"The timing is perfect... far too perfect."
An exceedingly faint, icy curve curled Tang Hao's lips. Deep in his eyes lay bone-chilling coldness and indifference.
This secret letter from Salas was nothing less than a perfect chess piece delivered straight into his hands.
He would not need to act, stain his hands with blood, or bear any infamy.
He only needed to wait quietly.
Wait for Spirit Hall to learn the truth, dispatch its forces in fury, encircle Shrek, and hunt down Xiao Wu.
Then, with all heaven and earth against them, utter desperation would descend.
He would intervene in secret, deliberately creating an opening that allowed Tang San and Xiao Wu to "escape certain death," leaving them convinced they had survived by sheer luck.
He could be considered fairly familiar with Xiao Wu by now.
The girl's heart was simple and pure, much like Ah Yin's. Deeply affectionate and softhearted, she had probably already made Tang San her entire world.
Trapped with no escape, with Tang San on the verge of death and oblivion, she would surely sacrifice herself.
Willingly, without complaint or regret, repeating Ah Yin's choice all those years ago.
The same path, the same ending.
Tang Hao spoke coldly to himself, without a shred of pity.
Once the sacrifice ended, at the very moment Tang San inherited the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone and his combat power soared, Tang Hao would descend like a warrior from heaven and appear to take him away.
Then the world would only lament that Spirit Hall was cruel and tyrannical, driving an innocent girl to her death and tearing childhood sweethearts apart.
Meanwhile, he and Tang San would be the persecuted father and son: tenacious and unyielding, tragic victims who had endured in silence.
Fame, profit, strength, reputation, and a future escape route would all fall into his hands.
One cleanly played game of chess, with only Xiao Wu sacrificed.
As far as he was concerned, it was an absolute windfall.
With that done, he would spend another six months to a year properly training Tang San and evolving his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul. Not only would Tang San gain a supreme hundred-thousand-year opportunity out of thin air, but his Martial Soul would evolve again, transforming his strength completely. In the future, he could naturally make a triumphant return to the Clear Sky Sect and wash away his past humiliation.
A low, icy chuckle escaped Tang Hao's throat. There was not the slightest warmth in his voice, only utter selfishness and indifference.
In his eyes, Xiao Wu had never been Tang San's dearest friend or family. She was merely a supreme resource destined for sacrifice, a stepping stone to help father and son reach the summit, a deadweight.
The old pieces were played again; the old game unfolded once more.
He had long since mastered it, and not a ripple stirred in his heart.
The only thing he needed to guard against was an unforeseen variable.
After the battle on the Sky Screen, Spirit Hall was certainly not the only faction to have seen through Xiao Wu's identity.
Poison Douluo Dugu Bo and the senior figures of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were all perceptive and experienced. They would surely have connected the crucial details and guessed Xiao Wu's true Soul Beast identity.
He would never allow anyone to ruin his game.
Dugu Bo was old and cunning, with vast experience. He must have noticed the clues.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's two Titled Douluos and the meticulous Ning Fengzhi must also have understood.
These people had considerable ties with Shrek, but if the temptation of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone moved them to disrupt his carefully arranged sequence, the sacrificial game he had plotted for years would collapse completely.
Anyone who dares stand in my way is my enemy.
Killing intent settled heavily in Tang Hao's heart. His figure flickered, becoming a pitch-black afterimage that tore through the air toward the Sunset Forest.
He was going to put Dugu Bo in his place and seal off every possible variable!
Outside the Sunset Forest, at Dugu Manor.
Dugu Bo sat alone in the courtyard, his expression grave and his brows tightly furrowed.
Ever since the Sky Screen ended, he had remained silent for a long time, already completely certain of Xiao Wu's identity.
Soft Bone Charm Rabbit, Invincible Golden Body, Eight-Stage Throw-all were exactly like Wu Tianque's. Her Soul Beast Transformation should be beyond doubt.
A unique Martial Soul, identical Soul Skills, even precisely the same habits when exerting force—this could not possibly be coincidence.
Dugu Bo sighed inwardly.
His feelings were complicated: regret, wariness, and even a trace of greed.
But before he could think everything through, a terrifying surge of Soul Power, vast as a mountain and powerful enough to suppress heaven and earth, abruptly enveloped the entire courtyard!
Rumble-
The air instantly froze, every plant bowed low, and nothing remained between heaven and earth but suffocating pressure. A deathly silence swallowed the entire courtyard.
Tang Hao's figure appeared impassively at the courtyard gate.
He did not enter, merely standing at the entrance with his hands behind his back.
His black robes snapped in the wind, violent Soul Power raging around him. His eyes were frigid as he looked down upon Dugu Bo with extreme arrogance and contempt, showing not the slightest courtesy or respect.
He despised Dugu Bo to his very bones.
In Tang Hao's eyes, Dugu Bo was merely an unaffiliated, wandering Titled Douluo who scraped by in the world on his poison arts. His origins were lowly, his foundations shallow, and his poison techniques were nothing but crooked, unorthodox tricks, unworthy of the notice of a true heir of Clear Sky.
He had not come today to discuss or negotiate, but to apply pressure, deliver a warning, and establish his authority!
He made no effort to hide the contempt and overbearing arrogance in his eyes, simply pressing forward with his terrifying Clear Sky Soul Power. That alone was an exceedingly discourteous act!
All the more so because Dugu Bo was older than him!
At that moment, every muscle in Dugu Bo's body tightened, a slight chill crept down his spine, and an overwhelming sense of humiliation and fury rose in his heart.
They were both Titled Douluos, and he knew he had never offended Tang Hao. Yet the man had arrived imposing his pressure, intimidating him from above, his contempt plain in every gesture, not taking Dugu Bo seriously at all.
That manner treated him entirely like an ant, without a shred of respect. It was naked disdain.
Humiliation, anger, and resentment surged through his heart, layer upon layer.
But he had no choice but to back down.
"Tang Hao... you trespass into my Herb Cottage and force your pressure on me. What do you want?!"
Dugu Bo forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart and spoke in a low voice edged with restrained hostility.
I have never provoked you or stood in your way. What gives you the right to come here and humiliate me like this?
But he understood with absolute clarity—he could not win.
Level ninety-one against level ninety-five. An ordinary Titled Douluo against one of the era's strongest, most brutally powerful Super Douluos.
Tang Hao was the Clear Sky Douluo who had once swept across the world, all but invincible. His combat power crushed those of the same level, and his foundations far surpassed Dugu Bo's.
If they truly fought, Dugu Bo would certainly die.
The gap in their strength was enormous. He had no means of resisting.
Tang Hao's voice was bone-chillingly cold, devoid of emotion, carrying the condescending tone of a lecture:
"You know perfectly well."
"Some things should be seen through, not spoken aloud. Watch your mouth and know your place. Don't interfere in matters that are none of your business."
A naked threat-overbearing, tyrannical, and utterly unreasonable.
Dugu Bo's heart sank. He understood completely now: Tang Hao also knew Xiao Wu's identity, and his attitude was strange. He certainly did not intend to shelter her!
After all, if he had come to protect Xiao Wu, he should have asked Dugu Bo to help, rather than telling him not to meddle like this!
At that moment, an inexplicable chill shot through Dugu Bo's heart. He had faintly touched upon the terrifying depths of Tang Hao's sinister thoughts.
Not only did Tang Hao know Xiao Wu was a Soul Beast, he had no intention of saving her!
He was even... waiting for something to happen to her!
But Dugu Bo dared not expose it, nor did he have the strength to resist.
Utter humiliation, fury, and helplessness tangled in his chest, almost suffocating him.