Death of the Pope, and the Fruits of Nearly a Year's Training

"Pope, what do we do now? That Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast has sacrificed herself. Are we still going to fight Tang Hao?"

Chrysanthemum Guan watched the man roaring at the sky, worry in his eyes and a trace of fear beneath it.

Tang Hao's outrageous display earlier had clearly left too deep an impression on him. He could not help wanting to retreat.

Tang Hao had already been terrifying with eight rings. Now he was a Titled Douluo with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Chrysanthemum Guan scarcely dared imagine how powerful he had become.

Worse, what if Tang Hao used some secret method to detonate even that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?

Chrysanthemum Guan suspected he would be lucky to come back on a stretcher. There might not even be an intact body to recover.

Tang Hao would never willingly detonate the Soul Ring that represented his wife, but Chrysanthemum Guan did not know that. His fear was only natural.

Qian Xunji, who had already anticipated that this mission might fail, wore a cold expression. Killing intent flashed in his eyes.

"Let's test his strength first. He used the Clear Sky Sect's secret Ring Detonation technique earlier. Even with the sacrifice of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, he can't have recovered that quickly.

"The Soul Ring is gone, but there's still the Soul Bone. Let's see if we can seize it."

What could Gui Mei and Chrysanthemum Guan say? They could only nod.

"Don't worry. If we can't get it, we won't force it. We'll retreat."

Qian Xunji knew he was pushing them, so he offered the two Titled Douluo some reassurance.

"When Tang Hao makes his move, use your Martial Soul Fusion Skill immediately."

Chrysanthemum Guan and Gui Mei exchanged glances. Put that way, they might actually have a chance.

But they had gotten one thing wrong: the moment Tang Hao became a Titled Douluo, the situation had slipped beyond their control.

Tang Hao stepped out. Before they could react, their pupils shrank at the horrifying sight before them.

The first eight Soul Rings, restored by the sacrifice, shattered once more. At the same time, the ninth, blood-red Soul Ring suddenly flared.

The pitch-black hammer swelled wildly until it resembled a small mountain. The blood-red ring dyed it the same color, and a savage aura surged from it.

He raised his hand. The hammer came down!

A vast shadow swallowed all three Titled Douluo.

The blow rivaled a casual strike from a Level 98 Titled Douluo.

"And that's what happened. The Pope was gravely wounded, and the two elders nearly died. Afterward, Tang Hao's name spread across the continent, and countless Soul Masters gave him the title Clear Sky Douluo."

Su Haichao finished his account. The room fell silent for a moment.

Tang Shan's expression changed several times. He had been so absorbed in his training that he had not realized events had already reached this point. Tang San must have been born by now.

Su Haichao's information was far from complete. He knew only that the Pope and two elders had tried to kill Tang Hao and suffered a crushing defeat. The Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the Blue Silver Emperor, was clearly beyond what someone at his level could learn about.

Fortunately, Tang Shan knew the original story well enough to piece together roughly what had happened. What he did not know was whether someone had been pulling the strings behind the whole affair.

Tang Shan rubbed his chin and gave it some thought. There were too many possibilities, and he had not been there himself. He could not see the truth clearly.

"Father, did you call me and Big Brother back so urgently because of the Pope?"

Tang Shan had a guess about why his father had summoned them.

"No."

Su Haichao shook his head.

"Even if the Pope dies and the Holy Maiden takes his place, it won't affect us. We've taken excellent care of Yu Xiaogang. Besides, if he and the Holy Maiden really were that close, she wouldn't have gone this long without checking on him."

Tang Shan could only marvel at his father's reasoning. Most people simply could not understand the twisted thoughts of someone that unhinged.

If Tang Shan had not read the original story and seen what a certain Pope was capable of, he would never have believed she was so obsessed with Yu Xiaogang.

Still, his father was right about one thing: they had never slighted Yu Xiaogang. He had turned up at their home out of nowhere, announced that he wanted to take on a disciple, then left just as suddenly. They had not given him any trouble.

Leaving aside Su Haichao's connection to Grandmaster, even without it, punishing a city's Spirit Hall master without cause would cost the newly appointed Bibi Dong a great deal of support when her position was already shaky.

Her obsession with love might border on madness, but she was not a complete fool. She would not go that far.

Su Haichao looked up at the boundless sky and let out a long sigh.

"What worries me is a war between the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall. It would be bad if we got caught up in it.

"I hope nothing happens to the Pope."

Tang Shan had just recalled the unfortunate Pope's fate when, as if on cue, a Soul Tool on Su Haichao reacted.

Su Haichao hurriedly took a long, narrow Communication Soul Tool from his storage bracelet and injected Soul Power to activate it.

"All right, all right! I'll tell everyone under me to be more vigilant at once..."

Tang Shan could not make out what the person on the other end was saying. The conversation lasted several minutes before it ended.

Su Haichao lowered the Communication Soul Tool, his face grim.

"The Pope died despite efforts to save him."

Tang Shan's first reaction was neither shock nor a sense of inevitability. It was surprise.

"Died despite efforts to save him"? Why does that sound so familiar? If he had not lived with his father for six years, Tang Shan might have seriously wondered whether Su Haichao had once met a speeding truck too.

