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After severing one of his legs and an arm, Tang Hao's strength had severely declined, and now he only possessed the power of a Soul Sage.
Fortunately, Tang San had grown up, and he no longer needed to worry about him.
Back in the day, both he and Tang Xiao had gone out to train when they were in their fifties. Tang San, with even greater talent than them, was advancing at a much faster rate.
Moreover, after changing his appearance, Tang San didn't have to worry about being recognized by outsiders, which allowed Tang Hao to decide to retire early.
For many years, Tang Hao had wallowed in self-pity, neglecting Ah Yin. He decided that for the rest of his life, he would stay by Ah Yin's side and go nowhere.
On this day, as usual, Tang Hao sat basking in the sunlight, watching the young Blue Silver Emperor plant sway in the wind, enjoying the peaceful life.
But soon, this tranquility was shattered.
"Dad, are you here?"
The familiar voice made Tang Hao rise abruptly. "Why has Xiao San come? It hasn't been long since I told him not to visit unless it was important—why is he here now?"
Curious, Tang Hao relied on the soul power within his body to stabilize himself, leaning on his cane as he limped forward to greet him.
Not long after, father and son met.
"Dad!"
Seeing Tang Hao's condition, Tang San quickly used his Ghost Shadow Steps to rush forward and support him.
"Xiao San, why have you come back alone? Where's Xiao Wu?"
Tang Hao couldn't help but ask.
Before he went into seclusion, Tang San had already declared that he was going to search for Xiao Wu.
By now, so much time had passed, and Tang San had appeared in the Star Dou Forest. Tang Hao assumed he had found Xiao Wu.
"The matter with Xiao Wu…"
When speaking of Xiao Wu, Tang San's eyes burned with anger.
Fifteen minutes later, inside the small cottage where Tang Hao lived, Tang San informed him of Xiao Wu's situation and the fate of the Hao Tian Sect.
Upon hearing this, Tang Hao was overwhelmed with rage, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Spirit Hall, I, Tang Hao, will never coexist with you!"
The Hao Tian Sect was his foundation. Without it, how could the Tang family establish itself on the continent in the future?
Thinking of this, Tang Hao regretted cutting off his leg and arm. If he still had the strength of a Title Douluo, he could have done something for the sect instead of living like a useless old dog.
He already had hidden injuries within his body, and in his sudden agitation, he actually collapsed unconscious.
Tang San was thrown into chaos and hurriedly used his soul bone skills and the Sea God's Light to heal Tang Hao's wounds.
One day later.
Tang Hao woke up. Instinctively, he pushed himself up with his arms, wanting to sit up.
Suddenly, he noticed something and looked down. His previously missing arm and leg had regrown!
Instinctively, he wanted to ask Tang San, but before he could speak, Tang San, who had gone out to gather herbs, pushed the door open and entered.
"Dad, how are you feeling? Have you recovered?" Tang San set down the bamboo basket in his hand and asked with a smile.
Tang Hao sensed the soul power within his body. After fully recovering, his soul power level had increased by one level, reaching Level 96.
"Xiao San, how did you do this?"
Tang Hao realized that now he had to take action!
Tang San briefly explained what had happened and said, "Dad, your body has just recovered, so you shouldn't overexert yourself. Rest here for two days before going out."
"Through Uncle Xiao, I learned about the Sea God. Now I am the inheritor of the Sea God. I can't stay here for long—I'll be setting off for Sea God Island soon."
Tang Hao carefully processed the information he had heard. "Brother Xiao is still alive… good, good."
After a pause, Tang San added, "Oh, Dad, I forgot to tell you. My uncle and I have reestablished a sect called the Tang Sect. With the addition of the legendary Dragon Serpent couple, more and more sects are seeking cooperation with the Tang Sect…"
After explaining the situation on the continent, Tang Hao finally understood what had happened on the continent in recent years.
His face filled with anger, he exclaimed, "Hmph, Bibi Dong's ambition knows no bounds. What she's doing is trying to use this opportunity to annex the two empires and turn the entire continent into her own dictatorship."
"However, now that I've returned, I'll make them pay. The destruction of the Hao Tian Sect means that I, Tang Hao, am irreconcilable with them!"
When he heard about the Tang Sect, Tang Hao didn't resist it.
Although it wasn't the Hao Tian Sect, the "Tang" in Tang Sect represented their Tang family, didn't it?
Since it was a continuation of the Hao Tian Sect, there was nothing for him to dwell on.
"Xiao San, tell me about the Tang Sect. I'll rest here for two days, and then I'll report to your Tang Sect. Haha, you can't reject me."
Tang San laughed. "How could I? With Dad joining the Tang Sect, it will definitely become even better…"
…
After talking with Tang Hao, Tang San packed his things and left.
Receiving the Sea God's Nine Trials made him eager to complete the Sea God's trials.
