Holy Radiance Shocks Clear Sky

Ning Chuan descended the back mountain with light steps, his heart brimming with excitement and hopes for the future as he headed home.

He had no idea that the brief yet pure fluctuation of light energy released when he tested his soul skill had been like a stone cast into a still lake—small, yet enough to stir the giant crocodile lurking in the depths.

Holy Soul Village, inside the most dilapidated Blacksmith Shop at the end of the village.

The pungent smell of cheap ale filled the air. A slovenly, despondent figure lay sprawled beside the cold stove, snoring like thunder. It was Tang Hao, dead drunk.

However, at the very instant Ning Chuan tested his second soul skill, Holy Radiance Judgment, and that pure light energy carrying a trace of sacred majesty flashed into existence and vanished—

The snoring stopped abruptly!

Tang Hao's tightly shut, murky eyes snapped open!

There was no grogginess of waking up—only the sharpness of a hawk and vigilance etched into his bones!

A thread of utterly terrifying pressure leaked uncontrollably from his battered body, freezing even the dust in the air!

"Hmm?!" A short, hoarse grunt escaped his cracked lips.

That aura... was faint, but its essence was extremely high-level!

Pure and warm, yet carrying an unquestionable air of judgment...

This was absolutely not ordinary light-attribute Soul Power! Nor was it something that should appear in Holy Soul Village!

A Spirit Hall spy? Had they discovered something unusual about Xiao San? Or were they coming for me?

Countless thoughts flashed through Tang Hao's mind in an instant, completely dispelling the remnants of his drunkenness!

Ah Yin's figure, Spirit Hall's pursuit, the pain of his severed limb, the hatred of losing his wife...

The agonizing memories buried deep within his heart erupted like a volcano, instantly igniting the violence and killing intent that had lain dormant in his eyes for years!

No matter who it was, no matter what their purpose, anyone who dared spy on this place or disturb Xiao San had to die!

Whoosh!

The figure that had been slumped like mud vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a distorted afterimage and a faint sonic boom.

In the next moment, Tang Hao's tall yet slightly hunched figure appeared in the mountain hollow behind the village, where Ning Chuan had just tested his soul skill.

He was as fast as Gui Mei!

Standing where Ning Chuan had stood before, his abyss-deep eyes swept sharply over the surroundings. Terrifying spiritual power surged through the entire hollow like an invisible storm, leaving every inch of soil, every leaf, and every speck of dust nowhere to hide from his senses.

The air still retained that light aura that filled him with intense disgust and vigilance. Though it was rapidly dissipating, its purity and that peculiar sense of "judgment" made him frown deeply.

"Not the aura of an Angel Spirit... purer, more... ancient?" Tang Hao muttered in a hoarse, icy voice, with a trace of barely perceptible confusion.

As the Clear Sky Douluo, he possessed vast knowledge, yet he had never sensed a light power like this.

His gaze suddenly fixed on the tree trunk pierced through by Radiant Impact.

He stepped forward and ran his rough fingers over the smooth, charred hole, sensing the purification power and scorching heat lingering within.

"Highly offensive, exceptional penetrating power, with a purification effect... It resembles the soul skill of some powerful light-type Martial Soul, but the energy level... doesn't seem high? Around the level of a Soul Elder?" Tang Hao's brows furrowed tighter. The killing intent in his eyes deepened, but so did his confusion.

A Soul Elder with such a pure and peculiar light-type Martial Soul had secretly come to the back mountain of Holy Soul Village to test a soul skill? That was absurd!

Then he noticed the shrub that had been healed by Endless Life, sensing the dense life aura remaining within it.

"There's life-attribute power as well? Twin Martial Souls? Or some special composite attribute?" Tang Hao's heart sank.

The matter seemed more complicated than he had imagined.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the ground, where Ning Chuan had left faint footprints when he departed, along with... an extremely weak scent of vegetation concealed beneath the light and life auras?

