Pale Emperor (6k)

"Yuhao."

Qian Ren Duo's voice came from behind him. Huo Yuhao turned around and saw him looking at him with a complicated expression.

"It ended... just like that."

Of course, he was talking about Lou Gao.

That short, stout old man had agreed far too quickly. So quickly that none of the backup plans, arguments, or negotiation tactics they had prepared came into use.

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment.

He looked out the window. The carriage was leaving Gengxin City, and the iron-gray city grew farther and farther away in the morning mist until it became a blurry outline.

"Isn't that a good thing?" he said softly. "Personally, I'm against unnecessary bloodshed."

Qian Ren Duo said nothing.

Wang Qiu'er looked at him, a trace of complicated emotion flashing through her blood-red eyes.

"You're still as soft-hearted as ever," she said.

They all knew.

Before setting out, Qian Daoliu had summoned them and explained the mission. His meaning had been perfectly clear—the Blacksmith Association would either submit or disappear. Those who remained stubborn and refused to recognize reality were to be killed or crippled as needed. Spirit Hall had no use for a disobedient Blacksmith Association.

But Huo Yuhao had not done that.

He had given Lou Gao an opportunity. A dignified opportunity that required no bloodshed.

Huo Yuhao leaned against the carriage window and watched the sky outside. Blue skies, white clouds, brilliant sunlight—it was just like that day in Gengxin City.

"Do you know?" he suddenly said, his voice soft.

Qian Ren Duo and Wang Qiu'er looked at him.

"Giving the weak a chance instead of bullying them with strength and devouring them alive." He paused. "Perhaps that is what an angel should be."

The carriage fell quiet for a moment.

Qian Ren Duo looked at him, then suddenly laughed.

"Fine, fine. I'm the one reporting back to the Grand Worshiper anyway, so why are you worrying about it?" Huo Yuhao laughed as well and waved his hand. "Come on, this mission was finished several days ahead of schedule, which means we can—"

He deliberately drew out the last word.

Qian Ren Duo's eyes lit up.

Qian Ren Jun's eyes lit up too.

"We can play for a few more days!" the two said in unison.

"That's right!" Huo Yuhao slapped his thigh.

Qian Ren Duo immediately pulled out a map and spread it over the carriage floor. Qian Ren Jun leaned over, and the brothers pressed their heads together as they began studying it.

"Here! There's an old famous shop here. They say its whole roast lamb is incredible!"

"No, it's too far. We'd have to take a detour. Here, this town has a tavern. I went there with Grandpa when I was little, and its braised dishes were amazing!"

"Then we'll go here first, then here, and make a little detour after that..."

The two chattered enthusiastically, their spirits high.

Huo Yuhao leaned by the window and watched them, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Wang Qiu'er sat across from him, watching the brothers as well. Her blood-red eyes softened by a rare degree.

The days passed one by one.

They ate whole roast lamb, sampled braised dishes, spent an afternoon fishing beside some nameless river, and watched a sunset from a small mountain. Qian Ren Jun even bought a rattle drum in one town and shook it so much that Qian Ren Duo nearly wanted to hit him.

The carriage rolled onward, drawing closer and closer to Spirit City.

That night.

The moon was hidden behind clouds, and the world lay in darkness. The carriage moved quietly along the official road, its wheels crunching over gravel with a monotonous sound. Inside, Qian Ren Duo and Qian Ren Jun were sleeping deeply, their light snores rising and falling.

Huo Yuhao leaned against the carriage wall with his eyes closed, but he was not asleep.

He had been cultivating all along. It was his habit; even while traveling, he never let his training lapse.

Suddenly—

A killing intent descended from the heavens.

It was far too dense, so dense it seemed tangible, instantly enveloping him. Huo Yuhao's body tensed sharply, and his eyes flew open.

They met Wang Qiu'er's eyes.

Her blood-red eyes were open as well, staring at him. Her pupils had narrowed into slits, and her dragon-like eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness.

The two met each other's gaze for a moment.

A trace of apology flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes.

It was slight, but genuine.

He wanted to draw the danger away himself. He wanted Wang Qiu'er to flee with those two who were still sleeping soundly. He had many trump cards and might be all right. But Wang Qiu'er...

Wang Qiu'er stared into his eyes and understood what he meant.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Then, without hesitation, she reached into her collar and pulled out something.

It was a pendant. A palm-sized black scale that emitted a cold, dim glow. Faint golden patterns flowed across it, like a coiled dragon.

