Chapter 38: So What If You're the Asura God? My Fate Is My Own!
The originally black ninth soul ring surrounding Gui Mei now glowed a deep, blood-red hue—a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, radiating blinding power and majesty.
"Th-this… how is that possible?!"
Tang Hao's eyes widened in disbelief, his face filled with shock.
Tang San, too, was utterly dumbfounded.
Neither father nor son could have imagined that such a thing could exist in this world!
A hundred-thousand-year soul ring—Gui Mei's strength had ascended to an entirely new level.
Before they could even recover from their shock, Gui Mei moved.
The scarlet ring blazed with light.
Without warning, a massive black vortex materialized high above them.
In the next instant, countless ghostly phantoms poured out from within, surging toward them like a demonic tide.
"Xiao San! Run!"
Tang Hao's shout split the air.
This was a hundred-thousand-year soul skill—its destructive power beyond measure.
He swung the Clear Sky Hammer with both hands, hammering back the endless ghost shadows as he retreated.
Each phantom that touched the hammer exploded violently, sending shockwaves that made even Tang Hao's arm tremble.
Tang San had long been ready to flee.
There was no time to hesitate.
Using his father's onslaught as cover, he activated his soul bones and shot into the sky, his body turning into a fleeting afterimage as he tried to escape that land of death.
But Gui Mei's cold voice echoed behind him:
"Hmph! Trying to run? Not so easy!"
An invisible spiritual pressure instantly descended upon Tang San.
His speed faltered—his body stiffened, frozen mid-air as though time itself had bound him.
Then came the attack.
A shadow-black blade, darker than ink and brimming with killing intent, slashed toward him with unstoppable force!
"Xiao San!"
Seeing his son trapped under a deadly strike, Tang Hao ignored the ghostly attacks and lunged forward—
Only to be met by a surging, explosive force.
"Tang Hao! Take my fist!"
Yue Guan's mocking voice rang out as a terrifying pulse of compressed soul power erupted from his palm, exploding forward like a cannon shell.
It was Titan Firmament Breaker, the skill from his newly obtained hundred-thousand-year right arm soul bone.
The sheer pressure of the blow warped the surrounding space, bending light itself.
"What terrifying power… Is this really the Chrysanthemum Douluo?!"
The oppressive might slammed against Tang Hao's body like a mountain.
He could hardly believe how strong Yue Guan had become.
Sensing the lethal threat, Tang Hao was forced to swing the Clear Sky Hammer in defense.
Meanwhile, Tang San's situation grew ever more desperate.
The Ghostly Blade, wreathed in deathly chill, was already inches from his chest.
"No! Xiao San!!!"
Tang Hao's desperate roar tore through the forest, but he could not reach his son in time.
Forced to face both Gui Mei and Yue Guan at once, even he could not free himself.
The ghostly blade carried a suffocating aura of death—there was no way Tang San could block it.
Tang San's pupils contracted sharply. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, his mind filling with despair.
"Am I… truly going to die here?"
"No… I refuse to accept this! I haven't avenged Xiao Wu yet! How can I die like this?!"
"Even if I die—I'll die standing!"
A surge of determination flared in his chest.
Tang San's soul power erupted violently, and waves of dark-blue Silver Grass burst from his body like raging tides.
But before Gui Mei's overwhelming strength, it was as futile as a mantis blocking a chariot.
The dark-blue vines shattered the instant they met the Ghostly Blade, breaking apart into black fragments that scattered through the air like ashes.
"No!!!"
Tang Hao's roar was filled with despair and fury.
His soul power exploded outward, and his body became a streak of blazing light as he shot toward Tang San with all his strength.
Even knowing it was too late, he would still fight to save his son.
Just as the Ghostly Phantom Blade was about to strike Tang San, a blinding blood-red light suddenly burst forth from within his body.
The radiance instantly illuminated the dark battlefield, spreading outward like an unbreakable barrier that enveloped Tang San completely.
That crimson glow pulsed with a mysterious, overwhelming power. When the Ghostly Blade struck it, a sharp crackling sound echoed—then, unbelievably, the attack was stopped cold in midair.
Gui Mei's eyes widened in shock.
"That… that's the power of the Asura God?!"
Before he could think further, Gui Mei launched another fierce strike at the red light—but the next instant, both the radiance and Tang San vanished into thin air.
Along with him, Tang Hao had also disappeared.
"Damn it!" Yue Guan gritted his teeth, both furious and stunned.
He wanted to chase, but Gui Mei raised a hand to stop him.
"Old Chrysanthemum, forget it. It's useless."
Yue Guan sighed, reluctantly standing down before walking to Gui Mei's side.
"Old Ghost, that brat was a hair's breadth away from dying in your hands. But his Blue Silver Grass… It's changed. It carries some dark, sinister power now. And that red light—it's far too strange."
Gui Mei's expression darkened.
"If my guess is right, Tang San may have been blessed by a god. That was divine power."
"Divine power?" Yue Guan frowned, a heavy feeling rising in his chest.
He suddenly recalled the nightmare Gui Mei had mentioned before—one where the two of them were slaughtered by Tang San's hands.
"If that kid truly has God's help from the shadows… how are we supposed to kill him?"
Gui Mei let out a low chuckle, his eyes gleaming with cold determination.
"No need to panic. This is only the beginning. You and I were born lowly, with nothing but ordinary souls, yet we still climbed our way to the rank of Titled Douluo. My fate is mine to command, not the heavens'! So what if he's a god? One day, I'll slay a deity with nothing but mortal hands!"
Yue Guan's fighting spirit surged once more.
"Well said! My fate is mine to command, not the heavens'! Then let's do it again—defy destiny itself!"
He laughed heartily, his earlier doubts swept away. Thinking back to his clash with Tang Hao, a smug grin crossed his face.
"That Titan's power really is terrifying. Even Tang Hao had to hold back. He just recovered from his injuries—this time, they must have worsened. It's a pity we let him escape."
Gui Mei smirked coldly.
"Tang Hao is nothing more than a crippled dog now. It's only a matter of time before he dies at our hands."
The two exchanged a knowing look, then burst into laughter.
"Come on, Old Chrysanthemum. Let's go find that old poison freak."
"Alright."
Together, the two left the Star Dou Forest, heading toward the Sunset Forest.
Meanwhile, Tang Hao and Tang San had already fled far from the battlefield.
Sensing no pursuit behind them, Tang Hao finally relaxed his tense breath—only for a mouthful of blood to spray from his lips.
"Father!"
Tang San's heart clenched as he hurried to support him. His mind was still reeling; even now, he couldn't tell whether everything that had happened was real or a nightmare.
That red light from his body… What exactly was it?
"Don't worry, Xiao San. I'm fine," Tang Hao said through labored breaths. "But we can't stay here. We need to move—fast. If they catch up, we're finished."
Though his body was weakened, Tang Hao's mind raced. Gui Mei's ninth soul ring had somehow evolved into a hundred-thousand-year level, Yue Guan's strength had soared to frightening heights, and then there was that mysterious crimson light from Tang San…
Questions filled his thoughts, but now wasn't the time to ponder them. Clutching Tang San tightly, Tang Hao shot off toward Heaven Dou City at full speed.
Danger lurked everywhere, and survival came before all else.
As Gui Mei and Yue Guan sped across the forest, they suddenly halted midair—two terrifying soul power fluctuations erupted ahead.
The two exchanged a look.
"Old Chrysanthemum… this pressure—it feels familiar."
"Yeah. And judging by that aura… whoever's coming isn't friendly."
—
End of Chapter