What Hero is Tang Hao?

"Ha ha, Ning Fengzhi greets Your Majesty, and the two madams."

That evening, Ning Fengzhi came to Heaven Dou City by invitation to attend the banquet. Before entering the palace, he first visited Zhu Huang at the Duke of Hell's estate.

His own residence in Heaven Dou City was right next door, only a few hundred meters away.

Ning Fengzhi had brought Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo with him, along with his wife and a pink-cheeked little girl of about two in her arms. He smiled as he paid his respects to Zhu Huang.

"Sect Master Ning, Madam Ning, you are too courteous."

Zhu Huang smiled and nodded. Snow Empress and Ice Empress, standing to either side of him, did not speak. Ning Fengzhi found nothing strange about it. He had already heard that these two madams of His Majesty had little experience of the world and were not used to dealing with people.

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, however, could not help taking a few extra looks at Snow Empress and Ice Empress. It was not because they were captivated by the two women's peerless beauty, but because they faintly sensed danger from them.

Two more super-powerful experts!

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo exchanged a glance and smiled bitterly inwardly. They had already overestimated Sky Demon Island's strength as much as they could, yet they had never imagined they had still underestimated it.

Just these two madams of His Majesty the Death God—neither of them could see through either one. Either they truly were ordinary people, or their strength was greater than theirs.

Since they could faintly sense a threat from the two women, it could naturally only be the latter. In other words, these two women, who looked extremely young, were at least rank ninety-five Super Douluo.

That was simply too shocking. Combined with what His Majesty the Death God had previously said about sending one or two subordinates to garrison Heaven Dou City, that made five Title Douluo altogether.

Even the Clear Sky Sect did not possess such strength. Perhaps only Spirit Hall and the unfathomably mysterious Sea God Island were qualified to be compared with Sky Demon Island!

With such formidable strength, one could not help but feel deep awe. For the Heaven Dou Empire to latch onto Sky Demon Island's support—it had truly hit the jackpot.

Ning Fengzhi's own strength was lacking, so he could not sense the power of Ice Empress and Snow Empress. At this moment, he said nothing more, only secretly envying His Majesty the Death God for his remarkable romantic fortune.

Whether it was their peerless looks or their cool, aloof bearing, these two women were far beyond what ordinary women could compare to. For an ordinary man to obtain even one would be enough to make countless others die of envy, yet this Majesty had one on each arm, enjoying the blessings of multiple beauties.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhu Huang had tea served for them. Looking at the little girl in Madam Ning's arms, he asked, "This is your daughter, Ning Rongrong?"

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "This is my little daughter, Rongrong. She is about the same age as your son. When your son comes to Heaven Dou City, my daughter can keep him company."

Zhu Huang nodded. "That would naturally be a good thing."

Ning Fengzhi said, "May I ask whether your son was born to Madam Ice or Madam Snow? Why did you not bring him this time?"

Ice Empress and Snow Empress both looked at Zhu Huang in confusion. He already had a son? A trace of sourness immediately rose in their hearts.

Zhu Huang held the two women's hands to soothe them briefly, then replied, "He was born to another of my madams. He is too young, so I did not bring him out this time."

"So that is how it is."

Ning Fengzhi understood, thinking that this Majesty was quite the romantic. With two such peerless beauties, Ice and Snow, at his side, he actually had another madam as well.

He did not think there was anything wrong with it. Was it not perfectly normal for a capable man to have several madams? He, Ning Fengzhi, also had more than one wife. This was very common on the Douluo Continent. This was a feudal, patriarchal society, not one that favored monogamy.

As they were chatting, a voice suddenly came from outside the main gate. "Your Majesties, Sect Master Ning, I am Xue Xing. By His Majesty's order, I have brought my nephew Qinghe to escort you all into the palace for the banquet."

Zhu Huang smiled. "Since His Majesty has sent someone to receive us, let us enter the palace together."

Ning Fengzhi rose. "Your Majesty, after you!"

Zhu Huang did not stand on ceremony either. Taking Snow Empress and Ice Empress with him, and accompanied by Ning Fengzhi's group, he walked outside the main gate and saw a row of seven or eight luxurious carriages already waiting there.

