With a Mere Eight Soul Rings, Why Invite Your Own Destruction?

Qian Qizhou officially named this space, which belonged to him alone, "Pure Land of the King."

As time slipped quietly by, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect demonstrated its formidable ability to mobilize resources.

Steady streams of supplies and building materials were sent through the stable spatial entrance.

The once-empty platform began to teem with astonishing vitality.

With the combined efforts of countless craftsmen and Soul Masters, one towering, magnificent palace after another rose from the ground.

Qian Qizhou gazed up at the towering palace, now complete.

Glazed golden tiles shimmered with dazzling radiance beneath the Holy Light, while enormous white jade pillars carved with profound patterns soared skyward, supporting the upturned eaves.

The palace was not only lavish and magnificent to the utmost degree; it also radiated an imposing, majestic aura.

He examined every detail, unmistakable satisfaction showing in his eyes.

The palace had originally been intended as his private residence, but its scale had surpassed even his expectations.

It was larger and grander than the main hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Qian Qizhou raised a hand and slowly pushed open the heavy palace doors.

The interior opened into a vast space, its ceiling soaring high above. It was even grander than it had appeared from outside.

He paced inside. His footsteps echoed through the silent hall as he made his way toward the throne at its highest point.

"He really was right. A place this big is too empty... too lonely."

He leaned back rather languidly on the broad throne, his fingertips tapping its armrest without thinking.

Guang Ling had gone into seclusion a few days ago to break through his bottleneck. For the time being, Qian Qizhou was alone in this vast space, and it was hard to avoid feeling a little idle and desolate.

He had wanted to thank Ei, but he had no idea how. He simply couldn't get in touch with her.

"Never mind."

He murmured to himself, then straightened from his slouch and sat cross-legged on the throne. Closing his eyes, he began cultivating as well.

Time flew by, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep in a rugged mountain gorge, killing intent filled the air.

Dozens of Soul Masters clad in Spirit Hall uniforms were in hot pursuit, unleashing wave after wave of Soul Skills at a man and a woman fleeing desperately ahead of them.

The man was powerfully built, a massive hammer gripped in his hands. He swung it repeatedly, desperately fending off the incoming attacks and shielding the woman beside him.

They had been pursued for quite some distance. By now, he was wounded in several places, blood soaking through his clothes.

The woman he shielded was beautiful, but her face was pale, her eyes full of tension.

She clutched a swaddled infant tightly in her arms.

The baby seemed to sense the danger too and let out a faint whimper.

The Soul Master at the head of the pursuers gave a cold snort. His speed suddenly increased, and a dazzling blaze of light gathered in his hand. "Tang Hao! Stop resisting! Hand over the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"

The man being hunted was Tang Hao, one of the Clear Sky Twin Stars. The woman beside him was his wife, Ah Yin.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast—the Blue Silver Emperor.

Just then, a blurry, ghostlike figure, like a venomous snake slipping through the shadows, silently circled around the front line and lunged straight at Ah Yin beside Tang Hao!

Though Tang Hao was surrounded and wholly focused on fending off the fierce attacks coming at him from the front, the battle-honed instincts forged through countless bloody clashes instantly sensed that chill of murderous intent.

His pupils contracted. "Ah Yin! Watch out behind you!"

He didn't even have time to turn around. The Clear Sky Hammer had already swung with astonishing speed, smashing toward the shadows behind Ah Yin.

"Bang—!"

A muffled yet thunderous impact erupted. The hammer's domineering force forcibly revealed the twisted air and shadows!

A bizarre figure shrouded in black robes staggered backward through the air. It spun several times before barely managing to dispel the force, then landed on the ground.

That pale, startled face belonged to none other than Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, renowned for his eerie speed!

He clearly hadn't expected that, even under such a fierce assault, Tang Hao—only a Soul Douluo—could still detect his ambush so keenly and react so quickly.

Tang Hao's blow forced Gui Mei back, but it also threw off his footing. He failed to fully evade an attack from the front, and another bloody gash appeared on his shoulder.

But he paid it no mind. He merely shielded his wife more tightly, his bloodstained Clear Sky Hammer humming once more as a mad, all-or-nothing battle lust blazed in his eyes.

Just then, brilliant Holy Light poured down from the sky without warning, instantly enveloping the entire gorge and cloaking its murderous atmosphere in a solemnity that made the heart quail.

An indescribably immense pressure descended. Every Soul Master present, including those from Spirit Hall, felt their Soul Power grow sluggish against their will.

Tang Hao jerked his head upward. In midair, an enormous phantom of a Six-Winged Angel slowly appeared, radiant with light.

At the brightest point of the radiance, the figure of the pope, Qian Xunji, gradually took shape. He stood upon empty air, his expression impassive, looking down at Tang Hao, battered yet still standing proud below.

"Outstanding battle spirit, Clear Sky Hammer; towering and mighty, the Clear Sky Sect."

"Alas, today the heir to the greatest sect under heaven insists on defying the natural order for the sake of personal feelings."

"This is a path to disaster, one destined to bring calamity."

At his words, Tang Hao's bloodied face showed no fear. Instead, a deeply scornful smile appeared.

He tightened his grip on the Clear Sky Hammer and looked straight up at Qian Xunji without the slightest fear. "Defying the natural order? Is it I, Tang Hao, who defies heaven—or you, Qian Xunji, who presume to be heaven?!"

"Impudent!"

Qian Xunji's expression turned icy. He shouted in anger.

As his fury rose, nine Soul Rings lifted from beneath his feet—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black!

At the sight, Tang Hao glanced at Ghost Douluo, whose aura was cold and sinister, then at Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, who had appeared unnoticed on the other side.

The three Titled Douluo formed a triangle around him and Ah Yin, trapping them completely in the gorge.

He gave a scornful laugh. "Three Titled Douluo? Hah, Spirit Hall..."

High above, Qian Xunji's voice remained impassive. "With a mere eight Soul Rings, why invite your own destruction?"

"Tang Hao, Spirit Hall has no intention of making an enemy of the Clear Sky Sect. Hand over the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast behind you, and I'll spare your life."

"Spare my life?" At that, Tang Hao seemed to have heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. He threw back his head and roared, "If you want to hurt her, you'll have to step over my corpse first!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a boundless fighting spirit surged skyward!

All eight of his Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black!

Though he had one fewer ring than his opponent, the aura bursting from him was in no way inferior to the pressure released by the three Titled Douluo together!