Chapter 85: 102. The Father and Son's Game
Tang Hao held baby Tang San tightly and pulled Ah Yin's hand as they ran toward the exit of Sky Valley Ridge.
Suddenly, Ah Yin stopped. "Give me Tang San," she said quietly.
"Ah Yin, you're finally willing to accept Little San!" Tang Hao said happily.
"Don't flatter yourself," Ah Yin replied coldly. "I'll never forget the things you've done to me. But what happened between us shouldn't affect the child."
"Good, good, Ah Yin, you're right as always. You truly are the woman of Tang Hao," he laughed heartily and handed the baby to her.
For a fleeting moment, Tang Hao thought of another woman—Bibi Dong—who had carried hatred toward her daughter until her dying moment. Ah Yin, in contrast, was wiser, more rational, more compassionate.
"I am not your woman," Ah Yin said with disgust, taking Tang San carefully.
Then she looked down at the chubby, odd-looking infant in her arms. For reasons she couldn't explain, the child she once detested didn't seem so hateful anymore.
She gently touched his face and thought, Whatever happens, this ugly little brat— no, Tang San—came from my body. He's still my flesh and blood.
Watching the tender scene of mother and child, Tang Hao felt some of the torment from killing his sect fade away. Yes, he thought, in desperate times like these, Ah Yin finally understands my devotion.
If only it had been Qian Xunji leading Spirit Hall's hunt instead of this, Tang Hao sighed inwardly as his hand closed around the floating Clear Sky Hammer's shadows. If it were Spirit Hall chasing me, I wouldn't have to face this unbearable choice between family and sect.
The canyon's exit grew nearer—freedom was just ahead. Once they crossed into the Lihma Plains near Spirit Hall's territory, everything would fall back into place. When Tang San became a god, Tang Hao thought, he would right all wrongs and restore honor to the sect.
But just as he was about to step into what he imagined to be a brighter future—
"You wretched child, where do you think you're going?!"
A furious voice echoed from the canyon mouth.
Tang Hao froze. Ahead of him stood Tang Tian, the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, blocking the exit with his disciples. Hovering mid-air, he radiated majestic power as the black-and-silver hammer in his hand glimmered with oppressive soul force.
Tang Tian—Titled Douluo, level 95, Martial Soul: Clear Sky Hammer. Title—Sky Steady Douluo.
"Father…" Tang Hao's face twisted bitterly. He hadn't expected that at the final moment, the sect itself would once again block his path.
In this life, the man he hated most, Qian Xunji, had ironically become the person he wished would appear the most.
Meanwhile, deep within Sky Valley Ridge, Spirit Hall's hunting unit finally arrived at the aftermath of Tang Hao's previous battle. It was already dusk, the sun's blood-red light staining the canyon floor and revealing a horrifying scene.
The footsteps of Spirit Hall's hunters startled a flock of crows from the jagged cliffs, their shrill cries echoing through the valley as they took flight—circling above heaps of mangled bodies.
Spirit Hall examiners inspected the remains, then hurried back to report to Qian Xunji.
"Identities confirmed. They're Clear Sky Sect elites. Three Titled Douluo: Tang Zhe, Tang Mie, and Tang Po. Several Soul Douluo identified: Tang Gan, Tang Fa, Tang Zhui... and multiple Soul Saints."
Qian Xunji, Golden Bell Douluo, and Silver Hammer Douluo all exchanged looks of astonishment.
"Judging from the battlefield traces," Elder Golden Bell said, "it was infighting—Clear Sky fighting Clear Sky. Not long ago, the sect deployed nearly its full strength, same as we did, to hunt the hundred-thousand-year soul beast. This is half their elite force… annihilated. Could Tang Hao have killed them all himself?"
Qian Xunji scoffed. "Impossible. There were three Titled Douluo here. Tang Hao only has eight rings—how could he possibly do this?" His tone dripped with disdain for anyone below the ninth ring.
"Then what happened here?" Silver Hammer asked, frowning.
No one could answer.
Suddenly, a surge of soul power stirred from the valley mouth—an intense confrontation. Qian Xunji turned toward it.
"It seems Tang Hao's just ahead."
Silently, he and his subordinates crept to a high ledge overlooking a wide clearing—where they saw Tang Hao and Tang Tian standing face-to-face.
Golden Bell pointed toward the woman beside Tang Hao. "Your Holiness, the hundred-thousand-year soul beast—it's her."
"I'm not blind, Elder," Qian Xunji said curtly.
Silver Hammer leaned forward. "Shall we strike now, Your Holiness? Take the soul beast while they're distracted?"
Qian Xunji shook his head, smirking. "No hurry. Tang Hao's clearly bewitched by her. He won't surrender the beast or that half-breed child easily. Let's watch how this father-and-son drama unfolds. When both sides are weakened, we'll harvest the spoils."
Tang Tian stood unaware of the full extent of his sect's losses—the deaths of Tang Qi, Tang Mie, Tang Zhe, Tang Po, and countless others. Even without that knowledge, Tang Hao's past transgressions were more than enough to fill him with fury.
"Father?" Tang Tian's voice was heavy with scorn. He let out a bitter laugh, which quickly faded to icy contempt. "Tang Hao, if you still recognize me as your father, hand over that hundred-thousand-year soul beast and kill that abomination yourself! Then return with me to the ancestral hall and kneel before the ancestors' tablets!"
"Father, he's your grandson!" Tang Hao cried out desperately. "His name is Tang San! Can't you see? My love for Ah Yin isn't wrong—he's proof of it!"
"Grandson?!" Tang Tian's eyes bulged with rage. "You want me to acknowledge a beast-born monster as my grandson? What do you take the Clear Sky Sect for?! If the world learns that our heir is no different from the foul Wolf Thieves, where will our sect's honor go? You've disgraced our bloodline!"
"Father, why won't you give me time to prove myself?" Tang Hao pleaded, his voice breaking. "Just six years! Wait until Tang San's martial soul awakens—then you'll see he's not a monster but the very key to our sect's rebirth!"
"Six years? I won't wait another moment!" Tang Tian thundered. "A human consorting with a soul beast and birthing a beastman—this is a blight upon our sect! This secret must be buried! Tang Hao, I'll ask you one last time—obey me, or cease calling me your father! Crush that child, and I'll spare your life."
Tang Hao's veins bulged, his blood-red eyes brimming with devastation and anger. His hands trembled as he lifted the hammer.
"Must you truly force me, Father?" he said hoarsely, voice filled with painful resolve.
(END CHAPTER)
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