Chapter 163: Crisis?
The group finally arrived at the main gate of the Ironblood Sect.
Long Ziyun was the first to step forward. He sank his qi to his dantian, and his voice rang out like a great bell, resonating toward the interior of the sect: "Sect Master and Young Sect Master of the Ironblood Sect! Where are you? Come out and meet your death at once!"
The two gatekeeping disciples at the entrance were just about to open their mouths to reprimand him, but before any words could come out, Long Ziyun had already unleashed his Soul Sage-level cultivation. Two yellow, two purple, and three black—seven soul rings instantly materialized around his body. An overwhelming pressure of soul power crashed down like a mountain, freezing the two men in place. Their mouths hung open, yet no sound emerged; they dared not so much as twitch a finger.
Such a disturbance naturally alerted the entire Ironblood Sect.
A large number of disciples swarmed out from within the sect, followed closely by the Sect Master, Tie Li, the Young Sect Master, Tie Tang, and the two Soul King-level sect elders.
With a single glance, Tie Li and Tie Tang spotted Tang Ya standing behind Long Ziyun. Father and son immediately understood—Tang Ya had brought reinforcements from Shrek to seek revenge upon the Ironblood Sect.
But they could not fathom how.
That girl Tang Ya, even having entered Shrek, was still nothing more than a first-year student. The meager foundation the Tang Sect had left her consisted of nothing but some small hidden weapons and the so-called Tang Sect secret arts. How could such things possibly be enough to hire a Soul Sage-level expert?
Tie Li's gaze swept over Furina and the others beside Tang Ya, and a thought gradually formed in his mind: perhaps it was not Tang Ya herself who had enlisted this help, but rather her friends.
Most people who could enter Shrek Academy were not simple. They were either true geniuses or came from noble and wealthy backgrounds. If even one of them was the scion of a great aristocratic family or a major sect, they could easily trade favors to bring a Soul Sage-level expert as an enforcer.
Tie Li's gaze finally settled on Long Ziyun. He hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed, his attitude exceedingly deferential: "Esteemed Soul Sage, I know not how my Ironblood Sect has caused offense to warrant your honored presence! Please, forgive us!"
He was well aware that if the other party dared to come knocking so brazenly, the city defense forces had likely already been squared away. Back then, their Ironblood Sect had been able to bribe the city defense to launch a night raid on the Tang Sect; today, the other side could naturally do the same. As long as the matter didn't blow up too greatly, those guards would simply turn a blind eye.
Long Ziyun did not answer. He merely stepped aside.
Tang Ya drew a deep breath and walked forward step by step until she stood before Long Ziyun. She raised her eyes to meet Tie Li's, her gaze churning with years of pent-up hatred and fury.
"I have come for revenge!"
Her voice trembled, yet every word was clear and sharp as a blade: "Years ago, you killed my parents and seized my Tang Sect's foundation. I have returned today to make you pay blood with blood!"
"The others I can ignore, but you father and son—must die!"
Long Ziyun coldly spoke up at the opportune moment, his voice echoing in all directions: "Did everyone hear that clearly? All unrelated parties, withdraw at once! Otherwise, when I, Long, make my move, if any of you are accidentally caught in the crossfire, don't blame me!"
The disciples of the Ironblood Sect exchanged bewildered glances, while the two elders secretly traded looks.
Their opponent was a genuine Soul Sage. That level of soul power pressure was on an entirely different plane. To make an enemy of such an expert was no different from an egg throwing itself against a rock.
Just as the crowd wavered in shock and uncertainty, Furina, without any flourish, revealed her own soul rings. Huo Yuhao followed suit, and Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and the others also released their martial souls one after another.
In an instant, the radiance of various colored soul rings interwove into a dazzling display.
The soul ring configurations of Furina, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong were the most astonishing—especially the first two. Furina was, in fact, a Soul King-level expert. Even the weakest member of the group, Tang Ya, was a three-ring Soul Master.
The Ironblood Sect members instantly understood: this was a bone harder than hard.
Furina's soul ring ratio alone marked her as a monster among monsters. With Soul King-level cultivation, she was likely a student of Shrek's Inner Court. And Long Ziyun, that Soul Sage, had probably been brought along simply because he was the most convenient for crushing their Ironblood Sect. Should they prove uncooperative, the next to appear might very well be a Soul Douluo-level expert.
"Run for your lives!"
No one knew who shouted it first, but the Ironblood Sect disciples scattered like birds and beasts.
"I'm no longer part of the Ironblood Sect! Don't come after me!"
"I wasn't involved in what happened back then!"
"The Sect Master forced us to do it!"
"Spare us—"
Once someone took the lead in fleeing, the rest collapsed and scattered one after another. Even the few who remained for various reasons were already utterly panicked and terrified inside.
The two elders quietly retreated a small step backward, secretly gathering their soul power, ready at any moment to...
Tie Li's face was ashen, twisted to the extreme. He knew that he likely couldn't count on his two elders either. Faced with such a formidable array, fleeing was indeed the only path to survival.
He sighed inwardly, regret surging over him like a tide: Had he known it would come to this, why had he done it in the first place? If not for his greed for the Tang Sect's meager foundation, how would he have fallen to such a wretched state today?
He looked into Tang Ya's eyes, brimming with hatred and fury, and understood with absolute clarity that blood debts must be repaid in blood. The seeds sown that day had borne their fruit today.
