Chapter 12: Eating the Stepmother

Outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Tang Hao's head was filled with boundless rage as he stared at his adopted son, who was holding his wife, Ah Yin, in his arms. His face contorted with anger. 

"Why... why are you doing this?" 

"I've never treated you poorly." Tang Hao couldn't understand why Tang Yin would betray him this way. He had always treated Tang Yin well.

Why would he be betrayed like this? And why was his wife acting like this? Why was she so attached to Tang Yin, not even sparing him a glance as she fell into Tang Yin's embrace?

She was Tang Yin's adoptive mother! Why...!

In Tang Hao's heart, he was furiously screaming in anger.

Tang Yin did not answer Tang Hao's question. Instead, he turned his gaze towards Ah Yin.

Ah Yin, having been revived by Tang Yin, had an energy connection with him. With just a look, she understood his intentions immediately. Ah Yin released her hold on Tang Yin, took a step forward, and walked slowly towards Tang Hao. In her hand, a blue light flickered.

In the next second, the blue-silver grass under Tang Hao's feet rose up and tightly bound his legs. The grass was infused with a deadly poison concocted by Tang Yin, a combination of ice and fire, creating the deadliest venom.

Tang Hao couldn't bring himself to harm Ah Yin. But now, surrounded by a poison array and resisting the venom with all his strength, his resistance was minimal. In an instant, he was trapped.

With a loud sound, the lethal toxin was injected into his body. Combined with the deadly poison that had already been dormant in Tang Hao's system for years, along with the additional poisons created by Dugu Bo over six years of research, the effects erupted within him immediately.

Tang Hao didn't want to hurt Ah Yin, but the venom coursing through his body caused unimaginable pain, bringing him to his knees, clutching his head as he screamed in agony. Though his powerful soul energy automatically resisted the poison's effects, it was merely a stalemate—neither could overpower the other.

Ah Yin looked coldly at Tang Hao, trapped and writhing in the poison array. There was no pity in her eyes. At the same time, a blue light emerged from her hand, pulling out the 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor spirit bone from Tang Hao's body. This spirit bone belonged to her, after all.

Seeing this, Tang Yin's thoughts flickered. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's elemental spirits returned to him, both powerful herbs having grown into sentient beings, although still childlike in their intelligence. 

Dugu Bo, controlling the poison array, observed that Tang Hao had been poisoned and posed no immediate threat. He approached Tang Yin.

 "Kid, you've got some tricks, I'll give you that."

He glanced at the red and blue light hovering around Tang Yin, recognizing them as the spirits of the toxic herbs. He was impressed by Tang Yin's abilities. 

"You're not bad yourself," Tang Yin said, admiring the poison array that had trapped Tang Hao. 

"You're mocking me. Without the poison you provided, I wouldn't have been able to trap him at all," Dugu Bo admitted.

Tang Yin chuckled, "We've planned for six years, and finally, we've trapped Tang Hao here. But remember, we haven't killed him. We're only able to keep him trapped."

Tang Hao's immense Super Douluo-level soul power was resisting the poison, making it nearly impossible to kill him. Moreover, Tang Hao could still use his spirit ring detonation technique, which would be a serious threat if they confronted him directly. 

"So what's your plan? This poison array will only hold him for a year. After that, he'll break free, and we're all doomed," Dugu Bo said gravely.

"Don't worry, I have a way. Tang Hao won't escape this array," Tang Yin said, smiling coldly as he thought of Tang Hao's son, Tang San.

Dugu Bo could only trust Tang Yin's confidence. 

"Old poison master, wait outside for me. I need to have a little chat with my foster father before we leave to find him," Tang Yin said. 

"I'll wait for you outside," Dugu Bo replied, flying away.

Now, only Tang Yin and Ah Yin were left outside the poison array, while inside, Tang Hao was barely conscious, his mind clouded by the long-lasting mental poison.

Tang Yin decided to provoke his adoptive father even further. He looked at A Yin, smiled devilishly, and extended his hand towards her. Ah Yin's face flushed, and she shyly nestled into Tang Yin's arms.

Gently stroking her face, Tang Yin whispered, "Shall we leave here and explore the world together, my dear stepmother?"

"I belong to you. You brought me back to life, you're my master. I'll follow you wherever you go," Ah Yin responded tenderly.

"Good, I'll take good care of you," Tang Yin said, gently lifting her chin and kissing her.

Tang Hao, trapped in the poison array, couldn't see what was happening but could hear every word. His face twisted in anger, unable to bear the betrayal and the sounds coming from his wife and his adopted son.

Hours passed, and the sound of intimacy between Ah Yin and Tang Yin continued. Tang Hao lay on the ground, defeated and delirious, hearing the tormenting words and sounds of betrayal from the woman he loved.

All he could do was mutter incoherently, his mind completely shattered. 

Finally, after it was over, Tang Yin stepped out of the makeshift shelter he had created with the Blue Silver Grass, leading a flushed Ah Yin by the hand. He glanced at Tang Hao, who was lying there in a crazed state, and smirked.

Bowing slightly in mock respect, he said, "Rest here, foster father. Soon, I will bring your son to visit you. You can rest assured that I will take very good care of my step mother." 

With that, he turned and left, Ah Yin in tow, without a backward glance at the broken man left behind.