Chapter 132: 149. The Little Tang San's Audience
Tang Hao stood silently before a newly built grave, while the men of the Strength Clan gathered behind him in confusion.
"Tang Hao…" one of the clansmen whispered under his breath. Before he could finish, Titan slapped him sharply across the face and barked, "You will address him as Master—understand?"
"Yes, Master," the man stammered. "But… why would Master build a grave for a spirit beast he just killed?"
Titan didn't know either. Still, he forced himself to give an answer. "It only shows that Master is kindhearted. Unlike other spirit masters who leave their kills to rot in the wilderness."
Tang Hao lit incense before the grave. Though he kept telling himself that the hundred-thousand-year spirit beast he had slain had nothing to do with Xiao Wu, it was only a way to ease his conscience.
After all, two hundred-thousand-year beasts of the same species, both on the same continent—how could there really be no connection?
Now, Tang Hao could only hope that this one truly had no relation to Xiao Wu.
Even if it did, well… he would simply refrain from ever using the spirit skills from this ring in her presence.
As he thought of his son, he shifted the blame in his mind, rationalizing easily: I'm sorry, Xiao Wu. If she truly was connected to you, then… once my Tang San becomes a god, I'll have him resurrect her.
With that, Tang Hao left in silence, heavy thoughts clouding his mind.
"Master, if you are leaving, please take the Strength Clan with you! We are willing to follow you anywhere, even unto death!" Titan pleaded desperately, like a loyal dog afraid of being abandoned.
Tang Hao replied softly, "Titan, the sect misunderstands me, Spirit Hall has branded me a criminal, and there's no place on the entire Douluo Continent where I can stand in peace. I can't afford to drag you all down with me."
"Master, this is all an injustice! Let me and my people stay by your side—we will clear your name!" Titan insisted.
Tang Hao sighed. "A short separation will make our reunion greater, Titan. If I take you all with me now, our movements will draw too much attention."
Titan relented, though regret tinged his voice. "Then this old servant will wait for the day you return to the Douluo Continent. When that time comes, my old bones and the entire Strength Clan will serve you once again."
Leaving them behind, Tang Hao returned to Holy Soul Village, where he took Tang San back from Old Jack's care.
For months afterward, Tang Hao carefully observed the interactions between his son and the old village chief. Once he confirmed that Tang San hadn't grown too attached, he finally set aside his darker thoughts.
Following the principle that "fewer troubles are better than more," he decided to let Old Jack live.
A year and a half passed. Tang San was finally able to walk on his own. The very moment he could, he rushed eagerly out of the house toward the back mountain.
He didn't realize that Tang Hao was quietly following him from afar, watching.
Tang Hao saw Tang San settle cross-legged atop the mountain. The boy's eyes opened slightly, drawing in the first threads of purple qi from the east—the method of cultivating spiritual energy through dawn meditation.
My son truly has been possessed by a foreign soul, Tang Hao confirmed once more.
In the past life, he had long suspected as much. Tang San's strange behavior could never have escaped Tang Hao's notice; after all, his own son's personality had been completely different before. That was why, before Tang San's spirit awakening, Tang Hao had remained distant. Only when his son awakened the Blue Silver Emperor did he acknowledge him again. To Tang Hao, whether or not the soul inside was his biological child didn't matter anymore. What mattered was simple—if this child could help him achieve vengeance, then this child was his son.
As for the soul of his original son, Tang Hao no longer cared. Blood relation was meaningless. Could his real son become a god? Achieve immortality? Make Tang Hao the ruler of planes? No.
After confirming once again that his child was indeed possessed, Tang Hao felt oddly relieved. So many things had gone wrong in this rebirth: Ah Yin had loved Tang Xiao instead; the Clear Sky Sect had turned on him, forcing him to slaughter his own kin; and recently, he had accidentally killed a hundred-thousand-year beast that might have been related to Xiao Wu. But—
None of these were fatal problems. As long as Tang San was that heavenly demon from beyond this world, everything would return to the proper path. Once Tang San became a god, all of Tang Hao's sins could be erased.
Satisfied, Tang Hao turned and left, unaware that hidden within the grass behind the mountain, one inconspicuous thread of Blue Silver Grass was stirring awake.
Whether by blood connection or fate, Ah Yin's consciousness was reawakening. Her mind was clear, though her body remained fragile.
She realized where she was—on a mountain's backside, among countless blades of Blue Silver Grass. To the naked eye, she was indistinguishable from the rest, save for the faint golden pattern on her leaves.
Drawn by the pulse of her bloodline, Ah Yin extended her awareness toward the source of that familiar power.
A small boy was climbing the slope—appearing within her field of vision.
That's… my child.
Even though she hadn't conceived him willingly, Ah Yin couldn't help but feel tenderness stir within her. She wanted to stretch out her vines, to touch him, to feel her child's face once—he was, after all, flesh of her flesh.
But then—crunch!
Her entire body trembled with pain as the boy's small foot crushed her underfoot, stepping over her and the other Blue Silver Grass without pause.
So painful… Yet even in pain, the Blue Silver Emperor's life force was sturdy. Ah Yin quickly healed, her golden-veined leaves restoring their shape.
Watching Tang San sit cross-legged, she blinked in confusion.
What is he doing?
After absorbing enough purple qi, Tang San murmured to himself, "As long as I keep cultivating like this, my spiritual power will definitely surpass what it was in my previous life."
Previous life? Ah Yin froze.
She watched the boy continue sitting, his pose shifting. Soon he began practicing the Xuan Tian Skill. Hidden in the grass, Ah Yin stared blankly, feeling more and more that something was off about her child.
"It's unfortunate," Tang San sighed softly. "In this world, Xuan Tian Skill hits a bottleneck every ten levels. To continue, one must attach a spirit ring."
This world? Ah Yin was completely lost now.
Then Tang San began practicing the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step, followed by Jade Hands and Controlling Crane, Catching Dragon—the secret arts of the Tang Sect.
"The Tang Sect's techniques—brought here by me—are the most refined and profound in this world. Even after thousands of years, nothing could surpass them," Tang San said with quiet pride.
Tang Sect? Ah Yin's confusion deepened.
Tang San picked up stones and, with deft precision, flicked them as hidden weapons, each motion fluid and perfect.
A human child… creating spirit techniques on his own? Ah Yin stared in horror. The movements were too practiced, too mature for a boy his age.
At last, she understood—something inside this child was terribly wrong.
(END CHAPTER)
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