The bloody mist was Tang Hao's Killing God Domain. Amid the crimson light, eight soul rings could vaguely be seen swirling around him.
Leaping into the air, he roared, "Sky-Shattering Strike!" The Clear Sky Hammer came crashing down toward the Golden Bell Elder.
As the massive hammer loomed overhead, in the final moment before his death, the Golden Bell Elder forgot to call for help or even flee. He had only one thought: Can someone explain how this guy with just eight soul rings is supposed to be a mere Soul Douluo?!
The hammer landed. The Golden Bell Elder was smashed into a bloody pulp.
Seeing those eight perfectly intact soul rings, Qian Xuanji's eyeballs nearly popped out. He couldn't hold it in and shouted, "That's impossible! Your soul rings were clearly destroyed—you shouldn't even be able to use soul rings!"
"You want answers? Go ask the Grim Reaper in hell," Tang Hao said coldly, withdrawing his Clear Sky Hammer and turning his killing gaze to Qian Xuanji.
Under Tang Hao's murderous aura, Qian Xuanji broke into a cold sweat. He gulped and followed his gut. "Tang Hao, I think... maybe we can both back off a little…"
"You thief," Tang Hao shouted righteously, "when you forced me to turn against my sect and accidentally kill my own father—did you ever think about fear then?"
Qian Xuanji: "@#￥%%—.....—&;"
"You thief, I'll make you pay for the innocent souls of the Clear Sky Clan!" Tang Hao declared with righteous fury.
"Damn it, what does any of this have to do with me?!" Qian Xuanji muttered, beads of cold sweat dripping down as he watched the eight soul rings spin ominously around Tang Hao. Without hesitation, he activated his Angel Martial Soul and fled at top speed.
The Clear Sky Hammer with secret arts and detonation capability was on a completely different level from a normal hammer.
The Angel Martial Soul was a divine-level martial soul, capable of looking down on all others on the Douluo Continent. A regular Clear Sky Hammer, lacking secret techniques, was only on par with the Seven Kill Sword—it posed little threat to the Angel Clan. But in the previous era, Tang Chen had defied fate, combining the Random Cloak Hammer Technique with many secret arts to elevate the Clear Sky Clan to a level where it could challenge the Spirit Hall itself.
Every weapon has its strengths and weaknesses. The Clear Sky Hammer excelled in raw power; the Angel Martial Soul was superior in overall capability and speed. Qian Xuanji's father had once tried to compete with Tang Chen in a direct strength contest—fighting in the open with the Measure Heaven Sword—and narrowly lost. Qian Xuanji had always found that foolish. Why not just kite him from afar?
So, Qian Xuanji genuinely intended to kite Tang Hao to death.
But several kilometers away, Tang Hao was already waiting for him.
"You thief, where do you think you're going? Ring Detonation—Grand Sumeru Hammer!"
Tang Hao detonated all his soul rings and swung the Clear Sky Hammer at Qian Xuanji.
At the critical moment, Qian Xuanji fully activated his Angel Martial Soul and barely dodged the hammer that came down like Mount Tai.
Looking at the valley below, now flattened by Tang Hao's hammer, Qian Xuanji broke out in cold sweat again. He forced himself to act calm. "Hmph... Tang Hao, all your rings are detonated. You're doomed…"
Before he could finish, eight new soul rings appeared around Tang Hao.
"You've got to be f***ing kidding me—what the hell kind of game is this?!" Qian Xuanji gave up all pretense and fled again.
He flew another few kilometers.
"You thief, where are you going?" Tang Hao had already appeared ahead of him.
Qian Xuanji quickly changed direction.
"I'm in front of you," Tang Hao appeared ahead once more.
Qian Xuanji came to a halt, realizing something was off. In his heart, he screamed: Did this damn Clear Sky Hammer grow wings? Or can it teleport? Who's the divine-level martial soul here, you or me?!
"Qian Xuanji, you have nowhere left to run. Accept your fate," said Tang Hao.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Qian Xuanji gritted his teeth. "Tang Hao, do you really think you've got me?"
He unleashed the Angel Domain—the innate domain of the Six-Winged Angel.
Golden light spread from Qian Xuanji in all directions.
As the holy energy advanced toward Tang Hao, his eyes blazed with red light. His own Killing God Domain surged forward to meet it.
But instead of a balance of power, the Angel Domain instantly dissolved upon contact with the Killing God Domain.
