Lin Chen slowly turned his head, his piercing divine eyes penetrating the wooden house and earthen walls, instantly discerning all the aura outside.
Tang Hao's aura as deep and unfathomable as a titled Douluo still lurked in the shadows, while the six Soul Douluos on the periphery faced each other in pairs, wary of one another and also wary of Tang Hao. None of them dared to make the first move, and for a moment a strange balance was formed.
Lin Chen's lips curled into a cold smile.
Right now.
With a single step, his back suddenly stretched out, and a pair of crystal-clear, life-giving blue-silver wings unfurled—his hidden external soul bone, the Blue Silver Emperor Wings, which he had kept hidden for many years. The air was instantly sliced apart, and his figure transformed into a blue rainbow, shooting towards the largest dense forest on the outskirts of Notting City without the slightest hesitation.
"Um?!"
Tang Hao, hidden in the shadows, suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the pair of blue wings, his pupils contracting sharply!
It's him!
It was that strange boy from that night!
He could never mistake those wings!
"You little beast, where do you think you're going!"
Tang Hao roared, his voice shaking the heavens, and he could no longer hide his power as his soul force erupted.
The Clear Sky Hammer appeared, its enormous black shadow engulfing the heavens and earth, and its spirit rings lit up one by one—
Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red!
A blood-red soul ring, ten thousand years old, hung high above his head, its oppressive aura sweeping across the four directions like a tsunami, its terrifying aura soaring straight into the sky!
He flashed and chased after them, completely disregarding the six Soul Douluos.
The six Soul Douluos who were about to give chase were instantly pressed to the ground by this overwhelming pressure, unable to move!
Their faces were ashen, their eyes wide open, staring intently at Tang Hao's dazzling spirit ring configuration and the Clear Sky Hammer that suppressed the continent, their minds completely shattered.
"Hao... Haotian Douluo..."
"It's Tang Hao, who went missing back then!!"
The three Soul Douluos from the Papal Palace, the Hall of Offerings, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School were all terrified and dared not even breathe.
Titled Douluo are already above them, let alone Haotian Douluo, who is renowned throughout the continent!
They didn't even have the courage to raise their heads, let alone stop them.
Tang Hao didn't even glance at these ants, and rushed at full speed in the direction where Lin Chen disappeared.
Today, he will surely kill this son!
Lin Chen's blue silver wings flapped wildly behind him. Feeling the increasingly approaching pressure from Haotian behind him, he showed no panic on his face. Instead, he revealed a cold smile of triumph.
Tang Hao, you finally caught up with me.
All of this was part of my plan.
Weren't you going to kill me?
Then... come to my burial place and send off the good-for-nothing Lin Chen on his final journey. Deep in the dense forest, it is a desolate place rarely visited by humans.
Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, their branches intertwining like a dome. The dense, almost blackish green leaves cut the sunlight into dappled patterns. The ground was covered with a thick layer of decaying leaves and moss, and a damp, chilly mist filled the air. A waterfall, tens of meters high, crashed down from the cliff face with a thunderous roar, its white waves surging and crashing violently into the deep pool below, splashing up a cloud of mist. The pool water flowed swiftly out of the dense forest along a winding stream, its currents swift and crisscrossed by undercurrents, its depths unfathomable.
This is the burial place Lin Chen chose for himself.
Tang Hao's speed had already broken through the limit, and the pressure of the Clear Sky Hammer locked onto Lin Chen. In just a few breaths, he had caught up to within a hundred feet behind him.
Watching the blue figure darting through the forest, Tang Hao's eyes burned with killing intent. He held nothing back, wielding the Clear Sky Hammer with one hand. His sixth spirit ring suddenly erupted with a jet-black light, and a powerful hammer blow slammed straight into Lin Chen's back!
He didn't hold back with this attack; it was enough to instantly kill any Soul Master below the Soul Emperor level!
Lin Chen seemed caught off guard, with no time to dodge or resist, and took the full force of the attack head-on.
"puff--"
A mouthful of blood sprayed through the air, and the Blue Silver Wings instantly shattered. Lin Chen's figure plummeted from the sky like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the deep pool below the waterfall.
"boom!"
A huge splash of water shot into the sky, then subsided, leaving only ripples spreading across the surface, with no further movement.
Tang Hao hovered in the air, his face cold and stern, his spiritual power sweeping across the entire deep pool and the surrounding dense forest like a tidal wave.
A moment later, he raised an eyebrow, confirming it without a doubt—
The aura at the bottom of the pool completely dissipated, leaving no trace of life or breath, just like a dead person.
It's resolved.
Tang Hao slowly sheathed his Clear Sky Hammer, his crimson spirit rings gradually receding. Only then did his icy gaze slowly shift, landing on the six Soul Douluos who had just chased him to the edge of the dense forest, their faces deathly pale. The atmosphere around the deep pool in the dense forest instantly froze to an extreme degree.
Although the six Soul Douluos were terrified by Tang Hao's overwhelming power, their eyes still churned with resentment and anger. They had witnessed Lin Chen being slammed into the pool with a single blow, and they had clearly sensed that the youth's aura had been completely extinguished. Their mission had failed completely, and once they returned, they would face no good outcome, whether facing Pope Bibi Dong, Grand Elder Qian Daoliu, or Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
But they dared not retaliate.
The person before me is Tang Hao, the Haotian Douluo.
