Chapter 131: 148. Tang Hao's Ninth Soul Ring
"Ah—!" A shrill scream tore through the forest.
Ah Rou's Invincible Golden Body faded, and before she could recover, Tang Hao's hammer struck her brutally to the ground. Blood spilled from her mouth as her body trembled. Her soul guide badge slipped from her grasp and fell onto the grass in front of her.
Deep in the Star Dou Forest, Xiao Wu was running desperately, tears streaming down her face.
"No! Don't kill my mother! Please don't!" she screamed as she ran.
Through the projection of the soul guide, Xiao Wu saw her mother lying motionless on the grass, coughing blood. Behind her stood a burly man, enormous and unstoppable, raising an iron hammer high above his head.
Ah Rou knew her end had come. She turned toward the fallen badge, struggling to speak through blood-filled lips, forcing out broken words that only Xiao Wu could hear: "Xiao Wu... don't come... live on…"
"Please! Mister, if you want a spirit ring, take mine! Let my mother go!" Xiao Wu cried in anguish.
But neither mother nor daughter knew that no one outside could hear through the soul guide link. Thus, Xiao Wu could only watch helplessly as the huge hammer descended in silence.
With a deafening crash, the hammer struck down—flattening Ah Rou's body.
A scarlet hundred-thousand-year spirit ring slowly formed over her remains.
Xiao Wu's vision was flooded with red light. She collapsed to her knees, head bowed low, tears splashing on the earth.
Tang Hao stared at the blood-red ring, trembling with excitement. He threw back his head and laughed madly. "Hahahahaha! Heaven truly doesn't forsake me, Tang Hao! A hundred-thousand-year ring—it's real!"
Far away, through the soul guide's projection, Xiao Wu lifted her tear-stained face. Her eyes were bloodshot with hatred as she hissed the name, "Tang Hao—!"
Greedy anticipation filled Tang Hao's eyes. The abilities the spirit beast had shown—intangibility, Invincible Golden Body, teleportation—were incredible. A spirit skill granting invulnerability for seconds, or instantaneous movement—either would be priceless for a Clear Sky Hammer master.
This ring suits me even better than Ah Yin's did.
Tang Hao drew the crimson ring close and began absorbing it, unaware that the fallen soul guide lay nearby, still transmitting the entire scene back to the Star Dou Forest, where Xiao Wu watched in horror as Tang Hao absorbed her mother's soul ring.
In the Divine Realm, within the Eternal Temple, Huo Yuhao watched from afar as Tang Hao sat cross-legged, absorbing the precious hundred-thousand-year ring.
He smiled faintly. "Do you like it? The father of the Child of Fortune can't go without such a ring, can he? See, I've arranged everything for you."
Ah Rou's downfall had not been coincidence. With her reckless personality, she had dared to move freely among humans, her identity protected by Huo Yuhao's interference. That same shielding had hidden her from the world—until she met Tang Hao's gaze.
"Well then, let's see what this ring gives you," Huo Yuhao muttered, consulting the Eternal Chronicle.
Ah Rou's hundred-thousand-year soul ring granted Tang Hao two soul skills: one called Invincible Golden Body, the other Teleportation.
Huo Yuhao froze. "Seriously? That powerful? A strong-attack Titled Douluo like Tang Hao, with teleportation and temporary invulnerability? He'd be unstoppable!"
Since he didn't want Tang Hao to gain too much advantage, Huo Yuhao took up his pen and altered the narrative slightly.
After more than two hours, Tang Hao completed his absorption.
In the Star Dou Forest, Xiao Wu watched as her mother's ring merged into Tang Hao's body—the ninth, a blood-red halo among eight.
"Mother… Tang Hao! I will avenge you! I swear it!" Xiao Wu cried fiercely.
On the other side, Tang Hao stood and stretched. He inspected his ninth soul skill—and his expression darkened instantly.
The first skill's name was Waist Bow.
He arched his back experimentally. Aside from a little flexibility and elasticity, it did practically nothing.
That's it? Tang Hao bent over again, incredulous.
Then the second skill nearly made him spit blood—it was called Charm.
He stared in disbelief. "Me? With this rugged face—charming someone? Are you kidding me?"
Inside, he seethed. "Where's the Invincible Golden Body? The Teleportation? The Intangibility? A hundred-thousand-year spirit beast, and this is what I get? Even Ah Yin's ring was better! You disgrace the title of a hundred-thousand-year beast!"
After fuming awhile, he finally calmed down. Well, his Clear Sky Hammer techniques didn't rely too heavily on external skills anyway. Even if this ring's abilities were useless, its raw power made it a deadly trump card for ring detonation.
"Congratulations, Master, on obtaining your ninth spirit ring and becoming a Titled Douluo!" Titan said reverently.
Tang Hao merely nodded. He stepped toward the mutilated corpse and began to scavenge. After a short search, he pulled out a gleaming piece of bone—
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit Right Arm Bone.
Tang Hao froze.
"This... this is a Soft Bone Rabbit?" The joy of his success vanished in an instant, replaced by cold dread.
"Yes, Master. Is there a problem?" Titan asked.
Sweat poured down Tang Hao's face. He realized in horror what he had done.
This spirit beast belonged to the same clan as Xiao Wu.
And Xiao Wu—she was one of Tang San's most vital fated opportunities from his previous life. Without her sacrifice, Tang San never would have gained his sixth hundred-thousand-year ring, nor his seventh of the same grade later. Without the need to revive Xiao Wu, he couldn't have replaced his earlier weak spirit rings. Without her link, the two great beasts of the forest would never have offered their own sacrifices.
Without Xiao Wu, there would have been no dual-god Tang San at all.
Tang Hao hurriedly compared his memory of Xiao Wu's face from the previous life with the woman he had just killed.
Confirming it wasn't her eased his mind slightly—but unease still lingered.
Could there be some connection between them?
No, surely not.
In his memories, Xiao Wu had no surviving kin—only those two loyal beasts in the forest.
Yes, they were of the same species—but that didn't mean they were related. Just like Ah Yin; she, too, had kin on another continent, yet the two had never even met.
(END CHAPTER)
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