Chapter 64: You! And All of You! Are Courting Death!
Tang Wulin sincerely apologized, but Mu Xi only turned her head away, huffing with pride.
What was so bad about the Spirit Pagoda anyway? Why did he have to go to Shrek Academy of all places?
Tang Wulin could only sigh helplessly. He knew exactly why his senior sister was upset—but what could he do?
Old Tang insisted on it; he had no choice but to follow along.
Surely, probably, maybe—Old Tang wouldn't harm him… right?
"Senior Sister, thank you anyway."
Mu Xi said nothing, still sulking. This one wasn't going to forgive him easily.
Meanwhile, their home was a wreck—the Evil Soul Master's earlier intrusion had smashed the door completely off its hinges. The hearty meal Luo Yu had prepared for Tang Wulin's return was scattered across the floor, plates shattered and food spilled.
The sight filled her with guilt. When Mu Xi kindly offered help, she refused almost instantly.
It wasn't pride—it was shame. As parents, they already felt deeply indebted to their child. They had the means to support him but lacked the courage. Because they'd hidden away, Tang Wulin had suffered. If he had ended up contracting a low-level ten-year soul spirit because they couldn't provide for him, they'd live with that guilt forever.
Fortunately, fate had smiled upon their child.
"No need," Luo Yu said softly. "You've already done enough for us."
Though they knew Mu Xi's intentions were good, they couldn't bring themselves to accept any more kindness.
They had decided—they would rejoin the Federation and trust its protection. If necessary, they'd return to research again.
After all, perhaps they'd been wrong all along… why would the Federation ever target people like them?
Mu Xi, however, had another idea. "Then why not join the Spirit Pagoda instead? Through the internal system, you could rent a ten-thousand-year spirit soul as a personal guardian at a very low cost."
The Spirit Pagoda ran such programs—leasing gentle, human-friendly spirit souls to citizens for protection and companionship.
Tang Wulin might refuse the Pagoda, but that didn't mean his parents couldn't join.
After all, once he joined Shrek Academy, the academy wouldn't protect his family.
"R-really?"
They hesitated, tempted. The Pagoda's reputation across the Federation was excellent—arguably better than the government's own.
Especially as researchers, their old shadows of fear toward the Federation made the Spirit Pagoda seem far safer.
"Of course you can!" Mu Xi confirmed immediately. As mecha designers and pharmaceutical researchers, their skills would be welcomed at the Pagoda.
Tang Wulin watched his parents chatting easily with Mu Xi, the three of them looking oddly like a family… while he stood awkwardly on the sidelines, scratching his nose.
His father clapped his shoulder heavily.
"Son, your mother and I couldn't give you much help. But you must always stay true to your own beliefs. Stand firm in your choices—never regret them. We'll always support you."
Tang Wulin bit his lip, unsure what to say. Finally, he took a deep breath.
"I've decided! I'm joining the Spirit Pagoda!"
"Dad, Mom, Senior Sister—I think the Pagoda is great, and the Federation is good too. I don't need Shrek Academy. The Federation and Spirit Pagoda are funding Eastsea Academy's new Class Zero, and I've been selected! The privileges there are just as good as Shrek's!"
"I want to join Class Zero!"
Wait—what?
Had he really just said that?
Hearing those words, Tang San's expression darkened instantly.
"Do you have any idea what you're saying? Only Shrek and the Tang Sect are your rightful paths! The Spirit Pagoda is not a good place."
The God King's influence didn't reach the Pagoda.
The Spirit Pagoda's research into soul spirits, bloodlines, and martial souls made him uneasy. What if they discovered the secrets within Tang Wulin's blood—secrets that could be stripped away?
That bloodline wasn't native to this plane. It could be taken.
If Tang Wulin entered the Pagoda, wouldn't they have him completely under their thumb?
"Wulin, how could you even think of joining them!"
Tang San's voice trembled, dark and thunderous within his son's consciousness.
"You're defying me now?"
Tang Wulin clenched his fists. "Only the Spirit Pagoda can produce Spirit Orbs! My parents are just ordinary people—I can't ignore them. I won't!"
For the first time, Tang Wulin openly defied Old Tang.
This sudden assault by the Evil Soul Master had truly shaken him. If not for his senior sister, he might have lost his parents forever.
It was the Pagoda's spirit soul that protected them. It was the Federation's soldiers who arrested the Evil Soul Master and defended its people.
But Shrek Academy? What did it ever do for anyone?
Yes, Old Tang would never harm him—but he was just a sliver of consciousness, unaware of the modern world. Maybe he didn't understand anymore.
What Tang Wulin saw was a peaceful, united Douluo Continent under the Federation's rule, a happy and harmonious society.
He saw how the Spirit Pagoda had allowed everyone to awaken martial souls and obtain spirit souls.
That was what he believed in—and what he felt.
Tang San's heart twisted between rage and bittersweet pride. His son had disobeyed him—but out of filial love.
Still, he couldn't reveal who he truly was. Until Tang Wulin fully trusted him, revealing his identity as the Tang God King was impossible.
How he longed to say it: Wulin, I'm your father!
But Wulin had crossed a line.
Defying him… even as his son.
If not for their bond of blood, he would already have declared—you have chosen the path of death.
Tang San's face grew cold and ominous. But he still held a final card—the Valley of Heaven's Emotion.
Yes… the Valley of Heaven's Emotion!
Back then, Huo Yuhao had nearly gone astray, and it was through that same valley that Tang San corrected fate, realigning his thousand-year plan.
Once he brought Tang Wulin there, no matter how crooked his path, he would be reshaped into the perfect heir.
Tang San silently commended himself. What brilliant foresight!
He calmed his fury, speaking slowly.
"Fine. So be it. It's your decision. I won't intervene. But don't you dare regret it later."
He said that—but his anger simmered violently beneath the surface. His son defying him hurt more than the failure of any scheme.
A son should obey his father!
Mu Xi, Tang Ziran, Luo Yu, the Federation, the Spirit Pagoda—
The Tang God King etched their names deep into his divine memory.
For leading his son astray—
All of you…
are already marked for death!
(END CHAPTER)
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