"Looking to die?!"
Tang Hao was thoroughly enraged by Zi JI's icy words.
As the once-famous Clear Sky Douluo, he was now being treated with such contempt by some unknown woman!
"Arrogant! Let's see what gives you the right to say that!"
Tang Hao roared. His muscles bulged, and his black hair whipped wildly.
The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand suddenly grew enormous, its black head radiating a terrifying pressure that made it hard to breathe.
"Ninth Soul Skill, Titan Hammer!"
Tang Hao unleashed his ninth Soul Skill. A massive black hammer shadow blotted out the sky, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth as it crashed down toward Zi JI.
He held nothing back in this strike. He was determined to pound the woman who dared challenge him into a lump of flesh!
Facing a blow powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stone, Zi JI's eyes remained utterly calm.
She merely raised her right hand and lightly clenched her slender fingers in midair.
"Boom—!"
A storm of purple energy erupted in an instant.
In the empty air behind Zi JI, the shadow of a gigantic purple demon dragon flickered into view, unleashing a deafening roar.
"Bang—!"
Titan Hammer slammed into the purple energy shield with an earth-shaking boom.
A violent shock wave swept out in every direction, ripping up the trees within dozens of meters and reducing them to dust.
Yet when the smoke cleared, Tang Hao's face turned deathly pale.
His vaunted ninth Soul Skill had been effortlessly blocked by Zi JI!
"You... Who are you?!"
Tang Hao's voice trembled.
"Who I am is beyond your station to know."
Zi JI's voice was as cold as ice from the highest heavens. "You only need to know that you shouldn't have come here."
Before she had even finished speaking, Zi JI flashed forward and appeared in front of Tang Hao.
She raised her hand and struck him in the chest with her palm.
"Pfft—"
Tang Hao was struck as if by lightning, spewing a mouthful of blood.
It felt as if a mountain had slammed into his chest. He flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashed heavily to the ground, and carved a trench dozens of meters long.
"Pfft..."
Tang Hao struggled to get up, but his blood and Qi churned inside him like a turbulent river.
He was horrified to realize that Zi JI's palm strike had directly injured his internal organs!
"So strong... This woman's power is actually greater than mine!" Tang Hao's heart surged with shock.
Meanwhile, in Ling Xuqing's sea of consciousness,
Ah Yin watched Tang Hao being completely suppressed by Zi JI, unable to fight back, and trembled violently.
Tears spilled from her eyes.
They held pain, despair, and a hatred that had sunk deep into her bones.
"Xuqing..."
Ah Yin's voice trembled as it sounded in his sea of consciousness. "I... I want to go out."
Ling Xuqing was slightly taken aback. "Ah Yin, what do you want to do?"
Ah Yin took a deep breath.
"I want to settle things with Tang Hao... once and for all!"
Ling Xuqing fell silent for a moment.
He felt the hatred in Ah Yin's heart, so fierce it seemed ready to devour her soul.
"All right," Ling Xuqing said softly.
"Go ahead. With me here, no one can hurt you."
"Thank you..." Ah Yin's voice held a trace of gratitude.
The next instant, a streak of blue light flew from Ling Xuqing's brow and took the form of a beautiful figure in midair.
She was a woman dressed in a blue gown, stunning as a celestial maiden descended from the heavens.
Yet her eyes were filled with grief and hatred that could not be dispelled.
"Ah Yin?!"
When Tang Hao recognized her, he froze completely.
His eyes bulged like brass bells, his face written with disbelief and shock.
"A... Ah Yin? You... You're not dead?!"
Tang Hao's voice trembled.
He clearly remembered that Ah Yin had sacrificed herself to save him back then, becoming a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
He had planted Ah Yin's seed in a cave behind the mountain, by the waterfall!
But wasn't Ah Yin in that cave?
How could she be in Nuoding City?
How could she still be alive?!
"Tang Hao!"
Ah Yin's voice was icy.
