Tang Hao's Fear! Holy Spirit!

"Very well, wherever you wish to go, I shall accompany you."

Gu Sheng smiled faintly, his eyes brimming with deep affection.

"But for now, you must go and deal with those ministers of yours."

Qian Renxue stuck her tongue out at him playfully, then, attended by her handmaidens, resumed the majestic image of the Empress she wore in public.

Yet, the moment she turned to look at Gu Sheng, the tenderness and love in her eyes could not be concealed.

"I am off then. Wait for me to return in the bedchamber."

"Go."

Gu Sheng nodded with a smile, watching her majestic yet alluring figure slowly exit the chamber.

Not until the doors had slowly closed did Gu Sheng withdraw his gaze, leaning back lazily against the headboard.

The Limit Douluo Soul Power within his body flowed slowly through his meridians, radiating vigorous vitality.

He looked at the bright sunlight outside the window, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

"The God Realm, is it..."

"Soon, we shall meet."

He muttered to himself, a faint, cold glint flashing in his eyes.

For now, he only wished to savor this rare, tender moment.

After the morning court session.

Qian Renxue did not even have time to change out of her heavy dragon robes before hurrying back to the bedchamber.

The moment she pushed open the door, she saw Gu Sheng sitting by the table, leisurely sipping tea.

"Why are you back so soon?"

Gu Sheng looked at her in surprise and rose to greet her.

Qian Renxue rubbed her temples wearily, collapsing into Gu Sheng's arms.

"Those ministers are so annoying; they argue endlessly over the smallest trifles. My head is spinning from listening to them."

She complained, for in front of Gu Sheng, she needed no disguise or defenses.

Gu Sheng carried her to the daybed with a heart full of pity, placing his hands on her temples to massage them gently.

A mild, golden Soul Power flowed from his fingertips into Qian Renxue's head, instantly sweeping away her exhaustion.

"That feels much better."

Qian Renxue closed her eyes in enjoyment, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"If you feel tired, there is no need to keep this throne. We could travel the mountains and rivers; wouldn't that be happier?"

Gu Sheng said, half-joking.

Qian Renxue opened her eyes and looked at him earnestly.

"That won't do. This is the empire we worked so hard to conquer, and besides, I want to help shoulder some of the pressure for you."

She knew that Gu Sheng's future enemies were in the God Realm; she had to improve her strength and control more resources as quickly as possible to be of help in the coming war of gods.

Gu Sheng looked at her serious expression, moved in his heart, and leaned down to kiss her lips lightly.

"With those words from you, whatever your husband does is worth it."

Qian Renxue smiled sweetly, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her head against his chest.

"Then tonight, do you still want to..."

She lowered her voice shyly, unable to bring herself to finish the sentence.

Gu Sheng looked at her reddened earlobes, leaned into her ear with a wicked grin, and blew a soft breath.

"I do. How could I not? When the wife commands, how dare the husband refuse?"

"You wicked man..."

Inside the bedchamber, the sound of their joyful laughter rang out once more, painting the cold imperial palace with an extraordinary warmth.

Inside the bedchamber, the lingering heat of their intimacy had yet to dissipate.

Qian Renxue was already fully dressed; the bright yellow dragon robe she wore made her appear even more noble and cold.

She stood before the bronze mirror, adjusting her imperial crown one last time before turning to look at Gu Sheng, who lay on the bed, with lingering reluctance.

"Husband, I am off to the morning court. If you are tired, rest a while longer in the chamber."

Qian Renxue's voice was soft, bearing none of the majesty she displayed while looking down upon her ministers in the court.

Gu Sheng rested his hands behind his head, looking at his wife's exquisite face, and nodded with a smile.

"Go. I know, just come back early."

Qian Renxue gave a sweet reply before stepping out of the bedchamber with a graceful, lotus-like gait.

She had been tossed about quite fiercely last night; even now, her body still felt weak as she walked.

Watching the palace doors slowly close, the gentle smile on Gu Sheng's face gradually faded, replaced by a look of profound depth.

The situation in the Heaven Dou Empire had stabilized, Slaughter City had been reduced to ruins, and even the projection of the Asura God had been slain by his sword.

On this Douluo Continent, there was almost nothing left that could threaten his existence.

However, some matters ultimately required a final resolution.

"Tang Hao."

