Tang San leaped upward. He didn't possess his father's vast reserves of Soul Power, but he had plenty of tricks of his own. The Flying God Claw shot out, and with a brief point of leverage in midair, he caught up to his father's silhouette.
The waterfall had been pushed back more than half its length by the rebounding Clear Sky Hammer. Tang Hao's remaining left hand pressed against the stone wall behind the waterfall, and a rock that looked perfectly flush with the surrounding surface actually recessed inward, revealing a hidden doorway.
His figure flashed, and he slipped inside.
Tang San had never imagined that such a place existed behind the waterfall, but at this moment his heart was consumed by the agony of his father's severed limb. He didn't hesitate, following straight in.
Perhaps because of the waterfall outside, the cave was very moist. The passage was roughly three meters tall and two meters wide, extending deeper into the rock. It was pitch dark inside. Tang Hao pulled a pale golden gemstone from his Soul Guide and illuminated their surroundings.
Watching his father hop forward on one leg ahead of him, Tang San's tears threatened to spill once more. In this moment, his father's back looked so utterly lonely, so desolate.
Recalling all that had come before, he suddenly understood with profound clarity the immense pain his father had endured over all these years.
When they reached the very end, everything around them grew bright. Looking upward, a stone opening appeared at the ceiling of the cave wall, and here, in this spot, was a small stone chamber of only about ten square meters.
The chamber held no furnishings — it was completely bare. But directly beneath the stone opening in the ceiling sat a small mound of earth, and atop that mound, a slender stalk of Blue Silver Grass swayed in a gentle breeze. The grass blades were somewhat longer than ordinary ones, and most remarkably, each blade bore fine golden lines running along its surface.
"Xiao San, come here. Kneel down." Tang Hao pointed to the space beside him, bent his one leg, and lowered himself into a seat.
Tang San's heart lurched violently. He took a few steps forward and knelt before the stalk of Blue Silver Grass, just as his father had instructed.
Raising his hand, Tang Hao's expression suddenly became extraordinarily gentle. With the utmost tenderness, he brushed his fingers across the Blue Silver Grass blade bearing those faint golden lines. "A Yin, I've brought our son to see you. Our son has grown up now. He inherited your beauty — he's more remarkable than I ever was. Do you see? Our son is here."
Tang San's heart shook to its core. He stared blankly at the Blue Silver Grass before him, which seemed to sway ever so slightly, radiating a gentle, warm aura. His heart trembled uncontrollably. Without conscious thought, his Martial Soul — Blue Silver Grass — quietly released itself, spreading outward from where he knelt. In the span of a breath, it blanketed the entire stone chamber.
Tang San's Blue Silver Domain activated silently in this manner, and gentle ripples of Soul Power permeated the still, quiet space.
The stalk of Blue Silver Grass swayed even more vigorously. Infected by the influence of the Blue Silver Domain, it seemed to be growing ever so slightly. The golden lines along its blades appeared to come alive, undulating softly as golden light rippled across them like water.
Tang Hao was somewhat dazed as well. Watching the Blue Silver Grass grow at a speed visible to the naked eye, he murmured to himself, "I… why didn't I think of this. A Yin, A Yin — could it be that you really can come back to life? A Yin."
Tang Hao wept. The great Clear Sky Douluo, a legend of his generation, now had his face streaked with tears. His single hand trembled as it caressed the grass blade, and he let the tears drip freely into the soil below.
Tang San's gaze remained unfocused. In this moment, he finally understood why his Blue Silver Grass had always been so extraordinary. Just as he had fallen in love with Xiao Wu, his father had fallen in love with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast as well. No wonder — no wonder his father knew so much more about Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts than even the Great Master did.
So it turned out that flowing through his veins was the blood of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast…
Tang San's hand trembled as he reached out, pouring every ounce of his Soul Power without reservation into the continuously expanding Blue Silver Domain. The entire stone chamber was transformed into a world of pure, crystalline blue.
The stalk of Blue Silver Grass, whose blades had originally been about a foot long, had now gradually grown to two feet. But at two feet, it stopped growing any further.
Tang San's hand came to rest upon the grass blade as well. And in that instant, a wondrous sight appeared. Of the Blue Silver Grass, the two longest blades began to move slowly. One wound itself around Tang Hao's hand. The other wound itself around Tang San's finger.