Dugu Bo thought to himself, "You two are openly joining Spirit Hall and still say it has nothing to do with me. Who would believe that?"
The crowd glanced at Dugu Bo, wondering if he would say anything in response. Everyone knew that Dugu Bo had close ties with the Heaven Dou Empire, and now both his granddaughter and disciple had chosen to join Spirit Hall. What would he do?
"Why are you all staring at me?" Dugu Bo scoffed. "The only reason I stayed with the Heaven Dou Empire was out of loyalty to Prince Xue Xing. But years have passed, and I consider that debt paid. Today, I officially sever ties with Heaven Dou. I prefer a life of freedom and won't be bound."
These words were as much for Bibi Dong as for the crowd. Dugu Bo intended to make it clear that he wasn't interested in joining Spirit Hall—his loyalty was to Su Ming, not Spirit Hall.
Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong noticed that Bibi Dong hadn't extended an invitation to her, which she accepted; after all, she belonged to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Bibi Dong was clearly pleased, however. Spirit Hall had gained five exceptionally talented soul masters, a significant boon for their future. Especially Su Ming!
With this matter settled, Bibi Dong turned to the crowd and announced, "I now invite the Spirit Hall and Thunder Academy teams to step forward to receive their rewards."
"Now that the Soul Master Tournament has concluded, please remain a moment longer. Spirit Hall promised an explanation," Bibi Dong said calmly.
Among the Thunder Academy ranks, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, who was struggling to stay conscious, felt a chill of unease. Tang San had regained consciousness only recently, thanks to treatment from a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon healer, but the side effects of the medicine were so intense that he could barely hold himself upright. Now, though, it seemed something was amiss.
Even with his depleted energy, Tang San could sense the tense expressions of the Spirit Hall's Red-Robed Cardinals and guards.
At a gesture from Bibi Dong, silence fell over the arena. The crowd, too, was eager for an explanation, especially after hearing the rumors of Spirit Hall's attempt to eliminate Tang San with titled Douluo. Now, Spirit Hall had promised a clarification.
Gui Mei stepped forward. "I am one of the titled Douluo who recently took action, so I will explain."
"We at Spirit Hall had reason to believe Tang San and his companions were practicing dark arts, potentially dabbling in the ways of an evil soul master. With tangible evidence to support our concerns, we acted. This wasn't just because Tang San is the son of Tang Hao."
"You are all aware that Spirit Hall offers free soul awakenings at age six. Tang San's martial soul was awakened here—a Blue Silver Grass, with innate full soul power."
"Now, ask yourselves: does an ordinary Blue Silver Grass justify innate full soul power? It doesn't add up. Given the records we possess, no soul master with a Blue Silver Grass martial soul has ever awakened with more than level one innate soul power. This anomaly warranted a thorough investigation."
Su Yuntao thought to himself, "Was I the only one kept in the dark?"
"As I continue, it should become clear. In fact, our Pope had already discerned Tang San's true identity when he was only six. It wasn't difficult—Tang Hao was a blacksmith from Holy Soul Village who didn't even change his name, so finding him was easy."
"Truthfully, if Spirit Hall had intended to act against him, we could have done so seven or eight years ago. Despite Tang Hao's enmity toward Spirit Hall, our Pope chose to show mercy, as children are innocent. Spirit Hall even continued paying soul master stipends."
"Yet, Tang Hao assumed us fools. He repeatedly assassinated Spirit Hall's talented youths, Red-Robed Cardinals, and even Elders."
"Recently, we detected another anomaly: Tang San's cultivation advanced rapidly, as did that of his companions, Dai Mubai and the others. Just look at Dai Mubai—half his hair has turned white. Even Oscar and Ma Hongjun show strands of gray. This indicates training in dark, unorthodox methods!"
A murmur rippled through the crowd as they turned their attention to Tang San and his teammates, suspicion and anger flashing in their eyes.
Some were visibly angered. Many of them had lost loved ones to evil soul masters, so if Spirit Hall's claims were true, they would see Spirit Hall's actions as a public service, not merely a vendetta against Tang Hao.
Tang San, struggling against his fatigue, felt a jolt of panic, while Dai Mubai and the others looked grim.
Tang San protested, "What proof do you have that I am an evil soul master? My strength comes from a few rare herbs I happened upon!"
"As for Dai Mubai's hair turning white, that's just a minor side effect. None of us have killed to cultivate. Evil soul masters are bloodthirsty killers. Look at us—do we look insane?"
After all, those assassinations had been his father's doing, not his. How could Spirit Hall possibly prove it?
"That sounds reasonable," murmured some in the crowd. "Tang San's power may have grown quickly, but his hair is still black, unlike Dai Mubai's."
Seeing the tide shift, Tang San's lips curled slightly. As long as they had no proof, they couldn't detain him.
"Everyone, silence!" Gui Mei's voice boomed. "How about a simple test? Tang San, release your Blue Silver Grass and let us analyze its properties. Based on our observation, it seems to possess resistance to lightning, fire, and water. If you have nothing to hide, why not prove it?"
