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"Tang Hao!!"
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exclaimed in unison, their expressions filled with shock. They remembered that name far too well.
They never expected that Tang Hao, who had vanished for over a decade, would finally reappear.
Yue Guan stepped forward and looked down at the person below. "Explain clearly—did Tang Hao really appear?"
The branch hall master of Spirit Hall responded in a trembling voice, "Yes. A few days ago, in a certain academy within Balak Kingdom's Soto City, there were two terrifyingly intense fluctuations of spirit power."
"One of the figures, a crimson avatar, held an immense hammer and clashed with another individual. Though the battle ended quickly, I still managed to catch a glimpse of the crimson avatar's appearance."
"It looked very familiar, like I had seen it somewhere before. After these past few days of searching, I found that the image matched exactly with the one on Tang Hao's wanted poster."
"That's why I came in haste to report this to Your Holiness."
Bibi Dong's brows furrowed slightly. Her deep eyes, dark as an abyss, glimmered with a chilling light.
She quietly stared at the subordinate reporting to her, her gaze filled with scrutiny and suspicion.
The moment she heard "crimson avatar," she was already certain—it was Tang Hao.
After all, she was very familiar with the Killing God Domain.
However, what puzzled Bibi Dong was why Tang Hao would reveal himself in such a small, insignificant place like the Balak Kingdom.
Even after a decade of decline, he was still a Titled Douluo.
For someone of his level to unleash his Martial Soul Avatar and the Killing God Domain in a minor region like that—what kind of opponent could force his hand?
In truth, the branch hall master was unaware that Tang Hao had even used Spirit Ring Detonation.
"You said Tang Hao fought someone? What was the outcome? Did he win?" Bibi Dong finally spoke, her voice icy and low.
Sweat beaded on the branch master's forehead as he replied in a trembling voice, "Tang Hao was defeated!"
"Tang Hao was defeated? Impossible!"
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged glances, seeing the same disbelief in each other's eyes.
Even Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow. That was not the result she had expected.
The branch master described the events of that night in detail, leaving the three of them feeling as though they were hearing a fantasy.
Tang Hao had been defeated in a single move!
He was even crippled and forced to flee toward the Star Dou Forest?
"I understand. You may leave," Bibi Dong said.
The branch master bowed and retreated carefully, as if granted a great pardon, not daring to linger even a moment.
"Your Holiness, shall we go search for Tang Hao ourselves?" Yue Guan asked.
Bibi Dong lightly tapped the armrest of her throne with her fingertips, thinking for a moment before replying.
"Of course. Now is the perfect time to kill him."
"Yue Guan, Gui Mei, head to the Star Dou Forest and search for Tang Hao. If you find him—kill him."
"If you can't find him, then go to Balak Kingdom and locate the one who defeated Tang Hao. Recruit him into the Spirit Hall."
"If he refuses... I don't think I need to teach you what to do next."
Her voice was calm, yet left no room for argument.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei immediately obeyed, retreating from the hall to carry out her command.
Once the chamber was empty, Bibi Dong slowly closed her eyes and leaned back against her seat.
A moment later, her eyes opened again, colder and more ruthless than before.
"This plan cannot afford the slightest mistake. Any obstacle in my way... will be destroyed."
Right now, Bibi Dong did not yet possess absolute strength, so she had to eliminate every possible variable that might ruin her plans.
Never underestimate a single Titled Douluo—one misstep could be costly.
Meanwhile, Lan Minghua, who had just left Dugu Bo's residence, spent half the day on the road and finally arrived at a small hotel on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest before nightfall.
The hotel was a modest two-story building—a simple dining area on the first floor and guest rooms upstairs.
Looking around, Lan Minghua muttered, "Two-story hotel? Isn't this the same place where the Shrek Seven Devils clashed with Canghui Academy? Am I really this lucky?"
There were multiple hotels along the forest's edge. He had chosen one at random—yet it happened to be this one.
