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Chapter 241 Golden Flames Scorch the Abyss, Blood Echoes as Witness; Jade Soul Inherits Kinship, Opening the Sound of Ice [Two-in-One]

Feng Mingyang did not urge him, but simply maintained the gesture of offering the food.

However, he abruptly changed the subject, forcibly suppressing his personal emotions and reverting to the pragmatic demeanor of a clan leader.

"Speaking of which, fellow Daoist yesterday... cough, the 'surprise' you promised to congratulate me on taking over the position of clan leader, could it be those ghosts you took in?" His gaze was intense.

Tang Hao was almost unable to process what he was saying because of his abrupt change in speech, which made his words extremely convoluted.

He paused for a moment, then nodded slightly, then shook his head.

Under his bewildered gaze, he finally reached out, his fingertips touching the warm jade slip, and a faint tremor from the depths of his heart came through.

He gripped the jade slip tightly, as if he were grasping a heavy destiny.

At the same time, the icy chill in his eyes was replaced by a hint of sharpness.

“Originally, there were only those ghosts as a surprise, but… now there’s one more.” Tang Hao said meaningfully.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "Among those ghosts, there are a few old geezers with very interesting memories."

As he spoke, Tang Hao opened his other hand, and a dark jade slip quietly appeared.

He tossed the black jade slip to Feng Mingyang and spoke in a chilling tone.

"This contains a list of relevant personnel, as well as key memory fragments that they extracted."

Feng Mingyang took it and looked over with a probing gaze.

"I won't go into details about some of the dirty deeds they committed within the clan. The main point is how they secretly colluded with the former clan chief and plotted to persecute the Holy Maiden in order to exterminate her."

As soon as Tang Hao finished speaking, Feng Mingyang's eyes widened involuntarily.

In other words, Feng Mingyue's disappearance and capture were orchestrated by certain members of the Hufeng clan.

He nodded in affirmation of his idea: "From spreading rumors to attract the covetousness of the Hehuan Sect, to blocking the news and obstructing the search after the Holy Maiden's disappearance, there is detailed evidence in the jade slip."

Feng Mingyang gripped the bone talisman tightly, his knuckles turning white.

A violent, nascent soul pressure spread out almost uncontrollably.

The truth was far more brutal than he had imagined.

Behind the whole affair, not only the Hehuan faction, but also its own corrupt members were secretly manipulating things.

Tang Hao stared directly into Feng Mingyang's eyes, which were instantly filled with bloodshot veins and killing intent that seemed to solidify into a tangible form.

His voice was deep and powerful: "Senior Feng has just assumed the position, and his foundation is not yet stable. This... is one of the 'surprises' I'm giving you."

As his aura gradually subsided, Feng Mingyang's chest heaved.

With these memories of the damned ghosts, it is justifiable to cleanse the clan of all the stubborn members who are unruly and obstruct the way forward.

Let them confess!
Make your "iron fist" have a legitimate reason!

With footage of them confessing their crimes, there should be no one to object anymore.

Those disciples who were not deeply involved need not be slaughtered; they can be recruited for our own use.

Noticing the change in the other person's expression, Tang Hao nodded secretly: "How is this gift?"

"Good! What a surprise!" Feng Mingyang practically gritted his teeth as he uttered these words, a fierce look appearing on his face.

"This item is more valuable to me than a thousand troops! Tang Hao, I will remember this kindness!" He didn't say any more words of thanks; everything was understood without words.

What's more, Tang Hao then actually gave him a massive army.

The Nightmare Legion, composed of several thousand Nightmare Servants, consists of all Foundation Establishment cultivators and above, as well as about thirty Nascent Soul cultivators.

They possess the runes that control the Nightmare Legion, as well as lists and testimonies.

Feng Mingyang's campaign to eliminate the old forces will be unimpeded, and the new patriarch's authority will be firmly established through bloodshed and truth.

He took one last deep look at Tang Hao, who was clutching the jade slip and had a melancholy and complex expression, then turned and strode away without lingering.

His silhouette carried a chilling sense of urgency to launch a swift and decisive operation, as well as an indescribable concern for his sister and potential nephew.

The door is closed.

Tang Hao stood alone by the window, clutching the heavy jade slip in his hand, which was engraved with "Mother's Lullaby".

He did not listen immediately.

The sunlight streamed in through the window, but I couldn't feel any warmth at all.

Blood relatives bring not the warmth of a haven, but a deeper whirlpool.

He spread out his other hand, feeling the faint spiritual energy fluctuations left behind by Feng Mingyang's rage in the air.

Amidst his chaotic thoughts, his mother's face and that melody became the heaviest and most subtle presence in his heart at that moment.

