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*****
A few days later, Tang San and Xiao Wu arrived at the waterfall where he had once cultivated.
"Dad! Father!" Tang San shouted at the top of his lungs. Aside from the thunderous roar of the waterfall crashing into the lake, there was no response. Tang San's expression grew grim; he couldn't find any sign of his father.
He immediately activated his Purple Demon Eye. Scanning the area, he discovered faint traces of a battle from several years ago. What truly drove Tang San to despair was the residual aura of Blue Silver Grass left in the wreckage of the fight.
There was only one person who could fight his father using Blue Silver Grass. The answer was self-evident: Ye Lan.
"Impossible! How could Ye Lan know about this place?!" A horrific realization dawned on him. If Ye Lan knew of this location, everything made sense. His mother's remains and the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Leg Bone must have been taken by Ye Lan years ago!
"Ye Lan! I'll kill you!"
"Ye Lan! Why did you steal my mother?!"
The spirit power within Tang San began to surge violently, turning chaotic. He brandished the Clear Sky Hammer, frantically smashing the waterfall to vent his fury. Xiao Wu watched him in confusion, unsure of what he meant by Ye Lan "stealing" his mother.
After a long while, Tang San took Xiao Wu's hand and silently began to descend the mountain. He decided to head to the Far North to hunt Abyssal monsters. As long as he reached Rank 99, he could become a god.
As they reached the base of the peak, Tang San took one last lingering look at the mountain. Just as they were about to take flight—
"Third Brother, there's someone over there!" Xiao Wu pointed toward a distant figure. The person possessed no spirit power; without intentional sensing, one would hardly notice a human presence there.
Tang San glanced over, and a sense of familiarity washed over him. He left Xiao Wu behind and rushed toward the figure. As he drew near, a pungent stench of alcohol hit his nose.
There, lying against a tree trunk in a drunken stupor, was a dejected man with a messy beard, missing an arm and a leg.
The moment Tang San saw the disheveled man, his heart bled. Under the scrutiny of his Purple Demon Eye, he realized that this man was not just physically crippled—his Dantian was shattered, and his spirit power was completely gone. More importantly, the man's lower body was totally ruined; like Yu Xiaogang, he was now a "useless man."
Seeing his father reduced to such a state, Tang San collapsed to his knees, weeping bitterly. His father, the man who stood tall between heaven and earth, the one who had always protected him—the "Number One Man in the World"—was gone. In his place was a cripple who required constant care.
The heart-wrenching cries woke Tang Hao. Through a bleary, drunken haze, he looked at the grown Tang San and murmured, "Little San? Is that you?"
"Dad! I'm sorry! I failed to protect you!" Tang San embraced Tang Hao's broken body and sobbed.
Having become a waste, Tang Hao felt the long-lost warmth of family. Tears welled in his eyes. "My good son! Don't cry. As long as you are here, my heart is at peace. Little San, what is your current cultivation?"
Tang San wiped his tears and manifested the spirit rings of his Clear Sky Hammer. "Father, I am already a Rank 94 Title Douluo!"
"Good! Truly my son! Just five more ranks, and you can become a god!"
Tang San looked at Tang Hao's missing limbs with heartache. A flash of spirit light appeared in his palm. "Dad, these are two hundred-thousand-year spirit bones. Absorb them quickly!"
Tang Hao felt a surge of warmth. "My son can produce hundred-thousand-year bones just like that now? But Little San... I am a waste. Keep them for yourself. I have no spirit power left; even if I wanted to, I couldn't absorb them."
"Father..." A glint of cold hatred flashed in Tang San's eyes. "Was it Ye Lan who did this to you?"
Tang Hao's expression became complicated as he recalled the agony of that day. His limbs had been severed by Ah Yin—though, of course, with Ye Lan's "help."
"Little San, it's in the past," Tang Hao said, his face contorted in pain. "Do not seek trouble with Ye Lan, or we are finished! I thought he was dead, but he returned to life and even defeated Gu Yuena. He has become the 'God of Life and Destruction' in the hearts of the Douluo Empire's people. You cannot defeat him as you are now."
