When the group arrived at the foot of the mountain, they saw a scene even more horrific than they had imagined.
The village that had once stood there had become a charred plain. Traces of Soul Guidance Cannon energy still lingered around the edges of the massive craters, and even hard rock had melted into glass-like matter.
The air was thick with the stench of burning. Not a single intact corpse could be found—only scraps of torn clothing and fragments of children's toys, silently telling the story of what had happened here.
"Beast... He's nothing but a beast! Shen Lian is truly cruel!"
Second Elder trembled with rage, slamming his cane heavily against the ground. Yet it only stirred up a cloud of black ash.
Tang San walked across the scorched earth step by step, the ground beneath his feet still retaining some warmth.
He picked up a charred wooden sign. The words "Tang's Grocery" could barely still be made out on it—it had belonged to Aunt Tang's shop in the village. She had always secretly stuffed food into the hands of disciples heading down the mountain.
"Shen Lian..."
Tang San's voice was low and terrifying. Every word seemed to be forced through clenched teeth as he roared at the sky:
"I, Tang San, swear here and now that unless I kill Shen Lian, I shall not be human!"
He suddenly dropped to his knees and drove his fist into the scorched soil. Blood seeped through his fingers, blending into the black earth.
The dying light of the setting sun fell upon him, yet it could not penetrate those eyes completely consumed by hatred.
The four elders stood behind him, silently gazing at the ruins, their faces filled with grief and resolve.
The gates of Heaven Dou City slowly closed