Chapter 436: Tang Hao Choosing Suicide?
Hearing this, Tang San nodded, then slowly closed his eyes.
The figures of Tang Chuan, Qian Renxue, and Di Tian appeared in his mind once again, his voice low and filled with resentment.
"There, are my enemies."
"And there is everything I must take back."
Prince Xu Jingyuan watched him.
After a long while, he suddenly laughed.
"Good."
"You help me ascend to the throne of the Sun Moon Empire."
"I will help you fight your way back to the Douluo Continent."
"I accept this deal."
Tang San opened his eyes and looked at Prince Xu Jingyuan.
Their gazes collided on either side of the soul guidance barrier.
One was a down-and-out prince who had just been exiled to the Western Border.
The other was a Rakshasa Legacy bearer who had fled in defeat from the Douluo Continent.
One craved the throne, the other craved revenge.
At this moment, they both knew that they were not facing friends, but wolves using each other.
But what of it? In the face of power and revenge, wolves are actually the easiest to form an alliance.
Tang San slowly raised his hand, the purple-black Rakshasa Death Qi coalescing into a strange mark in his palm, and said in a deep voice:
"From today on, you and I are partners."
Prince Xu Jingyuan looked at the mark, a flash of wariness passing through his eyes.
But in the end, he still raised his hand and injected his Soul Power into it.
The purple-black mark flashed and vanished.
In the secret chamber, the soul guidance lamp suddenly dimmed for an instant, as if something had quietly fallen into the fate of this strange continent.
Tang San leaned back on the treatment table, his lips curling up slowly.
"Prince Xu Jingyuan."
"You will be glad you saved me today."
Prince Xu Jingyuan said indifferently:
"I hope so."
Tang San closed his eyes, his voice icy.
"First, find me some death row prisoners; I need to recover my strength, the more the better."
Prince Xu Jingyuan did not answer immediately, but turned to look at the middle-aged officer.
"How many people are left in the Western Border death row?"
The middle-aged officer's expression changed slightly, and after a moment of hesitation, he said in a low voice:
"Three thousand seven hundred and sixty."
Prince Xu Jingyuan was silent for a moment, then said indifferently:
"Tonight, transfer them all to the third underground level of the Black Rock Workshop."
The Senior Soul Master turned pale.
"Your Highness..."
Prince Xu Jingyuan did not turn back.
"From today on, the third underground level of the Black Rock Workshop is classified as top secret."
"Without my order, no one is allowed to approach."
"Violators will be killed."
The middle-aged officer bowed his head.
"Yes."
The morning in Holy Soul Village was heavy with fog.
A thin layer of white mist shrouded the ridges at the village entrance, the sound of roosters crowing came from afar, and cooking smoke rose from the roofs of the earthen houses.
This remote little village seemed as peaceful as ever; villagers carried hoes as they went out, children chased each other along the muddy roads, and Old Jack walked past the village entrance with his cane, muttering about this year's harvest.
But the blacksmith shop at the end of the village was unusually quiet.
At this hour in the past, the clanging of ironworking should have long been ringing out from the blacksmith shop.
Although Tang Hao was silent and slovenly, as long as someone brought him a hoe, sickle, or kitchen knife, he would always sit in front of the forge, hammering away until dark.
But today, the forge fire was extinguished, the hammer was thrown on the ground, and a half-burnt, blackened piece of iron lay beside the anvil, as if it had been forgotten by its owner for an entire night.
Tang Hao sat on the threshold, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot.
He hadn't slept all night; ever since he sensed that familiar Blue Silver Emperor aura last night, he had been sitting here, looking in the direction of the Sunset Forest, like a soulless piece of dead wood.
Ah Yin was alive.
This thought echoed repeatedly in his mind; joy, pain, fear, guilt, regret... countless emotions flooded him like a tide.
He wanted to see her.
But he didn't dare.
Now, his cultivation was completely destroyed, his Soul Power dissipated; where was any trace of the Clear Sky Douluo from back then? Furthermore, he hid too many things in his heart regarding that incident all those years ago.
He was afraid of Ah Yin asking; and even more afraid of Ah Yin not asking.
Just as Tang Hao sat with his head down, his hands clutching his clothes tightly, the Blue Silver Grass in the courtyard suddenly swayed gently.
Tang Hao's body stiffened abruptly.
A gentle, familiar, yet purer life aura than in his memories came slowly from the direction of the village entrance.
The aura was not aggressive or overbearing, yet it made all the Blue Silver Grass around the entire Holy Soul Village lower their leaves.
The villagers didn't notice much, only feeling that the wind today seemed exceptionally gentle, and there was a faint fragrance of vegetation in the air.
But Tang Hao stood up abruptly, as if struck by lightning.
He gripped the doorframe, his eyes fixed on the village entrance.
In the mist, a blue-gold figure walked slowly.
