When he saw Tang Hao clearly, he froze.
He was covered in blood, missing a leg, and his breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible.
Was this really his high-spirited, world-renowned younger brother?
"Hao!"
Tears welled in Tang Xiao's eyes. He rushed forward, dropped to one knee, and gathered Tang Hao into his arms.
Tang Xiao's hands trembled. He could not believe his younger brother had ended up like this.
"Hao, how did you become like this..."
"Who hurt you like this?!"
Tang Xiao's voice brimmed with irrepressible fury and heartache.
He was fifteen years older than Tang Hao and had watched him grow up, little by little.
Once, he had been immensely proud to have a younger brother who had become a Titled Douluo at just forty-four.
Yet now, Tang Hao lay at the foot of the mountain like a dead dog, missing a leg and barely clinging to life.
"Sect Master, let's take him back for treatment first," the First Elder said quietly beside him. "In Tang Hao's condition, any further delay could put his life in immediate danger."
Tang Xiao drew a deep breath, suppressed his fury and grief, and lifted Tang Hao into his arms before turning toward the mountain.
"I'll find out who dared hurt my younger brother!"
The group hurried up the mountain with Tang Hao.
The Clear Sky Sect.
The Sect Master's Hall.
Tang Hao had been settled in the rear hall for treatment, where several Sect Healers were tending to his wounds.
The bleeding from his severed leg had been stopped, but the intense battle, Ring Detonation, and old injuries had left Tang Hao in critical condition. Whether he would survive was still uncertain.
In the front hall, Tang Xiao sat in the sect master's seat, with the Clear Sky Sect's elders standing below him.
The atmosphere was heavy.
"Elders," Tang Xiao began, "I've examined Hao's injuries. He went through a major battle and detonated all his Soul Rings. Combined with his old injuries, he's now in grave danger."
"I intend to use the Soul Bone Grandfather left behind to restore Hao's leg, along with medicinal herbs to treat his injuries."
At those words, the elders erupted like water in a boiling pot.
"Absolutely not! Why should everything Uncle left to the sect be used on you two brothers?"
"Exactly! If not for him, would our Clear Sky Sect have had to close its gates and hide away in a place like this?"
"For the sake of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, he clashed with the previous Supreme Pontiff, Qian Xunji, and killed him. That brought Spirit Hall down on us in force, leaving our Clear Sky Sect no choice but to seal its gates and retreat into seclusion."
"Now he's come back beaten into this state. He got what he deserved!"
The elders spoke over one another, their indignation mounting.
After Tang Hao killed Qian Xunji, Spirit Hall had flown into a rage and mobilized a vast army to crush the Clear Sky Sect. Though the sect was powerful, it could not withstand Spirit Hall's pressure. In the end, it had been forced to close its gates and hide in these remote mountains and ancient forests, where it had remained for six years.
Over those years, the sect's disciples had been forbidden to leave the mountain. Resources had grown increasingly scarce, and their strength had declined again and again.
Tang Hao was the root of it all.
Now that Tang Hao had returned gravely wounded, the resentment the elders had bottled up for six years erupted all at once.
"Enough!"
Tang Xiao slammed his hand onto the armrest, unleashing the pressure of his level ninety-five cultivation.
The entire hall fell silent in an instant.
"Elders, by seniority, you are all my uncles, and Hao is your nephew as well. Although he did something reckless back then, whatever else may be said, he is still my younger brother and the Clear Sky Douluo personally chosen by Grandfather."
"Now that Hao is so badly injured, we should be treating him, not dwelling on his mistakes. If someone must answer for them, then I, as his elder brother, will shoulder all the responsibility."
"Shoulder it? Can you bear that weight?"
The speaker was an old man who looked at least eighty, yet his spirit was vigorous and his face glowed with health. He was tall and lean, with black hair and beard, dressed in the Clear Sky Sect's black robes and trousers. Gold trim outlined their edges, marking his distinguished status as an elder.
He was Tang Lie, the Clear Sky Sect's Seventh Elder, also known as the God of Infighting.
"Yes, he is the Clear Sky Douluo Uncle appointed. But don't forget what he did back then."
"After causing all that trouble, he dusted off his backside and disappeared, leaving our Clear Sky Sect to carry the blame. Spirit Hall came to put pressure on us, and we fought desperately to resist. More than half our people died. A sect of nearly a thousand was reduced to just over three hundred. Even my son died in that battle."
"If that coward Qian Daoliu hadn't honored his agreement with Uncle, we wouldn't even have had three hundred left. Tell me, how are you going to shoulder those hundreds of lives?"
The more Tang Lie spoke, the more agitated he became. By the end, his eyes were bloodshot and he was panting like an ox.
"Ah." Tang Xiao sighed. "Seventh Uncle, I know you resent what Hao did back then. But the dead cannot return to life. You've seen the state he's in now. His injuries are so severe that he may die without treatment. I'm treating him not only because he's my younger brother, but also because I want to know what reduced him to this. If we learn who attacked him, we'll have a way to respond in the future, won't we?"
"Besides, no matter what, he belongs to our Clear Sky Sect. The Clear Sky Hammer bloodline flows through his veins, and he has even learned the Great Sumeru Hammer. Anyone who forced Hao to detonate all nine Soul Rings and still wounded him this badly is certainly no ordinary opponent. We badly need that information."
"Hmph." Tang Lie snorted coldly.
"He didn't come back earlier or later. He waited until he was almost dead."
"Who knows what he's scheming?"
"Tang Xiao, you'll regret this!"
"Seventh Uncle, I am the sect master!"
With that, Tang Xiao headed to the rear hall.
Well...
The remaining elders exchanged glances. Hadn't this taken a rather strange turn?
Meanwhile, in Heaven Dou City.
Heaven Dou City was one of the three largest and most prosperous cities on the Douluo Continent.
Its walls rose a hundred meters high, built entirely from the hardest granite. Numerous patrol squads passed above and below the walls at regular intervals. Every soldier was fully armed, clad in gleaming silver plate armor and carrying a sharp spear. The grim, murderous air they exuded made their discipline and strength apparent.
The towering city gate was ten meters high and ten meters wide, broad enough for six mounted riders to pass abreast. Above the main gate hung an enormous sign, bearing the name "Heaven Dou City" in bold calligraphy that swept like soaring dragons and dancing phoenixes. Two side gates flanked the main entrance, each five meters high and five meters wide.
At the moment, however, the central gate was tightly shut. Travelers could only enter and leave through the side gates.
"Kid, we're here."
Not far from Heaven Dou City's gates, two figures descended from the sky.
So this is Heaven Dou City? It looks impressive. A pity its strength doesn't amount to much.
Lin Changgeng studied the city gate before him, reflecting inwardly.
The two were Lin Changgeng and Wang Qiu'er, who had traveled from Holy Soul Village. After three days of arduous travel, they had finally reached Heaven Dou City.
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