The Second Simulation Ends!

Several days later, in the hidden valley where Tang Hao was hiding.

Boom—!!!

A tremendous explosion shattered the valley's tranquility!

Led by Bibi Dong, Ju, Ghost Douluo, and several other top experts from Spirit Hall descended without warning and launched a thunderous assault!

Though Tang Hao was powerful, facing the prepared Bibi Dong—far stronger than before—and the siege of several Title Douluo, even he could not fend off so many opponents alone.

He fought desperately, wielding the Clear Sky Hammer like a madman, yet he was still beaten to the brink of death. Countless bones throughout his body had been shattered, and only his final breath remained.

Just as Bibi Dong prepared to deliver the final blow, a flash of deep blue light appeared and barely rescued Tang Hao from the fatal strike. It was Fu Shiyan, who had rushed over after sensing the energy fluctuations!

With the dying Tang Hao in tow, Fu Shiyan relied on his familiarity with the terrain and exquisite movement technique to barely shake off the pursuit before arriving at the cave where Tang San was temporarily staying.

"Father!!"

When Tang San saw Tang Hao being supported by Fu Shiyan, covered in blood and breathing so weakly that it seemed as if he could die at any moment, it was as though his soul had been instantly torn from him. His mind went blank!

He threw himself to Tang Hao's side, his hands trembling, yet he did not dare touch that scar-covered body.

Using the last of his strength, Tang Hao opened his clouded eyes and looked at his son. His lips moved as he spat out broken words flecked with blood:

"It was... it was Yu Xiaogang... He... he led Bibi Dong... here..."

Before he could finish, Tang Hao's head tilted to one side, and he completely lost consciousness. Whether he lived or died was unknown.

"YU—XIAO—GANG—!!!"

Both the Tang San in the simulation and the observing Tang San let out a heart-rending roar at the same time, filled with boundless pain, fury, and despair!

An indescribably violent aura surged skyward from him!

All his hesitation and reluctance were utterly crushed before the reality of his father's imminent death!

In their place came towering hatred and murderous intent!

[Warning! The host's mental state and emotions have undergone violent fluctuations, exceeding the simulation's endurance limit!]

[Emergency termination procedure activated!]

[This simulation ends here!]

The cold system notification sounded in the observing Tang San's mind.

The scene before his eyes froze on Tang San's twisted, agonized face, filled with endless hatred, and Tang Hao's dying state. Then, everything sank into darkness.

As the cold system notification faded, the heart-shattering scene before him—his father Tang Hao's dying state and his own roar filled with endless hatred—receded like a tide.

Tang San abruptly opened his eyes. What greeted him was the familiar, dilapidated roof of his home in Holy Soul Village, while a faint smell of rust hung in the air.

He had returned. From that cruel yet realistic simulation of the "future," he had returned to reality.

The intense emotional whiplash made his chest feel tight, and his heart was still pounding wildly. The soul-rending pain and overwhelming hatred from the simulation had not fully faded, instead branding themselves deeply into his soul.

He instinctively clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms. Only the faint sting assured him that he had truly escaped that nightmare.

"Yu Xiaogang..."

He murmured the name, his voice hoarse and cold, carrying a trace of trembling that had yet to subside.

The image of his father at death's door at the end of the simulation flashed through his mind, along with the culprit behind it all. A murderous intent unlike anything he had ever felt began to grow wildly within him.

"You... have chosen the path to death!!!"

He said those words with absolute finality, without even a trace of the hesitation or reluctance he had felt in the simulation.

Early the next morning, when the sky had only just begun to brighten.

Tang San got up early as usual, lit the fire, washed the rice, and prepared a simple breakfast for his father, Tang Hao.

Just as he placed the cooked rice porridge on the table, the curtain to the inner room was lifted. Tang Hao emerged, yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes, reeking of alcohol.

The instant he saw Tang Hao, the image from the simulation uncontrollably surfaced in Tang San's mind again: his father, covered in blood and barely breathing, held tightly in his arms, cold and stiff!

