bookbashuk Chapter 788 Sacrificing oneself for one's lover
Chapter 788 Sacrificing oneself for one's lover
The summit of the central mountain in Wuhun City.
Here stand two palace-like buildings, one large and one small, not very large in scale, much smaller than the Papal Palace halfway up the mountain.
Even the largest one is only about a third the size of the Papal Palace, far less eye-catching than the Papal Palace, and doesn't seem to possess any imposing presence.
However, whenever people see that building, their feelings are even more profound and awe-inspiring.
This building, which looks much smaller, is the highest-ranking building in the Spirit Hall, the Douluo Hall.
Every Soul Master who enters Wuhun City feels a special sensation, a strange sense of reverence rising within them, all because of the Douluo Palace.
The Douluo Hall holds an extremely high position within the Spirit Hall and even the entire Soul Master world. It is the highest hall in the hearts of all Soul Masters across the continent, and can be said to be a symbolic existence.
This is the place where Title Douluos are conferred their titles, and it is also the burial ground for Title Douluos, where almost all the Title Douluos who have died on the entire continent are buried.
This is exactly what is meant by "a beginning and an end."
For a titled Douluo, being buried here after death is an absolute honor.
Compared to the Douluo Palace, which is renowned throughout the entire Douluo Continent, the smaller palace next to it is not as famous and has a more understated architectural style.
But
For the Spirit Hall, its importance is no less than that of the Douluo Hall, and may even far exceed it.
Because of its name, it is called the Hall of Offerings.
The Douluo Hall exists only as a symbol, but the Offering Hall is not.
Not only does it house all the Title Douluos of the Spirit Hall who are above level 96, but it also enshrines the statue of the Angel God, as well as the Angel Holy Sword, a divine artifact left behind by the Angel God, and the Angel Legacy.
It is a place that carries the dream of becoming a god at level 100.
Its significance is self-evident and far surpasses that of the Douluo Palace.
Offering Hall.
Deep inside the hall, in the very center, stands a trapezoidal stone platform nearly three meters high.
On the stone platform stands a huge angel statue, ten meters tall, with six wings on its back, lifelike and almost real.
A massive golden sword was held high in the slender, beautiful hand of the angel statue, pointing straight to the sky.
Most peculiarly, a faint golden flame seemed to linger around the giant golden sword.
It resembles fire, appearing and disappearing, but it lacks the heat and violence of fire. Instead, it is extremely gentle and exudes an indescribable sacredness.
Beneath the enormous angel statue.
Dressed in a plain white robe, Qian Daoliu knelt on a prayer mat, his eyes closed, devoutly serving and praying.
Qian Daoliu's appearance had not changed much. Just like when Ye Qifeng first met him, he still looked like a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties.
He exudes a calm and serene aura, giving people a very comfortable feeling.
Who would have thought that this tall, handsome, resolute-looking, and serene middle-aged man with flowing golden hair...
That's the peerless Douluo at level 99, who is over a hundred years old and whose cultivation has reached the limit of the Douluo Continent.
Suddenly, Qian Daoliu opened his eyes, a hint of confusion in them.
For some reason, he felt like something was wrong, and he seemed to have been in a daze for a while.
Looking up at the angel statue in front of him, he found nothing unusual, and the ancestral angel god had not given any instructions.
He then released his spiritual power to sense the state of the other five deities in the offering hall. They all seemed to be busy with their secluded cultivation, oblivious to everything else.
Nothing happened.
Qian Daoliu said a few words, then closed his eyes again to continue the service and prayer he had not finished for the day.
But for some reason, I always felt uneasy.
As if sensing something, or perhaps on a whim, Qian Daoliu inexplicably began to spread his vast spiritual power outwards.
In no time at all, it had enveloped the entire Wuhun City.
Soon, Qian Daoliu's brows furrowed slightly without his noticing:
"Wasn't Wuhun City hosting the Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies? Why is the entire city under martial law?"
"That is."
At this moment, Qian Daoliu's spiritual perception landed on the chaotic plaza in front of the Papal Palace, and his brows furrowed even deeper:
"How did such a beautiful temple square end up like this?"
"It was just a small elite Soul Master competition, and it turned into this? What kind of work is Bibi Dong doing?"
