Chapter 1242 - 196: The Final Completed Form of the Price of Power

"Tang Three has taken control of the body!"

"At that time, Tang Three already had a mind—thinking that a being with consciousness dominating this body was better than letting a beast-like madman take charge. The truth is, we had no way around this. After Tang Three took control, he immediately tore open his chest cavity and crushed his own heart... activating the Life and Death Battle Execution."

"In this regard, Tang Two and I almost resigned ourselves to fate—we couldn’t win the fight or compete for control, so what could we do?"

Upon hearing Tang Haofei’s complaint, Wen Yu nodded—sometimes one is simply powerless. In such situations, Tang One indeed didn’t have much choice.

"About half a month later, Tang Three died five times... and then, the situation changed somewhat."

At this point, Tang One’s eyes showed fear as he continued.

"Tang Three returned to the World of the Heart’s Image, where he opened up his belly in front of Tang Two and me, extracting a bloody mass. At first, Tang Two and I didn’t understand what that was, but after Tang Three resurrected, he once again took control of the body and then committed suicide!"

"With each suicide, the mass would grow larger and stronger, until after three more instances, it transformed into a fourth version of me..."

"Is it the one outside?"

Wen Yu pointed to the black cocoon outside, but Tang Haofei shook his head: "Yes, and no!"

"When the fourth Tang Haofei emerged, the brief awakening of Tang Three’s consciousness vanished without a trace. He roared and launched an attack on Tang Four, only to be subdued by Tang Four in three punches and two kicks, who then took control of the body and began refreshing the Life and Death Battle Execution again!"

At this point, Tang Haofei paused slightly: "I feel Tang Three’s existence was akin to a cultivation vessel, serving the fundamental purpose of nurturing the so-called Tang Four!"

"Let’s continue with the previous topic."

"After Tang Four took control of the body, he refreshed the Life and Death Battle Execution every three days, and after five repeats, Tang Five appeared..."

"But this time it was different. When Tang Five appeared, he didn’t rush to compete with Tang Four for control of the body. Instead, they talked intimately like old friends until they reached an agreement—Tang Four would control externally, while Tang Five would guard me, Tang Two, and Tang Three..."

"Guard?"

"That’s right, guard. Tang Two and I continuously attempted to reclaim body control during this period, but Tang Four’s strength was beyond our reach. Tang Four wouldn’t even communicate or negotiate with us; he simply confined us in a small cabin, leaving us to watch helplessly as events unfolded."

"After another five executions, Tang Six emerged..."

"But this Tang Six is different from Tang Five! As soon as he appeared, he attacked Tang Five wildly, leading to a fight between them, and then Tang Four returned. The three’s powers should have been identical, but it was two against one, so Tang Six was quickly captured."

"Afterwards, Tang Four and Tang Five absorbed Tang Six, as if inhaling smoke. Tang Four performed some unknown actions, transforming Tang Six into an airflow, with Tang Four taking the majority and Tang Five the minority. After they shared Tang Six, it felt like a redistribution of power—I could even sense the body becoming significantly stronger."

Listening to Tang Haofei’s explanation, Wen Yu clicked his tongue twice, then glanced at the outside Tang Haofei: "Can you do that?"

"I can’t!"

Tang Haofei shook his head firmly: "Not only can I not do it, but Tang Two and Tang Three can’t do it either! So, this Tang Four gave me the impression that he is the final completed version of the power’s cost! I am the main body, Tang Two is the transition, Tang Three is the cultivation vessel, and Tang Four is the result that emerged!"

"What happened later was pretty simple. Tang Four continually refreshed the Life and Death Battle Execution. As Tang Seven, Tang Eight, even Tang Nine and Tang Ten kept emerging, some were swayed by Tang Four, while others didn’t wish to merge with Tang Four, fighting desperately. Yet, the result was always the same—Tang Four absorbed countless versions of himself and recruited fourteen fellow-minded Tang Haofei..."

"How many, exactly? I mean the total number of Tang Haofei that appeared."

"I don’t know. When Tang Twenty-Five showed up, we were already confined underground by Tang Four. But based on my judgment, the number should be no less than forty..."

After hearing Tang Haofei’s story, Wen Yu couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. This power’s cost is indeed intriguing.

Just as with Tang One and Tang Two, the relationship between the numerous Tang Haofei wasn’t purely adversarial. They could cooperate, join forces, or even establish primary and secondary roles. However, it’s clear that Tang Four was a notch above; he not only possessed great strength but also managed to recruit Tang Five, which caused Tang Four’s power to snowball until it became what it is now.

As for Tang One’s claim about the power’s cost being the final completed version, Wen Yu remained noncommittal.

"By the way, why didn’t Tang Four absorb you three?"

"He couldn’t... Actually, from a certain perspective, we seem somewhat different from the later Tang Haofei, which led me to conclude that Tang Four and the subsequent Tang Haofei are the final completed versions of the power’s cost reason."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

After saying this, Wen Yu sighed, as Tang Haofei’s words had satisfied his curiosity—although practically, it’s utterly useless, it only serves to gain insight into the situation surrounding the power’s cost.

The three remained silent for a moment until Tang One spoke again.

"Wen Yu, can you solve this issue?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Yu was finally reassured—this Tang One indeed was the true Tang One...

In reality, after removing Tang One and Tang Two, Wen Yu still doubted their true identities—Wen Yu has seen such chain traps before. If Tang One, Tang Two, and Tang Three were all dead, the outside Tang Haofei might casually place three decoys in the dungeon. You see, that trap would be far more sophisticated than the previous one.

Yet, to solve the power’s cost issue, only Tang One could do it...

Wen Yu thought briefly and nodded lightly after a while.

"I need to examine your condition first."

"The first step, try to reclaim body control while Tang Four is sealed!"