Past Affection? (Combined Chapter)
"Su! Cheng!"
The moment Tang Hao saw Su Cheng and the others appear, his eyes instantly turned blood red.
Old hatred surged into his heart, and an uncontrollable, violent killing intent poured out from his body.
He held the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand, and the nine Soul Rings on his body shone brightly.
Even Yu Xiaogang, who was standing next to him, was affected by his powerful aura. His pores immediately popped open, his face turned pale, and large beads of sweat covered his forehead.
"Tang Hao, you should leave. Everything I did in the past was of my own free will. You don't need to wallow in regret..."
The battle at the entrance of the Pope's Palace that day, Ah Yin's resolute turning back and her unfamiliar and ruthless words echoed repeatedly in his mind throughout the year.
The ecstasy of reuniting with his lover quickly turned into a deeper despair, tormenting him constantly until now, when it has finally begun to ease.
Tang Hao couldn't understand how the gentle and affectionate woman in his memory could have such a different face after being resurrected.
But he knew that all of that was inextricably linked to the young man in front of him.
If he hadn't retained some rationality and had Tang San to rely on, he simply didn't know how he would have faced those nightmarish memories.
On the other side, after Su Cheng had a general idea, he felt reassured and began to calmly observe the expressions of the others.
Tang Hao, his hair standing on end and exuding murderous intent; Yu Xiaogang, his expression tense and his gaze complex; and Bibi Dong, her expression unusually calm.
Ignoring Tang Hao's angry shout, he glanced at Bibi Dong, who stood calmly beside him, and said, "Your His Holiness the Pope, this is a good opportunity. Should we leave them all here?"
"What do you think?" Bibi Dong asked calmly, seemingly oblivious to the probing in his words.
"I think it's okay."
"Then kill them all."
The next moment, the enormous Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul flashed behind him, and the same nine Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet.
As her Soul Ring flashed, a deep purple thorn armor instantly enveloped her body, and two long-handled scythes appeared in her hands.
Without any intention of holding back, and without considering whether the few people with weak Soul Power around her would be injured by the aftershocks, she directly confronted Tang Hao, who was charging towards her with the Clear Sky Hammer in hand.
Su Cheng raised his eyebrows; Bibi Dong seemed to be serious.
Tang Hao's actions were also quite simple and direct.
Although he really wanted to kill Su Cheng, he obviously had to get past Bibi Dong first before he could have a chance.
He stepped forward with his left foot, slamming it heavily onto the ground. With a deafening roar, large cracks immediately appeared in the ground, centered on his left foot.
Immediately, he stretched his right arm, which was holding the Clear Sky Hammer, behind his back, his muscles tensed, and black light surged from the hammer, merging the Clear Sky Hammer with his body.
As he moved, the clothes on his left calf, which served as a support point, burst open instantly, revealing bulging, firm muscles.
At the same time, the enormous Clear Sky Hammer had already been swung out.
"Boom--"
With a deafening roar, the dark giant hammer and the deep purple Scythe Blade collided.
A powerful energy fluctuation spread outwards.
Apart from Su Cheng, the others were uncontrollably thrown back several meters by the shockwave, with Yu Xiaogang, the weakest among them, being sent flying backward.
However, how could Tang Hao possibly be a match for Bibi Dong when she was serious?
Even though Bibi Dong is currently unable to use her full strength due to the suppression of the Rakshasa God Test, and her Soul Power Level is also limited to Level 98.
However, Tang Hao is still seriously injured and his cultivation level has fallen far behind. Even though the Clear Sky Hammer is known for its strength and has a natural advantage in a head-on collision, it is difficult for him to completely block this slash.
That seemingly delicate figure displayed unimaginable power with a single strike.
Tang Hao's tall and sturdy body staggered backward, his expression also changing drastically.
The Bibi Dong before him was even stronger than when he fought her last time!
Without hesitation, the Seventh Soul Ring flashed, and the huge Clear Sky Hammer in Tang Hao's hand shone brightly, its body expanding more than tenfold.
Red lines emerged from the massive Clear Sky Hammer, and the 100,000-year-old red Soul Ring on his body lit up afterward, turning the black giant hammer completely crimson.
He leaped into the air, and then the giant hammer crashed down, attacking Bibi Dong with the force of a dark cloud covering the sky.
Upon Bibi Dong's pretty face darkened slightly, and she dared not be careless in the slightest.
The two Scythe Blades in his hands expanded instantly, their purple light receding as they rose to meet the attack.
The Scythe Blade moved with incredible speed, leaving trails of afterimages in the air without a sound.
The raging giant hammer clashed once more with the sharp, swift scythe. After a brief stalemate, both figures retreated simultaneously.