"Hmm? No, those marks couldn't have been left by those low-level Soul Masters in the Elite Soul Master Competition. Only a Title Douluo of at least level 90 could have done that."
"Could it be that Spirit City has recently been attacked by a Title Douluo?"
Qian Daoliu's expression immediately turned serious, and the spiritual power emanating from his body became even more immense, while his perception became clearer and more refined.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, a total of eight Title Douluo auras. They seem to have fought here before, and it happened not long ago."
"Not only that, there are even traces of two strange auras colliding with divine power."
"Those two peculiar auras that almost permeated the entire world seemed to emanate from the light and darkness auras of Night Boy's two martial souls."
"There seem to be two divine auras. One is full of evil intent, which should come from Bibi Dong. The other is filled with a terrifying killing intent, which seems familiar."
"Oh no, it's that bastard Tang Hao."
"So, that bastard Tang Hao came to Spirit City and even fought with Bibi Dong and Ye Xiaozhi?"
Upon realizing this, Qian Daoliu's expression changed drastically. He couldn't care less about why he hadn't noticed anything before, and his spiritual power quickly probed into the Papal Palace.
The result was that nothing was gained.
Then it quickly spread towards the Holy Son's Palace where Ye Qifeng lived.
Sure enough, he witnessed a scene he desperately wanted to avoid.
Qian Daoliu couldn't sit still any longer. With a flicker of his body, he disappeared from the offering hall.
The enormous angel statue stood atop the high platform, as if a gaze was silently watching the thousand departing figures, but without attempting to stop them.
Before this, He had secretly exerted influence by using the power of angelic faith gathered in the Angel Temple to isolate the five senses of that angelic servant, causing him to temporarily lose his perception of the outside world.
Not only him, but also five other insignificant ants were manipulated by Him.
In other words, the entire temple, under His covert influence, was in a state of isolation from the world, which is why it was completely unaware of everything happening outside.
As Qian Daoliu's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, the sinister gaze that had been following him was quickly withdrawn.
What needed to be done has been done.
Next, He will focus His efforts on refining the power of angelic faith in the Angelic Temple and stealing the authority of judgment of light held by the Angel God.
The Asura God seems to have been impeached by the God of Destruction and lost his right to oversee the lower realms. Heh, I can't be like Him and get caught with something. I have to be extra careful.
This Douluo world can wait.
…………
Xiao Wu slowly regained consciousness and almost instinctively sat up abruptly, looking around.
The first thing that catches the eye is a bonfire.
Sparks flew out as the fire burned, the flames scorching the wood and producing a crisp crackling sound.
Night had fallen.
The silvery moonlight spilled down, leaving behind a carpet of swaying tree shadows.
A chilly night wind blew by, and Xiao Wu instinctively shivered. Fortunately, she was in the southern part of the Heavenly Dou Empire, where the temperature was not too low.
The presence of the campfire nearby added to the warmth.
It's not actually cold.
Xiao Wu had just woken up from her coma and was still unaware of whether she was out of danger, so she was instinctively afraid.
But soon, Xiao Wu felt relieved and relaxed.
Beside the campfire, there were two other people besides her.
One was Tang San, lying on the ground, still unconscious, and the other was a disheveled, tattered man, Tang Hao.
Having survived the ordeal, Xiao Wu's pretty face was filled with joy.
But at this moment, she did not notice that Tang Hao's left leg had been severed at the root, nor did she notice his increasingly aged appearance and his disheveled hair that had been turned snow-white.
Because all of this was completely concealed by the tattered black robe he was wearing.
"You're awake."
At this moment, Tang Hao finally spoke, his voice sounding unusually hoarse and aged.
"Thank you, Uncle."
Xiao Wu's smile faded slightly. She quickly nodded and thanked him, but her gaze unconsciously lingered on Tang San.
"Um."
Tang Hao responded calmly, accepting her thanks without hesitation. He glanced at Tang San, who was still unconscious on the ground, before raising his head to look at Xiao Wu.
His eyes seemed to possess a special magic, drawing Xiao Wu's gaze involuntarily to him.
At this moment, Tang Hao's eyes were no longer cloudy, but unusually bright, even the stars in the night sky paled in comparison.
