"No wonder the Spirit Hall preserved this place. There must be a Herb Garden belonging to them within the Ten Thousand Bones Mountain Range."
The Five Wood Basin was the Clear Sky Sect's own herb garden basin, so Tang San fully understood the Spirit Hall's approach—maintaining the mountain range's integrity without excessive interference to produce high-quality medicinal herbs and Spiritual Treasures.
Periodically, people would be sent to harvest the herbs. After all, one must live off the land and sea where they reside.
Near the Ten Thousand Bones Mountain Range, there were even some buildings constructed by the Spirit Hall as outposts. Just like when Tang San had entered the Sunset Forest before, a permit from the Spirit Hall was required for entry. Ordinary Soul Masters were forbidden from hunting Spirit Beasts or searching for Mountain Treasures here—this was essentially the Spirit Hall's private property.
"Halt! Outsiders are prohibited from entering the Ten Thousand Bones Mountain Range."
As soon as Tang San and Tailong's carriage arrived at the mountain range's entrance, two Soul Masters dressed in Spirit Hall attire stopped them.
Tailong stepped down from the carriage and pulled out a document from his pocket—a permit Tang San had instructed him to obtain. Using their status as students of the Spirit Academy and expending some credits, they had secured permission to enter the Ten Thousand Bones Mountain Range.
Tailong said, "This is the entry permit from the Spirit Academy."
Taking the document, one of the Spirit Hall Soul Masters glanced at it and said, "Wait here while we verify the authenticity of this permit."
Just as one of them was about to leave, Tang San's voice came from inside the carriage: "Are you verifying the permit's authenticity, or are you notifying the Sacred Dragon Sect?"
!?
"Y-you—what are you talking about? I don't know anything about the Sacred Dragon Sect!"
With a deafening explosion, the carriage shattered as the Clear Sky Hammer shot out like a meteor. The rapidly spinning hammer smashed into the blocking Spirit Hall Soul Master with terrifying force, instantly shattering his ribs and sending him vomiting blood.
A scream followed as he was sent flying backward, collapsing several tents along the way.
Seeing his companion attacked, the other Soul Master, who had been about to send a message, was scared out of his wits. He had never imagined that merely repaying a favor to the Sacred Dragon Sect—being asked to notify them if someone named Tang San tried to enter the Ten Thousand Bones Mountain Range—would lead to such a deadly situation. Who was this person, attacking without even a word of warning?!
"You—you dare attack a Soul Master of the Spirit Hall?! Are you seeking death?!" The other man, also frightened, immediately invoked the Spirit Hall's name.
Hearing the screams, more Spirit Hall Soul Masters stationed in nearby buildings rushed out. Seeing someone collapsed and spitting blood, their expressions changed drastically.
Looking at these gatekeepers—Soul Masters with only two or three spirit rings at most—Tang San said indifferently, "Sending such small fry to block the way? Aren't you afraid of tarnishing the Sacred Dragon Sect's reputation?"
Tang San didn't even spare them a glance. Instead, his gaze fixed on the largest tent deep within the camp. With a cold smile, he hurled the Clear Sky Hammer like a cannonball, smashing it straight into the spacious tent.
With a clang, the thrown Clear Sky Hammer was instantly sent flying back, landing heavily at Tang San's feet with a thud. To effortlessly repel Tang San's thrown Clear Sky Hammer, this person's strength had to be at least at the Soul Emperor level or above.
"Youngster, you have some nerve!"
A furious roar filled with killing intent echoed through the mountain forest.
The Ten Thousand Bones Mountain Range was, after all, a Spirit Beast territory, and there were Soul Masters who had obtained Spirit Hall permits hunting Spirit Beasts or gathering herbs all around. People were everywhere, and when Tang San had first gotten into conflict, many had already sensed that a good show was coming and had prepared to watch.
Thus, when the roar sounded, even more people turned to look, ready to enjoy the spectacle.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—several figures shot out from the tents. Three elderly men in white robes flew over, their faces dark with anger. Beneath their feet shone six Soul Rings, marking them as Soul Emperors.
Their attire made it clear—these three were powerhouses from the Sacred Dragon Sect.
"Tang San, you truly have guts! Not only did you steal our sect's treasure, but you also dared to attack the Spirit Hall's mountain-guarding Soul Masters!" The Sacred Dragon Sect had laid an ambush long ago, waiting for Tang San to appear.
Inside Spirit Hall City, they couldn't touch Tang San, but outside was a different story.
One of the Sacred Dragon Sect's Soul Emperors transmitted a Soul Power Voice Transmission: "If you had hidden in Spirit Hall City, we wouldn't have been able to act against you. But now that you're outside, hand over our sect's Soul Guidance Device obediently. Considering you're also a student of Spirit Academy, we can let this matter drop."
Hearing the lead Soul Emperor's words, Tang San rolled his eyes at the three and openly cursed, "Are you three old fools sick in the head? Or are you just senile?"
!!!
"You—! Tang San, you're truly seeking death!"
Tang San stepped down from the carriage and said calmly, "Inside Spirit Hall City, you could say I relied on the academy's protection or the Pope Token's shelter. But now that we're outside, what should you call me?"
As Tang San's words fell—ROAR! ROAR!—suddenly, the cries of a dragon and a tiger erupted from behind him. The next moment, a Cloud Dragon and a Thunder Tiger swooped down from the sky toward the three Sacred Dragon Sect elders.
The Cloud Dragon and Thunder Tiger's momentum was terrifying, uprooting trees around them before they even arrived.
Faced with the sudden assault, the three Sacred Dragon Sect experts shouted and activated their Soul Avatars. With a thunderous crash, the Cloud Dragon and Thunder Tiger struck, sending dust flying. Even working together, the three couldn't withstand the impact—their Soul Avatars shattered, and they were sent flying dozens of meters.
When the dust settled, everyone could see that the Cloud Dragon and Thunder Tiger weren't Spirit Beasts but were instead formed from two hammers.
"What kind of pathetic Sacred Dragon Sect is this? Trash like you dare call yourselves dragons? If you're a dragon, then what does that make me, Tang Long?" A burly man dressed in Clear Sky Sect robes strode to Tang San's side.
"Four-legged lizards pretending to be dragons—pathetic." An even more muscular man than Tang Long, Tang Hu, walked up and patted Tang San's shoulder. "Oi, third cousin, you alright?"
Tang Long and Tang Hu—the strongest among the Clear Sky Sect's third-generation disciples.
Tang San smiled. "Thank you for the assistance, cousins."
Tang Hu waved his hand dismissively and said, "Hey, no need to be polite. We're all brothers of the Clear Sky Sect. Only our Clear Sky Sect can bully others with our might—how could other sects dare to humiliate us?"
Tang Long transmitted his voice, "The Second Elder isn't far away, but as you know, our Clear Sky Sect currently claims to have only the sect master and your father as Titled Douluos. So unless the Sacred Dragon Sect sends out a Titled Douluo, the Second Elder won't show himself."
Tang San glanced coldly at the three Soul Emperors of the Sacred Dragon Sect who had been sent flying and sneered, "So you really must have fried your brains. It's your Sacred Dragon Sect that's under the protection of Spirit Hall City. Outside of Spirit Hall City, I, Tang San, am the young master of the Clear Sky Sect—the son of the Clear Sky Douluo."