After all, the current Spirit Hall had grown unimaginably powerful. If he couldn't ascend to godhood, he would never be able to take revenge on the Spirit Hall.
Tang Hao rarely felt such physical ease and didn't plan to immediately jump into action.
Moreover, he wasn't foolish.
The Spirit Hall was currently at the height of its power. If he suddenly appeared on the continent, it would inevitably attract the attention of the Spirit Hall's elites.
Tang Hao was no longer the hot-blooded youth he once was; he had become much more cautious.
This time, he decided to leave Ah Yin here. Once the situation on the continent calmed down in the future, he would return to reunite with her.
In the Great Star Dou Forest.
Ning Tianchen successfully absorbed the two external soul bones.
The soul-hunting journey had ended, and next, he planned to return to his sect to absorb a few divine-bestowed soul rings, adding more soul rings to his second martial soul.
After all, Tang Chen not only had demi-god-level strength but also wielded the Asura Demon Sword. Most importantly, the Great Sumeru Hammer technique he employed unleashed attacks equivalent to divine skills.
Facing him, Ning Tianchen naturally had to be fully prepared to avoid any unnecessary accidents.
While leaving the forest, he noticed a pair of eyes secretly observing him from the shadows.
Arriving at an open area, he stopped, turned around, and said, "Hiding and sneaking around isn't the behavior of a true powerhouse. Why don't you come out and meet me?"
From the shadows, a pair of red eyes exuded an eerie aura, followed by a slowly emerging figure.
It was a massive black tiger, its fur completely devoid of any impurities, stretching over ten meters in length. Its muscles bulged across its body, and the character "王" (King) on its forehead was also black.
Unlike other tiger-type soul beasts, this creature had a tail with a hook, and its entire body radiated an extremely evil and sinister presence.
"The Dark Demon God Tiger!" Ning Tianchen frowned.
Chrysanthemum seemed to fear this creature greatly, and now it seemed his caution wasn't unfounded.
The Dark Demon God Tiger before him had nearly 80,000 years of cultivation—20,000 years more than in the original timeline.
This was understandable. The continent had changed because of him, and perhaps due to the butterfly effect, the Dark Demon God Tiger had devoured more soul beasts, gaining stronger cultivation.
An 80,000-year soul beast already possessed considerable intelligence, let alone this special type of soul beast.
It could sense that Ning Tianchen harbored no fear whatsoever, which intrigued it. It even tilted its head, carefully examining him.
The Dark Demon God Tiger was a nightmare for any soul beast.
It had previously fought human soul masters, and it seemed everyone—whether humans or soul beasts—feared it, except for Ning Tianchen.
"Stop staring. Since you've willingly brought your soul ring to me, I have no reason not to accept it," Ning Tianchen said calmly.
At the mention of "soul ring," a flash of malice flickered in the Dark Demon God Tiger's eyes.
In the forest, it was a world of survival of the fittest. To survive, one had to demonstrate greater strength.
The Dark Demon God Tiger launched an attack, swiping its claws and releasing dozens of black and red light blades, formed from the fusion of wind and evil energy.
With the sharp cutting power of the wind attribute combined with the mental shock of the evil attribute, the attack was astonishing, even comparable to the ninth soul skill of an ordinary Title Douluo.
"Heh, interesting."
Ning Tianchen sneered, the Coiling Dragon Seven Kill Sword swirling gracefully in his hand. The overflowing sword qi easily neutralized the attack.
The Dark Demon God Tiger seemed to have found a worthy opponent, its eyes blazing with even greater fighting spirit.
Letting out a long roar toward the sky, it scraped at the ground with its claws before charging fiercely toward Ning Tianchen.
Its speed was so fast that it was almost akin to teleportation.
However, if one were to appear directly in its path, they would collide with it—teleportation wouldn't cause such an impact.
As a Level 98 Super Douluo, Ning Tianchen naturally wasn't afraid of the tiger's speed advantage.
With a slight shift of his body, he effortlessly dodged the tiger's charge. Due to inertia, the tiger continued forward for several hundred meters, crashing through countless trees before finally coming to a stop.
"Indeed, a soul beast blessed by an evil god—it truly has impressive abilities," Ning Tianchen remarked, impressed.
He had encountered such evil gods more than once, but he still didn't know which evil god stood behind the Dark Demon God Tiger.
"You've made two moves. Now it's my turn."
This was his first battle after breaking through to Level 98, and it was the perfect opportunity to test the extent of his newfound strength.
The Dark Demon God Tiger bared its fangs, seemingly sensing the pressure.
Ning Tianchen slashed his sword, unleashing an endless stream of sword qi that seemed as though it would devour everything around them.
The tiger didn't sit idly by. The hooked tail behind it bent and straightened, transforming into a demonic spike.
Facing Ning Tianchen's assault, it swung its tail, easily piercing through the incoming sword qi.
