Chapter 85 – Tang Hao's Choice: Son, Father, Wife, Human and Soul Beast Are Ultimately Different! (1)
In the illusion.
When Ah Yin told Tang Hao that she knew the whole truth and angrily demanded he make a choice—
the entire illusion suddenly changed!
The blue sky suddenly darkened, and the once vibrant illusion filled with birdsong and blooming flowers became extremely gloomy.
At the same time, a shrill wind began to howl, as if someone were crying and mourning.
For a moment, the entire illusion felt as heavy as the end of the world.
But the change in the illusion's environment wasn't the most important thing.
What mattered most was that the lush green grass where Ah Yin and Tang Hao had been standing suddenly turned into muddy soil.
The dense forest around them became a forest of dead trees, with branches like ghostly claws.
And right beside them, a solitary, elevated grave silently emerged.
Although the grave had no tombstone, both Ah Yin and Tang Hao knew—
this was the grave of their deceased child!
Yet the grave's appearance did not mark the end of the illusion's transformations.
When the lonely grave appeared, not far from the two of them,
an elderly man with a white robe, white hair and beard, and a solemn face suddenly appeared in this world.
Upon seeing him, Tang Hao couldn't help but exclaim:
"Father, you…! Why are you here? Didn't you fall unconscious from my anger and die when the Spirit Hall attacked our Clear Sky Sect?"
That's right! Even though Tang Hao lived in seclusion in the Holy Soul Village, he knew that the Spirit Hall had nearly destroyed the Clear Sky Sect and that his father, Tang Zhen, had died in that battle.
When Ah Yin saw the old man, her jade-like hands clenched tightly, and the hatred and rage in her heart surged forth.
Had the killer who murdered her child finally appeared before her?
However, although her hatred and fury almost materialized upon seeing Tang Zhen, Ah Yin understood that this was merely a projection of Tang Zhen's consciousness conjured by Su Mo within the illusion.
Even if they killed him here, his soul wouldn't die, and her vengeance wouldn't be fulfilled.
Only if Tang Hao agreed to her request—to have Tang Zhen kneel before their child's grave to atone and admit his sins—could she deliver Tang Zhen's soul to Su Mo and avenge their dead child!
So Ah Yin forcefully suppressed her seething hatred and turned her head, coldly shouting to Tang Hao:
"Tang Hao, tell me—your choice!"
"My... choice?"
Hearing Ah Yin's words, Tang Hao's face and body tensed. His mouth was dry, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His decision…
---
"Why am I here?"
Meanwhile, the elderly man named Tang Zhen frowned upon appearing in this illusion, seemingly confused.
"After my death, wasn't my soul imprisoned in infinite darkness? Where is this place?"
He muttered to himself as he looked around, finally spotting Tang Hao and Ah Yin.
Tang Zhen naturally didn't recognize Ah Yin.
Although he had heard of her, he had never seen her in person.
But his son, Tang Hao—Tang Zhen could recognize him even if he turned to ashes!
"Hao'er, why are you here too? Who is she?"
Seeing Tang Hao and Ah Yin, Tang Zhen asked gravely.
"Father… she… she is my wife and your daughter-in-law… Ah Yin!"
Under Tang Zhen's gaze, Tang Hao felt an unbearable dryness in his throat and his heart pounded heavily.
Even though he knew this Tang Zhen before him was only an illusion within his dream,
for some reason, this illusory father still felt real, making him unable to speak.
"No! Tang Hao! I'm not your wife. At least not before you make the decision I want. You are you, and I am me—that's all there is to it!"
Ah Yin shouted in anger, denying Tang Hao's words.
Until Tang Hao gave her a satisfactory answer, she refused to acknowledge any relationship with the man who had disappointed her.
---
"Ah Yin! You're the 100,000-year soul beast, the one for whom he would betray his family and sect?"
Upon hearing the name Ah Yin, Tang Zhen snorted coldly.
"A 100,000-year soul beast… So what if I am one? Since birth, I've never harmed a human. And since I reached the 100,000-year transformation, I've never once betrayed Brother Hao!"
"Why… why do you want to kill me… daughter… just because I'm a soul beast? What have I done to offend you?"
Realizing Tang Hao was treating her coldly, the hatred and anger in Ah Yin grew even stronger. She couldn't help but shout at Tang Zhen:
"You've done nothing to me, but as a soul beast, you are the original sin of everything! Soul beasts are merely resources necessary for soul masters to train. How can you compare people to resources? It's ridiculous!"
Tang Zhen shook his head, his tone calm and indifferent, as if he had no regrets for anything he had done—not even a flicker of emotion.
After all, do humans feel guilty for harming food?
---
"Resources? To you humans, are we soul beasts just resources?"
"What arrogance, what an arrogant human! Damn you! You'll regret this. You'll regret this—I won't let you go!"
Tang Zhen's attitude only deepened Ah Yin's hatred and fury. She couldn't help but shout:
"Tang Hao, tell me now—do you choose me or him?!"
Ah Yin turned to look at Tang Hao. Her silver-blue eyes, once gentle and calm, were now filled with hatred and rage, almost tangible—like they could burn everything down.
"Ah Yin, I… I…"
Under the pressure from Ah Yin, Tang Hao felt excruciating pain and clutched his head. Deep anguish and sorrow filled his heart.
He didn't know what to choose.
Though it seemed simple to have his father, Tang Zhen, kneel before their dead son's grave in repentance—his father would never agree.
And could he, as a son, force his father to surrender his dignity?
Tang Hao knew he couldn't do that.
But if he didn't get Tang Zhen to kneel and tremble before the child's grave, his wife would abandon him, maybe even become his enemy.
---
Heaven help me…! What should I do?!
"Tang Hao, tell me now… tell me your choice!"
Ah Yin's furious cries echoed in his ears.
But in that moment, Tang Hao could hear nothing. In his tormented mind, he wrestled with an impossible decision.
The balance tipped between his father—Tang Zhen—who raised, encouraged, and educated him from childhood,
and his wife—Ah Yin—who had loved, married, birthed, and sacrificed everything for him.
---
In the end, despite the pain, Tang Hao made a choice. Crushed, he let go of his tightly clenched hands and said bitterly:
"I'm sorry. Ah Yin, I can't agree to your decision. After all… he is my father. He's dead, and our child is still alive."
"Even if this is only a dream, I can't let him sacrifice his dignity to kneel before the grave of our living son…"
"I'm sorry, Ah Yin… truly… I'm sorry!"
(End of this chapter)