The wager was over, and the final result surprised no one.
The Blue Silver Empire had won, effortlessly.
The dust had settled on the battlefield, but the storm of public opinion across the Douluo Continent had only just begun to raise towering waves.
The ultimate combat power Wu Tianque had displayed in this battle, that dashing pink-haired figure on the Sky Screen, had already branded itself deep into the heart of every Soul Master on the Douluo Continent.
Yet compared with his foundation as a six-hundred-thousand-year ferocious beast and his terrifying strength that overwhelmed even a Limit Douluo, what shocked the people of the Heaven Dou Empire and its many Soul Masters even more was that all-too-familiar martial soul and soul skill system.
The pure white, nimble Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul was supposed to be a weak beast martial soul, yet it had unleashed such terrifying combat power.
The effects of those soul skills truly could be called one of a kind.
The absolute defense of Invincible Golden Body, the lethal grappling technique Explosive Eighteen-Stage Throw, Teleportation, Phasing...
Every move was so familiar.
Especially among those in the Heaven Dou Imperial City who had watched the Elite Academy Soul Master Tournament, people could not help connecting the figure on the Sky Screen with Xiao Wu, the seemingly sweet and gentle girl on Shrek Academy's team.
Both were Soft Bone Rabbits who looked delicate and frail, yet turned exceptionally brutal and ferocious once they struck!
Even their soul skills were almost identical!
Wu Tianque, the Blue Silver Empire's revered guardian, had originally come from the Douluo Continent, and his true form was a Soft Bone Rabbit soul beast. From the conversation on the Sky Screen, they also knew he had a wife and daughter!
His wife was dead, but what about his daughter?!
This Xiao Wu... could she be?!
Otherwise, why was her martial soul also a Soft Bone Rabbit?
Why were their soul skills virtually indistinguishable?
Across the Heaven Dou Empire's major sects, imperial family, and various academies, countless people were secretly reviewing and recalling Xiao Wu's moves in the arena matches.
At last, an answer that grew more terrifying the longer they considered it, yet seemed utterly certain, quietly surfaced.
-Could Xiao Wu be something other than a human Soul Master?
She shared the same origin and bloodline as Wu Tianque!
Could she be Wu Tianque's daughter?!
There was no hiding Xiao Wu's innate full soul power from these people, but throughout the Douluo Continent's history, there seemed never to have been a Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul with innate full soul power!
Undercurrents surged throughout the Heaven Dou Empire. Everyone had their own suspicions, yet no one dared be the first to tear away that deadly veil.
Countless seemingly casual glances now drifted toward Shrek Academy. Shock, doubt, and apprehension lurked in their eyes, but above all, there was greed!!
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!
Those were treasures of the highest order, vital aids that could help a Soul Master reach the pinnacle!
This was a supreme treasure walking among them.
Deep within the solemn, imposing hall of the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall Branch.
Platinum Bishop Salas sat upright at his desk, his fingertips lightly stroking its cold surface. His expression was dark as stagnant water, yet a barely restrained excitement lurked in his eyes.
He was a seasoned old hand who had long been entrenched in Heaven Dou on Spirit Hall's behalf. Meticulous and razor-sharp, he had caught the scent of this earth-shattering secret before anyone else.
The moment Wu Tianque struck, every suspicious detail had fallen into place, laying the truth completely bare.
"The same martial soul origin, the same soul skill origin..."
Salas murmured under his breath,
"Now it's almost one hundred percent certain. Xiao Wu is Wu Tianque's daughter, a hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Charm Rabbit in human form!"
He knew perfectly well that this was a heaven-sent opportunity to earn immense merit, as well as a fortune that defied the heavens.
Once he reported this to the Papal Hall, had Xiao Wu captured, and harvested her Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone, he, Salas, would surely achieve fame and success. His standing would rise another level, and he might even enter Spirit Hall's highest circle of power.
Not daring to delay for even a moment, Salas swiftly spread out paper, ground his ink, and began writing his second secret report!
