"I'll carve her up bit by bit, letting you—the founder of the 'Way of Deserved Death'—witness what true retribution looks like. Not that empty threat you keep spouting without ever acting on."
"Ye Hao" toyed with the bloodstained dagger, waving it before Tang San's eyes.
"Ye Hao! YE HAO!!"
"If you let Xiao Wu go, I'll submit to whatever you want!"
Tang San was desperate. He couldn't bear to see Xiao Wu suffer another moment.
"Now you panic? Where was this energy earlier?"
"Ye Hao" remained unmoved, continuing to fiddle with the blade. As Xiao Wu's screams echoed, Tang San's fury ignited completely.
"YE HAO! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU IN THIS LIFETIME!"
Roaring at the sky, Tang San's rage triggered a transformation. The trident mark on his forehead faded, replaced by blood-red hair and crimson streaks across his face. He looked monstrous—a demon crawled straight from hell.
"All you ever say is 'Way of Deserved Death, Way of Deserved Death.' Can't you come up with better lines? Then again, I shouldn't expect much from a Tang Sect orphan who stole their secret techniques as an outer disciple. Only a traitor like you would commit such heresy."
"Ye Hao's" taunts struck like knives.
Tang San's face darkened with rage. "Who are you calling a traitor? I've never betrayed the Tang Sect! I am and always will be a member of the Tang Sect! How dare you—!"
"Article Three of the Mysterious Heaven Record: Once an enemy is identified as deserving death, show no mercy. Hesitation only breeds future troubles."
"More of that Mysterious Heaven Record nonsense?"
"Ye Hao" sighed in exasperation.
"Insult my Tang Sect again, and you die!" Tang San's features twisted grotesquely, his murderous intent long since solidified.
Whether this was an illusion or reality, today, "Ye Hao" would perish.
As Tang San advanced step by step, the real Ye Hao—meditating in seclusion at Spirit Hall—suddenly opened his eyes.
"The Slaughter Domain's influence is taking effect. It seems Tang San has reached Poseidon's fifth trial and is trapped in the Sea Illusion Douluo's hallucination. The time to kill him has come."
A faint red light flickered between Ye Hao's brows as a massive screen materialized in his mind, displaying Tang San's ordeal.
In the vision, Tang San raised his Clear Sky Hammer, preparing to smash "Ye Hao's" skull in a fit of rage.
At the critical moment—
CRACK!
The illusion shattered like glass, plunging everything into darkness once more.
"So it was an illusion after all!"
Tang San frowned as the dark red markings on his face faded. He had no idea what had come over him, only that he'd felt unprecedentedly powerful.
The unexpected surge of strength delighted him—another hidden card against his countless enemies.
Unbeknownst to him, an invisible hand was pulling all the strings...
The surroundings shifted again, this time to a sparse room in Spirit Hall. There, Tang San encountered his old nemesis once more.
"Ye Hao! You again!"
Tang San's teeth ground audibly. In this life, he and Ye Hao were irreconcilable—only one could survive.
"Tang San, we meet again."
Ye Hao smiled eerily, offering a casual greeting.
"..."
Tang San remained silent, his face darker than a burnt pot.
"You're not Ye Hao. What game are you playing?" he demanded.
"Truth in illusion, illusion in truth. What you dismiss as fake might sometimes be real."
Ye Hao ignored the question, instead extending a skewer of roasted rabbit meat.
"All this fighting is tiresome. Hungry?"
Something's wrong here.
"Ye Hao, no matter what tricks you're pulling, no one can save you this time."
The Clear Sky Hammer materialized in Tang San's grip.
"Who said I was running?"
"Ye Hao" remained calm, taking a large bite of rabbit meat before offering it again.
"Last chance. Want some?"
"I swore an oath—for Xiao Wu's sake, I'd never eat rabbit again. You killed her, Ye Hao! Whether this is real or not, today I'll have vengeance!"
The Clear Sky Hammer descended—
WHOOSH!
