Goodbye Tang San, I'm Too LateA piercing sound of air being torn apart swept across the sky above Tiandou City, and the powerful wind pressure made the windows vibrate.
In Tiandou City, the people screamed and fled home, thinking that the army of the Martial Soul Empire had attacked. As the sound of something cutting through the air gradually faded away, some of the bolder people cautiously raised their heads to look at the sky, but the sky was clear and blue, without any abnormality. But the next moment, they cried out in alarm.
Countless colorful soul skills swept across the sky like a tidal wave, carrying terrifying pressure and roars as they chased after the direction of the sound of air being torn apart.
"What's going on? Has the Spirit Empire attacked?"
One person looked terrified.
"Are you stupid? The Spirit Empire is still being held back outside Zhennan Pass by the Imperial Army, how could they possibly appear outside Tiandou City?"
One person glared and shouted angrily.
"This is Heaven Dou City's anti-air defense! What happened? Why was Heaven Dou City's anti-air defense activated?"
A knowledgeable middle-aged man, looking at the sky full of soul skills, suddenly realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise.
Heaven Dou City is the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire. No one is allowed to fly there without permission. Anyone who dares to challenge the rules will anger the Heaven Dou Empire and be subsequently killed by its powerful figures.
In the Douluo Continent, only Title Douluos with extremely close ties to the Heaven Dou Empire are granted permission to fly. Even the powerhouses of the Star Luo Empire and the Spirit Hall cannot obtain such permission.
Of course, if a Title Douluo-level powerhouse violates this rule, the Heaven Dou Empire's experts can't do anything about it, since the highest level of the empire's experts is only Soul Douluo. But this doesn't mean that offenders can leave unscathed; violating the prohibition is tantamount to slapping the Heaven Dou Empire in the face.
When the empire is truly enraged, even a titled Douluo will pay a heavy price.
Everyone stared in horror at the direction in which the sound of something cutting through the air had disappeared.
Some noble soul masters even had a touch of sorrow on their faces.
A multitude of soul skills chased after the sound of air being torn apart, clearly unable to deal with the intruder. A powerful figure who could render so many strong individuals of Heaven Dou City helpless must have reached the Title Douluo realm. An unfamiliar Title Douluo defying the prohibitions and trespassing into Heaven Dou City was clearly up to no good.
The already turbulent Heavenly Dou Empire can no longer withstand any more upheaval.
······
In the sky, Dai Yao sped along in the direction Feng Xiaotian pointed.
He casually deflected the soul skills attacking from below, dealt with several enemies blocking his way, glanced back, and then looked away.
Of these soul skills, only a few could harm him. The others posed little threat. Although he lost several soul rings and his strength decreased due to reviving Xiao Wu, his power was still beyond the reach of these Soul Douluos.
Looking ahead, Shrek Academy was dozens of miles away, and it would take about six or seven seconds to fly there at full speed.
"Shrek Academy? Hmph, Tang San has certainly played his cards right, arranging several elemental academies around Shrek Academy. Without a doubt, he must be planning to annex the four major elemental academies."
Dai Yao thought with a cold smile.
"However, none of this concerns me. If anything happens to Bing'er and the others, Tang San, you and your sect will have no reason to exist."
A cold glint flashed in his golden eyes.
Just then, a dense aura appeared in his mental perception.
Dozens of auras surrounded them, with three of them possessing the strongest auras, likely at the Soul Douluo level. However, these individuals appeared somewhat weakened, clearly having just experienced a major battle. The auras of those surrounding them were not only far more numerous but also significantly stronger.
One of them even reached the level of a Title Douluo.
However, this Title Douluo was standing behind another person. Clearly, that person was of higher status than the Title Douluo. Yet, that person's aura was far weaker than the Title Douluo's.
There is only one person in the Heaven Dou Empire with such a status and position.
"Could this person be Tang San?"
Dai Yao paused for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his lips.
After losing several spirit rings, Dai Yao's strength had declined, but with an opportunity before him, he wouldn't just watch it slip away and let Tang San continue living. Although he had lost several spirit rings, he still had the Golden Trident as a trump card, so he could give it a try.
In front of Shrek Academy.
Tang San stood before thousands of palace guards and slightly gestured to the Fifth Elder not to make a move.
Looking down at the powerful figures from the three surrounding elemental academies, he wore a friendly smile and said:
"Senior Huo Rong, Senior Ruo Shui, Senior Yi Feng, things have come to this, why don't you surrender?"
