Tang Ya: We... Can't Go Back...

"Long Xiaoyao was an Ultimate Douluo, yet he allied himself with evil soul masters. Fine if he had no shame, but do you really think following him would bring you any honor?"

"If I cared about shame, I wouldn't be wearing a mask!"

Masked Douluo shot back with a shameless grin. His body flickered, and he retreated into the black mist once more.

Yan Shaozhe was so angered that his chest hurt. Evil soul masters were truly difficult to deal with, especially shameless scum like this who only knew how to resort to dirty tricks.

On the other side, Xuan Zi had recognized Long Xiaoyao as well.

He no longer spared attention for the skies, instead pressing all of his Rank 98 soul power down upon Bone Flute Douluo and Magnetic Force Douluo.

Mu En was already burning his life force. The only thing he could do was deal with these two as quickly as possible.

Yet just as everyone in the city was focused on the clash of the Light-Dark Saint Dragon, a sheet of dark-purple radiance descended from the sky.

There was no sound of soul skills colliding, nor were there any fluctuations from an eruption of soul power.

The first people touched by that radiance only felt a tightness in their chests. Then, countless thoughts buried deep within their hearts began to slip free of restraint.

A food-system soul master who had been handing out restorative peaches suddenly stopped moving.

He looked at the three restorative peaches remaining in his hand, then at the injured companions beside him.

If he gave all the restorative peaches to them, what would happen if he got injured himself? Was he supposed to entrust his fate to others?

No!

He put the restorative peaches back into his soul tool.

"There are no more restorative peaches. I gave them all to you."

"You clearly still had some in your hand just now!"

"I said they're gone, so they're gone. Are you deaf?"

The group quickly began to argue.

On another street, three city-defending soul masters were escorting civilians away together.

When one of them saw evil soul masters closing in, he turned and fled. He even shoved the companion beside him backward, all to buy himself a few more moments.

Greed drove people to seize resources, to seize the hope of survival.

Envy made the wounded resent those who still had strength left.

Wrath magnified every dispute.

Lust seeped into the minds of the weak-willed, dredging up thoughts they usually did not dare touch amid this chaos.

Order in the city had already been on the verge of collapse.

Once the seven original sins joined in, the final taut thread snapped completely.

Some students drew their weapons over a bottle of pills that restored soul power, while mercenaries took advantage of the chaos to break into shops.

More absurdly, two teams of soul masters that had just been fighting side by side came to blows over who should retreat first.

"Have you all gone mad?!" An outer courtyard teacher raised a hand and knocked two people down.

But as soon as he turned around, the corner of his eye caught sight of the storage soul tool at his companion's waist.

There were so many restorative pills inside. Why should he be the one keeping them? What if he died, or ran away?

Once that thought surfaced, it became impossible to suppress.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion, several elders noticed the anomaly at the same time. As they stared at the massive phantom of the demon puppet standing above Shrek, helplessness flashed through their eyes.

"Is it a spiritual domain?"

"No. A spiritual attack can't achieve this level of effect."

"It's that young man's second martial soul!"

They turned their gazes toward Long Wushang, who was descending.

The Original Sin Demon Puppet stood behind him. Its enormous, grotesque body was a full hundred meters tall, and seven differently colored patterns of light flowed across its surface.

It neither threw a punch nor released any attacking soul skill. Yet merely by standing there, it multiplied the conflict within the city severalfold.

The most troublesome thing about the Original Sin Demon Puppet was precisely this: it could stir the parts of human nature people were unwilling to reveal.

People could block blades and swords, but it was difficult to guard against the thoughts of others every day.

Long Wushang looked down over the outer courtyard, fairly satisfied with the results.

Releasing the authority of original sin over such a wide area consumed considerable soul power and spiritual power. Fortunately, Shrek City was already in chaos. He only needed to give it a push; there was no need to control every individual.

The Original Sin Demon Puppet was responsible for breaking down their coordination, while the Holy Spirit Cult members were responsible for harvesting them. That was the value of his personally entering the field.

