Di Tian's Invitation

Crack.

The crisp snap broke the silence. The Blue Silver branches wrapped around Ah Yin's arms shattered section by section.

Tang Hao was faring no better. The lingering vibrations traveled through the Clear Sky Hammer, shaking him until his internal organs ached.

But more than discomfort, he felt delight.

The stronger a Soul Beast was, the stronger the Soul Skill its Soul Ring would ultimately grant. He had to admit that Ah Yin was powerful; if she had not taken human form and begun cultivating anew, he could only have avoided confronting her head-on.

But there were no ifs. Ah Yin had taken human form and begun cultivating anew. Even if she now had the strength of a Soul Saint, she could never meet the Clear Sky Hammer head-on.

And once this hammer blow landed, Ah Yin would surely die!

A ruthless glint flashed in Tang Hao's eyes. "Ah Yin, I gave you a chance. Since you're unwilling, then die!"

Just as Tang Hao unleashed the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer and prepared to end Ah Yin's life with his next blow, a fissure opened in the space before her.

When Ah Yin saw the figure emerge from the spatial fissure, she could no longer hold on. Her pretty face turned deathly pale, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Why didn't you use Bone Spirit Cold Flame?" Jiang Nian caught the Clear Sky Hammer in one hand and questioned her with a hint of reproach.

To ensure his two disciples' safety, Jiang Nian had taken care to leave a Core Flame of Bone Spirit Cold Flame in each of them. Because Ah Yin needed the Bone Spirit Cold Flame to help temper her body, her Core Flame was a little stronger than Qian Renxue's.

Ah Yin wiped the blood from her mouth. The Blue Silver Divine Tree continuously showered her with vitality, and her injuries healed in an instant. "Because I knew you were behind me, Master. It would have been a waste to use it."

"If you use it, you can simply ask me for more. Don't do this again."

"Mm-hmm!"

At the sight, Tang Hao was bursting with rage.

This guy again. Why is it this guy again?!

He's a man who doesn't dare face me head-on. What makes him worthy of Ah Yin's trust?!

The whites of Tang Hao's eyes turned bloodshot. "Jiang Nian, let's see where you can run this time! Divine Slaughter's Domain, die!"

"Noisy."

Jiang Nian's gaze sharpened slightly, and the air pressure around them dropped.

A moment later, a crisp cracking sound rang out. This time, however, it was not the branches of the Blue Silver Divine Tree that cracked, but the Clear Sky Hammer.

As the Clear Sky Hammer cracked, Tang Hao spat out a mouthful of blood and stared at Jiang Nian in disbelief. "Th-this... how is this possible?! How could you crack my Clear Sky Hammer with your bare hand?!"

"Who gave you the illusion that I was no match for you?" Jiang Nian sneered as Soul Rings rose one after another beneath his feet.

Tang Hao could no longer remain calm. "You... you're a Titled Douluo?! How is that possible? How could you be a Titled Douluo?! Why is your name unknown on the continent?!"

"I meant to deal with you last time. It was Ah Yin who gave you a chance to live, but it seems you failed to seize it."

Jiang Nian tightened his grip, shattering the Clear Sky Hammer completely. Then a vast surge of spiritual power rushed toward Tang Hao's Martial Soul Origin.

In the blink of an eye, Tang Hao's presence abruptly weakened. His Soul Rings rose uncontrollably, only to be forcibly stripped away and shattered one after another.

The destruction of his Martial Soul Origin was no different from having his soul scattered. Only death awaited Tang Hao.

But Jiang Nian had no intention of leaving Tang Hao any way out. He used Suction Palm to pull him over once more. "Die, insect. Eight Extremes Collapse!"

Jiang Nian's Eight Extremes Collapse was far beyond anything his two disciples could match. With that palm strike, Tang Hao's chest was instantly pierced through. Amid a cloud of blood mist, he flew backward, dead, his eyes still open.

Only after dealing with Tang Hao did Jiang Nian turn to Ah Yin. "Let's go. It's time to find a suitable Soul Ring for your senior sister."

