Trembling all over, Tang San replayed the scenes from his dream in his mind once again.
The incredulous faces of the Tang Sect elders as he killed them, the despair and terror in his fellow disciples' eyes, the blood staining his hands, and the silver-white round case that had appeared in his hands at some unknown point-the Storm Pear Blossom Needles.
"No... no..."
"Why? Why are you doing this to me? Why?!"
"What did I do wrong?"
Was this the fate of someone who disregarded the sect's rules and stole the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record?
He bit down hard on his lip, his nails digging into his palms, ignoring the pain and the blood seeping out.
Was he destined never to have any familial affection?
After finally getting a second life and finally having family, he had suffered abuse at the hands of his closest kin.
Tang San's eyes were bloodshot. He panted like an ox, his chest heaving violently.
"No... this isn't my fault. This isn't my fault..."
He muttered to himself, curling ever tighter, as though trying to hide himself in a corner where no one could find him.
"The world is what's wrong."
The instant he said those words, his trembling body slowly began to still.
Since family couldn't be relied upon, only his own strength was truly reliable.
I have to get stronger... I have to get stronger...
I have to rebuild the Tang Sect.
Rebuild a Tang Sect that belongs to me.
Tang San stopped trembling and slowly climbed to his feet.
He raised his head, gazing at the daylight spilling through the gaps in the leaves overhead.
I want this sky to never again veil my eyes,
this earth to never again bury my heart,
all living beings to understand my will,
and those shackles to vanish like smoke and scattered clouds.
He felt inside his clothing and took out the recommendation letter for Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy that Su Yuntao had given him.
Grandpa Old Jack had said that Nuoding City was not far from Holy Soul Village.
Tang San tried to get his bearings, but over the past few days, he had wandered aimlessly in a daze like a walking corpse. He had long since lost all sense of where he was.
The most important thing now was to find Nuoding City and enroll at the academy.
In this unfamiliar world, all his memories extended only as far as Holy Soul Village and that father who, like a drunkard, cared for nothing.
No. He shook his head sharply. He no longer wanted to acknowledge that father who had abused him.
He's not my father, and he doesn't deserve to be!
He had to get stronger. He had to become even stronger.
Tang San immediately sat cross-legged and circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, tending to the injuries that had worsened over the past few days because of his beast of a father's actions, slowly settling his chaotic soul power.
After quite some time, he opened his eyes again. The confusion and fear of the past few days had faded from them, leaving only resolve.
He rose and strode out of the woods.
From this day forward, he would sever everything that belonged to his past.
Far away was Tang Hao, who had been trailing behind him all along.
When he first heard the child trembling all over and muttering to himself, his heart had filled with guilt.
How much harm had a beast of a father like him inflicted on this child?
I've wronged you, Ah Yin!
He had left the child with such severe psychological scars.
But as he watched that small figure's steps turn from stumbling to resolute, his tightly clenched fists slowly loosened a little.
Seeing Tang San pull himself together, no longer behaving like a walking corpse as he had over the past few days, he breathed a small sigh of relief.
He did not approach. He merely followed that figure from far behind, not daring to draw near.
Meanwhile, inside Spirit Hall's Pope Palace, Salas stood in the hall, somewhat tense.
He glanced up at the figure seated on the dais, then quickly lowered his eyes.
Blond hair, red eyes, a crown upon her head, white papal robes draped around her, and a scepter in her hand.
Bibi Dong merely sat there quietly, yet a suffocating pressure silently enveloped the entire hall.
Two others stood below.
One wore black robes with silver armor over his shoulders and a metal mask concealing his face. Chains wound around his body, and a faint, cold aura lingered about him.
Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei.
The other wore a short yellow chrysanthemum-petal skirt, his orange hair tied into a high ponytail. His features were gorgeous, his feet bare, with a golden anklet around each ankle.
Without looking closely, one would only have thought him a breathtakingly beautiful young woman.
Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan.
Bibi Dong lightly tapped her scepter against the floor, sending a crisp sound echoing through the hall.
She lifted her eyes toward Salas below, her voice cool and indifferent.