Tang Hao crouched down, pinched up a bit of dirt with his fingertips, and sniffed it. That incredibly faint fragrance of fresh grass caused a strange glint to flash through his eyes.

"A plant Martial Soul? Soul skills with light and life attributes, yet wielded by a plant Martial Soul master?" This completely defied the common understanding of Martial Souls on Douluo Continent!

Unless it was an extremely rare mutation, or... the other party had deliberately concealed their true Martial Soul?

"Playing tricks!" Tang Hao snorted coldly and rose to his feet. His overwhelming killing intent was no longer concealed in the slightest, spreading outward as though it were tangible!

Boom!

Terrifying pressure descended upon the entire mountain hollow in an instant!

The surrounding trees swayed violently without wind, groaning under the unbearable strain!

The loose stones on the ground trembled faintly. The air became thick and cold, as though even the light had dimmed somewhat!

The birds, beasts, and insects resting in the forest fell silent at once, shivering as they instinctively sensed the arrival of a catastrophic disaster!

When a Title Douluo was enraged, heaven and earth lost their color!

"Whoever you are, whoever stands behind you, since you've come, get the hell out here!" Tang Hao's voice rolled through the hollow like thunder, shaking the ears painfully.

He believed the other party had to be hiding nearby, concealing their aura through some special method!

Yet the only response was the howling mountain wind and the rustling of leaves.

Tang Hao waited patiently, his spiritual power forming a vast net as it scanned every inch of space again and again, refusing to overlook even the slightest clue.

A quarter of an hour passed... then half an hour...

Aside from the rapidly fading residual aura and those obvious traces, he found nothing!

No hidden person, no traces of spatial fluctuations, no sign of any Soul Tool!

It was as though the person who had released the soul skill had appeared out of thin air, then vanished into thin air!

"How is this possible?!" Tang Hao's expression became incomparably grim.

With his cultivation, unless the other party was a Peerless Douluo of the same level and exceptionally skilled at concealment, there was absolutely no way they could remain completely hidden under such a thorough search!

Could the other party really have fled thousands of miles away?

But the lingering aura showed that the other party could not have left more than the time it took to burn an incense stick ago! What movement technique could possibly be that fast?

Or perhaps... the other party had not left through conventional means at all?

The countless doubts, along with the feeling that he had been toyed with, drove Tang Hao's anger and killing intent to their peak, yet left him nowhere to vent them!

He suddenly slammed a fist into the pierced tree beside him!

BOOM!!!

With a deafening blast, the huge tree that required two people to encircle, along with a large stretch of mountain rock behind it, was struck as if by an invisible giant hammer and instantly turned to dust, scattering through the sky!

A massive pit several meters deep appeared on the spot, as though a meteor had crashed into it!

Tang Hao's chest heaved violently. Bloodshot veins filled his eyes as he panted harshly, staring fixedly at the empty mountain hollow.

In the end, he forcibly suppressed the fury and killing intent that were nearly spiraling out of control.

The other party's methods were strange and their purpose unknown, but they did not seem to have directly acted against the village or Xiao San.

For now, the enemy was hidden while he stood exposed. It would be unwise to reveal himself too much.

But he would never let this matter rest!

"No matter where you hide, I'll drag you out..." Tang Hao's voice was as cold as eternal ice, carrying a resolve that sent chills down one's spine. "Anything that threatens Xiao San's safety must be completely eliminated!"

After giving the devastated mountain hollow one final sweep of his gaze, his figure flickered and vanished like Gui Mei, leaving behind only the land ravaged by terrifying power, silently recounting the boundless fury of a Title Douluo.

Night completely enveloped Holy Soul Village.

At home, Ning Chuan was excitedly planning his future, utterly unaware of the earth-shaking storm he had caused on the back mountain.

Still less did he know that, without realizing it, he had stepped onto the edge of a forbidden boundary that a father—once a peak powerhouse—would never allow anyone to touch.

The threads of fate quietly entwined.

The seeds of crisis had already been planted.