"Ye Hao" dodged at the last second. The hammer obliterated the remaining meat, splattering grease across its surface.
"Such waste. Do you know how rare this tender rabbit meat is? A once-in-a-lifetime delicacy—from a 100,000-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit, no less. The finest ingredients require the simplest preparation..."
"What did you say?"
Tang San froze, his voice trembling. "Ye Hao! Repeat that!"
"What? That the finest ingredients—"
"Not that! The part before!"
Tang San's eyes burned crimson as the Slaughter Domain's influence resurfaced.
"The 100,000-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit meat. Got a problem with that?"
"Ye Hao" feigned ignorance, studying Tang San's reaction.
"Xiao Wu... Xiao Wu..."
In a daze, Tang San gathered the meat scraps clinging to his hammer.
"YE HAO! YOU MONSTER! YOU ATE XIAO WU! HOW COULD YOU?!"
Faced with the accusation, "Ye Hao" scoffed.
"Tang San, you're the real monster here. You've been consorting with beasts for years. If soul beasts can eat humans, why can't we eat them?"
"XIAO WU WAS HUMAN! NOT A SOUL BEAST!"
Madness gripped Tang San, his fists clenched until the knuckles whitened.
"Human?"
"Ye Hao" laughed coldly. "When soul beasts take human form, they exist in two stages: juvenile and mature. A juvenile like that rabbit could be spotted by any competent Soul Douluo. Title Douluo see through them instantly."
"Only at level 60 do they reach maturity—only then do they become truly human."
Locking eyes with Tang San, "Ye Hao" swallowed his last bite.
"If she was human, why did a 100,000-year-old rabbit seek out a 30-something-year-old like you at Notting Primary Spirit Academy? Why play at being siblings? Don't you find it suspicious that an ancient creature would cozy up to you?"
*Chapter 269: Tang San's Final Countdown (Continued)*
Ye Hao's arguments were logical and well-founded, leaving Tang San momentarily speechless.
"No! I believe in Xiao Wu! I trust her completely!"
Tang San clung stubbornly to his conviction, his love blinding him to any possibility that Xiao Wu might have ulterior motives.
"On the contrary," Ye Hao continued calmly, "when I captured that rabbit, it was still in its juvenile form. Could it truly be considered human? Merely a beast masquerading as one."
"As I said before—if soul beasts can devour humans, why can't we consume them? Those who are not of our kind will always harbor malicious intentions. You, who conspires with soul beasts and isn't even native to this world—what right do you have to lecture me?"
"Is it me who deserves death? Or is it your precious Tang Sect that's filled with hypocrites like you?"
"You constantly preach about 'the way of deserved death,' yet back at Notting Primary Academy, you marked that gatekeeper for death simply because he mocked you. Had Yu Xiaogang not arrived in time, your silent sleeve arrows would have pierced his skull!"
Tang San trembled with rage, his chest heaving violently.
"Shut up! SHUT UP!!!"
"Ye Hao! You insult me repeatedly—I swear I'll kill you in this lifetime!!!"
His fury knew no bounds. Having his darkest secrets exposed publicly left him humiliated beyond measure.
"Kill me? Kill me? Here I am!"
Ye Hao thumped his chest mockingly. "Come on then! All talk and no action—when have you ever backed up your threats?"
"AAAAHHH!!!"
Blinded by rage, Tang San charged forward with his Clear Sky Hammer raised high.
Suddenly—
Ye Hao vanished again.
The surroundings dissolved into thick purple mist, leaving Tang San disoriented.
Nearby, beneath the Sea Illusion Sacred Pillar, Sea Illusion Douluo watched in shock.
"Lady Poseidon was right—this Tang San is utterly deranged. If someone like him were to inherit Lord Poseidon's divine position, it would spell disaster for our island."
"Fortunately, Lord Poseidon sees the truth. Otherwise, catastrophe would be inevitable."
His eyes hardened with resolve.
"Let me intensify the illusion—dig deeper into Tang San's darkness. I want to see what other despicable secrets he's hiding."
