Having forced their opponents to retreat, everyone felt an overwhelming wave of relief. If the Soul Master academies hadn't been particularly worried when those "bandits" first appeared, their hearts had certainly been lodged in their throats when those two Titled Douluo showed up one after another.
Those were Titled Douluo! A total of four had appeared today—nearly a quarter or a fifth of the entire number on the continent. In the presence of Titled Douluo, they were nothing but specks of dust.
Xue Qinghe demonstrated the thoroughness of his imperial upbringing from a young age. The moment the enemies withdrew, he immediately began issuing orderly commands to the Royal Knight Corps, directing them to pull the undamaged carriages to the front, tend to the wounded war horses, and restore formation.
In a short while, aside from the war horses that had already perished, the five hundred Royal Knights had largely regained their combat readiness.
During the earlier skirmish, those black-clad bandits had shown surprisingly little killing intent. Most had merely defended and skirmished, buying time for those two Titled Douluo. As a result, the heaviest casualties on both sides had actually come from the hundred-odd men Tang San had killed earlier with his poisonous Hidden Weapons.
After completing what needed to be done, Xue Qinghe returned to Ning Fengzhi's side and said respectfully, "Master, what do you think we should do next?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled calmly. "Continue onward as planned. After this lesson, they won't act rashly again. After all, they aren't going to pay too steep a price just for Tang San."
"Yes. Continue forward."
The entire convoy resumed its march, but the atmosphere had grown noticeably tense. Tang San immediately climbed into Shrek Academy's carriage. He knew that he had now become the focus of everyone's attention.
Those two Titled Douluo had clearly been tasked with killing him.
One failure didn't mean they'd fail next time. Being targeted by enemies at the level of Titled Douluo—that was far more than just having a thorn in one's side.
None of the other Shrek Seven Devils boarded the carriage. The ones who did were Ning Fengzhi, Dust Heart, and Dugu Bo—all three powerhouse elders. They all felt it was necessary to have a thorough conversation with Tang San.
Tang San appeared somewhat dejected. Among Soul Masters of his own level, he had always been an outstanding talent—even Soul Masters ranked slightly above him could rarely gain any advantage over him. But when the opponent was at the level of Titled Douluo, he had absolutely no recourse. That was not a gap that could be bridged by any amount of skill or technique.
Ning Fengzhi first nodded toward Dugu Bo, offering a polite smile. Titled Douluo Dust Heart simply closed his eyes and rested.
Dugu Bo might have been dismissive toward most people, but seated across from him was one of the leaders of the Upper Three Clans among the Seven Great Sects—heading what was reputed to be the wealthiest sect in the world.
"Greetings, Sect Master Ning."
Ning Fengzhi sighed. "Even I didn't expect them to act so quickly—and with such ruthlessness. It seems that the moment Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer was exposed, they had already made their decision."
Dugu Bo nodded and glanced at Tang San beside him, worry surfacing on his face. "If these people have truly made up their minds, then Little San could be in serious danger. Wouldn't it be better to have him withdraw from the competition? He'd need to go into hiding first, or find his father—only then could his safety be somewhat assured. None of us can stay by his side forever."
Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement. "I was thinking the same thing. Although they probably won't make another overt move before the Grand Finals end, Little San's safety is still hard to guarantee. Little San, if you're willing, I can have Uncle Dust Heart escort you back to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. I can't say it's absolutely safe there, but anyone wishing you harm would find it far from easy."
Tang San stared into Ning Fengzhi's eyes. "Uncle Ning, may I ask why you didn't expose their identity earlier?"
Ning Fengzhi sighed. "You noticed too, didn't you? That's right—they should be people from Spirit Hall. Even those ordinary black-clad men were all Soul Masters, and at least Soul Venerables with three or more rings. The only organization capable of mobilizing two Titled Douluo and over a thousand Soul Venerables at once is Spirit Hall. Even if all seven of the great sects pooled their entire strength, they might rival Spirit Hall, but they could never deploy their forces with such efficiency. The reason I didn't expose them was that I didn't want everyone here killed because of it. Do you think Spirit Hall would let anyone live once it became known what they'd done?"
A cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. "Silencing witnesses?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Earlier, the Dragon Master and Snake Empress didn't say anything, and when Senior Dugu tried to speak up, he was stopped by Chrysanthemum Douluo. We kept quiet too—none of us wanted to give Spirit Hall a reason to silence everyone. This time they suffered a covert loss. To avoid revealing Spirit Hall's involvement, those lower-ranked Soul Venerables never released their Martial Souls. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to kill them so easily. By the time they realized what had happened, the damage was already done."
