Driving a Wedge Between Tang San and Xiao Wu

"Bang!"

The moment their palms collided, Tang Hao felt an overwhelming force of space surge through his arm and into his body.

He grunted, and his burly body slid backward uncontrollably for several steps. Each step left a deep footprint in the hard ground.

Gu Rong, meanwhile, merely swayed slightly.

Level ninety-five, with hidden injuries, against the peak of level ninety-seven—the difference was obvious.

"Dad?!"

Tang San, who had been sent flying not far away, had completely forgotten the searing pain in his chest.

His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the ragged figure shielding him, his mind utterly blank.

In his memories, his father had merely been a down-and-out blacksmith from Holy Soul Village, one who drank all day and could not even cook properly.

But that terrifying aura that had erupted in an instant, and the strength to clash head-on with a powerhouse of that level... How could he possibly be an ordinary blacksmith?!

"Buzz—"

Before Tang San could recover his senses, a clear sword cry suddenly rang out from the sky.

A phantom of an enormous blue sword several zhang long descended from above, carrying an edge capable of cleaving heaven and earth, and hovered steadily to Tang Hao's left.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin, dressed in white as pure as snow, stood with his hands behind his back atop the sword's hilt, his gaze icy and sharp.

Then, the air to Tang Hao's right suddenly turned a nauseating shade of green.

Dugu Bo, the Poison Douluo, quietly appeared. His snake-like eyes locked firmly onto Tang Hao, and a cold, mocking sneer hung at the corners of his lips.

Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, Poison Douluo.

Three Titled Douluo renowned across the continent formed a triangular formation, trapping Tang Hao tightly in the center!

"Tang Hao, after all these years, your skill at bullying juniors has improved, but your strength has declined quite a bit."

Chen Xin spoke calmly. His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly through the entire grove.

"Is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect truly going to go this far?"

Tang Hao gritted his teeth, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

He clenched his fists as the Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his palm.

"Leave no survivors? Hahahaha!"

Dugu Bo recalled what Gu En had told him before they came here about Tang Hao and his wife, and laughed mockingly at his own past misjudgment.

Then he pointed at Xiao Wu, who Gu En had suppressed with Soul Power, and said in a strange, mocking tone:

"Tang Hao, Tang Hao. This old man once respected you as a real man, but now it seems you are nothing more than a hypocrite hiding behind a righteous facade!"

"Back then, your Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor wife sacrificed herself for you, allowing you to earn the fame of becoming the youngest Titled Douluo."

"What, you got a taste for it? And now, in this tiny Nuoding City, you have set your sights on a juvenile Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft-Boned Rabbit?"

The moment those words fell, the entire scene went deathly silent.

Dugu Bo's gaze, as though it had seen through everything, swept over Tang San and Xiao Wu as he continued to twist the knife:

"You had your son approach this little rabbit, become sworn siblings with her, and cultivate her feelings for him."

"Then, once the boy grew up and needed a Soul Ring, you would have this little rabbit willingly sacrifice herself to him... Tsk, tsk. Raising a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in captivity—Tang Hao, even this old man is ashamed of how well you have calculated this!"

"Bullshit!" Tang Hao roared furiously, summoning the Clear Sky Hammer at once.

Yet Xiao Wu reacted even more violently than he did.

"Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast... Titled Douluo..."

Xiao Wu stood there blankly, her body trembling violently like a leaf in the wind.

Her once-clear eyes suddenly turned toward Tang San, filled with endless fear and despair.

She was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had rebuilt herself! What she feared most were Titled Douluo! Yet she had never imagined that for all these years, she had been sleeping right under the nose of a Titled Douluo!

She remembered Tang San's meticulous care for her over the past few years—how he combed her hair, shielded her from every danger, and even swore to protect her with his life...

Could all of it have been false?

Could it really have been just as that green-haired old man said, an elaborate conspiracy arranged by Tang Hao?

All so they could fatten her up and turn her into a Soul Ring for his son?!

"X-Xiao Wu..."

Seeing the fear, suspicion, and even a trace of hatred in Xiao Wu's eyes, Tang San completely panicked.

Ignoring his injuries, he struggled to crawl forward.

"Xiao Wu, listen to me. I didn't know... I truly didn't know Dad was a Titled Douluo. I knew even less that you..."

Tang San's voice caught in his throat.

What had he just heard? Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?!

The little girl who insisted on squeezing into his bed every night, loved eating carrots, and acted cute over the smallest things was actually a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?!

Though ten-year-old Tang San had lived two lives and possessed a mind more mature than his age, his CPU had completely burned out at this moment.

The overwhelming flood of information and the massive psychological shock left him speechless.

"Don't touch me!"

Xiao Wu screamed and abruptly retreated, dodging Tang San's outstretched hand.

Tears spilled from her eyes. When she looked at Tang San, none of her former attachment remained—only deep wariness and heartbreak.

"Liar... You're all liars!"

Crying out, Xiao Wu turned to look at Gu En. Though he had just threatened her life, in her eyes, he now seemed more genuine than Tang San and his father.

At least Gu En had written his intentions plainly on his face, while Tang San had used tenderness to weave a cage from which she could never escape.

Gu En watched the scene unfold, a satisfied curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

Killing someone was nowhere near as satisfying as destroying their heart.

He slowly walked over to Xiao Wu and reached out, lightly patting her trembling shoulder like a magnanimous benefactor.

"Do you understand now? By my side, you are merely a valuable bargaining chip. But by their side, you are a future Soul Ring and Soul Bone."

"Xiao Wu! Listen to me!"

Seeing the disgust and fear in Xiao Wu's eyes, Tang San felt as if his heart were being torn apart.

Like a drowning man, he lunged desperately toward Xiao Wu, trying to seize her hand and explain that he truly knew nothing.

"Get lost!"

Before Xiao Wu could even dodge, a cold gleam flashed through Gu En's eyes, and his figure flickered like a ghost.

"Bang!"

Gu En's knee drove viciously into Tang San's abdomen.

Tang San instantly doubled over like a cooked shrimp, sour fluid mixed with streaks of blood spraying from his mouth.

Then Gu En seized Tang San by the back of the neck and lifted him up as though he were carrying a dead dog.

"Let go of my son!"

Tang Hao, tightly suppressed by the three Titled Douluo, glared until his eyes nearly split. He frantically drove the Soul Power within him, and black light blazed from the Clear Sky Hammer.

"Behave yourself!"

Gu Rong snorted coldly. The power of space transformed into invisible shackles that tightly bound Tang Hao's arms.

Chen Xin's Seven Killings Sword Intent directly locked onto Tang Hao's brow as well. If he dared make the slightest move, sword energy would instantly pierce through his skull.