Gu Sheng softly uttered the name, a faint murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

Back during the destruction of the Clear Sky Sect, although Tang Hao had been severely wounded by him, he had still managed to escape with the unconscious Tang San right under the noses of She Long and Ci Xue.

He understood better than anyone that if you cut the grass without removing the roots, the spring breeze will only make it grow again.

Tang San was the Son of Destiny of this world, possessing immense fortune, and Tang Hao was currently Tang San's only spiritual pillar and protective talisman.

"Since I have already reached the ninety-ninth level Limit Douluo, it is time to pull out this hidden threat."

Gu Sheng muttered to himself and slowly closed his eyes.

The vast, ocean-like Soul Power of his ninety-ninth level Limit Douluo began to surge wildly through his meridians. At this moment, his divine sense acted like an invisible net, instantly spreading out in all directions.

It crossed the towering palace walls, traversed the bustling Heaven Dou City, and swept over the endless wilderness and mountains.

Every rustle of wind and grass within a radius of several thousand miles was clearly presented in his mind at this moment.

His divine sense searched the heavens and earth, hunting for that unique bloodline aura belonging to the Clear Sky Sect, as well as the lingering violence and weakness left behind after the Ring Detonation.

A moment later, Gu Sheng snapped his eyes open, a brilliant light flashing within his originally pure golden pupils.

"Found you. So that's where you were hiding."

Gu Sheng stood up, casually pulled a white robe over his shoulders, and with a slight flicker of his figure, he transformed into a streak of golden light, instantly vanishing from the bedchamber.

Only a faint ripple remained in the air.

About a few hundred miles outside of Heaven Dou City lay a vast soul beast habitat known as the "Sunset Forest."

Deep within the heart of the Sunset Forest, inside a secluded valley shrouded in year-round toxic miasma, a faint flicker of firelight danced in the darkness.

This was a hidden cave, surrounded by jagged rocks, damp and gloomy.

Deep inside the cave, a middle-aged man exuding an aura of decay and blood sat cross-legged on the wet ground.

The man had only his right arm; his left sleeve hung empty, fluttering slightly with the cold wind passing through the cave.

His face was deathly pale, and a strange, ashen gray hue faintly permeated his skin.

This man was none other than the once-feared Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao.

Yet, he no longer held a shred of his former glory; he looked like a dying man on the verge of the grave.

"Cough, cough..."

Tang Hao coughed violently, and with every cough, a mouthful of black-red blood spilled from the corners of his mouth.

He used his only remaining arm to brace himself against the ground, turning his head with great difficulty to look at the youth lying on a pile of hay not far away.

Tang San's eyes remained closed, his face equally pale, but his breathing had finally steadied.

"San, you must hold on. We cannot leave the Clear Sky Sect's vengeance unavenged."

Tang Hao's voice was as raspy as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, sounding truly bone-chilling.

His eyes burned with a frantic, persistent hatred—a fixation so deep in his marrow that it would not dissipate even if he were to become a vengeful ghost.

"Martial Soul Hall, Gu Sheng, Qian Renxue... just you wait!"

Tang Hao gritted his teeth, his only remaining fist clenching until it creaked.

"As long as San and I are alive, one day, we will make you pay in blood!"

However, the very moment his words fell.

The wind that had been whistling outside the cave suddenly stopped without warning.

It wasn't just the wind; every sound in the deep valley seemed to be instantly erased by an invisible force.

The insects chirping in the dirt and the birds resting on the branches were all silenced in an instant, as if their throats had been gripped tight.

A heavy, terrifying pressure, like ten thousand mountains pressing down from above, descended from the sky.

Tang Hao's expression changed abruptly; he was all too familiar with this sensation of oppression.

"This power... how is this possible?"

Tang Hao struggled to stand, but his internal injuries were far too severe; his meridians were fractured in many places, and he had less than a tenth of his Soul Power remaining.

He had barely managed to lift his torso when he felt a sweetness in his throat, and another large mouthful of blood sprayed out, leaving him collapsing back onto the ground.

Golden light quietly ignited at the entrance of the dark cave.

The light was full of sanctity and warmth, but in Tang Hao's eyes, it was like a death warrant sent from the depths of the nine hells.

A tall, imposing figure stepped over the rubble and slowly walked into the cave.

His long, pure-gold hair shimmered in the dim firelight, and his peerlessly handsome face wore a faint, mocking smile.

