I Am Tang San, Your Father

Old Tang was beside himself with rage. He was a wisp of divine soul Tang San had split off when he sent Tang Wulin to the lower realm, meant to ensure Tang Wulin could safely absorb the Golden Dragon King's Divine Core on Douluo Continent—and to serve as a fallback for a plan ten thousand years in the making.

But Tang Wulin had been doing just fine on Douluo Continent. How had he come into contact with Life Divine Power?

They had sent Wulin to Douluo Continent to keep the Golden Dragon King's Divine Core from destroying him, precisely so he would avoid higher powers like divine power and immortal energy. Yet now divine power had stirred the seals, and they had begun to loosen.

"Hm?"

"Is this the Golden Tree?"

Old Tang temporarily blocked his connection with Tang Wulin so the boy would not hear anything he shouldn't. Only then did he scan his surroundings with his divine sense and immediately recognize the place.

"And Mu En? How did that old fellow come back to life—and get younger?"

Old Tang was dumbfounded. He knew of Mu En: Huo Yuhao often spoke of his master with longing, and sometimes Huo Yuhao's spiritual power would unconsciously take Mu En's shape. That was how Tang San knew what he looked like.

"This is Douluo Continent from Huo Yuhao's time!!!"

An unbelievable thought sprang into Old Tang's mind. While he had slept, Tang Wulin had somehow arrived ten thousand years in the past.

"Tang San, Tang San, answer me!"

"Tang San, Tang San, answer me!"

Old Tang kept calling out to the Divine Realm, but Tang San gave no reply.

(Tang San: How should I know? Don't tell me you expect me to contact the lower realm. I'm not the Goddess of Life.)

Old Tang rubbed his forehead and smiled bitterly. What on earth had happened?

"The first two seals are already loose, and the Golden Dragon King's power is about to break free. Wulin's body is much stronger than I expected, but without any tempering, I still can't help worrying."

"Forget it. This is Shrek Academy, Mu En is beside Wulin, and those two Soul Beasts are here too. Even if I reveal who I am, Wulin won't be in danger."

Old Tang decided to tell Tang Wulin the truth. The boy was his son, after all, and he believed his son could face it bravely.

"Wulin, I'm your father."

Old Tang removed the block on their connection, drew Tang Wulin's consciousness into a spiritual space, and revealed his true appearance.

"Huh?"

The world spun before Tang Wulin's eyes. In the next instant, he found himself in a vast white space, with those strange words still ringing in his ears.

"How could you possibly be my father!"

Tang Wulin finally came to his senses. Fury surged through him as he clenched his fists and glared at the stranger before him.

"Wulin, I'm your birth father."

Old Tang looked at him gently. He was not angry; his heart was full of guilt.

"My birth... father."

Tang Wulin stared at Old Tang in a daze. He was only six years old and had just lost his parents. Now someone had appeared out of nowhere claiming to be his birth father. He truly did not know what to do.

"You were born in the Divine Realm. Because of a crisis, we had no choice but to send you to Douluo Continent for your safety. We left a wisp of divine soul with you to protect you and help you grow. We couldn't bear to part with you, but we had no choice."

"An enemy sent the last of his power into your body to take revenge on me. He meant to make it explode. We placed layer upon layer of seals on you and sent you to the lower realm so the power of the Divine Realm wouldn't trigger the seals and destroy you."

Old Tang sighed softly. He understood why Tang Wulin was falling apart. That was how their family was: bound by deep feeling and loyalty.

Tang Wulin jolted out of his daze. If he remembered correctly, this man had said earlier that he had already come into contact with divine power.

"Never mind whether you're my birth father. Why did I come here? Where are my mom and dad?"

Tang Wulin did not dwell on it. He screamed the questions at Old Tang instead. If they could send him to the lower realm, could they have sent him here as well?

"I'm sorry, Wulin. I was asleep until now, so I don't know what happened. But I do know this should be Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago."

Old Tang shook his head gently. He did not correct the way Tang Wulin referred to that couple.

But he, too, was bewildered by how Tang Wulin had reached this era. Had they run into one of those legendary temporal storms?

"Don't give up, Wulin. If you could come here, your adoptive parents might have come here too. You have to pull yourself together!"

Tang Wulin had gone rigid at the words ten thousand years ago. Now an immense fighting spirit surged through him.

That's right. Maybe Mom and Dad came here too!

I'll become the most famous Soul Master on the continent. I'll make my name ring across the whole land and find Mom and Dad!

"Okay. I'll pull myself together."

Tang Wulin wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and tried to bolster his courage.

"That's my son. That's the spirit."

Old Tang nodded in satisfaction. The most important thing now was to kindle Wulin's will to survive. Otherwise, even with his help, something could go wrong when the boy absorbed that power.

"Now it's time you learned who your birth father is."

"My name is Tang San!"

"Tang San, founder of the Tang Sect!"

"Tang San, one of the Five Great God Kings of the God Realm Committee!"

"Sea God Tang San!"

"Asura God Tang San!"

"I'm your father!"

Tang San stood tall in magnificent golden armor, his eyes brimming with pride.

Tang San!

Those two simple words struck Tang Wulin's heart like a thunderclap that shook the heavens.

"No matter how unbelievable it sounds, it's true."

Tang Wulin stood rooted to the spot as he listened. After what felt like an eternity, he slowly clenched his fists and looked up at the godlike figure before him, his gaze earnest and resolute.

"My name is Tang Wulin!"

"Tang Wulin, born with Innate Full Soul Power!"

"Tang Wulin, who has Twin Martial Souls: the Soft Bone Rabbit and the Clear Sky Hammer!"

"Tang Wulin, son of Tang Ziran and Lang Yue!"

"And I'm also Tang San and Xiao Wu's Wulin."

Tang Wulin seemed to pour every last bit of his strength into those words, speaking them to Tang San one line at a time.

"That's my son."

Tang San's heart surged. Innate Full Soul Power, the Soft Bone Rabbit and the Clear Sky Hammer, the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, and a heart full of loyalty and love—this was the prodigy of the Tang family!

"Wulin, I have bad news and good news. Which do you want to hear first?"

A mischievous grin crossed Tang San's face. Children of the Tang family always had to endure a little hardship.

In truth, he had left plenty of contingencies on the continent, and the Divine Realm had not gone anywhere. Once he understood the situation, he no longer feared that the seals breaking early would endanger Tang Wulin. That was why he could stand here talking to him without worry.

"The bad news?"

Tang Wulin hesitated. Could anything be worse than losing his parents?

"The bad news is that the first two seals on the Golden Dragon King's power are about to break. You'll need certain spiritual treasures to help you absorb that bloodline power. Otherwise, your body could explode."

Tang Wulin could not help shivering. All right, there was worse news. His own life seemed to be in danger.

"And the good news?"

Tang Wulin desperately needed some good news to soothe his heart after all it had endured today.

"The good news is—"

Tang San burst out laughing. Tang Wulin's consciousness returned to the outside world, where he once again saw the worry on Mu En's face.

"I am Tang San!"

Before Mu En's eyes, Tang San's phantom emerged from behind Tang Wulin. He held the Sea God Trident, his golden armor gleaming like a god's, while the warm radiance of Sea God's Light enveloped all of Sea God Island.