Luo Can narrowed his eyes, looking Tai Tan up and down, a hint of amusement rising in his heart.
In the original novel, this person was the most loyal old servant of the Tang Family. He devoted his whole life to Tang Hao and Tang San, and was also the first person to respond to Tang San's call to establish the Tang Sect.
But this is fine too. He delivered himself to my door, saving me the trouble of searching for the Breaking Clan everywhere. I can just pry the Breaking Clan's whereabouts out of him.
At this moment, Oscar and the others were also quite angry at Lou Gao's words.
" Lou Gao! You're confused!" Oscar exclaimed in anguish, "How can such unorthodox and evil artifacts as Soul Tool represent the righteous path of forging!"
"Yes, Chairman Lou Gao! Please stop being so stubborn and come back with us!" another elder chimed in, earnestly advising, "Only traditional forging is the foundation of our blacksmithing!"
The conservative elders around them echoed their sentiments, and many of them glared at Luo Can and his companions with hostility in their eyes.
Tai Tan stepped forward, a disdainful look on his face, and said in a gruff voice, " Soul Tool? They're nothing but flashy and impractical tricks. Do they even deserve to represent forging? Lou Gao, you're getting more and more confused as you get older!"
Lou Gao also took a step forward, his eyes filled with unwavering determination. "Staying stagnant and clinging to outdated practices will only lead to the complete decline of the forging industry! Tai Tan, take my advice and face the reality of Soul Tool!"
Tai Tan's brow furrowed deeply. He never imagined that his dear friend, whom he hadn't seen for so many years, would have "fallen" to this level. He said in a deep voice, "Have you forgotten the oath we swore when we received the title of Divine Craftsman together?"
"I've never forgotten," Lou Gao met his gaze frankly. "But ordinary casting has its limits; it can never truly achieve the unity of man and machine."
"So, you chose this crooked and evil Soul Tool?" Tai Tan's tone was full of disappointment.
"Yes." Lou Gao nodded decisively.
The atmosphere on the field suddenly froze. Tai Tan and Lou Gao stared at each other, the tension in the air growing stronger. After a long while, Tai Tan slowly shook his head, the disappointment in his eyes turning into coldness.
"It seems I can't persuade you otherwise. In that case, I'll have to deal with the root of all this." He said, his cold gaze suddenly turning to Luo Can and the other two.
"Oh? Take care of us?" Luo Can raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He hadn't expected Tai Tan to have such a peculiar way of thinking. Unable to solve the problem, he decided to deal with the person who caused it—truly befitting his muscular physique.
"You three, with your sweet words, have bewitched my dearest friends. To prevent you from leading more craftsmen astray, I, Tai Tan, have no choice but to send you on your way today!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his aura was no longer concealed and exploded outwards! A huge phantom of Great Strength Ape roared to the sky behind him, with two yellow, two purple, and four black Spirit Ring rising one after another from his feet. The pressure of Soul Douluo level instantly swept across the entire field.
"Calling you an old dog is really an understatement." Qian Renxue sneered, and her aura suddenly exploded! A pair of black wings unfolded behind her, and a dense dark aura instantly spread out, forming a Darkness Domain around them, isolating everyone except Luo Can and Qian Renxue.
At the same time, nine Spirit Ring —two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—rose from beneath her feet. An aura of immense pressure, as deep as an abyss, collided violently with Tai Tan's soul pressure, instantly suppressing the opponent's aura completely.
"What?!" Tai Tan's pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
He never expected that this young-looking woman was not only Titled Douluo, but also possessed a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Ring. He had only ever seen such an extreme Soul Ring Configuration in his entire life on his master Tang Hao!
"What, you're surprised?" Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow, her tone full of disdain.
"Who exactly are you?! Why are you targeting Lou Gao?!" Tai Tan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, and asked in a deep voice.
"An old dog that only wags its tail, does it even deserve to know my name?" Qian Renxue retorted coldly.
"A cowardly rat hiding its head and tail!"
No sooner had Tai Tan uttered his words than a fist carrying terrifying soul power came hurtling towards him! Luo Can had already flashed in front of him without him noticing, and his fist, the size of a sandbag, slammed solidly into his face.
With a muffled thud, Tai Tan's mountain-like body flew backward in a parabola, crashing heavily to the ground and carving a furrow tens of meters long into the hard dirt road.
"An old dog like you dares to comment on my woman?" Luo Can withdrew his fist and walked unhurriedly toward the fallen Tai Tan.
Tai Tan scrambled to his feet, half his face contorted, blood streaming from his mouth and nose. He stared at Luo Can as he slowly approached, his heart pounding wildly. A fear from the depths of his soul swept over him. The oppressive aura emanating from this man was even more terrifying than that of his master Tang Hao!
But he didn't back down at all, and immediately roared, " Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"
The next moment, his body expanded wildly, instantly transforming into a giant, Great Strength Ape tens of meters tall, his muscles bulging and radiating a terrifying sense of power. He suddenly leaped up, his mountain-like fists carrying astonishing force, and slammed down hard towards Luo Can. At the same time, his Fifth Spirit Ring lit up, amplifying his power to the extreme.
Faced with this earth-shattering attack, Luo Can didn't even summon his martial spirit. Instead, a layer of dazzling golden light appeared on his body as he simply threw a punch at the crashing Tai Tan.
A deafening dragon roar resounded, and a lifelike Golden Dragon emerged from the fist, roaring as it charged toward the Tai Tan in the air.
The two collided with a deafening roar, but there was no earth-shattering explosion; the Golden Dragon simply pierced through the Great Strength Ape's shoulder!
The next moment, Tai Tan's Martial Soul Avatar shattered instantly, and he fell heavily from the sky like a kite with a broken string.
At this moment, his entire right arm and half of his shoulder had completely disappeared, and blood was gushing out, instantly soaking the ground beneath him. His appearance was even more gruesome.
"Huff... huff..." Tai Tan lay on the ground, panting heavily, using all his soul power to lock his wounds and prevent himself from bleeding to death. His eyes were filled with horror and disbelief as he looked at Luo Can.
Luo Can walked up to him, slowly squatted down, and said calmly, " Tai Tan, do you want to live, or do you want to die?"
"Kill me or torture me, it's up to you! Stop wasting your breath!" Tai Tan gritted his teeth, his tone weak but still firm, showing no sign of yielding.
Tsk, no wonder he's Tang Hao's most loyal lackey. Apart from Tang Hao, this guy really doesn't respect anyone else.
"It's just like a rock in a latrine, smelly and hard." Luo Can chuckled, slowly stood up, and waved to Qian Renxue behind him.
Qian Renxue walked over slowly, looking down at the Tai Tan on the ground. Her pair of purple-gold eyes gradually turned into pure black, like an endless abyss that could devour all light.
"Tell me, where exactly is Yang Wudi of the Breaking Clan now?"
Qian Renxue slowly opened her mouth, her voice no longer her original clear and crisp tone, but a strange and bewitching mixed sound, as if carrying some kind of spell, constantly drilling into Tai Tan's mind.
Tai Tan bit his lip hard, his expression shifting repeatedly. Deep within him, a gentle yet authoritative voice seemed to be urging him to give the answer.
Normally, he wouldn't have wavered at all, but now he was not only seriously injured and his soul power was scattered, but the seductive voice was also constantly changing. In the end, it even overlapped with Tang Hao's voice, which was engraved in his bones.