There was also a troop of palace guards standing neatly in two rows on both sides of the carriages.

Prince Xue Xing greeted them humbly. Beside him stood a handsome youth of eleven or twelve, who also greeted them together with him.

Not far away, another person had already received Dugu Bo and was coming over to join them.

"Sorry to trouble you, Prince, First Prince."

"To be of service to Your Majesty is this little prince's honor. Your Majesty, please board the carriage."

Zhu Huang nodded and walked toward the first carriage, with the two women, Ice and Snow, following beside him.

Seeing this, Prince Xue Xing hurriedly said, "There are enough carriages. Would the two madams like to ride separately?"

Snow Empress said, "I want to be with my husband."

Ice Empress hugged Zhu Huang's arm and also said, "I want to ride in the same carriage as Brother too!"

Zhu Huang said to Prince Xue Xing, "The three of us will ride in one carriage."

Prince Xue Xing hurriedly replied, "The carriage is spacious. Three people in one carriage will be no problem. Please!"

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Your Majesty and the two madams are truly loving. Then I shall also ride with my wife. Uncle Sword, you and Uncle Bone can each take the two carriages behind."

Everyone boarded the carriages, and under Prince Xue Xing's lead, they slowly headed toward the imperial palace.

After they entered the palace city, it was not long before they saw Emperor Xue Ye arriving to greet them with an elegant and noble-looking beautiful woman, surrounded by a crowd of attendants and palace maids.

"Your Majesty, Madam Snow, Madam Ice!"

"Your Majesty is too courteous."

Zhu Huang stepped down from the carriage and exchanged greetings with him. Emperor Xue Ye smiled and said, "With Your Majesty gracing us with your presence, it is truly discourteous that We could not welcome you from afar. I hope Your Majesty will forgive it."

"Your Majesty, what are you saying?"

Zhu Huang smiled as he exchanged courtesies with Emperor Xue Ye.

"Your Majesty!"

Ning Fengzhi also stepped down from the carriage.

"Sect Master Ning, Your Excellency Sword Douluo, Your Excellency Bone Douluo, Your Excellency Dugu, Madam Ning!"

Emperor Xue Ye exchanged greetings with Ning Fengzhi, Dugu Bo, and the others again.

"The banquet has already been prepared. Please, everyone, come with me."

Emperor Xue Ye led the group toward the palace. Along the way, they chatted with one another, the atmosphere warm and lively. Even the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress, who did not speak much, would say a few words from time to time under the company of the empress and Madam Ning.

Because they had communicated in advance, they naturally would not let anything slip. Even if they occasionally said something they should not have, the empress and Madam Ning knew too little about them to hear anything wrong.

Before long, they arrived at the banquet hall. Imperial dishes from the palace kitchens were served one after another like flowing water. Everyone ate and talked, discussing interesting stories from the soul master world as well as some matters related to cultivation.

As they talked, the topic turned to Spirit Hall. Emperor Xue Ye sighed and said, "Spirit Hall's strength is truly astonishing. The Clear Sky Sect, the so-called number one sect under heaven, actually wasn't Spirit Hall's match either. They didn't even dare wage an all-out war against Spirit Hall and directly abandoned their affiliated forces, sealing their mountain gate."

Ning Fengzhi also said, "I heard that this time, Spirit Hall only sent out two Title Douluo, yet they forced the Clear Sky Sect into not daring to fight. Those two Title Douluo must possess extraordinary strength. Conservatively, they should at least be rank ninety-five Super Douluo. But no one knows who those two are. They only heard from the Clear Sky Sect that they were a pair of twin brothers. They should be elders from the Elder Hall. The only question is how many elders like them Spirit Hall still has."

Zhu Huang nodded. "Spirit Hall's strength is indeed extraordinary."

If the soul beast factions were not counted, Spirit Hall could crush any force. Even the upper three sects and the two great empires combined would not be its match.

