Chapter 154: Jiang Bai: By the Sea God!
Ah Yin snapped her head up, her eyes wide with utter disbelief.
"What’s more, that woman... happens to be a Soul Beast."
As the words fell, they struck like a final, damning verdict.
Ah Yin’s spiritual form flickered violently, wavering between brightness and dimness—as if on the verge of shattering completely at any moment!
She wanted to refute him; she wanted to scream out loud and insist that Tang Hao was not that kind of man.
Yet, the moment those words of protest reached her lips, they were utterly demolished—one by one—by the flood of details suddenly surging through her mind: details she had deliberately chosen to ignore for all these years.
Ah Yin buried her face in her hands and wept bitterly; illusory tears slipped through the gaps between her fingers, transforming into shimmering specks of light in mid-air before dissipating without a trace.
She tried to convince herself—tried to tell herself that this was merely a terrible nightmare—but the more she thought it over, the more she realized that everything Jiang Bai had said... was the absolute truth.
Jiang Bai turned around, casting his gaze toward the frozen "thing" lying on the ground nearby.
With a gentle wave of his left hand...
The profound ice encasing Tang Hao instantly melted away. Tang Hao’s battered body hit the ground with a wet thud, slumping like a heap of mud.
Jiang Bai walked over and nudged him with his foot, flipping him onto his back so that his filthy, stubble-covered face was staring directly up at Ah Yin.
After ensuring the guy was incapable of gathering any soul power to suddenly lash out and cause harm, Jiang Bai took a step back and looked down at him from above.
"Come on, ’Rat’—why don’t you have a little chat with Ah Yin?"
Tang Hao struggled to shift his gaze toward the ethereal figure hovering a short distance away.
Tang Hao’s lips quivered, and his voice emerged hoarse and strained: "Ah Yin... don’t listen to him... I truly did love..."
Thwack!
Jiang Bai delivered a sharp kick to his waist, abruptly cutting short his heartfelt confession.
"Rat, look at the state you’re in—drop the theatrics; they won’t do you any good."
He crouched down, fixing his gaze on Tang Hao, the corners of his lips curling into a smile of deep significance.
"Just come clean."
Tang Hao glared back at him, his eyes burning with a mixture of rage and bitter resentment.
Jiang Bai, however, remained unperturbed and continued speaking as if talking to himself: "I know what you’re thinking—you’re still clinging to your loyalty to the Clear Sky Sect, aren’t you?"
Tang Hao’s pupils contracted ever so slightly.
"I imagine you’re acutely aware that, now that you’ve fallen into my hands, your death is inevitable."
Tang Hao offered no verbal response, yet his silence served as tacit acknowledgment of that fact.
Jiang Bai studied him, a glint of playful amusement flashing in his eyes.
"In that case... what shall we do about those soul bones of yours?"
Tang Hao’s pupils constricted violently!
Soul bones!
He possessed a full set—six high-quality soul bones embedded within his body!
Two of them, in particular, were the ancestral legacy soul bones of the Clear Sky Sect!
They absolutely could not be allowed to fall into the hands of outsiders!
"What are you planning to do?!" Tang Hao’s voice was hoarse with urgency and alarm.
Jiang Bai spoke slowly, in a measured tone: "If you simply come clean, I can ensure that—once you’re dead—those soul bones are returned to the Clear Sky Sect."
Tang Hao froze.
He stared intently at Jiang Bai, his few remaining functioning brain cells racing to process the implications.
Return them to the Clear Sky Sect? He... he’s actually willing to return the soul bones?
Why?
Jiang Bai seemed to sense his confusion and added, "I have no interest whatsoever in the soul bones belonging to your Clear Sky Sect. My own soul bones are far superior to yours."
It was an arrogant claim, yet it was the truth.
Tang Hao remained silent for quite some time before finally speaking with great difficulty: "How... how am I supposed to trust you?"
Jiang Bai felt a momentary flicker of astonishment.
No way? Is this guy actually planning to go through with this trade?
He had originally just tossed the idea out casually, wanting to gauge Tang Hao’s reaction—and perhaps stir up a little discord between him and Ah Yin while he was at it. He never expected that this guy would actually... take him seriously?
Jiang Bai maintained a completely impassive expression, even going so far as to adopt a look of deep contemplation.
A moment later, he spoke with an air of utmost solemnity: "You’ve seen my eight 100,000-year soul rings, haven’t you?"