Huo Rong, Ruo Shui, and Yi Feng are the deans of Chi Huo, Tian Shui, and Shen Feng academies, respectively, and are all top-tier experts at the Soul Douluo level. Not only are they incredibly strong, but they also have countless students and enjoy a high reputation throughout the Heaven Dou Empire. Therefore, Tang San does not want to take action against them unless absolutely necessary.
Huo Rong, a burly man with a thick beard, glared at Tang San and said:
"You traitor Tang, you have no need for pretense. Your wolfish ambitions are plain for all to see. We, the subjects of the Heavenly Dou Empire, will never submit to a traitor like you!"
The beautiful woman beside him, Ruoshui, interjected:
"Tang San, if you return power to Empress Xue Ke, your Tang family can still win back the hearts of the people and resist the Spirit Empire together. But if you insist on going your own way, even if we are captured by you, there will be more people of insight in the empire who will rise up in resistance. At that time, your Clear Sky Sect will surely be destroyed by the Spirit Empire."
"Our Heavenly Dou Empire will also be pushed into the abyss by you."
"Nonsense!"
The Fifth Elder stepped forward and roared angrily.
The light from the nine soul rings on his body suddenly intensified, and he was about to attack these ungrateful fellows.
Tang San waved his hand again to stop the Fifth Elder, and looked coldly at Huo Rong and the others.
He knew in his heart that Huo Rong and the others were right. He had deliberately sidelined Empress Xue Ke, seized power in the Heaven Dou Empire, and used the Heaven Dou Empire's strength to fight against the Spirit Hall.
But this was a choice they had no other option but to make.
If they do not take control of the Heaven Dou Empire, their Clear Sky Sect will face the Spirit Hall alone, which is tantamount to a mantis trying to stop a chariot and will lead to the destruction of the entire Clear Sky Sect.
Thus, through his marriage to Xue Ke, he successfully seized control of the Tian Dou Empire. However, he did not expect that due to the rapid deterioration of the war situation, his indifference towards Xue Ke would cause the forces loyal to the royal family to launch wave after wave of resistance, fueled by opposing forces.
The clashes in the court became increasingly fierce, even posing a challenge to him, the regent.
He knew very well that the Spirit Hall was behind these so-called opposition forces.
The Elemental Academy and other forces loyal to the royal family were merely pawns used by the opposing forces.
He tried time and again to appease these people, but it always backfired. After all, he could never become Xueke's true husband, and these forces loyal to the royal family could never truly accept him.
He had assumed that because of the Spirit Empire, these forces loyal to the royal family would assess the situation and defeat the Spirit Empire first. However, the sudden betrayal by the Three Elements Academy caught him off guard and forced him to take swift and decisive action to suppress the rebellion.
She took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, the kind look in her eyes had vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness.
"Esteemed seniors, I have shown you all respect, which is why I have been so tolerant. But if you still do not know what is good for you, then don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Hmph, I'd like to see how you show your ruthlessness!"
Huo Rong scoffed dismissively.
Despite the presence of a Title Douluo on the other side, they were not too worried.
Countless geniuses have graduated from the Elemental Academy within the Heaven Dou Empire, eventually rising to high positions within the empire. If anything were to happen to them, the entire empire would likely be paralyzed for a period of time. Tang Sanjue dared not do that!
Faced with the threats from Huo Rong and the others, Tang San did not get angry. Instead, a smile appeared on his face, and he said:
"Senior, do you think I don't know your true schemes? If nothing unexpected happens, all the young disciples of your academy are now surrounded inside the city gates. With so many young disciples in my hands, don't you want to reconsider?"
Because of his fear of the Elemental Academy's reputation, Tang San did not dare to directly attack them.
The thought of the rebellion launched by the soul masters who had close ties to the Three Elements Academy after he took action to eliminate it gave him a headache.
"What!"
Huo Rong and the others exclaimed in unison, their faces changing drastically.
How did you know about our plans?!
Immediately, Yi Feng seemed to understand something and angrily said:
"Well done, Lan Hao Wang. We've heard of your wisdom back then, and now we old folks have witnessed it for ourselves. It turns out that Thunder Academy was just a pawn in your game, and all our schemes were under your surveillance."
Upon hearing this, Tang San's smile slowly faded. If he truly knew everything about the Elemental Academy, he wouldn't be in this predicament. The sudden attack by the Elemental Academy must have been orchestrated by someone from the Spirit Hall.
However, he wouldn't be foolish enough to betray his own men, and said calmly:
"Senior Yifeng, I don't know what you're talking about."
At this point, Tang San's cold gaze shifted slightly, stopping behind the three of them on a beautiful figure.
With her long, flowing, ice-blue hair, blue eyes, and purple lips, she wore an ice-blue, form-fitting long dress that accentuated her tall, slender figure. Her pair of snow-white, shapely legs, one wrapped in white stockings and the other bare, created an extremely strong visual impact.