It was only that Qian Daoliu was wholeheartedly focused on passing down the Angel God's position and had no ambition to unify the continent. Otherwise, Spirit Hall would have unified Douluo Continent long ago.

Ning Fengzhi said, "That newly appointed Pope of Spirit Hall also has extremely powerful talent. The former Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall—I know a little about her as well. She is a genius no inferior to Tang Hao."

Emperor Xue Ye also nodded. "I heard she has Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power. In truth, that kind of talent is even stronger than Tang Hao's. She has hope of advancing to Title Douluo before the age of forty."

Ning Fengzhi sighed. "Spirit Hall is worthy of being the number one force on Douluo Continent, with an inheritance of over ten thousand years. Powerful experts appear in every generation. Qian Daoliu still has not died, and now another Bibi Dong has appeared. The Clear Sky Sect truly cannot compare to Spirit Hall. If not for Tang Chen's appearance, they wouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath."

Sword Douluo frowned and said, "Speaking of Tang Hao, I wonder how he is doing now. Did he hide away, or was he found by Spirit Hall's people and killed? It has been two years, and there hasn't been the slightest news."

Emperor Xue Ye said, "He should have hidden away. If he had been killed by Spirit Hall's people, they would certainly have publicized it. After all, they would have been avenging the Pope, fully justified. There would be no need to conceal it."

"Tang Hao!"

Ning Fengzhi murmured softly, "What a pity. He originally had such a bright future and such fine years ahead of him, yet he insisted on entangling himself with a soul beast and let Spirit Hall seize a weakness against him. His own family was destroyed, and he even dragged the Clear Sky Sect into suffering heavy losses, forcing them to seal their mountain gate. I heard that inside the Clear Sky Sect, there is a chorus of curses against Tang Hao. Those clansmen who suffered losses hate him to the bone. He has already been removed from the Clear Sky Sect."

"For the young master of the Clear Sky Sect to fall to this point truly makes one sigh!"

Everyone sighed for a while. They all felt Tang Hao was not worth it, believing he had been blinded by lust and had failed the expectations everyone in the Clear Sky Sect had placed upon him.

Seeing Zhu Huang smile without speaking, Ning Fengzhi could not help saying, "What does Your Excellency think of Tang Hao? Of course, I'm not asking about his talent and strength. In that respect, he is nothing before Your Excellency. What I'm asking is about Tang Hao ending up like this because he fell in love with a soul beast. Does Your Excellency think what he did was right or wrong?"

Everyone looked toward Zhu Huang, wanting to know how he viewed Tang Hao's matter. Although they all felt Tang Hao had willingly fallen into depravity, harming both others and himself, there were also no lack of people in the world who admired Tang Hao for daring to take responsibility and daring to hammer the Pope to death for his wife, believing him to be a real man and that it was heroic conduct.

Tang Hao's reputation had also shaken the continent because of this matter. Whether people praised him or belittled him, his strength was universally acknowledged as powerful. No matter what method or means he had used, being able to hammer the Pope to death was his own ability.

Zhu Huang said calmly, "I happen to know Tang Hao's matter rather clearly. In fact, when Tang Hao fought the battle where he hammered the Pope to death, I happened to be passing by and saw the process."

Everyone was surprised. Ning Fengzhi said, "I never thought Your Excellency had actually witnessed that great battle. I wonder, was it like the outside world says—that the Blue Silver Empress blew herself up to save Tang Hao, and Tang Hao hammered the Pope to death?"

Zhu Huang chuckled softly. "The Blue Silver Empress did blow herself up, but she did not do so to save Tang Hao. In fact, Tang Hao was the chief culprit behind her death. As for the Pope, Tang Hao did indeed beat him until he was gravely wounded and on the verge of death."

Zhu Huang did not state clearly that Tang Hao had hammered the Pope to death, but when it fell into everyone's ears, no one doubted it. If he had been beaten until he was gravely wounded and on the verge of death, then even if he only died after returning, it still counted as Tang Hao having killed him.

But they were extremely puzzled by Spider Emperor's previous sentence. Dugu Bo said, "My lord, you said the Blue Silver Empress did not blow herself up to save Tang Hao, and that Tang Hao was the chief culprit behind the Blue Silver Empress's death. What exactly happened?"

