Send Me to the Secret Chamber!

Titan was brought before Qian Xunqian, his face swollen like a pig's head, several teeth already knocked out.

"Pah! I will never submit! This old servant is loyal only to my master for as long as I live!"

Qian Xunqian glanced at him with disdain and waved her hand, saying, "Take him away! Have his cultivation crippled once he returns to Spirit Hall, and lock him up. When the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan comes to visit our Spirit Hall, we shall execute him. Let them know that opposing Spirit Hall leads to no good end!"

She then turned her gaze toward the remaining members of the Strength Clan and said, "Your clan leader has been captured by me. Any further struggle from the rest of you is merely a futile resistance. You! Are you willing to surrender?"

With the old man Titan gone, the Strength Clan soon surrendered in their entirety, save for Titan's son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, who refused to yield even in death.

Qian Xunqian shook her head and ordered her men to seize the three of them and throw them into the dungeon. She would have the adults' cultivation crippled first; as for the child, it would depend on his behavior. It was merely three extra bowls of prison rations, and she could afford that.

After all, she was not a bloodthirsty person, especially toward children. Since they posed no threat to her, killing them or not made no difference. After being locked up for a long time, hatred and gratitude would naturally fade away...

As for killing them in public to establish her authority?

She had considered it, but she disdained using such methods to consolidate loyalty.

She was certain that as long as Spirit Hall remained powerful and deeply loved by the people, there would be no need to consolidate so-called loyalty or prestige.

Because, just by standing there, countless people would want to work for her from the bottom of their hearts. This was reputation! This was confidence!

By now, the entire Clear Sky Sect was empty and desolate, with only a dozen or so blades of grass in the wind still struggling to hold on.

Chrysanthemum Douluo stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty the Pope, shall we?"

He made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Capture them all, cripple their cultivation, and lock them in the Spirit Hall prison!"

Just like that, like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, the non-core forces of the Clear Sky Sect were completely subdued.

It was a pity, however, that she did not know the location of the Clear Sky Sect's hidden headquarters; otherwise, she would have rounded up Tang Xiao and the others in one fell swoop.

"Consider those rats lucky to have run so fast. They had best stay holed up in their rat hole for the rest of their lives and never come out! Elder Chrysanthemum, issue a proclamation across the entire Douluo Continent:"

"The Clear Sky Sect has been subdued by our Spirit Hall, yet some remnants remain unpurged. We are now reorganizing the disciples of the Clear Sky Sect to establish a new Clear Sky Sect. Anyone who discovers traces of suspected remnants of the original Clear Sky Sect is to report to Spirit Hall immediately. If the information is verified, a reward of 1,000 gold soul coins will be granted!"

"Have those outer sect disciples of the Clear Sky Sect draw portraits of Tang Xiao and his group, and issue a continent-wide wanted notice!"

"Withdraw the troops!"

Upon returning to Spirit Hall, Ghost Douluo had already been waiting at the Pope's Palace for some time.

"Reporting to Your Majesty the Pope, the person you ordered me to capture has been seized. My subordinates have placed her under guard. I wonder what use the Pope has for her?"

"Thank you for your hard work, Elder Ghost. Please trouble yourself to distribute notices across the entire Douluo Continent, stating that the sinner Tang Yuehua, daughter of the former Clear Sky Sect leader, has been brought to justice. If Tang Hao or any other members of the former Clear Sky Sect dare to attack our Spirit Branch Hall, this woman will be paraded through the streets and subjected to death by a thousand cuts!"

"Additionally, reinforce our Spirit Branch Halls everywhere. Each branch must have at least one expert above the Soul Saint level. Furthermore, equip each of them with a Level 8 Soul Guidance Defensive Shield and a Soul Guidance Gun for emergencies."

"As for Tang Yuehua, send her to the secret chamber first. I want to 'cherish' this noble young lady properly, hehehe..."

Gui Mei swallowed nervously. Could it be that Her Majesty the Pope had been suppressing herself for too long these past few years?

Under the iron-fisted policies of Spirit Hall, anyone who dared to reveal the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul would be subjected to a thorough interrogation, with their home address, parents' origins, and even their ancestors back eighteen generations being dug up completely.

The interrogations lasted three days and three nights, and they would not stop until it was fully confirmed that the individual was not a remnant of the original Clear Sky Sect.

The Clear Sky Sect disciples who had joined Spirit Hall found the harassment unbearable and retreated into their new sect to cultivate, never venturing out unless absolutely necessary.

The Clear Sky Hammer had completely vanished from the soul master world; it was rare to see the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul even once a year in the major soul fighting arenas.

Tang Hao was currently carrying his late wife's belongings and Tang San, who had been a "free gift" included with his life, to the place where the dream first began--

Holy Soul Village.

Because his sister was being held hostage in Spirit Hall, he dared not seek revenge against any Spirit Branch Hall. If he did, Tang Yuehua would be stripped naked and paraded through the streets, and the face of the Clear Sky Sect would be utterly lost!

Tang Hao's feelings for the Clear Sky Sect were even heavier than Tang San's future love for Xiao Wu. For the sake of the sect's dignity, he dared not vent his anger on the Spirit Branch Halls.

However, after long periods of suppression, one would explode if they did not vent. With nowhere to unleash his fury, Tang Hao could only turn his blade against the weaker.

Tang San, quite obviously, became the object upon which Tang Hao vented his inner rage and grievances.

It was even more cruel than in the original story!

Tang San suffered Tang Hao's violence from a young age, enduring small beatings every three days and major ones every five.

After the beatings, Tang Hao would stand on his moral high ground and earnestly persuade Tang San:

"San! Dad does this all for your own good! How can you become a talent without experiencing hardship? Alright! Go make me some food!"

And then, Tang San would limp away to cook porridge for Tang Hao.

Tang Hao was a spoiled young master at heart, and the only skill he possessed was blacksmithing. Even when he worked as a blacksmith, he was incredibly troublesome.

Sometimes, when his laziness took hold, he would delay orders, and other times, when his addiction to the hammer flared up, he would forge whatever he felt like.

When people asked for a hoe, he would forge them a hammer, causing the villagers from all the surrounding areas to prefer traveling a long distance to Nuoding City to find a blacksmith rather than come to Tang Hao.

Without A Yin, Tang Hao became even lazier, calling it "decadence after losing a wife."

A Yin: Didn't I tell you to take good care of Tang San before I died? Is this how you are doing it now?

Tang Hao: "That's right! I am taking care of him! My grandfather raised my father this way, and my father raised me this way. It's the Tang family's inherited tradition of 'tough love'—beating a child is simply how you educate them!"

A few villagers in Holy Soul Village felt sympathy for Tang San, so even if they were reluctant, they would come to Tang Hao to have ironwork done, just to provide some relief for the poor child.

Old Jack, the village head, took even better care of Tang San, often sending over whatever leftovers he had at home to Tang San's house.

Although, in the end, most of those things usually ended up in Tang Hao's stomach.

But compared to Tang San's beastly father, the villagers of Holy Soul Village had truly done everything they could for him!

It was just a pity that, in the original story, the further Tang San progressed, the more he forgot about Old Jack, the village head who had been best to him in his childhood.

Instead, he felt he could never repay the kindness of Tang Hao, who had abused him from the moment he was born.

One could only say that Tang San had a bit of a masochistic streak in him.

Not long after, during one of Tang Hao's domestic beatings, Tang San was slapped to death.

The most talented disciple of the Bashu Tang Sect, gone only two years after transmigrating.