It was Shui Bing'er.
"Seniors, Shui Bing'er's talent is undeniable. She has a high chance of becoming a Title Douluo and one of the top experts on the continent. It would be a great pity if she were to perish here. Not only Shui Bing'er, but also Huo Wu, Feng Xiaotian, and the others, their lives are in your hands."
"I don't have much time left for you. Make a decision now."
Tang San said coldly.
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyelids twitched.
If Tang San wasn't lying, then the younger generation of their Three Elements Academy had all fallen into Tang San's hands.
Their deaths are not a big deal, but if the young disciples of their Elemental Academy die, it means the Three Elemental Academies will be without successors. After they pass away, the Elemental Academy will no longer have anyone to uphold its reputation, and the future decline, or even demise, of the academy is clearly visible.
This is their Achilles' heel!
"mean!"
Ruoshui glanced back at Shui Bing'er, a look of struggle on her face, and coldly uttered two words.
If Shui Bing'er hadn't refused to tell her who the man who had taken her body was, she wouldn't have left Shui Bing'er here. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but regret it; if she hadn't left Shui Bing'er here, she might have been able to escape.
But there is a Title Douluo guarding this place, so there is no way to leave.
Shui Bing'er clenched her jade-like hands, her delicate body trembling, her beautiful eyes as cold as ice, staring intently at Tang San.
Her heart sank to the bottom.
Their Elemental Academy's strength was simply insufficient to break through the encirclement of the Heavenly Battle soldiers. Now, it was either death or surrender.
Back then, Dai Yao sent several people to invite her to leave Tian Dou City, but she always refused. She didn't regret staying in Tian Dou City; she couldn't bear to leave her parents and teachers to survive on her own.
As soon as Ruoshui finished speaking, the Fifth Elder immediately made no attempt to conceal his aura. The surging soul power of a Title Douluo surged forth like a tidal wave, causing everyone's hearts to tighten.
Yi Feng and Huo Rong exchanged a glance, their bodies trembling slightly. These disciples were the foundation of the Elemental Academy; they could die, but those disciples absolutely could not. Feng Xiaotian, Shui Bing'er, and Huo Wu were the younger generation they had placed their hopes on, and they were very likely to become Title Douluos in the future, creating the pinnacle of the Elemental Academy.
They cannot die here.
Huo Rong gritted his teeth, his beard trembling. After a moment, he exhaled a long breath and said helplessly:
"We...vote..."
Before the last word "surrender" could be uttered, all the powerful figures present simultaneously raised their heads.
"who!"
Tang San's eyes narrowed; he could sense a powerful aura rapidly approaching.
Huo Rong and the others looked puzzled. The aura that swept in from the sky was so strong that it directly suppressed the Fifth Elder. Who was this person? What was their purpose? However, judging from the person's undisguised aura, they certainly didn't have any good intentions.
"presumptuous!"
The Fifth Elder roared.
To dare to fly so recklessly in Tiandou City has already violated the dignity of their Haotian Sect.
The spirit rings flashed, and the Clear Sky Hammer in the Fifth Elder's hand suddenly grew larger, becoming as large as a small mountain in an instant. With a surging wind, it smashed fiercely towards the approaching figure.
Everyone seemed to foresee the scene of the attackers taking cover.
After all, even among titled Douluo, few dare to directly confront the attack of a Clear Sky Hammer martial soul master.
However, the next moment, everyone stared in horror.
The figure in the sky was still thousands of meters away when a golden light streaked across the sky and collided violently with the mountain-sized Haotian Hammer.
boom--
With a deafening roar, the Clear Sky Hammer flew backward and crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. The Fifth Elder was also thrown back, standing on the hammer's shaft, his eyes filled with horror.
The golden light flew backward and spun, and only then did everyone see the true appearance of the golden light, which turned out to be a trident.
"What kind of trident is this? It can actually repel the Clear Sky Hammer head-on?"
Tang San exclaimed inwardly.
For some reason, when he saw the trident, he always felt an emptiness in his heart, as if something was missing.
The next moment, a hand gripped the halberd, and a figure suddenly stopped in front of everyone.
Wearing a straw hat and a long robe, he was shrouded in shadow. A strong wind blew the robe, but the man held onto the brim of his hat, preventing it from being blown away. Because of this, no one could see his face clearly.
As the strong wind gradually subsided, the man lifted his bamboo hat, revealing golden hair, and looked in Shui Bing'er's direction, saying apologetically:
"Sorry I'm late." (End of Chapter)