Upon hearing this, Tang San's face stiffened as everyone's eyes turned toward him. Internally, Tang San was shocked: How did Spirit Hall find out? Even his teammates, like Dai Mubai, didn't know his Blue Silver Grass had gained such abilities. Was Spirit Hall that perceptive?
Seeing his hesitation, the crowd sensed something suspicious about Tang San, and Dai Mubai couldn't help but ask, "Xiao San, what's going on here?"
Gui Mei continued calmly, "After observing for a while, we found Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had mutated. It can absorb others' soul power, spirit, and bloodline traits to cultivate, which explains his rapid progress."
He added, "Additionally, people in the city have been mysteriously disappearing lately. Doesn't that seem suspicious? And as for Dai Mubai and the others, they seem to have used forbidden drugs, depleting their own life force and foundations to gain strength quickly."
"Even if this doesn't directly relate to an evil spirit master, think about it—such drugs often need special ingredients. For example, blood from other spirit masters," he continued. "Spirit Hall's mission is to eliminate evil spirit masters, so we know more about these matters than most. The swift growth of evil spirit masters is due in part to forbidden drugs, crafted through unspeakable means."
Gui Mei looked coldly at Tang San, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun. "Well? Do you have anything to say?"
Dai Weisi stepped forward, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "Elder Gui, now that Dai Mubai's spirit power has been crippled, could you allow him one last audience with the Emperor?"
Dai Weisi wasn't trying to save his brother's life, but he knew that if he didn't at least show a semblance of loyalty, he'd face repercussions back home. His father might be unable to confront Spirit Hall, but he'd take it out on Dai Weisi himself.
Bibi Dong then addressed Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun. "Did you know about these drugs? Did Tang San give them to you? If you were unaware, we might spare you. But if you knew, then no one's pleas will change your fate. You will be taken to the Slaughter City, left to fend for yourselves."
Dai Mubai and Oscar turned ashen. For Dai Mubai, who had lost his power, the Slaughter City meant certain death, and Oscar, being a food-type spirit master, wouldn't fare any better.
"Your Holiness, we didn't know!" Dai Mubai quickly pleaded. "Tang San told us these pills would boost our strength, and due to certain pressures, we believed him…"
The three of them were desperate to save themselves. Unlike Tang San, they had no father like Tang Hao to protect them. With Spirit Hall prepared as they were today, even Tang Hao's presence might be useless. Not wanting to die for Tang San's choices, they looked away, unwilling to sacrifice themselves.
"You…you all!" Tang San stared at them, shocked his close friends had turned on him so easily.
"Xiao San, don't blame us," Dai Mubai said. "We're just trying to survive. With your father's connections, you might be able to live even in the Slaughter City. But for us, that's a death sentence."
"Besides, when we asked if those pills had the same effects as evil spirit master techniques, you swore they didn't. You said they were just herbs. Now…can you still stand by that?"
Tang San fell silent.
"Everyone, you've heard the full story," Gui Mei declared. "From the beginning, Tang San was nothing more than an evil spirit master. Execute Tang San on the spot, and detain the other three for later judgment!" Bibi Dong ordered, pointing coldly at Tang San.
As the Red-Robed Cardinals advanced to finish him off, a furious roar echoed from the sky. "Who dares?!"
Tang Hao's voice boomed across the arena. "Tang San is my son! You think you can harm him? Who gave you the nerve?"
"Xiao San, watch closely! This is the real Clear Sky True Body!"
"Nine Rings Explode, Great Sumeru Hammer!"
"Killers' Domain!"
The next moment, a massive blood-red Clear Sky Hammer descended from the sky, with no concern for the innocent people on the plaza before the Pope's Palace.
"Enough, Tang Hao!" Bibi Dong snarled. "Elders!"
A group of Spirit Hall elders and Platinums stepped forward; they had been waiting for this. They hadn't expected Tang Hao to attack so ruthlessly, showing no regard for civilians. Uniting their spirit power, they created a protective shield to block Tang Hao's attack.
Meanwhile, Su Ming discreetly messaged Gui Mei and Ju Douluo, "If not now, when?"
Startled by Tang Hao's intimidating aura, the two Douluo snapped back to attention. They knew now why Su Ming had forewarned them; despite the numbers Spirit Hall had, they couldn't help but feel a trace of fear toward Tang Hao.
"Spirit Fusion Technique: Dual Static Domain!" Gui Mei and Ju Douluo locked eyes, resolute in facing their fear head-on.
"We're with you till the end!"
"Arrgh!" Tang Hao bellowed, enraged as Gui Mei and Ju Douluo froze his Clear Sky Hammer mid-air. He channeled every ounce of his strength, preparing for one last desperate strike. Though he appeared to be going all out, Tang Hao was hoping for a swift escape, intending to exploit any opening Spirit Hall gave him to break free with Tang San.
While Tang Hao was reckless, he wasn't a fool. He knew the danger of staying, and his real target was the Spirit Hall's Angel Statue. As the symbol of Spirit Hall, destroying it would force them to divert their focus, leaving enough chaotic energy to harm the lower-level spirit masters in the arena.
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have finished uploading the whole series in patreon, thanks for supporting me and special thanks to all the patrons for joining
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