With Tang Hao using his Tool Soul Avatar and ninth Soul Skill, the battle finally ended in a draw, and Tang Hao was no longer unilaterally suppressed.
But at this moment, his mind cleared up, and his mind, which had been clouded by anger, calmed down immediately.
Bibi Dong was neither using her Martial Soul Avatar nor her later Soul Skill, and instead chose the most disadvantageous fighting style for herself: a head-on confrontation.
Even so, he could hardly gain the upper hand.
If this continues, my life may truly be in danger.
Without hesitation, the three Soul Ring beneath his feet exploded instantly, and the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand expanded again. Violent Soul Power surged wildly through his meridians, bringing waves of excruciating pain.
He gripped the hammer handle with both hands, veins bulging on his forehead, and streaks of blood appeared on his body, with beads of blood seeping from his skin.
At this moment, many of the muscle fibers in Tang Hao's body even showed signs of breaking and rupturing.
The enormous hammerhead, exuding unparalleled domineering power, swung against the wind and then descended from the sky towards that slightly delicate and slender figure.
Bibi Dong also looked solemn.
Tang Hao, who blew up three rings in a row, was approaching the level of a level 97 in terms of momentum.
With her hands clasped together, the two Scythe Blade merged into one, transforming into a gigantic scythe over ten meters long. It looked almost as large as the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang Hao's hand, creating a stark contrast with her petite frame.
After both men reached their peak momentum, the hammer and the Scythe Blade collided for the third time.
Bibi Dong's expression changed drastically.
It wasn't that Tang Hao's attack was too strong this time, but rather too weak!
The instant they clashed, she immediately sensed that it was a feint from her opponent!
On the other side, Tang Hao spat out a mouthful of blood, used the momentum to leap back to Yu Xiaogang's side, grabbed his belt, and tried to take him away from the place.
"Brush--"
With a sharp whooshing sound, the enormous sword shadow arrived first, striking in front of Tang Hao and his companion, leaving a deep, dark sword mark on the ground.
Tang Hao broke out in a cold sweat.
If he hadn't reacted quickly enough to stop in time, being struck by that sword would have likely meant certain death.
As Su Cheng made his move, the scene instantly fell silent.
Everyone except Bibi Dong was stunned as they looked at the seven Soul Ring —five black and two red—floating beneath his feet.
Since Su Cheng joined the Spirit Hall, he has never made a move again.
Xie Yue and the others were naturally unaware of his current Soul Ring Configuration.
They learned of Su Cheng's advancement to Soul Saint from Hu Liena, but they didn't know that he had actually achieved the advancement with two 100,000 Year Spirit Rings.
Xie Yue swallowed hard, exchanged glances with Hu Liena and Yan beside him, and asked hesitantly in a low voice, "Elder Su's Seventh Soul Ring is at the 100,000-year level, right?"
"..."
Yu Xiaogang also stared blankly at the Seventh Soul Ring at Su Cheng's feet.
He always boasted that his theories were invincible.
But it was one thing for Su Cheng to break his understanding of the Soul Ring Limit time and time again, but what was with that Seventh Soul Ring with its flowing pink halo that looked exceptionally gorgeous?
He had never heard of Soul Ring of this color.
Unlike the others, Tang Hao did not focus his attention on those Soul Rings that were beyond his comprehension.
His face was ashen, and his gaze was fixed on Su Cheng's face.
With his greater strength, he could naturally sense the terror of his mortal enemy even more.
At this moment, the sense of threat Su Cheng posed to him was in no way inferior to that posed by Bibi Dong before.
Ignoring the various gazes of the others, Su Cheng looked at Bibi Dong not far away in the silence and asked, "Where is your Martial Soul Avatar?"
"..." Bibi Dong was speechless upon hearing this.
She would never want to use the Death Spider Emperor's Martial Soul Avatar unless absolutely necessary, as the appearance was simply too ugly.
As for the Second Martial Soul Devouring Spider Emperor, it is not very convenient to use it.
Although the existence of her Second Martial Soul was no secret to Tang Hao and Yu Xiaogang, she did not want to reveal the Soul Ring Configuration of that Martial Soul.
Moreover, with Su Cheng by her side, Bibi Dong didn't feel the need to use her Martial Soul Avatar.
However, what was said in jest was taken seriously by Tang Hao and Yu Xiaogang. They suddenly realized that the other party might have held back.
Without needing any prompting, Yu Xiaogang took two steps forward and stood in front of Tang Hao, saying, "Bibi Dong, if you still care about our past relationship, don't go too far."
Bibi Dong frowned, too lazy to say anything more.
