This scene looked like the epitome of a harmonious father-and-son relationship, so much so that it could be considered a masterpiece of the world. However, if someone could truly know Tang San's thoughts just now, they might have been disgusted enough to vomit. Inside the stone chamber, Tang Hao shared many things with Tang San about Ah Yin. He recounted how they first met, how pure and intense the love between him and Ah Yin was, and just how evil Spirit Hall truly was.
When Tang Hao mentioned Ah Yin, he inevitably brought up his elder brother, Tang Xiao. Back when Tang Hao roamed the continent, Tang Xiao accompanied him. The two of them met Ah Yin together and fell for the same pure and graceful woman. However, Tang Xiao ultimately chose to give up on her.
One thing worth mentioning is that although they were brothers, there was quite a significant age gap between Tang Xiao and Tang Hao—more than a decade apart.
When Tang Hao was born, their father was still in his prime, fully focused on the clan and his soul power cultivation. As a result, Tang Hao was practically raised by Tang Xiao, who was both a brother and a father figure to him.
At the time, when Tang Hao and Tang Xiao traveled the continent together, Tang Hao was only a Soul Sage, while Tang Xiao was a true Soul Douluo. His strength was solid, and he was already advancing toward the rank of Title Douluo. His soul bones were nearly fully equipped, and his capabilities were approaching those of an average Title Douluo.
Most importantly, unlike Tang Hao, who focused purely on strength and explosive power, Tang Xiao followed a path closer to their grandfather Tang Chen's—a balance of strength and skill. This made Tang Xiao's spiritual power exceptional, even surpassing that of an ordinary Soul Douluo under Tang Chen's guidance.
When they first met Ah Yin, her power was not yet at level seventy, and she was unable to completely suppress the aura of a soul beast emanating from her.
In other words, Tang Xiao, as a Soul Douluo, could see through Ah Yin's true form as a 100,000-year soul beast. Yet, even though Tang Xiao realized this, he never revealed it to anyone, nor did he covet Ah Yin's soul ring or soul bones.
Once it became clear that Ah Yin preferred Tang Hao, Tang Xiao simply left. He not only gave up on this love but also never disclosed Ah Yin's identity to anyone.
This, however, was something Tang Hao never thought deeply about—or rather, after he occasionally considered this possibility, he deliberately avoided delving further into it.
The deeper he delved, the more despicable he would appear—not only betraying Ah Yin, his father, and the clan but also his elder brother.
Although Tang Hao himself never noticed, everyone who had expectations of him—whether it was his father, his lover, or even his followers—ended up being let down by him without exception.
As Tang Hao spoke, he looked at the empty cave and couldn't help but cry, deeply missing his elder brother, who once shielded him from harm, and his unparalleled grandfather.
After a long time, as the sky darkened, Tang Hao finally took Tang San and left the stone chamber.
Both father and son harbored a deep hatred for the Ten Thousand Ghost Douluo who had stolen Ah Yin's body and soul bones, yet they had no idea what to do. Their hearts were filled with nothing but confusion.
After some time, Tang Hao took Tang San to a nearby soul beast forest. There, he swiftly killed a millennium soul beast with decent bloodline potential. He dissected the beast's body and extracted its brain matter and vital organs, placing them before Tang San.
"Father, what are you doing?" Tang San asked.
"Xiao San, I know you have a head soul bone. When you killed that Soul Master and obtained the soul bone, I was already paying attention to you. What you did was decisive and commendable. However, your utilization of the skill attached to your head soul bone is far too poor."
Tang Hao sat on the ground, instructing Tang San without concern for the taboo nature of what they were discussing.
"I've observed that the skill attached to your head soul bone comes from the Man-Faced Demon Spider's devouring attribute. This skill is highly unique—it allows you to absorb nutrient-rich flesh and blood to enhance your soul power. But the method you've chosen is inefficient.
"Dried soul beast meat and ordinary food may be digestible under your skill, converting into soul power, but they're not the optimal choice. The energy within those dried meats has already been depleted, leaving only a third or less of their original soul power. Ordinary food contains even less energy."
"Xiao San, look—this is the brain matter of a soul beast. It contains a significant amount of soul power. This heart here—this is one of the sources of the soul beast's bloodline power. As a vital organ, it holds a great deal of soul power. You should do this, and then this… Do you understand?"
"I understand!" Tang San clenched his right fist and struck his left palm, immediately comprehending his father's teachings.
In Tang San's heart, he firmly believed that Tang Hao would never harm him. Encouraged by his father's gaze, Tang San activated the devouring skill of his head soul bone, the Man-Faced Demon Spider's Devouring. His head underwent further transformation, and he brought the spirit beast's organs to his mouth.
At first, Tang San thought the soul beast's organs would be unbearably fishy and rancid. But as soon as they entered his mouth, he realized just how little he understood the wonders of soul bones.
Fresh blood blossomed in his mouth, and soul power melted into his body. While these organs might have been nauseating to others, thanks to the effects of the devouring skill, their taste and texture exceeded that of any food Tang San had ever eaten, leaving him intoxicated.
In the dark forest, Tang San devoured the soul beast's organs in large mouthfuls, extracting the vitality and soul power within and channeling it into himself.
After consuming most of the vital organs, Tang San felt the soul power within his body surge, giving him a sense of breakthrough.
Ignoring the blood covering him, Tang San, with a sharp head and bloodstained face, immediately assumed the Five Hearts Facing Heaven position and began circulating his Mysterious Heaven Skill.
Before long, with the help of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Tang San refined the soul power within him and successfully broke through from level 31 to level 32.
But that wasn't the most important thing. What delighted Tang San the most was that, along with his use of the soul bone skill and his breakthrough in soul power, he could feel some of the power within his head soul bone merging into his body, further enhancing his capabilities.
His physical attributes improved, his spiritual power increased, his soul power became more concentrated, and even his martial soul seemed to have changed.
Excited, Tang San summoned his martial soul and found that his Blue Silver Grass had indeed undergone subtle changes. The faint golden hue on the leaves disappeared, replaced by a faint purple-black color. The vines became thicker, and the edges of the leaves became sharper.
Tang San brought the Blue Silver Grass close to his face and sniffed carefully. To his amazement, he discovered that the venom of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, which he had acquired after absorbing the head soul bone, seemed to have undergone a transformation as well. The potency of the venom had significantly increased.