She stared at Tang Hao, her eyes filled with hatred and fury. "How dare you ask whether I'm dead?!"
"Ah Yin, I..." Tang Hao tried to explain, but Ah Yin gave him no chance.
"Back then, you said you would protect me, that you would love me for the rest of your life! But what happened?!" Ah Yin's voice grew sharper, brimming with endless pain. "To escape Spirit Hall's pursuit, you left me alone in that cave! Do you know how long I waited for you in the darkness?!"
"I... I didn't..." Tang Hao's face was as pale as paper.
"You didn't?!" Ah Yin laughed in fury. "Fine, then how did Spirit Hall learn my identity back then? How did they hunt me down so precisely?"
"I...! Ah Yin, I...!"
"Back then, I willingly sacrificed myself for you! But what did you do? You abandoned me in that dark, damp cave! Tang Hao, you're not even human! You're a liar! A coward!"
Ah Yin's accusations were like countless sharp knives, stabbing into Tang Hao's heart.
"No... It wasn't like that... Ah Yin, I love you..." Tang Hao shook his head in anguish, tears spilling from his eyes.
"Love? Is your love what made me die?"
Ah Yin's voice was filled with despair and hatred. "Tang Hao, from the moment you left me in that cave, only hatred remained between us!"
"Boom—!"
Tang Hao's mind completely collapsed.
Looking at Ah Yin's hate-filled face, he felt as if the whole world were crumbling around him.
"No—!!!"
Tang Hao let out a heart-rending roar. He abruptly lifted his head, madness and resolve flashing in his eyes.
"If you won't forgive me, then I'll die with you!"
"Ring Detonation!"
Tang Hao roared, and the nine Soul Rings on his body exploded in an instant!
"Boom—!!!"
A terrifying force capable of destroying heaven and earth burst from Tang Hao's body.
His aura surged wildly, instantly breaking through the limits of a Titled Douluo!
"Looking to die!"
Seeing this, Zi JI's expression changed.
She immediately channeled all her Soul Power, trying to stop Tang Hao.
But Tang Hao had gone completely mad.
He burned up every last bit of his life force, turning himself into a gigantic black hammer that hurtled toward Ah Yin!
"Ah Yin, look out!" Ling Xuqing cried in alarm.
Yet just as the hammer was about to hit Ah Yin, Tang Hao's figure suddenly turned indistinct.
"Pfft—"
Tang Hao spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
He had forced himself to use Ring Detonation. Though it had unleashed terrifying power, it had also utterly drained his life force.
"Go..."
Tang Hao struggled to his feet, took one last deep look at Ah Yin, then turned into a streak of black and vanished into the vast night.
Zi JI flashed forward, about to pursue him!
"Wait!" Ling Xuqing suddenly called out to her.
"Young master, Tang Hao is dangerous. We have to root him out completely!" Zi JI said anxiously.
Ling Xuqing shook his head and replied calmly,
"There's no need. Tang Hao was already badly wounded, and now you've injured him again. He's at the end of his rope. He won't get away."
"But..." Zi JI still seemed uneasy.
"Don't worry. I have a way to deal with him." Ling Xuqing's lips curved into a cold smile.
Gu Yuena asked curiously, "Brother, what are you going to do?"
Ling Xuqing smiled faintly. "Obviously, tell Spirit Hall where Tang Hao is."
"Spirit Hall?!" Gu Yuena's eyes lit up.
"Right! Tang Hao is wanted by Spirit Hall! As soon as we tell them where he is, Spirit Hall will come after him!"
"Exactly." Ling Xuqing nodded. "Spirit Hall has plenty of Titled Douluo. Tang Hao is at the end of his rope now. If Spirit Hall hunts him down, he's as good as dead."
Gu Yuena looked at Ling Xuqing, her purple eyes full of admiration. "Brother, you're so clever!"
Ling Xuqing smiled, took Gu Yuena's hand, and turned toward the Sunset Forest.
"Let's go. Forget about Tang Hao. He's a dead man already."
Before you continue