Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 262: For Her, Everything Is Worth It

Watching Mei Gongzi leave, Asura's lips slightly curved upward. His body only slightly swayed then, and his eyes noticeably dimmed.

Is it worth it? Of course, it is. For her, everything is worth it.

His steps were somewhat heavy as he headed toward the back mountain.

This day was the most perilous one for him since arriving in this world. It was also the first time he had truly used his divine consciousness.

The power of his divine consciousness was almost completely drained, and he was barely able to keep himself together. His divine consciousness had slowly grown more substantial, yet it was now barely flickering like a candle in the wind.

Even so, he had absolutely no regrets.

Removing his mask, Asura transformed back into Tang San. Only upon returning to his room at Redemption Academy did he fully relax.

His entire body collapsed, his internal aura chaotic.

Taking a deep breath, he barely managed to start circulating his energy, regulating his condition. Once he relaxed from that tightly wound state, an overwhelming sense of fatigue made him want to fall into a deep sleep immediately, but he knew sleep was one thing he could not afford right now. If he slept now instead of actively recovering, his divine consciousness might truly be extinguished.

Therefore, he could only force himself to stay awake, silently spinning his energy vortex, drawing on his soul and spirit core that were communicating with each other, and nurturing himself.

Facing a god-level Demon King, even a thousand tactics could not bridge the gap between realms.

Thus, when the Dark Raven Demon King took Mei Gongzi away, he immediately resolved himself to use his divine consciousness if push came to shove. At that moment, he couldn't fathom the dangers Mei Gongzi might face after being taken.

He later came to understand some of the situation, but even with those facts in mind, rescuing Mei Gongzi was undoubtedly the wisest course of action.

Mei Gongzi's own well-informed reasoning led her to the same conclusion, so she also chose to escape at the first opportunity.

The Dark Raven Demon King couldn't catch up. With the power of his divine consciousness and the Blue Silver Emperor, Tang San easily concealed both his and Mei Gongzi's auras. He breathed a sigh of relief at that time, feeling that there was no need to use his divine consciousness after all. He would just sit back and watch the fight.

However, he later understood that he couldn't just watch. The battle between the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor and the Peacock Great Demon King threatened the entirety of Kali City.

In the end, the Peacock Great Demon King was her father. Even if the fathers of all demons deserved to be killed, and their grandfathers too, he was still her father. And her mother was there in Kali City Square!

In addition, judging from the situation, if Kali City fell into the hands of the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor, everything that Tang San had built here might well end up destroyed, an outcome he wished to avoid before reaching godhood. Moreover, Mei Gongzi's ultimate goal was to succeed the Peacock Great Demon King and take control of the Peacock Demon race, securing a sanctuary and living space for humanity.

Thus, from any perspective, the situation in Kali City must not be altered; the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor must not succeed.

That the Dark Raven Demon King then found them was no coincidence, but Tang San’s plan. He deliberately lifted the concealment of his and Mei Gongzi's auras, attracting their pursuer.

By stirring that bit of divine consciousness, he could temporarily imbue himself with a trace of his aura from a previous life, but he lacked the energy to sustain even that trace. Hence, luring the Dark Raven Demon King away from Kali City and making use of him was the best choice.

The display of the Sea God’s majesty, besides the divine consciousness Tang San expended, was also supported by the spiritual energy and bloodline energy of the Dark Raven Demon King.

Tang San could easily suppress a god-level Demon King with his level of divine consciousness. The presence he projected in Kali City, then, became the best deterrent. And since he did it before either party was grievously injured or killed, it was sufficient to dispel any thoughts of continuing the battle.

Of course, all this came at the cost of depleting his divine consciousness. In addition, the toll it took on his overall energy was immense. Had it not been for the constant tension of protecting Mei Gongzi, he might have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.

His divine consciousness might take a year or two to fully recover, and it required careful nurturing. Of course, devouring the god-level bloodline power of the Dark Raven Demon King also had its benefits, significantly enhancing his physical strength and pushing his cultivation of the Mysterious Heaven Technique to a much higher level, despite most of the energy being consumed in order to maintain the Sea God's presence.

Overall, the outcome was favorable. From the Dark Raven Demon King, Tang San had acquired a storage bag, which undoubtedly contained many valuable items. However, he had no time to sort through them at the moment.

***

The entirety of Kali City was restless.

Beings of a Demon Emperor's level hadn't made a public appearance in many years; yet this time, not only had one of them acted, but he had also targeted Kali City, home to the Peacock Demon race that had guarded it for centuries. This naturally stirred a huge uproar in Kali City and would even have an unfathomable impact on the entire Empyrean Dominion.

Most importantly, the outcome of this battle was not a victory for the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor. At least on the surface, both parties ended up in a mutually damaging stalemate. The fact that the lord of Kali City, the Peacock Great Demon King, managed to withstand an assault from a Demon Emperor made many of the city's nobles reassess the strength of the Peacock Demon race.

At the same time, the Ancestral Court would surely react. If the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor had won this battle, coupled with the disappearance of the Ice Dragon Great Demon King, they could have used this as a cover to oppress and lay many charges against the Peacock Demon race, thereby seizing Kali City in one fell swoop.

However, the problem was that the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor had not won this time, but rather suffered heavy injuries. What could they say about it now? Strength had always been paramount in the world of demons, and reason was on the side of the one with the bigger fist. Those without strength had no rights to reason with others.

The Peacock Great Demon King, by burning his ancestral fortune, had managed to injure the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor severely, and the emergence of that terrifying phantom figure from the sea at the end would certainly make the Ancestral Court view Kali City in a new light.

The changes in the coming days were bound to be many. The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor’s best opportunity to suppress Kali City had been right now, right after ascending to the twelfth tier. Missing this chance and failing to suppress his opponent made a second attempt much more difficult. After all, it wasn’t like the Peacock Demon clan had no allies at all within the Ancestral Court. Once they demonstrated sufficient strength, they would naturally have a word to say in the matter.

Thus, the great battle had ended, yet its true impact had only just begun. The ripples caused by this incident would reach far and wide, for who knew how long.

***

At Redemption Academy.

As the morning sun rose again at dawn, everything seemed to have returned to peace. Only the damaged buildings of Kali City still bore the remnants of yesterday's earth-shattering battle.

Du Bai stood on his rooftop, gazing into the distant east, silently cultivating his Celestial Fox Vision.

His fifth-order Celestial Fox Vision made it seem as if he could peer into another world, allowing him to feel more and more the incredible traits of his top-tier bloodline. Even his entire demeanor appeared to have undergone a metamorphosis.

He had grown more confident, and his aura had an ethereal quality. As long as he shut his mouth, he bore the appearance of a graceful and handsome young man, even with a hint of scholarly elegance.

A figure flashed into existence beside him—none other than Tang San. Not far away, Gu Li, Cheng Zicheng, and Wu Bingji also made their way onto the next-door rooftop.

Their entire team was cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes with notable results. Enhancing their spiritual power was immensely beneficial to their cultivations.