"Tang Hao, hiding in a dark, damp rat hole like this hardly befits the reputation you held as the Clear Sky Douluo back in the day."

Gu Sheng looked down at Tang Hao, who was slumped on the ground, his tone as calm as if he were catching up with an old friend.

Tang Hao stared at the young man before him, his teeth grinding together with a rattling sound, his eyes bloodshot enough to drip gore.

"Gu Sheng! You animal!"

Tang Hao summoned every ounce of his remaining strength and spat a mouthful of blood at Gu Sheng.

"You destroyed my sect, killed my uncle, killed my brother—even if I die today, I will drag you down to hell with me!"

Gu Sheng tilted his body slightly, dodging the bloody phlegm, his expression remaining unchanged.

"Hell?"

Gu Sheng shook his head with a chuckle.

"I'm afraid the master of hell, the Asura God, had his projection cut down by my sword not long ago."

"I doubt hell is taking new arrivals like you anymore."

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao's pupils contracted sharply.

The Asura God? His projection was killed?

How could this be? That was a god!

"You... stop spouting such heretical nonsense!"

Though Tang Hao refused to believe it, he felt the pressure radiating from Gu Sheng—a force countless times more terrifying than when they had met at the Clear Sky Sect—and his heart sank.

A ninety-nine-level Limit Douluo.

This young man had actually reached that pinnacle.

Gu Sheng ignored Tang Hao's shock, his gaze passing over him to land on Tang San, who lay on a pile of hay.

"Is this your precious son, Tang San?"

Gu Sheng took a step toward Tang San.

Seeing Gu Sheng's movement, Tang Hao went mad, struggling to crawl across the ground, using his own body to shield Tang San.

"Don't touch my son!"

Tang Hao roared, his single arm clawing into the dirt until his fingernails cracked and bled.

"Take it out on me! Xiao San is still just a child, he knows nothing, everything was my doing alone!"

Gu Sheng stopped and looked at him with pity.

"A child? A genius with Twin Martial Souls, the bloodline of the Clear Sky Sect, and even a hundred-thousand-year soul ring—do you really think I would let him grow up and come seeking revenge?"

As he spoke, Gu Sheng slowly raised his right hand.

Golden light condensed in his palm, and the Sword of Holy Spirit appeared out of thin air, its vast aura of sanctity instantly purging the cave of its gloom and stench of blood.

"However, you guessed one thing wrong."

Gu Sheng looked at the deathly pale Tang Hao, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

"I truly do not intend to kill him today."

Tang Hao froze, looking at Gu Sheng in confusion.

"Why? If you know his talent, why not kill him?"

"Because killing him would be far too boring."

Gu Sheng's voice was soft, yet carried a condescending playfulness.

"I want him to live. I want him to watch everything he prides himself on be crushed by me bit by bit, and watch as the Martial Soul Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire ascend to the summit under my leadership."

"I want him to spend the rest of his life in despair."

Hearing these words, a chill shot from the soles of Tang Hao's feet straight to his skull.

The young man before him was no mere soul master; he was a demon, a hundred times more terrifying than any fallen one!

"You lunatic!"

Tang Hao let out a roar, and black light began to condense frantically in the palm of his remaining hand.

A massive Clear Sky Hammer appeared out of thin air, though it was now covered in spiderweb-like cracks, ready to shatter at any moment.

"Nine Absolutes of Clear Sky, Sumeru Hammer!"

A look of suicidal resolve flashed in Tang Hao's eyes.

He knew he had no way out today, so if that was the case, he would use his own broken life to carve a path of survival for his son!

He began to burn his remaining life force and soul, even as his already shattered meridians began to snap one by one.

Violent black currents raged through the cave, whipping Gu Sheng's long hair and robes into a frenzy.

"Die!"

Tang Hao swung the massive Clear Sky Hammer with one hand, carrying a desperate, indomitable momentum as he smashed it fiercely toward Gu Sheng's head.

This strike was the culmination of his life's cultivation and the final swan song of his existence.

Facing this desperate blow, Gu Sheng's expression remained as calm as still water.

"Overestimating yourself."

Gu Sheng spat out the four words indifferently, not even bothering to swing the Sword of Holy Spirit in his hand; he merely raised his left hand slowly.

With fingers splayed, he met the colossal Clear Sky Hammer with a casual, effortless motion.