She wore a blue-gold dress, her long hair cascading down, her brows and eyes gentle; the Blue Silver Grass beneath her feet unfurled gently one by one, as if welcoming their Emperor.
She did not walk fast, but every step felt like it was stepping on Tang Hao's heart, making his heart tremble violently, almost unable to breathe.
Tang Hao's lips trembled, and his eyes instantly turned red.
"Ah... Ah Yin..."
Ah Yin stopped outside the gate of the blacksmith shop, watching him quietly.
Years had passed, and Tang Hao had aged significantly.
The once high-spirited Clear Sky Sect Genius, who dared to confront Spirit Hall head-on, now had graying hair, worn-out clothes, a face full of weathering, and deep regret and wretchedness hidden in his eyes.
But Ah Yin's gaze did not soften immediately.
She just stood there, looking at him for a long time.
Tang Hao suddenly seemed unable to hold on any longer, stumbling out a few steps and falling to his knees with a thud.
"Ah Yin!"
With this cry, he completely broke down.
Tears rolled down the face of this man who once had an iron backbone; he supported himself on the muddy ground with both hands, crying like an old man who had lost everything.
"You are really alive..."
"Ah Yin, you have really been resurrected..."
"I thought I would never see you again in this life..."
He wanted to crawl over, but didn't dare to get close, so he could only kneel on the ground, looking at her with a face full of tears.
If it were before, Ah Yin would certainly have softened her heart upon seeing Tang Hao in this state.
But now, she only felt heavy in her heart.
She remembered everything Tang Chuan had told her.
Tang San slaughtered cities and devoured souls, refining the dead into undead; Tang Hao had his cultivation destroyed and hid back in Holy Soul Village to forge iron; the truth of her sacrifice back then was perhaps not a simple tragedy.
Ah Yin walked slowly into the courtyard.
Tang Hao looked up, his eyes full of tears and ecstasy.
"Ah Yin, I was wrong."
"I truly know I was wrong all these years."
"It is good that you have returned; as long as you can return, I ask for nothing else."
Ah Yin looked at him, her voice very soft.
"Tang Hao."
This sound made Tang Hao tremble all over.
She did not call him Brother Hao, but Tang Hao.
The ecstasy on Tang Hao's face froze bit by bit.
Ah Yin asked in a low voice: "I want to hear you tell me about what happened back then yourself."
Tang Hao's eyes darted away.
"Back then..."
"Back then, it was because I was useless; I failed to protect you. If I had been stronger, if I had discovered that Spirit Hall was pursuing us sooner, you wouldn't have..."
"That is not what I am asking."
Ah Yin interrupted him.
Tang Hao's face turned slightly pale.
Ah Yin looked into his eyes and asked word by word:
"Back then, did you intentionally take me back to the Clear Sky Sect?"
Tang Hao's body jolted, and he subconsciously denied it:
"No!"
"Ah Yin, it is not what you think!"
"I took you back to the Sect just to give you a status. I wanted the Clear Sky Sect to acknowledge you, I wanted everyone to know that you are my wife, not some Soul Beast in human form that couldn't see the light of day."
Ah Yin's expression did not change.
"You knew clearly that I was a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast in human form."
"You knew clearly that once my identity was exposed, Spirit Hall would not let me go."
"You also knew clearly that the Clear Sky Sect was not monolithic."
"Yet you still took me there."
Tang Hao said anxiously: "I was too arrogant back then; I thought I could protect you, I thought that with the reputation of the Clear Sky Sect, no one would dare to touch you!"
Ah Yin looked at him and continued to ask: "And what about later?"
"Why did Spirit Hall get the news so quickly?"
"Why was Qian Xunji able to find us so accurately?"
"Why did our escape route seem to be forced into a dead end, step by step?"
"Why was the only choice left for me in the end, sacrifice?"
Tang Hao's face grew paler and paler.
His lips trembled, and he dared not look at Ah Yin again.
"I don't know..."
"Ah Yin, I really don't know."
"It was too chaotic back then, Spirit Hall was pursuing us too closely; I just wanted to take you and escape."
Ah Yin's voice trembled slightly.
"Tang Hao, look at me."
Tang Hao did not look up.
Ah Yin took a step forward.
"Look at me."
Tang Hao clenched his hands, his knuckles turning white, yet he still dared not look up.
The last shred of hope in Ah Yin's eyes slowly shattered at this moment.
She closed her eyes, her voice filled with irrepressible pain.
"Tang Chuan told me that what happened back then was likely not an accident."
"I didn't believe it."
"I told myself that you might be arrogant, perhaps impulsive, perhaps ignoring the consequences for the sake of the Clear Sky Sect's face, but you wouldn't truly scheme against me."
"So I came; I wanted to hear you tell me yourself."
"Tang Hao, tell me."
"When you took me back to the Clear Sky Sect, had you thought from the very beginning that if one day I were forced into a desperate situation, I would choose to sacrifice myself for you, for the child?"
