Haotian and Ah Yin's Past

Xiao Wu recalled that she had indeed seen the man known as the Immovable Ming King beaten black and blue that morning, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Xiao Yun poured cold water over her at once. "You still have the mood to laugh? You really are a stupid rabbit who'd help count the money after being sold."

Hearing Xiao Yun call her a stupid rabbit again, Xiao Wu grew angry once more. She snorted, turned her head away, and prepared to ignore this foul-mouthed old man.

Ignoring her mood, Xiao Yun continued, "What kind of strength would someone need to easily defeat a Soul Saint, beat him into a pig's head, and leave him too afraid to resist? Even a Soul Douluo probably couldn't do that. Doesn't that mean the other person was very likely a Titled Douluo?"

"A Titled Douluo had been following you all along, yet you never noticed. Take a guess—did he see through your true form?"

At that, Xiao Wu finally felt afraid. With her current abilities, she absolutely could not hide herself from a Titled Douluo, and a chill ran through her entire body.

However, she quickly found grounds to argue back. "If he had already discovered that I was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, why didn't he capture me?"

Xiao Yun said directly, "I already told you he was a Titled Douluo. Since he was already a Titled Douluo, he naturally had no vacant position left to add a new Spirit Ring. Besides, you were very close to his son. He would much rather have you become his son's Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone, so he didn't make a move. He was merely watching you in secret."

Now it was Xiao Wu's turn to be shocked. She covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes wide open, and asked in a trembling voice, "You mean Third Brother's father was that Titled Douluo?"

Xiao Yun stopped leading her along and stated with certainty, "Yes. I also know that his title was Clear Sky. He was the Young Master of the Clear Sky Sect, once the number one sect in the world; one of the Haotian Twin Stars who had shaken the continent more than a decade ago—the Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao. And he definitely recognized your identity the very first time he saw you. He kept you around to cultivate the bond between you and Tang San, then later create an opportunity for you to willingly sacrifice yourself, allowing him to obtain the most suitable Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone."

Xiao Wu simply could not believe it. On the verge of breaking down, she said, "You're talking nonsense. I've never met any Clear Sky Douluo."

Xiao Yun continued, "Tang Hao had always been secretly protecting your Third Brother. Do you think he had seen you or not? Tang San was beaten up by Zhao Wuji one day, and Tang Hao beat Zhao Wuji up that very night. Do you really think that was a coincidence?"

Xiao Wu stubbornly retorted, "I absolutely don't believe Third Brother would do that. He said he would protect me for the rest of his life, and he doesn't even know that Soul Beasts can sacrifice themselves."

Xiao Yun raised a hand, signaling for her to calm down. "Why don't you listen to a story first, then judge the matter?"

Xiao Wu still wanted to hear what this old man in front of her had to say.

Only then did Xiao Yun begin. "This happened quite a few years ago, around twenty years back. The Clear Sky Sect produced two genius Soul Masters, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, actual blood brothers. People at the time called them the Haotian Twin Stars. When they reached over rank seventy, they went out to train together. During their travels, they met a young woman named Ah Yin. She was not only beautiful and gentle, but often helped others. Both brothers were drawn to her, and the three of them continued traveling together."

"As they traveled, their feelings naturally changed. Both brothers fell for that young woman, but in the end, she chose the younger brother, the one with greater talent. Eldest Brother was heartbroken, withdrew from the rivalry, and returned to the sect, leaving the two of them to continue their travels. Before long, they became husband and wife."

"After Ah Yin passed rank seventy, the two finally returned to the Clear Sky Sect. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, Tang Hao's father—the sect master of the Clear Sky Sect at the time—discovered Ah Yin's identity. She had taken human form from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Grass. He intended to seize her, but Tang Hao and Ah Yin escaped the Clear Sky Sect in the end and never dared return. For some reason, Spirit Hall learned of the matter as well. Given Spirit Hall's nature, they naturally wanted to capture them. However, with Ah Yin's abilities, it was very difficult for Spirit Hall to catch the couple."

"After learning that Ah Yin was pregnant, Tang Hao was naturally overjoyed. By then, he had already reached rank ninety. Once Ah Yin gave birth to a son for him, he immediately sent both pieces of news back to the Clear Sky Sect, hoping that his strength, along with this son, would convince his father to stop pursuing Ah Yin's matter."

"Isn't that good? What's wrong with this story?" Xiao Wu asked.

"The exciting part comes later. After some time, Tang Hao received a message from the Clear Sky Sect. No one knew what it said. Then, excitedly, he took Ah Yin, who had just given birth, and left the area where they had been living in seclusion, arriving near a city. However, their whereabouts were discovered by the Spirit Hall Pope, Qian Xunji, who happened to be near that city. The Pope naturally would not pass up such an opportunity to capture a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. He immediately led his Titled Douluo subordinates in pursuit."

Hearing this, Xiao Wu grew nervous as well. She desperately wanted to know Tang Hao and Ah Yin's final outcome. Their situation was so similar to hers and Third Brother's, so she naturally hoped they would have a perfect ending. Yet she also knew that was almost impossible.

Xiao Yun continued, "Because that city was far from the Star Dou Great Forest, and much of the surrounding land was barren, with even Blue Silver Grass being scarce, the two were eventually surrounded by Spirit Hall. In the end, Ah Yin could only sacrifice herself, making Tang Hao the youngest Titled Douluo. With the power of her sacrifice, he heavily wounded Pope Qian Xunji and even killed one of the Titled Douluo besieging them. After that, Tang Hao vanished without a trace, and there was never any more news of him on the continent."

Xiao Wu did not catch Xiao Yun's implication and asked in confusion, "Wasn't Third Brother's father deeply in love with his mother? Doesn't this prove that Soul Beasts and humans can have feelings for each other? What's the problem?"

Xiao Yun was truly speechless before this stupid rabbit and asked bluntly, "Ah Yin was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Grass in human form, which meant her rank was certainly not low. She was very likely royalty among Blue Silver Grass. This kind of Soul Beast royalty could absolutely control all the Blue Silver Grass within a certain range, even learning what happened within that range through them. With such an ability, as long as she stayed somewhere with enough Blue Silver Grass, they could never have been surrounded. That was also why the two of them had been able to live peacefully on the continent while being pursued by Spirit Hall."