Terrifying energy poured into his body. Though he barely resisted the control skill, the force of Ring Explosion battered Tang Hao's body until it was riddled with wounds.
His old injuries flared up, and his meridians shattered. Even if he somehow managed to escape, he had reached the end of his life.
But Tang Hao had planned ahead. As long as he could withstand the killing blow and make it back to Holy Soul Village, he could use the Soul Bone Ah Yin had left behind to keep himself alive for a little longer...
"Ahhhhh!"
Tang Hao roared. The blood-colored phantom raised the Clear Sky Hammer high and unleashed one final killing move against the Sea God Trident—the Great Sumeru Hammer.
Blood sprayed from his pores, staining his black robe red until it looked like a battle flag flying in the wind.
Amid one roar after another, the phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer, as huge as a mountain, was easily pierced by the Sea God Trident. With a sound like shattering glass, it broke apart.
Under the radiance of Sea God's Light, Tang Hao's blood-colored true form turned to ash and vanished.
In an instant, Tang Hao collapsed helplessly to the ground. His old injuries from years ago flared up, and the backlash from the destruction of his Martial Soul grew even more intense.
Every meridian in his body had snapped, and the backlash had smashed his internal organs to pieces.
Tang Hao's life force ebbed away rapidly. On the brink of death, he mustered all his strength to look toward Holy Soul Village, his heart filled with regret...
"Tang Hao, you were a Titled Douluo, after all. Do you have any last words? For Tang San's sake, I can pass them on for you."
Wang Dong'er carried Xiao Wu over to Tang Hao.
Tang Hao could no longer lift his head. He couldn't open his mouth, and though he tried to speak, he couldn't even make a sound.
"Forget it. You can't speak now anyway." Wang Dong'er shook her head. "Do you want Tang San to know who you really are?"
"Never mind. When the time is right, Yu Xiaogang will tell Tang San everything."
"If you're worried about that Blue Silver Emperor in Holy Soul Village..."
Wang Dong'er smiled softly.
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of her for you. As for payment, I'll take that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. No need to thank me."
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Somehow finding the strength, Tang Hao's eyes flew wide open, and he coughed up a pool of blood.
Only he knew that secret. How had you, Wang Dong'er, found out?
But he didn't even have the chance to ask.
"I've always wondered: back then, when the Blue Silver Emperor was nearing childbirth, why didn't you take her back to the Blue Silver Forest to give birth in safety? Why were you wandering around the empire's border instead?"
"You were her husband, so you must have known how weak the Blue Silver Emperor was during childbirth. Not only would the aura of a Soul Beast be impossible to conceal, it would become even stronger. The border was guarded by imperial legions, and Spirit Hall had stationed countless powerful fighters to keep watch. Did you... covet her Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone, and betray the Blue Silver Emperor?"
That was what Tang Hao regretted most.
But it was too late for regrets now. His greed, in a single moment, had brought him to this end.
Tang Hao died with that last breath caught in his throat.
Before a god's killing blow, even a Titled Douluo seemed so fragile.
After setting Xiao Wu aside, Wang Dong'er hesitated for a moment, then decided to erect a headstone for Tang Hao. He had been a great fighter, after all; leaving his corpse exposed in the wilderness would be too ugly.
She would take the two Inheritance Soul Bones from the Clear Sky Sect as payment.
But she was still too naive. Just as she was about to deal with Tang Hao's body, it visibly shriveled, like a deflated inflatable doll. Blood drained from his wounds, and in the blink of an eye, a small pool of blood formed on the ground.
Two Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones appeared in Tang Hao's left arm and right leg.
Wang Dong'er removed the Soul Bones. Tang Hao's corpse then collapsed like a building whose foundations had been destroyed. It took her a good while to piece his bones back together and bury him on the hilltop.
Before long, Xiao Wu woke from her unconsciousness. The damage to her spiritual sea had left her unable to remember what had happened. All she could recall was that the two of them had ended their friendship with Tang San and left Shrek Academy.
Douluo God Realm, Sea God Temple.
Poseidon narrowed his eyes, propped his chin on his left hand, and tapped the Sea God Trident irregularly with his right index finger.
"A Sea God Martial Soul like Bo Saixi's? Interesting. With Triple Martial Souls, she barely qualifies to undertake the Nine Trials of the Sea God."
Poseidon rose to his feet. His gaze shifted from Wang Dong'er to Sea God Island, where Bo Saixi stood in the Sea God Temple.
Sensing Lord Sea God's summons, Bo Saixi emerged from her meditation and reverently knelt before the statue of the Sea God...
When Tang Hao's consciousness opened its eyes, he had already become a spirit, floating inside a gloomy temple.
Beneath him was a platform piled with white bones. At its far end stood a pool filled with blood. Faintly, he could hear anguished screams.
"Where... is this? Didn't I die? Could this be the legendary Hell?"
Tang Hao was bewildered, but everything before him felt so real that he was certain it wasn't an illusion.
In spirit form, he couldn't sense his Martial Soul or Soul Power. This had to be Hell.
Just as he stood there at a loss, his spirit suddenly split apart, becoming a purple orb of light formed from Tang Hao's resentment.
People had seven emotions, and each emotion corresponded to a different kind of power. Certain gods cultivated by drawing on the power of these emotions.
But Tang Hao's will had transformed into only one emotion: resentment. This astonished the divine official responsible for gathering emotional power. He immediately reported the matter to his superior, the Rakshasa God.
Thousands of miles away, the Rakshasa God caught the scent of this perfect resentment. Curious about its source, she used her divine powers to peer into Tang Hao's memories. Her gaze settled on Tang San in Shrek Academy.
"The God King's judgment isn't all that impressive. His personally chosen successor is nothing special. Even his protector was easily killed by the Sea God's successor."
The Rakshasa God sneered. Sensing the exceptionally rich resentment within Tang San, she suddenly had an idea.
Bibi Dong's resentment had lost its flavor ever since Qian Xunji died. She wasn't the perfect successor, either.
But Tang San was different. His resentment kept growing, his emotions were intense, and it gathered like a snowball, growing larger as it rolled. Now that was what a promising successor should be like.
"Before the term 'Lady-Killer' came along, I always thought that sensing the girls' subtle emotions was an intuition bestowed on me by the gods. But I don't like being called a Lady-Killer. It makes my sincere feelings for you sound like a joke. I'm sorry, but I could never bring myself to hurt a girl."
Wang Dong'er wore a melancholy expression, her voice heavy with sorrow.
"Cut the act... Just tell me, who are you sleeping with tonight?"
Xiao Wu planted her hands on her hips and demanded.
"Obviously, she's sleeping with me." Dugu Yan stepped forward and pressed her assets against Xiao Wu. After comparing the two, Xiao Wu's confidence faltered.
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