But as he was about to leave, Jiang Nian glanced at the distant bushes. Tang Hao's beautiful, lovely wife was watching from over there.

"Considering how difficult your hundred thousand years of cultivation have been, and that you carry a child, I shall spare your life. Do not make a mistake."

After Jiang Nian and his two disciples left, Ah Hua came to Tang Hao's corpse, her eyes red. She had no time to grieve, for she sensed a group of people rapidly approaching.

She gritted her teeth, picked Tang Hao up, and fled.

Before long, Qian Xunji arrived with Yue Guan and Gui Mei.

Qian Xunji cursed. "Damn it! Someone beat us to it!"

Yue Guan examined their surroundings. "Your Holiness, something doesn't seem right here."

"What doesn't seem right?"

"Don't you find the traces of burning here, and the presence, a little familiar?"

Only then did Qian Xunji look around. When he sensed the presence, his body suddenly went weak, and boundless fear surged in his heart. "It's him?! How could it be him?!"

Yue Guan cupped his fists. "Your Holiness, I don't think that person hunted down a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Judging by the traces left by the plants here, it looks more like his disciple, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, evolved here."

At the thought of Jiang Nian, Qian Xunji had lost all desire to hunt Soul Beasts. "In that case, we're going back!"

Yue Guan added, "Wait, Your Holiness. Look at that pool of blood."

Qian Xunji followed his gaze, and his pupils involuntarily contracted. "Is that... a heart? Someone really did die here?"

Yue Guan nodded. "Not only that, there are also traces left by the Clear Sky Hammer. I suspect a genius from the Clear Sky Sect was here as well. Since we're already here, why don't we investigate what the people of the Clear Sky Sect are doing in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"Very well."

Meanwhile, Ah Hua carried Tang Hao to her cave and hid there.

He looked at Tang Hao, who was no longer breathing, and finally made up his mind.

Though Black-Backed Violent Bears did not possess vitality as abundant as Plant-type Soul Beasts, Ah Hua was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. If she sacrificed all her cultivation, she might yet be able to save Tang Hao's life.

Ah Hua stroked her belly. "Child, take good care of your father for me from now on."

She continuously gathered her Soul Power in her lower abdomen to help the fetus develop faster. At the same time, she cut her wrist, letting her blood gather on Tang Hao's chest.

In the end, Jiang Nian chose a ten-thousand-year-old Lie Yan Wyvern for Qian Renxue.

Two days later, Qian Renxue slowly opened her eyes. Her Soul Power had risen to level 25, and with her acquisition of a second Martial Soul, the Broken-Winged Angel had finally grown a second wing.

The angel's body, once lusterless because of her impaired Innate Soul Power, began to burn with roaring flames after growing its second pair of wings, like a holy fire cleansing the world of sin.

Jiang Nian checked Qian Renxue's information.

[Target: Qian Renxue]

[Soul Power Level: 25 (Soul Grandmaster)]

[Template: Seraphim (unlock progress: 25%)]

[Template progress increased to 20%. Martial Soul evolved, granting Seraphim Wings]

[Current attitude toward host: dependent]

[Cultivation method: Flame Mantra (modified for the current world, compatibility: 99%)]

[Dou Techniques: Suction Palm, Eight Extremes Collapse]

[Soul Skills: Holy Judgment - Flame Sword, Angel Flame]

Qian Renxue looked excitedly at Jiang Nian. "Teacher, junior sister Ah Yin, I absorbed it! I've mastered my second Soul Skill, Angel Flame. It can keep burning the target for as long as my Soul Power doesn't run out."

"Good, well done." Jiang Nian stood up. "It's time to head back. This time, we'll go to Heaven Dou City, where you can both fight and hone yourselves against people your own age."

Just as they were preparing to leave, Jiang Nian suddenly glanced toward the depths of the Star Dou Forest.

Ah Yin followed his gaze, puzzled. "Master, what is it?"

Jiang Nian smiled. "What brings you here, sir?"

"You are indeed powerful, sir, but you enslave a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Do you truly think we Soul Beasts have no one to stand up to you?!"