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After hearing what Dugu Bo had to say, Emperor Xue Ye felt his fingers tighten against the armrest of his throne. He knew that the stakes were incredibly high for the Heaven Dou Empire. If the empire were seen protecting an Evil Soul Master, its reputation would be destroyed.
The people would attack them with words and letters, and the Star Luo Empire would surely use the scandal as an excuse to invade. However, Dugu Bo did not need to worry. Emperor Xue Ye had no reason to protect Tang San at all. After all, Tang San was not his son.
Nearby, Platinum Bishop Salas looked so angry that it seemed like his face might explode. He realized he had to act fast. He needed to show everyone that Spirit Hall had nothing to do with Tang San or Shrek Academy. Even if it meant making Yu Xiaogang angry, he had to protect his own position. Yu Xiaogang might claim to be an Elder of Spirit Hall, but Salas could not let that stop him now.
Salas turned his head and looked at the captain of the Canghui Academy team. Tang Chen had just finished healing the boy, and he was starting to wake up. Salas spoke in a deep, scary voice. "You there! Tell us the truth right now. What did Tang San do to you inside that colorful mist? Speak honestly. If you lie even a little bit, you will be punished severely!"
The captain of Canghui Academy had just barely survived. He hated Tang San more than anything else in the world. When he heard the question, he shakily raised his hand and pointed at Tang San. Dugu Bo was still holding Tang San down, and Tang San looked absolutely furious. The captain's voice was weak and trembling as he spoke.
"It was him! It was Tang San! He used those evil Blue Silver Grass vines to tie us all up. Then, these scary thorns grew out of the vines and poked into our skin. He started sucking our blood! He was eating our life force and our spirit power! I could feel myself getting weaker and weaker. My body felt like it was drying up. It felt like a thousand mouths were chewing on my soul! He is a fallen one! He is a monster who gets stronger by eating people! Please, you have to arrest him right now!"
The captain's words were the final proof. Everyone now knew for sure that Tang San was a criminal.
"That is enough!" Salas shouted. He did not want to hear any more. He didn't look worried anymore; instead, he looked like a hero ready to do his duty. He turned toward the Temple Knights who were standing behind him. "Temple Knights, listen to my command! Arrest Tang San immediately! If he tries to fight back, you have my permission to kill him!"
The sound of metal clashing filled the air as the Temple Knights moved. Their armor made a loud noise that sounded like a bell at a funeral. They drew their long, shiny swords and ran toward Tang San. Because of Dugu Bo's pressure, Tang San could not move at all. He was trapped like a bug.
When Yu Xiaogang saw the knights rushing toward his student like hungry wolves, his eyes turned red with anger. He ignored the pain in his head and the blood on his face. He scrambled up from the ground and reached into his clothes. He pulled out the Pope's Edict, the special plate that showed he had the power of Spirit Hall behind him. He held it high in the air and screamed as loud as he could.
"Stop! I am an Elder of Spirit Hall, and I order you to stop! Do not touch my disciple! Seeing this edict is the same as seeing the Supreme Pontiff herself! Do you really want to disobey an order from the Pope?"
Yu Xiaogang really thought the medal would save Tang San. But before he could even finish his sentence, something moved. A blue and gold light shot out from Tang Chen's hand. It looked like a fast snake. It was a vine from the Blue Silver Emperor.
The vine was very fast and very accurate. It didn't hit Yu Xiaogang, but it wrapped around the Pope's Edict and pulled it right out of his hand. Yu Xiaogang's wrist went numb, and before he knew it, the medal was gone. Tang Chen caught it easily and held it in his hand.
Tang Chen looked at Yu Xiaogang and smiled a mean smile. "Well, look at that. It seems you aren't an Elder of Spirit Hall anymore."
Those simple words broke Yu Xiaogang's heart. Without that medal, he was nobody. The Temple Knights had paused for a second when they saw the edict, but now that it was gone, they didn't care anymore.
"Grab him!" the knight captain yelled.
Several strong knights jumped on Tang San. Even though Tang San was screaming and trying to fight, they pushed him face-down into the dirt. They put their knees on his back and twisted his arms behind him so he couldn't move a muscle.
"Let me go! You are just dogs for Spirit Hall! Teacher, please help me!" Tang San's eyes were bloodshot. He was breathing hard and acting like a wild animal in a cage. "If you arrest me, you will all die! You don't know what you're doing!"
One of the Temple Knights got tired of the threats. He narrowed his eyes and hit Tang San on the back of the neck with the edge of his hand. He used his spirit power to make the hit even harder. Tang San made a small noise, his body went soft, and he fell asleep instantly. The knight picked him up like a heavy bag of trash.
"Little San!" Flender cried out. He took a step forward, and his spirit power started to grow. He looked like he wanted to fight the whole army to save the boy. But then he looked at Salas, who was watching him with cold eyes.
He saw the sharp swords of the knights pointed his way. Flender realized that Tang San was now officially a monster in the eyes of the law. He sighed and stopped moving. He squeezed his fists until they hurt, but he knew he couldn't do anything.
The whole arena was very quiet as the knights carried Tang San away. Then, Emperor Xue Ye stood up in the VIP area. He looked down at the sleeping Tang San with a sad but firm expression. As the King, he had to say something.
"Bishop Salas, what does Spirit Hall plan to do with this fallen one?" the Emperor asked. He made sure to say the words "fallen one" very clearly so everyone knew he agreed with the arrest.
Salas thought about his answer carefully. He knew Tang San was the son of the famous Tang Hao. This was a very big deal, and a Bishop like him couldn't make the final choice. He bowed to the Emperor and spoke formally. "Your Majesty, Tang San's crimes are terrible. Being a fallen one is the worst thing a Spirit Master can be. This is too big for me to decide here. We will take him to Spirit City. I will let Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong decide what happens to him."
Salas was smart. He gave the problem to Bibi Dong so he wouldn't get in trouble later. Emperor Xue Ye nodded. He looked around the stadium and spoke so everyone could hear him. "That sounds fair. I hope Spirit Hall punishes him quickly. We must show everyone that this kind of evil is not allowed. We cannot let people like him hurt our world."
After saying that, the Emperor turned around and left with his guards. Ning Fengzhi looked at Yu Xiaogang and Flender one last time. He looked very sorry for them, but he didn't say a word. He followed the Emperor out of the building.
As soon as the leaders left, the stadium exploded with noise. Thousands of people started screaming and cursing.
"He's a monster! Get him out of here!" one person yelled.
"Shrek Academy is a school for villains!" another person shouted.
"Look at that Yu Xiaogang guy! He tried to use a fake medal to save a murderer! He's just as bad as the kid!"
"Get out of Heaven Dou City! We don't want you here!"
"Kill the Evil Soul Master! Don't let him live!"
"I bet the whole school is full of monsters! They call themselves monsters, and now we know why!"
"The King should close that school forever! They are a disgrace to our country!"
The insults and screams hit Flender and Yu Xiaogang like a giant wave. Everything they had worked for was gone. People used to cheer for them, but now they hated them. Yu Xiaogang didn't even seem to hear the mean words. He just stared at the ground and whispered to himself.
"It's over... everything is ruined. Shrek Academy is done for. Without Little San and his twin spirits, we can't win the tournament. What am I going to do now? All my years of studying... my theories about spirits... my Ten Core Competencies... it's all gone.
How can I show the world I am smart now? Who will prove my theories are right if I don't have Tang San? No one will ever remember the name Yu Xiaogang now."