A deep, resonant voice rang in Xiao Wu's ears:
"You should go!"
Xiao Wu was shocked upon hearing this and almost immediately looked up at Tang Hao, exclaiming:
"Uncle, are you still against me being with my mistress?"
Tang Hao simply smiled nonchalantly and said:
"When did I ever say I was against you two being together?"
Xiao Wu slightly opened her mouth:
"Then why?"
Before she could finish speaking, Tang Hao waved his hand to interrupt her:
"I want you to leave because your staying with the mistress will only do him harm."
Seeing Xiao Wu's face turn deathly pale, Tang Hao knew she understood what he meant and continued:
"I once told you that a 100,000-year-old soul beast that is not yet mature is the goal of all soul masters."
"If I hadn't been the first Title Douluo to meet you, you would probably have already become someone else's spirit ring or spirit bone."
"Although the hairpin I gave you could help you conceal your soul beast aura, your soul beast identity has now been exposed. Not only will the Spirit Hall not let you go, but other soul masters will not let you go either."
"There is no place for you in the human world anymore. If you stay here, you will only die."
At this point, Xiao Wu finally realized that the situation she was facing was a completely unsolvable dead end.
Unless she immediately turns back to the Star Dou Great Forest, there will be no chance of survival.
But she couldn't bear to part with Tang San.
Her body went limp, and Xiao Wu collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.
Tang Hao showed no mercy whatsoever.
No one can protect Xiao Wu, not even him.
Besides, he knew his own situation well; his current physical condition was extremely bad, and it didn't support him protecting Xiao Wu at all.
Tang Hao made his voice as forceful as possible:
"Let's go back to where you should be."
"You'll be safest there."
"When the day comes that the mistress can protect you, and you are able to protect yourself, I will not object to you meeting."
"But definitely not now!"
After a long silence, Xiao Wu finally accepted her fate and decided to heed Tang Hao's advice and leave the human world.
But she still wanted to stay a little longer, so she bit her lower lip, mustered her courage, and said:
"Can I leave after the mistress wakes up?"
Despite Xiao Wu's pitiful plea, Tang Hao remained unmoved, shaking his head to directly refuse.
"No! You must leave immediately."
Seemingly realizing that speaking too bluntly wouldn't be good, Tang Hao thought for a moment, softened his tone slightly, and continued:
"Do you think he'll let you leave like this after the other woman wakes up?"
"Go. It's very close to the Star Dou Great Forest; that's your home."
"Let me give you a piece of advice: don't leave that place until it's fully mature."
"Back then, I thought I was strong enough, but the ending for me and the mistress's mother was still a tragedy."
"I don't want to see the same tragedy happen to my children."
Do you understand?
Tang Hao spoke these words with genuine sincerity, even using his own and Ah Yin's ending as an example to persuade her, as if he were truly thinking of Xiao Wu's best interests.
In reality, what Tang Hao was thinking was this:
"See? Even the mistress's mother was willing to sacrifice herself for me. If you truly love the mistress, shouldn't you also offer up your soul rings and soul bones?"
Ultimately, Tang Hao simply wanted to plant a seed in Xiao Wu's heart, a seed called "sacrificing oneself for the sake of one's lover."
Tang Hao already had a plan in mind regarding Tang San's training, and he even had a plan on where Tang San would obtain his spirit rings:
"Xiao San will obtain his fifth spirit ring in the Blue Silver Forest, and as for his sixth spirit ring..."
"Hehe, it's you, Xiao Wu. Don't let me down."
"Once Xiao San reaches the bottleneck of level 60, I will send him to find you. At that time, please be sure to sacrifice your soul ring and soul bone to Xiao San."
Xiao Wu had no idea that Tang Hao was setting a trap for her by saying so much to her.
After nodding blankly, she slowly walked to Tang San's side, squatted down, and stared at his seemingly ordinary face up close.
A single, glistening tear slid down the corner of her eye.
Xiao Wu raised her trembling hand and gently stroked Tang San's face:
"You are the first man to comb my hair, and the only one. Forever and ever. No matter what our future holds, there will be no space in my heart for anyone but you." (End of Chapter)