"Salas, instead of remaining stationed in Heaven Dou City, you've returned to Spirit City in person. Is there something urgent?"
Salas bowed slightly. "Your Holiness."
He presented a sealed letter with both hands. Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately stepped forward to receive it, then elegantly passed it to Bibi Dong.
"An urgent message from the Nuoding City Branch Hall. A few days ago, a village under its jurisdiction conducted a martial soul awakening, and an... extraordinary child emerged."
Salas tried to keep his tone steady.
"The child's martial soul is a suit of pitch-black metal armor. The aura it released during awakening oppressed even the attendant present, who even felt as though he were being devoured. His test result was recorded as innate full soul power."
A subtle change came over the hall.
Geniuses with innate full soul power were rare, but an organization as vast as Spirit Hall had certainly seen them before.
Something that brought Salas here in person could not possibly be as simple as "innate full soul power."
Bibi Dong slowly unfolded the letter, while Salas supplied the most crucial detail.
"But during the test, the crystal ball... exploded."
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo both turned their gazes toward Salas, a trace of astonishment they could hardly conceal in their eyes.
An exploding crystal ball went beyond the scope of "innate full soul power."
Even the poorest-quality crystal ball could withstand a soul power test up to rank ten.
For the child's power to burst it meant that his innate soul power had already far exceeded the upper limit of rank ten.
There seemed to be only one martial soul capable of reaching such a level.
Bibi Dong's fingers tightened slightly around the letter.
Almost at that very instant, a name flashed through her mind.
The Six-Winged Angel.
When Qian Renxue had awakened, her innate soul power had been rank twenty.
An ordinary crystal ball could not measure its upper limit. Forcing the test would only cause it to shatter.
"A martial soul that surpasses innate full soul power..."
"A super martial soul? Or... a divine martial soul?"
"Where is he now?"
Pinned by her gaze, Salas felt his back tense and hurriedly bowed.
"He is in Holy Soul Village. However, the Spirit Hall Branch has no specially made crystal ball. I dared not make a judgment on my own, which is why I came to report to Your Holiness in person."
Bibi Dong's gaze seemed to pass through Salas, through the hall, across Heaven Dou City's countless mountains and rivers, landing directly upon that child she had never met.
If his martial soul truly was comparable to the Six-Winged Angel...
Then her opportunity had come.
All these years... all these years!
Qian Xunji, you beast!
What right did you have to stand in the way of my love with Xiaogang?
What right did you have to destroy everything I had?
What right did you have to make me bear you a daughter I wished I could strangle with my own hands?!
The only thing you left me was hatred.
The girl you destroyed died long ago. The one sitting on the papal throne now is the monster you raised with your own hands!
The corner of her mouth tugged silently, dark currents surging through her golden-red eyes.
You wanted Spirit Hall to endure for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations?
Keep dreaming.
I will take what you valued most
and crush it in my hands, inch by inch.
I will destroy Spirit Hall utterly.
I will make the angelic bloodline kneel before me.
She closed her eyes, forcibly pressing that surging hatred back into her chest. When she spoke, her voice had regained its customary indifference.
"A specially made crystal ball... Yue Guan, go to the treasury."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Chrysanthemum Douluo answered softly, his figure dissolving like flower petals within the hall, leaving only a faint chrysanthemum fragrance.
A moment later, he appeared again, an exquisite case now in his hands, and passed it to Salas.
"Go."
"Find him and test him properly. If he truly is as you say, bring him to Spirit City."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Salas put the case away, bowed in salute, slowly backed away, then turned and swiftly left the hall.
Only Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo remained in the spacious Pope Palace.
Seated, Bibi Dong gazed toward the vast horizon beyond the window, while a trace of icy obsession slowly emerged deep within her eyes.
The Six-Winged Angel... hmph.
Qian Daoliu, just watch.
You've kept me suppressed for so many years. It's about time I found you some trouble.
Someone who can contend with the angel is far better than an old turtle like you.
With my own hands, I will raise a monster capable of shattering the pride of every last one of you!
I will destroy Spirit Hall, whatever the cost!
Destroy every last foundation of the Six-Winged Angel!
Before you continue