Everyone was curious. Ning Fengzhi said, "That's right. Could there be some hidden circumstances behind this? If Your Excellency does not mind, could you tell us and resolve our doubts?"

Zhu Huang said, "This isn't really some secret matter. It's just that saying it will overturn your impression of Tang Hao, and will have some impact on Tang Hao's reputation."

Emperor Xue Ye said, "That shouldn't be the case. Everyone present is not someone who likes spreading gossip. If we learn a hidden matter, we won't spread it everywhere. It is enough that we know it ourselves."

Ning Fengzhi also nodded. "Indeed. Please rest assured, Your Excellency. How could we spread Your Excellency's words carelessly?"

Zhu Huang said, "Naturally, I trust everyone."

Sword Douluo said, "It seems Tang Hao is not as open, upright, towering, and righteous as he appears. Another hero turning into a coward?"

Dugu Bo said disdainfully, "What kind of hero is Tang Hao? Just from the fact that his father was pressured to death from anger and he still didn't show himself to take responsibility, one can tell he is a man without accountability, someone greedy for life and afraid of death. If he had come forward earlier and accepted responsibility for his own actions, then even if Spirit Hall had executed him, at least he wouldn't have implicated his old father and the Clear Sky Sect. In that case, I would still admire him somewhat. But his conduct is not worthy of the praise people give him."

Everyone silently nodded. Dugu Bo's words did make sense. Tang Hao truly lacked some accountability. Those inside the Clear Sky Sect whose family members had died because of this matter did not wrong him by hating him.

Zhu Huang said, "At the time, I heard their conversation. Later, when I had nothing to do, I deliberately looked into it and figured out the cause and effect."

"The matter began when the brothers Tang Hao and Tang Xiao encountered the transformed soul beast Blue Silver Empress... Tang Hao was about to advance to Title Douluo. In order to follow in his grandfather Tang Chen's footsteps, to maintain his invincible combat strength within the same realm, and to lead the Clear Sky Sect in standing against Spirit Hall as an equal, he desired a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring to an extreme degree. After searching for a long time without success, he set his sights on his own wife, the Blue Silver Empress. To maximize the benefits, he even hoped the Blue Silver Empress would sacrifice herself to him. That way, after advancing to Title Douluo, he could rise to rank ninety-two in one breath, and within the next few years, once he digested the power of the Blue Silver Empress's sacrifice, he could quickly break through to Super Douluo and soar to the heavens."

"To achieve his goal, Tang Hao took the pregnant Blue Silver Empress away from the Star Dou Great Forest and wrote a letter exposing himself and the Blue Silver Empress to Spirit Hall, intending to use Spirit Hall's pressure to force the Blue Silver Empress to sacrifice herself to him."

"But the Blue Silver Empress was not a fool either. She sensed Tang Hao's evil intentions... She would rather blow herself up to inflict as much damage as possible on the enemy than sacrifice herself to Tang Hao and benefit this ruthless, heartless, ungrateful man. This is the truth behind the Blue Silver Empress's self-destruction."

As Zhu Huang recounted it in detail, everyone wore an expression of sudden realization, and their impression of Tang Hao instantly plunged to rock bottom.

"Tang Hao truly is a petty villain. You couldn't tell normally. With his thick brows and large eyes, he looked so bold and heroic, but to think his heart was actually so filthy."

Sword Douluo said coldly, "That Blue Silver Empress was quite unyielding. I do feel a bit of admiration for her. That is exactly how it should be—letting Tang Hao reap what he sowed and end up drawing water with a bamboo basket, getting nothing."

Ning Fengzhi echoed, "Uncle Sword is right. Tang Hao's character was actually this unbearable. Truly, you can know a man's face but not his heart."

Emperor Xue Ye also said, "Tang Hao's scheming is far too frightening. To calculate against the person sharing his pillow to such an extent—it sends chills down one's spine."

Everyone sighed endlessly. They had all misjudged Tang Hao. What hero was this? He was clearly a venomous snake.