Tang Hao has already used the Ring Detonation, and his aura will continue to decline.
Continuing to stall for a little longer wouldn't be a bad thing for her; she might be able to easily kill the two of them here without shedding a drop of blood.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Yu Xiaogang sighed again, "I know you may still have some misunderstandings about me, or even resentment. But the reason I chose to leave you back then was not because I was heartless, but because the Former Pope forced me to."
"If we were in each other's shoes, and you were the one facing a life-threatening situation today, I wouldn't stand idly by either. After all, you are the first person I have ever truly loved."
"If Clear Sky Douluo dies here today, then I will destroy the Spirit Hall at all costs in the future, and our friendship will end here!"
After listening to his speech, even Su Cheng was stunned for a moment.
He had considered that Yu Xiaogang might try to appeal to emotions, after all, this wasn't the first time he had done something like this, but he hadn't expected that his words would go to such an extreme.
However, Su Cheng did not make any further moves, but instead prepared to see what Bibi Dong would do.
Bibi Dong's expression changed slightly. She felt a wave of disgust and a little flustered, and could no longer pretend she hadn't heard.
If you let the other person continue, who knows what kind of mess they'll bring up.
"Yu Xiaogang, what nonsense are you spouting here! Destroying the Spirit Hall? You think you can do it?"
As he spoke, he brandished his Scythe Blade and charged forward, mercilessly unleashing streaks of deep purple blade light.
Seeing this, Tang Hao quickly stepped forward and used his Clear Sky Hammer to block the attack.
Seeing this scene and conversation, Xie Yue and the other two standing behind all lowered their heads and trembled.
Are these things even something they can understand?
They all secretly regretted coming along.
Those secrets are certainly exciting, but if you continue listening, your life might be in danger.
Xie Yue and Hu Liena exchanged a silent glance, communicating with each other through their eyes.
The two are connected by blood and have been using the Martial Soul Fusion Skill for many years, so they have an extremely good understanding of each other.
"Are those things true?"
"How should I know! Don't think about that, the teacher might kill both of you."
"What should we do then?"
"Elder Su, stick close to Elder Su later, he can protect you..."
"Stop!" Yu Xiaogang suddenly shouted, raising a jade tablet high in his hand with the words "Heaven Dou" engraved on it.
"I am Guest Elder the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family. Bibi Dong, are you trying to provoke a war between the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire?!"
The jade tablet he held in his hand was proof of his status as Guest Elder of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family.
Although the Shrek Academy Team did not win the final championship in the Spirit Master Competition a year ago, they still achieved an excellent third place.
Considering the abundance of geniuses in this year's Spirit Master Competition, and even the main team of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy being eliminated first, this ranking is actually quite good.
Even if this academy has offended the Spirit Hall to some extent, so what?
The Spirit Hall had no intention of pursuing the matter further. The Heaven Dou Empire had long harbored resentment towards the Spirit Hall, so winning over Shrek Academy naturally became the best option.
In addition, the academy has produced two Soul Kings, Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San, who both advanced to the Soul King level before the age of fifteen. Moreover, one of them possesses the Hell White Tiger, a Martial Soul King surpassing even Super Martial Soul, while the other has Twin Martial Souls, including the Clear Sky Hammer, both of whom have extraordinary potential.
Even with their complex backgrounds, after losing Poison Douluo Dugu Bo and Su Cheng, two rising stars, it would be more beneficial than harmful for the Heaven Dou royal family to show goodwill and win them over.
Moreover, Tang San has Tang Hao, Peak Douluo his father, making him an even more valuable asset.
As a result, Yu Xiaogang, who was Tang San's teacher, gained the attention of the Heaven Dou Royal Family and became Guest Elder of the royal family, which was used to bind Shrek Academy and his disciple Tang San.
Looking at the jade plaque that Yu Xiaogang was holding up, Su Cheng was speechless.
Putting aside the increasingly fierce conflict between the Spirit Hall and the Two Empires, this is the middle of nowhere, and if they really died, who would know what happened?
As expected, Bibi Dong didn't even glance at him and continued her fierce attack.
However, at this point she stopped engaging in direct confrontations and instead focused on roaming and attrition tactics, which was her forte.
Besides, Tang Hao only forcibly increased his strength by relying on the Ring Detonation. I just need to wait and see, and he will be defeated without a fight after a while.
Tang Hao also saw through Bibi Dong's intentions, but he didn't have any good solutions.
It seems that Yu Xiaogang cannot restrain the Pope the Spirit Hall, and Su Cheng, whose strength is unknown, is watching coldly from the sidelines. It is probably impossible for the two of them to escape unscathed at the same time.
