Chapter 308: Dust to Dust, Ashes to Ashes
Tang San was terrified, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Even though their soul power had been stripped away, making their senses far weaker than before, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao could still easily detect his fear.
To Tang Xiao, Han Li had merely spoken a few cryptic words, yet Tang San was reacting as if he had seen a ghost. He couldn't understand why.
But Tang Hao's eyes widened in shock.
Tang Sect. Those hidden weapons which looked eerily similar to the ones Tang San had always used. This...
Tang Hao had always known Tang San was different from other children.
Whether it was his unnaturally mature demeanor that had unsettled him or his small, meticulous actions before his martial soul had even awakened, how could any of that escape the notice of a Titled Douluo who spent every day by his side?
But back then, Tang Hao had simply chosen to ignore it.
Or perhaps... he just didn't care anymore. He had simply been surviving on instinct.
It wasn't until Tang San awakened his twin martial souls that Tang Hao's attitude changed that a new purpose emerged.
At the very least, his body was still his son's.
That was what Tang Hao constantly told himself.
And as Tang San grew stronger, more talented, as he displayed more and more strange knowledge, Tang Hao deliberately forced himself to forget those doubts.
Life had to go on.
More importantly, Tang San truly treated him as his father.
But now, after falling so far, and with Han Li peeling away every layer of illusion, the veil had finally been lifted.
Memories that had been buried for years resurfaced with a vengeance, assaulting Tang Hao's mind.
"Actually, if you really think about it he's probably only about five or six years younger than you."
Han Li smirked as he turned toward Tang Hao, his tone filled with malice.
With a flick of his hand, he unsealed Tang San's mouth.
"Father, it's not what you think! Let me explain "
At that moment, Tang San's voice was full of panic, his eyes brimming with desperation.
Yet, his gaze remained full of affection
Yes. The kind of affection a son has for his father.
But when Tang Hao met his eyes, it was as if he had been struck by lightning.
His body instinctively recoiled, an overwhelming sense of disgust and dread washing over him.
If he could speak, he might have screamed:
"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" (Bu Jingyun.jpg)
Tang Xiao, still completely lost, remained in a confused daze.
But he no longer needed to understand
Because pure white light suddenly engulfed all three of them.
Their final expressions were forever frozen in time.
Tang Hao's, in particular, was the most striking because just before the ice consumed him, he caught a glimpse of a seven colored ice tower forming before his eyes.
Inside the ice sealed space, crimson flames erupted, consuming everything within.
Two opposing forces fire and ice grinded against each other, erasing all existence caught between them.
An instant later, the ice shattered, and flames roared into the air.
Eight soul bones clattered to the ground.
Four from Tang Hao, three from Tang Xiao, and one more
A single, floating black soul ring, pulsing ominously alongside a matching ten thousand year soul bone.
Shit! There really was one!
And it even dropped a soul bone. What the hell?!
Han Li felt his face twitch involuntarily.
Well, no more guessing was needed.
Even if the Blue Silver Emperor's core had dissipated, Tang San's fundamental nature hadn't changed much.
After all, Ah Yin wasn't fully mature when she gave birth to him.
At that moment, several powerful figures approached the courtyard.
Han Li had never bothered to conceal his presence when he attacked.
Although his strike had been swift, he had unleashed enough power to ensure absolute destruction even erasing the lingering spirit remnants of the deceased.
As for Tang San, due to the existence of his soul ring and soul bone, there was still a faint trace of residual consciousness.
But it didn't matter.
Han Li would wait until the soul ring fully dissipated and then destroy the soul bone as well.
Tang San was truly dead.
His destiny had shattered completely.
And this time, Han Li hadn't even felt the gaze of the God Realm.
They had fully abandoned him.
As expected.
Feeling utterly at ease, Han Li let out a deep breath.
At the same time, his soul power surged past Level 80 an effortless breakthrough.
The door had never been closed.
From outside, Guang Ling and the others stared in silence at the scattered soul bones and the lone, floating soul ring.
It was true.
He really was a traitor to humanity.
After a long moment, Han Li opened his eyes, his aura settling into perfect stability.
A double victory, then?
He gathered Tang Hao and Tang Xiao's soul bones, including the severed arm bones, before handing them to his master outside.
"Master, Senior Brother, take a look if there's anything useful, feel free to take it."
"I'll come over in a bit."
Han Li gestured toward Tang San's soul ring and soul bone, making it clear that he didn't want them stepping inside.
Even after being so cautious for so long, he wouldn't let his guard down at the last moment.
Guang Ling, still staring at the glowing soul bones in his hands, felt momentarily dazed.
His own soul bones were already complete Han Li had even helped him fill the last slot.
Yet now, nearly two full sets of soul bones had just fallen into his lap.
It was overwhelming.
After glancing back at the room, Guang Ling simply shook his head, saying nothing.
He knew his disciple's temperament well.
If this was how Han Li wanted to handle things, he wouldn't interfere.
