Chapter 86: Instant Kill of Tai Nuo

"You're Tang San, aren't you?!"

Tai Nuo's face twisted with ferocity as he turned to glare at Tang San, his voice dripping with menace.

Tang San glanced at Tai Nuo, then at Tai Long, utterly bewildered.

What's going on here?

"Senior, I am indeed Tang San," Tang San admitted with a polite nod, though his confusion lingered.

Even so, Tang San wasn't foolish. It was obvious from the start that this man had come looking for trouble. From how Tai Long addressed him, this was clearly his father...

A tinge of disdain flickered in Tang San's mind. He would have never guessed that Tai Long, such a hulking guy, would actually resort to bringing his parent after losing a fight. In all the years he'd been on the Douluo Continent, this was the first time he'd encountered such behavior!

"Hmph! You beat my good-for-nothing son into this state. Tell me—how do you intend to settle this?" Tai Nuo folded his arms and looked down at Tang San with contempt.

Tang San's gaze flicked between Tai Nuo and Tai Long, his eyelid twitching. I didn't even hit him that hard! What is this?!

"Listen up. Tai Long lost to you because his skills were lacking, but that doesn't mean my Strength Clan is without capable people! He's a disgrace, but our clan isn't!" Tai Nuo jabbed a finger at Tai Long, his tone sharp and emphatic.

Tai Long looked like he was about to cry but didn't dare to argue with his father. He knew very well that if he uttered even a single word of protest, he'd likely receive a beating right then and there. After all, his grandfather, Titan, always said that kids who lacked promise just needed a good thrashing to straighten them out. Tai Nuo had lived by that philosophy all these years, and now, he was passing it on in person...

The commotion had already drawn the attention of many academy students, who now stood watching with eager curiosity. This was turning into quite the spectacle, and they began summoning their friends to join the fun.

"I wonder how Senior wants to resolve this," Tang San asked, steeling himself. He wasn't sure of Tai Nuo's exact strength, but if Tai Long was already at rank 38, this man must at least be a Soul Ancestor, if not higher.

Tai Nuo cast a sidelong glance at Tang San. This kid is polite, I'll give him that. But he's crossed the Strength Clan—there's no way he's getting out of this without a good beating!

"Kid, since you're showing such sincerity, just pay 100,000 to 200,000 gold spirit coins as medical expenses, and we'll call it even," Tai Nuo said with a smirk. "Oh, and by the way, my worthless son has his eye on your sister. You don't have any objections to that, do you?"

At these words, Tang San's eyes turned icy, as if he were looking at a dead man.

100,000 to 200,000 gold spirit coins? He's outright extorting me and trying to find an excuse for it!

And now he's bringing Xiao Wu into this?

Tang San's eyes glinted red with rage. This middle-aged man was digging his own grave!

"What if I refuse?" Tang San's voice was cold as his right hand moved to the storage soul tool at his waist.

Seeing this, Tai Nuo didn't get angry. Instead, he sneered. A mere Soul Elder dares to look at me, a Soul King, with such defiance?

"Then I'll just have to teach you a lesson before taking that little…" Tai Nuo's wicked smile froze mid-sentence as a strange metallic box appeared in front of him.

Being from a clan renowned for blacksmithing, he couldn't discern what this device was. It looked nothing like any weapon he'd seen before.

The next moment, Tang San's hand tightened around the trigger without hesitation. In an instant, sixteen arrows shot forth from the Zhuge Divine Crossbow.

"Swish… swish… swish…"

The sound of the arrows slicing through the air made Tai Nuo's pupils contract. But at such close range, he had no chance to react. The arrows pierced through his throat before he could even release his martial spirit.

Blood sprayed out in a mist, and under the stunned gazes of the onlookers, Tai Nuo collapsed in a straight line.

The Zhuge Divine Crossbow was capable of instantly killing Soul Elders and even Soul Ancestors who hadn't activated any defensive martial spirit abilities. For a Soul King like Tai Nuo, his physical strength alone wasn't enough to withstand a direct ambush from this weapon.

Caught completely off guard, Tai Nuo died without understanding how. If he had activated his martial spirit, he might have survived with heavy injuries—or even just light injuries. But as it stood, his unpreparedness cost him his life.

It took several moments for the crowd to process what had just happened.

"Sa Ri Lang… Sa Ri Lang…" Some of the more timid students turned and bolted in terror.

Not far away, Dai Mubai's eyes widened as he took in the scene. Oh, man. If the story continues like this, will Titan still end up following Tang San?

Dai Mubai swallowed hard. He had never expected Tang San to use the Zhuge Divine Crossbow to ambush Tai Nuo—and succeed! If it had failed, there might have been room to salvage the situation. But with this success, there was no going back.

"F-Father…" Tai Long's legs gave out beneath him, and he fell to his knees, trembling. His eyes were wide with disbelief, his mouth agape as his hand reached toward Tai Nuo's nose.

"…!"

Tai Long turned to Tang San, whose eyes were still crimson with rage, but couldn't bring himself to speak.

"You… you killed him…"

Tang San: "…"

"Leave the grass uncut, and it will grow again in spring." Tang San's cold gaze locked onto Tai Long's, and he raised the Zhuge Divine Crossbow once more, aiming it at him.

Tai Long instinctively stumbled back two steps. This was the weapon that had just taken his father's life.

"Tang San, you've killed my father Tai Nuo. Our Strength Clan will never rest until we've avenged him!" Tai Long's voice was filled with fury and despair as he stood up, spreading his arms in a gesture of surrender.

"Go ahead, kill me! My grandfather, the Mighty Titan, will surely avenge both me and my father!" Tai Long roared, his voice trembling with emotion. "By the way, my grandfather is an eighty-sixth-ranked Soul Douluo!"

Having said this, Tai Long stood tall, unwilling to resist. If his actions had caused his father's death, he no longer had the face to continue living. If he was to die, it would be with dignity, preserving the Strength Clan's honor!

Meanwhile, Flender and Zhao Wuji watched the scene unfold from the shadows. Normally, they would have stepped in to put an end to such a farce. But since the protagonist was Tang San…

Well, sorry about that. We didn't see anything, didn't know anything, and we're just a little late!

Flender and Zhao Wuji had returned to Shrek Academy three days earlier, both having successfully advanced to Soul Douluo rank.

"I didn't expect this thing to be so powerful! It can instantly kill a Soul King without martial spirit activation," Zhao Wuji muttered under his breath. He had tested the Zhuge Divine Crossbow's might before, but its bolts had failed to penetrate his defenses.

"Mighty Titan, the Strength Clan—hmph." Just the thought of them made Zhao Wuji wince. Back in the day, he had beaten up one of Titan's cousins and was chased for two whole years in retaliation. Now, though, he no longer feared Titan.

"I wonder how Tang San plans to deal with the Mighty Titan's revenge?" Zhao Wuji mused aloud, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.

Flender glanced at Zhao Wuji, his mouth twitching. "Wuji, do you even know the origins of the Strength Clan?"

Zhao Wuji blinked in surprise. "The origins? What about them?"

"The Strength Clan was one of the four great subordinate clans of the Clear Sky Sect back in the day. Together with the Break Clan, Defense Clan, and Speed Clan, they formed the Four Great Clans."

"Each of them could easily rival any of the lower-ranked sects on their own."

Zhao Wuji: "…"

He hadn't known that at all.

"Even so, do you think that old Titan will sit idly by after learning his son was killed by Tang San?"

"That," Flender admitted, "I'm not so sure about…"

(End of Chapter)