Chapter 90: Chrysanthemum Douluo Making Up for Deficiencies
Tang Hao's life force and soul power were rapidly being drained away.
There was not the slightest shadow of pain on his face. Instead, a relieved, almost peaceful smile appeared.
Tang San could clearly feel a powerful yet familiar force pouring into his body through the Dark Blue Silver Grass.
Tang Hao's body was like deadwood, with all its moisture sucked dry, shriveling at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Very soon, he closed his eyes.
In that instant, it was as if even time itself froze.
All of Tang Hao's exhaustion and regrets scattered like wisps of smoke, dissipating along with the fading of his life.
That once-tall, unyielding figure no longer existed. What remained in the end was only a lifeless, shriveled corpse.
Tang San withdrew the Dark Blue Silver Grass and stood dazedly to the side.
Looking at the dried corpse before him, grief filled his eyes, and tears burst forth uncontrollably.
His legs went weak, and with a thud, he knelt in front of Tang Hao's remains, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Dad…"
Tang Xiao turned around and looked at Tang Hao's corpse. A thousand words surged to his lips, but in this suffocating silence, everything was choked back down into his chest.
Thinking back to the past, how high-spirited had Tang Hao once been?
He was the feared Clear Sky Douluo, the pride of the Clear Sky Sect, a figure countless people revered.
With overwhelming strength and fearless courage, he had carved a path through the soul master world, establishing the name of the Clear Sky Hammer.
Yet now, this man who once shook the world lay quietly here, devoid of life, leaving only a bleakness that tore at the heart.
Tang Xiao's eyes were also bloodshot, his heart filled with sorrow and grief.
But he knew that sorrow alone was useless—Tang Hao's last wishes had yet to be fulfilled.
Tang Hao's legs and left arm had been severed, and there were still three soul bones in his body—located in his forehead, right arm, and torso.
Those three soul bones shone faintly beneath the dried skin and bone.
Tang San was still just a boy in his early teens. After what he had just experienced, if he were made to personally remove those three soul bones, it would very likely push him closer to collapse.
So Tang Xiao decided to handle it himself.
"Xiao San, pull yourself together. You must be as strong as your father."
Tang San nodded slightly and wiped his tears.
"Dad, don't worry. I'll definitely fulfill your last wishes. I'll carry your strength forward, avenge you and Mom, and help Uncle revive the Clear Sky Sect!"
Tang Xiao patted Tang San's shoulder gently in comfort.
"Xiao San, turn around. I'll remove your father's soul bones now."
Tang San turned away.
Tang Xiao looked down at Tang Hao's corpse and said in a low voice:
"Hao, rest in peace. Yuehua and I will look after Xiao San."
With that, he gritted his teeth and began circulating his soul power.
A blade formed purely of soul power cut through Tang Hao's skin and bone, and he slowly extracted the three soul bones.
With each bone he removed, Tang Xiao felt as if a heavy hammer were smashing down on his heart.
By the time he was finished, Tang Hao's body was utterly unrecognizable.
As Tang Xiao's soul power surged once more, a gentle light descended upon Tang Hao's shriveled corpse.
Under the effect of that soul power, the dried corpse began to shrink and distort, before finally being compressed into a small clump of bone ash.
Tang Xiao took off his outer coat and carefully wrapped the ashes, then turned and held them out to Tang San.
"Xiao San, these are your father's ashes. Keep them safe for now. Once we return to the Clear Sky Sect, we'll lay him to rest."
"Uncle… you mean… Dad can be buried in the Clear Sky Sect?"
A trace of surprise flashed in Tang San's eyes.
He knew his father had wronged the Clear Sky Sect, but also knew that Tang Hao's heart had always held the desire to return to the sect.
Tang Xiao nodded.
"Xiao San, no matter what, your father was once the pride of the sect. For him to return to his roots is only right."
As he spoke, he brought the three soul bones forward and held them out toward Tang San.
"These are the three soul bones your father left behind. Take them as well."
"Uncle, I already absorbed a skull bone. I can't use this one. Dad said before that this right arm bone is a Clear Sky Sect inheritance soul bone—he always wanted to return it to the sect. You should keep the skull and the right arm bone. I just need this torso bone."
"Silly child. The sect's inheritance soul bone was obtained by your father with his own strength. What kind of 'returning' is that? Since you can't use the skull, take the right arm bone and the torso bone."
Tang San hesitated for a moment, then accepted the right arm and torso bones, storing them together with Tang Hao's ashes inside the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.
Tang Xiao continued:
"Xiao San, that right arm bone and torso bone are both over sixty thousand years old. Once you fuse them, your physical strength and power will definitely rise to another level. But you're injured right now—it's not suitable for you to fuse soul bones in this condition. I'll take you back to the sect for treatment first. Once your body has stabilized, then you can think about fusing them."
"Alright. I'll listen to you."
After that, Tang Xiao took Tang San and hurried toward the Clear Sky Sect.
---
Gui Mei and Yue Guan arrived at a quiet location.
They took out the soul bones they had collected—seven in total.
Gui Mei knew that they would face even stronger enemies in the future.
Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu, and even Tang Chen and Bo Saixi could all become their enemies.
Yue Guan's spiritual power wasn't strong enough. In battles against true powerhouses, this would become a deadly weakness.
Gui Mei had already fused a skull bone. Even if he killed a hundred-thousand-year soul beasts again, it was impossible for another skull to drop from them.
Yue Guan had fused two soul bones so far, leaving four locations on his body without a soul bone. Even if he delivered the killing blow to a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, there was no guarantee that the dropped soul bone would be a skull.
They were about to go in search of the Blue Silver Forest and the Blue Silver King.
Yue Guan needed to strengthen his spiritual power.
That spiritual skull was only sixty thousand years old, but it was an absolute top-grade soul bone, comparable to a hundred-thousand-year soul bone of another body part. It could help resolve Yue Guan's weakness in spiritual power in the shortest time possible.
He could fuse it first, then continue to improve in the future.
"Old Chrysanthemum, you fuse this spiritual skull first, then fuse the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone."
Yue Guan took the soul bone and smiled lightly.
"What a pity. You already have a soul bone in your right leg. Otherwise, this hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone would be more suitable for you."
Gui Mei shook his head with a small smile, unconcerned.
"There's nothing to pity. Even if I didn't fuse a right leg bone, this Blue Silver Emperor bone would still be yours. When you activate your Vajra Body, the drain on soul power and life force is enormous. This Blue Silver Emperor bone can provide you with abundant life force, help you quickly recover the soul power you've expended, and might even grant you powerful self-healing abilities."
After hearing this explanation, Yue Guan's anticipation grew even stronger.
"Old Ghost, then I won't stand on ceremony."
"Hurry up and fuse it. I'll stand guard."
Yue Guan nodded with a smile, then sat down cross-legged and began fusing the skull bone.
It took him only half an hour to completely fuse the spiritual skull, and after that, he immediately began fusing the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone.
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End of Chapter