He gritted his teeth, and his three strongest Soul Ring— the seventh, eighth, and ninth—exploded simultaneously.
Her aura instantly surged again, even surpassing that of Bibi Dong, who was not currently using her Martial Soul Avatar.
But the price he paid was extremely high.
Fresh blood gushed from his seven orifices, and a layer of blood mist appeared around his body.
Clearly, with his current physical condition, he simply cannot support such a powerful burst of Soul Power.
The giant hammer crashed down, and the air itself seemed to subtly distort.
Two Soul Ring lit up beneath Bibi Dong's feet, and a large patch of purple smoke appeared beside her, which then condensed into layers of spider webs, blocking the air in front of her.
Just when everyone thought Tang Hao was about to fight to the death, they saw him disappear in the blink of an eye after his attack.
Only one voice remained, fading into the distance. "Bibi Dong, if you dare to kill the Grandmaster, be prepared for the revenge from the Heaven Dou Empire in the future!"
"..." Bibi Dong looked at Su Cheng with a puzzled expression.
Although there is a gap in strength between her and Tang Hao, it is far from being enough to cause an overwhelming defeat.
If the other party is determined to escape, it is obvious that you alone cannot stop them.
But they still have Su Cheng on their side.
She believed that with Su Cheng's methods, if he really wanted to take action, he would never let Tang Hao go.
Although she didn't know why Su Cheng had stood by coldly just now, she didn't question him, nor did she care about Tang Hao's feeble threats.
With a cold snort, he swung his deep purple scythe, instantly unleashing a blade of light that shot straight toward Yu Xiaogang.
The aura of death instantly enveloped him completely, his pale face reflecting a deep purple halo, his eyes filled with fear and despair.
With his strength as a level 29 Soul Grandmaster, he would undoubtedly die from such an attack.
However, the next moment, a sword light appeared and intercepted the blade in mid-air.
The person who made the move was Su Cheng.
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways, waiting for his explanation.
"Since Tang Hao has already escaped, Yu Xiaogang cannot be killed. We still need to consider the wrath of the Heaven Dou Empire."
Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she opened her mouth, but after noticing his gaze, she remained silent.
Su Cheng then looked at Yu Xiaogang, "Aren't you leaving yet?"
Yu Xiaogang dared not say anything more at this point. His face was ashen, and his already stiff expression became even more unsightly. He pursed his lips, turned around, and staggered away from there, his legs feeling slightly weak.
He had already realized that Bibi Dong had absolutely no intention of showing any regard for their past relationship.
If Su Cheng hadn't stopped him, he would probably be decapitated by now.
The reason Su Cheng chose to show his strength but didn't go all out was to put more pressure on Tang San, but not to completely crush him.
At least give him hope that he can catch up.
Driven by the hatred over Xiao Wu's death, Tang San will definitely strive to improve himself, taking himself and Qian Renxue as his goals.
But if Tang San really knew his true level, he didn't know if Tang San would do something foolish, and then he might really lose all hope of inheriting the godhood.
Moreover, Tang Hao and Yu Xiaogang absolutely cannot die.
It wasn't because of Yu Xiaogang's ridiculous threats that the Heaven Dou Empire dared to retaliate against the Spirit Hall.
The key is that Tang San's growth requires the help of these two people.
Tang Hao is responsible for providing military support, and he has experience in cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer to become Titled Douluo, so he can help Tang San avoid some detours.
But he alone wasn't enough, because he was too stupid.
Although Yu Xiaogang's so-called theoretical invincibility is nothing more than that, he is still better than most people, and at least much smarter than Tang Hao.
Without him, Tang Hao and Tang San's future is truly worrying.
To be honest, Su Cheng wasn't sure whether Tang San was the one chosen by the Asura God long ago, or whether he would be able to inherit the Asura Godhood in the future.
But after looking at it from all angles, this is the best candidate, so we should give it a try.
The talent of having Twin Martial Souls is real, the Mysterious Heaven Skill is quite useful, and even his current Soul Power Level is much higher than in the original timeline because he switched to cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer ahead of time.
Tang Chen's foundation was destroyed. Even if he broke free from the control of the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King, he would have no chance of withstanding the powerful divine power of the Asura God.
Otherwise, based on the aptitude of that Clear Sky Sect ancestor, his chances of becoming a god would be much greater than Tang San's.
P. S., a side story about Bibi Dong has been released for the original novel. You can check it out if you're interested. But you'll have to discover the details for yourselves...
What I mainly want to say is that there is a slight conflict between the setting and Bibi Dong Qian Xunji in the side story, but there is nothing that can be done. When I was writing the Simulation plot of the third volume, the original side story had not yet been released.