Huo Yuhao was somewhat baffled.

In his Sea of Spirit, Skydream Iceworm's voice instantly rang out, gritting its teeth.

"That's the reverse scale of the Beast God Ditian, the eight-hundred-thousand-year Black-Eyed Golden Dragon King! Using the scale as a marker, he can tear through space and descend directly!"

Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted slightly.

He looked at Wang Qiu'er, at those blood-red eyes. They carried a single message—

Don't even think about playing the hero alone.

He fell silent.

Then he reached out and shook awake Qian Ren Duo and Qian Ren Jun beside him.

The two groggily opened their eyes. Just as they were about to speak, Huo Yuhao covered their mouths.

"Don't make a sound." Huo Yuhao lowered his voice. "We've been locked onto by a Titled Douluo."

Qian Ren Duo's sleepiness instantly vanished.

Qian Ren Jun woke up as well.

They looked at Huo Yuhao, waiting for him to continue.

Huo Yuhao did not say who that person was.

Only he knew.

That killing intent, that oppressive feeling, that hammer—he knew them far too well.

Eight years ago, on that distant morning, in the Spirit Hall of that small city, this same killing intent had descended from the heavens. Then came the ruins, the corpse whose face he could not make out, and the hand reaching toward him.

Tang Hao.

The Clear Sky Titled Douluo.

More than a decade ago, when he had only just entered the rank of Titled Douluo, he had severely wounded Qian Xunji, the Pope of Spirit Hall. Now, he was even stronger.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and pulled two items from his storage Soul Guidance Device.

They were two palm-sized metal constructs of strange design, covered in array patterns.

Sixth-Level Soul Guidance Propulsion Devices.

He glanced at Wang Qiu'er.

Wang Qiu'er looked at him and gently shook her head.

Her red eyes were filled with refusal—she would not leave.

Huo Yuhao sighed and handed the two propulsion devices to Qian Ren Duo and Qian Ren Jun.

"This is the first time I've made these things. I haven't tested them yet, so give them a try."

"When the time comes, run straight toward Spirit City," he said. "Go get reinforcements for us. His target is me... and Wang Qiu'er."

Qian Ren Jun looked at him and asked in a low voice, "How do you know?"

Huo Yuhao smiled.

A ray of light lit up on his forehead.

The Eye of Eternity slowly opened, its rose-gold glow flickering in the darkness.

"He told me," Huo Yuhao said.

Qian Ren Duo looked at that eye, at that rose-gold light, and suddenly recalled that afternoon two years ago. Huo Yuhao had used this same eye to see the Destiny Line above his head, which had been about to snap, and saved his life.

Now, he was going to be saved again.

He took a deep breath and reached out to grab Qian Ren Jun's hand.

"Brother!" Qian Ren Jun cried.

"Shut up." Qian Ren Duo's voice was low but firm. "If something really happens, only by staying alive can we avenge them. Right?"

Qian Ren Jun froze.

He looked into Qian Ren Duo's eyes, at the solemnity on that face which usually wore a carefree grin, and fell silent.

Wang Qiu'er walked over and patted Qian Ren Duo's shoulder.

"Don't worry," she said. Her voice was soft, and her tone was as calm as if she were saying they would go eat together tomorrow. "We'll be fine."

Qian Ren Duo looked at her and nodded.

He held Qian Ren Jun in place as the two prepared themselves.

That killing intent grew denser and denser, closer and closer, nearly condensing into substance.

Huo Yuhao patted Qian Ren Jun's shoulder and shouted in a low voice.

"Run!"

Qian Ren Duo and Qian Ren Jun rushed out of the carriage at the same time, pure white wings spreading behind their backs. The Soul Guidance Propulsion Devices spewed blazing flames, launching them toward Spirit City like two meteors.

In the blink of an eye, they vanished into the night.

Huo Yuhao raised his hand and threw a small metal sphere into the sky.

The sphere flew to its highest point and exploded with a boom.

Red light bloomed in the night sky like an enormous blood-colored firework.

It was Spirit Hall's distress flare. Each color corresponded to a different level of enemy.

Red—

Super Douluo.

Huo Yuhao did not spare it another glance. He turned, and Wang Qiu'er grabbed his hand as they fled wildly in another direction.

Their speed reached its limit. Golden and ice-blue light intertwined, streaking through the night like a shooting star.

But that killing intent remained locked onto them.

Closer and closer.

Closer and closer.

Boom!

A massive red hammer descended from the sky and landed before them.