Suddenly, Tang Hao gripped Tang San's shoulders tightly. "Little San! Become a god! Only by becoming a god can you change all of this! Only as a god can you avenge your father!"
Tang Hao thought of the "adulterous pair," Ah Yin and Ye Lan, but he found the words stuck in his throat. It was too humiliating to speak of. He had completely lost his dignity as a man.
Seeing the fire in his father's eyes, Tang San nodded. "I understand. Father, was it Ye Lan who stole Mother back then?"
At the mention of Ah Yin, Tang Hao lost control. He grabbed Tang San's collar with his one hand and roared, "Little San, I forbid you from mentioning her! She is not your mother! You have no mother from this day forward!"
"Dad..." Tang San looked at him in shock.
"Go now, Little San! You don't have much time. Spirit Hall has spies on me. Don't worry about me; they won't let me die. I don't know why Ye Lan is doing this, but this is our last chance! Once you are a god, everything changes!"
"I understand! Once I attain godhood, I will restore your body and fulfill my filial duties!" Tang San used his Mysterious Heaven Skill to soothe Tang Hao's meridians and heal some internal injuries before flying off toward the Far North with Xiao Wu.
A few days later, while they were mid-journey, a thunderous boom echoed through the sky. A golden meteor hurtled toward them at incredible speed.
"Third Brother! What is that? It's too fast!" Xiao Wu pointed at the sky, her heart filled with a growing sense of unease.
Tang San's pupils contracted. By the time he locked onto the golden light, it had already descended from tens of thousands of meters, slamming into the earth directly in front of them.
BOOM!
A wall of earth and dust was whipped up by the violent gales, slamming into Tang San and Xiao Wu.
"Who is it?! You're looking for death!" Tang San roared, coughing and swatting away the dust.
As the haze cleared, a figure with blue-gold hair appeared. Xiao Wu stared in disbelief at the incredibly handsome young man who seemed to radiate a touch of divinity. Compared to him, her "Third Brother" looked like a speck of dust. Whether in temperament or appearance, the gap was staggering.
"Ye... Ye Lan," Xiao Wu stammered.
Tang San couldn't sense any aura from Ye Lan, but he knew he stood no chance in a direct fight. Ye Lan's speed was so great that even his Purple Demon Eye struggled to lock onto him.
The moment Ye Lan saw Tang San and Xiao Wu, a wave of disgust washed over him. He hadn't expected this animal to be so cruel as to slaughter children. The entire Li Village had been wiped out by Tang San alone. If the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass couldn't regenerate through seeds, he might never have found the culprit.
It wasn't the right time to kill Tang San yet—otherwise, he would have reduced him to ash. But while death could be deferred, he had to make Tang San feel a pain so deep he would never dare touch a citizen of the Douluo Empire again.
As Ye Lan calculated how to strike Tang San's heart, Tang San's shoulders began to tremble. He suppressed his rage and growled, "Ye Lan! Did you do that to my father?!"
Ye Lan's lips curled into a slight smirk. "You misunderstand. I didn't lay a finger on Tang Hao. Your mother did that."
"Mother? Impossible! My mother loved my father so much, she would never hurt him!" Tang San retorted.
"Speaking of your mother... no, I shouldn't call Ye-er your mother. She wouldn't recognize you as a son anyway. You're just a bastard!" Ye Lan said.
"Bullshit! Ye Lan! What did you do to my mother?! I am not a bastard!"
"Like I said, Ye-er isn't your mother. If you really want to call her that... well, since she's my little maid, I suppose I could let you call me 'Master.'"
Ye Lan continued with a straight face, "Actually, 'Master' sounds too formal. I'm not that old. Just call me 'Grandfather.' If you do that, I'll let you call Ye-er 'Mother.' How about it?"
Tang San's face turned from red to purple, his eyes glowing with a murderous, Shura-like light. "Ye Lan! You dare insult my mother?! I'll have your life!"
With a flash of black light, Tang San swung the Clear Sky Hammer with all his might.
"Third Brother! No!" Xiao Wu screamed.
