Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 688: Clinging to Power

Not only should he cling to Tang San’s thigh, but he had to cling hard. If Tang San truly ascended to become the Sea God—in other words, the first Sea Emperor—then Hammer would be one of his key supporters. The Sea Shark Clan had no shortage of enemies, but with Tang San’s protection in the future, what would there be to fear?

Tang San gave him a deep look and chuckled lightly. The shark was absolutely shameless, but he wasn’t dislikable. "You are the fastest, so naturally, you’re the most suitable as a mount. Alright, I need to head back now. Notify the other clans as quickly as possible, even those living farther away. That way, we can ensure the array discs cover a larger area. This method of purifying the Sea Plague only treats the symptoms and not the root cause, but it will at least greatly reduce the death toll among the sea clans until we can implement the real solution."

The Sea Shark King nodded seriously. "I’ll follow your orders."

With that, Tang San stepped into the teleportation array and returned to Golden Valley.

As the light flickered, Tang San emerged from the teleportation array inside Golden Valley, only to find Mei Gongzi waiting outside.

"Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for half a day," Mei Gongzi said with a slight hint of irritation.

Tang San's heart tightened. He could tell from her tone that this wasn’t just a playful complaint—there was anxiety and unease in her voice.

"An outbreak of Sea Plague appeared near Crescent Island, so I went to help the sea clans cleanse it. What happened? Did something go wrong?" Tang San asked seriously.

Mei Gongzi's expression grew tense, her brow furrowed as she said, "Yes, something went very wrong. Representatives from the Ancestral Court arrived. They ordered me to report to the Ancestral Court ahead of schedule."

Hearing this, Tang San was startled. So they can’t wait anymore... Is the Ancestral Court that impatient?

"When do they want you to go?"

"I told them that Kali City was still unstable after the recent transition and that I couldn’t leave right away. The Ancestral Court’s emissary said they would give me no more than three months. I must report to the Ancestral Court within three months, or it will be considered disrespectful, and I’ll be stripped of my position as city lord."

Three months? It’s been less than five months since she took over, so that makes eight months. They’ve brought the schedule forward by four whole months...

Fortunately, Tang San had planned with a good margin for error, and while the three-month buffer wasn’t enough for everything he wanted to do, it also wasn’t short enough to catch them completely off guard. He sighed and nodded. "Three months it is. Focus on your cultivation and try to raise your level as much as possible. I’ll make the necessary preparations on my end. We’ll proceed as planned, even though the timeline is pushed forward. The plan remains the same."

A hint of worry appeared in Mei Gongzi’s beautiful eyes. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but ultimately chose not to speak.

Tang San naturally understood the worries in her heart and spoke gently, "Don’t worry, everything will be fine—I’ve got this. After helping the sea clans cleanse the Sea Plague, I’m feeling even more confident. In half a month, I’ll have a good talk with all the leaders of the sea clans. I’ll likely be spending more time at Crescent Island in the near future, so I’ll leave the shipbuilding and migration to you. Our relationship with the sea clans is growing closer, so our migration plans will continue, moving more of our people overseas where the demon and nymph clans can’t easily reach them."

"Alright," Mei Gongzi nodded. Just seeing Tang San brought her a sense of calm, especially when she looked into his gentle and steady eyes. It made her feel as if everything was under control.

"Then I’ll head back now," Mei Gongzi said, feeling that time was running short, wishing she could make every second count.

"Wait a moment," Tang San called out to her.

Just as Mei Gongzi was wondering what he might still want to say, Tang San stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms.

"What are you doing?" Mei Gongzi’s cheeks flushed slightly as she gently tapped his shoulder.

"Recharging. My strength and confidence come from you. Only when I’m full of energy can I move forward at full speed," Tang San said with a chuckle.

Mei Gongzi was taken aback for a moment, then the blush on her cheeks deepened. However, she didn’t resist; instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest.

Wasn’t it the same for her?

Only when she was with him did her heart feel truly at peace; only then did she have a solid foundation. He was the source of her confidence and her strongest support.

As she nestled in his embrace, the weariness in her heart seemed to quietly dissipate. The two of them grew closer in spirit.

Tang San gently stroked her long hair, the soft strands carrying a subtle fragrance that brought him an indescribable sense of peace. There were many preparations to be made over the next three months. Mei Gongzi's report to the Ancestral Court would not only determine whether she could truly inherit the position of city lord of Kali City but also decide if they could genuinely stand against the Ancestral Court in the future. Everything hinged on this upcoming report.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor likely sensed a shift in fortune, which is why he shifted the schedule of her evaluation.

If Tang San weren’t afraid of letting Mei Gongzi use the Celestial Plume, fearing it would cause backlash affecting her very life essence, she would be able to some extent to obscure the workings of fortune. But Tang San would rather face greater danger himself than let her face that danger. What he valued most was their future together, and he understood that what could truly affect that future was not the obvious danger, but the danger hidden behind seemingly innocuous things—like her clan’s artifact.

As Mei Gongzi was about to leave, Tang San asked her to prepare some materials for him. In the upcoming period, he planned to stay at Crescent Island to craft some more Sea God array discs. Within the Endless Blue Sea, his divine consciousness could be quickly replenished through the power of faith, making the crafting of the array discs much faster and more effective.

Having confirmed the method to purify the Sea Plague, Tang San was determined to contribute fully to the Endless Blue Sea. This was a virtuous cycle—he would protect the sea clans, and in return, he would receive their support. The power of faith would naturally become easier to gather, and the sea clans’ regard for humanity would grow higher.

In the following week, powerful sea beasts began gathering at Crescent Island. The first to arrive was the current leader of the Sea Walrus clan, who was also a newly ascended Great Sea King. Traditionally, the Sea Walrus clan lived in the seas near Kali City, and in fact most of the powerful sea clans had their own fixed territories and migration routes. The nomadic Sea Shark clan, which roamed everywhere and slaughtered wherever they went, were the exception.

The Sea Walrus clan leader’s acknowledgement of Tang San was no lower than that of the Sea Shark King. In fact, this Sea Walrus King was deeply grateful, even to the point of tears, because the Sea Plague that Tang San had just cleansed was in the Sea Walrus clan’s territory. If the plague had spread, the Sea Walrus clan might have been able to escape, but they would have lost their home.

As a result, the Sea Walrus King directly expressed his recognition of Tang San as the Divine Lord, acknowledging his position as the Sea God. Being able to cleanse the Sea Plague was of utmost importance to the entire sea clans.

Afterward, more and more sea beasts began to arrive. These beasts varied in strength, and Tang San observed that while there were many powerful beings among the sea clans, the number of top-tier experts was relatively low.

Over the past week, dozens of Sea Kings had arrived, but the only Great Sea King was the Sea Walrus King. In complete contrast, the number of sea beasts equivalent to the ninth tier on the Daemon Continent was numbering in the thousands, and these were just those that had come here to see Tang San. Who knew how many there were in total?

As more of them arrived, Tang San found that the power of faith he could absorb was growing by the minute, making the creation of the Sea God array discs much easier. He wasn’t lacking in methods to control his divine consciousness, but he had previously refrained from using them freely, as the conversion of spiritual power into divine consciousness was far too slow.

But the power of faith was different—it was inherently meant for deities. Converting it into his own divine consciousness was much easier, especially since he was the Sea God and this faith was directed at him, or at least at his divine seat.