"Tang San cannot die yet!"
After Yu Xiaogang left, Bibi Dong sat there, unable to regain her composure for a long time.
Zhao Su stopped hiding, revealed himself, and spoke softly to her.
"You?" The sight of Zhao Su seemed to remind Bibi Dong of something. She sprang to her feet and stepped forward, staring coldly at him as she continued, "Were you the one who secretly saved Tang San?"
"Yes, it was me!"
"Why? Why did even you betray me?"
Bibi Dong stared at Zhao Su with venom in her eyes, her voice cold and merciless. Compared with Zhao Su, she seemed far more like a villain.
Sometimes, Zhao Su wondered whether he was falling a little short in his role as the great villain.
"I haven't betrayed you. I'm only helping you-helping you fulfill your dream, helping you step out of the prison you've made of your heart."
"I don't need your help, or anyone else's. I can do it myself!"
"Then I was flattering myself. Take care of yourself."
Zhao Su shook his head helplessly, disappointment in his eyes as he turned and left the great hall.
He was thoroughly disappointed in Bibi Dong. He had never expected Yu Xiaogang to hold such a weighty place in her heart.
He didn't want to be the man left picking up the pieces, nor did he want to use force on Bibi Dong.
A melon picked by force might not be sweet, but it could still quench his thirst.
Still, he preferred a melon that was both sweet and thirst-quenching.
Three days later, at the Soul Master Tournament Finals Venue.
When they faced the Star Luo Empire Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Team, Zhu Zhuqing's expression turned grim.
Especially when she looked at the woman on the opposing team who bore such a striking resemblance to her.
Dai Mubai's expression was just as grim as Zhu Zhuqing's.
Uneasy, Zhu Zhuqing kept scanning her surroundings, hoping to spot Zhao Su. Yet even as the match was about to begin, he still hadn't appeared.
"Don't let your thoughts run wild. Rest assured, you'll defeat them and be the final victor."
At the very last moment, just as she was about to step onto the Soul Fighting Platform, a warm hand clasped Zhu Zhuqing's cool, slightly sweaty hand.
Zhao Su's gentle voice sounded beside her ear.
"Zhuqing, have you broken the oath you swore to our family?"
Zhu Zhuyun, who had been watching Zhu Zhuqing as the Star Luo Empire Team headed toward the Soul Fighting Platform, saw this and questioned her.
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing.
Beside Zhu Zhuyun, Dai Weisi looked at Dai Mubai with a gloating smile. "Mubai, the other half of your Martial Soul Fusion has already betrayed you. What do you have left to fight me with?"
"Hmph. I can beat you even without a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Our Star Luo Empire can be invincible without one!"
A vicious gleam flashed through Dai Mubai's sinister double pupils as he stared at Dai Weisi and spoke coldly.
"Fine. Then let's see what you'll use to defeat me!"
Dai Weisi sneered and said no more, quietly waiting for the match to begin.
Soon, both sides had stepped onto the Soul Fighting Platform.
They began revealing their martial souls. When Tang San and the others displayed levels above fifty, along with their five dazzling soul rings-
Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun both wore expressions of disbelief.
They were three or four years older than Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, yet in less than five short years, the younger pair had already overtaken them.
An unprecedented sense of danger arose in both their hearts.
They had already made up their minds: whether they won this match or not, they had to find a way to eliminate Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing as soon as possible.
Otherwise, once those two returned to the Star Luo Empire, they would pose an enormous threat.
But however unwilling Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun were to accept it, they could only be crushed in this battle.
The gap of nearly ten levels was a chasm they simply could not cross.
"Dai Weisi, you've lost. I'll give you a chance: never return to the Star Luo Empire, and I won't make things difficult for you!"
After defeating the Star Luo Empire Imperial Team, Dai Mubai's aura grew even more powerful.
It carried a faint trace of the commanding might of a Forest King.
"This was only a match. Who wins and who loses is still undecided!"
Dai Weisi's gaze was icy. If looks could kill, Dai Mubai might already have been cut into a thousand pieces.
Despite his words, Dai Weisi's actions betrayed him. He did not linger at Spirit Hall, immediately setting off for the Star Luo Empire with the other members of its imperial academy team.
He had to hurry back and put everything in place before Dai Mubai returned.
He would not give Dai Mubai a single opportunity.
After the Star Luo Empire Imperial Team's defeat, only the Shrek Team and the Spirit Hall Academy Team remained.
This was the battle that drew everyone's attention.
Pope Bibi Dong came out, accompanied by Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, and Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
They had come to watch the battle that would decide the championship.
Bibi Dong had regained her usual majesty. A fitted ceremonial robe accentuated her perfect figure, a crown rested on her head, and she held a gem-studded scepter more than two meters tall.
The aura she exuded alone was enough to make many people afraid to look directly at her.
Everyone from the participating academies knelt and paid their respects to Pope Bibi Dong, apart from those on Shrek's side.
Bibi Dong glanced toward Shrek Academy, but her gaze did not linger. She waved for everyone to rise.
Then she announced the prize for the eventual champions: three soul bones.
The sight of the three soul bones astonished everyone present, and many gazed at them with greed in their eyes.
Yet not a single person dared to make a move.
When the battle began, Grandmaster's suspicions proved correct: Spirit Hall Academy's Golden Generation had indeed been concealing their strength.
Every one of them, just like the Shrek Seven Devils, had surpassed level fifty.
The Golden Generation had not taken the field for Spirit Hall Academy during either the earlier qualifying matches or the subsequent Promotion Tournament.
Although this violated the tournament's rules, the final rule stated that Spirit Hall reserved the right of final interpretation.
Raising objections would be utterly useless and would only expose their own timidity.
Thus, Shrek Academy could only steel themselves and take the field. After all, Spirit Hall's Golden Generation was not necessarily stronger than they were.
The battle was fierce. The Spirit Hall Golden Generation truly lived up to their standing as people personally selected and valued by Pope Bibi Dong.
The Martial Soul Fusion Skill used by Hu Liena and Xie Yue was especially powerful.
But in the end, the outcome could not be changed: they lost to the Shrek Seven Devils.
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and the others were all afflicted with deadly poison.
Although Tang San helped detoxify them, the poison had already entered their Eight Extraordinary Meridians and would have a considerable impact on their future cultivation.
But Tang San did not care at all whether the poison would affect his opponents' cultivation in the future.
All he cared about was victory.
In accordance with the tournament's rules, Pope Bibi Dong gave the three soul bones to the Shrek Seven Devils.
Then, after announcing the successful conclusion of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, she turned her gaze toward Xiao Wu, who was hiding behind Tang San.
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