Within the illusion, Tang San was still unwilling to give up, using all his mental power and his Purple Demon Eye in an attempt to break through the illusion Shi Nian had set. But instead of success, his efforts only exhausted his mental strength, leaving him battered and bruised by the attacks within the illusion.
Tang San's mind was in turmoil. Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could his Purple Demon Eye fail against Shi Nian's illusion? His technique was supposed to be a perfect counter to all illusions! Tang San's real body, in the outside world, was deathly pale, with trickles of blood beginning to seep from his eyes, nose, and mouth. It seemed he wouldn't last much longer.
Shi Nian, seeing Tang San's state, burst into laughter. "Tang San, you're quite a sight! Didn't your Shrek Academy always say that a spirit master who avoids conflict isn't a good spirit master? Well, here I am giving you all the trouble you could want!"
Enjoying Tang San's suffering, Shi Nian felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He relished seeing others tormented by his Nightmare Martial Soul. It was like a twisted game of cat and mouse, feeding his dark desires.
"But there's something unusual about this kid. His mental power seems quite strong to last so long in my strongest illusion. And he's just a young Spirit Master who broke through my initial illusion... Strange! Oh, I remember—their eyes turned purple. Could it be a special eye technique?"
His eyes gleaming with excitement, Shi Nian thought, This kid must have secrets. Well, I've had my fun; it's time to end this.
Just as he was preparing to finish Tang San off, a powerful, oppressive aura surged from behind him.
"Shi Nian, how dare you! You, a mere Spirit Saint, dare lay a hand on my son? You're asking for death!"
Shi Nian was jolted by the intimidating voice, realizing that a formidable foe was behind him. Quickly, he dodged to the side.
Boom!
A massive red hammer smashed into the spot where Shi Nian had just been, shattering the ground. If he hadn't dodged in time, he would have been crushed!
Turning around, Shi Nian saw a man in a dark cloak slowly approaching. Around him, spirit rings began to shine—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black... and red!
Seeing that the spirit master before him was a Titled Douluo with an oppressive ten-thousand-year red spirit ring, Shi Nian trembled. If his opponent had only been a Spirit Douluo, he might have managed to fight back, but against such a powerful Titled Douluo, Shi Nian knew he had no chance. He wanted to flee, but the man's killing intent had already locked onto him.
Realizing who stood before him, Shi Nian's voice quivered, "Lo-Lord Clear Sky... I... I didn't know Tang San was your son. I'll release him right now. Please, have mercy..."
Tang Hao's voice was filled with deadly intent. "Mercy? When my son pleaded for mercy, did you grant it? All he did was have a minor conflict with some insignificant students from your Canghui Academy, and you try to kill him over it!"
Shi Nian was internally cursing Tang Hao but knew that with Tang Hao's strength, his words held weight.
But with the full force of Tang Hao's Titled Douluo aura bearing down on him, Shi Nian found himself unable to move, let alone try to use Tang San as a bargaining chip.
With a cold sneer, Tang Hao said, "Since you refuse to spare others, why should anyone spare you?"
As he spoke, Tang Hao swung his right hand, summoning the colossal Clear Sky Hammer to his side. Injecting his spirit power into the hammer, Tang Hao made it grow even larger.
"Clear Sky Nine Absolutes: Kill!"
Boom!
"No! Lord Clear Sky, please, no!" Shi Nian's plea was cut short as he was utterly destroyed.
Watching this unfold, Su Ming couldn't help but shake his head. If Shi Nian hadn't toyed with Tang San and instead struck from the shadows, he might have had a chance to escape.
With Shi Nian's death, his illusion vanished.
Tang San slowly opened his eyes, his vision hazy. Seeing a figure holding a massive hammer, he muttered weakly, "Father... you came." With those words, he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Tang Hao sighed, his heart heavy. He still couldn't understand why Tang San had been wandering around alone. If he hadn't intervened, his son would have died!
As Tang Hao prepared to leave with Tang San, a burst of radiant light appeared beside Shi Nian's corpse.
Tang Hao's eyes widened—a spirit bone! And with such a brilliant glow, it had to be at least a ten-thousand-year spirit bone.
Tang Hao was elated. He hadn't expected Shi Nian, a mere Spirit Saint, to possess such a precious item. Without hesitation, he stored the spirit bone in his spatial device. After considering it briefly, he decided to take Shi Nian's body with him as well. He didn't want his actions during the Spirit Master Tournament to attract unwanted attention, as some might recognize his handiwork.
In no time, Tang Hao disappeared with both Tang San and Shi Nian's body, and the illusion-cast area soon returned to normal.
Having seen enough, Su Ming decided to head back to the academy. His purpose in coming here had been simple: to let Ah Yin face reality. As for the illusion-based spirit bone, he was content to let Tang San have it for now. The bone was of no use to Tang San, and he doubted Tang San would absorb it hastily just to boost his power slightly.
While the spirit bone could indeed help Tang San in the short term, the head spirit bone position was second in importance only to the torso. Since Tang San had already damaged his right leg bone, Su Ming wasn't worried.
Originally, the spirit bone might have suited Ning Rongrong. However, now that Su Ming had entered the story, he had a new idea: perhaps Ning Rongrong could train her mental abilities to protect herself.
After all, Su Ming had taught her a mental training technique, and her progress in mastering it was faster than even Xiao Wu's. Perhaps Ning Rongrong's talent for mental power was stronger than he'd thought.