At Ye Guixu's command, a wisp of Asura Divine Power stirred within Puppet Tang Hao.
The Asura God's phantom appeared in the void once more.
But this time, a dense aura of darkness permeated the phantom, utterly unlike the overbearing wisp of divine power from before.
He hovered silently in midair, his head lowered, his expression deeply respectful toward Ye Guixu.
"Greetings, Master."
Ye Guixu raised his eyes. A scarlet gleam flashed through them, and he activated Brainwave Connection.
A strand of Spiritual Power probed the depths of the puppet Asura God's consciousness, beginning to sift through the fragments of memory sealed within the divine power.
Only after a long while did he slowly speak. "Just as I thought."
"That old bastard, the Asura God, never intended to find a successor. He was cultivating a vessel."
"He forcibly stuffed things found only on the Douluo Continent-the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, immortal herbs, the three great treasure basins, and more-into Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, making him believe they were the Tang Sect's legacy. In truth, it was a road the Asura God had paved for him. Even his Mysterious Heaven Skill was replaced with a God King-level cultivation method the Asura God had found."
Gu Yuena frowned slightly. "He arranged all that, too?"
"That's not all." Ye Guixu sneered.
"Cultivation methods, hidden weapons, memories, his cultivation path-he altered them all."
"From beginning to end, Tang San followed the track he laid out, believing he carried the legacy of his previous life. In reality, every step was under the Asura God's control."
"The reason he went to such lengths was that Tang San's compatibility with the Asura Godhood wasn't high."
"The Asura God needed to keep filling in the gaps and making alterations, using Divine Slaughter's Domain to temper his soul so he would gradually adapt to the Asura God's power."
"And Slaughter City was the factory where the Asura God mass-produced 'Divine Slaughter's Domain imprints.'"
Yan Lingji leaned closer, a hint of puzzlement in her voice. "Divine Slaughter's Domain?"
"Divine Slaughter's Domain is, in essence, the Asura God's soul imprint."
"Everyone who obtains Divine Slaughter's Domain has an imprint of the Asura God branded deep within their soul."
"Normally, this imprint has no effect. But once the Asura God chooses to activate it, that person becomes his 'vessel,' capable of hosting his descending consciousness at any moment. He can even possess them outright."
Tide Siren's pupils contracted slightly. "Then Tang San..."
"Tang San is his puppet."
"The Asura God invested the most resources in him, and he's the creation he's most satisfied with."
"Tang San's soul was repeatedly tempered, altered, and shaped, practically carved from the Asura God's own mold. And Xiao Wu was part of the Asura God's plan, too."
"Xiao Wu?" Gu Yuena raised an eyebrow.
"A hundred-thousand-year-old Soft-Boned Charm Rabbit who abandoned her cultivation to take human form."
"The Asura God guided her to Tang San. Later, he would have her become the 'Asura Sword Sheath' so she could store even more Asura Divine Power."
"The so-called Asura Sword Sheath is a vessel for holding Asura Divine Power, and an essential key to Tang San bearing dual godhood."
Yan Lingji frowned. "So Xiao Wu was designed to be Tang San's tool from the very beginning?"
"The whole plan was designed in advance."
"The Asura God never wanted a successor. What he wanted was nothing more than a puppet."
"As the Asura God, he was undoubtedly the one most compatible with his godhood."
"And yet he cultivated a shell whose compatibility with the Asura Godhood was lacking to begin with. Whatever could that mean? Such a difficult guess."
Ye Guixu grew increasingly flushed.
"Rebirth in another body?" A trace of chill entered Gu Yuena's voice.
"The Sea God Godhood can temper the bloodlust and brutality of Asura Divine Power. Once Tang San obtained dual godhood, that body would become the perfect vessel."
"That way, he could escape the constraints of the Divine Realm's laws while moving freely outside the Divine Realm, becoming someone truly beyond anyone's restraint."
"When the time came, the Asura God could reclaim his godhood and power at any moment, while gaining the combat strength of dual godhood, greater than what he'd possessed before."
Gu Yuena looked at the silent Asura God puppet, her voice lowering. "He's been laying this scheme for so long."
"Only for it to be disrupted." The corners of Ye Guixu's lips lifted slightly.
"He calculated everything, except that the Divine Realm would be swept away by Space-Time Turbulence. Still less did he expect that someone else would take over this game of chess."
"Before he sent down this wisp of divine power, the God Kings of the Divine Realm estimated that the Divine Realm would be swept away by Space-Time Turbulence for seven days."
"Heh. One day in the Divine Realm, one year on Douluo."
"When the time comes, I look forward to the ugly expression on his face when he returns and sees all his plans destroyed."
Yan Lingji chuckled. "Then, Master, would you like to record what he said?"
"Mm, that's a good idea."
"Then, Master, what about that fellow below?"
"Let him continue."
Ye Guixu directly activated the power of the Void Profound Ice and infused it into Tang Hao's broken body.
Ice-blue light surged into the stumps of his limbs like a living thing. Flesh regrew, healed, and repaired itself at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A moment later, Tang Hao opened his eyes in a daze. What greeted him was still that dark expanse of ice crystals.
"...Am I already dead?"
"Hmph... better to be dead."
But a mocking voice came from beside him:
"Original, you're dreaming too sweetly. Death would be your easiest ending. But under Master's orders, you cannot simply die like this. You must suffer torment."
Tang Hao turned his head with an ugly expression, looking at the two figures beside him, both familiar and unfamiliar.
One was his own puppet. The other was Ah Yin, the Dark Blue Silver Emperor.
Especially when he met Ah Yin's scarlet eyes-the hatred and disgust in that gaze.
No sorrow was greater than a dead heart. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
The next instant, the dark-red vines in Ah Yin's hand rose high again and lashed down viciously.
Every strike stripped away a piece of his flesh. Blood spread across the ice, only to be frozen by the extreme cold into a dark-red layer.
"Tang Hao, you useless fool."
"Tang Hao, you idiot."
"Tang Hao, you piece of trash."
Every lash from Dark Ah Yin came with a venomous remark.
Tang Hao's body curled and stretched beneath the whipping, stretched and curled. His mind wandered repeatedly between the agony of his flesh and the rending of his soul.
He stared blankly at the ice, trying to exile his consciousness to some unseen corner.
But an icy voice came from above.
"Trying to escape the pain by exiling your consciousness? Don't even think about it, Tang Hao."
"All you need to do is endure extreme pain in here-your body, mind, and soul ravaged all at once. You will hurt, hate, and regret, but you will never find release."
Ye Guixu used Brainwave Connection to pierce the barriers of his will, forcibly dragging his soul back into this reality filled with torment.
Before that power, Tang Hao's will crumpled like thin paper, and he let out another piercing wail.
Yan Lingji withdrew her gaze. "Master, where should we go now? Shall we capture that vessel, Tang San?"
Ye Guixu shook his head. "No, I'll go see someone first."
"Who? Another great beauty?" Yan Lingji nestled against his shoulder, her red lips slightly parted, her voice carrying a measure of teasing and curiosity.
"The first person to show me kindness after I came here."
As he said this, Ye Guixu's gaze fell upon the broken body below, still being whipped over and over, and the killing intent in his eyes grew colder and more chilling.
Tang Hao, I haven't finished settling your account!
Before you continue