Tang Wulin was rooted to the spot upon hearing this. He had never had such a fierce argument with Gu Yuena before. Being with her meant that he would have to betray the entire human race?

He really wanted to impulsively tell her that he was willing to do that, but could he really do it?

Shrek’s Seven Monsters, Yali, everyone in Shrek’s Seven Monsters and the Tang Sect; could he really betray all of them?

He knew that he couldn't, and there was no way he would even try to do it!

He wouldn't be where he was today if it weren't for Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect. He could never forget how the teachers of Shrek Academy had given up their lives without any hesitation to protect the students and the glory of Shrek Academy.

He could never forget how the Atlas Douluo had taken on that massive explosion and the most powerful beings of the Holy Spirit Cult on his own, resulting in even his soul being harvested from his body.

The heritage of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect was something that his generation had to continue to protect with their lives; how could he betray them?

"Why?

" That was the only question that Tang Wulin could muster up.

Gu Yuena looked deep into his eyes, and there were tears swimming in her own eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'll tell you everything someday. Don't love me anymore; go and love someone else. I can't give you everything you want, and there's no way we can be together.

"

Tang Wulin asked,

"Do you love me?

"

Gu Yuena suddenly strode forward and shoved him in the chest with both hands, causing him to stumble back into the wall behind him. Tears then began to stream uncontrollably down her face while silver light radiated from her body.

"Forget about me; I never want to see you again.

" Those were her final words.

Tang Wulin slumped back against the wall and allowed himself to slide down until he was sitting on the ground.

Ever since he had first met her, no one else had occupied any space in his heart, and only after years had passed did he discover that she had only arrived by his side because of Na'er.

He had known her for over 10 years, and during that time, she had always supported him in a quiet and subtle way.

That was what had made him fall in love with her, and his love for her was irrepressible and completely unreserved. However, she was only getting further and further away from him.

He had never seen her get so emotional in all the years that he had known her, and he could sense that there was a special hint of oppression in her emotions that struck even him with a sense of asphyxiation.

Every single word she had just said was engraved deep into his mind, and his heart was throbbing with pain, but not because she had asked him to forget her or for him to betray all of humanity. Instead, his heart was aching for her sake.

She had asked him to forget about her and no longer love her on many occasions, but she had never told him that she no longer loved him. Her tears were like soul missiles that exploded in his heart, hurting him so badly that it was difficult to breathe.

Why? Why wouldn't she just tell him what she wanted to do? Why was it that loving her would require him to betray the entire human race? Why wouldn't she just tell him everything?

On this occasion, Gu Yuena's departure seemed to hold a hint of finality to it, as if this were their final farewell.

Everything seemed to have changed, but the change hadn't taken place recently. Instead, it had already occurred on the night that she had given herself to him. That night, she had given every part of herself to him without any reservation, yet right after that, she seemed to have built up a fortress around her own heart.

Tang Wulin sat in a complete daze, and only as night fell did he gradually return to his senses.

He couldn't leave, and nor was he going to. Just as he had said, he couldn't allow her to be with Qiangu Zhangting, even if it were just for show.

On top of that, this operation targeting the joust for a spouse event was not just for her sake, but also for the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy.

Ever since that tragic bombing, the Spirit Pagoda had constantly held the upper hand, and it was time to retaliate.

Tang Wulin forcibly calmed himself down so he could objectively analyze the issue presented before him.

After some careful recollection of all of his past experiences with Gu Yuena, he felt like his mind had become a lot clearer. He had already grasped some important points, and even though he couldn't come up with anything concrete, he had already devised a few possible theories.

In any case, he had to continue walking down his own path. One thing was for sure: there was no way that Gu Yuena would hurt him no matter what. On top of that, it was imperative for him to continue to work hard in his cultivation and become more powerful.

Even if she really wanted to turn on the entire world, he would just have to abduct her and imprison himself together with her, not allowing her to hurt anyone else, nor allowing anyone to cause harm to her. However, all of this required him to be more powerful.

The soul core in his mind pulsated gently along with the sorrow in his heart, and Tang Wulin felt like he could sense some changes taking place in the power of laws again. His emotional fluctuations filled him with an indescribable feeling, and the light around him began to warp slightly.

In that instant, it was as if over a decade had suddenly passed by. How he wished that he could return to his carefree life back when he had first entered Shrek Academy. That was the happiest period of his life where he was completely free from all burdens.

He really wanted to go back so he could be with her and his friends.

Specks of light began to form tiny fragments around him, and within those fragments of light were a series of familiar figures. They were Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, Xu Lizhi, Yuanen Yehui, Yue Zhengyu, and Ye Xinglan.

There was also the Shrek Academy of the past; all of it was being depicted through mental manifestation.

In this moment, when his heart was filled with sorrow and reminiscence, his spiritual power had made another breakthrough.

He closed his eyes, and the memory fragments around him became clearer and clearer. He basked himself in the past, and it was as if he were going through his life a second time, mending all of his regrets so that everything became perfect.

A layer of translucent light surfaced over his body.

The more advanced one's spiritual power became, the greater the impact it would have on their powers. The achievement of mental manifestation meant that one's spiritual power had truly combined as one with the rest of their powers. This was the most important hurdle one had to overcome prior to becoming a Limit Douluo, and only after overcoming this did it become possible for one to progress to the Limit Douluo level. However, Tang Wulin had achieved this not long after becoming a Titled Douluo, and this forged a more solid foundation for him to reach greater heights in the future.

He stood still on the spot for an indeterminate period of time, and when he opened his eyes again, it was still nighttime outside.

The sadness in his heart had already faded, and it was as if all of the pain had been washed away by his mental manifestation.

Compared to his past self, his eye had become clearer, and his aura had become even more obscured, like that of an ordinary person. This was a result of the return to simplicity he had achieved following his mental manifestation.