Chapter 212: Dead Men Tell No Tales? What if I could bring them back to life?
"Eloquent Tongue!"
Salas snapped, abruptly interrupting Tang San, giving him no chance to defend himself. He then began fabricating charges:
"No matter how eloquent you are, you can't hide the truth! Seven students from Canghui Academy are on the verge of death, their soul power exhausted. This was witnessed by everyone, and I, the Bishop, have personally verified it! You possess strange abilities, your cultivation progress is illogical, and you are even suspected of devouring life!"
He offered no evidence, relying solely on his power, his voice suddenly rising.
"Tang San! You are suspected of harming participating soul masters, a serious violation of the competition rules, and a breach of the ironclad laws of the soul master world! I suspect you are a fallen soul master, an evil soul master. To maintain the fairness of the competition and the peace of the continent, I am now arresting you according to the law and taking you back to the Spirit Hall for detailed investigation!"
At this point, Salas gave no one time to react, abruptly waving his hand!
"Men, seize him!"
The clanging of metal armor rang out suddenly!
Hearing this, the dozen or so Spirit Hall Knights, clad in gleaming silver armor and exuding a fierce aura, who had been waiting around the arena, instantly unleashed their powerful spirit energy, charging onto the arena from all directions like an iron barrel, instantly surrounding the lone Tang San!
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone present!
No one had expected Salas to be so domineering.
Completely disregarding the competition rules and Tang San's explanations, he was about to use force to arrest him!
Just then, Flander's expression changed, and he instantly appeared on the Soul Arena, standing between Tang San and the Templar Knights. He roared,
"Your Excellency, the Platinum Bishop! What do you mean by openly targeting Shrek Academy?! The reason why the people from Canghui Academy have become like this is still undetermined, what right do you have to arrest people?! If you dare to touch a single hair on the head of a student from Shrek Academy!"
In his desperation, he even brought out what he thought was his last resort—Grandmaster.
"I...I will immediately set off with Xiaogang to Spirit City to pay my respects to His Holiness the Pope and ask her to uphold justice for us!"
However, upon hearing this, Salas's lips curled into an undisguised sneer. He didn't even bother to look Flander in the eye, and said in an extremely contemptuous tone,
"Oh? To see His Holiness the Pope? Very well, then you can set off now."
Clearly, he had no idea that the Xiaogang that Flander mentioned was Grandmaster.
Instead, he felt that Flander was bluffing, so he ignored Flander and turned to the Templar Knight, ordering again:
"Take him down..."
However, before he could finish his sentence,
"Whoosh—!"
A sharp, piercing sonic boom suddenly rang out.
The next second, a dazzling golden streak of light appeared.
Like lightning tearing through space, it shot out from a direction in the stands at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, its target Salas on the arena!
This sudden attack made Salas's expression change drastically!
"What is that?!" In a fit of shock and anger, he instinctively released his soul power, his right hand flashing out like lightning, his five fingers forming a claw, carrying the powerful soul power of a Soul Douluo, precisely grabbing at the golden light!
"Bang!"
A muffled sound.
The golden light was firmly grasped in Salas's palm, the impact causing his arm to go slightly numb.
"What is this??"
Salas was startled, staring intently at the object in his hand.
When he opened his palm and saw the object clearly, the anger on his face froze instantly, replaced by utter shock and horror!
It wasn't a hidden weapon, but a token!
"What? This is... a Papal Decree?!"
Looking at the token in his hand, Salas's pupils constricted sharply, a fine layer of cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead, and his hand gripping the token trembled slightly.
The holder of this token was as if the Pope himself were present! Seeing the token was like seeing the Pope in person!
Immediately afterward, he abruptly looked up, his gaze sweeping uncertainly towards the direction from which the token had been shot.
Just then, a deep voice, tinged with obvious displeasure, slowly rang out:
"Your Excellency, what an imposing air you have!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Grandmaster had left the Shrek Academy's viewing area at some point and was striding towards the center of the arena.
Salas was startled when he saw Grandmaster approaching, then his gaze fell on the heavy Papal Decree in his hand, and he instantly understood, his face draining of all color.
