired man knelt before the statue. He had handsome features and looked no older than thirty, but his eyes held the weight of a century of hardships.
The aura around him was gentle, warm as sunlight. He was Qian Daoliu, a Limit Douluo whose Soul Power had reached level 99.
"Respected Angel God, what are your instructions?"
Qian Daoliu's voice echoed through the empty temple.
He had sat in silent meditation here for three days and nights, waiting for the god's revelation.
The Angel God statue gave off a faint golden glow.
The light wasn't dazzling. Then a voice entered Qian Daoliu's mind directly. Its gender was impossible to discern; ethereal and distant, yet imbued with unquestionable authority.
"The tournament. Yang Teng. Have Xiao Xue get close to him, and she can avoid a life-and-death calamity in the future!"
Qian Daoliu's eyes snapped open.
"A life-and-death calamity?!"
The words burst from him, and his gentle aura suddenly surged. The air in the temple seemed to freeze.
"Who would threaten Xiao Xue? The Clear Sky Sect? Or Sea God Island?"
He forced his aura back under control, but shock churned within him like crashing waves.
Qian Renxue was his only granddaughter, the Angel Clan's last hope. He had also seen the potential within her.
But now, the Angel God had personally warned him that Qian Renxue would face a life-and-death calamity in the future?
The statue's golden light gradually dimmed, and the voice fell silent.
Qian Daoliu took a deep breath and knelt again in salute.
"Yes, respected Angel God!"
He rose slowly. His golden robes shimmered in the light, and his expression sharpened, turning from gentle to keen—the edge befitting a Peerless Douluo, invincible beneath the heavens.
"Yang Teng..."
He repeated the name under his breath.
"The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament... Xiao Xue must get close to him."
Though he didn't understand why, the god's instructions had to be obeyed. Qian Daoliu turned and left the temple.
At the same time, deep within Spirit Hall, in a dimly lit secret chamber,
purple liquid churned in a huge bath, giving off a strange fragrance and dense fluctuations of Soul Power.
A peerlessly beautiful woman soaked in the pool with her eyes closed, her long black hair spread around her like seaweed.
It was none other than Spirit Hall's pope, Bibi Dong.
She was naked, her skin fair and luminous, like a snow-capped mountain resting in stillness.
Several cocoons wrapped in spider silk hung above her. They vaguely resembled human figures, but no life remained in them. These were the Soul Masters she had devoured with Rakshasa Divine Power.
Bibi Dong suddenly opened her eyes.
Pain and struggle flashed in her purple eyes as a cold, piercing voice echoed again and again in her mind:
"Do not touch Yang Teng, or you will die!"
It was a warning from the Rakshasa God. Just moments ago, as she undertook the Nine Trials of Rakshasa, the warning had stabbed into her consciousness like a blade.
"Why...?"
Bibi Dong gritted her teeth. The purple liquid churned with her emotions.
"The Rakshasa God warned me before the tournament. Could Yang Teng really be no more than a junior taking part in the Soul Master Tournament?"
She pressed a hand to her forehead, her chest rising and falling faintly.
Bibi Dong's thoughts raced.
As she recalled, there really was a male student named Yang Teng on Skywater Academy's roster for the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament.
How could such a "junior" have drawn a personal warning from the Rakshasa God?
"Even the gods fear him..."
Bibi Dong murmured, her expression dark.
"Just what kind of background does he have?"
She thought of Qian Daoliu. That old man had seemed to be preparing for something lately. Could he have received a revelation from the Angel God, too?
Bibi Dong rose from the bath. Purple liquid slid down her perfect curves, and with a wave of her hand, an ornate papal robe settled over her.
"Yang Teng..."
She murmured the name, a complicated gleam flashing in her eyes.
"I'll see for myself just what kind of person you are."
Heaven Dou City, Shrek Academy.
On the training field, the Shrek Seven Devils were running through their final coordination drills.
Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun moved in perfect harmony, their Soul Power surging in waves.
