Seeing Lin Mu's unwillingness to hand over Ah Yin, Tang Hao's face suddenly darkened to a grim degree.
Although Ah Yin had lost all her cultivation and become an insignificant Blue Silver Grass, she was still his former wife, and he absolutely could not allow her to remain in someone else's hands, especially someone he was starting to mistrust.
"Lin Mu, I can overlook the fact that you took away my hidden hundred-thousand-year soul bone, but that Blue Silver Grass is of paramount importance to me, and you must return it immediately!"
As he said the last sentence, Tang Hao suddenly looked up at Lin Mu, a fierce glint in his eyes, as if he was about to attack at any moment.
"Of paramount importance?"
Lin Mu smiled sarcastically, directly tearing away Tang Hao's hypocritical pretense. "You left her in a dark, damp cave, without even the most basic sunlight or care for years, and you call that important?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Hao's expression changed several times. He wanted to refute, but he was unable to find a suitable reason immediately.
Plants need sunlight to grow; this is common knowledge, and Tang Hao naturally knew it too. But he did not think that leaving Ah Yin in the cave was wrong.
With the two-hundred-meter waterfall acting as a natural barrier, the cave was practically absolutely safe! Only by keeping her there could he avoid constantly watching over her while he wandered.
In his view, since Ah Yin needed 100,000 years to rebuild her cultivation anyway, even a few decades of delay wouldn't have a significant impact on the grand scale.
Tang Hao, his thoughts exposed by Lin Mu, was instantly enraged. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he gasped for breath, shouting, "Lin Mu! This is none of your business! You'd better hand her over, or don't blame me for taking action!"
Hearing this, Lin Mu smiled dismissively. Even though Tang Hao was a Super Douluo, his body was riddled with hidden injuries. Lin Mu was confident he could handle him.
Seeing Lin Mu's reaction, Tang Hao was furious. He coldly snorted, "You won't learn your lesson until you see the coffin! Looks like I have to teach you a lesson!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Hao threw a punch at Lin Mu without holding back, containing the raw power of a Super Douluo.
Just as Lin Mu was about to block, a figure flashed.
Tang San, who had been secretly observing using the concealment of the Blue Silver Domain, decisively used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dash forward. He stood in front of his master and activated his defensive skill.
"Third Soul Skill: Blue Silver Emperor Shield!"
"BANG!!"
The dazzling golden shield shattered instantly under Tang Hao's powerful punch. The force was overwhelming, and Tang San spat out a mouthful of blood as he was knocked backward.
"Little San!"
Seeing this, Lin Mu's pupils shrank, and he quickly reached out to support Tang San.
"Little San?! How could this be!"
Looking at his injured son, Tang Hao quickly withdrew his fist, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. 'Little San actually shielded an outsider from my attack?'
At this moment, Lin Mu had already fed Tang San a high-grade healing pill and asked with a worried expression, "Little San, how are you feeling?"
"Master... this injury is nothing. My right leg bone is constantly repairing my body."
Tang San didn't regret taking the blow for his master. Although he knew his master could withstand it, he still wanted to protect him this once. Besides, this whole conflict started because of him, and he absolutely wouldn't allow his father to hurt his master.
Seeing the tender scene between the two, Tang Hao was furious, feeling like an intruder in his own son's life.
He was clearly Little San's father, and Lin Mu was the outsider! So why did it look like he was the villain?
Tang Hao quickly walked over, saying with some apology, "Little San, I didn't mean to hurt you."
Looking at his father approaching, Tang San's expression was cold, revealing an indifference that kept everyone at arm's length.
Seeing his son's reaction, Tang Hao felt extremely aggrieved and could only vent his dissatisfaction on Lin Mu. "Lin Mu, this is all your fault. You could have blocked it easily, but you let Little San take the hit!"
Upon hearing this, both Lin Mu and Tang San were stunned. 'How could someone twist logic like that?'
Before Lin Mu could speak, Tang San interjected, "Taking the attack for Master was my own choice. Compared to what Master has done for me, this injury is insignificant."
"What did you say?"
Seeing Tang San's respect for Lin Mu versus his coldness toward him, Tang Hao's expression twisted. 'He is indifferent to his own father, yet willing to be injured for an outsider? Is this really my son?'
Undeniably, Lin Mu had indeed raised Tang San very well. Didn't he, as the father who entrusted him, deserve some credit for that decision? If he hadn't helped Lin Mu hunt for his fifth soul ring, would Lin Mu have been so devoted to Tang San?
After a moment of mental gymnastics, Tang Hao's expression shifted. He said in a deep voice, "Xiao San, I did all this for your mother. That Blue Silver Grass Lin Mu stole... is your mother!"
"Originally, I planned to tell you this later, worried you wouldn't be able to accept this reality. But since things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore."
"Your mother was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form."
Tang Hao then recounted the events of that fateful year, expecting Lin Mu and Tang San to be shocked and even feel guilty for their actions. However, the two remained calm.
Seeing this, Tang Hao frowned. 'Didn't such a tragic fate deserve sympathy? Why are they so unmoved?'
Even so, Tang Hao remained undeterred, almost commanding, "Xiao San, you must remember, it was Spirit Hall that killed your mother. You must destroy Spirit Hall at all costs!"
"The grievance has its source, the debt its debtor. I will naturally take revenge against those responsible, but personal vendettas shouldn't involve innocent people," Tang San said firmly.
Regarding avenging his mother, he had his own perspective. Blindly destroying Spirit Hall would implicate countless innocent Soul Masters and civilians, triggering a war.
Hearing this, Tang Hao was completely dumbfounded.
The previous Pope, Qian Xunji, was long dead; what other way could he seek revenge besides destroying the entire Spirit Hall?
Immediately, Tang Hao looked at Lin Mu beside him, a nameless fire rising in his heart. 'This guy must have misled Xiao San with his soft ideas!'
"Lin Mu, you must hand over Ah Yin today. Otherwise, even if Xiao San is here, I won't spare you!"
At this point, Tang Hao didn't care about offending Lin Mu anymore.
Lin Mu didn't care about Tang Hao's threat at all and said calmly, "Compared to the cave you chose, the place she is now is not only safer but also conducive to her rapid growth. If you really care about her well-being, you wouldn't demand to bring her back to that dungeon."
"Ridiculous! How can I believe your words!"
After these few incidents, Tang Hao distrusted Lin Mu even more. For some reason, he always felt that Lin Mu would become a major threat to him.
At this moment, Tang San chimed in, "Master is right. Mother's current location is much better than her original one. I saw it myself."
Seeing his son siding with an outsider again, Tang Hao felt extremely uncomfortable. Wasn't this implying that the cave he chose for Ah Yin was bad?
Even if that place was technically better, so what? How could he possibly trust Ah Yin to a stranger? Even if Ah Yin had almost no hope of revival, he absolutely wouldn't allow her to be taken away by an outsider.
"No! Absolutely not!"
Denying it twice, Tang Hao declared confidently, "I personally chose that cave for Ah Yin; she would definitely prefer to stay there where I can protect her!"
Upon hearing this delusion, Lin Mu and Tang San were both utterly astonished.