Tang San spoke in a low voice. "Uncle, is Spirit Hall targeting me because of my father?"
Ning Fengzhi considered for a moment. "Not entirely. I believe Spirit Hall's move against you is partly because of your father, but also because of your own extraordinary talent. They must have already investigated your age. To have reached your current level of strength before even turning fifteen—and to possess a Twin Martial Soul, and be a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Clan—all of these factors will undoubtedly make you the next Sky Clear Douluo. Once you grow powerful enough, you'll become the greatest threat to Spirit Hall."
Tang San said, "So that's why they want to strangle me in the cradle? But why didn't they just send a Titled Douluo to assassinate me directly? Wouldn't that have been much simpler?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly. "Titled Douluo have their pride. The two who appeared today are both members of Spirit Hall's Elder Council—steadfast supporters of the Pope. You could call them the Pope's right-hand enforcers. Titled Douluo hold a position of immense prestige. Asking them to ambush a child? They'd never agree. If they had sent assassins at the Soul Douluo level instead, then with Flandre and Liu Erlong present, they wouldn't have found it so easy either. In truth, the biggest variable today wasn't us—it was Senior Dugu. You should thank him. The reason Spirit Hall sent two Titled Douluo was probably because they had already anticipated Uncle Dust Heart's and my presence. It was only after Senior Dugu joined that they were immediately put on the back foot."
Dugu Bo laughed heartily and looked at Tang San. "Little monster, you don't need to thank me."
Tang San glanced at him and, sure enough, said no words of gratitude. But deep within his heart, the fact that Dugu Bo had stepped forward without hesitation today had carved a profound impression. To save him, Dugu Bo had made an enemy of Spirit Hall!
Ning Fengzhi continued. "I think you should know the identities of the two Titled Douluo who appeared today. The first one—the man in white—is named Yue Guan. His Martial Soul is the chrysanthemum, and his title is Chrysanthemum—Chrysanthemum Douluo. His Soul Power is roughly between the ninety-fourth and ninety-fifth level. That strange chrysanthemum of his is exceedingly powerful. Fortunately, Uncle Dust Heart was able to counter him today."
"The dark figure who appeared later carries the title Ghost. His level is roughly the same as Chrysanthemum Douluo's. His Martial Soul is remarkably unique—it's called Phantom. And his own name is also Phantom. It's said that aside from the Pope, no one has ever seen his true face. He's a formidable agility-type Soul Douluo. Physical attacks find it extremely difficult to affect him. He's absolutely one of the most troublesome among all Titled Douluo."
Dugu Bo's weathered face reddened slightly. "That Phantom fellow is genuinely tough. If the fight had dragged on, I wouldn't have been his match."
Nning Fengzhi continued gravely. "These two Titled Douluo hold not only elevated status within Spirit Hall but also oversee its enforcement division. They are vital pillars of the organization. Apart from the other elders concealed within the Elder Council, most external affairs are decided by the Pope and these two. They are the Pope's most capable subordinates. With your current strength, if you encountered either of them alone, survival would be impossible. That is why I hope you'll return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan with Uncle Dust Heart. That way, I can ensure your safety."
Tang San lowered his head in thought. Then, suddenly, he looked up at Ning Fengzhi and said, "Uncle Ning, thank you for your kindness. But I can't give up like this. Shrek Academy has made it this far in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament not through my efforts alone. If I abandoned my teammates for the sake of my own safety, I would never be able to forgive myself. Once that kind of inner conflict takes root, my future cultivation will inevitably suffer. So I must participate in these Grand Finals. Didn't you just say that before the tournament ends, Spirit Hall probably won't dare to make any overt moves against me?"
A flicker of admiration crossed Ning Fengzhi's eyes, but he said, "But once the tournament is over, if you do win the championship, Spirit Hall's pursuit will be far more terrifying than today. At that point, even I might not be able to protect you. Let me reveal a secret to you. Among our Seven Great Sects, only the Upper Three Clans fall outside Spirit Hall's sphere of influence. The reason Spirit Hall can keep both great empires in such a state of wariness is simple—absolute power. I dare say that the combined number of Soul Masters currently in the hands of both empires together doesn't even amount to half of what Spirit Hall possesses."
---
Friends who love Douluo, cast your votes and support Little San! Your support is my greatest motivation. Thank you.
(End of chapter)