No wonder 100,000-year soul beast meat is so good—delicious and boosts cultivation at the same time.
Tang Lan kept eating piece after piece, completely unable to stop.
Until the plate was empty.
Looking up, he saw Oscar and Shui Bing'er still staring at him eagerly.
Tang Lan found it odd.
"Why aren't you eating?"
"We… can eat this?" Shui Bing'er asked in surprise.
So it turned out they hadn't dared to eat without Tang Lan's approval.
—After all, this was the meat of a 100,000-year soul beast.
"What's stopping you?" Tang Lan rolled his eyes. "Eat as much as you can! A single bite of this is worth a whole day of training!"
Oscar and Shui Bing'er widened their eyes!
They each cut a piece of roasted meat, took a bite—tears nearly fell from their eyes!
The sheer richness of the soul power—damn! One bite really did equal a whole day of bitter cultivation!
And the taste—oh my god!
Oscar couldn't believe this was the meat he had roasted.
"Whoosh—"
A sharp sound of something cutting through the air.
Without even turning his head, Tang Lan sliced off a large chunk of meat and tossed it over.
"Try this, Dad. It's really good."
Tang Hao caught the roasted meat and took a big bite.
His brow lifted!
He glanced at the Ironback Dragon soul spirit nearby.
"No wonder you recommended it so strongly. It really is both delicious and incredibly nourishing."
The Ironback Dragon soul spirit raised its head proudly.
Of course!
Would it have recommended anything less?
Its smug expression made it hard to connect the fact that the group was currently feasting on its own body.
The Giant Strength Ape soul spirit also rushed out, pointing at its own corpse while chattering away.
Even without Tang Hao translating, everyone could understand what it meant.
But the Ironback Dragon's single hind leg alone was three meters long.
Even with four people eating, there was still plenty left—who had room for more?
"Oscar, store the rest for now," Tang Lan instructed. "We'll roast it next time. It's still a solid 95,000 years old, after all."
"Got it, Sect Master!"
Oscar quickly grabbed the Giant Strength Ape and carried it over to the Life Lake for preservation.
To store all of Oscar's various sausages, their storage rings were designed to be airtight.
Once food was placed inside, it stayed in a vacuum state.
Whatever went in came out exactly the same.
Tang Hao pulled out a wine flask, took a deep swig, and tossed it to Tang Lan.
Tang Lan happened to be thirsty, so he also took a big gulp.
The fiery liquor burned down his throat, leaving a unique aftertaste.
"Refreshing!"
His reaction made Da Ming and Er Ming curiously turn their heads.
What was so refreshing?
Tang Hao didn't hesitate. He grabbed two large basins, poured out more than ten wine flasks, and gestured for Da Ming and Er Ming to try.
The two soul beasts each took a drink, their "cups" the size of lid covers.
Da Ming seemed fine, smacking his lips without much reaction.
Er Ming, however, pounded his chest!
"Hic—"
He let out a loud burp, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Tang Hao.
"More!"
Tang Hao simply spread his hands—did they not see their own massive size?
"That was the last of my stash."
Er Ming scratched his head in frustration.
"Alright, I'll have someone prepare more for you," Tang Lan said, amused. "You can pick it up at the soul spirit research base."
"Great!"
Er Ming immediately leaped away, bounding off in urgency.
The group just chuckled, not thinking much of it.
"How's your progress, Dad?" Tang Lan asked.
"My internal power is at Level 91, but the bottleneck at Level 98 has loosened significantly again," Tang Hao said with a smile. "A few more rounds of this, and I should be able to break through to Level 98."
Then what were they waiting for?
Tang Lan tossed aside the wine flask and looked at Tang Hao.
"Then let's replace your fourth, fifth, and sixth soul rings."
"But the seventh is for your Martial Soul True Body—that one's tricky to change."
"Dad, how old is your eighth soul ring?"
Tang Hao glanced at Da Ming and lowered his voice.
"My eighth soul ring is only 60,000 years old, but it came from a Titan Giant Ape… so I think I should keep it."
If he were to replace it, the only available target was Er Ming.
But Er Ming was preparing to sacrifice himself for Tang Lan—how could Tang Hao take that away?
Absolutely not.
Tang Lan nodded thoughtfully.
No wonder Er Ming had been staring at Tang Hao so intensely when they first met.
"Alright, then."
"Let's not waste time. We're aiming for Level 98!"
Over the next three days—
The plants of the Star Dou Forest were nearly plucked dry.
Tang Hao continuously detonated his right arm, replacing all three soul rings with ones surpassing 70,000 years.
The Bottleneck at Level 98 Teeters on the Edge
Tang Hao spent another half a month recovering to his peak condition.
After absorbing the Giant Strength Ape's right palm bone, he finally pierced through that last barrier.
Officially advancing to Level 98!
Feeling the surging power coursing through his body, Tang Hao had a strange sense of disconnection—like he was experiencing another lifetime.
There was a time when he thought his cultivation had reached its end.
He had never imagined he could advance to Level 98!
And his potential was still immense.
Not only was Level 99 within reach, but he also had a son who was a future god.
Who knew…
Maybe he, too, could reach Level 100 and become a god?!
"Old man." Tang Lan seized the moment. "I've never actually seen your Ring Detonation divine technique. Why not give me a demonstration? Let me see its true power."
Tang Hao agreed without hesitation.
"Step back, all of you. You don't want to get caught in the blast."
Tang Lan immediately retreated, activating his external soul bone Heavy Pupil—
Silently preparing to copy the technique.
Then, without warning—
The nine soul rings beneath Tang Hao's feet shattered like fragments of a broken mirror, dissolving into pure soul power and surging into the Clear Sky Hammer.
"Haotian True Body!"
A massive Clear Sky Hammer materialized in the sky, blotting out the sun.
Tang Hao's spectral form gripped the hammer's handle, raising it high—
And then, with overwhelming might, he swung it toward the heavens!
"Grand Xumi Hammer!!!"
"BOOM—"
In an instant, the sky changed color!
Waves of destruction rippled outward, scattering clouds across a radius of ten thousand miles. The earth-shaking energy engulfed the surroundings.
Throughout the vast Star Dou Forest, every single soul beast trembled in fear, lying prostrate on the ground, too terrified to move.
A Moment Later
Tang Lan retracted his Heavy Pupil, deeply shaken.
He was in awe—not only of Tang Hao's terrifying strength—
But also of the ancestor who created the Grand Xumi Hammer.
What kind of once-in-a-millennium genius could conceive such a technique?
Off to the side—
Da Ming and Er Ming exchanged glances, each seeing undisguised fear in the other's eyes.
Just now—
They had felt the threat of death.
If Tang Hao had killing intent,
At least one of them would have died.
—At least!
"ROAR—"
A sharp tiger's roar suddenly echoed through the mountains, followed by an extreme aura of evil crashing toward them.
A fierce battle intent swept over the group.
It was a powerful soul beast, enraged by Tang Hao's overwhelming display.
The roar sounded like a warning—
But it carried an undertone of fear-induced rage—as if the creature was furious at itself for being so terrified.
"It's the Dark Devilgod Tiger!" Da Ming said in surprise.
"We searched the entire core region and never found a trace of it… and now it's revealing itself?"
Tang Lan's eyes lit up!
Double fortune in one day?!
"Old man, Da Ming, Er Ming—hurry! Help me catch that thing!"
"I need it for something big!"
"Oscar, Bing'er, stay put! Don't move!"
The two humans and two soul beasts took to the skies—
Racing toward the Dark Devilgod Tiger's location.
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X