His Last Hope Shattered

Cinderella looked up at Tang Hao and asked the crucial question. "Then when do we leave? What do Tang San and I need to prepare?"

As Tang Hao watched Cinderella quickly regain her composure, a flicker of approval crossed his eyes.

He replied, "Once you and Yu Xiaogang have found suitable soul beasts."

Tang Hao stressed again, "Remember, they must be thousand-year soul beasts."

He still left the preliminary work of choosing soul beasts to Yu Xiaogang. After all, despite his lack of strength, Yu Xiaogang remained a master of theory.

"Once you've found your targets, prepare your travel supplies yourselves," Tang Hao instructed. "I'll appear when the time comes."

He entrusted the entire matter to Cinderella, leaving her responsible for telling Tang San and Yu Xiaogang about the pills and the plan to change the age of their soul rings.

With everything explained, Tang Hao had no intention of staying a moment longer.

He gave Cinderella a long, searching look—or rather, he looked through her, toward somewhere far away.

"I've been away so long. It's time I went to see Ah Yin." He spoke quietly, his voice carrying a longing and weariness Cinderella had never heard before.

Without waiting for Cinderella to reply, Tang Hao drifted backward like a phantom. In an instant, he melted into the deeper darkness at the end of the path and vanished, as though he had never appeared.

Only Cinderella remained, standing alone with the jade box in her hand, holding pills that would change the course of their cultivation.

That evening, when Tang San returned from the smithy and went to see Cinderella, he noticed something unusual about her expression. Instead of her usual gentle smile, there was a hint of gravity and contemplation.

"Sis, what's wrong?" Tang San immediately sensed something