At those words, Xiao Wu immediately realized she had been tricked. Her pretty face flushed red, and she puffed up like a little hamster, utterly adorable.
"Eww, you're so mean!"
Xiao Wu's affection +5. Current affection: 87.
The sight of this sweet exchange, however, left Tang San utterly shattered.
On the one hand, he wanted Liu Hao to resurrect his mother so he could finally have a complete family.
On the other hand, he did not want Liu Hao to steal the sweet, adorable Xiao Wu away. He could not bear to lose such a beautiful, clingy little sister-or rather, he could not bear to relinquish the special feelings for Xiao Wu that had blossomed in his heart, feelings that went beyond affection for a sister.
The two thoughts tangled and tugged at each other in Tang San's heart, tormenting him.
"Ah..."
Tang San clutched his head in anguish and crouched down with a low growl, squeezing his eyes shut as though trying to separate the two thoughts inside his head.
Unfortunately, that was doomed to be futile.
"Little San? What's wrong?"
Alarmed by the sight, Tang Hao hurried forward to check on him.
Unfortunately, his voice only reminded Tang San of his murdered mother, strengthening his desire to resurrect her-and making him even more reluctant to let Xiao Wu go.
"Get away!"
Tang San suddenly roared, startling Tang Hao so badly that he shuddered. He dared neither move nor utter another sound.
Naturally, Liu Hao and Xiao Wu noticed this strange scene as well.
Liu Hao raised an eyebrow, a vague suspicion forming in his mind. The corners of his mouth lifted, but he said nothing.
Xiao Wu, meanwhile, furrowed her delicate brows and asked, "Tang San, are you all right?"
Tang San...
Those two words exploded like a thunderclap in Tang San's mind, echoing through it.
Xiao Wu had always called him Brother San before, or Little San at worst. Now, she called him Tang San.
What did that mean? The answer was obvious.
Xiao Wu was no longer his Xiao Wu, nor was she his little sister anymore.
Plip-
A clear tear slipped from the corner of Tang San's eye and fell to the ground, shattering into droplets.
That tear held his feelings for Xiao Wu, his love for her.
From that moment onward, Xiao Wu was no longer a little sister in Tang San's heart, no longer family, and no longer the person he loved.
"N-no... I'm fine."
Tang San forced a smile, as though everything that had just happened had never occurred.
"Oh..."
Xiao Wu acknowledged him without saying anything more.
Ever since learning that Tang San's father had plotted the death of a senior who was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form, most of her feelings for Tang San had already crumbled.
It was much like hating a house and even the crows perched upon it.
Now, her heart was entirely occupied by Liu Hao.
Her question just now might have been a matter of politeness, or perhaps a way of testing her own heart.
Sure enough, she no longer had the slightest feelings for Tang San.
Sometimes, people-oh, no, soul beasts-were just that fickle.
One day, they were whispering sweet nothings, unable to bear being apart.
The next, they went their separate ways, no different from strangers.
And that was without even accounting for the system and Liu Hao stirring things up between them.
"All right, let me resurrect Ah Yin."
Not wanting to waste time, Liu Hao spoke up and drew everyone's attention back to him.
"Tang Hao, release your soul rings. I'll strip away your ninth soul ring and use it to resurrect Ah Yin. I assume you have no objections?"
"..."
Tang Hao saw that Tang San, Liu Hao, and Xiao Wu were all looking at him.
Xiao Wu was easy enough to handle; her gaze was calm and devoid of emotion.
But there was menace in Liu Hao's eyes, while Tang San's held urgency, longing, and even a trace of madness.
Those looks truly sent a chill down Tang Hao's back.
"Of course I have no objections. I couldn't be happier if Ah Yin can be resurrected. Why would I object?" Tang Hao forced a smile that showed eight teeth, as though he were delighted.
The moment he finished speaking, Tang Hao clearly sensed both those barbed gazes soften.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then summoned his martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, and released his nine soul rings.
Seeing this, Liu Hao did not hesitate. After sweeping the area with his spiritual power, he reached out and took a long black lead box from the wall.
He opened it and took out the blue soul bone inside.
Without the lead box blocking it, the soul bone immediately released an incredibly rich, pure aura of life.
Even a single breath of it left one feeling refreshed and at ease.
Although Liu Hao's Heaven-Reaching Ambrosial Arbor Wooden Stick Martial Soul possessed even greater vitality, it did not leak the slightest trace of its life aura, so there was nothing to smell.
The soul bone Ah Yin had left behind, however, clearly could no longer contain its energy after losing the protection of her body.
That was also why Tang Hao had sealed it inside a lead box.
After taking out the soul bone, Liu Hao released his first martial soul, the Heaven-Reaching Ambrosial Arbor Wooden Stick, and activated Tool Soul Avatar.
At once, an enormous tree of deep, dusky blue rose from the ground, towering toward the heavens.
Ten meters... a hundred meters... a thousand meters... ten thousand meters... a hundred thousand meters... a million meters...
No one knew just how tall the colossal tree had grown. Its top was simply nowhere in sight.
Countless limbs extended from its trunk, and numerous branches sprouted from those limbs.
Rather than tangling and fighting with one another, these branches pierced straight through space and plunged into the void, reaching broader regions where they could compete for energy.
Something similar was happening at the roots.
The primary roots extended continuously, producing countless secondary roots, which in turn produced numerous fine roots, repeating the process over and over.
Whenever the roots intertwined in a particular region, one side would pierce the spatial barrier and plunge into the endless void, never wasting any part capable of absorbing energy.
Just then, a progress bar from the system appeared before Liu Hao's eyes.
Energy absorbed for Ah Yin's resurrection: 1%... 2%... 3%...
Every few seconds or so, the progress bar advanced.
Meanwhile, as Liu Hao's divine Heaven-Reaching Ambrosial Arbor devoured energy from the void...
Spirit City.
After several hours of long-distance flight, Qian Renxue and Qian Daoliu finally returned from the Heaven Dou Empire.
Though utterly exhausted, the grandfather and granddaughter did not stop to rest, heading straight for the Papal Palace.
"Bibi Dong, where is Liu Hao?"
Once inside the hall, Qian Daoliu dispensed with pleasantries and asked directly.
Bibi Dong, who was seated on the papal throne handling affairs, immediately recalled how that bastard had forced her and her disciple Hu Liena to give him a massage yesterday. Her anger flared, and she snorted coldly. "I don't know! Find him yourself."
"Bibi Dong, what is that attitude?"
"..."
Considering that her strength had not yet reached the point where she could flip the table, Bibi Dong ultimately suppressed her fury and regained her composure.
"Liu Hao disappeared after leaving the Papal Palace yesterday afternoon. I don't know where he is either."
"What?!"
Qian Daoliu was aghast.
Was this some kind of joke? After all the effort I put into coaxing Xue'er back, he just turned around and ran off?
Then what did all that running around amount to? Proof that I was good at running around?
That fellow...
Qian Daoliu ground his teeth in anger, yet there was nothing he could do.
"If you don't know, can't you investigate, big sister?" Qian Renxue suddenly spoke. Her tone held not a trace of the respect owed to a mother, but rather a hint of mockery and provocation.
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