Tang Hao's icy gaze swept over the six men. His old wounds throbbed with pain, yet his aura remained as imposing as a mountain. He knew perfectly well that with his current strength, he could easily crush these six Soul Douluos, but he couldn't act. If he were to unleash a massacre here, he would inevitably offend the Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. If the flames of war were to spread, the Clear Sky Sect, which had already sealed its gates, would surely be dragged into utter ruin once more.
He can no longer implicate the sect.
Tang Hao suddenly swung the Clear Sky Hammer into the air, and the nine soul rings shone brightly. The Killing God Domain spread out silently, and the bone-chilling killing intent and pressure pressed down on the six Soul Douluos like a tsunami, making their bones crack and their whole bodies tremble. They didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
His voice was as cold as ice:
"I, Tang Hao, killed that person. If you have the guts, let the forces behind you come and settle accounts with me, Tang Hao."
"Now—get out."
Each word was spoken with deliberate emphasis, causing a deafening roar in everyone's ears.
As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Hao abruptly withdrew his soul pressure and domain.
The six men felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They dared not harbor any anger or resentment, and without even turning their heads, they transformed into six afterimages and fled the dense forest in a panic, disappearing without a trace in a moment.
Once he was sure the six Soul Douluos were completely gone, Tang Hao slowly suppressed his aura, his cold gaze returning to the deep pool beneath the waterfall.
He always felt that things shouldn't be that simple.
There are many suspicious things about that boy. Perhaps he is hiding a soul bone, a secret treasure, or even the original manuscript of that heaven-defying theory.
Tang Hao's eyes darkened slightly, and his mental energy once again seeped into the pool like a tide, trying to search for Lin Chen's "corpse" and loot his belongings.
But the next moment—
Tang Hao's expression changed drastically!
The bottom of the pool is empty!
The corpse that he had just clearly sensed had vanished into thin air right before his eyes!
"who?!"
A furious roar suddenly exploded in the sky above the dense forest!
Tang Hao's soul power exploded to its limit, his nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—flashed wildly. His Killing God Domain was fully unleashed, and a blood-red aura swept across the entire valley. The wind howled, ancient trees snapped, and water flowed backward! His eyes were bloodshot, his killing intent soared, and his mental power swept across every corner without reservation. His entire body was tense to the extreme.
To be able to steal a corpse silently, without even leaving a trace of soul power fluctuation, under the perception of a titled Douluo like him...
This person's cultivation level is definitely no lower than his!
"You cowardly rat hiding your head and tail! Come out here!"
Tang Hao, holding the Clear Sky Hammer, hovered in the air, his killing intent boiling like blood. He stared intently at the pool and the depths of the dense forest, not daring to relax for a moment.
He couldn't understand who this person was, able to silently take away a "corpse" right in front of him. Tang Hao hovered in mid-air, his scarlet eyes filled with boundless rage, scanning the entire dense forest, cliff, waterfall, and deep pool inch by inch.
He unleashed his full mental power without reservation, sweeping over every inch of soil, every drop of water, and every leaf like a net, ensuring that not even the slightest fluctuation of soul power, breath, or heartbeat could escape his perception.
Can--
There was no one there.
There was no concealment, no ambush, no aura of a powerful figure, and not even the slightest spatial fluctuation.
"Impossible... Absolutely impossible!"
Tang Hao gritted his teeth and growled, his face showing disbelief for the first time.
He didn't believe a corpse could vanish into thin air, much less that someone could take someone away right under his nose without leaving a trace.
The next second, he enveloped himself in soul power and leaped straight into the deep pool.
Before the water could even splash, he had already sunk to the bottom of the pool like a dragon. His dark soul power spread out in the water, turning every stone, every undercurrent, and every cave upside down.
He didn't miss a single corner.
Don't overlook any possibility.
He even used the Haotian Hammer to smash the solid rocks at the bottom of the pool, split open the underground river, and churned the entire area into a murky mess.
But in the end—
There was nothing there.
There was no body, no bloodstains, no remains, no belongings, nothing at all.
It was as if Lin Chen, whom he had just slammed into the water with a hammer, had never existed.
Tang Hao leaped from the water, soaking wet, his black hair disheveled, and his murderous aura almost solidified.
He was panting heavily, his old wounds aggravated by his rage, but the shock and anger in his heart overwhelmed everything else.
He looked around at the desolate forest, the empty pool, and the roaring waterfall, and could only clench the Haotian Hammer tightly until his knuckles turned white.
"snort..."
A muffled groan, suppressed to the extreme, rang out.
Tang Hao swept his surroundings one last time with a fierce look, but ultimately found nothing.
He knew there was no point in staying any longer.
With a flash, the black figure transformed into a blur, filled with resentment and rage, and vanished into the depths of the dense forest in an instant.
The wind rustled through the treetops again, the waterfall roared once more, and the deep pool slowly returned to calm.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
From this moment on—
The whole continent knows that Lin Chen, the good-for-nothing from Notting Academy, is dead.
He died at the hands of Haotian Douluo Tang Hao, and his body was never recovered.
A stream meanders deep in the forest, its clear water carrying a cool breeze from the deep pools. Pebbles lie quietly at the bottom, and fallen leaves sway gently with the current.
In this unremarkable stream, a simple black ring is drifting slowly downstream. The ring has no fancy decorations, only a thin blue-silver line engraved in the very center. It looks ordinary, like a piece of scrap metal casually discarded by the roadside.
(End of Chapter)