Outside Heaven Dou City, the Strong Clan's territory.
Inside the enormous smithy, the furnace blazed fiercely, its light illuminating Tai Tan's wrinkled face.
He gripped a heavy hammer and brought it down savagely on a red-hot block of iron, producing a deafening clang.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Hammer blow after hammer blow fell, as though he wanted to pound all his fury and unwillingness into that cold lump of iron.
The surrounding clansmen all kept their heads lowered, not daring to speak.
Ever since news of Tang Hao's capture had arrived, the clan chief had become like this. He had been hammering iron for three days and three nights without rest, and no one could persuade him to stop.
At last, Tai Tan smashed the hammer into the ground. The immense force made the entire smithy shake violently.
He raised his head, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over every clansman present as his voice boomed like thunder:
"Pack your things! Everyone is coming with me to Spirit City!"
"We're going to rescue our master!"
The entire smithy fell silent the moment those words were spoken.
Everyone raised their heads and stared blankly at Tai Tan, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Clan Chief, you... what did you say?" an elderly clansman asked tremulously. "Go to Spirit City to save him? That's Spirit Hall's lair! There are countless Title Douluo there! If we go, we'll just be throwing our lives away!"
"So what if we are?" Tai Tan roared, slamming a palm onto the anvil beside him. The heavy iron anvil instantly warped under the blow. "Tang Hao is the master of our Strength Clan! Our master is in trouble—how can we servants stand by and do nothing?!"
"If not for old Clan Master Tang Chen, our Strength Clan would not be where it