After arriving at this place, Lin Fan faintly heard the rumbling of crashing water, and the air gradually became damp.
"The sound of a waterfall… that must mean Tang Hao is training Tang San in the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique just ahead."
Following the sound, Lin Fan went forward.
Very soon, standing atop the Azure Wind Sword, he soared into the air and saw a breathtaking sight.
Within a valley lay a crystal-clear pool of water, deep and tranquil, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds like an immense sapphire.
Above it, a waterfall nearly twenty meters wide poured down from a cliff almost two hundred meters tall. Like a jade belt hanging from the heavens, it thundered as it crashed into the pool below.
Water splashed into countless droplets, and under the sunlight, a rainbow arched across the surface—magnificent beyond words.
As soon as Lin Fan arrived, a refreshing mist swept over him. The moist air seeped into his chest, incomparably soothing.
Mountains surrounded the verdant. Before him lay the rippling sapphire-like pool, a rare and stunning natural wonder. The spiritual energy here was exceptionally pure—though still far from the level of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"A beautiful place full of spirit power. No wonder Tang Hao hid the Blue Silver Emperor behind this waterfall."
Lin Fan's gaze soon found a figure within the waterfall itself.
There, a bare-chested youth endured the waterfall's pounding force while swinging a blue hammer in relentless practice.
Beneath a tree by the pool, Tang Hao sat cross-legged with his eyes shut, meditating, seemingly indifferent to the youth training within the falls.
Lin Fan let out a faint, mocking smile. With a surge of power, the Azure Shadow Sword beneath his feet shot forward, tearing through the air toward Tang Hao.
The piercing whistle of the sword split the rhythm of the waterfall's roar. Tang Hao's eyes instantly snapped open.
Rising to his feet, he summoned his Clear Sky Hammer and blocked the Azure Shadow Sword's strike.
"Azure Shadow Sword!" Tang Hao's eyes flashed with killing intent, though he quickly suppressed it.
"Tang Hao, long time no see. I didn't expect you to still recognize my spirit." Lin Fan stepped forward, catching his returning Azure Shadow Sword and landing three meters before Tang Hao.
"The reputation of the Sword Shadow Douluo resounds throughout the continent. How could I not remember?" Tang Hao replied coldly, hammer in hand.
"Haha… humorous." Lin Fan chuckled softly.
Low-key as he was, he hardly had any so-called "reputation" as Sword Shadow Douluo.
"What are you doing here?" Tang Hao frowned.
He still remembered nearly two years ago, when Xiao Wu had died at Lin Fan's hand. But not knowing whether Lin Fan had forces backing him, Tang Hao did not strike immediately. Instead, he simply asked.
Before Lin Fan could respond, the youth training in the waterfall suddenly burst forth, blasting through the curtain of water and leaping onto a boulder at the pool's edge.
It was Tang San.
The moment his eyes landed on Lin Fan, they turned blood-red as he roared in fury:
"Lin Fan! I'll kill you!"
For two long years, Tang San had been haunted by the image of Xiao Wu dying before his very eyes. Now, suddenly seeing Lin Fan standing alive before him, he lost all control.
He charged forward—only to be caught by Tang Hao, who seized his arm.
"What is this? Has he gone mad?" Lin Fan asked with some confusion, puzzled by Tang San's overwhelming killing intent.
He had no idea that Tang San had personally witnessed Xiao Wu's death at his hands.
What shocked him, however, was that Tang San's spirit power had already reached the forty-eighth rank.
With a flash of calculation, Tang Hao struck Tang San's neck with a precise knife-hand. Tang San collapsed unconscious.
"My son has been cultivating here for years. Perhaps the pressure was too much, and he suffered a moment of deviation. Sword Shadow Douluo, I hope you won't take offense." Tang Hao forced a dry smile as he laid Tang San down.
"I understand. Young people are often restless and impulsive."
"But I truly didn't expect the famed Clear Sky Douluo to be hiding in such a secluded paradise." Lin Fan offered a polite compliment.
"What choice do I have? I assume you've heard about what I did during the Continental Elite Tournament. Because of that, I could only bring Xiao San here to train in seclusion." Tang Hao smiled faintly.
"But tell me, Sword Shadow Douluo, are you merely passing through… or have you come here for me?"
"What do you think?" Lin Fan countered.
"How should I know?" Tang Hao replied.
Lin Fan's expression hardened. "Tang Hao, in the name of the Haotian Sect's Chief Grand Elder, I command you to return to the sect."
He produced a golden hammer-shaped token—Tang Chen's personal seal.
Tang Hao's eyes widened in shock. "The Chief Grand Elder's token—why is it in your hands!?"
"Of course, it was given to me by Senior Tang Chen, your grandfather. He appointed me to temporarily serve as Chief Grand Elder in his stead."
"Tang Hao, return with me to the sect. Apologize before the direct disciples of Haotian, and then come with me to the Spirit Hall to offer reparations and reconcile." Lin Fan's tone was sharp and commanding.
Tang Hao froze, stunned, before blurting in defiance:
"Impossible! Grandfather would never entrust the sect's token to an outsider like you! You must have stolen it!"
"If it truly were my grandfather, he would never ask me to apologize to Spirit Hall!"
"Tell me the truth—how did you get that token? Did you steal it?"
Lin Fan's expression darkened. "Tang Hao, as a member of the Haotian Sect, are you truly going to defy the Chief Grand Elder's command?"
"Hmph! Even if you hold the token, you're still an outsider. Do you think the entire sect will bow to you? Hand it over while you still can!" Tang Hao's aura flared, the Clear Sky Hammer rising against Lin Fan.
Lin Fan only laughed softly. "Tang Hao, did I not once tell you? Other than the Blue Silver Emperor, you see nothing else."
"Do you not know that sixteen years ago, I met and fell in love with Yuehua? As Yuehua's husband, am I not also a member of the sect? How could I not bear the token?"
"Furthermore, it wasn't only me. Your brother Tang Xiao, Yuehua, and the Five Grand Elders of the sect together decided that I would bring you back."
"Or perhaps you imagine Tang Chen gave me this token—and entrusted me to negotiate with Spirit Hall—not because of my ties to Yuehua, but because of something else. Ask yourself: why me, and not Tang Xiao or the Five Elders?"
Tang Hao faltered. He truly could not understand why his grandfather Tang Chen would give the Chief Grand Elder's token to Lin Fan. Even if he was Yuehua's husband, such a position should never have fallen to him.
"Why!?" Tang Hao demanded, unable to stop himself.
Lin Fan sneered. "Tang Hao, you've lived over fifty years and still don't understand? Because of strength. A token is just a symbol. In the end, only power is the true authority."
As his words fell, Lin Fan released his spirit rings.
An overwhelming surge of spirit power erupted, drowning out even the roar of the waterfall.
Caught directly in its path, Tang Hao staggered back several steps, unable to withstand the pressure.
Steadying himself at last, his expression turned to utter shock.
Level 98… Titled Douluo!