"Move it — are you blind?" The knight at the front of the procession snarled as he watched Tang San walk forward with his head lowered. His whip rose, and in the instant it came close, it lashed toward Tang San with brutal force. He was confident in his strength — one strike from this whip would certainly send the man flying out of the way, clearing their path without further hindrance.
In that moment, Tang San's gaze — which had remained fixed on Xiao Wu — slowly lifted. As his head rose, a visible layer of white light suddenly spread outward from his body.
In the span of a heartbeat, the air seemed to freeze solid. An extreme, piercing cold erupted within the range of that white halo.
Amid shrill cries, more than ten carefully bred warhorses collapsed almost simultaneously, their legs giving way as they crumpled to the ground, white foam spewing from their mouths. Their momentum carried them hurtling straight toward Tang San.
"Hmph—"
Tang San exhaled sharply. His left hand caught the incoming whip, and his right fist clenched and rocketed forward.
Unlike the dispersed light from before, a dense, concentrated white glow coalesced around his right fist. The punch appeared measured and restrained, yet it carried within it an explosive force.
With a thunderous boom, the lead warhorse halted beneath Tang San's fist. The hard skull shattered into pieces, and the horse's entire body compressed in an instant. The tremendous force punched straight through it, and every warhorse behind and beside it froze in place, struck by the wave of explosive power. The more than ten knights atop them were flung from their saddles nearly at the same moment.
Tang San had first unleashed his Killing God Domain, then gathered his strength into a single punch. But he exercised restraint — the horses were harmed, not the riders. The only one truly destroyed was the lead horse.
His left hand still gripping the whip, the rider of the slain horse was yanked straight off the beast's back by Tang San.
When Tang San's fist erupted with power, the surrounding crowd had already erupted in cries. Onlookers among the common folk mostly showed expressions of satisfaction, but even more wore looks of terror. These knights wore the uniforms of the Royal Guard Corps. The Royal Guard Corps were the Tian Dou Empire's most elite warriors — each one hand-picked. Those holding the rank of squad leader and above were all Soul Masters. For the Tian Dou Empire, which did not boast a large Soul Master population to begin with, these men represented the cream of the crop.
The Royal Guard whom Tang San had pulled down tried to resist, but Tang San merely flicked the whip. A surge of formidable force transmitted through the leather, and the man's body went limp, collapsing to the ground.
The Royal Guard knights picked themselves up in disarray. One of them scrambled to his feet and roared, "You bastard — kill him!" As he spoke, a not-insignificant pulse of Soul Power erupted from his body, and Martial Soul Possession took hold.
Upon seeing this person, Tang San felt a flicker of surprise. He was the only knight in the group not wearing Royal Guard armor. Instead, he was dressed in lavish robes, appearing to be around thirty years old. Tang San actually recognized him — back when he and his companions had been heading to the Tian Dou Imperial Academy, they had crossed paths with this very person. He was none other than the Tian Dou Empire's Fourth Prince,
It had been many years since Tang San had last seen him. Though the man had aged considerably, his surface-level affectation of extravagance had not diminished in the slightest. Watching him strut and bluster, Tang San felt a wave of irritation. How could sons born of the same father differ so dramatically? Compared to
Two yellow and two purple — four Soul Rings in total materialized around Xue Beng. Born of royalty, his Soul Rings naturally followed the optimal configuration. Yet at thirty years old, he had only reached the fortieth rank. Even if he trained diligently from this point forward, he would never breach the level of a Titled Douluo in his lifetime.
Tang San gently stroked the fur of Xiao Wu cradled in his arms and stopped looking at the people before him, as though they had nothing to do with him whatsoever.
The Royal Guard knights scrambled to their feet and surrounded Xue Beng, watching Tang San with wary, tense expressions.
Though Tang San had not manifested his Martial Soul, the punch he had thrown moments ago — and the overwhelming killing intent that still made them tremble — was enough to keep these habitually arrogant guards from making any rash moves. None of them wished to share the fate of the warhorses.
To become a Royal Guard meant having seen real battle. The feeling Tang San gave them was that of someone who had crawled his way out of a mountain of corpses. That cold, deathly killing intent was not something an ordinary person could ever project.
"Do something, you useless wastes!" Xue Beng shouted. Not a single Royal Guard accompanying him was a Soul Master. Only at his command did they slowly begin closing in on Tang San.
Tang San walked forward at an unhurried pace. The advancing guards retreated with every step he took, unable to muster the courage to strike. They were not even Soul Masters, and the trauma inflicted by the Killing God Domain had already filled their hearts with shadows.
Just as Xue Beng was about to attack, launching a Soul Skill at Tang San, a large hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder, forcibly interrupting the flow of his Soul Power.
"If you don't want to die, don't move. Leave this to me." A low, aged voice sounded in Xue Beng's ear. Hearing it, Xue Beng's tense body visibly relaxed.
At the same moment, Tang San — who had been walking as though no one else existed — also stopped. When he raised his head again, something new had appeared in those icy eyes.
An elder now stood beside Xue Beng. He wore a green robe, and his white hair was a wild, unkempt tangle. His mere presence beside the prince had already shifted the very fluctuations of the air. The intense pressure bore down on Tang San, making him feel almost short of breath.
The green-robed elder stared coldly at Tang San, though the flicker of astonishment in his eyes could not be concealed.