The enormous shockwave forced them back several steps. The ground was smashed into a huge crater, cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.

The hammer was blood-red from end to end, radiating a suffocating pressure.

The Clear Sky Hammer.

A figure emerged from the darkness.

He was tall and heavily muscled, with disheveled hair hanging over his shoulders. A vicious scar ran across his face from brow bone to chin, adding even more savagery to his already fierce features.

Tang Hao.

He looked at Huo Yuhao, the corner of his mouth curving into a cruel smile.

"Sorry, kid." His voice was hoarse, as though it came from hell itself. "You're someone Xiao San personally ordered killed."

His gaze shifted to Wang Qiu'er, and a greedy gleam flashed through his eyes.

"As for this girl—Xiao San said she's a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form."

He smiled.

That smile was filled with bloodthirsty desire.

"Perfect. She can be his ninth Soul Ring."

The night was deep.

Moonlight leaked through gaps in the clouds and fell upon them.

Huo Yuhao stood where he was, looking at the man before him.

Eight years ago, this man had destroyed everything he had.

Eight years later, this man stood before him again and said he would kill him.

He said nothing, but the flames in his eyes burned fiercely.

"Damn it."

Wang Qiu'er lowered her head and looked at the black dragon scale in her hand. The golden patterns on it flashed madly, yet there was still no response.

Her expression changed.

"Yuhao." Electrolux's voice rang out in the Sea of Spirit, carrying a trace of gravity. "The space here has been sealed. Every gap has been filled. Even the Gate of the Dead cannot be opened."

Huo Yuhao's heart sank sharply.

"This is the work of a god," Electrolux added.

Tang Hao stood where he was, watching them, the smile on his lips deepening.

He was in no hurry to act. It was merely a matter of casually swinging his hammer, like crushing two ants.

"Xiao San said you have spatial abilities." He spoke in a hoarse voice, as leisurely as a cat playing with mice. "He said this place is the Land of Divine Forgetting, or rather—the Land of Divine Fall."

He paused, watching the fleeting shock on their faces.

"A place where one god was killed by another. That god wanted to conceal everything, so all space here was sealed off."

He raised the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand, the blood-red giant hammer gleaming with an eerie light beneath the moon.

"Now, you can die knowing the truth."

As his words fell, he stepped forward. His first Soul Ring flashed, blood-red light erupted from the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand, and he brought it crashing down.

Unable to use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill in time, five Soul Rings—one red and four orange-gold—rose up. Huo Yuhao released his Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul, and his Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring flashed. Diamond-like ice crystals covered his entire body as Ice Emperor Protection activated. Without hesitation, he flashed forward and stood in front of Wang Qiu'er, whose defense was clearly stronger.

He still had Soul Guidance Devices.

A Level Six Invincible Barrier, a Level Six Soul Guidance Barrier, and a Level Five Soul Guidance Barrier activated instantly, but they were useless. The three golden lights held for less than two seconds before shattering with a boom.

The Clear Sky Hammer struck Huo Yuhao. The ice crystals covering his body shattered and scattered in all directions, and he was sent crashing into Wang Qiu'er before flying backward.

Huo Yuhao got to his feet and spat out a mouthful of blood. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, turned his head, and said to Wang Qiu'er in a low voice, "I still have a trump card. I'll hold him off later. Run. Don't look back."

Wang Qiu'er looked at him.

A strange glint suddenly flashed through her blood-red eyes.

"Huo Yuhao." Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

Huo Yuhao froze.

Something slid down from the corner of her eye.

Tears.

The girl who had always been expressionless, who never wasted a single word, who had always been so cold, was crying.

"Can you stop always acting so self-righteous..." Her voice was soft, so soft, as though it had drifted from somewhere far away.

Huo Yuhao opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

"The other you was like this too."

Huo Yuhao's pupils suddenly constricted.

The other me?

What other me?

Tang Hao advanced step by step. His fourth Soul Ring flashed, and the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand grew another size larger.

Wang Qiu'er did not explain, and time did not allow her to.

She merely reached out, somewhat roughly pulled him over, pressed down on his shoulders, and touched her forehead to his.

Their two vertical eyes opened in perfect sync.

Spiritual power and soul power began to merge.

A strength unlike anything they had ever felt flowed between them, like two separated rivers finally converging, like two separate keys finally entering the same lock at once.

Amid flashing golden light, Wang Qiu'er's figure vanished, and an enormous figure appeared.

It was a golden soul beast.

