Tap tap tap—Tang Hao's footsteps were swift as he rushed deep into the cave.
"Who is it! Who!?" He saw the empty ground and fury burst in his chest, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
Glancing up, he immediately noticed the words carved on the wall. Just a glance was enough to understand them.
"Spirit Hall… so it was Spirit Hall!" His teeth clenched, veins bulged on his forehead, and his entire body released an uncontrollable aura. The cave walls shook violently, stones crumbling from above.
The next moment, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down.
On his way here he had already checked the surrounding mountains—there were no ambushes.
He stepped forward and ran his hand over the carved characters, then crouched in the center of the cave, touching the soil, brushing the fresh moss that had grown.
"More than three months… matches the timing when Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan came searching." Tang Hao came here every year to clear weeds for Ah Yin. He knew exactly how quickly plants grew inside.
Lifting his head to the inscriptions, his thoughts drifted.
"But judging from the words, this person already knew of my existence. More importantly, they knew Ah Yin sacrificed herself for me. Once injured by me before… very likely one of the soul masters who followed Qian Xunji in that siege against me and Ah Yin back then. As for how they found this place? If they knew of me long ago, then it was probably by tailing me. Not daring to get too close, they only saw this waterfall's rough location, but not the hidden mechanism."
"So they clawed randomly at the wall to trigger the switch."
"And to be sure, they waited until I followed Xiao San to Suotuo City before sneaking in."
"If that's the case, then they succeeded even before those three great powers came searching."
"As for abandoning Ah Yin? Impossible. They must have taken her and hidden her, using her as leverage against me. By doing so, they both avoid revealing themselves too soon and also warn me not to spread word of this to Spirit Hall for fear of sparking an internal investigation. After all, a hundred-thousand-year soul bone… even Bibi Dong wouldn't resist the temptation."
"Of course, there's a small chance it wasn't Spirit Hall but one of the others. When they investigated Yang Yunhai's identity in Nuoding City, they could have noticed Xiao San. A Blue Silver Grass with innate full soul power would indeed be suspicious. Following that thread, it wouldn't be hard to uncover my presence. As for finding this cave, it might have been due to some special sensing ability of their martial soul."
"For example, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's wealth comes partly from that martial soul's unique appraisal ability. Perhaps it also grants treasure-sensing ability. They may have come searching for rare treasures, and finding this cave was just an accident. As for knowing about the past, their vast intelligence network could easily discover it."
"And the most important point—Ning Rongrong is at Shrek Academy. How could Ning Fengzhi let his daughter join an unfamiliar academy without sending people to investigate? It's not strange if they discovered Xiao San and me. With his wisdom, piecing everything together and leaving these words to frame Spirit Hall makes perfect sense."
"After all, with my hatred toward Spirit Hall, I would naturally suspect them first."
"Still, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan can't be ruled out. Investigating Yang Yunhai could have led them to Xiao San, then back to me. Their own information network could explain the rest."
"So… Spirit Hall is the prime suspect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan second, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan last."
As for Yang Yunhai? Tang Hao didn't even consider him. A common orphan from a remote city—how could he possibly know of such matters?
Moreover, Yunhai's martial soul after its so-called evolution didn't match the Blue Silver Emperor. Neither its toughness nor its color resembled what the Emperor should possess. The true Blue Silver Emperor's greatest traits were vitality and healing.
And if Yunhai had truly absorbed a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, staying with Dugu Bo so long would have given him away long ago.
"But if not for Yang Yunhai, those three great powers would never have come searching. This child is hateful too!" Tang Hao's brows furrowed, killing intent flickering in his eyes.
"And Yu Tianheng as well—such a fool. Loose-lipped, exposing his teammate's secrets without a second thought." Tang Hao didn't need to guess—it was Tianheng who passed word to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Once they acted, Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan picked up the scent and came as well.
But it was too late now… After a moment of silence, Tang Hao slowly stood. "Let him remain as a whetstone for Xiao San."
"He's just a junior. It's not my place to act."
With that, he strode out of the cave, mind already shifting to what came next.
"If Ning Fengzhi has obtained a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, he'll either use it himself to break the bottleneck at rank 79 and step into Soul Douluo, or keep it for Ning Rongrong. But definitely not now. With the Soul Master Tournament coming, if Ning Rongrong suddenly skyrockets in strength, it would cause suspicion. So, at the earliest, it'll be after the tournament."
"That means all I need to do is keep an eye on Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong."
"As for Spirit Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, I'll need other ways to investigate."
"And then there's Xiao Wu. This incident is a warning. With Ning Rongrong as Ning Fengzhi's daughter, and with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo at his side, even if they don't already know Xiao San's identity, they'll at least meet him. With Xiao San's talent, it's inevitable. And that means Xiao Wu's risk of exposure will grow. I must find a way to conceal her aura."
"Perfect. I'll pay a visit to the Blue Silver King's forest."
As the empress of the Blue Silver Grass clan, Ah Yin had unparalleled affinity with plants. Combined with her exclusive Blue Silver Domain, she could identify rare herbs with ease. It was precisely this gift that allowed her to find, in a valley during her hundred-thousand-year breakthrough, a rare herb capable of masking one's aura.
After careful thought, she chose to transform into human form, using that Concealment Grass to live among humans while she cultivated.
She had taken the immature plant back to her territory, nurtured it with her life force, and once it matured, consumed it before leaving. That herb was the key to why she could survive undetected in the human world until her near-maturity.
Unfortunately, its power was consumable. It couldn't be passed on.
And by the time Tang Hao and his brother had met Ah Yin, she was already over twenty years old. The herb's effects had long been mostly depleted, even after she'd returned to nurture more seedlings.
Without it, back when she traveled with Tang Hao to meet his clan, Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo would never have discovered her.
"After so many years, with the Blue Silver King tending it, new Concealment Grass should have matured. Even if not fully, one or two years of suppression should be possible. Enough to last through the Soul Master Tournament."
With that thought, Tang Hao quickened his pace out of the cave.
(End of Chapter)
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