Hearing his speech, even Su Cheng was taken aback.
He had considered that Yu Xiaogang might play the sentiment card, as it wasn't the first time he had done so, but he hadn't expected his words to be this off-putting.
Nonetheless, Su Cheng didn't continue to attack, choosing instead to see how Bibi Dong would respond.
Bibi Dong's expression changed slightly, feeling a mix of disgust and unease, unable to continue ignoring his words.
Allowing him to speak further could bring up even more absurd topics.
"Yu Xiaogang, what nonsense are you spouting here! Destroy the Spirit Hall, with just you?"
As she spoke, Bibi Dong swung her scythe while charging forward, ruthlessly slashing out deep purple blade beams.
Seeing this, Tang Hao hurried forward to block with the Clear Sky Hammer.
Watching the scene and hearing the conversation, Xie Yue and the other two behind them lowered their heads, trembling slightly.
Was this something they should be hearing?
They all silently regretted coming along.
While the secrets were thrilling, continuing to listen might cost them their lives.
Xie Yue and Hu Liena exchanged a silent glance, communicating wordlessly.
The two shared a deep bond and frequently used their martial soul fusion technique, making them very in sync.
"Are those things true?"
"How would I know! Stop thinking about it, the teacher might kill you two."
"So what should we do?"
"Elder Su, stay close to Elder Su later, he can protect you..."
"Stop!" Yu Xiaogang suddenly shouted, raising a jade token high above his head, with "Heaven Dou" inscribed on it.
"I am a guest of the Heaven Dou Empire royal family. Bibi Dong, do you want to start a war between the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire?!"
The jade token in his hand was indeed proof of his status as a guest of the Heaven Dou Empire royal family.
Though the Shrek Academy team did not win the championship in last year's Soul Master Competition, they achieved an excellent third place.
Considering the abundance of talent in that competition, with even the main team of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy being eliminated early, this ranking was quite commendable.
Even if the academy had somewhat offended the Spirit Hall, so what?
The Spirit Hall had no intention of pursuing the matter further, and the Heaven Dou Empire, already holding a grudge against the Spirit Hall, naturally saw befriending the Shrek Academy as the best choice.
Moreover, the academy had produced Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San, who, at under fifteen, had advanced to Soul King. Zhu Zhuqing possessed the Hell White Tiger, a martial soul surpassing even super martial souls, and Tang San had twin martial souls, including the Clear Sky Hammer, both with immense potential.
Even with their complicated backgrounds, the Heaven Dou royal family saw befriending them as advantageous, especially after losing Poison Douluo Dugu Bo and future star Su Cheng.
Tang San also had his father, Tang Hao, a peak Douluo with the title "Clear Sky," which was a significant asset.
Yu Xiaogang, being Tang San's teacher, gained the royal family's attention and became a guest of the royal family, binding Shrek Academy and his disciple, Tang San, closer.
Seeing the jade token raised high by Yu Xiaogang, Su Cheng was speechless.
Not to mention the increasingly intense conflicts between the Spirit Hall and the two empires, who would know what happened in this desolate place if they died here?
As expected, Bibi Dong didn't even glance at him and continued her fierce assault.
However, she didn't engage head-on this time but focused on evasive maneuvers and attrition, her most adept strategy.
Moreover, Tang Hao's explosive increase in strength was temporary, relying on the ring explosion technique. She only needed to bide her time, and he would fall without a fight.
Tang Hao realized Bibi Dong's intentions but had no better solution.
Yu Xiaogang couldn't seem to restrain the Spirit Hall Supreme Pontiff, and with the enigmatic Su Cheng watching coldly, escaping unscathed seemed impossible for both of them.
Gritting his teeth, he simultaneously detonated his seventh, eighth, and ninth soul rings, his strongest.
His aura surged again, even surpassing Bibi Dong, who had not used her martial soul true form.
But the cost was severe.
Blood spurted from his orifices, and a blood mist enveloped him.
Clearly, his current physical state couldn't withstand such powerful soul power.
The giant hammer smashed through the air, distorting it slightly.
Two of Bibi Dong's soul rings glowed, and purple smoke appeared beside her, forming layers of webs to block the hammer in midair.
As everyone thought Tang Hao was going for a final desperate attack, he suddenly vanished after the strike, leaving only a distant voice, "Bibi Dong, if you dare kill the Grandmaster, expect retaliation from the Heaven Dou Empire!"
Bibi Dong glanced questioningly at Su Cheng.
While there was a gap in strength between her and Tang Hao, it wasn't enough to dominate him completely.
If he was determined to flee, she alone couldn't stop him.
But Su Cheng was still here.
She believed that if Su Cheng wanted to act, Tang Hao wouldn't escape.
Although she didn't know why Su Cheng watched passively, she didn't question him, nor did she care about Tang Hao's feeble threats.
Snorting coldly, she swung her deep purple scythe, sending a blade beam towards Yu Xiaogang.
The aura of death enveloped him, his pale face reflecting the deep purple light, filled with terror and despair.
With his strength of a twenty-ninth-ranked Grandmaster, he was doomed against such an attack.
However, a sword light intercepted the blade beam mid-air.
It was Su Cheng who acted.
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow, waiting for his explanation.
"Since Tang Hao has escaped, Yu Xiaogang must not die. We should consider the wrath of the Heaven Dou Empire."
Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong frowned, opened her mouth but remained silent upon seeing his eyes.
Su Cheng then turned to Yu Xiaogang, "Why are you still here?"
Yu Xiaogang didn't dare say more, his face ashen, his already stiff expression turning even more ghastly. Pressing his lips together, he staggered away on shaky legs.
He realized that Bibi Dong had no intention of sparing him.
If not for Su Cheng's intervention, he would be dead by now.
Su Cheng chose to showcase his strength but not fully, to pressure Tang San without crushing him.
At least, he needed to give Tang San hope of catching up.
With the drive of Xiao Wu's death, Tang San would aim to surpass him and Qian Renxue.
But if Tang San knew Su Cheng's true strength, he might act rashly, jeopardizing his chance of inheriting the god position.
Moreover, Tang Hao and Yu Xiaogang couldn't die.
Not because of Yu Xiaogang's laughable threats—Heaven Dou Empire wouldn't dare retaliate against the Spirit Hall.
The key was that Tang San's growth needed their help.
Tang Hao provided combat support and his experience in training the Clear Sky Hammer to Title Douluo, helping Tang San avoid some pitfalls.
But Tang Hao alone wasn't enough, as he wasn't very bright.
Yu Xiaogang's so-called unbeatable theories might not be impressive, but he was still smarter than most, and definitely more than Tang Hao.
Without him, Tang Hao and Tang San alone had a bleak future.
Honestly, Su Cheng wasn't sure if Tang San was the chosen one for the Asura God or if he could inherit the god position.
But he was the best candidate available, and it was worth trying.
His twin martial souls weren't a lie, and Mysterious Heaven Technique was useful. His current soul power level, due to the early switch to Clear Sky Hammer, was even higher than the original timeline.
Tang Chen's foundation was ruined. Even if he escaped the control of the Blood-red Nine-headed Bat King, he couldn't withstand the immense power of the Asura God.
Otherwise, with his talent, he would have a far greater chance of becoming a god than Tang San.