Slaying Little Rat

During the thirteen years he had remained hidden, Spirit Hall had produced so many Title Douluo? And every one of them possessed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, some even had two or three, while even the lowest-ranked ones had Thousand-Year Soul Rings.

Since their intentions were clearly hostile, Tang Hao did not waste words. Releasing his soul rings, he struggled to push back the pressure the Five Tiger Generals had brought upon him.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.

Two hundred-year soul rings, two Thousand-Year Soul Rings, four Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, and one Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

"Let your grandpa have a go at you! Beast Soul Avatar, sixth soul skill, Prison of Painted Ground!"

Zhang Fei gave a cold shout. As the air surged violently, his aura soared. Behind him, a massive Red-backed Scarlet Ape raised the soul weapon Snake Lance and smashed it down at Tang Hao.

Under the crushing pressure, Tang Hao tried to evade, only to discover that his body had been immobilized. He had no choice but to summon the Clear Sky Hammer to block the attack.

Boom!

The two soul weapons collided, and the powerful blast of air bent the surrounding trees.

Damn, he was strong!

Even from far away, Zhang Nan could feel the fierce wind cutting across his body.

"Hah!!!"

The veins at Zhang Fei's temples bulged as he pressed down on the spear with all his strength. What he loved most was competing with others in raw power.

The ground beneath Tang Hao's feet sank several inches, and his body was gradually forced down until he was half-kneeling.

Tang Hao knew he could not keep this up. Pouring all his strength into a furious roar, he knocked the Snake Lance aside.

"Chaotic! Cloak! Hammer!!!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!!!

Tang Hao furiously swung his hammer at Zhang Fei. With every strike, its power doubled. That was the terrifying aspect of this hammer technique.

Brother Fei's Twin Martial Souls were naturally no joke either, and the Red-backed Scarlet Ape's aura surged once more.

"Ninth soul skill, Snake Spear Charge!"

Not only did Zhang Fei not retreat a single step, he charged forward and began fighting Tang Hao head-on.

Madman. This guy was a complete madman!

The thought instinctively entered Tang Hao's mind. In his youth, he had been a battle-crazed lunatic who fought without regard for his life. Yet today, he had encountered someone even more insane than himself. Spirit Hall's people cherished their lives; these people definitely were not from Spirit Hall.

Bang!

The two weapons clashed again before exploding apart. Just as Zhang Fei was about to charge forward again, Zhao Yun stepped up from the side.

"Let me have some fun too!"

Without waiting for Zhang Fei's reply, he rushed in. He summoned his weapon soul, the Silver Dragon Spear, and thrust it straight at Tang Hao.

Tang Hao had already been worn down by Zhang Fei. Now, facing Zhao Yun, who was even somewhat stronger than Zhang Fei, he found it even harder to cope.

"Zhao Yun, have you had enough fun? If you're done, let me have a turn too!"

After watching the two exchange several rounds, Ma Chao could no longer hold himself back. If this continued, Tang Hao was clearly going to be finished.

Though Guan Yu and Huang Zhong said nothing, they too were itching to step up and test their skills.

"Have him, then. You give it a try!"

After Zhao Yun withdrew the Silver Dragon Spear, Tang Hao was knocked several meters back. He only stopped after crashing into a tree behind him. Bracing himself on the Clear Sky Hammer, he could not help coughing up a mouthful of clotted blood.

"How was he supposed to fight like this?"

Ma Chao muttered, then abruptly changed his tone.

"Then let me send you on your final journey. Seventh soul skill, Wind Chasing Lightning!"

"Just you?"

Tang Hao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and snorted coldly.

"Seventh soul skill, Weapon Soul Avatar!"

At that moment, the Clear Sky Hammer became incomparably enormous.

Tang Hao swung it one-handed and smashed it toward Ma Chao.

"Sixth soul skill, Extreme Shadow!"

A series of indistinct shadows appeared behind Ma Chao as he moved with astonishing speed.

Bang!

Seeing how swift this man's movement technique was, Tang Hao finally realized the severity of the situation. Few people had ever been able to evade the crushing force of his hammer, and at first he had not thought much of it.

For some reason, he felt the terror of death.

Ever since becoming a soul master, he had never feared death. But at this moment, he was afraid—a fear that came from the depths of his soul. If he did not have a child, he would fear nothing, but now...

"Ninth soul skill, Divine Might Across Ten Thousand Miles!"

"Hah!"

Bang!

The Clear Sky Hammer slipped from Tang Hao's hand, and Ma Chao sent him flying with a sweep of his spear. Ma Chao could have pierced Tang Hao's vital point with that strike, but Zhang Nan had given the order, so he withdrew his spear at that moment.

Tang Hao lay on the ground, unable even to prop himself into a sitting position.

When Zhang Nan approached, the Five Tiger Generals respectfully said, "Sect Master!"

"Tang Hao, long time no see!" Zhang Nan said with a smile.

"Cough, cough... Who are you people? You aren't from Spirit Hall, are you?"

Tang Hao now looked as miserable as a stray dog. He knew he had fallen, and he knew death was unavoidable. But more than that, he wanted to know who these people were. They were so powerful, yet he had never even heard their names.

"That's right, we truly aren't from Spirit Hall!"

Zhang Nan deliberately kept him guessing. Tang Hao had no strength left in his entire body, so there was no need to fear a sneak attack.

"I, Tang Hao, take responsibility for my own actions. But please, don't hurt my son!"

Who had Tang Hao ever bowed his head to in his life? Back then, for the woman he loved, he had fought several Spirit Hall experts alone and killed Qian Xunji, the Secret Chamber Douluo, with a single hammer strike. Even when Spirit Hall pursued him to the ends of the earth, he had never yielded.

But at this moment...

"This...?"

Zhang Nan found himself in a difficult position. It was because of his son that Tang Hao had been dragged into this, not because Tang Hao had implicated his son. If not for his son, Tang Hao would probably still be reminiscing with his little Hundred-Thousand-Year darling.

Zhang Nan had originally come intending to kill him, but Tang Hao had always been a man with sound principles and a good father. To protect his wife, he had offended all of Spirit Hall and even fallen out with the Clear Sky Sect. To protect his son, he had taken one of Bibi Dong's attacks head-on, worsening his already severe injuries.

He was a true-blooded man in the eyes of other men.

Tang Hao had suffered grave injuries in that battle against Spirit Hall. Otherwise, he might really have been able to challenge one of them across a rank.

Bang!

Just then, Tang Hao's body fell heavily, and his eyes closed. At that moment, the others could not sense even the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power, nor could they detect his aura.

Zhao Yun swiftly crouched down and checked his breathing.

"Sect Master, he's still breathing, but it's faint. Very soon, he will..."

Zhao Yun did not finish his sentence, but Zhang Nan understood what he meant. After nodding, he left Zhao Yun behind and departed with the other four.

Next stop, Holy Soul Village!

Night had already fallen. Insects chirped endlessly on both sides of the road, and the moonlight was beautiful as well.

Outside Holy Soul Village.

"Sect Master, why hasn't Zhao Yun caught up yet?" Zhang Fei asked, grinning broadly.

"I had him handle something. Wait here for me. I'm going to take care of something!"

As he spoke, Zhang Nan had already arrived at Tang San's home.

"Dad... Hm?"

Young Tang San happily walked over when he heard the door open. But after seeing that it was not his father, his initial excitement turned to disappointment.

Zhang Nan truly could not understand it. The kid had looked rather pleasing and sensible when he was young, so how had he become like that after growing up? Especially as he got stronger, the more arrogant he became, the more unpleasant he was to look at.