Suddenly, an incredibly strong wave of emotion surged into Tang Wulin's heart.
"Dad, Mom!"
He blurted out without thinking. Immediately, an overwhelming longing burst forth like a geyser, and for a moment, he felt so suffocated that he could hardly breathe.
Tang Wulin didn't understand why—hadn't he already reunited with Tang Ziran and Lang Yue? Why was he still missing his parents?
A faint golden light surrounded him. As Tang Wulin's consciousness gradually became clear, his entire spiritual state also started to change.
Everything before his eyes began to fade, and the outside world disappeared.
His surroundings were half-real, half-illusion, wrapped in golden light.
"Child."
A gentle voice called out to him.
Tang Wulin raised his head with difficulty. Deep within his heart, it felt like something was about to explode…
A golden light suddenly grew brighter in front of him, and a figure slowly walked out from within the light.
The golden silhouette was dreamlike, yet incredibly familiar.
"Old Tang?" Tang Wulin's voice was hoarse. In this illusory world, he felt an immense spiritual impact.
But he quickly noticed—Old Tang was different today.
He looked younger than before, donned in golden armor, with long blue hair flowing behind him and two strands draped over his chest. He wore a golden trident-shaped helmet with a dazzling gemstone at the center. In his right hand, he held a golden trident exuding immense authority.
The surroundings had turned into a dark starry sky, unlike the golden hall that used to exist in his spiritual world.
"Old Tang's" expression was gentle and calm, but his clear blue eyes were like the deep sea or the boundless night sky—profound beyond comprehension.
"Old Tang?" Tang Wulin murmured again, still stunned by how different he looked.
"You should call me Dad." 'Old Tang' held the golden trident upright and looked at him with a gentle gaze.
"Dad?" Tang Wulin froze. Then what about Tang Ziran?
"Yes, I'm your father. The people you know now are your adoptive parents. We are your biological parents. It was only because of immense helplessness that we had to leave you behind."
"No way. My dad is Tang Ziran, my mom is Lang Yue. You're not my dad!" Tang Wulin shouted, shaking his head madly, nearly breaking down.
Old Tang actually claimed to be his father?
Then what about Tang Ziran?
"Old Tang" sighed and said, "I know it's hard to accept at once, but listen to me, Wulin. Do you know how proud your mom and I have always been since we had you and your sister? Everything I worked for in the past became worthwhile, just so you two could proudly say who your father is."
"My name is not Old Tang. 'Old Tang' is a split-off part of my consciousness left to help and guide you, to protect you as you grow. Now that you've matured, I've finally been able to reach you through the Seagod Helmet passed down in the Seagod's lineage. My call resonated with the split consciousness, allowing me to sense your presence. You have no idea how happy your mother and I were when we finally felt you."
"It's time you knew who your real father is."
"My name is Tang San."
"Tang San, founder of Tang Sect."
"One of the Five Great God Kings of the God Realm Committee."
"Seagod Tang San!"
"Asura God Tang San!"
"I'm your father."
Tang San!
These two simple words struck Tang Wulin like a heavy hammer.
He stared blankly at the dazzling figure in golden armor before him—like a god. No, he was a god.
The pride in Tang San's eyes echoed every word he had spoken earlier.
Tang San? The founder of the Tang Sect. A god who once led the Heaven Dou and Star Luo empires to overthrow the evil Spirit Hall. The creator of the Tang Sect that lasted for thousands of years. A legend among the first generation of Shrek Seven Devils, who brought glory to Shrek Academy.
And now, the man standing in front of him, claiming to be his father… was Tang San.
"No matter how unbelievable, it's the truth. I named you. Your mother's name is Xiao Wu. Your name, Tang Wulin, means 'Little Qilin'—the child of Tang San and Xiao Wu. You have an older sister, Tang Wutong, meaning 'Little Phoenix.' The four of us should have lived happily together in the God Realm. But a great catastrophe separated us."
"The God Realm was swept away by space-time turbulence and flung to a distant place. We nearly lost everything and had to sacrifice two God Kings just to save it from destruction."
"In the chaos, the sealed Golden Dragon King broke free and wreaked havoc. We barely suppressed him, but before dying, he injected all his destructive essence into your newborn body. It was an attempt to kill you."
"You carry 18 seals on your body—that was me sealing his power, splitting it into 18 parts. The God Realm is filled with immortal energy, and staying there would only accelerate the seals' unraveling and kill you. Not even I could save you."
