Hearing Tang Hao's answer, the last trace of patience in Qian Xunji's eyes vanished. He barked, "Obstinate fool!"
The enormous phantom of the Six-Winged Angel behind him raised its arm, and a colossal blade of light, condensed from Holy Light, abruptly took shape.
"Angel Light Blade!"
With Qian Xunji's cry, the enormous blade of light swept toward Tang Hao, slashing horizontally at his waist.
Tang Hao's pupils contracted. With a deft burst of force, he thrust Ah Yin and the baby in her arms far away behind him.
"Stay hidden!"
Then he drove off with his feet. Instead of retreating, he sprinted up the steep mountainside, charging fearlessly toward Qian Xunji, who hovered in midair.
Almost the instant he left his original spot, the Angel Light Blade came crashing down!
"RUMBLE—!!"
A deafening crash rang out. The place where Tang Hao had stood, along with a vast stretch of mountainside behind him, was instantly pulverized and brought tumbling down by the Angel Light Blade's destructive force.
But Tang Hao's figure, carrying an unstoppable resolve, swung the Clear Sky Hammer and brought it smashing toward the enormous Six-Winged Angel!
Tang Hao let out a furious roar, pouring his boundless fighting spirit and Soul Power without reservation into the Clear Sky Hammer in his hands. "Clear Sky Hammer, Disorder Splitting Wind!"
Qian Xunji's gaze sharpened. The blade of light in the Six-Winged Angel's hand blazed even brighter as he met the attack head-on without retreating!
"BOOM—!!!"
The two attacks collided with a thunderous crash!
A terrifying shockwave, visible to the naked eye, burst outward from the point of impact, instantly shaving several feet off the ground and reducing the surrounding trees and rocks to dust!
In that clash, Qian Xunji felt an irresistible force surge through his arm. He grunted as the blow sent him flying backward against his will.
But Tang Hao's assault did not stop! The enormous Clear Sky Hammer continued on its way, hurtling toward Qian Xunji as he flew through the air.
Qian Xunji forcibly steadied himself midair, astonishment flashing through his eyes. "I never imagined the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer technique could be so powerful. No wonder he's a rare genius the Clear Sky Sect has seen in a century."
At this critical moment—
"Two-Pole Stasis Domain!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, who had been waiting for an opening, shouted at the same time.
The eighteen Soul Rings beneath their feet lit up in an instant. Their eerie lights intertwined and merged, and an indescribable wave suddenly descended!
"Vmmm!"
As the wave spread, everything around them froze completely in an instant.
The enormous Clear Sky Hammer, along with Tang Hao, stopped in midair, unable to move even an inch farther.
Atop a distant mountain peak, a figure stood alone.
Qian Qizhou furrowed his brow slightly as he looked down at the strange scene in the distant valley.
He was nine years old now, and his steadily increasing Soul Power had made him almost as tall as a teenager.
Over the past few years, he had spent most of his time secluded within the "Pure Land of the King," diligently practicing the martial arts and combat techniques taught by Ei.
Though he hadn't put much effort into cultivating his Soul Power, he had still reached level 35 as naturally as water flowing down a stream.
This was his first time traveling on his own, and he hadn't expected to stumble into something like this.
"Something doesn't seem right, does it?"
If he wasn't mistaken, that Clear Sky Sect disciple was, at most, an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, right?
It wasn't that he had some bias, but no matter how you looked at it, Qian Xunji was a Titled Douluo. How was he getting beaten down by a Soul Douluo?
Had he been away from home too long, or had the world gone mad?
Just then, Qian Xunji steadied his somewhat disordered breathing after the impact. Seeing Tang Hao completely immobilized in midair, a cold glint flashed in his eyes as Holy Light rapidly gathered in his palm.
"No one can stop Spirit Hall from getting what it wants," he said coldly. "Angel Holy Sword!"
As the words fell, the blazing orb of light abruptly transformed into a radiant sword and shot toward Qian Xunji.
"Pfft—!"
The dull sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out, gratingly clear.
The Angel Holy Sword pierced straight through Tang Hao's chest. The Stasis Domain had completely bound him, leaving him unable to defend himself or dodge!
The tremendous force sent his body hurtling down from midair like a falling star, crashing heavily into the ground.
Blood gushed from the wounds in his chest and back, instantly staining the rubble beneath him red.
Qian Xunji hovered in midair, Holy Light surging and gathering around him once more, even more dazzling and fierce than before.
Looking down at Tang Hao, who was struggling to rise from the crater, he said, "It's over, Tang Hao."
"Your anger will be the stepping-stone on which I ascend to the peak."
At this, Tang Hao suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and tried to push himself up, but the terrible wound through his chest made it impossible for him to summon any strength.
He glared at Qian Xunji and ground out through clenched teeth, "You coward..."
Qian Xunji said no more. His eyes remained utterly impassive as a beam of light abruptly took shape and shot mercilessly toward Tang Hao, who lay unable to move at the bottom of the crater!
Just then, a gentle yet resilient blue barrier appeared out of thin air before Tang Hao, quietly dissolving the lethal attack.
Holding the baby, Ah Yin stepped out from behind the boulder where she had been hiding.
"Blue grass has nowhere to return; through years of wind and rain, I'm blessed to have the east wind's care."
As her words fell, countless thick Blue Silver Emperor vines gently lifted the gravely wounded Tang Hao and carried him safely back to her side.
Seeing this, Qian Xunji sneered, then withdrew the attack he had been about to unleash again and slowly descended to the ground.
At the same time, figures flickered all around them. Spirit Hall Soul Masters who had long been lying in wait emerged from every direction, surrounding the area so tightly that not even water could seep through. Their cold gazes converged on the family of three at the center.
Ah Yin looked deeply at Tang Hao, her gaze filled with boundless love, reluctance, and resolve.
Carefully, she lifted the baby from her arms and gently placed the child in Tang Hao's embrace.
"Hao, I have no regrets. I was able to love you in this life."
She paused, her gaze falling on the baby's tender face. "You must always remember: this is our child."
Tang Hao seemed to sense what was coming. His bloodshot eyes instantly filled with overwhelming fear, and he struggled to grab her. "No! Ah Yin! Don't..."
But Ah Yin abruptly pulled her hand from his grasp, then turned resolutely and walked toward Qian Xunji, who waited ahead with a mocking smile and all the time in the world.
The instant she turned, countless thick Blue Silver Emperor vines burst from the earth.
They coiled around Tang Hao and the baby in his arms, layer upon layer, protecting them—and binding them in place—so he couldn't move and could only watch helplessly as her figure walked farther and farther away.
As Ah Yin walked forward, dazzling blue-gold light flowed from beneath her feet with each step and sank into the earth.
One after another, translucent Blue Silver Emperors, shimmering with an aura of life, burst from the ground. They grew rapidly, unfurled, and blossomed along the path she had taken.
It was like a carpet laid out for her, filled with tragedy and unshakable resolve.
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