At this moment, its gaze turned fiery.
It could sense the immense power radiating from Ning Tianchen. If it could devour him, it would break through the hundred-thousand-year barrier directly.
With this thought in mind, its attacks grew even fiercer.
Ning Tianchen, on the other hand, was simply adapting to his newfound strength. His desire to attack wasn't strong; instead, he calmly countered each move.
Their battle lasted for an entire hour.
The Dark Demon God Tiger had exhausted all its techniques but still couldn't defeat Ning Tianchen.
Realizing that prolonging the fight would only be detrimental, it decisively resorted to its final move.
Ripples of twisted space rapidly swirled around its body. The gray aura emanating from it turned into black light, instantly spreading over an area hundreds of meters wide.
The darkness and evil energy caused all the trees in the vicinity to wither.
Ning Tianchen recognized this technique immediately—it was the Dark Demon God Tiger's domain!
Just as he was about to activate the Asura Domain, he suddenly changed his mind and allowed the darkness and evil energy to envelop him.
In no time, he and the Dark Demon God Tiger were transported to an alternate dimension.
Here, both of them reverted to their childhood forms.
For humans, children possessed no combat ability and were meant to be protected. However, soul beasts were different—they retained sharp claws and teeth, making their combat prowess formidable.
In this alternate dimension, only death could allow one to leave. This was a true life-and-death battle.
Ning Tianchen remained calm. Though this six-year-old body felt both familiar and strange, looking back now, his six-year-old self seemed laughably weak.
However, his consciousness had regressed to the state after he awakened his martial soul—he could still summon the Seven Kill Sword.
The Dark Demon God Tiger had lost all its soul skills, relying solely on its primal instincts to fight.
Seeing Ning Tianchen standing there as though he lacked any strength, its eyes burned with anticipation as it launched an aggressive attack.
Ning Tianchen stood calmly, speaking slowly. "I had the ability to avoid being pulled into your domain. Do you know why I didn't?"
The Dark Demon God Tiger paid no heed to his supposed "last words," madly pouncing toward him.
Ning Tianchen shook his head slightly and raised his original Seven Kill Sword, unleashing a fierce burst of sword qi. The tiger couldn't dodge in time and had its two front limbs severed.
"The way of the sword resides in the heart, not in the form. No matter when my body regresses, as long as my sword heart remains unbroken, my sword qi will persist."
Once, he had asked Chen Xin about the essence of swordsmanship.
If one day he entered another person's body while retaining his consciousness, could he still wield his sword techniques?
Chen Xin's answer had left a deep impression on him:
"The way of the sword resides in the heart, not in the form. As long as memory remains, the sword heart will never fade."
This was precisely why he dared to enter the Dark Demon God Tiger's domain.
…
Within the domain, the Dark Demon God Tiger was essentially stripped of its abilities, whereas Ning Tianchen had merely lost his soul skills.
At this moment, the tiger retreated, writhing desperately on the ground.
Unfortunately for it, while it could open this alternate dimension, it couldn't control its rules.
Ning Tianchen wasted no more time, ending its life with a single sword strike.
With one side dead, the alternate dimension shattered, and Ning Tianchen's body returned to normal.
A black soul ring emerged from the Dark Demon God Tiger's body, and simultaneously, a black bead surfaced from its corpse, attempting to activate a spatial teleportation to escape.
But Ning Tianchen had anticipated this and wouldn't let it escape so easily.
"Asura Domain, activate!"
Within the Asura Domain, the bead couldn't open a spatial channel or use any protective techniques, leaving it completely trapped.
To Ning Tianchen, this was a great supplement.
The Asura God was, after all, a deity of malice—absorbing evil energy wouldn't harm him. Moreover, he needed to replenish the divine power he had expended during his battle with Bibi Dong.
Reaching out his right hand, he used his ninth soul skill to completely devour the bead.
In an instant, the divine power he had lost during his fight with Bibi Dong was restored.
Casually absorbing the Dark Demon God Tiger's soul ring, it became the fourth soul ring of his Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul.
Thanks to the divine trial's bonus, the soul ring instantly transformed into a blood-colored hundred-thousand-year-level ring upon entering his body.
Not only that, but the presence of a soul bone also emerged from the tiger's left leg.
Though its age fell short, its unique quality more than made up for it.
After all, finding a soul bone of similar quality on the continent would mean turning to the one carried by Di Tian.
…
Meanwhile, on a different Continent, a handsome young man surnamed Zhou suddenly tripped and fell.
An inexplicable sense of loss filled his heart, as though something that once belonged to him had vanished entirely.
(T/N: Last part refers to Zhou Weiqing, protagonist of Heavenly Jewel Change, another work by the original author of Soul Land. Zhou Weiqing also becomes a God and is featured in Soul Land 2.5, 3.5, 4 and 4.5)
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