It's All Part of the Plan

At the exact moment the embers of that light which burned away everything in the God Realm dissipated, down on the Douluo Continent, in an unnamed, rocky wasteland, rainwater mixed with the heavy scent of blood to soak the scorched earth.

Broken weapons, shattered soul bones, and the mangled corpses of soul masters and soul beasts lay scattered everywhere. The ground was riddled with deep craters from the Great Sumeru Hammer and trenches carved by the Angel Holy Sword; even the surrounding mountains had been shorn in half by the shockwaves, and the smoke of battle lingered in the rain.

Everyone stood frozen, their gazes locked on the direction where Tang Hao had fled into the dense forest while clutching his infant, yet no one dared to give chase.

Even though Tang Hao was now at the end of his rope, left with only his left arm, the bone-deep demonic aura he had unleashed during the slaughter still made the souls of every powerhouse present tremble, their very fingertips shaking uncontrollably.

"That... that was no human..."

Xiong Lie, a commander of the Martial Soul Hall's combat division, a level 92 power-attack system Title Douluo known by the title Zhenyue, clutched a chest wound that exposed his ribs, his heavy, ragged breathing laced with unconcealable lingering fear.

His martial soul, the Zhenyue Giant Bear, was renowned for its defense, yet Tang Hao's hammer strike had not only shattered his Avatar of the Martial Soul but had even cracked his own bones.

"A fresh Title Douluo, even if he detonated all nine rings, could never possess such power! His soul power carried a malevolent nature that gnawed at the soul; the moment it touched you, it burrowed into the marrow of your bones. He is a complete and utter Evil Soul Master!"

Jiang Lin, a level 94 control-system Title Douluo known as Hanchuan, stood nearby and waved a hand to unleash a blast of cold air, freezing the eerie, spreading roots of the Blue Silver Emperor. With a deathly pale face, he added, "It's not just the power. You all saw it—his entire body was covered in dark red soul beast markings, the whites of his eyes were completely stained red, his pupils had become vertical slits like a snake's, and even his hair was half-intertwined with strands of Blue Silver Grass! That hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor sacrifice... he didn't just absorb a soul ring; he fused the entire origin and bloodline of the soul beast into his own body!"

Upon hearing this, the powerhouses from all factions drew sharp breaths, their eyes fixed on the dense forest as hatred and terror became inextricably intertwined.

They had all seen the slaughter clearly.

At the beginning, the Angel clan powerhouses from Martial Soul Hall had suppressed Tang Hao, toying with him as easily as spinning a top.

But after that hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor sacrificed itself, everything changed.

Tang Hao, who had only just reached the Title Douluo realm, saw his aura instantly skyrocket to a level that made one's scalp tingle.

No one knew that this was the power of Asura at work, with the power of Qian Chongguang adding fuel to the fire.

Dark red, living-like markings crawled across his skin, spreading from his neck to his cheeks. His originally resolute face became twisted and manic, and a mass of blood-red hair sprouted wildly from his black locks, falling down to cover half his face.

Those once-sharp eyes had turned into blood-red vertical slits, the whites filled with hideous blood vessels. When he looked at people, there was not a shred of human reason, only the bloodthirst and madness of a ferocious beast.

The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand had also changed; the originally pure black, heavy hammer body was now wrapped in a layer of viscous, dark red light, covered in fine, sharp barbs. Every strike carried not only the tyrannical power of the Clear Sky Sect's ultimate arts but also a bizarre vitality capable of devouring soul power and gnawing at the soul.

Even for a powerhouse at the Title Douluo level, being grazed by the wind of that hammer meant having a portion of their soul power instantly devoured, leaving their very souls stinging in agony.

Facing the siege of over a dozen powerhouses from Martial Soul Hall, the two great empires, the Clear Sky Sect, and surrounding major sects, he not only held his ground but grew more insane with every strike. Several Soul Douluos were smashed into soul-shattered oblivion on the spot, and even the Title Douluos were all left wounded.

No one knew that this seemingly accidental sacrifice and rampage had been calculated by Qian Chongguang from beginning to end.

Even less did they know that those who had been "coincidentally" drawn into this pursuit had all been calculated by Qian Chongguang and led here step by step.

After all, they themselves coveted the hundred-thousand-year soul ring and soul bone of the Blue Silver Emperor.

If there had been no profit to be gained, they would never have participated in this hunt.

Once the plot progress bar was sufficiently advanced and everyone had arrived, he could let these prominent representatives of various factions witness the entire process of Tang Hao fusing with the soul beast's origin and falling into the demonic path.

He intended to use this "witnessed" slaughter to nail Tang Hao with the charges of "betraying the human race," "colluding with soul beasts," and "falling into demonic madness," transforming him from the revered Clear Sky Douluo of the original story into a traitor to humanity who deserved to be killed by everyone on the continent.

To this end, he had even staged a flawless "fall" of his own.

The plot followed his script: everyone saw with their own eyes that the level 96 peak Angel clan elder from Martial Soul Hall, in order to block the world-destroying Great Sumeru Hammer of the fully demonized Tang Hao, had taken the angry blow head-on with his Angel Avatar. His golden angel wings shattered on the spot, his divine body exploded, his soul was annihilated, and he had only managed to sever Tang Hao's right arm with his very last breath.

A level 96 peak Title Douluo "killed" by a fresh Title Douluo, with only an arm to show for it.

This bloody fact was more persuasive than any rhetoric, completely cementing the charge of Tang Hao's "demonization."

Otherwise, how could a fresh Title Douluo, no matter how powerful the Great Sumeru Hammer was, possibly destroy a veteran Title Douluo powerhouse, especially when the opponent possessed a god-tier martial soul?

Betraying the human race and procreating with a soul beast—on the Douluo Continent, this was a monstrous crime punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan.

Furthermore, with so many powerhouses from all sides witnessing it, who would dare speak up for a "demonic traitor"?

The several elders of the Clear Sky Sect nearby were now pale, their bodies trembling.

The Second Elder, Tang Tudi, bit his teeth until they cracked and, in front of all the powerhouses of the continent, sternly declared the sect's decision: "I, the Second Elder of the Clear Sky Sect, hereby declare again: Clear Sky Sect disciple Tang Hao has disregarded human morality, colluded with soul beasts, betrayed the human race, and willingly fallen into depravity! From this day forth, I expel him from the sect, strip him of all status, and forbid him from ever returning! All the sins he has committed shall be borne by him alone and have nothing to do with my Clear Sky Sect!"

With a single sentence, they completely drew a line in the sand with Tang Hao.

In this situation, if they didn't make their stance clear immediately, the Clear Sky Sect would truly be disgraced for ten thousand years along with Tang Hao.

As soon as the words fell, the crowd was in an uproar.

With the Clear Sky Sect having cleared its name, the others had no more reservations.

The commander of the Star Luo Empire's soul masters stepped forward, his voice cold: "The Clear Sky Sect is righteous! Tang Hao's actions have made him an enemy of the human race! Colluding with soul beasts and fusing their bloodlines—this trend must never be allowed to grow!"

PS: When the story concludes in the future, I will have time to share the side story from before the beginning of the tale.