He needs an answer.

A clear and unambiguous answer.

Just as he was feeling agitated, the door to the guest room was gently pushed open again.

This time, there was no knocking.

The figure standing at the door, bathed in the morning light, was slender yet seemed to have endured endless hardships; it was Feng Mingyue.

She was clearly tossing and turning, her expression revealing both exhaustion and a desperate tension.

After Feng Mingyang left, she could no longer restrain herself.

She walked in slowly, her gaze fixed on Tang Hao, as if she wanted to imprint every inch of his features into the depths of her soul.

Her eyes no longer held the questioning and searching look they had at the banquet.

Instead, there was a deep luster, a mixture of pain, hope, and maternal instinct, the light trembling violently.

"Saint..." Tang Hao was about to use a respectful title when his voice suddenly became dry and he stopped.

"tell me……"

Feng Mingyue spoke, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly, yet exceptionally clear: "Were you born in Shengjing in the twelfth month of the **** year?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao's body suddenly stiffened.

The painful memories of the foundation-building process were reignited.

The dimly lit cell, the extreme pain, and that soothing humming song...

The air in the guest room seemed to freeze.

The sunlight streaming through the window fell on Tang Hao's stiff back, reflecting the violently churning storm deep within his pupils.

Feng Mingyue's precise and accurate question instantly pierced through the hidden secrets in his memory like an awl, and drove it firmly into his heart.

"Year ****...December...Shengjing..."

Every word was like a barb, piercing deep into the past he had experienced during his Foundation Establishment, a past that almost tore his soul apart.

The previously subsided [Chenghuang Bloodline] suddenly roared violently again, exploding within the body.

He couldn't move, and even his breathing stopped.

He just stared intently at the haggard yet expectant woman at the door—his…mother?
The word burned his very soul.

Feng Mingyue's fingertips dug deeply into her palm, leaving crescent-shaped blood marks.

She saw the helplessness, pain, and confusion that burst forth in Tang Hao's eyes in an instant, as well as an almost instinctive rejection and... a trace of filial piety that even he himself had not noticed.
She suppressed a sob that was about to burst forth, and her trembling lips parted slightly again.

It wasn't a question, but rather a mournful and cautious recitation of that melody that had long been ingrained in their very bones.

"The moon reflects on the flowing spring... the stars accompany my peaceful dreams... fireflies dance and murmur in the mountains and fields..."

His voice was hoarse from recovering from a long illness, and even somewhat broken.

But that familiar, gentle tone, every turn, every tremor, precisely pried open the lock in the deepest part of Tang Hao's memory.

Tang Hao's body trembled violently!
An indescribable, intense bitterness surged up my nose and into my eyes, burning and painful. The vague, intermittent melody that had been swirling in my mind finally found its source.

His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and under Feng Mingyue's expectant yet nervous gaze, a broken note escaped almost instinctively from between his tightly pursed lips.

"The wind... makes the bells ring..."

The voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, dry and hoarse, yet incredibly clear.

That one sound was enough to make Feng Mingyue lose all control.

Tears streamed down her face like pearls from a broken string.

Her heart was instantly filled with the ecstasy of regaining what she had lost, and overwhelming regret, by this half-sentence response, by this echo from the deepest part of her bloodline.

No birthmarks are needed, no further words are required; this is a requiem from her bloodline and soul, which only a child she conceived herself could etch into the depths of her soul in their innocent ignorance.

But this is not enough.

After the huge shock, reason began to return.

Feng Mingyue took a deep breath, looked at Tang Hao with tears in her eyes, and spoke with an unwavering determination.

“I know…this is too sudden…but…Mother, I beg you, I beg you to let us…let us use the bloodline-inherited magic…to confirm it one last time! Just this once! For you, and for me…”

She didn't want this hard-won kinship to be left with any shadow or possibility of doubt, whether from the outside world or from the deepest part of their own hearts.

Tang Hao's eyes flashed intensely, the surging power of his bloodline still not subsided.

He looked into Feng Mingyue's eyes, where the pleading seemed to scorch him, and felt the same intense yet unfamiliar throbbing deep within his own heart.

Silence is like a heavy lead weight, suffocating one.

Finally, he nodded very slowly, almost imperceptibly.

A tiny movement drained all his strength.

A dazzling light instantly burst forth in Feng Mingyue's eyes.

Without hesitation, she stepped forward, extending her pale, trembling hand, palm facing upward.

A wisp of extremely pure, holy amber-colored flame swirled around his fingertips—it was a bloodline spell activated by the essence of the [Chenghuang Bloodline].

"Don't resist it...child..." Her voice trembled, yet was incredibly gentle.

