Chapter 434: The Truth Behind the Sacrifice That Year?
Inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the red and blue spring water continued to flow slowly.
On one side, it was as scorching as magma; on the other, as cold as mysterious ice. Two diametrically opposed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi converged in the depths of the valley, forming a subtle and mysterious balance.
The air was filled with a rich herbal fragrance, and the Immortal Herbs all around swayed gently, with fine spiritual mist condensing on their leaves, as if the entire valley were shrouded in a gentle radiance of life.
At this moment, all the Blue Silver Grass in the valley lowered their leaves. Countless cyan-gold light spots rose from the ground, swirling like fireflies around the life platform woven from blue silver emperor vines in the center.
On the life platform, that stalk of Blue Silver Grass was gone.
In its place was a woman's figure.
She wore a blue-gold long dress, her long hair like a waterfall, her eyebrows and eyes gentle, her skin so fair it was almost transparent, and her whole body exuded a soft aura that made all vegetation want to draw close to her.
The moment she opened her eyes, the entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well seemed to quiet down.
Ah Yin, the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor, had finally truly awakened from her slumber.
Tang Chuan stood before the life platform, the Sea God Trident in his hand vibrating slightly, the blue-gold divine light slowly receding. He looked at the woman who had appeared in his Bloodline resonance and dreams countless times, unable to speak for a moment.
He had faced Tang San, faced Qian Renxue, faced Di Tian, and faced the remnant Soul of the Rakshasa God; even when on the brink of life and death, he had never truly lost his composure.
Yet at this moment, his eyes turned slightly red.
Ah Yin looked at him as well.
Her consciousness had just revived, and her memories were still dazed from the long slumber, but the connection in her Bloodline could not lie.
The young man before her had her Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline flowing through him.
That closeness, that familiarity, that tugging from the deepest part of her life made her recognize him in an instant.
"Son..."
Ah Yin spoke softly, her voice very light, yet it was like a spring breeze brushing over a lake frozen for many years.
Tang Chuan's throat moved slightly, and finally, he said in a low voice:
"Mother."
As these two words fell, tears welled up in Ah Yin's eyes.
She reached out, her fingertips gently landing on Tang Chuan's face, as if afraid this was just a dream.
"You've grown up."
"When I fell asleep, you were still so small."
Tang Chuan did not dodge, simply standing there quietly, letting Ah Yin's hand stroke his face.
Ah Yin looked at him, her eyes filled with guilt and pity.
"These years, you've suffered."
Tang Chuan shook his head and said:
"As long as Mother can wake up, it's not suffering."
Hearing this, tears finally fell from Ah Yin's eyes. She was originally the Blue Silver Emperor, possessing powerful vitality and a gentle yet resilient Heart-Nature. But no matter how resilient a person was, after waking up from a long sleep and seeing her child who had already grown up, she could not remain unmoved.
She gently hugged Tang Chuan.
Tang Chuan's body stiffened slightly, then he slowly raised his hands and hugged her back.
In the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the Blue Silver Grass swayed gently.
It was as if the entire world had quieted down for this long-overdue reunion of mother and son.
After a long time, Ah Yin released Tang Chuan.
She wiped the corners of her eyes and asked softly:
"Chuan'er, what exactly happened all these years? When I was asleep, although I could occasionally feel some vague auras from the outside, they were all too chaotic."
"I seemed to feel a lot of resentment, a lot of death, and... a very heavy Rakshasa aura."
Tang Chuan fell silent.
Ah Yin looked at his expression, and a hint of unease suddenly rose in her heart.
"Did something happen?"
Tang Chuan did not hide it.
He knew that since Ah Yin had been resurrected, she could not be protected from the truth forever.
Especially regarding Tang San and Tang Hao, she would have to know sooner or later.
Tang Chuan helped Ah Yin sit down beside the life platform and said slowly:
"Mother, many things have happened on the continent during the years you were asleep. My younger brother, Tang San, has now completely fallen into the Rakshasa path and become a public enemy of the continent."
Ah Yin's expression stiffened.
"Little San?"
She did not finish her sentence, but shock had already appeared in her eyes.
Tang Chuan nodded, and Ah Yin's face turned slightly pale.
Tang Chuan continued:
"He initially inherited the Twin Martial Souls of Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer and should have had a bright future. But later, he went astray step by step, and in order to defeat me, his obsession grew heavier."
"Later on, he accepted the Rakshasa divine force."
"From then on, he began slaughtering cities and devouring Souls."
Ah Yin's body trembled.
"Slaughtering cities and devouring Souls?"
Tang Chuan's voice was very calm, but beneath that calmness lay repressed chill.
"He slaughtered civilians all over the continent, extracting their Souls to improve his own strength, and also to resurrect the dead."
"But his so-called resurrection is not true resurrection."
"He simply refined Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and many others who had died into mindless undead Puppets."
Ah Yin's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"How could..."
"How could he do such a thing?"