Although he vaguely knew about the ambiguous relationship between Grandmaster and the Pope, he never expected the latter to possess a Papal Decree. The Spirit Hall only had three Papal Decrees in existence, each given to one of the top three sects among the seven major sects.
Even Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, wouldn't casually wear this token symbolizing the Pope's authority. He couldn't believe Grandmaster would have it.
Fragments of memories surfaced in his mind, and Salas's heart sank. He knew he might not be able to get away with it today.
Unless, of course, the people from Canghui Academy could get up and identify Tang San!
Seeing this familiar figure appear before him, holding the Papal Decree and intimidating Salas, Tang San was first startled, then overwhelmed with uncontrollable joy!
"Teacher!"
"You...you're back?!"
Tang San never expected that Grandmaster, who had been on the verge of death when Tang Hao took him away, and whom he thought had little chance of survival, would actually appear here unharmed.
Moreover… he even possessed the Papal Decree, which even the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall had to bow to!
"It seems that after Grandmaster went to Spirit City, Bibi Dong not only saved him but also bestowed upon him extremely high honors and trust, even entrusting him with the Papal Decree!" This thought flashed through Tang San's mind in an instant. Then, he was so excited he almost trembled, thinking to himself,
"Then he must have already obtained the correct method from Bibi Dong to solve the difficulties of cultivating twin spirits! My Clear Sky Hammer is saved!"
The thought of soon escaping his disgusting Clear Sky Hammer situation and embarking on the truly powerful path of twin spirit cultivation, trampling Tang Chuan and all those who looked down on him underfoot, filled Tang San with a surge of heat that quickly coursed through his body. He temporarily forgot even the sense of crisis he felt when surrounded by the Templar Knights and his current physical weakness.
"Elder...Elder, you...you jest. It was my fault for being so blind, not knowing you were here. This...this thing, please take it back."
Not daring to be the slightest bit negligent, Salas quickly suppressed his previous arrogance, even bowing slightly, carefully and respectfully holding the papal decree in both hands, and presenting it to Grandmaster, forcing a smile that was more like a grimace.
A hint of disdain curled at the corner of his mouth as Grandmaster took the papal decree, deliberately adopting an arrogant and indifferent expression, and looking down at Salas, questioning him:
"Lord Salas, may I ask, are you still going to arrest my Shrek Academy members?"
Faced with the token representing the Pope's presence, Salas, despite his immense resentment and anger, could only forcefully suppress it, forcing an extremely ugly smile onto his face as he waved his hands repeatedly, saying,
"No more arresting, no more arresting, Elder..."
Before he could finish his surrender,
"Slap—!!!"
A crisp and loud slap resounded.
Like a thunderclap, it instantly drowned out all other sounds!
A figure in emerald green appeared before Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang with ghostly speed and without warning! It was none other than Poison Douluo Dugu Bo!
Without uttering a single word, in the instant before anyone, including Salas, could react, he suddenly raised his hand, and with the terrifying power and speed of a Title Douluo, delivered a solid and merciless slap to Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's face!
"Pfft—!"
Before Grandmaster could even react, he was sent flying through the air like a straw caught in a whirlwind, sent flying by the powerful slap.
He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with broken teeth mid-air before crashing heavily onto the arena several meters away, tumbling several times before coming to a stop.
In the blink of an eye, Grandmaster was sprawled on his back, half his face instantly swollen like a pig's head, his consciousness momentarily blurred.
This sudden, ruthless slap stunned everyone!
Salas was completely dumbfounded, frozen in place, the words stuck in his throat. He had never expected that Dugu Bo would dare to attack the holder of the Pope's decree so recklessly!
"What kind of bullshit Papal Decree?"
Dugu Bo didn't even bother to look at Grandmaster lying on the ground like a dead dog. He slowly withdrew his hand, his icy gaze sweeping over the fallen Papal Decree. A sneer of undisguised arrogance curled at the corner of his mouth, his tone filled with extreme contempt and provocation.
"I'm not one of your Spirit Hall..."
"I—don't—know—you!"
These words shocked everyone present!
Dugu Bo was openly defying the highest authority of the Spirit Hall!
He used the most direct and brutal method to show that he didn't take the Spirit Hall's authority seriously at all!
What did it matter what Papal Decree it was? In front of him, Poison Douluo, anyone who dared to be arrogant would be beaten without hesitation!