Suddenly, a commotion rose from the academy gates.
"Tang San! Get out here, now!"
A haughty voice rang throughout the academy.
A young man in an extravagant brocade robe stood there, his expression arrogant. He was Liu Qingfeng, a prince of the Balak Kingdom.
At his side stood a middle-aged man in dark gold armor: Guardian Hand Iron Zhan, Iron Rock Douluo.
The Golden Iron Triangle immediately stepped in front of Tang San.
Flender pushed up his glasses, his face grave.
"Your Highness, we didn't know you were coming. What brings you here?"
Liu Qingfeng ignored him, staring fixedly at the man named Tang San.
After staring for a few seconds, he frowned, muttering to himself.
"Why does this Tang San look like this? He looks nothing like the man from that day..."
"You're Tang San?"
Liu Qingfeng asked.
"That's right."
Tang San stepped forward, neither servile nor overbearing.
"What business do you have with me, Your Highness?"
"What business?"
Liu Qingfeng sneered.
"You humiliated me at the dessert shop, then told me to come find you. And now you dare ask what business I have?"
He waved a hand. "Seize him!"
Guardian Hand's nine Soul Rings blazed to life: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.
The pressure of a Titled Douluo swept over the field like collapsing mountains and surging seas. The Shrek Seven Devils all staggered back, while Oscar and Ning Rongrong, whose cultivation was weaker, turned pale.
Flender, Liu Erlong, and Yu Xiaogang gritted their teeth and held their ground.
Yu Xiaogang was a Soul Saint, barely even breaking through to Soul Elder. They were no match for a Titled Douluo.
"Your Highness, there must be some misunderstanding!"
Yu Xiaogang said in a low voice.
"Tang San has been training at the academy this whole time and has never left Heaven Dou City. How could he have appeared in the Balak Kingdom?"
Liu Qingfeng was impatient. He knew he had obviously been played by that man, but at least this was better than going back empty-handed.
"Guardian Hand, attack!"
Just as Iron Zhan was about to step forward, a teasing voice rang out.
"Well, well. Who's this, daring to cause trouble at my Shrek Academy?"
Green poisonous mist appeared out of nowhere, and an old man in a dark green robe walked slowly toward them. His face was withered.
It was none other than Shrek's guest elder, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.
His level-92 Soul Power surged forth. He was one level higher than Iron Zhan, and his poison was a serious nuisance. Even Titled Douluos several levels above him were reluctant to get tangled up with an opponent like that.
Flender immediately found his courage and straightened his back. "Senior Dugu!"
Dugu Bo gave a slight nod, then looked at Liu Qingfeng and Iron Zhan. He said coolly,
"Tang San is my brother. Anyone who dares bully him is making an enemy of me, Dugu Bo!"
Iron Zhan's pupils contracted.
He hadn't expected Shrek Academy to have risen so far that it could recruit an eccentric like Dugu Bo.
Poison Douluo was already a level above him, and with those troublesome poison skills, there was no way he would come out ahead in a fight.
Iron Zhan took a deep breath and stepped in front of Liu Qingfeng. He knew there was no way they could get this done today.
"Your Highness."
He spoke in a low voice.
"Poison Douluo is here. It would be unwise to use force."
Liu Qingfeng gritted his teeth, then finally flung his sleeve in anger.
"Let's go!"
Dugu Bo watched them leave and snorted.
"The Balak Kingdom... is getting more and more disrespectful of the rules."
He turned to Tang San, his tone softening.
"Boy, what trouble have you gotten yourself into now?"
Tang San smiled wryly.
"Senior, I really don't know. I've never even been to the Balak Kingdom."
He found it strange, too. Tang San really hadn't left the academy lately. How could he have gone to the Balak Kingdom, a thousand miles away?
"Could it be..."
Tang San murmured to himself.
"Someone's framing me?"
He looked into the distance, his gaze growing profound.
"What a despicable wretch!"
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