The massive hammer slammed into the ground, creating a crater hundreds of meters deep. Tang San sneered, "Trash Ye Lan, is that all you—"
"What are you babbling about?" Ye Lan was standing dozens of meters behind Tang San, rubbing his chin.
Tang San's pupils shrunk. He had seen his hammer hit Ye Lan! Was he really that fast?
In an instant, Tang San charged again. But before he could swing, a fair right hand dropped onto his shoulder. A voice whispered in his ear: "Too slow. I gave you so many years to grow, and this is the result? You don't even have the right to be my opponent."
Tang San's soul shuddered. "Impossible! The gap between us can't be this large! Hundred-thousand-year spirit ring! Sky Azure Power!"
His fifth and sixth red rings flared with light as he swung again. The terrifying pressure seemed to lock down space itself. A five-hundred-meter Clear Sky Hammer crashed down toward the seemingly tiny Ye Lan.
Faced with Tang San's full-power strike, Ye Lan didn't even raise his hand.
BOOM!!!
A black shockwave exploded from the point of contact between Ye Lan's forehead and the hammer. The force sent Tang San and Xiao Wu flying back hundreds of meters.
"Hahaha! Ye Lan, that's what you get for being arrogant!" Tang San laughed at the sky, releasing all his suppressed frustration. "Did you think your head was made of iron? You dared to take my hammer with your forehead? You were asking for death!"
"What are you mumbling about?"
"Weak. Too weak. Pathetically weak." Ye Lan stood in the distance, having not moved an inch. His strength simply transcended Tang San's comprehension.
"You... you!!!" Tang San stared at the unharmed Ye Lan, speechless.
Watching Tang San crumble, Ye Lan felt his cultivation finally had a concrete purpose. He continued to strike at Tang San's spirit: "Tang San, do you think calling me 'Grandfather' is an insult? Don't you want to see your mother? I'll let you see her, just so you can face reality."
"Mother?" Tang San's expression grew tense. Could Ye Lan really let him see her?
Ye Lan clapped his hands and said softly, "Ye-er, come out."
In the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Ah Yin immediately sensed the call of the Blue Silver God. The space beside Ye Lan tore open, and a mature woman with blue hair and a green dress appeared instantly.
The moment Ah Yin saw Ye Lan, she beamed and took his hand. "Master! Do you have instructions for me?"
"Massage my shoulders," Ye Lan said casually.
"Yes! It is Ye-er's honor to serve Master!" Ah Yin smiled, stepping behind Ye Lan to begin kneading his shoulders with her soft, warm fingers.
Xiao Wu stared at the beautiful woman and whispered, "Third Brother... is that really your mother?"
Tang San couldn't speak. His heart was racing, and tears streamed down his face. The bond of blood was too strong to deny; the maid massaging Ye Lan's shoulders was undoubtedly his mother.
And that meant Ye Lan really was his "Grandfather."
He finally understood why his father said he no longer had a mother. His mother was shamelessly staying with Ye Lan as a servant.
"Mother!!! What has Ye Lan done to you?!" Tang San screamed in a total breakdown.
Hearing the voice, Ah Yin finally noticed Tang San. Her attention had been entirely on her master until then.
"Tang San?" Ah Yin scrutinized him, and a flame of fury ignited in her eyes. She pointed at him and demanded, "You think you're worthy of calling me mother? Give me back my son!"
"You are nothing but a beast who occupied my son's body! God knows how old you really are. You're probably just some old man near death's door!"
Tang San's world shattered. He never expected his greatest secret—his reincarnation—to be known by his mother.
"San... Tang San, is what she's saying true?" Xiao Wu stammered, backing away in disbelief.
"Xiao Wu, I... I am Tang San! The real Tang San!" he shouted desperately.
Ye Lan laughed. "Tang San, if you are Tang San, then tell me: why did you have a cultivation technique and various spirit skills the moment your martial soul awakened? Did those techniques just pop out of a rock? Nothing you practice has ever been recorded in any book on the Douluo Continent."
Under Ye Lan's interrogation, Tang San's face turned various shades of pale and red, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
(End of Chapter)