Seeing Grandmaster slapped to the ground, coughing up blood and collapsing in a sorry state, Tang San, eager for the cultivation method of twin spirits, couldn't just sit idly by.
"Dugu Bo! Don't go too far! This is during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament! How can you openly assault a teacher from a participating academy?!"
He tried to use the tournament rules to suppress Dugu Bo.
At the same time, Salas also recovered from his initial shock.
Although he also despised Yu Xiaogang, Dugu Bo's slap just now wasn't just a blow to Yu Xiaogang, but also to the Spirit Hall's reputation!
Especially after the Pope's decree had just demonstrated its authority!
If this matter were to reach Spirit City and the Pope knew that Salas was present yet allowed outsiders to humiliate an elder holding the Pope's decree, then his position as a Platinum Bishop would be over.
Therefore, he had no choice but to step forward, his face grim as he looked at Dugu Bo, his tone questioning: "Your Excellency Poison Douluo! Grandmaster now holds the Pope's Decree, making him an elder of my Spirit Hall! Isn't your action a complete disregard for my Spirit Hall?"
Upon hearing this, a hint of disdain flashed in Dugu Bo's emerald eyes. He had long anticipated that Salas would use the Spirit Hall to intimidate him, and then he snorted coldly, his voice sharp and intimidating:
"Bishop Salas, don't try to pin this on me! Fallen evil spirit masters are the common enemy of the entire continent! Everyone has the right to kill them! As a bishop of the Spirit Hall, are you going to protect Tang San, who is suspected of practicing evil arts and harming participating spirit masters, just for a mere token?!"
He emphasized the words "evil spirit master" and "common enemy," directly elevating the issue to the opposite side of the entire spirit master world.
Upon hearing this, Salas turned pale with shock. He naturally dared not openly bear the accusation of protecting evil spirit masters, especially in front of so many people.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down, shook his head, and his tone became more impartial, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Of course, I would not protect anyone. The Spirit Hall has always been fair and just, and will never let a single evil spirit go unpunished, but it will also never wrong an innocent person."
At this point, Salas changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the Canghui Academy students on the ground, who were barely breathing and looked like dried corpses, a troubled expression on his face.
"But... now everyone from Canghui Academy is in this state, unconscious, practically dead. As the saying goes, the dead can't testify, and I... I can't just arrest them based on guesswork; it wouldn't be convincing! After all, what if it's due to the backlash of their fusion technique?"
"Unless... unless the people from Canghui Academy can wake up immediately and personally identify what Tang San did to them in the seven-colored light!"
"If the situation is true and the evidence is conclusive, this bishop will arrest them immediately, without hesitation!"
His move was cunning, temporarily preserving the Spirit Hall's reputation and avoiding pressure from Dugu Bo, while also passing the buck.
Anyway, the Pope hadn't ordered him to arrest Tang San, so whether Tang San was arrested or not was none of Salas's business.
If he offended the Pope's old flame because of this, it would be a huge loss if this good-for-nothing spoke ill of him to the Pope later, especially since the latter still held the Pope's decree.
Hearing Salas's statement that there was no way to verify the claim, Tang San felt a surge of confidence, believing he had gained the upper hand. The feigned grievance and anger on his face slowly faded, replaced by undisguised smugness and provocation. He said,
"Poison Douluo, didn't you hear what Bishop Salas said? Or are you getting old and your hearing isn't working?"
"If these people from Canghui Academy could wake up right now and confess what I did to them, I, Tang San, would surrender without resistance!"
"As long as they can stand up and identify me, I, Tang San, am the evil soul master you call me, and I will accept punishment without complaint!"
"Unfortunately… in their current state, they are already dead and unable to testify."
Tang San's words were tantamount to openly provoking Dugu Bo and all those who doubted him in front of tens of thousands of people—his arrogance reached its peak!
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo frowned slightly, his face so dark it was almost dripping with water. Just as he was about to speak, a clear and undeniable voice suddenly came from not far away.
"Fine! Tang San!"
"Remember what you just said!"
This voice was extremely familiar to Dugu Bo!
"Dead men tell no tales?"
"What if I could bring them back to life?"
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[end of the chapter]