A violet beam shot skyward from his position as the surrounding mist thickened ominously.
Tang San, lost within, wandered blindly—his vaunted Purple Demon Eyes useless against this profound illusion.
Atop the Sea God Mountain, within the grand hall, Poseidon's Grand Priestess sat solemnly upon her throne.
Every word exchanged between Tang San and the illusory Ye Hao played out clearly before her.
She had believed she understood Tang San's character.
But as "Ye Hao" systematically exposed his atrocities, the true depths of Tang San's depravity became undeniable.
"He who seeks death will find it. This Tang San truly deserves to perish."
She sighed heavily.
"We must accelerate his trials. The sooner he leaves this island, the better."
Within the illusion, the scenery shifted dramatically—crumbling ruins surrounded by raging flames.
And there, emerging from the fire, stood "Ye Hao" once more.
"AAAAAHHH!!! YOU AGAIN! WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOU?!"
Madness gripped Tang San. His eyes, once sharp, now glazed over with hysteria.
"Ye Hao" spoke coolly: "We haven't finished discussing your misdeeds. Last time, we covered how you nearly murdered that gatekeeper."
"Remember your trip to Hunt Soul Forest with Yu Xiaogang? The moment you revealed your hidden weapons to him, you already contemplated killing your own teacher!"
"STOP TALKING! PLEASE, STOP!!!"
Tang San clutched his ears, driven to the brink by Ye Hao's relentless torment.
"The truth cannot be silenced. You committed these acts, yet now pretend ignorance?"
"Poor Yu Xiaogang—to have taken in such a wolf in sheep's clothing as his disciple. One moment you declare 'a teacher for a day is a father for life,' the next you plot his murder."
"How ungrateful can you be? Even scheming against the man who taught you everything."
"That cliff you jumped from at Ghost Crying Valley? It wasn't some noble sacrifice—you simply feared being captured by the Tang Sect."
"You planned to master the Mysterious Heaven Record, return to slaughter them all, and proclaim: 'You drove me to jump, but I survived. Now you all deserve death!'"
"..."
Tang San shook with uncontrollable fury. "HAVE YOU FINISHED?!"
Being stripped bare of all pretenses left him utterly exposed.
He couldn't deny any of it—these were his own actions, his own thoughts.
Only one solution remained: silence "Ye Hao" permanently before more secrets spilled out.
"Not even close."
"Ye Hao" smirked—
Just as he began speaking again, Tang San launched a surprise attack.
"YE HAO, DIE!!!"
The Clear Sky Hammer descended with crushing force—
CRACK!
The illusionary Ye Hao shattered like glass, fragments scattering like glittering dust.
"I did it! I finally killed Ye Hao! HAHAHA!!!"
Tang San's maniacal laughter echoed through the void.
In his deranged state, he could no longer distinguish illusion from reality.
Then—
"Ye Hao" reappeared, completely unharmed.
"Wha—?!"
Tang San's elation turned to horrified disbelief.
"Tang San, I am the nightmare you can never escape."
"Ye Hao's" smile was chilling.
Within this illusionary realm, "Ye Hao" was deathless.
"Pitiful Yu Xiaogang—to have placed his hopes in an ungrateful wretch like you. Even in death, he considered you his pride."
"He truly believed you'd redeem his failures. Little did he know, you'd marked him for death long ago."
"ENOUGH!!!"
Tang San's roar shook the imaginary sky.
That platitude about teachers being lifelong fathers?
Now, it rang utterly hollow.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Spirit Hall—
The real Ye Hao opened his eyes, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
"Sea Illusion Douluo's hallucination lives up to its reputation. To think it could fabricate something so convincingly real."
"Trapped within that domain, Tang San's deepest nightmares surfaced—and naturally, his greatest fear materialized as me."
"The way he trembled in rage... truly amusing to recall."
He rose to his feet, determination hardening his gaze.
"But enough games. It's time to end this."
"Tang San—your hour of reckoning has come."