Under cover of night, a dark figure flew silently through the mountains outside Holy Soul Village.
At that same moment, Tang Hao's face was flushed red, his expression so dark it could almost drip water.
That brat's sneering words still echoed relentlessly in his mind.
"A useless man who couldn't even protect his wife!"
The words bored into his ears like a demonic chant, making him increasingly agitated.
He said nothing, his expression cold, and continued racing toward his destination.
When he reached that familiar valley and the familiar waterfall came into view, guilt instantly engulfed Tang Hao's expression.
If he hadn't back then...
No!
The wood had already been made into a boat.
He shook his head sharply, forcing those thoughts away.
He walked up to the waterfall, gathered his Soul Power, and swept his arm fiercely. The enormous torrent instantly parted to either side as though flowing backward.
He passed through the curtain of water and approached the stone wall behind the waterfall. Just as he was about to press his hand against that rock, he suddenly noticed a fresh mark on it.
His pupils contracted sharply. This is bad.
He quickly pressed the rock, revealing a doorway, then darted inside with an extremely ugly expression.
"Aah!!!"
Moments later, a furious roar exploded from deep within the cavern, sending loose stones pattering down.
Tang Hao dropped to his knees with a thud and crawled unsteadily toward the spot where Ah Yin had originally been planted.
Only a hole remained there, the soil overturned, utterly empty.
He scooped up a handful of earth with trembling hands, his voice hoarse and brimming with murderous intent:
"Ah Yin! Who was it? Who on earth dug you up?!"
He had deliberately concealed this cave with extreme care. A waterfall barred the way outside, and a concealed door lay within. Ordinary Soul Masters could not even pass through the waterfall, much less discover the mechanism.
Who on earth was it?
"Could it have been that damned brat?!"
The first person he thought of was the mysterious boy who had escaped from his hands earlier.
His old injuries had flared up tonight, leaving him unsettled, and the words "a useless man who couldn't even protect his wife" kept echoing in his mind.
He could not help being suspicious.
But on second thought, Xiao San had said that the boy had only appeared near Holy Soul Village today, and before his awakening, he had merely been an ordinary child.
Before awakening, he could not have come here.
After awakening, he had immediately been found by Tang Hao.
Besides, that brat clung to life and feared death. Tang Hao had beaten him until he [fled in a sorry state], so how could he possibly dare return and take such a risk?
Damn it!
Who on earth had dug up his Ah Yin?
Tang Hao gritted his teeth and let out a furious roar.
"You damned bastard, don't let me find you, or I'll skin you, tear out your bones, and cut you into a thousand pieces!"
"No... the Soul Bone!!!"
Tang Hao whipped his head around to look at the mechanism beside him, his expression growing uglier still. There was a fresh mark on it as well.
Trembling, he pressed the mechanism. The space above the cave entrance was empty; the black lead box had long since vanished without a trace.
"Aah! No... my Ah Yin!!!"
Tang Hao's eyes were now bloodshot. He panted like an ox, looking utterly deranged.
"Who?! Who took that Soul Bone?! Get out here!"
Tang Hao unleashed his Spiritual Power in a frenzy, frantically searching his surroundings. He wanted to see whether that bastard was still here.
"You damned bastard!! When I catch you, I'll skin you, tear out your bones, and cut you into a thousand pieces!!"
Tang Hao roared furiously.
The Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his palm. He looked as though he wanted to smash all the regret, fury, and despair of these past years into the stone.
At last, the entire cavern collapsed with a thunderous crash, becoming a heap of ruins.
A long time later.
"Ah Yin!"
"It was all my fault... I'm useless..."
"Haha..."
After venting his rage, Tang Hao's face filled with remorse and self-reproach.
"I should never have had that thought back then... I shouldn't have... haha...
"I did it, then felt guilty... only later did I realize I'd truly fallen in love with you!!!
"Haha... I'm useless... I'm useless!!
"A useless man who couldn't even protect his wife!!!"
"Pfft!"
His fury overwhelmed his heart, and he violently spat out a mouthful of blood. Tang Hao's face abruptly turned deathly pale, his aura withered, and he fainted amid the ruins.
Early the next morning.
Sunlight filtered through the waterfall, scattering mottled light and shadow through the cavern.
The faint light stung Tang Hao awake. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was a shattered ruin, with nothing left around him.
Looking utterly dejected and covered in dust, he staggered back to his home in Holy Soul Village.
At the doorway, looking completely dispirited, he rummaged through his Storage Soul Tool for the fine wine he had kept hidden for years and poured it ceaselessly into his mouth.
His expression was savage and twisted.
Crash!
Tang Hao casually smashed the empty wine jar against the ground, sending shards flying.
The noise woke Tang San inside, who had been restless and sleepless all night and had only closed his eyes at daybreak.
"Dad, what's wrong?"
Tang Hao turned toward the voice.
In the dim light, a slender figure came into view, actually overlapping with the silhouette that had filled him with guilt day and night all these years.
In his daze, she seemed to be standing gently before him, sighing softly:
"Brother Hao, you're drinking again. You'll hurt your health..."
"Ah Yin..." Tang Hao's throat tightened. Before he even realized it, his hand had risen shakily and reached toward that face.
Whether the alcohol had burned away his reason or the remorse he had suppressed for years had burst its banks, tears streamed down his aging face:
"I wronged you... I was a bastard... back then... I failed to protect you!"
Tang San froze, his eyes full of bewilderment.
"Dad... what's wrong?"
But Tang Hao could no longer contain that anguish. He abruptly dragged him into his arms and cried hysterically:
"It was my fault! I failed to protect you! I'm not human! I deserve to die! I'm nothing but a useless man!!!"
Tang San was held so tightly that he could barely breathe, his face filled with confusion, but he could truly feel the grief seeping from his father's very bones.
He hesitated, then gently patted Tang Hao's back and comforted him awkwardly:
"It's all right... I forgive you. Really."
Tang Hao shuddered all over, abruptly released him, and stared fixedly at the person before him, his eyes brimming with hope:
"You... you're really willing to forgive me?! Really? You don't hate me?"
Although Tang San understood none of it, seeing the desperate longing in his father's despairing face, he still nodded solemnly:
"Yes, I forgive you. You did nothing wrong."
Hearing those words of forgiveness, Tang Hao broke down completely. Tears spilled from his eyes once more, and he held the person before him even tighter.
Time flowed slowly by.
After a long while, Tang San finally sensed something was wrong and began to struggle:
"Dad... Dad! Let go of me! I'm Xiao San! I'm your son, Tang San!"
But Tang Hao seemed trapped in that moment, unable to hear anything, merely murmuring over and over:
"Dad!! Look carefully! I'm not Ah Yin! I'm Tang San! Your son! Your own son!"
"Stop! Snap out of it!"
Before you continue