Chapter 131: The Power of the Gods
As he walked, Baihe took out a beautifully packaged flat gift box from the soul-guiding storage device at his waist.
Stopping a few steps away from a bed of flowers, Baihe held up the box with his right hand and, with a gentle smile, started speaking warmly:
“Yuehua, see what your uncle has brought for you—”
“……”
After a few moments, Baihe looked at the motionless flowers, his smile unchanged, but a hint of heartache and helplessness appeared in his eyes.
“Yuehua, didn't you say you liked music last time?” Baihe continued, “Your uncle found the most skilled craftsman on the continent, Master Lou Gao, to specially design this small harp.”
“The body is made from the precious three-thousand-year-old Xiangfei wood, and the strings are either made from millennia-old silkworm soul beasts or handcrafted by Master Lou Gao using a special alloy wire...”
“Yuehua, listen—”
Baihe spoke as he opened the gift box, taking out a small harp about ninety centimeters tall and roughly fifty centimeters at its widest point. Gripping the body with his left hand against himself, he extended his right hand, hooking and releasing a string.
“Ding—!”
…
On the rooftop of another courtyard several dozen meters away, two tall figures stood side by side, watching Baihe's actions. A somber expression was etched on their resolute faces.
“Damn it!”
Tang Hao gritted his teeth, feeling a sense of powerlessness for the first time.
“Hao, my brother.” Tang Xiao placed a hand on Tang Hao's shoulder and, with a somber tone, said, “When Yuehua was being conceived, she was already lacking due to our mother's injuries... After our mother gave birth to Yuehua, she completely exhausted her life energy and...”
Tang Xiao stopped at the brink of uttering words he couldn't bring himself to say. His grief was no less than that of his brother beside him, Tang Hao. Ultimately, he did not say the word that neither wanted to confront.
“We thought that for the past six years, under our care, Yuehua had been healthy like any other child. But who knew, she was still missing the crucial innate vitality—”
Just a few days ago, Tang Hao closed himself off to absorb one of the three inherited soul bones of the Clear Sky Clan. His soul power leapt to level fifty-three, with much potential still untapped. Upon coming out, it coincided with the martial spirit awakening of his sister, Tang Yuehua.
What was expected to be a joyful occasion turned grim as Tang Yuehua's martial spirit underwent a malignant mutation. She neither inherited the Tang family's "Clear Sky Hammer" martial spirit nor her maternal family's "Sharp-tailed Swallow" martial spirit, but awakened a ring-shaped martial spirit resembling a ruyi, neither of gold nor jade.
Her innate soul power, when tested with the "Soul Measuring Crystal," barely emitted the faintest flicker of light, barely qualifying as level 0.1.
“Big Brother!”
Tang Hao turned to Tang Xiao with resolute eyes and declared, “I'm going to talk to father, and I will explore the continent with you!”
“I believe there must be a way to make up for Yuehua's innate deficiency and enable her to continue cultivating!”
“Hao, my brother.”
Tang Xiao looked at the somewhat stubborn gaze in Tang Hao's eyes, shook his head helplessly, and said, “Even grandfather has no solution for Yuehua's malignant martial spirit mutation. How could there be another way on this continent to let someone with a soul power level of 0.1 continue down the path of cultivation?”
Who was their grandfather? An entity that stood at the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent, closest to becoming a god!
Such an existence claimed helplessness; it was virtually a pronouncement that Tang Yuehua's path as a soul master was cut off!
“I don't believe it!”
Tang Hao's expression turned grim upon hearing the words, and he vanished instantly without another word.
Tang Xiao knew that his brother must have gone to where their grandfather was in seclusion to seek confirmation.
Turning back, Tang Xiao glanced at the small courtyard of Tang Yuehua. His uncle, Baihe, was still holding the carefully prepared gift—a harp—speaking softly to the figure hiding among the flowers, his face showing only concern and affection, without a trace of impatience.
Tang Xiao's lips moved slightly, but he sighed and disappeared in the next moment as well.