Qian Xuanji: "@&—...%%*"
At that moment, he finally realized something was very, very wrong. If he didn't pull out all the stops, he was going to die here.
So, he poured all his soul power into his strongest soul skill: "Ninth Soul Skill—Angel's Glory!"
The Six-Winged Angel conjured a beam of radiant divine light that shot down from the sky toward Tang Hao from hundreds of meters away.
The scene was eerily familiar. Just like in a past life, Tang Hao's lips curled into a √-shaped smirk. He grasped the Clear Sky Hammer, and his soul rings exploded one after another, their energy flowing into the hammer.
"Grand Sumeru Hammer!"
The hammer swelled in size and smashed toward Qian Xuanji.
It split the Angel's Glory beam right down the middle and continued flying straight at Qian Xuanji.
Staring at the rapidly growing hammer, Qian Xuanji panicked.
BOOM!
The Clear Sky Hammer broke through his protective soul power and slammed into him, sending him flying.
He hit the ground and couldn't get back up.
When he raised his head, he saw Tang Hao—one arm cradling Tang San, the other hoisting the massive hammer right up to his face.
It's over. I'm dead for sure.
But just as Qian Xuanji thought Tang Hao would deliver the killing blow, Tang Hao hesitated. As if remembering something, he withdrew the hammer.
"You thief. I'll spare your life this time. But don't forget—you and Spirit Hall caused the Clear Sky Clan to turn against itself. I, Tang Hao, will settle this score with Spirit Hall one day."
Qian Xuanji spat out a mouthful of blood. Shivering, Spirit Hall disciples rushed to help him up. He glared at Tang Hao and growled, "Tang... Tang Hao… remember this. Spirit Hall won't let this go either!"
Tang Hao said with dominance, "Do whatever you want. If Spirit Hall wants revenge, I'll take it head-on. Send one—I'll kill one. Send a pair—I'll kill them both. Even if your father, Qian Daoliu, comes, I'll hammer him too."
"You... Fine! I hope you can still be this arrogant in the future!"
Sparing Qian Xuanji's life wasn't an act of mercy on Tang Hao's part. Rather, he knew that even if he didn't kill him now, Qian Xuanji was doomed anyway once he returned—his fate sealed.
In this second life, Tang Hao understood clearly that their true enemies were the twin gods of the Spirit Hall. And he was well aware of the internal strife within the Hall itself.
It wasn't until Bibi Dong's death that the world finally learned the truth: Qian Xuanji had ultimately died at Bibi Dong's own hands. Yet, for decades, Tang Hao had borne the blame for that death.
Perhaps Qian Daoliu had left a sliver of hope for the Clear Sky Sect precisely because he knew that Tang Hao hadn't killed his son. That guilt may have stayed his hand.
But if Tang Hao were to kill Qian Xuanji now, then he truly would become the one who murdered Qian Daoliu's son. A deranged Limit Douluo—he might not fear him personally—but what if Qian Daoliu turned his wrath against the Clear Sky Sect?
Without the added hatred of a murdered son, the relationship between Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu would not be so utterly irreconcilable. Even though Bibi Dong detested the Angel Clan, the suppression from the Worship Hall against the Pope's Hall would lessen, and the Spirit Hall would be more united than it was in the previous timeline.
Why should Tang Hao do something that would only please his enemies and bring pain to his own?
So, just like in his past life, he let Qian Xuanji go—left him for that poisonous spider in the Pope's Hall to finish off. Let them tear each other apart even more viciously within the Spirit Hall.
Returning to himself, Tang Hao took stock of his own situation. Looking around the battle-scarred Tian Valley Ridge, his heart was heavy with desolation.
So what if Spirit Hall showed up in the end?
He, Tang Hao, had still committed a crime beyond redemption.
So many sect members had perished beneath his Clear Sky Hammer. Even his father...
If not for Tang San—the last thing he had left to live for—Tang Hao might have already taken his own life to atone.
Before leaving Tian Valley Ridge, Tang Hao knelt facing its direction, bowed deeply, and said in guilt and grief:
"Father, esteemed elders, disciples of the Clear Sky Sect... what happened was not the fault of me, Tang Hao. Everything was the doing of Spirit Hall. Once Little San becomes a god, I, Tang Hao, will give you all a proper explanation."
With that, he kowtowed several times in succession before picking up Tang San and leaving.