He extended his senses and picked up several familiar traces of spirit power.
"That's Old Zhao and the others' spirit power? They've already arrived?!"
Without another word, Lan Minghua transformed into a streak of light and dashed straight into Zhao Wuji's private room.
At that moment, Zhao Wuji was standing on the second-floor balcony, quietly watching Oscar and the others below, hoping the upcoming spirit beast hunt would go smoothly.
Due to previous battles and misunderstandings, the Shrek Seven Devils had split into three factions:
Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing; Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun; and Ning Rongrong, who sat alone.
All of Shrek's students had witnessed Ning Rongrong's fiery temper and spoiled behavior. She didn't fit into any of the groups.
She was stubborn as a mule.
As the heiress of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she believed she would always be the center of attention.
But at Shrek Academy, that wasn't the case.
In both strength and talent, she was arguably the weakest student—without exception.
No strength, no talent, yet such arrogance. It was no surprise she didn't fit in.
Though they all sat at the same table, their minds were clearly elsewhere.
The hotel was packed, and this was the only table left—so they had no choice but to sit together.
Zhao Wuji sighed as he looked on. "Sigh… Little monsters, can you really become a team?"
Lan Minghua silently appeared on the second floor. Seeing Zhao Wuji's worried expression, he smacked him hard on the back.
Feeling the sudden pressure on his shoulder, Zhao Wuji's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively threw a punch backward.
Lan Minghua casually caught the incoming punch and asked, "Old Zhao, what are you doing?"
Recognizing the voice, Zhao Wuji turned his head—and nearly had a heart attack. He quickly retracted his fist.
"Se-Senior?!"
"Senior? What senior? Didn't I tell you? Just call me Hua Zai!"
Ignoring him, Lan Minghua turned his gaze toward the first floor, intrigued by the strange tension among the Shrek group.
"I expected some friction after taking Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing as disciples, but this situation is worse than I imagined."
Lan Minghua frowned inwardly, but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he asked, "Old Zhao, what's happened while I was gone?"
Zhao Wuji didn't dare lie and recounted everything—including how Tang San had used a hidden weapon to try and kill Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing at the Great Spirit Arena.
Lan Minghua's eyes narrowed, killing intent flashing.
"Tang San, have I been too lenient with you? Do you really think I won't deal with you?"
Just from the words "hidden crossbow," Lan Minghua knew exactly what Tang San had used.
The Zhuge Divine Crossbow.
A weapon capable of killing a Spirit King!
If Oscar hadn't mastered the Indestructible Vajra, he would have died on the spot.
Tang San might only be level 29, but he carried many hidden weapons.
Several of them were lethal—and the Zhuge Crossbow was only one of them.
Lan Minghua didn't know what other deadly tools Tang San had developed.
They weren't a threat to him, but to Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing—they were fatal.
"Should I just cripple him now? After all, the saying goes that one can be a thief for a thousand days, but no one can guard against a thief for a thousand days."
Lan Minghua rubbed his stubble, deep in thought.
Zhao Wuji, sweating profusely, swallowed hard and didn't dare make a sound.
Just as he was deciding how to deal with Tang San, members of Canghui Academy swaggered into the hotel.
Ma Hongjun's lower half immediately reacted, his beady eyes locking onto the only girl among them.
"Boss Dai, that girl from Canghui Academy looks hot. What do you say—want to go flirt with her?"
Though he suggested Dai Mubai do it, his own eyes gleamed as they shamelessly scanned her curvaceous figure.
Still smoldering from his conflict with Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai snorted.
"Flirt? Sure. It's just Canghui Academy. What are they acting all high and mighty for?"
Neither of them made any effort to lower their voices. The middle-aged man leading Canghui's group looked over sharply.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun met his gaze without flinching and even threw a smug glance at the quiet Oscar.
"Only the mediocre are afraid of trouble!"
(End of Chapter)