With great effort, Tang Hao managed to sit up with Tang San's help. He looked up at his son, whose eyes were filled with anxiety, his cloudy eyes reflecting both relief and self-reproach.
"Dad, who hurt you like this?" Tang San spoke first, his childish voice carrying a chilling edge.
" The Little San..." Tang Hao was about to say something when a sharp pain shot through his chest, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Dad, don't talk anymore, just rest!" Tang San quickly reached out to support his back, the coldness in his eyes instantly disappearing, leaving only heartache and anxiety.
Tang Hao shook his head, his gaze falling on the remaining half of the Thousand-Year Ginseng in Tang San's hand. After a long silence, he slowly asked, "Where did you get this herb?"
He knew his own body best. This time, the outbreak of his injuries was a sure way to die, but he was miraculously saved by this ginseng. Such medicinal power must be from a spiritual herb that is over a thousand years old.
Tang San pursed his lips, his eyes darting around, and whispered, "I borrowed it from... from Luo's Herb Shop in Nuoding City."
Tang Hao nodded, not pressing the matter further. He then looked at Tang San again and said, "I know my own injuries. There's no need to waste the remaining medicine on someone as crippled as me."
"No..." Tang San was about to refuse when Tang Hao stopped him with a gesture.
"Listen to me, Little San," Tang Hao said slowly, "Haven't you always wanted to know who your mother is?"
Tang San's whole body jolted, and he instantly raised his head.
Mother.
This word was almost a blank in his memories of his two lifetimes.
In his past life, he was an orphan of the Tang Sect, without father or mother. In this life, from the time he could remember, he only had his alcoholic and decadent father by his side. He once mustered up the courage to ask him about it, but when he saw the unfathomable pain and violence in his father's eyes, he never dared to bring it up again.
"Your mother... her Ah Yin." Tang Hao's eyes softened instantly. "She's not an ordinary person, but Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the Blue Silver Emperor in human form."
"Wh... what?!"
Tang San was struck dumb, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he froze on the spot.
Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? Transformed?
His mother... was actually a Spirit Beast?!
This news completely overturned his accumulated knowledge from two lifetimes.
"We met during our trials, then fell in love, and then you came into our lives." Tang Hao's eyes gradually became bloodshot, and the sorrow in his voice could no longer be concealed. "But her identity was eventually discovered by the Spirit Hall. The Pope at the time, Qian Xunji, personally led Titled Douluo to surround and kill us. To save me, to protect you, she... she chose to sacrifice herself."
The word "sacrifice" struck Tang San's heart like two heavy hammers.
Although he didn't fully understand the specific meaning of the sacrifice, he could clearly feel from his father's devastated expression how tragic and desperate the sacrifice was.
" Spirit Hall... Qian Xunji..."
Tang San murmured the two names repeatedly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, a chilling hatred taking root in his heart.
It turns out that he lost his mother at a young age, and his father was an alcoholic and decadent. The two of them hid in this small Holy Soul Village under assumed names. The root of all this lies with the Spirit Hall, and with that person named Qian Xunji!
"And I... am a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect." Tang Hao continued, as if he were about to pour out all the secrets buried in his heart for more than ten years at once, "My title is Haotian."
Clear Sky Douluo!
"In that battle, I severely injured Qian Xunji, but he didn't die. I could only take you, who was just born, and hide here under assumed names." Tang Hao said, coughing violently again, blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth, but he still held Tang San's hand tightly. " Little San, you must remember, your mother is the gentlest and Goodness person in this world. Your blood carries both mine and hers."
"You possess Twin Martial Souls: one is the Blue Silver Grass inherited from your mother, and the other... is the Clear Sky Hammer!"
Tang San subconsciously raised his left hand, and with a slight thought, a small, simple, black hammer quietly appeared in his palm.
"You must remember this: before you possess sufficient power, this Clear Sky Hammer must never be shown to anyone lightly." Tang Hao looked at him and solemnly warned him, " The Spirit Hall has never given up searching for us, and your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is by no means a Trash Martial Soul. It inherited the bloodline of your mother, the Blue Silver Emperor, it just hasn't truly awakened yet."
A deluge of information flooded into Tang San's mind: his mother's identity, his father's origins, the truth about Twin Martial Souls, and the deep-seated hatred for the Spirit Hall... All of this made his heart sink instantly.
"Dad, what should I do?" Tang San quickly made up his mind and asked.
"Become stronger." Tang Hao uttered two words, and the flames of revenge rekindled in his cloudy eyes. "Become stronger at all costs. Your talent far surpasses mine. I will teach you the cultivation method of the Clear Sky Hammer, but my injuries... make it impossible for me to personally guide you in actual combat in a short period of time. You need a teacher, someone who can guide you and help you avoid detours."
"Teacher?" Tang San was taken aback.
"Go to the Junior Soul Master Academy in Nuoding City," Tang Hao said slowly. "Find a man named Yu Xiaogang. His soul power isn't high, but his Martial Soul Theory is unparalleled in the world. He's one of the most profound researchers of martial souls. Tell him you are my son, and he will accept you and know how to teach you."
" Yu Xiaogang..." Tang San silently memorized the name in his heart.
"And another thing," Tang Hao turned to look out the window, his tone becoming much more serious, "The continent is probably not going to be peaceful anytime soon. You saw the strange phenomena that night; that kind of power far surpasses that of Titled Douluo."
Tang San nodded heavily, remembering every word his father said.
Tang Hao looked at his sensible son with satisfaction. The main reason he was revealing all his secrets now was because of what happened that night.
Ah Yin's physical body was taken away, and his Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was also gone. Qian Xunji's daughter and that strange man gave him an unprecedented sense of crisis. His own injuries were too severe, and how long he could live depended entirely on fate. He had to sow the seeds of hatred in Tang San before he died, paving the way for his future.
Once his injuries have stabilized, he will have to leave Tang San to take care of some things that should have been done long ago.
Meanwhile, in Heaven Dou City, at the Spirit Hall Sacred Hall.
A middle-aged man dressed Fitted Outfit white, wearing the Spirit Hall steward's badge on his chest, was bowing his head and respectfully reporting the situation to the elderly man sitting at the head of the table.
"Bishop Salas, three days ago, an extremely powerful explosion occurred in the wilderness bordering the Fasinuo Province and the Balak Kingdom. The explosion's impact range exceeded a thousand miles, and the space in the central area remains extremely unstable, still retaining energy fluctuations of a very high level, suspected to be... a clash of forces surpassing the level of Titled Douluo."
The elderly man, known as Bishop Salas, wore a white bishop's robe trimmed with gold. His face was sinister, and he tapped his fingers slowly on the armrest of his chair. "Beyond Titled Douluo? Are you sure?"
"The level of residual energy... is indeed far beyond what would be left by a typical battle between Titled Douluo." The steward, still bowing his head, replied respectfully, "We cannot yet confirm the identities of the two sides, but a battle of this scale is certainly not something an ordinary force could accomplish."
Bishop Salas's finger suddenly stopped, a glint of cunning flashing in his sinister eyes. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, "Continue the investigation. At all costs, find out the identities of both sides in the conflict, as well as the cause of this battle. At the same time, encrypt this message and report it to the Pope Palace immediately. Also, notify all personnel in Nuoding City and all surrounding Spirit Hall Branch to strengthen their vigilance. Report any unusual activity immediately."
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!" The steward bowed, accepted the order, and slowly withdrew.
In the empty temple, Salas looked out the window, his sinister eyes filled with solemnity.