Tang Hao nodded.
Those eight blood-red soul rings were something he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Jiang Bai took a deep breath, a look of divine reverence and piety appearing on his face: "In truth... I am the inheritor of a god!"
Tang Hao’s pupils contracted violently!
"I hail from the Sea God Island overseas—or as you people call it, the ’Devil’s Island,’" Jiang Bai’s voice was calm yet firm.
"The legacy I have inherited is the Divine Seat of the Sea God!"
Sea God Island?! The inheritance of a god?!
A look of utter disbelief flashed through Tang Hao’s eyes.
So that’s it!
No wonder this kid possesses such terrifying power at such a young age!
No wonder he possesses eight 100,000-year soul rings!
He is the inheritor of a God!
In that instant, every single question lingering in Tang Hao’s mind was answered.
Watching the shock and sudden realization dawn in Tang Hao’s eyes, Jiang Bai couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.
He continued, "I swear upon my title as the Sea God’s inheritor: if I fail to return the soul bones currently residing within Tang Hao—safe and sound—to the Clear Sky Sect, then let my Divine Seat of the Sea God crumble into dust right here and now!"
As his words faded, Tang Hao was left completely dumbfounded.
Swearing an oath in the name of a god?!
Uttering a dire curse that would cause the very Divine Seat he was destined to inherit to collapse?!
He stared blankly at Jiang Bai, and with that, the very last shred of doubt vanished from his mind. That oath was ruthless.
So ruthless, in fact, that it was impossible to fake.
For no one would ever joke about the divine position they were on the verge of inheriting.
If Jiang Bai were to truly violate his vow—causing his divine position to collapse—then his life would be utterly ruined.
Therefore... he would undoubtedly fulfill his promise!
Tang Hao took a deep breath and nodded: "Very well..."
His voice was hoarse, yet it carried a distinct note of relief.
Jiang Bai smiled, signaling that he could begin.
Tang Hao painfully turned his neck to look at the ethereal figure standing not far away.
Ah Yin—the woman he had once claimed to love, and perhaps truly had loved.
But now, none of that mattered.
What mattered was... the Clear Sky Sect.
As long as these Soul Bones could be returned to the Sect, the Clear Sky Sect could once again cultivate several Title Douluo; it could rise from the ashes and rebuild its strength; and it could... allow him—this unworthy descendant—to finally have his soul return to his ancestral home after death.
Tang Hao closed his eyes; when he opened them again, they held neither guilt nor tenderness—only a chilling coldness.
He spoke, his voice hoarse yet calm: "That’s right. Just as he said, all of this was a scheme devised by my elder brother and me."
Ah Yin’s body trembled violently!
"Even when my brother and I vied for your affection back then, it was merely another link in our plan."
Tang Hao’s voice cut like a cold blade, carving deep into Ah Yin’s heart, wound after wound: "Whomever you chose—that person would be the one to claim your 100,000-year Soul Ring."
"Ah-ba... Ah-ba..."
Ah Yin’s tears gushed forth like a breached dam; her spiritual form flickered violently, wavering between light and darkness!
She clapped her hands over her ears, shaking her head frantically, desperate to reject this reality—desperate to banish these horrific words from her mind.
Yet those words clung to her like a curse—a tenacious, inescapable presence she could not shake off.
"You... You people..."
Her voice was hoarse and broken, barely audible.
Tang Hao, however, no longer looked at her.
He turned his gaze toward Jiang Bai, his eyes holding a hint of supplication: "Remember your vow."
Jiang Bai nodded.
Tang Hao closed his eyes, awaiting his final judgment. Jiang Bai turned toward Ah Yin, his voice calm: "How...?"
"Well, Ah Yin? Do you want to kill him?"
Ah Yin raised her head; her tear-streaked face was etched with pain and inner turmoil.
Jiang Bai continued, "The opportunity lies right before your eyes."
Ah Yin’s hand trembled—that ethereal, translucent, faintly glowing palm shook violently.
Jiang Bai stoked the flames further: "Do you still want to know about your son, Tang San?"
Ah Yin snapped her head up!
Little San! The child she had seen only once!
The son she had risked her life to bring into the world, only to be torn away from him!
He was her own flesh and blood!
For all these years—aside from Tang Hao—he had been her sole obsession!
"You... You know about Little San?!"
Ah Yin’s voice quivered.
Jiang Bai nodded. "If you want to know, then kill him."
