Tang Xiao's Severed Arm

Neither Qian Xunji nor Qian Daoliu would ever do something like pulling chestnuts from the fire for others while bearing all the risks themselves.

Therefore, before the departure, Qian Daoliu had specifically instructed Qian Xunji: he could help Sea God Island hold the stage, he could apply pressure, and he could kill to establish authority, but...

He must absolutely not destroy the sect.

At the very least, until confirmed news of Tang Chen's life or death arrived, they had to leave a thread of hope for the Clear Sky Sect, and a path of retreat for Martial Soul Hall.

Qian Xunji understood these calculations and trade-offs perfectly well.

Under the heavy, deathly silence, the ten breaths of time felt infinitely stretched.

Finally, Tang Zhen slowly closed his eyes, and a turbid tear slid quietly from the corner of his eye.

When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with a gray, deathly sense of resignation and agony.

He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, his voice hoarse and dry, like sandpaper rubbing together:

"Hao'er..."

He looked at Tang Hao, whose face was full of unwillingness and grief, and used all his strength to force out a few words:

"Go... bring the thing... out... and return it to them."

This was admitting defeat.

He agreed to return the plundered item.

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao's entire body shook violently. He looked up at his father, his eyes filled with incredulous anger and grievance.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but when he met his father's gaze—filled with pain, despair, and an unquestionable command—all his words became stuck in his throat.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, and blood dripped down between his fingers.

In the end, he turned abruptly and, without looking back, stumbled toward the depths of the sect, toward the place where Ah Yin was being held.

His retreating figure was filled with endless humiliation and unwillingness.

Watching Tang Hao leave, Tang Zhen slowly shifted his gaze to Tang Xiao, who stood to the side with an equally pale face.

His eyes were complex to the extreme, filled with guilt, pain, and helplessness.

But more than that, it was the deep sense of powerlessness of a sect master and a father unable to protect his sons.

He did not speak, but used his eyes to convey that cruel decision, one that could not be expressed in words: Do it, Xiao'er.

For the sake of the sect, this is the only way.

This time...

We have lost.

Accept your fate.

Tang Xiao understood everything in his father's eyes.

He was older than Tang Hao, more composed, and understood better what the big picture was and the weight of the sect.

He looked at the heavily wounded fellow disciples around him, looked at his severely injured father, and then looked at the hostile, murderous enemies opposite them...

He knew there was no other choice.

A miserable smile appeared on Tang Xiao's face.

In that smile, there was mockery for the trickery of fate, remorse for his own recklessness, and a sense of relief that came with accepting his fate.

He did not look at anyone else, but slowly raised his left arm.

Then, under the gaze of everyone—some shocked, some pitying, some gleeful, and some indifferent...

"Crack—!!!"

A teeth-grinding, crisp sound of bone fracturing erupted suddenly!

Tang Xiao had actually used his right hand to grab the shoulder joint of his left arm, then gave it a violent twist and pull!

The movement was clean, swift, and ruthlessly decisive!

"Pfft—!"

Blood sprayed like a fountain from the stump of his left shoulder!

A complete arm, along with the sleeve, was torn clean off his body!

At the site of the amputation, flesh was mangled and white bone was exposed; blood instantly dyed half his body red.

The intense pain caused Tang Xiao's face to twist instantly, veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat poured down like rain.

Yet he bit his teeth together, not letting out a single scream, only a sound like a bellows—suppressed to the extreme—emanating from his throat.

His body swayed, but he used his remaining right arm to prop himself up with the Clear Sky Hammer, refusing to fall.

"Xiao'er!!" Tang Zhen let out a heart-rending roar of grief and tried to rush over, but due to his severe injuries, he spat out another mouthful of blood and nearly fainted.

The surrounding Clear Sky Sect disciples were all horrified; many female disciples even covered their mouths, letting out suppressed sobs.

A sense of extreme humiliation and the sorrow of the fox mourning the death of the hare permeated the hearts of every survivor of the Clear Sky Sect.

The sect they had once been so proud of as the number one in the world had been forced, this day, to the point where its heir had to sever his own arm on the spot just to appease the situation!

What a supreme humiliation!

However, in stark contrast to the grief and indignation on the side of the Clear Sky Sect, the people from Martial Soul Hall and Sea God Island felt quite differently.

Seeing Tang Xiao sever his own arm with such decisiveness, a flicker of cold satisfaction flashed in the eyes of Sea Dragon Douluo, and he let out a soft huff.

The stifling frustration from that day, when he was ambushed by these two brothers and robbed of his treasures, had finally been partially vented.

As for the members of Martial Soul Hall, especially the Spirit Douluos and the duo of Chrysanthemum and Ghost, their faces all displayed expressions of gratification, whether overt or subtle.

The Clear Sky Sect—this number one sect in the world that had relied on Tang Chen to defy Martial Soul Hall in the past, even vaguely threatening to rival them—when had they ever suffered such a crushing defeat?

When had they ever been in such a pathetic state?

They had once assumed that as long as Tang Chen lived, they would never see the day the Clear Sky Sect bowed to anyone.

After all, the prestige of that Peerless Douluo was simply too overwhelming.

Yet, they never imagined that the ways of the world are unpredictable.

The two heirs of the Clear Sky Sect, in whom so much hope had been placed, were simply blind; of all people to provoke, they had to go and provoke the mysterious and powerful Sea God Island!

Not only did they steal from the God Child, but they also wounded the people of Sea God Island!

This was nothing short of seeking their own destruction!

It had not only brought the formidable enemy of Sea God Island upon the Clear Sky Sect but also provided Martial Soul Hall with a perfect, legitimate excuse to intervene and kick them while they were down!

"Time and fate, indeed."

Many of the powerhouses from Martial Soul Hall sighed inwardly.

Watching an opponent they once had to look up to now forced to sever an arm to sue for peace like a stray dog, an indescribable sense of superiority and relief welled up in their chests.

On the plaza, only the sound of Tang Xiao's heavy, suppressed breathing remained, along with the thick, cloying scent of blood that refused to dissipate.

The punishment of the severed arm had been partially carried out.

Everyone's gaze was drawn involuntarily toward the depths of the sect, waiting for Tang Hao to bring out the item, and...

To see how he would account for his own arm.

Meanwhile, in the cold, damp dungeons deep within the Clear Sky Sect.

The light here was dim, with only a few flickering oil lamps on the walls casting a weak glow, barely illuminating the narrow passageways and cold iron bars.

The air was thick with the smell of mold, rust, and a faint, lingering scent of blood.

In a special cell at the very end, there was none of the filth or chaos of a typical prison; instead, it was kept quite clean, with a layer of dry grass spread across the floor.

Ah Yin sat quietly on the pile of grass.

Although she wore a simple blue dress, it could not conceal the innate purity and ethereal temperament that belonged to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form.

Yet, at this moment, her complexion was slightly pale, and her aura appeared somewhat unstable; clearly, she was not faring well in this prison specifically designed to suppress soul beasts.

She had heard the earth-shattering roars of battle from outside, the explosive sounds of soul power colliding, and the faint cries of rage and agony with perfect clarity.

Now, all those sounds had subsided, leaving behind only a deathly silence.