If it were merely to kill a few outer courtyard students, it would not have been worth coming down from the clouds.

"Master..."

Tang Ya leaned against his side, Sinful Blue Silver Grass coiling around her wrist.

Long Wushang followed her gaze.

Before the outer courtyard teaching building, Beibei, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xu Sanshi were protecting a group of younger students.

Their martial souls had not yet been withdrawn, blood stained their clothes, and two slain evil soul masters lay nearby.

Long Wushang did not loosen the arm around Tang Ya's slender waist.

Since they had already met, there was no point in hiding.

Besides, he had come for Huo Yuhao in the first place.

The two descended above the outer courtyard square, and Tang Ya's face entered everyone's view.

At first, Huo Yuhao did not recognize her. That woman still had the familiar appearance, but her temperament had become bewitching.

Her dark-purple gown clung to her waist. Her once gentle brows and eyes now held a touch of languidness, while Sinful Blue Silver Grass spread beneath her feet, its blades glimmering with dark-golden luster along their edges.

She nestled in Long Wushang's arms without the slightest resistance.

"Teacher Xiao Ya?"

Huo Yuhao took a step forward and asked in disbelief.

Skydream Iceworm hurriedly shouted in his spiritual sea, "Don't go over there! There's something wrong with her. That Blue Silver Grass is extremely strange!"

Huo Yuhao did not respond. His spiritual detection had already settled on Tang Ya.

Her breathing, body temperature, and soul power fluctuations all truly existed.

It was not an illusion, nor was anyone impersonating her. The person who had brought him into the Tang Sect outside the Star Dou Great Forest, who had smiled as she called him Little Yuhao, had truly fallen into becoming an evil soul master and now stood against them.

Wang Dong recognized her as well. His eyes widened as he cried out.

"Teacher Xiao Ya..." As he spoke, he instinctively looked toward Beibei.

Xu Sanshi opened his mouth, but not a single one of the crass remarks that usually came so easily would come out this time. He raised the Darkworld Turtle Shell Shield and stood in front of Beibei.

"Beibei, don't do anything stupid."

"Move aside."

"Look at the state you're in. Do you believe yourself when you say you're not being stupid?"

Beibei did not answer Xu Sanshi. He stared fixedly at Tang Ya, his eyes filled with pain and despair.

The students they had been protecting also began whispering among themselves.

"Isn't that the Tang Sect's leader?"

"How did she become an evil soul master?"

"What's her relationship with that Holy Spirit Cult member?"

Someone recalled Tang Ya and Beibei's past relationship, then swallowed the words that had risen to their lips.

Some things were entertaining to watch from the sidelines, but when they happened to someone you knew, it was no longer appropriate to speak carelessly.

Beibei stepped past Xu Sanshi. The Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex martial soul was still behind him, but the dragon scales on his arms gradually receded.

He did not take up a fighting stance. He merely walked two steps forward, still holding onto a trace of hope as he said, "Xiao Ya..."

Tang Ya's arm trembled slightly, and the Blue Silver Grass beneath her feet curled along with it.

Long Wushang lowered his head and glanced at her. The emotions transmitted through the Original Sin Contract were chaotic—attachment, guilt, and, more than anything, a different kind of relief.

But none of that affected her loyalty to him.

That was why he did not answer for her. More interestingly, leaving the choice to her was often crueler than forcing her.

Beibei stopped about ten meters away from her.

"Come back with me."

It was still the same thing he had said before. He did not question why she had disappeared, nor did he ask why she had become an evil soul master. He only wanted her to return, to return to his side.

Tang Ya raised her head and finally met his eyes.

She trembled in Long Wushang's embrace, then raised a hand. Sinful Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground and stretched between them.

"Beibei."

She spoke that familiar name from the past.

Intense longing flashed in Beibei's eyes as he looked at the girl before him, the girl he had once sworn to protect for the rest of his life.

But Tang Ya's next words struck him like lightning, leaving him completely frozen in place.

"We can't go back..."