Ah Yin's Accusation

The phantom of the Blue Silver Emperor, traced with golden markings, swayed gently in the air. Its soft aura of life spread like ripples, calming the restless life energy stirred up by the fierce battle.

The Blue Silver Emperor's phantom gradually solidified, sketching the vague yet gentle, beautiful outline of a woman. Though her features were indistinct, Tang Hao could never mistake the aura that came from the very source of her soul.

The Blue Silver Emperor before him was Ah Yin—the woman he had missed day and night, the one he had searched for every single day.

"Ah Yin... is it really you?"

"You're alive... That's wonderful... wonderful!" Tang Hao's voice trembled at first, then burst with joy. He instinctively tried to step forward, reaching for the phantom he had longed to see.

But the Blue Silver Emperor's phantom drifted back slightly, evading him.

A thought steeped in sorrow and disappointment entered Tang Hao's mind, echoing in the hearts of everyone present:

"I'm alive? Did you even want me to be alive? It's true—you really didn't want me to stay alive..."

"Hao... why?"

Those simple words were like three icy needles piercing Tang Hao's heart.

"Why... why did you leave me alone in that lightless cave?"

"Why wouldn't you let me bathe in sunlight or drink in the rain? Why did you even deprive me of a breath of fresh air?"

"I'm a Plant-type Soul Beast. I need sunlight, rain, and fresh air."

"Why haven't I grown at all after all these years? I trusted you so much. Did you ever truly love me, after everything you did?"

"You kept saying you loved me. Is this how you show your love?"

"By keeping me locked away like a prisoner, in darkness and solitude where no light could reach?"

"You say you love me. How many times have you come to see me over the past few years? And each time, you reeked of alcohol. You knew I hated that smell, yet you showed up like that every time!"

Ah Yin's thoughts flowed like a gentle stream, yet carried years of pent-up hurt and accusation. Every word struck the most vulnerable part of Tang Hao's soul.

Tang Hao froze in place, his joy congealing on his face. He opened his mouth to explain, but his throat felt blocked.

What could he say? That he had done it to protect her? But how was that kind of "protection" any different from imprisonment?

Tang Hao could say that he had been waiting for a chance to bring her back to life. But if he had truly wanted to revive her, he could have found her a place where she could live comfortably.

With the strength of a Titled Douluo, what place on the continent could he not find? He had put her in a cave just so he could see her whenever he wanted. Tang Hao had been selfish.

"I... I was only trying to protect you! Spirit Hall..." He struggled to force out a defense, his voice hoarse.

"Protect me?"

Ah Yin's thought carried a trace of desolation. "You left me in a lightless cave, cut off from the life I needed. That was protection? Hao, look at me! Look at what I'm like now!"

The Blue Silver Emperor's phantom shone brighter. Her vigorous life force was worlds apart from the pitiful state she had been in inside the cave.

"Gu Han brought me out of that despairing darkness. He gave me Breath Soil to nourish me, and sunlight and rain. He gave me a new life.

"And you... besides locking me away in your memories, what have you done?"

Ah Yin's accusations struck like a heavy hammer, shattering Tang Hao's last hope of excusing himself.

He snapped his head up and glared at Gu Han, who stood protectively before Ah Yin's phantom. All his shock, confusion, and helplessness turned into towering rage and jealousy.

It was him. This brat was to blame for everything.

If not for him, why would Ah Yin have left that "safe" cave? Why would she have left Tang Hao's side? And how could she have recovered like this and now joined him in opposing Tang Hao?

If not for him, why would Ah Yin resent Tang Hao so deeply?

He must have bewitched Ah Yin. He was the one who had ruined everything between them!

"It was you! You bewitched Ah Yin!"

"You must have used some kind of dark sorcery to cloud her mind!"

Tang Hao looked like a madman as he pointed at Gu Han and roared, crudely laying all the blame on the boy. "Give Ah Yin back to me, or I'll tear you limb from limb today!"

Soul Power surged violently around him once more, and blood-red light swirled around the Clear Sky Hammer. He was about to attack again, heedless of everything—even Ah Yin, who was beside Gu Han.

But that irrational accusation became the last straw.

The gentle phantom of Ah Yin suddenly erupted in unprecedented light and fury.

A powerful wave of soul energy swept outward. The Blue Silver Emperor's phantom instantly solidified, its golden markings shining brilliantly.

"TANG! HAO!"

This time, her thoughts were no longer sorrowful. A woman's voice, clear and cold with profound disappointment, rang across the world.

"Even now, you still blame someone else? You slander the benefactor who rescued me from my suffering?"

"Have hatred blinded you? You say you love me, yet you'd kill me and my benefactor together. Is that what your love means?"

"I really feel that you were with me only for my Soul Ring and Soul Bone. Otherwise, after I sacrificed myself for you, why did you abandon me? And now, are you going to force out the Soul Ring I've restored all over again?"

The Blue Silver Emperor's phantom blazed with light. Its powerful life force and soul pressure briefly held back Tang Hao's savage killing intent.

"You've disappointed me so much..."

Ah Yin's voice held the stillness of a heart turned to ashes, and struck harder than any shout.

"From this day forth, whatever kindness or affection stood between us is severed!"

The words "whatever kindness or affection stood between us is severed" fell like a final judgment.

The brilliant phantom of the Blue Silver Emperor gave Tang Hao one last, deep look. Her gaze was impossible to read: pain, resentment, and release all passed through it, before finally giving way to icy indifference.

The next moment, the phantom drew in its light and became a streak of radiance, returning to Gu Han's body and settling once more upon the life-filled Breath Soil in the system space.

Only Tang Hao, standing there dumbstruck, and Gu Han and Chen Xin, standing with swords in hand and icy expressions, remained in the sky.

Tang Hao stared blankly at the place where Ah Yin had vanished. The Clear Sky Hammer drooped limply in his hand, and his overwhelming aura rapidly dissipated, like air escaping a punctured balloon.

The madness, rage, and jealousy faded from his face, leaving only endless bewilderment and an empty heart.

Ah Yin... didn't want him anymore.

The obsession that had consumed his life, and the reason he had kept living, collapsed completely with those four words: whatever kindness or affection stood between them was severed.