"We had no choice but to leave you on the Douluo Continent, where the rate of unraveling would slow down. If you could grow strong enough, you might one day overcome the Golden Dragon King's influence."
"Your Golden Dragon Spear was left to you by your sister. We all miss you deeply."
Tang Wulin stared blankly at Tang San, finally understanding the origin of his Golden Dragon King bloodline. His father—a god!
Tang San's body was becoming more transparent. His eyes were full of emotion. He raised his left hand, trying to touch his son—but he couldn't.
Father. A god as a father?
Tang Wulin now believed everything Tang San had said. Otherwise, the Seagod Helmet would not have acknowledged him.
Still, the shock was immense. It was all too sudden.
"My time is short. Reaching you across realms drains a massive amount of energy and requires a coordinate. After this, 'Old Tang' won't be able to protect you anymore, and the Seagod Helmet will shatter. From now on, you must rely on yourself."
"I will try to help the God Realm return, but I don't know how long it will take. We've encountered other God Realms in conflict and must rely on their help. Until then, I only hope you grow strong, control the Golden Dragon King's power, and stay true to yourself. Danger brings opportunity—your path will be your own."
"If you ever grow strong enough to create your own God Realm, try to find us. I will embed the coordinates of the God Realm into your spiritual sea. It will only activate when you reach the god level."
"Believe in your father. No matter the storm, we'll find our way back to you. We'll be together again."
As he said the final words, Tang San radiated unshakable confidence.
His figure was almost fully faded, and the surrounding starlight dimmed.
"Wulin, I have little to leave you, but I'll pass on two techniques from the Golden Thirteen Strikes: one representing time, the other space. Practice them together."
As he spoke, Tang San waved his right hand. The golden trident turned into a stream of light and shot toward Tang Wulin. A trident pattern appeared on Wulin's forehead, resonating with the incoming light.
The trident entered his brow with a sharp pain and heaviness. Along with it came a flood of memory imprints.
In his mind, Tang Wulin saw a Seagod Trident cut through the sky, and four glowing words appeared:"A thousand years of drifting clouds."
Then a golden wave expanded, and another four words appeared:"Turbulence without end!"
After all this, Tang San's figure became even more faded, almost gone.
Suddenly, Tang Wulin seemed to remember something and shouted, "Dad, don't go! I still have one more question!"
"What is it?" Tang San paused, curious what could be so important.
"Dad… are you really a lone hero?" Tang Wulin shouted.
"Lone hero?" Tang San frowned, not understanding the context.
But the phrase lone hero sounded like praise.
Understanding that, Tang San didn't hesitate and proudly said,"That's right, Wulin. Your father is indeed a lone hero."
"So that's it… I was wondering why I was so fast. It's genetic! Compared to you, I'm already a positive mutation." Tang Wulin slumped to the ground.
Men… they all care about this.
After what happened on Devil Island, Tang Wulin's greatest pain wasn't his encounter with Long Yeyue, or even the fact that she got pregnant, or that he got targeted by Cao Dezhi.
What pained him most… was his speed.
That one sentence from Long Yeyue—"Didn't feel anything at all"—hit him like a dagger.
He was willing to accept Long Yeyue largely because of this.
With his speed, no girl would ever be satisfied.
He'd even suspected that it was Xia Yi's kick that caused it, but Na'er and Yali had assured him he was fully healed.
At one point, he thought they'd lied to spare his feelings.
But now… he was sure. They hadn't lied.
His speed—was hereditary.
Fast was still better than being a lone hero, right?
At least he found some comfort… from Tang San.
While Tang Wulin was lost in thought, a weak female voice whispered in his ear:
"Wulin, don't listen to your dad. Don't come find us. Your dad has changed. The God Realm is no longer what it once was. It's completely chaotic now. Recently, many good-looking male and female gods suffered food poisoning. The culprit couldn't be found. Then I heard… the God King of Light, Chang Gongwei, was diagnosed with uremia. Your mom even—"
Tang Wulin hadn't yet come to his senses when the voice suddenly cut off, as if it had been forcefully severed by some unseen power.
Everything around him turned into darkness, disappearing completely into an inky black void.
Tang Wulin felt as if everything was spinning around him. When he opened his eyes again, he was already at the ruins of Shrek Academy.
"Woke up, woke up! Wulin, you're finally awake. Do you know how scared I was?" Long Yeyue's anxious voice rang out. Before Tang Wulin could react, he felt himself being tightly embraced.
"I…" Beside him, Chen Xinjie's gaze was so intense, it seemed like it could devour Tang Wulin.
(End of Chapter)