Two days later, before the morning mist had completely dissipated over Cloud Mist Mountain, two figures landed in front of the mountain gate.
Tang Xiao held Tang Hao's body in his arms, with Bai He following closely behind.
The two remained silent the entire way, without disturbing anyone, and went straight to Tang Xiao's residence.
The news spread quickly.
Tang Hao has passed away, and both Tang Xiao and Bai He tacitly refrain from revealing any information about the cause of Tang Hao death.
The once mighty Clear Sky Douluo, the legend of the Clear Sky Sect, the man who brought glory and disaster to the sect, is dead.
The entire sect was plunged into an indescribable heartache.
Tang Xiao's residence was temporarily set up as a mourning hall, with a memorial tablet placed in the center inscribed with "The Tablet of Tang Hao, Disciple of the Clear Sky Sect".
All the elders of the sect, as well as the core second and third generation disciples, rushed to pay their respects.
Tang Yuehua was also urgently recalled from Heaven Dou City.
She knelt before the coffin, tears streaming down her face, and remained kneeling for Jiujiu. She and Tang Hao shared the deepest bond.
Inside the mourning hall, no one spoke.
Only Tang Yuehua's suppressed sobs and the soft rustling of the curtains in the wind could be heard.
After a long while, the Second Elder Tang Zhen, stepped forward and lit an incense stick.
He gazed at the name on the memorial tablet, a complex emotion flashing in his aged eyes.
The Second Elder suppressed his emotions and, as the most senior member of the sect, addressed those present. "Those of you here may have had various grudges with Tang Hao during his lifetime, but he is now gone. He was once the pride of the Clear Sky Sect, so there's no need to dwell on past grievances."
He paused, then turned to Tang Xiao: "Sect Master, I propose that Tang Hao be reinstated to the family register and allowed to return to the Clear Sky Sect. This would fulfill one of his unfulfilled wishes."
Tang Xiao nodded solemnly.
From then on, Tang Hao, the Haotian Douluo, officially returned to the Haotian Sect after his death.
After the condolences, the crowd dispersed.
Tang Xiao and Tang Yuehua stood guard before the coffin, remaining motionless for Jiujiu.
As night deepened, the flickering candlelight cast long shadows on them.
Tang Xiao took out four Soul Bone from Tang Hao's body.
Those were all the remaining Soul Bone in Tang Hao's body: Head Soul Bone of about 80,000 years old, Torso Bone of about 70,000 years old, Left Arm Bone of about 60,000 years old, and Right Leg Bone of about 50,000 years old.
The four Soul Bone emanated their own unique auras in Tang Xiao's palm.
Tang Xiao looked at them, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes.
These were the foundations that enabled Tang Hao to Heaven Shaking.
Back then, he removed the two inherited Soul Bone and returned them to the sect in exchange for Tang San's chance to be recognized as a member of the sect.
Even so, he still possessed four Soul Bone, and believed he could fight against an ordinary Titled Douluo.
But he ultimately did not die on the battlefield, nor at the hands of the Spirit Hall, but at the hands of the son on whom he had placed his hopes.
Tang Xiao closed his eyes and put the four Soul Bone into his Storage Soul Tool.
Outside the window, the night wind howled.
On the other hand, the first thing Tang San did after repairing the Clear Sky Hammer was to find Yu Xiaogang.
He pushed open the door to Yu Xiaogang's residence. When Tang San opened his left hand, and the dark gold Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his palm, Yu Xiaogang's eyes suddenly lit up.
The light was so intense, it was like a drowning person seeing a lifeline.
" Little San... your Clear Sky Hammer!" Yu Xiaogang rushed forward, almost holding the hammer in his palm to examine it closely. "It's really repaired! It's really repaired!"
He raised his head, and his eyes, which had been dull for many years, now blazed with an almost fanatical light.
That was the beacon of hope that he wanted to prove he wasn't a waste, just like when he took Tang San as his disciple in Nuoding City.
Tang San put away the Clear Sky Hammer and respectfully looked at Yu Xiaogang, asking, "Teacher, my Clear Sky Hammer has been repaired. How should I cultivate from here on out?"
Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and said in a trembling voice, " Little San, after many years of research, I have finally found the cultivation method for Twin Martial Souls. The key lies in the physical body."
"Physical body?" Tang San frowned slightly.
Yu Xiaogang nodded, his eyes gleaming with wisdom:
"The greatest risk of Twin Martial Souls lies in the conflict of Soul Ring. The terrifying and immense energy exerted on one Soul Ring at the same time is enough to cause any Soul Master to explode and die. However, as long as the physical body is strong enough to withstand such an impact, there will naturally be no problem when adding a new Soul Ring to the Second Martial Soul."
He paused, then continued, "So, what you need most right now is to strengthen your physical body. And the fastest and most effective way to do that is to absorb Soul Bone, the older the better."
A glint of light flashed in Tang San's eyes.
"Unfortunately, Clear Sky Douluo possesses several high-age Soul Bone. As far as I know, there are at least four—his head, torso, left arm, and right leg—all over 50,000 years old. If you could absorb these Soul Bone, your physical strength would increase at least several times."
