Chapter 88: The Chase, the Escape, the Inevitable Clash

Just as Tang Hao arrived at the gates of Shrek Academy, he witnessed Tang San pull the trigger of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow.

In an instant, a towering young man was struck down. Beside him, another body already lay motionless on the ground.

The "力" (Strength) character embroidered on their clothes immediately caught Tang Hao's attention, and a sense of unease crept over him.

The Strength Clan?! That's my most loyal crew… no, wait—my subordinates!

How could Tang San have killed members of the Strength Clan?

Tang Hao's mind raced with confusion. What could have happened for things to escalate to this point?

Meanwhile, with Dai Mubai:

Unaware that Tang Hao had already arrived in Heaven Dou City, Dai Mubai wouldn't have cared even if he did know. After all, as the third prince of the Star Luo Empire, he had no reason to fear anyone. The Clear Sky Clan had already fallen out with the Spirit Hall—offending the Star Luo Empire on top of that would be outright foolishness.

"No, I don't want to anymore…"

Xiao Wu's cheeks were flushed as she somehow mustered the strength to push Dai Mubai away.

Alone against Dai Mubai, she hadn't stood a chance. It was simply too difficult!

"Alright, alright." Dai Mubai chuckled as he rubbed Xiao Wu's head and backed off without pressing further.

Xiao Wu's spirit power had already reached a staggering rank 44, having fully absorbed the remaining source energy in her body to condense her fourth spirit ring. However, from this point forward, she would no longer be able to generate her own rings. After breaking through to rank 50, she would also need to hunt spirit beasts for her fifth ring.

Dai Mubai chose not to tell Xiao Wu about Tang San's situation. Tang San had likely already fled Heaven Dou City by now, right?

"Who cares!"

Shaking his head, Dai Mubai dismissed the thought. He decided to sleep in a bit longer. After all, the only reason he had woken up so early was to return to Shrek Academy and watch the chaos unfold…

Tang San's Perspective:

After fleeing Heaven Dou City, Tang San found himself facing a dilemma. Where should he go?

If he took the main roads, the Strength Clan would likely catch up to him quickly given their superior cultivation. The main roads were certain death.

His only hope was to take smaller paths or head straight into the wilderness.

Making up his mind, Tang San avoided both the main roads and the smaller trails, instead running toward a desolate and uninhabited region.

The Strength Clan had mobilized nearly their entire force. They were determined to avenge Tai Nuo and Tai Long.

What Tang San could think of, the experienced Titan would surely have already anticipated. While only a few clan members pursued along the main roads as a symbolic gesture, most concentrated their efforts on the wilderness.

Had Tang San known this, he might have cursed his Blue Silver Emperor for not giving him better advice!

As the saying goes, "The most dangerous place is often the safest."

But Tang San hadn't listened to that wisdom.

Another saying goes, "Failing to heed the advice of one's elders leads to immediate regret."

Back at Shrek Academy:

Tang Hao was caught in a quandary. Should he inform Titan that Tang San was his young master, the heir of the Clear Sky Clan? Should he just let this go?

Flender and Zhao Wuji exchanged glances inside the academy, their faces calm and unconcerned.

Tang Hao had only asked them to look after Tang San—and they had done so! They had protected him, hadn't they? As for the deaths of Tai Long and Tai Nuo, well, they didn't even know those two! What did that have to do with them?

If anyone tried to blame them, they were more than ready to defend themselves with righteous indignation.

Tai Nuo's death had genuinely caught them off guard. As for Tai Long? They simply didn't want to get involved. Not my problem, not my concern.

"Haha! It's been ages since I've seen that old Titan so worked up. Hopefully, he has the sense to stay away from Shrek Academy. Otherwise, it might just be time to settle some old scores!" Zhao Wuji chuckled darkly.

Back in the day, the incident hadn't even been his fault—it was Titan's younger brother who had abused his status to oppress others. Could Zhao Wuji have tolerated that? No way. So he had retaliated. That retaliation earned him two years of relentless pursuit from Titan. The memory still burned fresh in his mind.

But now?

Despite only being an 82nd-ranked Soul Douluo, Zhao Wuji felt no fear. His martial spirit had evolved into the Earth Dragon Bear.

"When I become a Title Douluo, I'm going to settle things with Tang Hao too!" Zhao Wuji thought fiercely.

Flender said nothing, merely giving Zhao Wuji a sidelong glance. Old Zhao, you really think you're the only one making progress?

Flender himself had advanced significantly, though he saw no need to boast.

Time passed…

Tang San fled desperately, refusing to pause for even a moment. He knew the Strength Clan would need time to track him, so he had a small head start.

"Just wait! Once I, Tang San, break through to Soul Douluo—or no, even Soul Sage—I'll have the power to rival a Soul Douluo!"

At present, Tang San was only in his thirties rank-wise, but his combat strength already exceeded that of ordinary Soul Elders. He could defeat most opponents of his level without even using his martial spirit, effectively giving him Soul Ancestor-level power.

Moreover, back when he was only at rank 20, he had forced Zhao Wuji, a Soul Sage, to use his Martial Spirit Avatar and his sixth spirit ability just to counter his hidden weapons. If he had been at rank 30 back then, wouldn't he have been able to defeat Zhao Wuji outright?

"Soul Sages are nothing special. Soul Douluos must be the same. When I reach Soul King or Soul Emperor, I'll return to Heaven Dou City!"

"Strength Clan, I hope you know what's good for you. If Xiao Wu so much as loses a single strand of hair, I, Tang San, will annihilate your entire clan!"

Tang San's greatest concern at the moment was Xiao Wu. He had managed to escape, but Xiao Wu still had no idea what had transpired. If the Strength Clan acted irrationally…

"Wait, no. With Boss Dai around, they probably won't trouble Xiao Wu. After all, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing are close friends. If anything happened to Xiao Wu, Boss Dai wouldn't just sit back and do nothing."

Thinking this, Tang San finally let out a sigh of relief.

Though he wanted to surpass Dai Mubai and even defeat him someday, he also respected him as a leader. Dai Mubai was just that reliable. Calling him "Boss" didn't feel demeaning—he'd simply reclaim the title once he surpassed him.

As Tang San fled, his thoughts wandered.

Two days passed.

Tang San stumbled onward, exhausted, while Titan and his pursuers chased relentlessly behind. Coincidentally, the direction in which Titan pursued happened to align perfectly with the path Tang San had chosen to escape.

Had it not been for the time needed to track his movements, Titan would have already caught up.

"No matter where you flee, even to the ends of the earth, I will find you!" Titan roared, his grief and anger fueling his pursuit. "I will avenge my son!"

Back at Shrek Academy:

A group of unexpected visitors arrived. Among them was Ning Rongrong, who had returned.

"Father, Bone Grandpa, please don't give Mubai a hard time. He's been so good to me!" Ning Rongrong pleaded, her face flushed as she fiddled with her blue dress. Her usually composed expression gave way to shyness as she avoided Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo's eyes.

Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable.

"…"

(End of Chapter)