Tang Hao Went Berserk

Thwack!

Chrysanthemum Douluo spat out a mouthful of blood. Agony wracked his body, and he nearly couldn't get back up.

Although Ah Yin's self-destruction had been aimed mainly at Qian Xunji, the two of them had been standing in front of him, taking the full force of the blast head-on. They had both suffered serious injuries.

Of course, the worst of it had fallen on Qian Xunji, whom Ah Yin had targeted.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's desperate self-destruction was no easy thing to withstand. It unleashed, all at once, power equivalent to that of a Level 95 Titled Douluo. Qian Xunji had borne the brunt of it. He was still alive, but he had lost half his life.

"Your Majesty!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo shakily helped Qian Xunji to his feet. All three looked ashen, their faces a mix of shock and fury.

"Damn it! Who would've thought that woman would be so insane? Wasn't she afraid she'd blow her own son to pieces?"

Qian Xunji had never expected things to turn out this way. In his eyes, he had brought so many people to capture a mere Soul Saint-level Soul Beast—one who had just given birth and was severely weakened. It should have been as easy as reaching out to pluck something from a tree.

He had even considered that the Blue Silver Emperor might self-destruct, which was why he had brought Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. As long as they unleashed their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Polar Static Domain, they could stop her.

His only concern had been that, if they pushed her too hard, the Blue Silver Emperor might simply sacrifice herself to Tang Hao. When a Soul Beast sacrificed itself, everyone except the Soul Beast became unable to move. They would have no way to stop Ah Yin from making the sacrifice.

But the thing he feared most hadn't happened, and yet all their efforts had still come to nothing. The Blue Silver Emperor had self-destructed rather than sacrifice herself to Tang Hao.

Why would she do that? Had her love for Tang Hao all been a lie? Would she rather they both perished than let him have her?

"Your Majesty, we never imagined that even though the Blue Silver Emperor was only at Level 70 or so, she could unleash all the power of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in an instant when she self-destructed. There was no time to stop her. The only way would've been to keep the Polar Static Domain Martial Soul Fusion Skill active the whole time."

Chrysanthemum Douluo looked uneasy. They had botched the mission and failed to stop the Blue Silver Emperor from self-destructing. The two of them had to bear most of the blame.

After all, the main reason the Pope had brought them was to prevent a Soul Beast from self-destructing out of desperation. Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill could immobilize the beast.

Unfortunately, they knew too little about transformed Soul Beasts. They had treated her according to her actual cultivation as nothing more than a little Soul Saint, and hadn't had time to stop her.

A sickly flush crept across Qian Xunji's pale face. He drew a deep breath, but didn't blame them.

After all, he had seen them risk their lives to block the Blue Silver Emperor in that moment of crisis.

Qian Xunji weakly waved a hand. "You're not entirely to blame. We underestimated the Blue Silver Emperor. As expected, Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are no simple matter. Even when they take human form and seem to lose everything and start over, the Soul Beast's innate power is still there."

Chrysanthemum Douluo chimed in, "Your Majesty is right. If a Soul Beast's innate power were gone, it couldn't produce a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

Ghost Douluo reminded him, "Your Majesty, we shouldn't stay here. Let's take the Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone back to Spirit Hall at once. You're badly injured and need treatment as soon as possible."

Clutching his chest, Qian Xunji said weakly, "Gui Mei, go pick up the Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone. We can't absorb the Soul Ring, but at least having a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone will make the sacrifices worthwhile."

He gazed at the blood-red Soul Ring floating in the sky and sighed. "What a waste!"

It was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, after all—the very top of every Soul Master's wish list. To see it wasted like this would make any Soul Master's heart ache.

Gui Mei said nothing and went to search the crater for the Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone. Chrysanthemum Douluo tried to console Qian Xunji. "It's certainly painful to see it go to waste, but at least it didn't end up in Tang Hao's hands."

Qian Xunji sighed. "Forget it. Let this be a lesson. If there's a next time, we mustn't give a Soul Beast any chance to self-destruct. There must be other Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. If we search carefully, we'll find one."

Hearing that the Pope still hadn't given up on Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't know what to say. He knew something of the Pope's intentions: he was set on using a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone to win over the Holy Maiden. Perhaps it was guilt, but the idea had become an obsession.

Not far away, Tang Hao placed the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone into his Storage Soul Tool and climbed out of the crater. He saw Ghost Douluo approaching.

Their eyes met. Ghost Douluo said in surprise, "You're still alive? Looks like the Blue Silver Emperor still had some affection for you, even after you abandoned her."

He glanced at the quiet baby in Tang Hao's arms, understanding dawning in his eyes. "Was it because of this child? A mother and child are bound by blood, after all!"

Tang Hao's eyes were bloodshot. The murder of his wife demanded vengeance, and that was before even considering the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone. Spirit Hall had cost him dearly.

He stared coldly at Ghost Douluo, studying his condition and weighing whether to strike while he was down.

Ghost Douluo held out a hand. "Hand over the Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone."

Tang Hao sneered. "In your dreams. It's Ah Yin's keepsake. It belongs to me alone."

Gui Mei said coldly, "We paid a heavy price to capture the Blue Silver Emperor. Did you think you could just swoop in and steal the prize? His Majesty said he'd spare your life, but if you insist on courting death, we'll have no choice but to kill you."

Tang Hao looked him up and down, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. "Gui Mei, you lapdog of Spirit Hall! Stop bluffing. I can see you're badly injured. You'd be lucky to have a third of your strength right now. If you could really defeat me, with your personality you wouldn't waste time talking. The only explanation is that you can't do anything to me, so you're trying to scare me with empty threats. Too bad I'm not that easy to scare."

Gui Mei narrowed his eyes. "You think that just because I'm injured, I can't take you down? Go ahead and try. Once we start fighting, we won't hold back."

"Then let's find out!"

Tang Hao roared and summoned his Clear Sky Hammer, swinging it down hard at Ghost Douluo.

Ghost Douluo frowned, but his shadow flickered and he dodged the blow.

Tang Hao laughed. "A mighty Titled Douluo, and you don't dare take my hammer head-on. And you still claim you're not bluffing?"

His spirits soared. He threw his head back and roared, "Today, I'll avenge Ah Yin! Die!"

Tang Hao wasn't in peak condition either, but his injuries were only minor. He could still fight at the level of an ordinary Titled Douluo. The Clear Sky Hammer was devastatingly powerful, and as he unleashed the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, each strike grew fiercer than the last.

Ghost Douluo never met his attacks head-on. He only darted about, his figure flickering between solid and insubstantial. But he was much slower than usual and couldn't land a sneak attack. Instead, beneath Tang Hao's hammer blows, he was driven back again and again, barely able to hold his ground.

"Old Ghost!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo watched anxiously and hurriedly flew to his side. Together, the two Douluos fought Tang Hao.