"Then… retreat!"
Xuan Zi gritted his teeth, and the moment he uttered the word "retreat," it was as if half of his hair turned white.
"Everyone, return to your original positions — East, West, South, North! Break out separately, don't gather in one place!" Da Ming, seeing that Shrek Academy had finally reached a consensus, gave a rare smile and then shouted loudly.
Countless powerful figures scattered like shooting stars.
"Pursue!" Kong Deming coldly spat out the command.
This time, just making Shrek Academy lose an Ultimate Douluo would be like cutting off an arm — far from enough to repay the blood-soaked history the Sun Moon Empire once suffered!
Countless powerhouses from the factions of the Sun Moon Empire gave chase as well.
"Notify all Mingdu's city defenses to prepare. The enemy is approaching!" Kong Deming activated his communication soul tool.
"Yes!" came an excited voice from the other side.
Clearly, this battle was a victory for the Sun Moon Empire.
What followed… would be a full-blown pursuit to exploit that win.
Elsewhere…
"Why hasn't Elder Xuan arrived yet?"
Following the plan made with his master, Tang San had staked out the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in advance, keeping watch in order to lead Elder Xuan in at the right time.
But seeing how the entire city of Mingdu was now being affected by the booming clashes of soul master combat — and still no sign of Elder Xuan — he started to grow anxious.
Through the glass of a tall building, he could clearly see into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That towering castle radiated wealth and luxury.
There were several soul masters guarding the gate.
After a very cautious investigation, Tang San estimated that their strength was around the Soul King level.
As long as Elder Xuan arrived, the formerly glorious Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would soon be reduced to rubble… A flash of vengeance and satisfaction lit up Tang San's eyes. "Ning Tian, you never expected that your Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would come to this, did you? Perhaps a few days ago, you begged me to spare your sect for the sake of our former friendship. I might've agreed then. But now…"
"Now what?"
A mocking voice sounded behind him.
Tang San's eyes shrank sharply. That familiar voice sent chills down his spine.
I've been discovered?!
"Blue Silver Bind!"
He shouted, and Blue Silver Grass burst from the floor, wildly wrapping toward Ning Tian. At the same time, he flipped his hand and released a hundred hidden weapons in a flash, charging toward the glass window without even looking back. This was a hotel — if he could smash through the glass and leap from the building, he might still escape.
But the next instant—
Green bamboo shoots burst out from the window frame, instantly blocking the exit he'd just broken open.
"Haah!"
Tang San gritted his teeth and threw another razor-sharp hidden weapon.
Clang!
One of his most lethal blades, known for its sharpness and high ranking among hidden weapons, struck the bamboo. Sparks flew, but instead of slicing clean through, it only left a faint white mark.
"Damn it!"
With his escape route cut off, Tang San turned to look.
Ning Tian stood with arms crossed, a playful glint in her eyes.
And standing before her was an old man in green robes with a white beard, his face expressionless.
He's the one who made the move! Tang San's heart sank further. This green-robed elder was likely at least a Title Douluo. Escaping from someone of that caliber was next to impossible.
He'd only just arrived in this world, and he had few trump cards.
"Ning Tian, we're both Shrek Academy students. Maybe you've misunderstood—" he tried to calm himself and sound composed.
"Misunderstood? Do I look like an idiot?" Ning Tian sneered and glanced at Tang San indifferently.
"And guess how I found you?"
She shrugged. "This hotel is owned by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect…"
Tang San: "..."
"If we're mortal enemies, there's no need to put on a show. If you had admitted it from the start, I might've respected you a bit more. But now… Grandpa Zhu."
Ning Tian stopped wasting words.
"Understood."
The green-robed elder nodded slightly.
He gently pushed his palm.
The room was instantly engulfed by rapidly growing bamboo. Tang San was surrounded as the bamboo pressed inward, shrinking the space around him.
"Then I'll go all out!"
He couldn't die — if he did, this clone's consciousness would slowly fade and wouldn't be absorbed back by the divine realm version of Tang San. With so many unpredictable events in the Douluo world now, if the divine Tang San didn't know everything, it could lead to major trouble! All his efforts in the lower realm would be in vain!
Buzz!
A hammer etched with complex patterns appeared in his hand, its aura slowly building. Tang San roared, "Random Cloak Hammer Technique!"
With afterimages blurring behind him, he swung the hammer at the surging bamboo.
"Random Cloak Hammer Technique? Only true prodigies of the Clear Sky Sect can wield that." The green-robed elder stroked his beard and waved his hand.
"If you were a Soul Douluo, maybe you could've broken free. But as a mere Soul Elder… even if the Tang San from ten thousand years ago were here, he couldn't break out."
Meanwhile, the shattered bamboo continued to regenerate, further closing in and suffocating the space around Tang San.
Thump!
A bamboo shoot pierced his shoulder, leaving a bloody hole.
Tang San's body shuddered, blood gushed from his mouth, and his aura instantly weakened.
"Die," said the green-robed elder coldly.
The bamboo around him exploded into motion, rushing toward Tang San from all sides.
But just as he was about to be skewered by a thousand bamboo spears—
A powerful pressure erupted from above. All the bamboo instantly shattered.
The old man's pupils contracted as he quickly shielded Ning Tian and looked upward with a grim expression.
There, a gray figure stood tall.
"Is this one of our Clear Sky Sect disciples? Why would we send a mere Soul Elder on this mission…" Er Ming frowned.
But he still reached out casually, and Tang San appeared in his hand. Glancing coldly at the green-robed elder and Ning Tian below, his figure vanished into the sky.
"Phew…" the elder exhaled a breath of turbid air.
"It's said the Clear Sky Sect has two sect masters. That aura… must've been the legendary Titan Giant Ape."
"Titan Giant Ape?" Ning Tian asked curiously.
"Yes. According to legend, it sacrificed itself for Tang San, but was later resurrected and has been guarding the Clear Sky Sect ever since. It seems the entire continent may indeed be secretly under that man's control. It was all speculation before, but now, with both the Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape appearing, it confirms it."
The old man sighed.
"But fortunately, the outcome is good. Judging from what just happened, the Sun Moon Empire has won." He clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky.
In just a few seconds—
Countless figures approached from the direction the Titan Giant Ape had flown, covering the sky in an overwhelming display. Every one of them was at least Soul Sage level.
As they passed over the area, a few of them descended.
"Grandpa Zhu! Xiao Tian, we won!" Ning Hao, wearing a flight-type soul tool, patted Ning Tian's head and grinned broadly.
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had its roots in the Sun Moon Empire. That meant in this war, they were clearly on the winning side. If they had lost… the entire sect might've been wiped out. As the sect master, the pressure he faced had been immense.
(End of this chapter)