Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 370: Assimilating Misfortune

The Celestial Fox Mountain didn't demand much physical cultivation and posed little pressure in that regard, but it required considerable spiritual power. What lay ahead remained uncertain.

While pondering, Tang San took a step forward. At that moment, he suddenly shivered, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

As soon as he took that step, the auspicious clouds above him suddenly vanished, or rather, they changed color. What was once pristine white turned pitch black.

Things were longer auspicious; now, an ominous sensation descended upon him.

Tang San possessed the Discerning Eye of Heaven and cultivated the Celestial Fox Vision to the sixth order with Du Bai. He naturally understanding what this meant.

This was... the descent of misfortune!

Indeed, it was no longer fortune, but misfortune. The Fortune Stone beneath his feet seemed to vanish in an instant. All that remained was misfortune.

Tang San took a deep breath, immediately stabilizing his body and standing still.

Having previously absorbed a substantial amount of fortune power, these energies immediately began to contend with the external misfortune as it descended.

It was an exceedingly bizarre sensation, as if everything around him started to spin wildly, everything becoming unclear.

He’d previously noticed that climbers were exceedingly rare starting halfway up. No wonder this was the case!

Tang San had assumed that the scarcity of climbers had something to do with the fifty-percent mark, and there was something peculiar about it. Now, he realized that he’d been right. The lower part of the mountain was indeed nothing more than a pure blessing of fortune. The upper part, however, was the true test of the Celestial Fox Sacred Mountain, and the real opportunity as well.

The confrontation between fortune and misfortune felt bizarre and confusing to the average bloodline bearer. However, it was different for Tang San, who possessed the Celestial Fox Vision. Insights kept emerging in his mind, instantaneously enhancing his understanding of fortune and misfortune.

This is great! Du Bai should really cultivate here. It would really help him master his own abilities and truly understand his bloodline.

As he mulled this over, Tang San slowly lifted his foot. His movements were slow yet exceedingly stable, maintaining his spiritual power within. His body radiated a platinum-colored halo from the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral,and with every move he made, he was as firm as a mountain!

Be it fortune or misfortune, I am now invulnerable to all!

With a solid step, he moved onto the next stair.

Instantly, the fortune around him shifted again, and the intense misfortune that had been present simply dissipated, making everything seem clearer. The auspicious clouds gathered once more.

A new world with every step?

A jolt struck Tang San's heart; he understood that the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor might be even more powerful than he had imagined.

One step brought misfortune, and the next brought fortune. Such shifts gave a sense of relief. However, the fortune seemed to split apart soon after, as if a force was pulling him, urging him to continue forward.

Tang San took a steady step forward.

Suddenly, everything around him turned pitch-black, so dark he couldn't see his own hands, much less what lay ahead. In that instant, it felt as though countless dreadful misfortunes descended, launching a frenzied assault directly at his sea of consciousness.

Tang San focused inwardly. At such times, the simplest way to counter such assaults was to unleash the Discerning Eye of Heaven to alter his fortune directly, but he obviously couldn't do that—it would instantly expose him.

The Lion-Tiger Golden Astral on Tang San ignited again, its platinum light flaring intensely. The thick black mist assaulting him was forcefully melted and devoured by the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral.

Instantly, the platinum bloodline imprint of the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral within Tang San was covered with a layer of dark mist.

The assimilation property of the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral was truly potent. It had even temporarily assimilated the misfortune around him!

However, Tang San also felt that this misfortune needed to be released quickly, lest it subtly affect him over time.

While thinking, the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral suddenly intensified, bursting into flames. It presented a bizarre scene; the inner layer was platinum, but there was an outer layer that burned with black flames, releasing puffs of black mist.

If this were during a battle, the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral unleashed by Tang San would not only demonstrate formidable power but could also transfer misfortune directly to an opponent. This was the power of assimilation, and it was no wonder Tang San considered the fused Lion-Tiger bloodline to be a true first-tier bloodline.

Even the Lion-Tiger clan hadn't fully grasped the robust attributes of the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral, yet Tang San was increasingly realizing its ingenious uses. If it could assimilate even fortune, what couldn't it do?

"Ah!" He let out a light exclamation, but then calmed down again.

Tang San took another step forward as the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral burned around him.

Boom—

The surrounding darkness suddenly exploded, as if all the misfortune had been dispelled in that moment.

Fortune descended once more, with vast amounts of fortune power gathering above Tang San's head into a rain of golden light, washing away the remnants of misfortune and bringing him the aura of fortune again.

However, at this moment, a strange glint flickered in Tang San's eyes. His Lion-Tiger Golden Astral was still blazing fiercely, yet the descending fortune power remained utterly unaffected and was not assimilated.

This meant that the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral could only assimilate misfortune from the Celestial Fox Vision, not fortune.

Did this mean that the assimilation ability could only assimilate powers that would affect him negatively? Or was it because the Celestial Fox Transformation itself was powerful even among first-tier bloodlines and the Lion-Tiger bloodline could not entirely suppress it?

Both possibilities were likely! But without a doubt, the misfortune-devouring power of the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral was already sufficient to allow Tang San to stand firm here.

Tang San let the rain of fortune soak his body, only moving upward again as the rain began to abate.

With each step he took, the fortune underwent drastic changes, and countless illusions appeared around him.

But no matter what changes or illusions occurred, for Tang San, there was only the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral!

A powerful first-tier bloodline combined with peak ninth-order spiritual power made each of his steps appear incredibly stable. His pace was not fast, but he moved steadily forward, step by step, toward the Celestial Fox Palace.

Tang San knew he was definitely being watched. But this was exactly what he wanted.

After passing through the Sword Saint Palace yesterday, he decided to follow his teacher's advice and gain favor from as many palaces as possible, which would benefit his upcoming plans.

The demon and nymph clans were so powerful that even with his foundation as a former God King, he couldn't oppose them before regaining his divinity. Thus, he first needed to integrate into one of these clans to disrupt the status quo. And since he had decided to join a demon clan, and right now, this was preparation. The more favor he received now, the greater his influence when he eventually joined.

As for which demon clan he would join? He had naturally already made his choice.

The moment he first stepped into Kali City and saw that girl selling milk tea, everything was destined.

She wanted to become the next Peacock Great Demon King and maybe even the Peacock Demon Emperor, and of course, he would be by her side. Forever!

Everything he was doing now was in preparation for her return.

Step by step, he ascended; the fortune around him was undergoing bizarre changes, yet he always maintained control. Complete misfortune was followed by fortune; illusions and shifts abounded. Yet through all these changes, Tang San remained constant. As solid as a rock, as stable as Mount Tai.[1]

He devoured the misfortune as it came, and accepted the fortune when it arrived.

1. Mount Tai is known as the eastern mountain of the Sacred Mountains of China. It is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal. Most importantly, there is the phrase 稳如泰山 that translates to “the stability of Mount Tai,” which in this case refers to Tang San’s steadiness and self-control. ☜