Death of the Scarred Man

Tired, so tired.

Yang Dong felt as though his legs had been filled with lead. Every step took tremendous effort. A full day had passed since they left the Spirit Hunting Forest, yet Yang Dong had no idea whether their enemies had realized Tang Hao had lied, or whether they had begun pursuing them.

If they had, then he could not stop now. Moreover, Tang Xiao's condition was worsening by the moment. Yang Dong did not know whether Tang Xiao could hold on until he reached the Clear Sky Sect.

Whoosh!

A figure appeared on the distant horizon and reached Yang Dong in just a few breaths.

"Xiao!"

The newcomer was plainly dressed. Had it not been for the speed he had displayed just now, Yang Dong might have taken him for an ordinary old man.

The instant the old man saw Yang Dong, his gaze locked onto the person on his back. Anger burned in his eyes, and the aura he unconsciously released made it hard for Yang Dong to breathe.

"You are...?"

Yang Dong tensed. From that form of address, the man before him clearly knew Tang Xiao. Otherwise, his eyes would not have gone straight to Tang Xiao at first sight.

"Kid, so you were here. I almost let you get away with them."

A voice sounded behind Yang Dong. The scarred man from the outskirts of the forest had appeared again.

Tang Hao had already fallen unconscious in his left hand.

Crash!

The scarred man casually threw Tang Hao to the ground, his eyes continuously sweeping between Yang Dong and the old man who had just appeared.

"Oh, you even found reinforcements. Too bad it won't help. Today, I'll let the lot of you die together. Consider it a good deed on my part!"

The scarred man sneered. Two yellow, two purple, and three black Soul Rings rose around him. He was a Seven-Ring Soul Sage!

"Who are you? Why have you attacked members of the Clear Sky Sect?"

The old man beside Yang Dong showed no change in expression. He did not care in the slightest about the scarred man's seven rising Soul Rings, instead questioning him.

"Who are we? Dead men have no need to know the answer!"

The scarred man's voice turned ethereal. A pair of wings emerged from beneath his ribs, carrying him as he lunged toward Yang Dong.

"I see. Then that truly is a pity."

The old man shook his head. The instant the scarred man charged forward, two yellow, two purple, and five black Soul Rings—nine in all—rose from his body. A pitch-black Haotian Hammer hovered at his side, radiating an indescribable pressure.

Title Douluo!

This unremarkable old man was actually a Title Douluo!

The scarred man's expression changed drastically. There was only one Title Douluo on the entire continent who possessed the Haotian Hammer martial soul: Haotian Douluo Tang Chen, a Super Douluo!

"No, run!"

The moment he saw those nine Soul Rings, bone-deep cold spread through the scarred man's entire body!

"Do you think you can run?"

The old man waved his hand indifferently. The Haotian Hammer became a streak of light and shot after the scarred man.

"Spare me! Haotian Douluo, spare me!"

Knowing he could not escape Tang Chen's grasp, the scarred man simply dropped to his knees and began begging loudly.

"I know who wants to harm your grandson! I know! Haotian Douluo, please spare me! I'll tell you everything I know!"

The Haotian Hammer expanded enormously and smashed down upon the scarred man. All that remained was a puddle of mangled flesh.

Whoever stands behind you, anyone who dares lay a hand on my grandson has only one path: death!

With a thought from Tang Chen, his Soul Rings withdrew. He once more became a plain, unadorned old man, as though the man who had just killed a Soul Sage in a single blow was not him at all.

Yang Yu stood rooted to the spot, blankly watching Tang Chen walk over to Tang Hao.

So this is Tang Chen?

A Super Douluo who, together with Qian Daoliu, had suppressed the entire world of Soul Masters until they could barely breathe!

"You are Yang Tianyi's son?"

Tang Chen appeared before Yang Dong once more, Tang Hao cradled in his arms. For the first time, his gaze truly settled on Yang Dong.

"Yes, Haotian Your Excellency."

Yang Dong was exceedingly respectful. Whenever others mentioned Yang Tianyi, they would add his title, Wind Sword, but the man before him was qualified to address him by name.

"You are quite good."

Tang Chen rarely praised anyone. His gaze returned to Tang Xiao.

"What happened to Xiao?"

Seeing that the danger had passed, Yang Dong laid Tang Xiao flat on the ground, then collapsed onto the ground himself. Only then did Tang Chen notice that this young man's legs had been trembling all along.

This trembling was not born of fear. It was his muscles resisting Yang Dong's commands.

"We were ambushed in the Spirit Hunting Forest. I heard that the attackers were the Shining Five Freaks. Elder Tang Feng and my uncle, Yang Tianlang, had us flee first. During our escape, we encountered Fifth Brother of the Shining Five Freaks, a Support Type Soul King."

"To defeat that Soul King, the three of us used every means at our disposal. Tang Xiao took one of the Soul King's attacks head-on and suffered an injury to his chest."

Yang Dong briefly explained everything that had happened.

Tang Chen listened quietly from the side. Once Yang Dong had finished, he finally said, "You did very well!"

Three people had defeated a Soul King. Even with Tang Chen's composure, he found such a feat far from easy. Not one of these three had even reached Soul Ancestor, and it was already extraordinarily difficult for them to escape alive.

It was just a pity about Tang Feng and Yang Tianlang. So many days had passed; the chance of the two surviving was far too low.

Though their chances of survival were slim, he still had to investigate. If alive, he had to see them; if dead, he had to find their bodies.

The other reason was to see whether there were any clues.

Anyone who dared attack the Clear Sky Sect had undoubtedly come prepared!

"Two of them are unconscious now. Take this Jade Pendant. Before I set out, I ordered the Clear Sky Sect's people to mobilize as well. Wait here. Someone should pass through this place tomorrow."

"Then tell them to return to the sect and stand guard!"

Tang Chen handed a Jade Pendant to Yang Dong and flew toward the Spirit Hunting Forest beneath the hazy night sky.

Yang Dong watched Tang Chen leave. At last, the shadow of death that had been hanging over him completely dissipated.

Uncle Tianlang, please be all right!

The night passed quickly. The sun rose over the horizon, and Yang Dong noticed five figures hurrying in this direction.

Hiding himself in a corner, Yang Dong did not dare reveal himself carelessly. He merely observed the five people from the shadows.

After identifying them for a while, Yang Dong finally shouted, drawing the five over.

"Haotian Douluo has ordered you to return to the sect immediately and stand guard!"