"The Holy Maiden, Bibi Dong, will succeed him as Pope. Spirit Hall is preparing for war with the Clear Sky Sect."

Su Haichao's expression was grave.

"For the time being, either stay at home or come to Spirit Hall. Don't wander off.

"Once war breaks out, all sorts of dangerous people may crawl out of the woodwork. Stay on your guard."

Tang Shan and Su Yuntao nodded in agreement.

Before the immense Angel God Statue, Qian Daoliu stared at the letter in his hands, his feelings tangled.

The elegant yet spirited handwriting, along with the distinctive angelic message, left no doubt as to who had written it.

Parts of the paper had softened where tears had fallen and dried.

Heartbreak filled it. Every word seemed written in blood and tears.

Reading the grief between his granddaughter's lines, Qian Daoliu did not know what to feel.

"Xiao Xue, your father was wrong. Your mother was wrong. Your grandfather was wrong too. I only hope you can accept the truth when you learn it.

"We are all sinners. When you become the Angel God, judge us together.

"I won't let that woman become a god before you do, Xiao Xue. When the time comes, you can judge both her sins and mine."

No one else stood before the Angel God Statue. No one heard Qian Daoliu's murmured words.

He turned to face the statue and bowed his head in prayer.

Whether he prayed for a blessing, forgiveness, or atonement, no one knew...

The days passed, and little changed.

Training went on. Cultivation went on.

The conflict between the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall erupted more fiercely than anyone had imagined, but it ended more quickly, too.

The Clear Sky Sect's current leader died, and many of its disciples fell. In the aftermath, the sect known as the greatest under heaven closed its gates. Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo, was expelled, while its subordinate forces, led by the Four Single-Attribute Clans, broke away one after another.

"Hahaha! I broke through!"

Su Yuntao's laughter rang through the courtyard. He planted his hands on his hips, his face brimming with pride.

"Then come spar with me, Big Brother."

Even as Tang Shan spoke, his fist was already hurtling toward Su Yuntao's face, the wind whistling around it.

"Little Brother, that's dirty! You ambushed me."

Despite his complaint, Su Yuntao reacted quickly.

He raised a clenched fist, the muscles in his arm standing out, and met the incoming punch head-on.

Bang!

The impact was followed by Su Yuntao's sharp intake of breath.

"Little Brother, your fists have gotten even harder. And that skin of yours! If anyone calls a Body Martial Soul useless again, they'll have to answer to me."

He quickly hopped back a couple of steps and took up a stance, his expression solemn.

"Use your Soul Power, Big Brother. I'm going to try out something I've just learned."

Tang Shan wore a faint smile. With his healthy complexion and bright eyes, he looked like a boy in his early teens.

The growth brought on by his Body Martial Soul, combined with the training method he had developed himself, had been extraordinary. Though he was not yet seven, he looked more than ten years old.

Su Yuntao took the warning seriously. Without hesitation, he channeled Soul Power into his arms and legs.

Once Su Yuntao was ready, Tang Shan moved. He tapped the ground with his foot. His body seemed to use little force, yet a small crater appeared beneath him.

He focused his mind, set his bones, gathered his strength, and threw a punch.

Bang!

The sound came from his bones and sinews moving as one—and from the air bursting before his fist.

Su Yuntao's eyelids twitched at the sight. He immediately crossed his arms before his chest and drove his Soul Power to its limit, ready to block.

Bang!

The punch struck the hardest point where his arms crossed. Su Yuntao's whole body rocked backward. After bleeding off the force, he swept his left leg toward Tang Shan.

Tang Shan did not dodge the sweeping leg. He dropped his hips, planted his feet as though they had taken root in the earth, and stood firm.

Su Yuntao's leg struck Tang Shan's shin, but the shin won. Tang Shan's body did not sway in the slightest.

And it was not over. Su Yuntao curled his hands into claws and attacked different parts of Tang Shan's body.

Tang Shan countered each move. Every attack seemed to come within a hair's breadth of landing, but that tiny gap might as well have been a chasm.

After dozens more exchanges, Tang Shan was still breathing evenly, his face unflushed. Su Yuntao, meanwhile, was red-faced and nearly spent.

Only when Tang Shan withdrew did Su Yuntao finally catch his breath.

He gasped, and beads of sweat poured from the pores all over his body.

Anyone who had watched their fierce exchange would have been astonished to realize that neither of them had shed a single drop of sweat during the fight.

Clearly, Su Yuntao had also mastered Tang Shan's Standing Stake method over the past few days, gaining remarkable control over his pores.

Closing one's pores sounded mysterious, but most people had experienced it: it was what happened when they shivered.

Step out of a warm bathroom after a hot shower in winter, and a blast of cold air would make you shudder. At that moment, the pores all over your body closed tight.

Once they closed, energy remained within the body, and a person felt instantly alert.

That was all "closing the pores" meant: keeping energy from leaking out.

Tomorrow, Tang Shan will hunt a Soul Beast and obtain his first Soul Ring. Can you guess what his first Soul Beast will be? Hint: it appeared in the original story, and it isn't a super Soul Beast. Please bookmark the story and send recommendation votes and monthly votes. This humble author would be deeply grateful!