Tianlin flew back to the clan on his sword. Ning Rongrong was waiting for him at the gate.
"Brother Sword, you're finally back. Dad told me to wait for you here. As soon as you return, you're to go to the main hall—a guest has arrived."
"A guest? What kind of guest?" Tianlin was curious. As the world's top support sect, they had many visitors—for example, Titan had once requested a support soul master to help him hunt his eighth ring.
Normally, Ning Fengzhi never asked him to handle these things.
Ning Rongrong shook her head. "I don't know them. The person was wrapped in a gray robe, very mysterious, but I feel like I've seen his figure somewhere before."
"If that's so, come with me. Maybe it's someone we know." Tianlin took her hand and headed for the main hall.
In the hall, beneath the sect master's throne and the four Titled Douluo seats, the gray-robed man Ning Rongrong mentioned was sitting at a table, drinking tea.
This meant his status or strength was very high. Otherwise, no matter how polite Ning Fengzhi was, he wouldn't let just anyone sit alongside the four guardians Douluo.
Tianlin stepped forward. "Uncle Ning, I'm back. This is—?"
The gray-robed man lifted his hood, revealing a deeply weathered face, and said in a low voice, "Long time no see, Sword Boy. It's me."
"Tang Hao," Tianlin recognized him immediately.
So, it was Tang Hao. No wonder he was hiding himself—to avoid being detected by Spirit Hall. No wonder Ning Rongrong found him familiar; she'd seen Tang Hao rescue people at Spirit Hall before.
"Xiao Tian, don't be disrespectful! Address him as Lord Clear Sky Douluo." Ning Fengzhi said.
Today Tang Hao was no enemy, so as a visiting Titled Douluo, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan must be respectful.
"No need. I don't care about that." Tang Hao stood and walked over. "Jun Tianlin, I'm here for two things. First, the seventy-thousand-year soul bones I promised you. I've gathered them and will hand them over now."
He swept his sleeve, revealing what seemed to be a storage-type soul tool. Three soul bones—yellow, black, and red—floated before him.
A left-arm bone, a right-leg bone, and a right-arm bone.
"These are a thirty-five-thousand-year Mighty Ant left arm bone, a twenty-thousand-year Bloodfury Berserk right leg bone, and a twenty-thousand-year Volcanic Gorilla right arm bone. They satisfy your clan's requirements, with five thousand extra years as a bonus." Tang Hao introduced them.
Ning Rongrong was shocked. All over twenty thousand years! Even the clan's supply of soul bones wasn't as high quality. She didn't know why Tang Hao would give such a huge gift.
Tianlin noticed that the left arm bone was from Tai Tan's clan, the right arm bone probably the blacksmith contest prize, and the right leg bone—could it be the one from the original Dai Mubai? Tang Hao must have gone to the continent's edge to kill Wolftaken while Tang San was with Xue Beng.
Ning Fengzhi accepted the three soul bones. "Very good, Lord Clear Sky Douluo. Since you've fulfilled your promise, all old grievances between you and our clan are wiped clean."
"You said you had a second matter. Please say it now."
"The second is something I saw while hunting wolftakens at the continent's edge. Take a look." Tang Hao took out seven corpses from his soul tool, which looked rather gruesome.
But everyone present was a soul master. Even Ning Rongrong was only briefly uncomfortable. Tianlin, who'd seen thousands of corpses in Slaughter City, wasn't fazed at all.
"Tang Hao, you went to the edge, where there are few regular soul masters and no army—a paradise for evil soul masters and bandits. Massacres aren't uncommon. What's unusual about these?" Tianlin was puzzled.
Tang Hao shook his head. "If it was just these few, I wouldn't care. But I found five towns and villages completely wiped out, over ten thousand dead, all in different conditions. I just brought seven typical bodies."
"What?" Even Ning Fengzhi lost his composure. Ten thousand lives was no small matter. That area was supposedly a no-man's-land for Heaven Dou, Star Luo, and Spirit Hall, but for such a huge massacre to go unnoticed—if Tang Hao hadn't gone there by chance, they'd all still be in the dark.
Tianlin examined the corpses. As Tang Hao said, they couldn't have been killed by bandits—their deaths were all different.
Some died smiling as if they'd been greatly satisfied; some died angry, full of resentment; some had mouths full of food—like they'd been stuffed to death.
"You see, such a huge massacre. The Upper Three Sects can't ignore it. But I've been expelled from the Clear Sky Clan and can't use their power, so I entrust this to your clan. Please get to the bottom of it," Tang Hao said gravely.
He wasn't exactly a great hero, but to build the clan's reputation, he'd often acted chivalrously in the past. Otherwise, he and Tang Xiao wouldn't have earned the name "Clear Sky Twin Stars."
"Don't worry, Lord Clear Sky Douluo. I, Jun Tianlin, will take this on. No matter who's behind it, I'll make them pay!" Tianlin said angrily.
Although he'd become ruthless through Slaughter City, that didn't mean he saw life as worthless. Disputes should be between armies and soul masters, not ordinary people. Anyone so disrespectful of life didn't deserve to live.
"Uncle Eagle, please notify Marshal Ge Long to send men to the Heaven Dou border to investigate. What Tang Hao saw is likely only the tip of the iceberg. We need to ensure the casualties don't grow." Ning Fengzhi ordered.
"Understood, Sect Master!" Yin Yang spread his wings and flew off. With a Titled Douluo going in person, Ge Long would take it seriously.