This young man's earlier aura had clearly been a domain-type power, and the Soul Power contained in that single punch had been quite substantial. In the elder's memory, this was far beyond what someone of this age should have been capable of. Even that little monster he had once considered a friend might not have been this extraordinary. And the fact that he was holding a rabbit — it looked utterly bizarre no matter how you viewed it.
Tang San placed Xiao Wu on his left shoulder and raised both hands.
In his right palm, blue light flickered as a Blue Silver Emperor quietly emerged, its surface laced with streaks of blood-red and brilliant gold.
In his left palm, black light gathered inward, and the Clear Sky Hammer materialized out of thin air — roughly two chi in length, its cylindrical head etched with the marks of the Killing God Domain.
He did not channel Soul Power. He simply presented both Martial Souls simultaneously in stillness. This was the maximum extent to which Tang San could display both at once. With both Martial Souls manifested together, he could not use any Soul Skills, nor could he bring their true power to bear. It was purely a display.
The green-robed elder had already erupted with a layer of intense green light the moment he saw Tang San raise his hands. But when the two Martial Souls appeared in each of the young man's palms, his pupils contracted violently, and he stared in disbelief at the youth before him.
"Old monster, it's been a long time," Tang San said with a soft sigh.
The one who had appeared beside Xue Beng was none other than
Dugu Bo looked at Tang San with undisguised shock. "You — you are...?"
Tang San smiled bitterly. "Isn't this proof enough of who I am?"
Suddenly, Dugu Bo's expression turned cold. The green light he had retracted blazed to life once more, and his figure flashed forward, hurtling toward Tang San.
As a Titled Douluo, the pressure he brought to bear on Tang San was immense. Tang San withdrew both Martial Souls and retreated a single, swift step. His right wrist flipped, and a gold-red bead materialized in his palm.
None of the others reacted when the bead appeared — not even the common folk in the distance. But the moment it came into view, Dugu Bo reacted as though he had seen a ghost. He shot backward at more than double the speed of his charge, the green light around his body diminishing sharply, his face contorting with horror.
What Tang San had produced was, of course, the inner core of the Ten-Headed Solar Serpent. This core could neutralize any snake venom and exercised an extremely potent suppressive effect on all serpentine creatures. Though Dugu Bo's Martial Soul was the Emerald Serpent Emperor, even it was profoundly affected in the presence of this primordial beast's inner core. The sudden turn of events forced Dugu Bo to retreat.
The trembling instilled by the Martial Soul was something that struck fear even into a Titled Douluo. His gaze toward Tang San shifted dramatically in that instant.
In truth, Tang San had not needed to bring out the Ten-Headed Solar Serpent's inner core. With his current strength, though he could not hope to defeat Dugu Bo, he could still hold his own for a few exchanges. But Xiao Wu — in her original rabbit form — sat on his shoulder, and he would not allow her to come to any harm.
"You..." Dugu Bo stared at Tang San, eyes flickering with uncertainty.
From the Martial Souls alone, the Clear Sky Hammer was unmistakable. The
Tang San patted the Treasure Bag at his waist. "Old monster, let's find somewhere to talk." As he spoke, he tucked the Ten-Headed Solar Serpent's inner core away.
Dugu Bo nodded, gave Xue Beng's shoulder a pat, and said, "Clean this up." Then he strode off into the distance.
Tang San shifted his footwork, stepped past Xue Beng, and fell into step beside Dugu Bo. Xiao Wu returned to the cradle of his arms.
Dugu Bo slid three chi to the side, putting a bit of distance between himself and Tang San. The aura of the Ten-Headed Solar Serpent's inner core had genuinely unnerved him.
Tang San let out a helpless laugh. "Old monster, when did you become so timid?"
Dugu Bo's aged face reddened. "Spare me. Everything points to you being the little monster. But the little monster doesn't look anything like you."
Tang San pointed to a teahouse ahead. "Come on. Let's talk in there."
On the other side of the street, a strange gleam flickered across Xue Beng's darkened face. His brow furrowed briefly, as though a thought had crossed his mind. He waved his hand, ordering the Royal Guards to clear the scene with haste. Something about his entire demeanor seemed to have changed.
Inside the teahouth, Tang San requested a private room and ordered two cups of fine tea.
"What happened? Little monster — why do you look like this?" The moment Tang San had pointed out the Treasure Bag at his waist, Dugu Bo had already been half-convinced. The young man recognized him, possessed a Twin Martial Soul, and knew the Treasure Bag was a gift from Dugu Bo — details that even the other members of the Shrek Seven Devils might not all know. He trusted Tang San's words a fair degree now.
Tang San carefully set Xiao Wu on his thigh and glanced at Dugu Bo. "Your hair has returned to its original color. The residual toxins in your body should be nearly purged as well. Congratulations."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo's expression relaxed. "It seems you really are the little monster. But how did you become so handsome? Teach me — maybe I could turn back the clock too."
Tang San smiled ruefully. "It's not that simple. This change only occurred after my Martial Soul underwent a second awakening, when I inherited some of my mother's genes."
Without holding anything back, he recounted everything that had happened after he and his father had departed — including his time in the Slaughter City — all the way through the events in the Star Dou Great Forest.
When Tang San spoke of Xiao Wu's sacrifice to save him, his gaze settled entirely upon her true form. In his sorrowful eyes was a tenderness beyond words.