Tang Chuan looked at her and continued:
"Later, he returned to Shrek Academy and demanded that Master, Flender, Liu Erlong, Zhao Wuji, Qin Ming, and others join the Rakshasa Divine Court he founded and participate in the so-called Rakshasa God trials."
"Those god trials involved killing people and devouring Souls."
"Flender and the others refused, so Tang San killed them."
"Then, he refined them into undead."
Ah Yin's face grew paler and paler, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, her voice trembling.
"He killed his own teacher?"
Tang Chuan nodded again.
"And that's not all. Later, he also refined the deceased Titled Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect into undead."
"Including Tang Xiao, as well as the Five Elders of the Clear Sky Sect."
Everything went black before Ah Yin's eyes, and she nearly lost her footing.
Tang Chuan reached out to support her.
Ah Yin, however, just stared blankly ahead, her eyes filled with pain.
"How did it come to this..."
"How did it become like this..."
"Little San, how could he become like this?"
Her voice grew lower and lower, until finally, she was almost talking to herself.
"It's my fault."
"If I were still here all these years, if I could have accompanied him, taught him what should be done and what should not, perhaps he wouldn't have ended up where he is today."
"He also has the blood of the Blue Silver Emperor. The Blue Silver Emperor should be close to life and protect life; how could he go and devour so many innocent Souls?"
As Ah Yin spoke, tears could not stop falling.
She could not accept it.
A mother had just been resurrected, only to hear that her child had turned into a Rakshasa demon who slaughtered cities and devoured Souls, not even sparing his teachers, relatives, or the deceased of his Sect.
This shock was far crueler than physical pain.
Tang Chuan said in a low voice:
"Mother, this is not your fault."
Ah Yin shook her head.
"How could it not be my fault?"
"I am his mother."
"But when he was growing up, I was not there."
"When he went astray, I was not there."
"When he fell step by step, I was not there either."
"I couldn't stop any of it."
Tang Chuan was silent for a moment before saying:
"Some paths are chosen by himself."
Ah Yin raised her head, her eyes still filled with tears.
"But if I hadn't died back then..."
Tang Chuan interrupted her.
"Mother, the fact that you sacrificed yourself back then was not your fault to begin with."
Ah Yin froze. She looked at Tang Chuan, seemingly detecting another meaning in his words.
Tang Chuan said in a deep voice:
"The events of that year were not as simple as they appeared on the surface."
Ah Yin's expression changed slightly.
"What do you mean by that?"
Tang Chuan looked at her without answering immediately.
Inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the red and blue spring water continued to flow slowly, but the atmosphere in the valley suddenly became oppressive.
After a long time, Tang Chuan said:
"Mother, I have investigated some things from that year and inferred them based on many clues."
"When Tang Hao brought you back to the Clear Sky Sect, it may not have been just to give you a status."
Ah Yin's pupils shrank slightly.
Tang Chuan continued:
"Your identity was too special; you were a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor in human form."
"Once exposed, it would be an irresistible temptation for any Soul Master faction."
"Tang Hao could not have been unaware of this."
"Yet he still brought you back to the Clear Sky Sect, and the commotion was not small. Later, Spirit Hall learned the news, Qian Xunji personally hunted you down, and you were forced into a desperate situation, sacrificing yourself for Tang Hao and the child."
Ah Yin's face turned paler and paler.
"Chuan'er..."
"What are you trying to say?"
Tang Chuan's voice was low:
"I'm just saying, there is a possibility."
"Back then, Tang Hao might not have been completely unintentional."
"It is very likely that he knew early on that once your identity was exposed, it would attract Spirit Hall."
"He might even have deliberately led you into that situation."
"In order to force you to sacrifice."
Boom—
Ah Yin felt her mind go blank.
She staggered back half a step, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Impossible..."
She muttered.
"This is impossible."
"Hao-ge would not treat me like that."
"Although he is sometimes impulsive and sometimes arrogant, he would not..."
She stopped speaking, because some memories began to surface in her mind after Tang Chuan's words fell.
When Tang Hao insisted on bringing her back to the Clear Sky Sect that year, it was not that she hadn't hesitated.
She had worried that her identity would bring trouble to the Clear Sky Sect and that she would be discovered.
But Tang Hao had told her then that he would protect her.
He said he was the most outstanding Disciple of the Clear Sky Sect.
He said no one could take her away from his side.
He said he wanted the Sect to acknowledge her, to let the world know that she was Tang Hao's wife.
At that time, Ah Yin believed him.
Because she loved him.
But thinking back now, was there really only love in Tang Hao's eyes at that time?
Was there no arrogance?
Was there no desire to prove himself?
Was there no obsession to persist despite knowing the danger?
Ah Yin did not want to think about it, but she could not help but think about it.
Tang Chuan looked at her painful expression, softened his voice a little, and said:
"Mother, I know this is hard for you to accept."
