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"Silver-tongued!"
With a cold shout, Salas flicked his sleeve. He interrupted Tang San's words directly and did not give him a chance to continue defending himself. He then quickly began to make accusations, saying that no matter how well Tang San spoke, he could not hide the facts.
He pointed out that the seven students of Canghui Academy were currently on the verge of death and their spirit power was exhausted. He said this was witnessed by everyone and personally verified by him as a bishop. He claimed Tang San possessed strange abilities, that his cultivation progress was illogical, and that he was suspected of devouring lives.
He did not mention evidence at all. He used his authority to pressure them and his voice suddenly rose. He told Tang San that he was suspected of harming participating Spirit Masters and severely violating the competition rules. He said Tang San was breaking the iron laws of the Spirit Master world.
The bishop said he suspected Tang San of being a degenerate and an Evil Soul Master. To uphold the fairness of the competition and the peace of the continent, he said he was now legally arresting him and taking him back to Spirit Hall for a detailed interrogation.
At this point, Salas did not give anyone time to react. With a fierce wave of his hand, he commanded his men to take Tang San down.
Clang!
A series of metallic armor clangs suddenly rang out. Hearing this, more than ten Spirit Hall Temple Knights moved. They were clad in shining silver armor and showed a fierce aura. They had been waiting around the Douhun Stage and instantly released powerful spirit power. Like an iron barrel, they surged onto the Douhun Stage from all directions and surrounded the lone Tang San.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone present. No one expected Salas to be so overbearing. He completely disregarded the competition process and Tang San's defense. He was going to use force to arrest him immediately.
Just then, Flender's expression also changed. His figure flashed as he appeared on the Douhun Stage as if by teleportation. He blocked the path between Tang San and the Temple Knights. He angrily asked the Platinum Bishop what he meant by openly targeting Shrek Academy. He said there was no conclusion yet as to why the people of Canghui Academy became like this, so the bishop had no right to arrest him. He warned that if they dared to harm even a single hair on his Shrek Academy students, he would take action.
In his haste, he even brought out what he thought was his last reliance, Yu Xiaogang. He said he would immediately set off with Yu Xiaogang to Spirit City to meet the Supreme Pontiff and ask her to provide justice for them.
However, upon hearing this, a sneer of disdain appeared on the mouth of Salas. He did not even bother to look at Flender directly. He said in an extremely contemptuous tone that Flender could go see the Supreme Pontiff and told him to set off now. It was clear that he had no idea that the Yu Xiaogang Flender spoke of was the famous researcher. Instead, he felt that Flender was bluffing and no longer paid attention to him. He turned to the Temple Knights and ordered them again to take Tang San down.
However, his words were not fully spoken.
Whoosh!
An extremely sharp and piercing sonic boom suddenly erupted. The next second, a brilliant golden stream of light appeared. It was like lightning tearing through space. It shot out from a certain direction in the spectator stands at a speed that the human eye could not see. It was targeting Salas on the Douhun Stage.
This sudden attack made the face of Salas change dramatically. He wondered what it was in a mix of shock and anger. Out of instinct, his spirit power instantly surged. His right hand shot out like lightning and his fingers formed a claw. He used the powerful spirit power of a Spirit Douluo and accurately grabbed at the golden light.
Bang!
There was a muffled thud. The golden light was firmly caught in the palm of Salas. The impact made his arm tingle slightly. He wondered what the object was. The heart of Salas tightened and he fixed his gaze on the object in his hand. When he opened his palm and saw the true appearance of the object, the anger on his face froze. It was replaced by extreme shock and horror. It was not a hidden weapon, but a token.
He gasped and realized it was the Supreme Pontiff's Decree. Looking at the token in his hand, his pupils suddenly shrank. A thin layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. The hand holding the token could not help but tremble slightly. Whoever holds this decree is treated as if the Supreme Pontiff herself is present. Seeing the decree is like seeing the Supreme Pontiff herself.
