Boom—!!!
As soon as those words were spoken, it was as if a colossal boulder had been hurled into a tranquil lake, instantly sending towering waves through the ranks of the Clear Sky Sect!
The square fell silent at first, so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.
Then an uproar burst out!
"What?"
"Returning the thing would be one thing, but now he wants the arms of both young masters?"
"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"
"An arm? How is that any different from crippling them?"
"Arrogant! He has no idea how vast the heavens and earth are!"
The Clear Sky Sect's elders and disciples were all seething with rage, their eyes bloodshot as they glared at Sea Dragon Douluo with fury and murderous intent.
If not for Tang Zhen having yet to speak, and the sect's strict discipline, someone would likely have already charged forward to fight to the death.
Tang Zhen's face turned ashen in an instant, his chest heaving with utter fury.
He stared fixedly at Sea Dragon Douluo, fire practically blazing in his eyes.
Returning that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would be agonizing, but if they truly were in the wrong, then to defuse the situation and spare the sect a disaster, he might... might have gritted his teeth and considered it.
After all, no treasure was more precious than the sect's survival.
But demanding Tang Hao and Tang Xiao's arms!
That was tantamount to digging up the Clear Sky Sect's foundations, slapping Tang Zhen in the face, and trampling the dignity of the entire sect!
Who was Tang Hao?
He was Tang Zhen's most outstanding son, a once-in-a-century, even once-in-several-centuries genius of the Clear Sky Sect!
To be clear, Tang Hao was only just forty, yet his Soul Power was already nearing the level of a Titled Douluo.
Not only was his talent peerless, but his understanding of the Clear Sky Hammer had also surpassed that of his predecessors.
Before his grandfather, Tang Chen, left, he had even personally passed on to him the Clear Sky Sect's secret art, the Great Sumeru Hammer: Ring Detonation—a technique of peerless power, but also of immense danger.
That was because his elder brother Tang Xiao and Tang Zhen himself both fell slightly short in talent and temperament, and could not grasp its essence!
In other words, Tang Hao was the Clear Sky Sect's hope for the future, and the cornerstone of its return to the peak!
Though Tang Xiao was a little inferior to his younger brother, he was still one of the finest of the younger generation and a future pillar of the sect.
One arm from each of them?
How was that any different from crippling the Clear Sky Sect's future? How could they endure it?
How could they accept it?
"Sir..."
Tang Zhen's voice trembled faintly with overwhelming rage.
He fought down the urge to attack at once. Each word seemed to be forced through clenched teeth, carrying a chill and one final warning:
"Are you... joking?"
The immense Soul Power of a Titled Douluo began surging uncontrollably from him. The air around them seemed to grow thick and heavy.
The pressure of a Titled Douluo burst forth without restraint, faintly clashing with Sea Dragon Douluo's vast, oceanic aura.
Faced with Tang Zhen's barely contained fury and formidable Soul Power, Sea Dragon Douluo showed not the slightest trace of fear. Instead, his face bore a blatant, icy sneer.
He gave a scornful laugh and shot back:
"Do I look like..."
He stepped forward, meeting Tang Zhen head-on. Their Soul Power surged between them, and the air seemed to rumble with wind and thunder.
"...I'm joking with you?"
Sensing Sea Dragon Douluo's utterly unyielding, even more imposing attitude, Tang Zhen knew there was no room left for compromise.
The other man was set on making an example of them and exacting revenge!
A murderous glint flashed in Tang Zhen's eyes as he invoked the Clear Sky Sect's greatest and final source of support and intimidation:
"Does Your Excellency know that my father, the former sect master of the Clear Sky Sect..."
Tang Zhen's voice suddenly rose, tinged with pride and menace. "...is a Peerless Douluo at level ninety-nine! He has roamed the world with few worthy opponents!"
He fixed his gaze on Sea Dragon Douluo, trying to find some sign of apprehension or retreat:
"You're pressing us so relentlessly today, demanding something so outrageous. If this matter reaches his ears, do you know... what grave consequences it might bring? Perhaps it will unleash a fury so tremendous that neither you nor the power behind you can withstand it!"
Tang Chen's name was like a Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle, the Clear Sky Sect's last shred of dignity.
Tang Zhen hoped that this name would make the other man back down, or at least give him pause.
Yet what left Tang Zhen—and every member of the Clear Sky Sect—astonished, even feeling that it was absurd, was this—
After hearing Tang Chen's name and learning he was a level-ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, neither Sea Dragon Douluo, who stood opposite them, nor Pope Qian Xunji, who had been watching the show beside him, showed the slightest fear or gravity. Instead...
The two exchanged a glance, then burst into loud, unrestrained laughter, full of mockery!
"Hahahahaha!"
Their laughter was like a series of resounding slaps, striking every member of the Clear Sky Sect across the face. It finally drove Tang Zhen into a fury.
"You...!"
Tang Zhen trembled with rage, his face shifting from ashen to red, then from red to purple.
After laughing for a few moments, Sea Dragon Douluo finally stopped.
He looked down at Tang Zhen and the shocked, furious members of the Clear Sky Sect behind him as if they were frogs at the bottom of a well, then spoke leisurely:
"Tang Chen? I know of him, of course. Back when he made a name for himself across the continent, I was fortunate enough to see him from afar a few times."
His tone was casual, as though discussing some irrelevant stranger:
"You're right, he's strong. A level-ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, hailed as the pinnacle of the mortal world—he really is strong. Strong enough... perhaps, to crush me like an ant."
Sea Dragon Douluo freely admitted the disparity in their strength.
But behind that candor lay something far more chilling... indifference.
"But..."
He changed tack, his gaze suddenly sharp as a blade and his voice turning icy:
"So what?"
"Never mind that he isn't here now, his life and death unknown, without a trace of news. Even if he were standing right behind you at this very moment..."
As he spoke, Sea Dragon Douluo straightened abruptly. An immense aura, more ancient and profound, tinged with faint divine fluctuations, rose from him.
It was not pure Soul Power, but an aura drawn from the ocean's very origin, from the majesty of a supreme god!
His eyes flashed as he swept his gaze across the crowd. His voice cracked like thunder beside the ears of every member of the Clear Sky Sect:
"I still wouldn't change my decision today! And I certainly wouldn't be afraid!"
"This world is vast—vast beyond measure."
"Not everyone, not every power..."
"...fears the so-called Peerless Douluo you speak of!"
At those words, they finally realized that this man before them, and the power behind him, might truly not fear Tang Chen's reputation!
But how could that be possible?
Even the Spirit Hall, a power with a history stretching back more than ten thousand years, had only one Peerless Douluo.
That was why the Clear Sky Sect could overpower every force aside from the Spirit Hall and claim the position of the world's number-one sect.
And now, someone was saying that he didn't fear Tang Chen's reputation.
To be honest, Tang Zhen didn't believe it.
But seeing the mocking, entertained expression on Qian Xunji's face, he began to have his doubts.
Who, exactly, was the man before him?
And what kind of strength did the power behind him possess?