After Wu Ling dealt with the red-robed bishop of Soto City's Spirit Hall main temple, he arranged a few matters for the remaining personnel. Then he drove alone toward Shrek Academy outside Soto City.
When he arrived, Tang San happened to be challenging Barrett Knox, the Motionless Bright King, alone.
"Hm. Is that Blue Silver Binding? I remember killing a Datura Snake back then. Why does Tang San still have Binding? Was it not the same snake?"
Watching from the dark, Wu Ling voiced his confusion. When the Blue Silver Flying Knives appeared, he understood.
"His second Spirit Skill, Parasite, became flying knives? No, the first skill is the flying knives, and the second skill is Binding. Is this the world's corrective force?"
As Wu Ling saw it, Tang San's second Spirit Skill had become Binding. The reason, however, was not the world's corrective force. It came from Ethan Drake's guidance.
When Tang San obtained his second Spirit Skill, he had originally wanted to choose a Ghost Vine, another plant-type Soul Beast. Ethan had interrupted him and given his view: when absorbing Spirit Rings, one should try to absorb rings from the same species line, because different rings could promote one another. Compared with the Ghost Vine, a Datura Snake from the same snake category as the first ring was more suitable.
Thus, just like in the original plot, Tang San obtained Binding.
Wu Ling watched Tang San use a dazzling array of hidden weapons to drag out an incense stick's worth of time against Barrett Knox, confirming that the plot had not escaped his control. That meant Tang Hao would appear on his own tonight. What Wu Ling needed to do now was preserve his strength. After all, this time, he had come alone.
Time passed quietly. Late that night, in the mountain woods outside Shrek Academy, Barrett Knox, who had suffered a hidden loss under Tang San during the day, stood as if facing a great enemy. Even with Flender, the Four-Eyed Owl, beside him, he did not feel much safer.
Under the pressure of the figure before them, Flender released his Martial Soul unconsciously. A pair of huge wings spread from his back. His whole body was covered in feathers, and his orange-yellow eyes narrowed into vertical pupils.
Flender and Barrett Knox each had seven Spirit Rings circling around them: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black. The optimal ring configuration displayed their foundation and strength. Yet before the third person present, they were like fireflies beneath the bright moon.
Opposite them, a man in black robes spoke indifferently.
"Flender, stand aside, or I will beat you too."
"Barrett Knox, I will give you a chance. I will not use my Martial Soul. If you can last one incense stick against me, I will leave immediately without another word. Otherwise, you must do one thing for me."
Flender, who had been standing beside Barrett Knox, immediately stepped aside without the slightest loyalty. He clearly had no intention of interfering.
Then came the sound of impact. Muffled groans and screams echoed through the woods. Flender stood to the side with his wings spread, unable to stop himself from covering his eyes and turning his head away.
There was no need to light an incense stick. The entire battle ended in only a few minutes. The black-robed man stood with his hands behind his back as if nothing had happened. His clothes did not even show a wrinkle.
Poor Barrett Knox lay on the ground. His head had swollen by a full circle, both eyes were bruised black, blood trailed from his mouth, and he gasped for breath.
The black-robed man spoke again in the same calm voice. After giving the two of them instructions, his figure flickered. When Barrett Knox and Flender looked over, he had already vanished.
Flender helped Barrett Knox stand. Once the man was gone, Barrett Knox complained, "Flender, you really have no loyalty."
Flender shot back, "You gained a benefit and still complain? That was guidance from a Titled Sage. Besides, who told you to be so heavy-handed during the day? If you had simply let Alban handle the test, nothing would have happened, and you would not have been beaten for nothing."
"Hiss... it really hurts. But that man is truly strong. As expected of the one who killed the Spirit Hall Pope back then..."
Before Barrett Knox could finish, a boom split the peaceful night. In the distant fields, gold and silver light flashed rapidly.
Barrett Knox froze. He pointed in that direction with a trembling finger. "Boss, that seems to be the direction that Clear Sky Sage left in. Should we go take a look?"
"Do not drag me with you if you want to die. That is obviously a clash between Titled Sage-level powerhouses. Spirit Hall has grown stronger by the day these past years, and they have always been hunting that Sage. If small fry like us get involved, we will not even know how we died."
Flender rolled his eyes and continued, "I just received news today that the red-robed bishop of Soto City's Spirit Hall main temple died. A major figure from Spirit Hall personally came to Soto City to rectify certain matters in Balak. I was wondering why Spirit City suddenly made a move."
"Thinking about it now, they might have come for that Sage. The red-robed bishop and the rest were probably only incidental."
"We should return quickly and manage the academy and students. If something truly happens to him, I will send Tang San away. He is Ethan's disciple, after all..."
After discussing the matter, Flender and Barrett Knox hurried back to the academy. Barrett Knox's bruised and swollen face was extremely eye-catching, but he had no mind to explain too much. Wearing that battered look, he and the teachers moved the students away from the academy.
Under the starry sky, an illusory black shadow moved through the mountain forest. It was the black-robed man who had just left Shrek after beating Barrett Knox. However, now his clothes bore traces of scorching. When he stepped into a grassy field, he suddenly stopped.
The grass ahead swayed gently. Under the bright moonlight, it held a hazy beauty. A breeze passed through, bringing a faint fragrance of flowers. Beneath such a beautiful moonlit night, a figure stood with his back to the man and his hands behind him, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"The moonlight tonight is truly beautiful. Meeting Your Excellency at a time like this may also be called a kind of fate, would you not agree, Clear Sky Sage?"
The figure beneath the moon turned around. It was Wu Ling, who had long since prepared. Moonlight fell across him, adding a trace of mystery to his smiling face.
"Spirit Hall's Saint. I did not expect you to find me after all. The trap earlier was your doing, then. Call the others out. Otherwise, today will be the day you are buried."
As Tang Hao spoke, he raised his right hand. Black light condensed in his palm and formed a massive Clear Sky Hammer.
"It has been a long time since I loosened my bones. I have wanted to kill you for a very long time."
Nine Spirit Rings appeared quietly around him: two yellow, two purple, four black, and the final vivid red.
Those nine rings did not revolve around him. Instead, they froze in different positions around Tang Hao's body, completely enveloping him.
Nine Spirit Rings represented his status as a Titled Sage. The final red ring, especially, released all the pressure he had suppressed before Barrett Knox and Flender. Tang Hao's aura became terrifying at once.