Tang Hao: Xiao San, I'm Going to Get Your Mother!

The morning light had not yet dispelled the thin mist.

At the summit of the mountain behind Holy Soul Village, a long sword wielding a Azure Lotus Longsword pierced through the air.

The sharp sword light tore through the clouds and sped straight towards the vast ocean to the east.

Ye Qing had only been gone a few days.

The peaceful morning in Holy Soul Village was shattered by a chaotic and fierce clatter of hooves.

A squad of elite Spirit Hall, dressed in black, stormed into the village like a dark cloud.

The leader was a Seven-Ring Soul Sage, holding a majestic Spirit Hall Special Enforcement Token, with a sinister expression.

Behind him, more than twenty elite Soul Master stood in solemn rows, their cold gazes sweeping over each trembling villager.

The old village chief Jack, trembled under the oppressive aura, nearly losing his balance as he leaned on his cane.

"The Spirit Hall is investigating!"

"Everyone, stand still!"

"Anyone who dares to make a move will be treated as an accomplice of a wanted criminal!"

The Soul Sage gave a cold command, the sound waves shaking the village houses and rooftops.

The entire Holy Soul Village was immediately sealed off.

The black-clad Soul Master broke down doors and searched every house, interrogating Tang Hao and Tang San about their whereabouts.

"Old man, where is Tang Hao, the blacksmith?"

"And that brat named Tang San, who do they usually associate with?"

Soul Sage grabbed Village Chief Jack by the collar, his eyes sharp as a hawk's.

Village Chief Jack turned pale with fright, his voice trembling.

"My lord... my lord, please see the truth!"

"Tang Hao left several years ago, and Tang San was recruited by the Soul Master Academy in Nuoding City."

"We're just ordinary farmers, we don't know anything!"

Soul Sage snorted coldly and shoved Village Chief Jack aside.

"Search!"

"No matter how small the matter, dig three feet into the ground to find any useful information!"

Soon, the long-abandoned and dilapidated blacksmith shop at the foot of the back mountain was surrounded by a huge crowd.

The Spirit Hall's Soul Master swarmed in and began a frantic search.

The bellows, hammer, and dilapidated blacksmith's table were all violently overturned on the ground, and all personal belongings were packed up and inventoried.

Even the old wooden bed and bedding that Tang San slept in as a child were completely torn up and inspected.

Half a day later, the entire Holy Soul Village was filled with the Spirit Hall sentries and patrol teams.

Every entrance and exit was strictly sealed off, and the entire village was taken over.

The Spirit Hall's objective was crystal clear.

The goal is to trace all the clues left by Tang San to find the hiding place of Tang Hao and that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

A hundred miles outside of Heaven Dou City lies a desolate mountain cave.

The dark, damp air was filled with a pungent, musty smell.

Tang Hao slipped into the cave from outside, his black robe completely soaked by the rain, his face grim and dark.

Tang San was meditating cross-legged beside the stone wall when he sensed his father's disordered breathing and opened his eyes.

Deep inside the cave, Xiao Wu huddled in a cold crevice in the rocks.

Upon seeing Tang Hao's tall, dark figure enter, her body instinctively tensed up, and fear and wariness flashed deep in her eyes.

Tang Hao walked straight in.

Without a word, he untied the wine pouch from his waist, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp.

The strong liquor choked him, but it did nothing to quell his anger.

Tang San sensed something was wrong.

She strode up to Tang Hao and asked anxiously, "Dad, has something happened?"

"Has something happened again in Heaven Dou City?"

Tang Hao's fingers, gripping the wine flask tightly, turned white from the force.

He remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a hoarse, cold voice. "Holy Soul Village has been completely taken over by the Spirit Hall."

"What?!"

Tang San's pupils suddenly contracted.

She quickly realized it was because of herself and her father.

Blood vessels ran along the edges of his eyes, and a chilling killing intent burst forth uncontrollably.

"Those lackeys of the Spirit Hall!"

"They actually found out about my past and yours, Dad, they even investigated a remote village like Holy Soul Village!"

Tang Hao nodded heavily.

"The Spirit Hall's sense of smell is even more acute than that of Wild Dog."

"With such a commotion at the Blue Tyrant Academy, it's only a matter of time before the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Royal Family join forces to search. They'll be following the clues to the Spirit Hall Holy Soul Village."

Tang San clenched his fists, making a cracking sound as his bones clashed.

"The Spirit Hall has already chosen its own path to destruction!"

"They destroyed my academy, and now they want to undermine my very foundation!"

He gritted his teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from the depths of hell.

"Once I forge the Peerless Hidden Weapons, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, I will make these lackeys' blood flow like rivers!"

But Tang Hao's next words left Tang San completely stunned.

"I need to go back to Holy Soul Village."

Tang San was shocked and reached out to grab Tang Hao's arm.

"Dad! Absolutely not!"

"Going back now would be tantamount to walking into a trap!"

Tang Hao slammed the empty wine flask onto the ground.

"I know."

"But there are some things that are more important than my life, and they absolutely cannot fall into the hands of the Spirit Hall."

Tang San was in a state of panic, his eyes red with anxiety. "Dad, just how important is it?"

"Even if the blacksmith shop gets smashed, we don't need those broken hammers!"

What could be more important than your safety?

Tang Hao slowly raised his head.

In those eyes, which were cloudy and red from alcoholism, a despair and madness that Tang San had never seen before surged forth.

Your mother is still there.

"What?"

These few simple words shattered Tang San's reason.

His mind went blank for a moment, then went blank again.

"Me... Mom?"

Tang San's voice trembled, his heart pounding.

Ever since he could remember, the word "mother" had been an absolute taboo in Tang Hao's speech.

Tang Hao turned to look at the torrential rain outside the cave, his voice hoarse like an old bellows.

"Ah Yin... her roots are still in the mountains behind Holy Soul Village."

Tang Hao's words came to an abrupt halt.

But Tang San clearly saw that his father's once powerful hands, capable of shaking the continent with a single blow, were now trembling uncontrollably.

"Little San, you must stay here, take care of yourself, keep a close eye on Xiao Wu, and wait for me to come back."

Tang Hao stood up, his massive, towering figure casting a large, oppressive black shadow at the cave entrance.

Tang San bit his lip hard, blood seeping down his chin. "Dad, I'll go with you!"

"I am your son, and I will go with you to rescue Mom!"

"Anyone who tries to harm my mother must die!"

Tang Hao didn't turn his head, his cold voice interrupting him. "Your life is more important than anything else."

"You are the only hope for the Tang Family, so stay here obediently!"

After saying that, Tang Hao rushed into the raging rain outside the cave.

The cave fell silent once more, as if dead.

Only the cold water droplets from the cave ceiling pattered against the hard rocks, making a suffocating sound.

Tang San sat back down in his original spot, looking dejected, head down, staring intently at the ground, without saying a word.

His shoulders heaved violently with extreme anger and anxiety.

Behind him, in a dark corner of the rocks.

Xiao Wu curled up into a ball, her cold eyes peering through the dim light, staring intently at Tang San's thin back.

Her lips twitched slightly, as if she wanted to ask something.

But the words that were on the tip of her tongue were ultimately swallowed back down.

Sometimes, a single word can destroy trust.

No matter how much pain, anger, or filial piety Tang San may appear at this moment.

In her eyes, it all became an absurd and ridiculous performance.

The rain outside the cave grew heavier, and the howling wind swept into the cave, tearing the last vestiges of warmth to shreds.