A ruthless glint flashed in Tie Li's eyes. He suddenly unleashed his Soul Emperor-level cultivation and martial soul. Just as everyone assumed he was about to fight to the death or flee with his son, he abruptly seized Tie Tang, who was still beside him in a daze.
"AHH—!"
Tie Tang let out a blood-curdling scream of utter agony.
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong's eyes widened, watching the scene before them in disbelief: Tie Li had, with his own hands, crippled his son's cultivation and martial soul.
Tie Tang's screams gradually weakened as his entire body crumpled to the ground. He had become an ordinary person, no—a cripple.
Tie Li pressed him to the ground, then threw himself down with a resounding "thud," kneeling and kowtowing desperately toward Tang Ya. His forehead slammed against the floor tiles, bang after bang, blood splattering everywhere: "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was wrong!"
His voice was hoarse and frantic: "Back then, I was the one who planned the night raid on the Tang Sect and seized its foundation! I was also the one who killed your parents with my own hands! One man's deeds, one man's consequences! I, Tie Li, am willing to die! I only beg Miss Tang Ya to show mercy and spare my son Tie Tang's life! He is already a cripple, and will never pose a threat to anyone in this lifetime!"
Tie Tang only then reacted, sobbing bitterly: "No—Father!"
"Shut up!" Tie Li roared furiously. Soul power surged out, directly sealing Tie Tang's voice. The current Tie Tang was nothing but a cripple; how could he possibly resist a Soul Emperor?
Tie Li raised his head, blood from his forehead streaming down his cheeks. Unnoticed by others, he had already placed a storage-type soul tool before him: "My son Tie Tang, I have crippled him myself. For the rest of his life, he can only be an ordinary person, or worse, a cripple. All the wealth and assets the Ironblood Sect has accumulated over these years—everything is in here! It's all yours!"
Tang Ya froze.
Instinctively, she turned her head to look at Furina, her eyes carrying bewilderment and a silent plea for guidance.
Furina's expression was calm, her tone gentle yet firm: "Your own matters, you decide for yourself."
Tang Ya drew a deep breath, turned her head back, and looked at Tie Li kneeling on the ground, endlessly kowtowing, then glanced at the crippled Tie Tang, his face streaked with tears.
After a long moment, she finally spoke: "Fine. I accept your terms."
Her voice held a slight tremor, yet every word was enunciated clearly: "Let your son get lost. From this day forward, never let me see him again. Otherwise—don't blame me for being merciless."
Tie Li felt as though he had been granted a great pardon, and his forehead struck the ground even harder: "Thank you! Thank you, Miss Tang Ya! Thank you!"
Blood streamed down his forehead, dripping onto the floor tiles in a horrifying sight.
Seeing his father in such a state, Tie Tang's face was awash with tears, yet he could utter no sound. He could only kowtow unceasingly, pleading that Tang Ya might lessen his father's punishment.
Tie Li turned his head toward the two elders who had not yet departed: "Two elders... take Tie Tang and go. I, Tie Li, have let you down. It was my... my greed that ruined you all."
The two elders exchanged a glance. Without further words, they stepped forward, hoisted the limp Tie Tang, and swiftly vanished from sight.
Seeing this, the remaining disciples understood that all hope was lost, and fled faster than one another.
Tie Li gazed in the direction Tie Tang had been taken. Complex emotions flickered through his eyes—guilt, release, and a trace of having finally laid down a heavy burden.
He slowly turned his head back to Tang Ya, his tone eerily calm, almost numb: "Come. Do it. I won't resist... You can torment me however you wish."
Tang Ya glared at him, the hatred in her eyes undiminished: "Hmph! Rest assured, I won't let you die too easily. But before that—come with me back to the Tang Sect, kneel before my parents' portraits, kowtow, and confess your sins!"
Tie Li nodded: "Fine. I agree."
Furina cast a meaningful glance at Long Ziyun. Long Ziyun understood and silently followed Tang Ya and Tie Li, guarding against any unforeseen events. Bei Bei also followed without the slightest hesitation.
Once the three had entered the Ironblood Sect's interior, Furina turned to Huo Yuhao and the other two, her tone lightening somewhat: "Alright. The scenes that follow might not be suitable for the rest of us. Let's just wait outside."
Huo Yuhao nodded in understanding. This was, after all, Senior Sister Tang Ya's personal affair, and it was not their place to intervene. Besides, Tang Ya intended to torture Tie Li before dealing with him, and that scene would inevitably be gruesome. Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong probably wouldn't want to witness it either, lest it leave some psychological scars.
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong also nodded, clearly having no objections.
However, just as everyone had slightly let down their guard—
An icy, sinister, and immensely powerful soul force pressure descended without warning!
"Ha ha ha!"
A hoarse laugh came from a shadowy corner. An old man clad in a black robe slowly walked out. A revolting aura of evil radiated from his entire being. Two yellow, two purple, and five black—nine soul rings in total revolved around his body.
A Titled Douluo! And moreover... an evil soul master!
The old man's gaze swept over the group, finally settling on Huo Yuhao. His eyes flickered with greedy light: "I never expected, never expected to find a Holy Son here... and so many geniuses as well. All students of Shrek, I presume? Your spiritual power is also not weak..."
He licked his lips, his smile growing ever more hideous and ferocious: "Today's trip has yielded quite a bountiful harvest indeed!"
On the surface, Furina remained expressionless, but inwardly she was already cursing furiously: Damn it! Tang Ya hasn't even fallen to darkness! The Shrek Youth Competition hasn't even started! How—how the hell did this plotline still trigger?!