It had the body of a lion and the head of a dragon, its four paws stepping upon golden flames, its golden fur like crystal. On its forehead stood a blood-red vertical eye.

That was—

The Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

Huo Yuhao's body jolted violently.

He saw that figure, saw that eye, saw the golden thread that had connected them ever since the Star Dou Great Forest—

He suddenly understood many things.

He reached out and tightly grasped the fur on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's neck.

"No!"

He roared, his voice cracking.

"Don't sacrifice yourself!"

He did not know where that thought had come from. He had merely shouted it instinctively.

Tang Hao froze.

The hand holding up his Clear Sky Hammer paused.

Sacrifice.

That word was like lightning, splitting open memories he had sealed away for years.

That afternoon more than ten years ago had also been in such a wilderness. A Yin had also taken his hand, had also looked at him like this, and then she had sacrificed herself.

She had become his Soul Ring.

The ninth Soul Ring beneath his feet, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Tang Hao's eyes suddenly stung.

But now—

He looked at the two young people before him, at the golden soul beast's phantom, at the soul power currently merging.

For his son, he had to become the executioner.

He gritted his teeth, raised the Clear Sky Hammer, and brought it down.

"Idiot."

Wang Qiu'er's voice rang out.

Huo Yuhao looked at her, stunned.

"Who said I was going to sacrifice myself..."

She roared, and a layer of rose-gold light burst from her body.

The light was gentle and sacred, like dawn, like the rising sun.

The light automatically gathered before Tang Hao, forming a golden barrier.

Without a second thought, Tang Hao swung the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand at the barrier. In his eyes, the soul skill of a girl with merely Soul Emperor cultivation could be broken with ease.

The Clear Sky Hammer slammed down, but the sight of golden light scattering in all directions that he had expected did not appear.

Instead, the rose-gold barrier did not move in the slightest.

Three-Eyed Golden Lion bloodline skill, Shield of Destiny, guaranteed to hold for five seconds.

"We... have another Martial Soul Fusion Skill?!"

Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes martial soul was released beyond his control.

His Soul Rings changed—white, purple, black, black, black—and rose up.

Behind him, an enormous golden vertical eye emerged. It was so vast that it blotted out the sky, so vast that heaven and earth themselves changed color. Within its pupil, black and white light intertwined.

Rose-gold light erupted from the two of them, enveloping them within.

The light grew brighter and brighter, more and more intense, until it finally transformed into a pillar of light that shot into the heavens.

Tang Hao's gaze sharpened.

He silently cursed.

He raised the Clear Sky Hammer, first smashing apart the rose-gold barrier with one strike, then leaping high into the air and bringing the hammer down.

Boom!

Golden light exploded.

An irresistible force surged from the pillar of light and directly sent Tang Hao flying. He flipped several times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, sliding more than ten yards before coming to a stop.

He raised his head and looked toward the pillar of light.

The golden light faded, and Huo Yuhao had vanished.

A soul beast even larger than the Three-Eyed Golden Lion crouched where he had stood.

It was a white Emperor Auspicious Beast.

Its body was mountain-sized, resembling both lion and dragon. Its entire body was pure white without a trace of any other color, every strand of fur as translucent as silver crystal. Above its scarlet eyes, between its brows, was a vertical eye glowing rose-colored and interwoven with black-and-white light.

That vertical eye was open, staring at Tang Hao.

A name appeared in both Huo Yuhao's and Wang Qiu'er's consciousness—

Fate Sovereign, Pale Emperor.

The Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the Spirit Eyes and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

It was not Dragon's Cry of Destiny.

It was something older, more powerful, and more fundamental than that.

Golden light gathered from all directions.

It was not ordinary golden light. It was sacred, pure light that made people want to kneel before it. It surged forth from the sky, the earth, the mountains, and the rivers, pouring endlessly into the body of the white Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

A low chant echoed between heaven and earth.

The sound seemed to come from ancient times, like countless angels singing.

Behind the white Emperor Auspicious Beast, three pairs of pure white wings slowly unfolded.

Wings of the Angel.

Six wings.

Huo Yuhao's pupils suddenly constricted.

That was Qian Renxue's martial soul.

That was the symbol of the Angel God.

Why had it appeared here?

But he no longer had time to think.

The white Three-Eyed Golden Lion threw back its head and let out a long roar.

The roar shook heaven and earth, making the entire wilderness tremble. The vertical eye on its forehead abruptly opened wider, firing out a beam of intertwined black-and-white light.

