Chapter 279: The Betrayal
"Outrageous!"
Tang San hadn't even reacted, but Tang Hao, standing beside him, erupted with anger, shouting, "Ye Wen, do you know what realm my son Tang San has reached? How dare you show him such disrespect!"
Ye Wen watched Tang Hao with a faintly amused expression as the man barked out his indignation, proudly repeating "my son" over and over again. Even though Tang San was the true leader, Tang Hao seemed to be trying to raise his own status through his son. It was clear, Ye Wen thought, that while Tang Hao's body might have healed, his dim wittedness remained intact.
Still, something about Tang Hao's strange aura caught Ye Wen's attention. But before he could investigate further, Tang San held up a hand to silence his father, seemingly struggling with a decision. He looked at Ye Wen with a mix of regret and disappointment, as if addressing an old mentor.
"Marshal Ye, must you truly support the tyranny of the Spirit Hall? If I can help it, I'd rather not kill you. You have always been a respected scholar in my eyes."
Ye Wen raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Tang San's theatrical sincerity.
"Little Tang San," Ye Wen replied, "you call aiding the Spirit Empire an act of tyranny, but you're mistaken. Take a look around at the citizens of the Spirit Empire. They live more securely and comfortably than they ever did under the old Tian Dou Empire. The people here are clothed and fed, and even educated. They'll soon know peace, free from war and hunger. These soldiers you see before you they came from the same humble villages where you grew up in poverty. You, standing here aiding Star Luo Empire, are the one promoting tyranny."
Tang San glanced over the assembled troops, visibly taken aback by the thought that these disciplined soldiers could have come from such backgrounds. Yet, true to his future as the hypocritical "Double Standard God King," he pushed the thought aside.
"Marshal Ye, your deceitful words disappoint me. You've chosen to deceive yourself and others, but I won't fall for it. I must cleanse Douluo Continent of pests like you and restore true peace."
Abandoning any pretense of diplomacy, Tang San summoned the Asura Demon Sword and charged at Ye Wen.
Ye Wen smirked so they were back to solving things through force. It wasn't surprising. His past annihilation of the Hao Tian Sect had cemented his enmity with Tang San; there was no possibility of peace between them. As long as Tang San bore the Hao Tian Hammer, they would always be enemies.
Tang San's speed was blinding as he closed in, his sword raised high. Yet, oddly, Ye Wen's disciples did nothing to defend their master, leaving Tang San uneasy for a moment. But the distance was too short for him to reconsider, and in the next instant, Tang San was already raising the Asura Demon Sword, prepared to strike down Ye Wen.
Ye Wen regarded Tang San with an icy gaze, watching the so called "hero" who was, in truth, little more than a villain. As Tang San closed in, Ye Wen raised one hand and formed a quick seal.
"Our power would cause too much destruction here," Ye Wen said calmly. "Let's move to a different battlefield. Divine Skill: Space Transfer "
Before Tang San could react, the two vanished from the battlefield.
At Jialing Pass, the Star Luo forces were stunned into silence. In an instant, their trump card had vanished.
"You brat! What did you do to my son?!" Tang Hao shouted in panic, turning toward Ye Wen's disciples, his face red with anger.
He was met with disdainful looks. The first disciple, Huo Rui, simply looked over at Dao Ba, saying, "It's all yours, Grand General."
Dao Ba let out a menacing grin, his eyes flashing with excitement. Without hesitation, he summoned his martial spirit and nine soul rings.
"Ring Fusion: Berserk Dominance! Berserk Blade Technique: Thunderous Strike!"
As he unleashed his killing intent, the air grew tense, sending chills down the spines of everyone at Jialing Pass. Tang Xiao, the sect master, placed a reassuring hand on Tang Hao's shoulder, speaking gravely.
"Brother, all we can do now is believe in Little San. As for this Dao Ba… he's no easy foe. Yesterday, even using my Great Sumeru Hammer, I couldn't bring him down. I estimate his overall strength to be at the level of a high tier Ultimate Douluo. Only by combining our powers can we hope to defeat him."
Left with no choice, Tang Hao reluctantly nodded, though he still held an unshaken confidence in his son's strength. It didn't matter if Ye Wen had taken Tang San away. Tang San was a god, a force beyond the reach of these mortals, and no clever schemes would be enough to bring him down.
Despite being in a weakened state from the effects of his Exploding Rings technique, Tang Hao knew that with Tang San's divine powers, he could restore the sect's fighting strength.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the presence of ordinary soldiers had become irrelevant. Emperor White Tiger called upon the Star Luo royal family to rally. The Star Luo Empire, with over two thousand years of heritage, was far from defenseless. Unlike the weak nobles of the Tian Dou Empire, the Star Luo royal family was composed of six dukes, all at the Soul Douluo level, each married to a member of the Youming Zhu clan, with each consort at the Soul Emperor level.
Together, each duke and consort could unleash the Youming White Tiger, a fusion technique that amplified their martial spirit's power. In their transformed state, they were comparable to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, renowned as the strongest beast martial spirit. Thus, each duke and consort, when fused, held the strength of a Titled Douluo.
"Move!" Emperor White Tiger commanded as he prepared to activate the fusion technique with his queen by his side. But a sudden, sharp pain shot through his chest. He turned in shock to see his queen, eyes cold, stabbing him with a dagger.
"Die," she hissed.
Their years together as husband and wife clearly hadn't fostered any true affection. Reality was far different; it was unrealistic to expect a woman to remain loyal to a man with three wives and four concubines, save for the rare hopeless romantic.
The same scene unfolded across the ranks as each duke was betrayed, looking on in disbelief as their lifelong partners drove daggers into their backs. The Hao Tian Sect members stood dumbfounded, watching their supposed allies turn on them in an instant.
But before they could process this treachery, the Spirit Empire's disciples, led by Huo Rui, surged forward to storm the walls.
If three of them had been challenging enough yesterday, now there were ten of them, including a battle crazed Dao Ba who eagerly clashed against Tang Hao and Tang Xiao.
Meanwhile, the others each took on one of the Hao Tian Sect elders. There weren't even enough opponents for everyone; Duguxin stood off to the side, yawning and watching the chaos unfold.
The Star Luo Empress made her way to Duguxin and offered him a respectful bow. "Thank you for the poison, sir. Without it, we wouldn't have been able to end the lives of these scoundrels so easily."
Duguxin waved a hand dismissively in response.
"It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. You've been feeding us intelligence all these years, sparing many lives. We're grateful for your service."
The two exchanged a knowing look and then turned to watch the one sided massacre unfold.
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