Ah Yin Withered

After a night of sprinting, By noon the next day, The group looked exhausted, their clothes soaked in sweat as they stepped out of the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Passing through the final stretch of forest, their field of vision finally opened up.

The sunlight spilled onto the verdant earth without obstruction, and the distant breeze from the Lima Plain blew over, gently brushing against their faces.

They stepped onto the soft grass.

It was July, and the midday sun was scorching, yet they felt no warmth; it even felt surreal.

This moment seemed so foreign, as if they hadn't seen the sun in a long time.

A moment later, they finally realized:

Alive...

Still alive.

The extreme oppression finally vanished.

Their taut nerves finally relaxed, and their minds went blank. The grass was soft, and the wind was light...

"Thud."

Oscar was the first to lose his support, collapsing onto the grass in total exhaustion, his sore muscles no longer able to hold up his body.

Soon after, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others leaned against the trees.

They sat down.

Every ounce of strength had been drained from their bodies.

This was the collapse that followed a brush with death.

Only Zhao Wuji, Xia Yan, and Xiao Wu remained standing.

Zhao Wuji had traveled between life and death many times; it was his first time seeing a Hundred Thousand Year Titan Giant Ape, and he was the most severely injured, yet he held on. Xia Yan had already prepared himself mentally.

As for Xiao Wu, She hadn't been mentally impacted at all. Friends had come to visit her—what was there to be mentally impacted by?

The group just lay there quietly, no one speaking, but less than a minute later, They all braced themselves and stood up.

No, this place was not safe enough; they had to leave.

They set off once more, heading straight for a small town nearly a hundred kilometers away.

Upon arriving at the inn, they collapsed and fell into an exhausted sleep.

They were all too tired.

This sleep lasted for an entire day.

A dozen miles from Holy Soul Village, Tang Hao, draped in a Black Robe with a face full of stubble, flew through the sky.

He intended to visit Ah Yin.

Over the years, he had been away, returning every six to eight months to check on how Tang San and Xiao Wu were doing, Ensuring nothing went wrong.

He had left before, returned to find Xiao Wu had taken a liking to Xia Yan, and when he returned again, Xia Yan was gone.

This time, he had personally taken action to teach Zhao Wuji a lesson, warning both Zhao Wuji and Flender.

There shouldn't be any major problems anymore.

In the years he had been away, he had been searching for a way to heal his Hidden Injury.

The battle back then against Qian Xunji and the people from Martial Soul Hall had been a pyrrhic victory.

His meridians were almost entirely misaligned and knotted together, his Soul Power was blocked and unable to circulate smoothly, and his internal organs were all out of place.

Everything was in disarray.

The stubborn Hidden Injury had not recovered in ten years.

It had caused his strength to diminish greatly; now, let alone seeking Revenge against Martial Soul Hall, even winning a one-on-one against Bibi Dong would be extremely difficult.

But it didn't matter.

In the past, he saw no hope and could only hide in Holy Soul Village, wasting his days.

Now, he saw Tang San's talent; he saw hope.

With father and son working together, they would surely win!

After seeing Ah Yin this time, he planned to make a trip to the Star Luo Empire; perhaps there was a way to heal himself there.

He had searched for years without hope.

If only Ah Yin were still here, perhaps he would no longer have to endure this torment...

Ah Yin...

Her image surfaced in his mind once again.

Tang Hao felt as if his heart were being gripped; an indescribable agony made it hard to breathe, and even his speed began to falter.

He dared not see Ah Yin.

Yes.

Over these years, he had rarely come to see her. It wasn't until Tang San turned six that Tang Hao finally dared to visit once.

He went to share the good news with Ah Yin, telling her they had a wonderful child...

He was afraid.

He dared not face Ah Yin.

Tang Hao knew clearly in his heart, though he would never admit it, that Qian Xunji and Martial Soul Hall had forced Ah Yin to her death, but...

Why had Martial Soul Hall been able to track them down?

