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The rest of the group lined up neatly behind them, their movements orderly despite the chaos that had unfolded moments before. Meanwhile, Dai Mubai was in a dire situation, his fate sealed by a power beyond his control.
It had been three days since Zhu Zhuqing unleashed her Black Widow external soul bone, draining Dai Mubai's soul power and life force in a ruthless act of absorption. Now, all that remained of the once-proud martial soul master was a hollow shell; his body reduced to little more than a layer of skin, a grim testament to the price of her evolution.
At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing's martial soul surged forth involuntarily. A resonant tiger's roar echoed through the air, distinctive and powerful. The dark aura that once cloaked her body shifted, transforming into a radiant white light.
Her martial soul, previously the Nether Spirit Cat, had evolved into the majestic Nether White Tiger. Alongside this transformation, her soul rings subtly rearranged themselves. What had once been two yellow and two purple rings now mirrored Ning Tian's configuration: yellow, purple, purple, and black. It was clear that the devouring process hadn't just altered her martial soul, it had fused Dai Mubai's soul ring years into her own, amplifying her power.
"How do you feel?" Ning Tian asked, a faint smile playing on his lips as he observed her newfound strength.
Xiao Wu glanced over from beside him, her delicate hands still clinging tightly to Ning Tian's waist. She held on as though letting go might mean losing him forever, a quiet fear lingering in her grip.
"I feel incredibly powerful," Zhu Zhuqing replied, her voice buzzing with excitement. "After absorbing Dai Mubai, my martial soul didn't just evolve into the Nether White Tiger, my soul power also shot straight to level 50!"
She seemed almost intoxicated by the sudden surge of strength, her eyes gleaming with a mix of awe and exhilaration.
Ning Tian nodded, his expression calm and unsurprised. He directed his Gold Devouring beetles to consume the faint traces of Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's lingering presence, cleansing the air of their residual energy. "Your soul power surpasses mine now," he said with a light chuckle. "But this is a one-time gain. From here on, you mustn't use that devouring ability again unless it's absolutely necessary. It's too dangerous otherwise."
"I understand," Zhu Zhuqing assured him, her tone firm yet grateful. "I'm not some evil soul master, after all." Though she knew Ning Tian's warning stemmed from concern, she couldn't resist rolling her eyes at him. Then, turning her gaze to Xiao Wu, she added, "Speaking of which, don't you think you owe me an explanation for all this?"
"We can talk about it on the way," Ning Tian suggested, offering an awkward smile. He extended his other hand, leaving space for Zhu Zhuqing to join them.
Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes again but stepped forward to take her place beside him. As she did, a strange thought crossed her mind: 'Ning Tian seemed more handsome somehow.' Was it her imagination? She couldn't quite place what had changed about him.
Xiao Wu felt it too, though she'd spent the last three days glued to Ning Tian's side, laughing and playing with him, unwilling to waste a single second of their time together.
"Hold on tight!" Ning Tian called out.
With Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing secured in his arms, he channeled energy into his right leg, activating the flight skill of his 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone. In an instant, the trio launched into the sky, their forms blurring into a streak of azure light that disappeared across the horizon.
…..
Night had settled over the land, a cool breeze whispering through the forest leaves. In the heart of the woods, a campfire flickered and crackled, its flames gnawing at the firewood and casting tiny sparks into the darkness.
Tang Hao stirred slowly from his coma, his eyes struggling to open against the weight of exhaustion that clung to him. "Strange," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Didn't I die? Why am I still alive? And where are we?"
"Father, you're awake! We're safe, both of us," came Tang San's tearful reply from beside him, his voice thick with relief and lingering despair.
Only the heavens knew what Tang San had endured over the past three days. It began with Ye Lingling's Sacred Heart Begonia shattering his Batwing Rebound technique, stripping him of one of his strongest defenses.
Then Ning Tian had struck, effortlessly dismantling the martial soul fusion skill he'd formed with Dai Mubai in a single devastating move. As if that weren't enough, the leader of the New Heaven Dou Battle Team had accused him of cheating, leading to the cancellation of his Soul Master Tournament results and a lifetime ban from competition.
But those humiliations paled in comparison to the true blow: the Spirit Hall's relentless oppression. If not for his father's intervention at the critical moment, Tang San would have been captured by their forces. Now, Xiao Wu was trapped in Spirit City, her fate unknown, while his father had fallen unconscious after dragging him to safety. Worse still, Tang Hao's injuries were catastrophic, far more severe than Tang San had feared, leaving him unable to leave his side to rescue her.
Tormented by dark, malevolent thoughts, Tang San's mind churned with guilt and anguish.
"Little San… is that really you?" Tang Hao rasped, staring at his son in disbelief. Tang San's appearance had changed dramatically since he'd last seen him.
His hair had grown long and dark, cascading down to his waist in thick waves. His face, once marred by imperfections, was now refined and flawless though his skin had taken on an unnaturally dark hue. Without that oddity, he might have rivaled the likes of Dai Mubai or Oscar in looks. Yet his short stature and slight hunch remained, flaws he couldn't escape.
"Father, it's me, Little San," Tang San replied, his voice trembling. "Has something happened to me?"
Startled by his father's reaction, he hurried to a nearby stream. Under the moonlight, he studied his reflection, piecing together the clues. Ye Lingling's influence flashed in his mind, and he realized it must be tied to his martial soul.
Raising his hands, Tang San summoned both of his martial souls: the Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer. The Clear Sky Hammer remained unchanged, its familiar weight steady in his grip. But the Blue Silver Grass was different, its once-vibrant hue had darkened significantly. Curious, he flung a tendril toward a half-person-high rock by the stream. The grass coiled around it effortlessly, and with a sharp tug, the stone shattered into pieces under the sheer force of his martial soul.
It was unmistakable, his martial soul had mutated. 'Was this a blessing born from misfortune?' For a moment, Tang San lost himself in the sudden rush of joy, marveling at the unexpected gift.
Tang Hao, however, frowned deeply. "Little San," he said, his voice heavy with concern, "tell me everything that happened after I lost consciousness, especially how your martial soul changed."
His memory was frozen at the moment of his last stand: after sacrificing his soul rings in a desperate explosion of power, Bibi Dong had countered, shattering his Clear Sky Hammer once more. Then darkness had claimed him.
He'd planned to guide Tang San to the Blue Silver Forest for his martial soul's second awakening at level 60, but now his son's Blue Silver Grass had morphed into something unrecognizable.
'Could it be an unforeseen consequence of his martial soul?'
Tang San answered swiftly, "After Bibi Dong defeated you the second time, I passed out. When I woke up, we were outside Spirit City, and you were unconscious beside me. I've stayed here since, consumed by worry; your injuries, Xiao Wu still trapped in Spirit City, my losses to Ning Tian, and that useless Yu Xiaogang's schemes that left me weakened. It wasn't until you woke up that I noticed my martial soul had mutated."
Tang Hao's frown deepened. He had no memory of escaping with Tang San, and he'd been certain death was upon him after that final clash. 'How did I survived?' Questions swirled in his mind, each more troubling than the last.
After a long, fruitless moment of thought, he sighed wearily. "It wasn't me who brought you out," he admitted. His gaze turned complex as he studied his son. "Could it have been the Great Elder of your Tang Sect?"
Tang San's eyes narrowed, a surge of killing intent flaring toward the Cang hui Academy members he blamed for part of his woes, a hatred so fierce he longed to wipe them out entirely.
Seeing his son's silence, Tang Hao took it as confirmation. The Douluo Continent was riddled with hidden clans and factions, too many even for him to count, and he let the matter rest for now.
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