A black falcon reserved for Spirit Hall's messages, trained through secret methods and unafraid of interception, shot through the window. It cut across Heaven Dou's skies, racing toward Spirit Hall's headquarters at full speed.
This letter was about to unleash a storm across the entire Douluo Continent.
Still uneasy, he wrote a third letter. After patiently waiting two hours, another black falcon left Heaven Dou.
He feared that someone would intercept these secret reports en route, which was why he had written three in succession!
His suspicions were indeed correct. Someone had been waiting for him to write those secret letters.
Only, that person clearly had the strength to stop them, yet watched the black falcons leave.
Clad in a black robe, his aura concealed, he gave off not the slightest ripple of soul power, as though he had become one with the night.
The wind sent his black robe billowing, revealing those clouded, deathly still eyes, devoid of any light.
It was Tang Hao.
He had watched the messenger falcons depart from beginning to end. He knew perfectly well what earth-shattering secret those three letters carried, yet his fingers had remained still throughout. He had not intercepted them, had not moved, had not even betrayed the slightest ripple of emotion.
The night wind stirred his tattered robes, but could not disperse the gloom, selfishness, and viciousness that had nested deep in his eyes for years.
The world believed Tang Hao was a father fiercely devoted to protecting his son, a tragic hero, a great man brought low by love.
But who could know what filthy, venomous schemes lay hidden in the heart of this tragic powerhouse they admired?
He was the first person in the world to learn that Xiao Wu was a soul beast who had taken human form.
From the moment Xiao Wu first appeared, he had seen through to her true nature and uncovered her secret as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Back then, he had felt neither pity nor apprehension. All that had grown within his heart was ruthless calculation and greed.
Others saw Xiao Wu as an innocent, lively, sweet, and adorable little girl.
From beginning to end, Tang Hao had seen Xiao Wu as only one thing—a ready-made Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
These were the world's finest cultivation resources, a heaven-defying opportunity that could only be stumbled upon, never sought, enough to transform Tang San's foundations and raise his talent without limit!
Years ago, Ah Yin's sacrifice had forged Tang Hao's illustrious reputation, lifting him to the heavens in a single step and granting him terrifying combat power that overwhelmed others of his level.
A soul ring and soul bone gained through sacrifice were the purest of all, free of backlash and perfectly compatible with their recipient. They could be called the greatest opportunity in the world.
Since Ah Yin could sacrifice herself for him, why couldn't Xiao Wu sacrifice herself for Tang San?
He owed the Clear Sky Sect and bore grave sins. His greatest obsession in life was to have his son Tang San rise against the heavens, crush his peers, return to the Clear Sky Sect to seize its authority, and welcome him back into the sect.
To ensure his son's rise, Tang Hao had long since laid out a game of chess within his heart.
He wanted to recreate that scene from years ago.
To recreate the ending in which Ah Yin willingly sacrificed herself.
Now, he would make Xiao Wu tread Ah Yin's old path!
He would create a hopeless situation, engineer a crisis, and force events to unfold so that, under unbearable terror and pressure, Xiao Wu would willingly sacrifice herself to protect Tang San!
Only through a willing sacrifice would the soul ring and soul bone possess the purest, most harmless quality and power, without a single flaw!
A cold, mocking smile flashed in Tang Hao's eyes. He had already calculated what would happen in a few days.
Once Spirit Hall learned the truth, it would inevitably dispatch a host of experts and Titled Douluos to surround Shrek and capture Xiao Wu.
When Heaven Dou descended into chaos and Shrek was driven into a corner, all he would need to do was lurk in the shadows and control the overall situation.
He would act in secret, helping Tang San and Xiao Wu tear an opening in the encirclement, creating the illusion of escape and plunging the two into a desperate flight for their lives.
At the same time, he would quietly send several high-level Soul Saints or Soul Emperors to pursue and hunt them, pressing closer at every step and leaving them no chance to catch their breath.
In a hopeless situation, people were most easily moved by love, and most willing to sacrifice themselves.
"Hahaha, brilliant!"