Why Was She a Soul Beast, and Why Had Qian Xunji Come Here?

Tang Xiao grabbed Tang Hao by the arm, and they fled the forest like beaten dogs. At last, they returned to the tavern they had visited before.

The smell of ale filled the tavern. Tang Xiao and Tang Hao sat in their old seats, but the young woman was no longer across from them.

"Why was she a Soul Beast? Ah Yin... why did she have to be a Soul Beast? And why did we run into the pope of Spirit Hall here?"

Tang Hao stared blankly ahead, as if his soul had left him, muttering the same questions over and over.

From the moment he first saw Ah Yin, he had believed she was the one fate had chosen for him—the girl he would protect with his life!

Yet in the blink of an eye, that gentle young woman had turned out to be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Blue Silver Emperor? Why did she have to be a Soul Beast? The absurd revelation had hit Tang Hao hard!

"Hao... Hao... snap out of it!" Tang Xiao's voice exploded beside Tang Hao's ear.

Tang Hao stiffly raised his head and looked at his elder brother.

The face that had once been so resolute was now full of bitterness. His eyes were empty, as though his soul had gone.

"Brother..." Tang Hao swallowed and said hoarsely, "Why was Ah Yin a Soul Beast?"

"I feel hollow inside. It hurts so much I can hardly stand it."

Tang Xiao frowned. Seeing his younger brother in this half-dead state, he felt anger rising for no reason he could name.

"You can't accept it?" Tang Xiao asked coldly. "You fell for that Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast?!"

"Hao, come to your senses! We traveled with her for less than half a month!"

"You've already fallen this hard for her in such a short time? Hao, you two were never meant to be together!"

Tang Hao gave a wretched, self-mocking laugh. "What do you know, Brother? You don't understand anything! You don't understand her!"

"The moment I first saw Ah Yin, my heart was thrown into chaos. I didn't even know her background, but I had this powerful feeling. My instincts told me she was the woman I would marry!"

"Maybe that's what they call love at first sight!"

"Bullshit!" Tang Xiao snapped. "Love at first sight? You've lost your damn mind!"

"Her identity as a Soul Beast is beyond doubt, and now she's in the hands of Qian Xunji, the pope of Spirit Hall."

"Give up, Hao! Her fate was sealed the moment she fell into the pope's hands."

What would become of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast in Spirit Hall's hands? A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, of course.

"No!" Tang Hao slammed the table and glared at his brother like a maddened beast, his eyes full of frenzy and resentment!

"Brother, why did you drag me away? You know how talented I am. I have our Clear Sky Sect's secret technique!"

"If we joined forces and I detonated all seven of my rings, I could hold Qian Xunji off for a while, even if it killed me!"

"As long as we could get Ah Yin away, I wouldn't care if Spirit Hall hunted me across the entire continent!"

"Absurd! You idiot!" Tang Xiao was so furious he nearly spat blood.

"Hao, is your head full of mush? Think for a moment! You'd use Ring Detonation against the pope?"

"Even if you held Qian Xunji off long enough to flee with Ah Yin, do you think Spirit Hall would let you go?"

"The moment you attacked Qian Xunji, this would stop being a personal grudge. It would be the Clear Sky Sect declaring war on Spirit Hall!"

"Thousands of lives in the Clear Sky Sect would be lost because of your stupidity!"

Tang Xiao's words struck Tang Hao like a bucket of cold water, but he seemed on the verge of losing his mind.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he breathed like a bull. "I don't understand all those complications. I only know that ever since we left that forest, I've felt as though I lost everything!"

"Losing Ah Yin feels like losing the most important, most precious thing in my life. Do you understand, Brother?"

With that, Tang Hao tried to rush out of the tavern.

"Don't stop me, Brother! I'm going back to save her! I can't stand by and watch Ah Yin die at Qian Xunji's hands!"

"Sit down!" Tang Xiao had finally reached his limit. He could no longer contain his anger.

For a woman he had known less than half a month, this good-for-nothing brother of his was ready to throw the entire sect into the fire?

Smack!

Without hesitation, Tang Xiao swung his thick arm and slapped Tang Hao across the face. A fierce gust followed his palm.

Before Tang Hao could react, the slap sent him flying. He slammed into the tavern wall and left a gaping hole.

The commotion drew everyone's attention. Even the tavern keeper was so frightened he nearly wet himself as he ducked beneath the counter, hands over his head.

Tang Xiao stood where he was. Eight Soul Rings flashed beneath his feet, and the pressure of a Soul Douluo surged out before vanishing.

He glanced at the tavern keeper, then tossed him several Gold Soul Coins. "We'll pay for the damage. Don't ask questions you shouldn't!"

With that, Tang Xiao stepped forward and hoisted Tang Hao up like a sack. His figure blurred, and he sped out of the town.

The wind howled past their ears as Tang Xiao carried Tang Hao to the summit of a deserted, rocky mountain.

Then he roughly threw the dazed Tang Hao to the ground.

"Tang Hao! Look at yourself! Do you have any of the pride of a Clear Sky Sect prodigy left?!"

Tang Xiao's face was livid as he scolded Tang Hao, who sat slumped on the ground. "What did that Transformed Soul Beast do to bewitch you? In less than half a month, she's made you stop caring whether the sect and our father live or die?"

Tang Hao held his swollen cheek. A trace of blood marked the corner of his mouth, and the physical pain had cleared his head a little.

But he still looked lost. "Brother, you can't understand this feeling!"

"Ever since we left that forest without saving Ah Yin, it's felt as though a piece of my heart is missing!"

"My instincts tell me that if I lose her, I'll lose everything that lies ahead. My whole future will be ruined!"

Seeing Tang Hao still so fixated on her, Tang Xiao took a deep breath and finally let out a long sigh.

His expression turned bitter. "Hao, stop being a fool. Let's pretend we never met her during this past half month."