Immediately after, he looked up. His gaze scanned the direction from which the token had shot. He was filled with doubt and surprise. Just then, a low and clearly displeased voice slowly sounded. The voice told the Bishop that he had quite an official air about him.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. They saw Yu Xiaogang, who had left the Shrek spectator stands at some point. He was walking towards the center of the Douhun Stage. Salas was first startled when he saw Yu Xiaogang approaching. Then his gaze fell on the heavy Supreme Pontiff's Decree in his hand. He understood something and the color drained even further from his face.
Although he vaguely knew about some relationship between Yu Xiaogang and the Supreme Pontiff, he never expected that he would actually possess a Supreme Pontiff's Decree. One must know that there were only three Supreme Pontiff's Decrees circulating outside of Spirit Hall. They were separately given to the upper three of the Seven Great Sects. Even Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, would not casually wear this token. How could he have imagined that Yu Xiaogang would have this item?
Fragments of memories surfaced in his mind and the heart of Salas immediately sank. He knew that he might not be able to gain any favor here today. This was true unless the people from Canghui Academy could now get up from the ground and point out Tang San.
Seeing this familiar figure appear before him, Tang San was first surprised. He saw Yu Xiaogang holding the Supreme Pontiff's Decree and intimidating Salas. An uncontrollable surge of joy welled up in his heart. He called out to his teacher and asked if he was back.
Tang San never expected that Yu Xiaogang would appear here completely unharmed. He had been on the verge of death when Tang Hao took him away, and Tang San thought his chances of survival were slim. And now, he even possessed the Supreme Pontiff's Decree, which even a Spirit Hall Platinum Bishop had to bow to.
Tang San thought to himself that after his teacher went to Spirit City, Bibi Dong must have saved him. He believed she also gave him extremely high courtesy and trust by giving him the Supreme Pontiff's Decree.
This thought flashed through the mind of Tang San instantly. Immediately after, he was so excited he almost trembled. He muttered to himself that Yu Xiaogang must have already obtained the correct method to resolve the cultivation difficulties of twin spirits from Bibi Dong. He felt his Clear Sky Hammer was saved.
As soon as he thought that he would soon be able to escape the problems of his Clear Sky Hammer, he felt happy. He believed he would embark on the truly powerful path of twin spirits cultivation.
He imagined trampling Tang Chen and everyone who looked down on him under his feet. Tang San immediately felt a rush of warmth spread throughout his body. He temporarily forgot the danger of being surrounded by the Temple Knights and his current physical weakness.
Salas quickly stopped his previous arrogance. He did not dare to be negligent and even bowed slightly. He told the Elder that he must be joking. He said it was his oversight and that he did not know the Elder was here. With great care and respect, he held up the Supreme Pontiff's Decree with both hands and gave it to Yu Xiaogang. He forced a smile that looked very bad.
With a sneer, Yu Xiaogang took the Supreme Pontiff's Decree. He deliberately put on an arrogant and indifferent expression. From a high position, he questioned Salas. He asked the Bishop if he was still going to arrest someone from Shrek Academy.
Facing this token that represented the Supreme Pontiff, Salas felt great anger but had to suppress it. He squeezed out an extremely ugly smile and repeatedly waved his hand. He told Elder Yu Xiaogang that he would not do so. His words were not yet fully spoken.
Slap!
There was an extremely crisp and loud slap. It was like a thunderclap that drowned out all other sounds in the arena. A jade-green figure appeared before Yu Xiaogang with ghost-like speed without any warning. It was the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
He did not waste any words. In the instant that everyone failed to react, he suddenly raised his palm. He used the terrifying power and speed of a Titled Douluo and slammed a heavy slap across the face of Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang did not even have time to react. He was sent flying off the ground like straw caught in a strong wind. Immediately after, he spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with broken teeth in mid-air. He then crashed heavily onto the Douhun Stage ground several meters away and rolled several times before stopping.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Xiaogang was knocked down. Half of his face instantly became very swollen and his mind became blurry. This sudden and vicious slap stunned everyone. Salas was even more shocked and frozen in place. His words were completely stuck in his throat. He had never expected that Dugu Bo would dare to attack the holder of the Supreme Pontiff's Decree so recklessly.
