The thick scent of burnt spirit energy lingered in the air. Blackened branches curled in on themselves, and the earth beneath the waterfall valley trembled as if scorched by some ancient wrath.
Tang Hao stumbled through the undergrowth, clutching his chest. Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth, and every step sent jolts of agony through his broken body. Two of his soul rings had been detonated—a price that would haunt him for years to come. The pain wasn't merely physical. It was spiritual, a violent tearing in his soul.
"That damned Spirit Hall... that old crocodile..."
His voice came out as a rasp. The memory of Golden Crocodile Douluo oppressive aura still clung to him like a cold shroud. Rank 98. A monster in every sense. Tang Hao, despite his legendary fame, knew the gap between them was too great to overcome in a fair fight. If he hadn't detonated two rings—his sixth and fifth—he would've been a corpse beneath that valley.
But at what cost?
Ring explosion was a forbidden technique, using a soul ring as a combustible force to temporarily increase one's power exponentially. The backlash was devastating. Though soul rings could recover over time, it took years—decades, even—depending on the ring level.
The surrounding forest bore the scars of his escape. Trees had been cleaved in half by the shockwave. The earth cracked under his explosive movement. Even spirit beasts had fled, terrified by the aftershocks of battle.
Tang Hao slumped against a moss-covered boulder and panted heavily. He closed his eyes, focusing inward. His spirit sea trembled, unstable. He could barely maintain the materialization of his Clear Sky Hammer.
I failed... again.
And worst of all, the Blue Silver Empress was gone. That unique aura—Ah Yin's scent, so familiar, so heart-wrenching—had vanished. So had the 100,000-year right leg bone.
He clenched his fists.
How did they find it? How did Spirit Hall know? Unless... someone told them...
His thoughts grew venomous, paranoid. Was there a spy in the shadows? A witness who escaped the past? He didn't know. But one name flashed in his mind—Li Wei. The boy had been an unknown factor from the start.
"No... He's just a student," Tang Hao muttered, but doubt lingered.
He would find out the truth. Eventually. But first, he needed to survive.
---
Far from the valley, above a hill cloaked in mist and silence, a figure stood motionless.
Golden Crocodile Douluo.
His golden robe fluttered in the breeze, and his eyes, ancient and piercing, stared toward Shrek Academy. In one hand, he held a jade box with powerful sealing inscriptions. Inside it, the delicate Blue Silver Empress, now dormant, rested in deep slumber. Within his storage ring lay the 100,000-year right leg spirit bone, its faint silver glow dimmed by his spiritual suppression.
He had not returned to Spirit Hall.
The Elder Hall could wait. Let them play their games of politics and legacy. None of it mattered compared to one truth:
His grandson was here.
Golden Crocodile Douluo exhaled slowly.
He had known from the moment Li Wei appeared in public that danger would follow. The child had too much potential, too many secrets, and now he had enemies. Spirit Hall had plans. The world had plans. But none of them included protecting Li Wei.
So he would.
In the shadows.
With steady movements, he activated a concealment array, burying his presence within a patch of ancient pine trees just outside Shrek Academy. He laid enchantments to mask spiritual fluctuations, creating a zone where even a Title Douluo would find nothing but silence.
From here, he could see the training grounds.
There he was. Li Wei.
The boy was laughing as he sparred lightly with Zhu Zhuqing. Nearby, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong watched with amused eyes. They moved as a group, training, discussing, growing.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's expression softened.
You remind me so much of your mother, he thought.
His mind drifted to the past. To a time when his daughter had once brought home a young man with fire in his eyes and defiance in his heart. He had disapproved, of course. But time softened even the harshest winds. When the child was born, all his reservations melted.
Li Wei. A miracle born between conflict and peace. A grandson worth guarding with his life.
A memory surfaced. A tiny Li Wei, just five years old, chasing spirit butterflies in their courtyard.
"Grandfather! Look! I caught it!" the boy had called, eyes shining with joy.
Golden Crocodile Douluo had scoffed, but secretly, he'd treasured that moment more than any Spirit Hall accolade.
He returned to the present.
Now the boy stood on the path of power. The world would not be kind. Not to someone like him.
The jade box in his hand trembled slightly. He looked down at it.
"Blue Silver Empress... your child is here. Whether you're plant, beast, or spirit, your story is not over yet."
He reinforced the box's seals and placed it within the deepest layer of his spatial ring. Not even a Rank 99 Douluo would find it unless he allowed them to.
His gaze returned to the academy.
Let them train. Let them think they are safe.
But he would be there, in the shadows. Watching. Waiting.
Protecting.
____________________
At Shrek Academy, as dusk painted the skies with crimson, Li Wei paused mid-training. A strange sensation tickled the edge of his perception. Faint. Almost imperceptible.
He looked around.
"Something wrong?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
Li Wei blinked, shook his head.
"No... just thought I sensed something. Must be my imagination."
He returned to training, unaware that not far away, a silent figure smiled faintly from within the trees.
Golden Crocodile Douluo crossed his arms.
Train well, child. The world will not go easy on you. But while I live... it will not take you.