Return the Soul Beast, and I want one arm from each of them!

No grievances?

If there are no grievances, then what is the meaning of you, Pope Qian Xunji, putting on such a grand display and bringing so many experts to block our door?

Are you here to throw your weight around or just for amusement?

This logic makes absolutely no sense!

Just as Tang Zhen furrowed his brows, opening his mouth to press further and attempt to figure out what exactly Qian Xunji was up to, Qian Xunji denied him the chance to ask.

The smile on Qian Xunji's face faded slightly, and his tone became flat and clear.

His gaze swept over Tang Zhen and slowly shifted toward the Clear Sky Sect disciples behind him.

Finally, it settled on the two middle-aged men in the front row, whose expressions had dimmed upon hearing the name Tang Chen, but who now appeared exceptionally tense due to the uncertain situation.

A cold arc curled at the corner of Qian Xunji's mouth.

He spoke softly; his voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly across the silent plaza:

"Your sect and my Martial Soul Hall truly have no direct enmity."

Having said this, he paused, his tone suddenly shifting like a drawn blade:

"However..."

"That does not mean you have not offended... someone you should not have."

He spoke the final words slowly and heavily, carrying the weight of a proclamation.

The moment his voice fell, Qian Xunji turned slightly, signaling behind him.

Sea Dragon Douluo, who had been standing silently at his side, as steady as a reef in a raging sea, moved his burly frame upon receiving the look and stepped forward.

Just one step.

"BOOM--!!"

A vast, boundless, and terrifying pressure erupted, as if a slumbering deep-sea behemoth had suddenly awakened.

Centered on Sea Dragon Douluo, it exploded outward!

It was not merely simple soul power suppression; it contained a trace of pure, supreme, oceanic divinity!

That was the majesty of one who hailed from a place of divine inheritance!

On the plaza, the weaker Clear Sky Sect disciples groaned, their faces turning deathly pale as they stumbled backward.

Even the elders at the Soul Saint and Soul Douluo levels felt their breathing hitch, as if they had been instantly plunged into the deep ocean, surrounded by boundless weight and suffocation.

A Title Douluo!

And an incredibly powerful one at that, with an aura both ancient and profound!

Tang Zhen's pupils constricted, his muscles tensing instantly as his internal soul power surged instinctively to resist this sudden, terrifying pressure.

He stared fixedly at Sea Dragon Douluo, his mind rapidly searching through all known information on the continent's powerhouses, yet he had no impression of the man before him.

Who is this person?

He had never heard of such a Title Douluo with such a unique aura on the continent!

Furthermore, seeing him stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Qian Xunji, even appearing to hold his own, he was clearly no ordinary guest or subordinate of Martial Soul Hall!

And the moment Sea Dragon Douluo stepped out and revealed his aura—

Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, who were still struggling to figure out who the Clear Sky Sect could have offended, were struck as if by lightning, their bodies trembling violently!

The two men jerked their heads up, their gazes locking onto Sea Dragon Douluo.

The color drained from their faces, their eyes filled with incredulous horror and a sudden, dawning realization.

It's him!

That unique martial soul fluctuation, which seemed capable of stirring the tides, instantly overlapped with a figure from their memories!

The Title Douluo who had been the first to discover Ah Yin's true identity.

It's him!

It is absolutely him!

"So... it was him..."

Tang Hao's throat went dry, his voice hoarse and barely audible.

He finally understood why Qian Xunji would say they had no grievances with Martial Soul Hall, yet had offended someone they shouldn't have!

They hadn't offended Martial Soul Hall at all!

They had offended this Title Douluo standing before them.

But why?

Why would this mysterious Title Douluo be mixed up with the Pope of Martial Soul Hall?

To the point that Qian Xunji would personally come out to stand up for him?!

If the other party were from Martial Soul Hall, Qian Xunji could have simply admitted it earlier; there would have been no need to beat around the bush like this.

But if the other party was not from Martial Soul Hall...

Then by what right could they enlist the Pope, Qian Xunji, and bring such a luxurious lineup to back a private vendetta?

A more terrifying thought, like a venomous snake, slithered into the minds of Tang Hao and Tang Xiao:

Could it be...

That Qian Xunji was using the pretext of helping the other party, while in reality, he had his eyes on the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast they had snatched from them?

Yes!

It must be so!

Only the soul ring and soul bone of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast possessed such immense temptation.

It was enough to make the Pope of Martial Soul Hall personally take the field, even at the cost of offending the Clear Sky Sect to help an outsider.

Therefore, Qian Xunji was not here to uphold justice at all.

He was here to loot a burning house, intending to use the name of mediation or investigation to forcibly seize that Hundred-Thousand-Year transformed Soul Beast from their Clear Sky Sect.

What a brilliant use of a borrowed knife to kill!

What a classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

Realizing all of this, Tang Hao and Tang Xiao felt a chill shoot from the depths of their hearts to the tops of their heads, leaving their hands and feet icy cold.

The looks they cast at Qian Xunji were filled with anger, unwillingness, and a trace of despair.

If they were only facing that mysterious Title Douluo, the Clear Sky Sect could have treated him with utter disdain.

But if Martial Soul Hall were added to the mix...

This was almost certainly a dead end!

Qian Xunji took in every change in the expressions of the brothers Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, sneering inwardly.

It seemed these two brats had already recognized Sea Dragon Douluo and had roughly guessed the reason.

That was fine; it saved him the trouble of wasting his breath.

He stood where he was, composed and at ease, waiting to see how Tang Zhen would respond.

As for Sea Dragon Douluo, his gaze was coldly locked onto Tang Hao and Tang Xiao.

That look was like a deep-sea predator eyeing its prey, filled with undisguised killing intent.

After all, if it weren't for these two dogs, they would never have had to seek out Martial Soul Hall.

Nor would the subsequent series of events have occurred.

It could be said that Tang Hao and Tang Xiao were the primary culprits behind everything.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the plaza instantly dropped to freezing, so oppressive that it made it hard to breathe.

"Your Excellency... are you the one who first discovered that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"

Just then, Tang Zhen spoke, seemingly having understood something.

Sea Dragon Douluo let out a cold snort, neither confirming nor denying.

But the killing intent in those eyes, cold as ten-thousand-year black ice, grew even more intense.

Seeing the other party's tacit admission, the last shred of hope in Tang Zhen's heart was extinguished.

He knew that today's matter would be extremely difficult to resolve peacefully.

Since the other party could enlist Qian Xunji and dared to strike directly at the gates of the Clear Sky Sect, they must have something to rely on and had come with a firm resolve to succeed.

"Since that is the case..."

Tang Zhen's voice carried suppressed anger and gravity as he asked, "I wonder, what exactly do you want? State your terms!"

He stopped beating around the bush and asked the most critical question directly.

Whether to fight or reconcile, to compensate or pay, there had to be a resolution.

Upon hearing this, the corners of Sea Dragon Douluo's mouth curled into a cold, mirthless arc.

His gaze was like a blade, sweeping first over the pale-faced, teeth-gritting Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, before fixing back on Tang Zhen's face, saying word by word: "First, return my young master's property—completely and intact!"

Having said this, he paused, and then the cold light in his eyes surged, his tone becoming incomparably sinister:

"Second..."

He pointed his finger unceremoniously directly at Tang Hao and Tang Xiao in the crowd:

"I want the two of them... one arm from each!"

"As payment for their crime of ambushing, stealing treasure, and injuring people that day!"