If he hadn't been so headstrong back then, the two of them would never have been discovered by Martial Soul Hall, and it would have been impossible for them to be driven into a dead end.

As for why he had insisted on that course of action back then...

Because... the temptation of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone was too great. He had dreamed of obtaining them, dreamed of possessing them!

Yet, he also had feelings for Ah Yin.

He did not want to lay a hand on her.

And so, In the darkness of his choices, he had made a decision. He had indeed not laid a hand on her, but he had still obtained Ah Yin's Soul Ring and Soul Bone...

These secrets buried deep in his heart were things he could never tell anyone.

But he could not deceive himself.

In the deepest recesses of his soul, this realization had taken root and grown, tightly strangling his heart.

It tortured him every waking moment.

All these years, he had not dared to face Ah Yin. Even though planting her in his backyard would have offered better protection and remained undiscovered, he simply did not dare to keep her by his side.

After planting her in the mountain cave, he had not dared to visit her for six whole years.

Of course, he knew that Ah Yin's Soul Bone possessed immense vitality.

If he absorbed it, he could immediately heal all the injuries in his body and return to his prime.

But whenever he thought of absorbing the Soul Bone, countless memories and emotions would transform into countless steel needles, piercing straight through his heart and his entire being, causing him such agony that it felt like he was being tortured to death.

It was even more painful than the Hidden Injury that had plagued him all these years.

In fact, only when his body felt such torment did he feel a shred of relief in his heart.

Only then could he breathe, feel capable of facing Ah Yin, and feel worthy of her...

He had even long since noticed Xiao Wu's feelings for Xia Yan. He hadn't intervened immediately, and watching Tang San being neglected by Xiao Wu actually made him feel a bit better.

It was as if his guilt toward Ah Yin could be lightened, could be diminished...

Ah Yin...

Tang Hao forced himself to fly forward. The closer he got to the waterfall, the more agonizing his heart became.

Ah Yin... I'm sorry.

It's all my fault. I deserve to die. I am the one who harmed you.

I shouldn't have ignored your words, I shouldn't have insisted on provoking Martial Soul Hall, and I shouldn't have fought...

I am a beast, Ah Yin. I am nothing...

I...

I...

I need to guard your Soul Bone!

Tang Hao's eyes were bloodshot as he cursed himself with all manner of vile and filthy words; only in this way could the torment in his heart be eased.

He had come this time to take the Soul Bone, but absolutely not to absorb it!

Tang Hao swore in his heart, swore to Ah Yin, but Ah Yin's spirit bone was too precious; leaving it behind the waterfall was not safe.

What if someone accidentally stumbled in?

If they saw Ah Yin's true form and noticed nothing, what if they accidentally discovered the spirit bone?

If they realized Ah Yin was equally special, and took them both away, what then?

Ah Yin, I only want to protect the legacy you left behind, to protect the spirit bone; I absolutely have no desire to absorb it, and I certainly never will!

I only want to protect it well, to keep it by my side!

Ah Yin, forgive me...

Flying over ten miles of forest, the familiar great waterfall appeared before his eyes once more. For twelve whole years, Ah Yin had remained alone in this cave.

Ah Yin...

Tang Hao forced his hands to push aside the giant boulder at the cave entrance, even deliberately restraining his perception, not daring to face Ah Yin.

The dark, deep cave was like a man-eating monster.

He forced himself to lift his feet and walk inside.

Ah Yin, our child, Little San, has grown up. He inherited our martial souls.

He is very powerful.

He will avenge you, avenge us. I am taking the spirit bone away only to keep it safe for him.

I will never absorb it.

Ah Yin...

"?!"

Ah Yin?!

Tang Hao's mind went blank, falling into a complete standstill. In his trembling pupils, the withered Blue Silver Grass was reflected!

In the dark, cramped cave, it could not absorb a single ray of sunlight.

It had already turned completely yellow and shriveled!