Tang Hao Flees

In Tang San's heart, Xiao Wu was his sister. Killing her family was no different from killing his own, and anger rose within him.

"Don't worry, Xiao Wu. We're both talented. Once we grow stronger, I'll help you get revenge."

In the shadows beyond Shrek Academy's training ground, Tang Hao heard every word of Tang San and Xiao Wu's conversation. A wistful sadness settled over him.

Tang Hao was in a sorry state. The backlash from detonating eight Soul Rings had been severe, and it had aggravated his old injuries, leaving him weak to the bone.

In his current condition, even a fight against an ordinary Soul Douluo would require Tang Hao to stake his life.

He also bitterly regretted provoking Li Changqing.

After escaping, he had gone straight to the Shrek group without stopping.

Seeing that they were still searching for a Soul Ring for Tang San, Tang Hao worried that Li Changqing might follow his lingering aura and find Shrek.

He cared nothing for the others, but Tang San was his son and his hope of taking revenge on Spirit Hall. Nothing could happen to him.

So Tang Hao found a suitable thousand-year Soul Beast, beat it half to death, and dumped it in the Shrek group's path. That way, Tang San could absorb its Soul Ring and leave the Star Dou Great Forest as soon as possible.

Alongside his regret, Tang Hao harbored hatred for Li Changqing.

After all, even when three Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall had besieged him, he had not ended up in such a wretched state.

He had already decided that once his son grew strong, Li Changqing's name would be added to their list of enemies.

Suddenly, a powerful surge of Soul Power approached Shrek Academy at great speed, its owner making no attempt to hide it.

Everyone at Shrek Academy was alarmed and hurried out to the training ground to look. Tang San and Xiao Wu rose as well, staring fixedly toward the source of the Soul Power.

Tang Hao's heart went cold. He recognized that aura: it belonged to Li Changqing, the man he had fought.

Unease and suspicion churned in Tang Hao's mind. Did he follow my aura here?

But he soon dismissed the thought. He was certain he had erased every trace of his aura. There was no way Li Changqing could have found him through it.

He turned his gaze to Tang San on the training ground, then immediately shook his head.

Only a handful of people knew of his relationship with Tang San. Li Changqing could not possibly know.

Tang Hao badly wanted to take Tang San and Xiao Wu and flee, but he could not quite bring himself to do it.

Shrek's students were all highly talented. One day, they would be a considerable help to Tang San.

If Tang San left them behind, finding another group of gifted young people like this would be all but impossible.

So Tang Hao clung to a sliver of hope, praying that Li Changqing was merely passing by Shrek.

But his hopes were dashed. Li Changqing's voice arrived before he did.

"Tang Hao, you dared threaten me and steal my Soul Bone. Are you ready to die?"

Tang Hao's heart sank. He really did come for me.

The other Shrek students exchanged bewildered looks on the training ground. None of them knew what was going on. There was no one at Shrek named Tang Hao.

And judging by the fury in that voice, there was deep hatred between the two.

Tang San was confused too. His dad was also called Tang Hao, but as far as he knew, his dad was just a blacksmith.

How could a blacksmith bear such a bitter grudge against someone so powerful?

Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and Zhao Wuji knew better. All three knew Tang San's father was Tang Hao, and that Tang Hao was almost certainly hiding nearby.

Zhao Wuji recognized the somewhat familiar aura, and a suspicion immediately formed in his mind.

"That aura feels like the one we encountered in the Star Dou Great Forest. And it's even stronger now."

"From what he said, could His Excellency Haotian have coveted the Soul Bone produced by the powerful Soul Beast that man killed? Is that how this grudge started? And it sounds as though His Excellency Haotian lost."

As soon as Zhao Wuji finished speaking, everyone turned to look at him.

Flender murmured, "Put that way, it's entirely possible."

A chill ran through Zhao Wuji and Flender. Shrek could afford to offend neither Tang Hao nor Li Changqing. All they could do was pray silently that the grudge between the two would not drag Shrek into it.

Yu Xiaogang felt differently. Tang Hao was his idol, a man who had once driven back three Titled Douluo.

No matter how he thought about it, he could not believe that a young-looking fellow with only eight Soul Rings could defeat Tang Hao.

That shocked Yu Xiaogang even more than hearing that Li Changqing had broken the age limit for absorbing Soul Rings.

The other Shrek teachers and students heard what Zhao Wuji and Flender said. They had also heard, to one degree or another, of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao's fearsome reputation, and could roughly guess what had happened.

And Tang Hao was at Shrek right now.

Only Tang San and Xiao Wu had never heard of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao's reputation.

When Xiao Wu heard that the newcomer was the man they had encountered in the Star Dou Great Forest, her heart went cold. Terror seized her.

She feared Li Changqing would kill her too and take her Soul Bone. She clutched Tang San's arm tightly with both hands.

Tang San was about to ask who "His Excellency Haotian" was and why he had the same name as his dad.

But Tang Hao suddenly appeared before Tang San, leaving him utterly astonished.

Tang Hao moved fast. He seized Xiao Wu and Tang San and fled.

By the time the Shrek group reacted, Tang San and Xiao Wu had vanished. They looked at one another, none of them able to make heads or tails of it.

Only then did Li Changqing appear, taking his time.

Li Changqing had done it deliberately. He wanted to toy with Tang Hao and send him fleeing from place to place.

The moment Li Changqing appeared, Zhao Wuji bowed and saluted him respectfully. "Greetings, Your Eminence!"

The others came to their senses as well. The man before them truly possessed the strength of a Titled Douluo. If Tang Hao's grudge with him dragged Shrek Academy into it, they were finished.

They all bowed to Li Changqing. "Greetings, Your Eminence!"

All except Yu Xiaogang. His idol, Tang Hao, had fled with Tang San and Xiao Wu. That could only mean Tang Hao was no match for Li Changqing.

The theories Yu Xiaogang took such pride in had been overturned by someone else. Now he had watched his idol flee like a homeless cur with his own eyes.

The two blows in quick succession left his eyes vacant.

Li Changqing hovered in the air and swept his gaze over the Shrek group below. When he saw a dejected man with a crew cut, he immediately guessed who he was.

Who else could it be but Yu Xiaogang?

Yu Xiaogang's state surprised Li Changqing. He knew Yu Xiaogang regarded Tang San as his everything, valuing him more than his own life.

But surely Tang Hao taking Tang San away was no reason for Yu Xiaogang to look so utterly crushed.

Li Changqing shook his head. Whatever was going on with Yu Xiaogang had nothing to do with him. He had come to leave Tang Hao and Tang San with no one to turn to.

Tang San had never provoked him, but Tang San was Tang Hao's son.