"And I am not saying it was definitely like this."
"But at the very least, Tang Hao was by no means blameless back then. He knew clearly what your identity being exposed would mean, yet he still brought you back to the Clear Sky Sect."
"Later you sacrificed, he survived, and Tang San survived."
"Only you lost everything."
Ah Yin's body trembled slightly.
She closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"If that is really the case..."
"Then these years..."
She did not continue.
She had recalled Tang Hao countless times in her sleep.
Recalling the rough but reassuring man.
Recalling how clumsy yet gentle he was when holding the child.
Recalling the back of him standing in front of her even when he was injured.
But now, Tang Chuan was telling her that everything back then might not have been just an accident.
She found it hard to accept.
Not because she didn't believe Tang Chuan, but because if this were true, all the memories she had cherished most in the past would be like a bloody wound torn open.
It was a long time before Ah Yin slowly opened her mouth and said:
"Hao-ge, where is he now?"
Tang Chuan knew who she was asking about.
"Holy Soul Village."
Ah Yin opened her eyes.
"Holy Soul Village?"
Tang Chuan was silent for a moment before explaining:
"His cultivation has been crippled by me."
Hearing this, Ah Yin showed disbelief and was slightly stunned.
Tang Chuan said calmly:
"He did many things later, and it is inseparable from Tang San's fall."
"I didn't kill him, but I crippled his Soul Power and cultivation."
"Now, he has returned to Holy Soul Village to work as a blacksmith."
The emotions in Ah Yin's eyes were extremely complex.
Shock, pain, confusion, and a trace of sadness that could not be concealed.
The once renowned Clear Sky Douluo had actually become a crippled blacksmith in Holy Soul Village.
If she had heard this news before, she would definitely have felt heartache.
But now, the heartache in her heart was suppressed by too many questions and cracks.
Ah Yin said in a low voice:
"I want to go see him."
Hearing this, Tang Chuan was not surprised. He was silent for a moment and said:
"I will accompany you."
Ah Yin shook her head.
"No."
Tang Chuan frowned.
"Mother."
Ah Yin looked at him, her eyes gentle but also carrying a hint of firmness.
"Chuan'er, I know you are worried about me."
"There are already too many unresolved grievances between you and Tang Hao."
"He failed me, and he failed you."
"Tang San has reached this point today."
"You father and son can no longer speak calmly."
Tang Chuan was silent.
Ah Yin said softly:
"So, this time, let me go by myself."
"There are some things I want to ask him personally."
"There are some answers I want to hear myself."
Tang Chuan said:
"But you have just been resurrected, and your body has not yet fully stabilized."
Ah Yin smiled gently.
She raised her hand, and the Blue Silver Emperor light flowed slowly in her palm.
"I am the Blue Silver Emperor."
"Here is the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and I have the life Origin you gave me."
"I am no longer the Ah Yin who could only be hunted to a desperate situation back then."
"Moreover, he is now just a blacksmith whose cultivation has been crippled."
She paused, her voice lowering a few degrees.
"I just want to see him once."
"Not for forgiveness, nor for blame."
"Just want to ask clearly what happened back then."
Tang Chuan looked at her.
Ah Yin also looked at Tang Chuan.
Mother and son were silent for a long time.
Finally, Tang Chuan nodded slowly.
"Alright."
"But I will have the Blue Silver Grass follow you."
Ah Yin did not refuse.
"That's fine."
Tang Chuan took out a cyan-gold Blue Silver Emperor leaf and handed it to Ah Yin.
"If there is danger, crush it, and I will arrive immediately."
Ah Yin took the leaf and held it gently in her palm.
"Chuan'er, thank you."
Tang Chuan shook his head and said faintly:
"Mother, there is no need to say thank you to me."
Tears welled up in Ah Yin's eyes again, but she did not cry again.
She walked slowly to the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and looked back at Tang Chuan.
"Child, wait for me to return."
After speaking, Ah Yin turned around, blue silver emperor vines growing under her feet, supporting her body as she rose slowly. The Blue Silver Grass in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lowered their heads one after another, as if sending off their Emperor.
Soon, that blue-gold figure turned into a soft stream of light and headed toward Holy Soul Village.
Tang Chuan stood in place, watching her leave. Dugu Bo walked to his side at some point, looking in the direction Ah Yin had left, and could not help but say in a low voice:
"Are you really at ease letting her go alone?"
Tang Chuan said calmly:
"I am not at ease."
Dugu Bo was stunned.
"Then why did you let her go?"
Tang Chuan looked down at the swaying Blue Silver Emperor in his palm.
"Because that is her own past."
"I can save her, I can block enemies for her, I can tell her the truth."
"But I cannot face Tang Hao for her."
Dugu Bo was silent for a moment, then sighed:
"That's true."
"Some debts, outsiders really cannot settle."
Tang Chuan did not speak.
He just looked up toward Holy Soul Village, his eyes gradually turning cold.