Dugu Bo did not even bother to look at Yu Xiaogang, who was lying on the ground. He slowly withdrew his palm. His cold gaze swept over the Supreme Pontiff's Decree that had fallen to the ground. A sneer of disdain appeared on his lips. He spoke with extreme contempt. He said he was not one of the people from Spirit Hall. He said loudly that he did not recognize the token.
As soon as these words were said, the entire audience was shocked. Dugu Bo was openly defying the highest authority of Spirit Hall. He used a direct and brutal method to show that he did not care about the rules of Spirit Hall at all. No matter what token someone had, if they dared to be arrogant in front of him, he would beat them.
Tang San saw Yu Xiaogang spit blood and fall to the ground. He was anxious about the twin spirits cultivation method and could not stand by and do nothing. He told Dugu Bo not to go too far. He reminded him that this was the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament. He asked what reason Dugu Bo had to go on stage and assault a teacher from a participating academy. He tried to use the competition rules to stop Dugu Bo.
At the same time, Salas also recovered from his initial shock. Although he also disliked Yu Xiaogang, the slap from Dugu Bo hit the face of Spirit Hall as well. This was especially true after the Supreme Pontiff's Decree had just been shown. If this matter reached Spirit City and the Supreme Pontiff learned about it, his job would be over.
He had to step forward and look at Dugu Bo with a grim expression. He told the Poison Douluo that Yu Xiaogang now held the Supreme Pontiff's Decree, which made him an Elder of Spirit Hall. He asked if Dugu Bo was disregarding Spirit Hall.
Upon hearing this, a hint of disdain flashed in the jade-green eyes of Dugu Bo. He had expected that Salas would use Spirit Hall to pressure him. He then snorted coldly and spoke in a sharp voice. He told Bishop Salas not to try to frame him.
He said that Evil Soul Masters are the common enemies of the entire continent and everyone has the right to kill them. He asked if the Bishop was going to protect Tang San, who was suspected of using evil arts, just because of a token. He emphasized the words 'Evil Soul Master' and 'common enemy' to make it a big issue.
Upon hearing this, the face of Salas turned pale and then green. He did not dare to openly support an Evil Soul Master in front of the crowd. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He shook his head and spoke in a more fair tone. He told the Poison Douluo that he was exaggerating and that he would not protect anyone. He said Spirit Hall has always been fair and would never let an evil being go, but they would also not wrong an innocent person.
At this point, Salas changed the subject. His gaze swept over the students of Canghui Academy on the ground. He saw they looked like corpses and felt troubled. He said that since everyone from Canghui Academy was unconscious and practically dead, there was no proof. He explained that he could not just arrest someone based on a guess because it would be hard to convince the public. He suggested it might have been due to a spirit skill backlash.
He said he would only arrest Tang San if the people from Canghui Academy could immediately wake up and identify what Tang San did to them. He said if the evidence was clear, he would arrest him without another word. This move was quite smart as it protected the reputation of Spirit Hall and did not give in to Dugu Bo. He also shifted the responsibility away from himself.
The Supreme Pontiff had not ordered him to definitely arrest Tang San, so it did not matter to him. If he offended the old friend of the Supreme Pontiff, it would be bad for him later. Moreover, that person now held the Supreme Pontiff's Decree.
Tang San heard Salas mention that there was no proof if they were dead, and his heart felt safe. He felt that he had won the argument. The fake anger on his face slowly went away and was replaced by a look of triumph. He asked the Poison Douluo if he heard what Bishop Salas said or if he was just old and hard of hearing.
He said that if the people from Canghui Academy could wake up now and identify what he did, he would surrender without resistance. He said if they could stand up and point at him, he would accept being called an Evil Soul Master and take any punishment. He said it was a pity that in their current state, there was no proof.
The words of Tang San were a challenge to Dugu Bo and everyone who doubted him. He stood in an arrogant posture in front of tens of thousands of people. Upon hearing this, the brow of Dugu Bo furrowed slightly. His face looked very angry. Just as he was about to speak, a clear voice came from nearby. The voice called out to Tang San and told him to remember what he just said.
This voice was very familiar to Dugu Bo. The voice asked if there was truly no proof if they were dead. Then the voice asked what would happen if those people were brought back to life.