No Retreat

Upon hearing Tang Hao's reply, the last shred of patience in Qian Xunji's eyes vanished, and he coldly snapped, "Stubborn and incorrigible!"

Behind him, the massive phantom of the Six-Winged Angel raised its arm, and a colossal blade of light, condensed from holy radiance, suddenly took form.

"Angel Light Blade!"

Following Qian Xunji's voice, the enormous blade of light swept horizontally toward Tang Hao's waist.

Tang Hao's pupils constricted, and with a burst of clever force, he shoved Ah Yin and the infant in her arms far away.

"Hide!"

Immediately after, he pushed off the ground with his feet. Instead of retreating, he sprinted up the steep cliffside, charging ferociously toward Qian Xunji, who was suspended in the air.

Almost the exact moment he left his original position, the Angel Light Blade crashed down!

"BOOM--!!"

A deafening roar erupted. The spot where Tang Hao had just been standing, along with a vast stretch of the cliff behind it, was instantly pulverized and collapsed under the destructive power of the Angel Light Blade.

Meanwhile, Tang Hao's figure, fueled by an indomitable will, swung the Clear Sky Hammer toward the massive Six-Winged Angel!

Tang Hao let out a roar, pouring his boundless fighting spirit and soul power into the Clear Sky Hammer without reservation: "Clear Sky Hammer, Rampaging Cloak!"

Qian Xunji's eyes narrowed slightly. The light blade in the Six-Winged Angel's hand shone even brighter, and he met the attack head-on without retreating!

"BOOM--!!!"

The two attacks collided with a heaven-shaking roar!

A visible, terrifying shockwave rippled out from the point of impact, instantly shaving several feet off the ground and turning all surrounding trees and rocks into dust!

In this clash, Qian Xunji felt an irresistible, immense force travel through his arm. He let out a muffled grunt as his body was involuntarily sent flying backward by the impact.

Yet, Tang Hao's offensive did not stop! The massive Clear Sky Hammer maintained its momentum, continuing to smash toward the retreating Qian Xunji.

Qian Xunji forcibly stabilized his body in mid-air, a flash of astonishment crossing his eyes: "I never expected this Rampaging Cloak Hammer Technique to have such power. He is truly a rare genius of the Clear Sky Sect in the last hundred years."

Just at this critical juncture—

"Two-Pole Stasis Domain!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, who had been waiting for their moment on the sidelines, shouted in unison.

A total of eighteen soul rings lit up beneath their feet, their eerie lights intertwining and merging. An indescribable fluctuation suddenly descended!

"Hum!"

As this fluctuation spread, everything within the vicinity of the two men was instantly and completely frozen.

The massive Clear Sky Hammer, along with Tang Hao himself, hung suspended in mid-air, unable to advance even an inch.

High atop a distant mountain peak, a figure stood quietly alone.

Qian Qizhou frowned slightly, looking down at the bizarre scene unfolding in the valley below.

Now nine years old, his physique had matured to that of a youth due to his continuously rising soul power.

For the past few years, he had spent most of his time sealed within the "Pure Land of the King," diligently practicing the martial arts and combat techniques taught to him by Ei.

Although he hadn't focused on cultivating his soul power, he had naturally reached level 35.

This was his first time traveling on his own, and he hadn't expected to run into something like this.

"Something isn't right, is it?"

If his eyes didn't deceive him, that Clear Sky Sect disciple was at most an eight-ring Soul Douluo, right?

It wasn't that he had any bias, but Qian Xunji was a Titled Douluo, regardless of his character. How was he being suppressed by a mere Soul Douluo?

Had he been away from the world for too long, or had the world gone mad?

At that moment, Qian Xunji stabilized his breath, which had been slightly disordered by the impact. Seeing Tang Hao completely frozen in mid-air, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and the holy light in his palm gathered rapidly.

"No one can stop what Spirit Hall desires," he said coldly. "Angel Holy Sword!"

The moment the words fell, the ball of scorching light transformed into a brilliant sword of light and shot toward Tang Hao.

"Squelch--!"

The dull sound of a blade piercing flesh was jarringly sharp.

The Angel Holy Sword pierced directly through the chest of Tang Hao, who was completely immobilized by the stasis domain and unable to mount any defense or evasion!

The massive impact carried his body, sending him crashing down from the sky like a falling star, slamming heavily into the ground.

Blood surged instantly from the wounds on his chest and back, staining the rubble beneath him red.

Qian Xunji hovered in mid-air, the holy light around his body surging and gathering once more, even more scorching and dazzling than before.

He looked down from above at Tang Hao, who was struggling to rise from the deep crater: "It is over, Tang Hao."

"Your rage shall be the stepping stone for This Seat's ascent."

Hearing this, Tang Hao coughed up a mouthful of blood and tried to prop himself up, but the horrific wound through his chest made it difficult to exert any strength.

He stared fixedly at Qian Xunji, gritting his teeth as he growled, "Despicable..."

Qian Xunji said no more, his eyes devoid of emotion. A beam of light took shape, and he mercilessly fired it toward the immobile Tang Hao at the bottom of the crater!

Just then, a soft yet resilient curtain of blue light manifested out of thin air, standing before Tang Hao and quietly neutralizing the lethal attack.

Ah Yin cradled the child and stepped out from behind the boulder where she had been hiding.

"The blue grass has no home in this life; through wind and rain, I am fortunate to have been graced by the east wind."

As her voice faded, countless thick vines of the Blue Silver Emperor gently coiled around the heavily wounded Tang Hao, pulling him steadily back to her side.

Seeing this, Qian Xunji sneered, retracted the attack he had been about to launch again, and slowly descended to the ground.

At the same time, figures flickered all around; the Spirit Hall spirit masters who had been lying in ambush for a long time emerged from every direction, surrounding the area until not even a drop of water could pass through, their cold gazes fixed on the family of three in the center.

Ah Yin looked deeply at Tang Hao, her eyes filled with boundless love, reluctance, and resolve.

She carefully placed the infant in her arms into Tang Hao's embrace.

"Hao, to have loved you in this life, Ah Yin has no regrets."

She paused, her gaze falling upon the infant's delicate face: "You must always remember, this is our child."

Tang Hao seemed to sense what was coming; his bloodshot eyes were instantly filled with immense terror as he struggled to reach for her: "No! Ah Yin! Don't..."

However, Ah Yin abruptly pulled her hand from his grasp, turned around with firm determination, and walked toward Qian Xunji, who stood waiting with a cold sneer on his face.

The moment she turned, countless thick Blue Silver Emperor vines burst from the ground.

They wrapped around the heavily wounded Tang Hao and the child in his arms, protecting them while binding them in place, leaving him unable to move, forced to watch her back as she walked further and further away.

As Ah Yin stepped forward, with every stride, brilliant blue-gold radiance flowed from beneath her feet and sank into the earth.

Crystal-clear stalks of the Blue Silver Emperor, wreathed in a halo of life, broke through the soil, growing and unfurling rapidly to bloom along the path she walked.

It was as if a carpet, filled with tragedy and resolve, had been laid out for her.