On the peak of "Haoyang Cliff," a large stone jutted out precariously.
A figure sat cross-legged at the edge of the stone, back facing the cliff that dropped hundreds of feet. Occasionally, a bird would fly by, some even daring to land on the figure's shoulder or knee.
To these birds, it seemed as though the figure was just another part of the protruding stone beneath them, merely a part of "Haoyang Cliff."
With the sound of a gust of wind, Tang Hao's tall, robust form appeared at the peak of the cliff before the stone.
The overwhelming aura that he did not bother to conceal frightened the birds resting on the stone, causing them to flap their wings frantically and fly away in haste.
"Grandfather!"
Tang Hao ignored the remote birds, standing obediently in place, and softly called out.
With Tang Hao's call, the figure sitting motionless at the edge of the stone, like a statue, opened its eyes.
There was no dazzling brilliance, nor were there any strange phenomena of heaven and earth; the eyes opened ordinarily, yet Tang Hao, who looked directly into them, found his mind enraptured, unable to turn his attention away.
"Hao'er."
Tang Chen gazed at the young grandson before him, the most gifted among the younger generation. Despite his usual serene and unfathomable eyes, a flicker of emotion passed through them.
"Grandfather!"
The call echoed again. It was Tang Xiao, who had also arrived at the cliff top, joining Tang Hao's side.
"Grandfather, about Yuehua..." Tang Hao's eagerness brought him a step forward as he turned his attention to Tang Chen, poised to ask a question.
"Alas—!" Before Tang Hao could finish, Tang Chen, already understanding his intent, shook his head and said directly, "Little Yue has a congenital deficiency from birth, beyond the realm of human intervention to mend."
"In my view, even if Yue cultivates diligently, aided by the myriad resources of the sect, she may only reach the ninth level of soul power."
"And then, she might never... alas—!"
"How could this be—?!" Tang Hao cried out softly, struggling to accept this verdict.
"Grandfather," at thirty-five, Tang Xiao had grown more composed. Observing Tang Chen's continued calm and natural demeanor, an idea struck him. He stepped forward again, side by side with Tang Hao, and asked, "Is there perhaps another plan you have in mind?"
"Xiao'er, you are quite remarkable," Tang Chen's gaze moved to Tang Xiao, showing the same satisfaction he had towards Tang Hao. He nodded and said, "As I mentioned, Yue’s situation is beyond human remedy…"
"Then, I shall seek a power that surpasses human capability!"
"A divine power!"
"A divine power?!"
Tang Xiao and Tang Hao echoed in unison, looking at Tang Chen, whose aura seemed altered yet unchanged, with a mix of doubt and awe.
Tang Chen shook his head without offering any explanation. After a brief moment of contemplation, he reached into his robe and retrieved a pristine letter.
He deftly tossed the letter towards Tang Xiao, who stood more than ten meters away, and with a flick of his wrist, two faint golden, translucent light beams shot towards the brothers.
Out of complete trust in their grandfather Tang Chen, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao stood still, allowing the light beams to merge into their foreheads.
In the next instant, the brothers found a vivid and detailed map imprinted in their minds.
Just then, Tang Chen's voice resonated by their ears: "Deliver this letter to 'Sea God Island' and hand it to the High Priestess Bo Saixi..."
"Although Yuehua's spirit has a malevolent mutation and her innate soul power is extremely low, her mental strength is, by some stroke of luck, far superior to ordinary people."
"Furthermore, I perceive a special power within her spirit. If guided and developed, her future achievements won't fall short of you two."
"Later, I will assist Yuehua in guiding and unlocking the power within her spirit. After that, I will leave the sect to seek the path beyond soul masters. Once I find that power belonging to the gods, Yuehua's problem will cease to be an issue—!"
Having sat in meditation for years, although Tang Chen had a direction for the path beyond the ninety-ninth level, he realized it would be an extraordinarily long journey—a journey measured in millennia!
Yet Tang Chen races against time!
(End of Chapter)