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"Father, please, bless Xiaogang and me!" Liu Erlong's voice was a barely audible tremor as she slowly knelt before Yu Luomian, her throat tight with emotion. "We truly love each other."
"Don't worry," she continued, her voice full of extreme humility, "from now on, we'll only be spiritual partners. We'll never do anything that would tarnish the Family's reputation!" She had essentially cast aside all her dignity.
Yu Luomian's face became a fiery red. His chest heaved violently, and his lips quivered, unable to form words. A second later, he threw his head back and burst into wild, mocking laughter, the sound of sheer rage and sarcasm.
"Hahahahaha… What 'true love'! What 'spiritual partners'!"
The laughter abruptly ceased. Yu Luomian's eyes turned instantly cold. He pulled a gleaming dagger from his Spirit Tool and spoke in a voice that was pure ice, "Since that's the case, it's simple!"
"Yu Xiaogang, take your own life in front of me and sever your Bloodline. That way, I won't have to worry about you doing anything to tarnish the Family's reputation!" With that, he flung the dagger heavily. It landed with a thud in the ground right in front of Yu Xiaogang, the blade sinking half an inch deep, buzzing slightly.
"No! How can this be? This won't do! I... I can't be with Erlong, but I absolutely can't become a eunuch! I am a dignified Spirit Theory Grandmaster!"
Looking at the dagger standing before him, Yu Xiaogang's face went instantly white. He instinctively stumbled back a few steps, his voice shaking with terror. He began to retreat, trying to flee from the entire horrifying scene.
Seeing this, Yu Luomian was livid, his face twisting into a sneer as he pointed at Yu Xiaogang. He then turned his gaze to Liu Erlong, his voice dripping with sarcasm and reproach.
"Erlong, look at him. This good-for-nothing is exactly the same as before, only knowing how to run away when faced with a problem! More than twenty years ago, if he had shown even a little responsibility and insisted on being with you, how could I, as your father, not want my daughter to be happy? Even if it meant facing pressure from the Family, I would have blessed you! But look at him now; in what way is he a man worthy of your trust?"
Liu Erlong fell silent for a moment, complex emotions flickering in her eyes. "Father, you don't understand him," she finally said in a low voice. "He really is different from others."
Yu Luomian was so furious he nearly fainted. "What a sin," he growled, "that I could have given birth to a daughter like you! Fine, then I will bless you today!"
As he finished speaking, his figure flickered. He snatched the dagger from the ground and instantly reappeared in front of Yu Xiaogang. Yu Xiaogang's pupils constricted slightly. Before he could even react, he saw a flash of cold light, followed by a soft, sickening 'thud,' as if something had fallen to the ground.
"Ah—" The very next second, Yu Xiaogang screamed a heart-wrenching cry. He collapsed sideways to the ground like a kite with a snapped string, clutching his lower abdomen which was now gushing blood.
Outside Shrek Academy
The commotion at the academy's entrance was too great to be ignored. A large group of students had gathered, and Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and the others had also rushed over.
Seeing Yu Xiaogang in such a miserable state, Zhao Wuji made to step forward and intervene, but Flender raised a hand to stop him.
"Wuji, this is Xiaogang's Family matter; it's best if we don't interfere," Flender said in a deep voice. At that moment, Flender's Spirit Power was completely depleted, making it impossible for him to be Yu Luomian's opponent. Even if his Spirit Power hadn't been exhausted, he knew he couldn't defeat the other man and could only watch helplessly as the situation spiraled out of control.
"Boss, but… we can't just let Grandmaster suffer like that!" Zhao Wuji pleaded anxiously.
"The other party is a Spirit Douluo with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit," Flender replied testily. "I can't beat him anyway, and you certainly can't. If you want to go, go yourself."
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji looked utterly defeated and could only reluctantly step back.
At the same time, Ning Fengzhi looked at Dai Mubai and the others standing near Flender. After a moment's consideration, he instructed Sword Douluo beside him.
"Uncle Jian, these children beside Flender must be the classmates Rongrong mentioned when she returned. Go and examine their bodies to see if, as Tang San claimed, the vitality within them has been damaged."
Sword Douluo nodded. His figure flickered, and he flew directly toward Dai Mubai and the rest of the Shrek Seven Devils.
"What do you think you're doing?" Flender and Zhao Wuji's expressions changed immediately, and they hurriedly moved to stop him.
But before they could reach him, a massive Seven Kill Sword descended from the sky and landed right in front of Shrek Academy's gate. The immense pressure instantly suppressed everyone, rendering them immobile.
Sword Douluo gently touched the bodies of Dai Mubai, Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, and the others, carefully sensing the changes within. His expression immediately darkened slightly.
The next second, his figure reappeared by Ning Fengzhi's side. "Fengzhi," he said in a deep voice, "Tang San did not lie; the vitality within these people's bodies has indeed been damaged."
"Could it really be because of that snake venom?" Ning Fengzhi asked, his expression solemn.
Sword Douluo pondered the question. "Then should we let Dugu Bo come…?"
Ning Fengzhi waved a hand. "You saw it just now. Dugu Bo seems very interested in Tang San's external Spirit Bone. If we let him come, he might use the opportunity to kill him and seize the bone, then claim I ordered it. Moreover, Dugu Bo's snake venom is incredibly potent; even a Titled Douluo has to be cautious when encountering it. Even if he held back a little, anyone below a Spirit Saint might find it difficult to bear, let alone Tang San."
Hearing this, Sword Douluo hesitated slightly. "Then are we just going to let this go today?"
After a moment of silence, Ning Fengzhi slowly spoke. "If this Tang San is truly Tang Hao's son, it might not be a wise move for us to make things difficult for him now. Back then, Spirit Hall mobilized several Titled Douluo to encircle and kill Tang Hao, and in the end, the Supreme Pontiff still met her demise."
Sword Douluo frowned slightly. "Tang Hao's son? But why is his Spirit the Blue Silver Grass? Shouldn't it be the Clear Sky Hammer? Did he inherit his mother's Spirit?"
"No, the inheritance of a Spirit should choose the one with the highest quality between both parents. How could the Blue Silver Grass be stronger than the Clear Sky Hammer?" Ning Fengzhi shook his head, a hint of doubt clouding his eyes.
"Or is it that he's not Tang Hao's son at all? If that's the case, then I must take him back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School today and force him to reveal the manufacturing method of those Hidden Weapons."
"The direct disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School inherently lack offensive power, so these Hidden Weapons are truly too important for the Sect," he continued. A gleam flashed in Ning Fengzhi's eyes as he turned his head, his gaze settling on Tang San, who had already fainted not far away.
However, at that very moment, a slight cough suddenly broke the tension from a nearby rooftop. A burly middle-aged man, wearing a tattered gray robe and a hood that obscured his face, was drinking wine and looking in their direction.