Tang Hao looked up abruptly, his eyes full of pain.
"No!"
"I didn't want to harm you from the beginning!"
"I love you, Ah Yin!"
"How could I really want you to die?"
Ah Yin's eyes were red, but she still looked at him.
"Then have you thought about it? Have you thought in your heart that if I sacrificed myself, you would be able to obtain a hundred thousand year spirit ring, obtain a Soul Bone, your strength would soar, and from then on you would have the capital to confront Spirit Hall, and the capital to face the Clear Sky Sect again?"
Tang Hao felt as if his strength had been drained away.
He knelt on the ground, his lips trembling constantly.
"I..."
Ah Yin's voice was softer, but sharper.
"Did you?"
Tang Hao opened his mouth; he wanted to deny it.
But as he looked into Ah Yin's eyes, all his lies felt as if they had been torn apart.
Those eyes were too clean, so clean that he had nowhere to hide.
After a long while, Tang Hao suddenly lowered his head and let out a whimper like a beast.
"Yes."
As this word fell, Ah Yin's face turned pale instantly.
Tang Hao completely collapsed.
He held his head with both hands, kneeling painfully on the ground, his voice hoarse and broken.
"I did think about it."
"Ah Yin, I really did think about it."
"But I swear, I didn't want you to die at the beginning."
"I was just... I was just too unwilling to accept it."
"I am the most talented Disciple of the Clear Sky Sect, I am Tang Hao; I shouldn't have to hide all my life, I shouldn't have to live like a fugitive with my wife and child."
"I wanted the Sect to acknowledge you, I wanted the people of the Clear Sky Sect to know that the wife I, Tang Hao, chose, even if she is a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast in human form, is not someone they can humiliate."
"But later..."
Tang Hao's voice became increasingly painful.
"Later I knew that someone within the Sect had designs."
"I also sensed that perhaps the news would leak out."
"But I did not take you away immediately."
"I told myself that as long as I was strong enough, as long as we were careful, we would definitely be able to avoid it."
"But in fact..."
"Actually, there was a voice in my heart."
"That voice told me that if you really sacrificed yourself to me, I would be able to obtain a hundred thousand year spirit ring, obtain your Soul Ring, and I would be able to become stronger."
"I would be able to protect the child, be able to fight my way back to Spirit Hall, and be able to make everyone pay the price."
"I suppressed that thought."
"I told myself that was just the worst-case scenario."
"But I didn't cut it off. I even... even when Spirit Hall was pursuing us, I didn't choose the safest path immediately."
Ah Yin's body swayed slightly.
Tang Hao, seemingly unable to breathe under the weight of his own sins, simply poured everything out.
"I knew that path was more dangerous."
"I knew that if we kept running, you would be forced into a desperate situation."
"But I still chose it. Because there was a moment in my heart where I really thought that if you sacrificed yourself to me, I would be able to live, and the child would be able to live."
"I could take your power and go for revenge."
"I could tell myself that all of this was forced by Spirit Hall."
"I could tell myself that I was not the one who caused your death."
Tang Hao raised his hand abruptly and slapped himself hard.
With a crisp, loud sound.
Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but he seemed to feel no pain.
"I am a beast."
"Ah Yin, I am a beast."
"I am not worthy of your love."
"I am not worthy of being the father of Tang San and Tang Chuan."
"I have been lying to myself all these years, saying that Spirit Hall caused your death, saying that Qian Xunji forced you to sacrifice, saying that I just failed to protect you."
"But I know, I have always known in my heart."
"If I didn't have that bit of selfishness back then, you might not have died."
"It was I who harmed you; it was I who forced you to sacrifice."
Ah Yin stood there, tears falling drop by drop from her face.
She had finally heard the answer.
But this answer was crueler than she had imagined; the person she had once loved with her life had truly pushed her toward the ending of sacrifice at the most dangerous moment.
Even if he hadn't completely planned everything from the very beginning.
Yet he knew clearly what might happen, but did not stop it.
Even at that moment, he acquiesced to that result.
That was enough.
It was more painful than simple betrayal.
Because it was mixed with love, selfishness, arrogance, cowardice, and greed.
Tang Hao suddenly stood up unsteadily.
He rushed into the blacksmith shop and grabbed the rough iron hammer.
Ah Yin's expression changed slightly.
"What are you doing?"
Tang Hao gave a miserable laugh.
"I owe you."
"I will never be able to repay it in this life."
"Ah Yin, I harmed you, and I also harmed the children."
"Tang San becoming what he is today, I am also guilty."
"The Clear Sky Sect was refined into undead by him; I, this sinner of the Clear Sky Sect, have even less face to live."
As he spoke, he raised the iron hammer, actually intending to smash it down onto his own crown.
"I will use this life to apologize to you!"
The moment the iron hammer fell, a blue-gold vine suddenly emerged from the ground, wrapping around Tang Hao's wrist, and the iron hammer stopped in mid-air.