At the same time, her own pure Chenghuang bloodline power surged without reservation, forming a faint, ancient, and majestic aura around her.

Tang Hao did not dodge.

He held his breath and slowly raised his right hand.

The bloodline power within his body, which had been fused with the essence of the Great Sun Glazed Light, surged and flowed due to his excited emotions, condensing into leaping, tangible golden flames in his palm.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and a silent tension and longing filled the air.

The amber flames swirling around Feng Mingyue's fingertips gently reached towards the raging flames in Tang Hao's palm.

At the very moment the two touched—

"Boom!!!"

Without any warning, a deep yet incredibly clear buzzing sound exploded from Tang Hao's palm.

It is not an explosive destruction, but a resonance originating from the very source of life that arises when blood ties are connected.

Visibly, the amber and gilded gold blended together instantly!
The two did not devour or repel each other in the slightest. Instead, like parched land receiving sweet rain, the gilded flames became docile and joyful as if they had found a home.

They permeated and reflected each other, quickly forming a vortex of amber-golden radiance between their palms.

Even more awe-inspiring is that at the core of this small halo, the phantom of the divine beast [Chenghuang], with its elegant posture and domineering presence, is faintly condensing.

It raised its head and let out a clear cry. Although no sound was uttered, the sacred majesty and sense of satisfaction derived from its bloodline were clearly imprinted deep in the souls of Tang Hao and Feng Mingyue.

The feedback from the spell transcends all words and memories.

This is irrefutable proof of direct bloodline connection.

It is the flame of life from the same source that is cheering and rejoicing.

"what……"

An uncontrollable sob, filled with immense pain and ecstasy, escaped from Feng Mingyue's throat.

Before the magic's radiance had faded, she could no longer restrain herself and stumbled forward.

She opened her arms wide and hugged the figure in front of her, who was already taller than her but who, in her memory, was forever a tiny infant.

Tang Hao's body tensed instinctively the moment they made contact, like a block of ice that refused to melt.

Eighteen years of estrangement, the deception and exploitation by the Rongguo Mansion, and the sudden upheaval of his own background made it impossible for him to immediately integrate into this belated family affection.

He stood frozen in place, his hands hanging at his sides, clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Feng Mingyue sensed this distance.

Her heart was breaking, and she hugged him even tighter, as if she wanted to meld him into her very bones to make up for the seventeen years of neglect.

"My child... my child... I'm so sorry... I couldn't protect you... I lost you for so long... so long..."

Muttering to herself, Feng Mingyue sobbed uncontrollably, her scalding tears instantly soaking the fabric of Tang Hao's clothes.

The emotions contained in those tears were incredibly complex.

The immense joy of finding what was lost, the unforgettable self-blame and regret, and even a deep fear that bordered on humility, a desire for him not to leave again.

She felt as if she were holding a priceless treasure that she had lost and then regained, yet which could shatter and disappear again at any moment; this fear even outweighed her ecstasy.

Time passes little by little.

The body in her arms was still stiff, but the familiar yet unfamiliar aura of blood enveloped her, and the unique warmth of the boy, belonging to a vibrant life, emanated through his thin clothes.

Tang Hao's consciousness shook violently from the enormous impact.

Hate? Resentment? Of course not, since he was a transmigrator.

But... an unbreakable attachment, rooted in the very essence of life, seeped out from every inch of his skin as he was embraced by his "mother," like a surging tide.

This warmth, so unfamiliar, yet so... deeply rooted in the most secret corner of the soul.

The fists that had been clenched tightly finally trembled and slowly rose amidst Feng Mingyue's desperate yet persistent sobs, landing with great difficulty and hesitation on Feng Mingyue's slender back.

This subtle movement is like a signal.

"Woo..."

A suppressed whimper, like that of a wounded young animal, escaped from Tang Hao's clenched teeth.

Those were the helpless sounds that should have been made by a child in his mother's arms.

The sound instantly shattered his last barrier, and the pent-up emotions finally found an outlet.

His whole body trembled violently.

"……mother……"

This word, so light it was almost inaudible, like a whisper, carried helplessness, hesitation, and alienation, yet clearly revealed the most essential filial piety.

It was as if a child who had been lost for too long had finally seen the way home, but hesitated to recognize it.

This single syllable struck Feng Mingyue like a thunderbolt.

An overwhelming sense of happiness mixed with deeper pain overwhelmed her.

She buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably, "Here! Mother's here! Mother's here! I'll never leave again! Never again..."

At this moment, the brilliance of the bloodline magic verification completely dissipated.

Only the embrace and weeping between mother and son, eighteen years overdue, echoed in the quiet guest room.

(End of this chapter)