Taking one last look, he and the others quietly left.
Meanwhile, Han Li remained motionless, standing in the now empty room.
Of course, he hadn't just been standing there idly. In his hands, a rare head soul bone shimmered with black and purple light but without hesitation, he began breaking it apart piece by piece.
Only when it had been reduced to fragments, its inherent rules nearly erased, did he finally cast it into the flames, burning it away completely.
At the same time, the black soul ring gradually faded, until even the last traces vanished into nothingness.
In its final moments, a faint wisp of resentment emerged only to be mercilessly obliterated by Han Li.
A true born monster of the Spirit Hall!
Grinding bone to dust nothing more, nothing less.
Han Li stood up, sighing inwardly.
He took one last look at the room before turning away.
Dust to dust. Ashes to ashes.
He had returned to the world, while his enemies had been buried in it. His task was complete.
By the time he returned to the main courtyard, the others were gathered around a table, casually chatting with a small mountain of soul bones before them.
It turned out that not only were they not short on soul bones, they now had even more than expected.
Shui Bing'er and the others had taken out the three soul bones awarded from the tournament, along with several extras they had collected from hunts but had yet to absorb.
"All done?"
Guang Ling glanced at him as he entered, asking casually.
"Yeah, it's taken care of not even ashes left behind."
Han Li nodded honestly.
Guang Ling blinked. He understood the hidden meaning.
So he even destroyed the soul bones?
Over the years, master and disciple had spent plenty of time discussing how to handle enemies after a fight.
Well, whatever. Dead is dead. ╮(╯_╰)╭
"You guys having a treasure dividing party?"
Looking at the shiny assortment covering the table, Han Li sat down with a grin.
"There's just too many, it's hard to choose. Also, your senior brother only needed one last piece we really didn't expect to get this much."
Guang Ling sighed. Some of the soul bones on the table were even higher quality than his own, but he wasn't about to injure himself just to replace them.
"Just take Tang Hao's torso bone for him."
Han Li barely glanced at the pile before picking up one of Haotian Sect's inheritance torso soul bones and handing it to his senior brother.
Qing Luan had always lacked a high quality torso bone, and now, that issue was solved.
"Don't worry about Bing'er and the others. They still have a few soul rings to acquire, so they'll definitely find something suitable."
Han Li spoke casually. That was the real reason Qing Luan hadn't picked a bone yet because he already had other plans in mind.
"As for Grandfather, let's complete his set as well. And as for you two…"
Han Li paused briefly, his gaze settling on Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling.
"Tomorrow, we're heading out of the city. You two will form your soul cores first, then push straight to the Soul Sage realm."
Han Li didn't explain further. It was already late, and leaving some anticipation for tomorrow wouldn't hurt.
Since it was time to rest, the group quickly dispersed, while Han Li returned to his room.
Tonight, he wouldn't cultivate.
Even though everything had seemed effortless, today had drained him mentally not to mention that his soul power had been completely depleted once.
He needed proper rest.
He slept in until 9 AM the next morning, waking up fully recharged before lazily making his way toward the main hall.
Inside, laughter and conversation filled the air and from the sheer number of voices, it was clear quite a few people had gathered.
However, he couldn't sense his master or senior brother.
"Xiao Li, they're here to say goodbye."
At the corner of the hallway, he ran into Xiu'er, who had been waiting for him.
"Mm."
Han Li said nothing more, simply taking her hand as they walked toward the main hall together.
For the next hour, he smiled and bid farewell to each departing guest, watching as they vanished into the bustling streets before finally returning inside.
The main group consisted of Shui Bing'er's team, along with members from Kamikaze Academy and Blazing Academy.
However, compared to before, they seemed far more reserved.
After all, the gap between them and Han Li had grown terrifyingly wide.
Yet among them, one unexpected figure had joined the mix Ning Rongrong.
Unlike the Heaven Dou Empire's envoys, who had hurriedly left the previous day, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had deliberately stayed behind.
They had even sent Ning Rongrong to say goodbye to Zhu Zhuqing and to bring up the conversation Han Li had started during the preliminaries about the flaws in their martial soul.
The sect had extended an open invitation to discuss the matter further.
But when Ning Rongrong curiously asked about it, Han Li merely smiled and nodded, without giving a direct answer.
Both sides had left an open door for future interactions.
However, Han Li clearly wasn't in the mood to entertain the topic right now.
Yu Xiaogang had fled.
That bastard hadn't shown his face even once throughout the entire Soul Master Tournament.
He had been hiding in Yu Yuanzhen's private quarters the whole time, showing no intention of appearing.
Then, after the events of yesterday, he had immediately fled the city overnight with Yu Yuanzhen, likely returning to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Han Li couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.
Lucky bastard.
Well, it wasn't his time yet anyway.
Even if Han Li ignored him, Bibi Dong would personally drag him out sooner or later.
Setting those thoughts aside, Han Li turned to the people waiting beside him.
"Alright, let's head out."
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