For the first time since leaving Slaughter City, he was able to reflect properly on everything that had happened. This world… was no longer the same as the one in his memories.
Too many deviations had occurred. Even the existence and development of low-level soul guides had exceeded what he remembered. Low level Soul Guides were slowly becoming popular, which should have happened in an era 10000 years later.
Tang San understood that he could no longer act with confidence based solely on his "future knowledge"needed to be cautious and lie low.
At the same time, he began preparing to initiate the inheritance of the Asura God. Compared to the uncertain path of the Sea God, this was something he could still grasp firmly.
As for the Sea God's inheritance… Tang San frowned whenever he thought about it.
Without the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, he did not know if it was even possible to begin the trial. That artifact had been the key in his memories, and now it was lost. Whether he could find an alternative path remained uncertain.
Thus, he chose to prioritize what was within reach.
However, just as his plans were beginning to take shape an urgent situation arrived.
Midway through the year, news spread among the noble children within the Moon Pavilion.
Spirit Hall was mobilizing and Titled Douluos were being dispatched toward the Star Dou Forest. Officially, it was announced as a precautionary measure against a potential beast tide, similar to the one that had occurred many years ago.
To Tang San, it was a warning. Because he knew the truth, this was not about a beast tide, but the beginning of Spirit Hall's soul beast hunting plan.
And that meant—Xiao Wu was in danger. The moment he realized this, all of Tang San's carefully constructed plans collapsed.
Without hesitation, he decided to act.
Memories of Slaughter City resurfaced in his mind—of life-and-death struggles, of surviving alongside Hu Liena against impossible odds had made her fall in love with him.
He decided to leverage Hu Liena's feelings for him to mix in the Spirit Hall group going in Star Dou forest
As a precaution, Tang San informed Tang Hao in advance about his plan, who decided to follow him. With his father's strength supporting him from the shadows, the chances of escape would increase significantly.
Tang Yuehua,who came to know about this however, had her own concerns. She had witnessed the consequences of Tang Hao's past actions. She knew the danger of confronting Spirit Hall head-on, especially now that their strength had grown even more terrifying.
Unwilling to let history repeat itself, she secretly sent a message to the Clear Sky Clan, more specifically…to their eldest brother Tang Xiao.
With the identity of "Tang Yin" as his disguise, Tang San successfully infiltrated Spirit Hall's expedition. His entry was made possible through Hu Liena, whose position as the Holy Maiden allowed her to quietly accommodate his presence without raising suspicion.
Throughout the journey, Tang San remained observant noticed lineup of Spirit Hall's forces did not match the memories he carried.
There were two additional Titled Douluos.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were both present, but their auras felt far more profound than what Tang San remembered. Their strength had clearly advanced. Even so, Tang San remained confident. In his mind, his father Tang Hao was still capable of contending with them.
The third Titled Douluo was someone he could identify—Ghost Leopard Douluo.
However, the fourth… Tang San's gaze lingered on the man wearing a strange monkey mask.
There was something unsettling about him. His aura was restrained to the extreme, making it difficult to gauge his true strength. It was precisely this concealment that made Tang San cautious.
He attempted to gather information from Hu Liena, casually probing about the masked Douluo.
But the moment he mentioned it, her expression dimmed. She did not answer directly, and her silence spoke louder than words.
Tang San immediately drew his own conclusion about a internal conflict within Spirit Hall. This realization made Tang San quickly consider how to exploit this potential rift during the coming chaos.
Soon, the group reached the depths of the Star Dou Forest, near the Lake of Life.
They found three hundred-thousand-year soul beasts- Xiao Wu, in her human-transformed form, Da Ming, the Sky Azure Bull Python, Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo acted without hesitation. Their movements were swift and decisive. Having reached Level 97, they suppressed Da Ming and Er Ming with terrifying ease.
The two great soul beasts, once symbols of dominance in the forest, were now forced into a defensive struggle.
While they were fighting the others moved to capture Xiao Wu who appeared far weaker.
As everyone's attention was toward the main battlefield, chaos spread across the surroundings.
And in that chaos—Tang San moved. Like a shadow slipping through cracks, he approached Xie Yue and Yan without alerting them. His timing was flawless, striking when their focus was completely drawn elsewhere.
Before either of them could react, Tang San used the secret techniques of the Tang Sect, targeting critical pressure points. His fingers moved like lightning, sealing their movements in an instant.
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(AN: These Timeline chapters are written so as to make the story more compact. If I had written in a normal story format it would have taken more than 6 chapters. Now in the next scene is when Jiang Mo will make his move but I will be keeping it in Timeline mode.)