Though the man had vanished, the black mist he left behind still kept Yi Chen rooted to the spot, deep in thought.
"The Clear Sky Sect... an evil aura?" Yi Chen murmured, then shook his head.
Although he was on the Douluo Continent and knew the course of the plot very well, a real world clearly could not be judged by conventional logic. Unexpected changes were bound to occur.
Tang Hao's personality and his own appearance here were examples!
Once the predetermined course changed, heaven only knew what would happen!
Yi Chen pondered for a moment, then cast aside his distracting thoughts and focused on what lay before him.
Rumble! Suddenly, muffled thunder rolled across the sky, and torrential rain poured down!
The sky darkened in an instant.
Yi Chen tilted his head toward the night sky, his expression shifting slightly.
He sensed a peculiar fluctuation brewing deep within his soul.
"What's going on?" Yi Chen was stunned. In his perception, there was nothing unusual about this area other than its darkness.
He examined it carefully and finally found the source of the problem!
"It's that black mist!" Yi Chen's eyes snapped wide open.
To his surprise, the black mist Tang Lan had released was actually absorbing his pure soul energy!
Yi Chen's expression darkened.
He could feel an unfathomable, eerie power within the black mist, continuously draining his soul energy.
And Tang Hao was sitting right in the middle of it!
"What are you doing?" Yi Chen's gaze turned icy as he stepped straight up to Tang Hao.
Pale-faced, Tang Hao stared at Yi Chen in terror and hurriedly tried to move away.
But the strands of black mist coiled around his body prevented him from moving.
"Y-you, let me go! I'm a core disciple of the Clear Sky Sect! If anything happens to me, my grandfather will never let you off!" Tang Hao shouted in utter terror, his heart filled with humiliation. He hated Yi Chen to the bone, yet he was also scared out of his wits.
After all, even his father, Tang Lan, had been beaten into retreat, and he was no match for Yi Chen himself.
"I'm warning you, let me go, or you'll regret it!" Tang Hao roared furiously.
Yi Chen smiled faintly and said dismissively, "Let you go? Wouldn't that be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains, leaving it to become a menace later?"
"Don't you dare!" Tang Hao was terrified, nearly out of his mind with fear. He shouted, "I'm a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect! If you dare hurt me, you're dead!"
Yi Chen shook his head. "Enough nonsense. Behave yourself and come back with me!"
He waved a hand, gathering soul power into a giant hand that seized Tang Hao.
"No! Let me go! Let me go!" Tang Hao screamed frantically, twisting his body with all his might.
But Yi Chen's hand held him firmly captive, leaving him unable to break free!
"You bastard... the Clear Sky Sect's Titled Douluo will kill you and tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!" Tang Lan howled.
Yi Chen snorted coldly. "What does the Clear Sky Sect amount to? You think it has the right to threaten me?"
"I'm not a patient man. Say one more word, and see if I don't throw you down there to feed the dogs," he said coldly.
Tang Hao shut his mouth completely, no longer daring to make a sound. Venom and hatred filled his eyes.
But he did not dare provoke Yi Chen again.
He knew he was no match for Yi Chen. Even escaping was all but impossible!
In the distance, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo looked as though they had swallowed flies, their expressions ugly!
They had just thought they had a chance to escape, only to be defeated in the blink of an eye!
Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo, in particular, had faces so red they looked ready to drip blood.
Two great Douluo had joined forces, yet they had been defeated by a young man!
What was more, that brat had dealt with them in just a few short minutes!
Humiliating. Utterly humiliating!
"Brat, you've already made a mortal enemy of the Clear Sky Sect! If I'm not mistaken, its sect master is already on his way. You'd better let us leave, or no one will be able to save you when he arrives!" Ghost Douluo stared sinisterly at Yi Chen, a cruel gleam in his eyes.
Yi Chen scoffed, not bothering to respond, and instead resumed sitting cross-legged in midair.
Sensing his soul energy draining rapidly, he knitted his brows.
This black mist was truly bizarre. It could actually devour his soul energy.
It seems this world really is strange, vastly different from the original story... I'll have to be more careful, Yi Chen thought. He then drove his soul energy at full strength to resist the erosion.
His physical body had already reached the level of a peak Titled Douluo, and his soul power was increasing by the day!
Yet the erosion within the black mist had brought his soul power's growth to a standstill, preventing even the slightest progress.
This left Yi Chen startled and bewildered.
"Huh... this black mist can actually wear away my soul power?" As Yi Chen sensed the abnormalities in his Soul Rings, a chill ran down his spine.
Soul Rings were central to everyone's power. If they shattered or were destroyed, one's strength would immediately plummet.
Amid his shock, Yi Chen also understood why Tang Lan had fled so confidently, without worrying about being pursued!
He must have believed this eerie black mist would keep Yi Chen entangled!
But Yi Chen was not afraid.
Soul power was a mysterious energy that merged with Soul Rings to form a special power transcending the physical body.
That power was strong enough, domineering enough, and mysterious enough!
Yi Chen believed that even if his soul power truly suffered severe damage, it could still recover.
Of course, that would require time and the assistance of certain medicinal herbs.
However, he had also discovered what made this black mist so strange-it could devour soul power to strengthen itself.
But that also meant it expanded at an astonishing speed.
This can't go on. I have to deal with it as quickly as possible! Yi Chen calmly stared at Tang Hao, whom he held captive, as one thought after another raced through his mind.
Tang Hao was trembling all over, his face filled with panic. Where was his usual arrogance now?
"Damn it, don't touch me... if you dare touch me, the Clear Sky Sect won't spare you!" Tang Hao cried out in panic, tears and snot streaming down his face, leaving him a wretched mess.
Yi Chen curled his lip in disdain. This fellow was nothing but a complete good-for-nothing.
He raised his hand, about to knock Tang Hao unconscious with a slap, when he suddenly heard Tang Hao scream shrilly, "Ah! No! Don't... please, let me go..."
Yi Chen paused inwardly, then gave a mocking laugh. "What happened to all that arrogance from before? Now you know to beg for mercy? What were you doing earlier? It's too late!"
He raised his hand, and a vast surge of soul power poured out of his body, gathering in his right palm and condensing into a fist-shaped seal that smashed viciously toward Tang Hao!
Golden flames flickered over the fist, like a raging blaze. It carried terrifying heat and devastating destructive power, enough to burn the heavens and boil the seas!
Bam! Unable to dodge in time, Tang Hao was sent flying by the punch, crashing through branches before tumbling to the ground.
"Cough, cough..." He coughed up blood in agony, his body scorched black and his clothes burned to tatters.