That light condensed before it, gathering and gathering until it finally formed a sharp sword.

A black-and-white sword.

Sword of Destiny's Judgment.

The sword tore through the sky and stabbed straight toward Tang Hao.

Tang Hao's pupils suddenly constricted.

He raised the Clear Sky Hammer, trying to block it.

But the sword was too fast.

So fast that he had no time to react.

It pierced through his Clear Sky Hammer, pierced through his defensive soul skills, pierced through everything he had. It first severed a section of the Destiny Line above his head, then stabbed directly into his Sea of Spirit.

Tang Hao let out a muffled groan and froze in place.

Pain.

Pain exploded in his mind.

His Sea of Spirit was like it had been punctured with a hole. Countless streams of spiritual power poured out wildly, impossible to stop.

"What the hell?!"

Even his voice cracked.

He realized that he had suffered a grievous blow.

Damage to the Sea of Spirit was more terrifying than physical injury. If things went badly, he could be crippled outright.

He gritted his teeth and laboriously raised the Clear Sky Hammer.

The seventh Soul Ring on his body suddenly shone.

Clear Sky Avatar.

That blood-red giant hammer appeared again, larger, heavier, and more terrifying than before. With the last of his strength, he smashed it toward the white Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

The giant hammer blotted out the sky as it crashed down.

The three pairs of wings behind the white Emperor Auspicious Beast flapped once, and it shot backward at high speed, dodging the descending giant hammer.

It flapped its six wings and flew into the air, letting out a howl.

Behind it, two graceful figures appeared.

One white, one green.

Ice Empress. Snow Empress.

The two rulers of the Far North stood behind it like Valkyries. They raised their hands at the same time, and white and emerald-green ice crystal storms gathered before them.

The overwhelming ice crystals were crystalline and translucent, radiating a chill capable of freezing everything.

The fifth soul skill of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul—

Pride of the Ice Emperors!

Huo Yuhao's strongest offensive soul skill at present.

The ice crystal storm rushed toward the Clear Sky Avatar.

Boom!

The ice crystals were blasted apart and vanished. Yet that giant hammer was frozen as well, its surface covered by a thick layer of solid ice.

A flash of green light.

Ice Blast Art.

The frozen Clear Sky Avatar exploded amid a thunderous roar.

Boom!!!

Ice crystals and blood-red light scattered across the sky, illuminating the entire night.

Tang Hao sprayed out a mouthful of blood and staggered backward.

His Clear Sky Avatar had been forcibly shattered.

He raised his head and looked at the white Three-Eyed Golden Lion, his eyes filled with disbelief.

What kind of monster was this?

How could two Soul Emperor-level juniors possess such terrifying power?

No.

He could not let Xiao San down.

He gritted his teeth and raised the Clear Sky Hammer once more.

Even if it cost him his life, he had to fulfill his son's request.

Just then—

"Tang Hao! How dare you!"

A furious shout came from afar, and at the same time, a golden sword descended before him.

The voice was old and imposing, carrying supreme pressure that made Tang Hao's ears buzz. As the golden sword landed, golden light burst forth, like a divine sword of the sun.

His movements hesitated for a moment. He turned his head and saw a streak of golden light shooting toward him from afar.

That light was too fast. It arrived before his eyes in the blink of an eye.

Qian Daoliu.

Spirit Hall's Grand Worshipper, a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo, his martial soul the Six-Winged Angel.

Tang Hao's face turned deathly pale.

Even at his peak, he had not been Qian Daoliu's match. Now that his Sea of Spirit was damaged and his soul power nearly exhausted, what could he use to fight?

He gritted his teeth and cast an unwilling glance at the white Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

Then he turned, circulated his soul power, and fled into the distance without looking back.

His speed reached its limit, and he vanished into the night in the blink of an eye.

Qian Daoliu landed on the ground. Watching Tang Hao's retreating figure, he did not give chase.

He turned around and looked at the white Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

The enormous soul beast was slowly dissipating. Golden light peeled away from her body, turning into countless motes of light that filled the sky. Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu'er's figures emerged from the radiance. Both were pale and utterly weak as they collapsed limply onto the ground.

Blood still stained the corners of their mouths, and the vertical eyes on their foreheads slowly closed.

At that moment, their hands were clasped tightly together.

Qian Daoliu looked at them, sensing the Angel God's aura gradually fading away, and remained silent for a long time.

Then he stepped forward and picked them both up, one in each arm.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I came too late."

Behind him, red signal flares still flickered in the night sky.