That immense terror and grief poured over him like icy water, instantly drowning him!

The hand holding the bowl of porridge shook violently, and the scalding porridge nearly spilled out.

Tears surged out completely beyond his control, instantly filling his eyes.

He was ultimately only a six-year-old child. Even though his soul had lived through two lifetimes, when faced with the impact of that "real" memory of his closest family potentially dying horribly, the carefully constructed defenses in his heart became utterly fragile.

He was good at pretending and understood how to endure, but at this moment, he could no longer pretend.

"Dad..."

The call came with a heavy nasal tone, soft and childlike. Unlike the innocence he usually deliberately imitated, it was filled with genuine dependence and fear.

Tang San set down the bowl and, like a startled little beast, suddenly ran over and tightly hugged Tang Hao's leg, which was covered in dust and alcohol stains. He buried his face deeply against it. His small shoulders trembled faintly, but he could not say anything. He only kept repeating:

"Dad... Dad..."

Tang Hao was stunned by his son's sudden action.

He lowered his head and looked at Tang San, who was clinging tightly to him and trembling slightly. The suppressed sobbing cleared his hangover-clouded mind somewhat.

The fatherly love buried beneath alcohol and despair was quietly stirred by those cries of dependence.

His rough hand awkwardly settled on Tang San's head and rubbed his blue short hair. His voice was hoarse from sleep, but he unusually softened his tone, revealing a trace of concern that was difficult to detect:

"What's wrong, Xiao San? Did you have a nightmare?"

Feeling the warmth from his father's palm and hearing that hoarse but real voice, Tang San's violently churning emotions finally calmed a little.

He sniffed hard, forcibly holding back his tears. Raising his head, he revealed a little face flushed red from holding them in, still streaked with tears. His voice remained choked as he said softly:

"Mm... It's nothing. I just... just had a very, very scary nightmare..."

He did not dare tell him about the Simulator and could only use a "nightmare" to conceal it.

Seeing his son's frightened, tear-filled expression, Tang Hao's heart softened for no reason.

After all, this was his son—the only flesh and blood Ah Yin had left him, and the heir with Twin Martial Souls who carried all his hopes for the future.

No matter what, he had to protect him.

"Silly child, dreams are always the opposite."

Tang Hao offered a rare word of comfort. Though his tone was still far from gentle, compared to his usual indifference, it was a world apart.

"Go wash your face and eat."

"Okay."

Tang San nodded obediently, released Tang Hao, and silently walked aside. He splashed cold water forcefully onto his face, trying to calm himself completely.

However, beneath his outward calm, murderous intent churned like an undercurrent.

Over the next few days, aside from completing the daily chores he had to do—blacksmithing, cooking, going up the mountain to chop firewood, and the like—almost all of Tang San's thoughts were focused on one matter.

How to ensure Yu Xiaogang's death!!!

He repeatedly inspected and oiled the Sleeve Arrow's mechanism, making certain nothing could go wrong;

He even used his trips up the mountain to secretly gather several highly poisonous, difficult-to-detect plants and minerals. He carefully refined and compounded them into poisons that killed upon drawing blood, then coated specially made tiny hidden weapons with them.

Yet he still did not feel secure.

Yu Xiaogang had, after all, come from a major sect. Even if his Soul Power was weak, his knowledge and vigilance might not be.

Furthermore, Nuoding City's Junior Soul Master Academy was not Holy Soul Village. There were too many people and too many watchful eyes there. If he failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He tried hard to recall every detail he had seen in the simulation, attempting to find a safer, more foolproof plan.

Yu Xiaogang's personality flaws, his possible routines at Nuoding Academy, the academy's internal environment...

Every scrap of information that could possibly be used flashed through his mind, combining and being analyzed at rapid speed.

This time, he would never allow the tragedy from the simulation any chance of repeating itself in reality.

Yu Xiaogang had to die!!!