Yu Xiaogang's voice carried a hint of regret, his brows furrowed, and his tone laced with provocation. "But those Soul Bone were all snatched away by Tang Xiao."
Upon hearing this, a ruthless glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. The ruthlessness came suddenly and fiercely. He murmured in a low voice, " Tang Xiao... you dare to steal my Soul Bone, you have already committed suicide!"
Yu Xiaogang looked at him, did not try to dissuade him, but instead nodded:
"The best course of action now is to collect as Soul Bone as possible, the older the better. Once your physical body is strong enough, you can add Soul Ring to the Clear Sky Hammer."
His eyes gleamed with anticipation:
"At that time, your strength will be able to increase rapidly with the help of the Soul Ring. It's even possible, no, it's certain, that you will be able to break the record of the youngest Titled Douluo in the history of Clear Sky Douluo."
Tang San was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked at Yu Xiaogang and said solemnly, "Teacher, thank you for your guidance and companionship over the years. You truly deserve to be called Grandmaster of theory; you are someone who truly understands me and supports me."
"I am now an orphan, and I wish to take you, teacher, as my godfather!"
Yu Xiaogang was startled.
Tang San had already knelt down on both knees and solemnly kowtowed three times.
"Godfather, please accept my bow."
Yu Xiaogang stared blankly at Tang San kneeling before him, tears welling in his eyes.
He rushed forward, helped Tang San up with both hands, and said in a choked voice, "Good, good! With such a fine son, I have no regrets for the rest of my life!"
He held Tang San's shoulder, his eyes filled with relief and expectation. " Little San, we are not only master and disciple, but also father and son. No matter what happens in the future, your father will do everything in his power to help you!"
Tang San nodded solemnly.
Yu Xiaogang composed himself and said seriously, "Right now, the most urgent task is to collect the Soul Bone. Little San, what do you plan to do?"
A cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. "I will immediately mobilize the Tang Sect's resources to secretly collect Soul Bone. We will stop at nothing, whether by stealing or seizing them. The targets must be at least 30,000 years old."
He clenched his fist. "Once we've collected all the Soul Bone, we'll begin attaching Soul Ring to the Clear Sky Hammer!"
The Star Luo City, which had just calmed down, is about to be engulfed in a new storm because of Tang San's decision.
Soul Bone are the most precious treasures of Soul Master. Even an ordinary Thousand-Year Soul Bone is enough to cause various forces to fight over it, even to the point of resorting to weapons. How much more so Soul Bone that is over thirty thousand years old!
Such treasures are usually held by long-established sects, deeply rooted families, and powerful local magnates, who regard them as their most prized possessions. How could they easily hand them over to the Tang Sect?
It's likely to be another bloody battle for control.
Relying on intelligence from the Star Luo Imperial Family, Tang San began secretly gathering information about Soul Bone. Whenever a rumor surfaced, it would trigger a brutal battle that would wipe out entire families.
Dai Mubai was also happy to see this happen. With the Tang Sect leading the charge and helping him eliminate those disobedient forces, he was saved a lot of trouble.
With Hidden Weapon, the Tang Sect possessed the strength of Titled Douluo like Dragon Duke Meng Shu Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang, and was backed by the Star Luo Imperial Family. They quickly eliminated multiple forces within a month, including many long-established sects.
The gains were equally impressive; Tang San had already collected the Soul Bone for all four limbs and the Torso Bone.
His Right Leg Bone was a 100,000-year-old Blue Silver Emperor, the last relic his mother left him.
In addition, the Left Leg Bone 30,000 years old, the Left Arm Bone 30,000 years old, the Right Arm Bone 40,000 years old, and the Torso Bone are 50,000 years old.
Except for the lack of Head Soul Bone, Tang San had absorbed all the others. With the immense energy provided by the four high-level, Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, his Soul Power soared from level Level 64 to successfully break through Level 70.
His physical strength naturally increased significantly, approaching the level of Titled Douluo.
When Tang San finished Left Arm Bone, Yu Xiaogang, standing beside him, looked on with satisfaction. " Little San, your physical strength is now sufficient. Next, it's time to add Soul Ring to the Clear Sky Hammer."
Tang San nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "Alright, let's go to the Star Dou Great Forest. First, we'll obtain the Seventh Soul Ring of the Blue Silver Emperor, then we'll find Soul Ring for the Clear Sky Hammer. The target Soul Beast must be over 50,000 years old."
He paused, then looked at Yu Xiaogang, Dragon Duke Meng Shu, and Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang: "Godfather, Grandpa and Grandma, I'll trouble you to accompany me on this trip."
Meng Shu stroked his beard and smiled, "Grandson-in-law, you're too kind. We will certainly do our best to help you with your matter."
Tang San and Meng Yiran are already engaged, so he now addresses Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang the same way he does Meng Yiran.
Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San with anticipation in his eyes.
He cried out in his heart: I've waited so many years, and finally I have the chance to prove myself. My theory will be perfectly validated by the Little San. And my reputation as a good-for-nothing will be completely washed away.