Tang Hao's Madness

Pfft!

Chrysanthemum Douluo spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body wracked with agonizing pain, nearly unable to crawl back to his feet.

Although Ah Yin's self-detonation had been aimed primarily at Qian Xunji, the two of them had been standing in the front line, facing the brunt of the shockwave directly, and had suffered significant injuries as a result.

Of course, the one who suffered the most was Qian Xunji, who had been Ah Yin's primary target.

The desperate self-detonation of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was not something easily blocked; it was equivalent to the full, instantaneous release of a level-95 Title Douluo's power. Although Qian Xunji, who had borne the brunt of the damage, was not yet dead, he had lost half his life.

"Your Majesty!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo tremblingly helped Qian Xunji up, the three of them looking pale and shaken, filled with both shock and rage.

"Damn it, I never imagined that woman would be so insane. Was she not afraid of blowing her own son to pieces?"

Qian Xunji had never expected such an outcome. In his view, bringing so many people to capture a Soul Saint-level soul beast—one that had just given birth and was severely weakened—should have been as easy as reaching out and grabbing something.

He had even accounted for the possibility of the Blue Silver Empress self-detonating, which was why he had brought Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo along; as long as the two of them unleashed their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Polar Static Domain, they could prevent her from detonating.

His only fear had been that if pushed too hard, the Blue Silver Empress would simply choose to sacrifice herself to Tang Hao. When a soul beast performed a sacrifice, everyone except the beast itself was rendered immobile, making it impossible for them to intervene.

But the one thing he feared most hadn't happened, yet he still ended up with nothing. The Blue Silver Empress had actually self-detonated, choosing death over sacrificing herself to Tang Hao.

Why would she do such a thing? Was her love for Tang Hao a lie? Would she rather destroy them both than fulfill Tang Hao's potential?

"Your Majesty, we never expected that a mere level-70-plus Blue Silver Empress could trigger the entirety of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's power to explode in an instant. We simply didn't have time to stop it. Unless we had kept the 'Polar Static Domain' Martial Soul Fusion Skill active the entire time."

Chrysanthemum Douluo was filled with trepidation. Having botched the mission and failed to prevent the self-detonation, the two of them would bear the primary responsibility.

After all, the Pope had brought them along specifically to prevent the soul beast from detonating in despair by using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill to freeze her in place.

Unfortunately, they knew too little about transformed soul beasts. By treating her as a mere Soul Saint based on her actual cultivation, they had failed to react in time.

A sickly, crimson flush appeared on Qian Xunji's pale face. He took a deep breath, choosing not to blame the two of them.

After all, he had seen with his own eyes how they had risked their lives to block the Blue Silver Empress during that critical moment.

Qian Xunji waved a hand weakly. "It is not entirely your fault. We underestimated the Blue Silver Empress. As expected, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is not so simple. Even after transforming into a human and seemingly losing everything to start over, their core power as a soul beast remains."

Chrysanthemum Douluo chimed in, "The Pope is right. If the soul beast's essence were gone, she wouldn't have been able to produce a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone."

Ghost Douluo reminded him, "Your Majesty, this is no place to linger. Let us return to Spirit Hall with the Blue Silver Empress's soul bone as soon as possible. You are severely injured and must receive treatment immediately."

Qian Xunji clutched his chest, saying weakly, "Gui Mei, go and retrieve the Blue Silver Empress's soul bone. Although we cannot absorb the soul ring, having a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone makes the sacrifices worth it."

He looked at the blood-red soul ring floating in the sky and sighed, "What a waste!"

This was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, the top prize on every soul master's dream list. To see it wasted like this would break the heart of any soul master.

Gui Mei said nothing and went to the crater to search for the soul bone, while Chrysanthemum Douluo comforted him, "While the waste is heartbreaking, at least it didn't fall into Tang Hao's hands."

Qian Xunji sighed, "Enough. Let this be a lesson. Next time, we must ensure the soul beast has no chance to self-detonate. There must be other Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. If we search carefully, we will surely find one."

Hearing that the Pope had not given up on finding a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't know what to say. He knew the Pope's intentions well enough; he was obsessed with using a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and soul bone to appease the Holy Maiden, perhaps out of guilt. It had become his obsession.

Not far away, after Tang Hao had placed the Blue Silver Empress Right Leg Bone into his storage Soul Tool and emerged from the crater, he saw Ghost Douluo walking toward him.

Their eyes met, and Ghost Douluo said in surprise, "You're still alive? It seems the Blue Silver Empress still held some affection for you, even though you abandoned her."

He glanced at the quiet infant in Tang Hao's arms, his expression one of realization. "Is it because of this child? A mother and child are truly connected at the heart!"

Tang Hao's eyes were bloodshot. The murder of his wife was an irreconcilable grievance, not to mention the loss of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and soul bone; Spirit Hall's actions had cost him far too much.

He stared coldly at Ghost Douluo, assessing his condition and hesitating over whether to strike while his enemy was weak.

Ghost Douluo reached out a hand and said coldly, "Hand over the Blue Silver Empress's soul bone."

Tang Hao sneered, "In your dreams. That is Ah Yin's relic; it belongs only to me."

Gui Mei said coldly, "We paid such a high price for the Blue Silver Empress; you don't think you can just swoop in and reap the rewards, do you? The Pope said he would spare your life, but if you insist on seeking death, then we have no choice but to kill you."

Tang Hao looked him over twice, then suddenly let out a wild laugh. "Gui Mei, you lackey of Spirit Hall, stop bluffing. I can see it now—you are both severely injured. You'd be lucky to exert even thirty percent of your strength right now. If you could truly defeat me, your personality would never allow for so much idle chatter. The only explanation is that you cannot handle me and are resorting to empty threats. Unfortunately, I, Tang Hao, am not easily frightened."

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

"Then let's try!"

Tang Hao roared, summoned his Clear Sky Hammer, and smashed it fiercely toward Ghost Douluo.

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

Tang Hao laughed loudly, "A dignified Title Douluo, yet you dare not take my hammer head-on? And you say you aren't bluffing?"

His spirit surged, and he let out a heaven-shaking roar, "Today, I will avenge Ah Yin. Die!"

Although Tang Hao was not at his peak, he had only suffered minor injuries and could still exert the strength of an ordinary Title Douluo. The Clear Sky Hammer was incomparably fierce, and as he unleashed the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, each strike grew more powerful than the last.

Ghost Douluo never met him head-on, his figure flickering between reality and illusion, but his speed had slowed significantly. He was unable to land a sneak attack and, instead, found himself retreating step by step under the pressure of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, struggling to defend himself.

"Old Ghost!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo, watching from the sidelines, grew anxious and flew up to join the fray, the two of them working together to fight Tang Hao.