Ah Yin’s gaze slowly shifted toward Tang Hao.
The man she had loved for so many years.
At this moment, he lay sprawled on the ground like a heap of mud, awaiting death.
He deceived me. From beginning to end, he lied to me.
He traded my life for his own future. And he took my son...
Ah Yin closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened them again, those azure eyes held no more tears, no more pain, and no more struggle.
Only a cold, absolute resolve.
She raised her right hand.
That ethereal palm clenched gently in mid-air.
"Rumble—!!!"
The ground shook!
Countless thick vines of the Blue Silver Emperor surged madly from beneath the earth!
Each vine was as thick as a grown man’s arm, its surface rippling with golden patterns—like giant pythons come to life!
The vines instantly coiled around Tang Hao’s limbs!
His wrists, ankles, and neck were bound in an iron grip!
Then, her hand clenched tight!
"Rip—!"
The vines exerted their force simultaneously, pulling wildly in every direction!
"Aaaah—!!!" "
Tang Hao’s piercing, wretched screams resounded throughout the entire world within the tower!
Yet, they lasted for only a fleeting instant.
"Splurt!"
Blood splattered everywhere!
Tang Hao’s mangled body was torn apart—ripped into several pieces while he was still alive!
His head, torso, and limbs lay scattered across the ground, his blood staining the surrounding Blue Silver Grass a vivid crimson!
The air hung thick with the pungent scent of blood.
Ah Yin stood rooted to the spot, gazing at the wreckage strewn across the ground; for a long time, she did not move.
Her body continued to tremble ever so slightly.
Spectral tears slid silently down her face.
A moment later, she closed her eyes, her voice hoarse and weary: "Are... are you satisfied now?"
Jiang Bai looked at her and gave a gentle nod: "It’s acceptable."
Ah Yin spoke no further.
Her spiritual form gradually dissipated, dissolving into countless specks of shimmering blue-gold light as she returned to her true body—that towering Blue Silver Emperor.
All that remained was a sigh, barely audible, drifting away on the wind.
Jiang Bai remained where he stood, gazing at the Blue Silver Emperor—now once again restored to tranquility—and fell silent for a moment.
Then, he bent down and began to gather the "spoils of war" scattered across the ground.
Although Tang Hao had been torn to shreds, his Soul Bones remained intact.
Six of them.
Each one radiated a faint, ethereal glow; even the lowest-grade among them possessed a cultivation age of over forty thousand years.
Their quality was exceptional.
Jiang Bai picked them up one by one, storing them away within his spatial wristband.
Just then, three figures—who had been watching the spectacle from a short distance away—flew over and landed beside him.
The Ice Empress crossed her arms over her chest; she glanced at the wreckage on the ground, then turned her gaze toward the Blue Silver Emperor, a look of subtle complexity in her eyes: "Are you truly going to hand these Soul Bones over to that... what’s it called? The Clear Sky Sect?"
Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her.
Then, a mischievous smile curled at the corners of his lips: "When have you ever seen me offer tribute to the Sea God?"
The Ice Empress froze for a moment, taken aback.
Then, her ice-blue eyes slowly widened in realization!
"You—!" "
She pointed at Jiang Bai, her expression a marvel to behold: "What kind of venomous oath did you just swear... all that talk about the Sea God’s divine seat crumbling... was it all just a lie to deceive him?!"
Jiang Bai shrugged: "The Sea God? I’ve never even laid eyes on him. What does that have to do with me?"
"Besides, this is the spatial world contained within my Martial Soul; whether those gods can even hear anything in here is a whole other matter."
"..."
The Ice Empress fell silent for quite some time.
Then, she couldn’t help but let out a soft "Tsk": "You humans... your hearts are truly filthy."
Although she said this, the look she cast upon Jiang Bai held no trace of disgust—only a certain...
Appreciation for a kindred spirit.
After all, when it came to stopping at nothing to achieve one’s goals—having reigned as the Heavenly King of the Extreme North for so many years—she was certainly no stranger to such tactics herself.
The Snow Empress stood to the side, her demeanor remaining as cool and aloof as ever; yet, within those icy-blue eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible glint of amusement flickered.
Bi Ji, meanwhile, let out a soft sigh and shook her head, though she offered no words of her own.
Jiang Bai clapped his hands together, then turned to gaze at the Blue Silver Emperor plant.
Golden patterns continued to flow across its leaves, though they appeared significantly dimmer than before.
...