At the very moment the ashes of light and darkness that had burned through everything in the God Realm finally dissipated, rain fell upon an unknown rocky wasteland somewhere on the lower realm's Douluo Continent, soaking the scorched earth with the heavy stench of blood.
Broken weapons, shattered Soul Bones, and the remains of Soul Masters and Soul Beasts littered the ground. The earth was pocked with craters smashed out by the Clear Sky Hammer and trenches cleaved by the Angel Holy Sword. Even the surrounding mountains had been sheared in half by the aftershocks, while smoke lingered within the curtain of rain.
Everyone stood frozen in place, their eyes fixed on the direction Tang Hao had fled into the forest with the infant in his arms. No one dared to pursue him.
Although Tang Hao was already at the end of his strength and had only one left arm remaining, the demonic aura that had erupted from him during the battle still made every expert present tremble to the depths of their souls. Even their fingertips would not stop shaking.
"That was not human at all..."
Xiong Lie, commander of Spirit Hall's battle division, a level ninety-two assault-type Titled Douluo known as Zhenyue, clutched the bone-deep wound in his chest. His labored breaths carried undisguised lingering fear.
His Martial Soul, the Zhenyue Giant Bear, was famed for its defense. Yet a single strike from Tang Hao had not only shattered his Martial Soul Avatar, but also fractured his bones.
"He only just became a Titled Douluo! Even if he detonated all nine Soul Rings, he could never possess such power! His Soul Power carries an evil force that gnaws at the soul. The moment it touches you, it burrows into the cracks of your bones. He is absolutely an Evil Soul Master!"
Beside him, Jiang Lin, a level ninety-four control-type Titled Douluo known as Hanchuan, raised his hand and sent out a stream of frost, freezing the strange Blue Silver Grass roots spreading through the area. Pale-faced, he added, "It was not just his strength. You all saw it. His entire body was covered in dark red Soul Beast markings. The whites of his eyes had turned completely red, his pupils became vertical slits like a snake's, and even half his hair had turned into Blue Silver Grass strands! When that Hundred Thousand Year Blue Silver Emperor sacrificed herself, he was not absorbing her Soul Ring at all. He fused that entire Soul Beast's origin and bloodline into his own body!"
The experts from every faction present drew sharp breaths, their hatred and fear becoming hopelessly entangled as they looked toward the forest.
They had all seen the battle clearly.
At first, the Angel Clan experts from Spirit Hall had pressed Tang Hao down with ease, as though they were spinning a top.
But when that Hundred Thousand Year Blue Silver Emperor sacrificed herself, everything changed.
Tang Hao, who had only just entered the Titled Douluo realm, saw his aura surge instantly to a terrifying level.
No one knew that the Asura God's power was at work, with Qian Chongguang's power adding fuel to the flames.
Dark red markings that seemed alive crawled across his skin, spreading up his neck and onto his cheeks. His once-resolute face twisted into a crazed expression, while countless blood-red strands erupted wildly amid his black hair and fell over half his face.
Those once-sharp eyes had completely transformed into blood-red vertical pupils. Savage blood vessels filled the whites of his eyes, and when he looked at others, there was not the slightest trace of human reason left—only the bloodlust and madness of a Ferocious Beast.
The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand had changed as well. Its once-pure black, weighty hammerhead was shrouded in a viscous dark red glow and covered in dense barbs. Every strike carried not only the tyrannical force of the Clear Sky Sect's ultimate arts, but also a strange vitality capable of devouring Soul Power and gnawing at souls.
Even Titled Douluo-level experts would instantly lose a portion of their Soul Power if brushed by the hammer wind, their souls stabbing with pain as well.
Surrounded and attacked by more than a dozen experts from Spirit Hall, the two great empires, the Clear Sky Sect, and the surrounding major sects, he was not at any disadvantage. Instead, he grew increasingly mad with battle. Several Soul Douluos had their bodies and souls obliterated by a single hammer strike, while every Titled Douluo had been wounded.
No one knew that this seemingly accidental sacrifice and rampage had been within Qian Chongguang's calculations from beginning to end.
Still less did anyone know that all those who had been "coincidentally" drawn into this pursuit had been calculated in advance by Qian Chongguang and lured here step by step.
After all, they themselves coveted the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone of the Blue Silver Emperor.
If there had been no profit to gain, they would never have taken part in this pursuit.
Once the plot's progress had reached roughly the right point and everyone had arrived, these prominent representatives of every faction could personally witness the entire process of Tang Hao fusing with a Soul Beast's origin and Falling into Demonic Path.
This battle they had "witnessed with their own eyes" was meant to permanently nail Tang Hao with the crimes of "betraying humanity," "colluding with Soul Beasts," and "falling into demonhood," turning him from the revered Clear Sky Douluo of the original story into a Human Traitor whom everyone across the continent had the right to kill.
For this, he had even staged a flawless grand performance of "falling."
Just as his script demanded, everyone witnessed the Angel Clan's level ninety-six peak elder worshiper of Spirit Hall use his Angel Avatar to take Tang Hao's enraged strike head-on in order to stop the world-destroying Great Sumeru Hammer unleashed by the completely demonized Tang Hao. Golden angel wings shattered on the spot, his divine body exploded, and his soul was annihilated. With his final breath, he managed only to cut off Tang Hao's right arm.
A peak level ninety-six Titled Douluo had been "killed" by Tang Hao, who had only just entered the Titled Douluo realm, in exchange for merely one of Tang Hao's arms.
This bloody fact was more convincing than any argument. It completely confirmed Tang Hao's crime of "demonization."
Otherwise, how could someone who had only just entered the Titled Douluo realm, no matter how powerful the Great Sumeru Hammer was, possibly reduce an established Titled Douluo expert to nothingness? Especially when the other party's Martial Soul was a god-tier Martial Soul.
Betraying humanity and even having a child with a Soul Beast was, on the Douluo Continent, a monstrous crime severe enough to implicate nine generations of one's family.
Moreover, with so many experts from every faction having witnessed it firsthand, who would still dare speak for a "demonic traitor"?
The several elders of the Clear Sky Sect nearby all wore ashen faces, their bodies trembling.
Tang Tudi, the Second Elder at their head, ground his teeth until they cracked and shouted the sect's decision before the experts of the entire continent. "I, the Second Elder of the Clear Sky Sect, hereby declare once more that Clear Sky Sect disciple Tang Hao has defied human morality, colluded with Soul Beasts, betrayed humanity, and willingly fallen into depravity! From this day onward, the Clear Sky Sect expels him from the sect, strips him of all status, and forbids him from entering forever! All the sins he has committed shall be borne by him alone and have nothing whatsoever to do with the Clear Sky Sect!"
With those words, they completely severed every tie with Tang Hao.
Under such circumstances, if they did not make their position clear at once, the Clear Sky Sect would truly become infamous for ten thousand years alongside Tang Hao.
The moment his words fell, the entire scene erupted.
Even the Clear Sky Sect had drawn a line between themselves and him. The others no longer had any reservations.
The Soul Master commander of the Star Luo Empire stepped forward, his voice icy. "The Clear Sky Sect is righteous and resolute! Tang Hao's actions have made him an enemy of humanity! He coupled with a Soul Beast and fused its bloodline into himself. This vile precedent must never be allowed to spread!"
PS: When this is finished in the future, if there is time, there will be an extra story set before the beginning of the main tale.
Before you continue