"Rumble!"
Great tremors constantly emanated from the forest.
The once lush and verdant forest appeared to have been ravaged by some terrifying force. Wherever it passed, only broken wood and ashes remained, turning the ground into a scarred wasteland. Only the ferocious and deep combat traces bore witness to the fierce battle.
Surrounded by several golden-armored figures in red robes, a blond man clad in white and gold armor stood holding a pale gold longsword. His red cape billowed in the strong wind, rustling against the gales.
"Tang Hao! You have no escape. Hand over the hundred-thousand-year soul beast now, and I can spare your life."
He took a small step forward, his golden boots seeming to weigh a thousand pounds, directly causing a web of cracks to form on the ground beneath him.
This was a blatant threat.
The man being threatened, covered in blood, wielded a black giant hammer even larger than his robust physique. Though he could no longer stand, with one foot kneeling on the ground, he remained like a guardian god, steadfastly blocking the woman holding two swaddled infants. His fearsome pressure, close to that of a Titled Douluo, made the threatening party eye their every move with apprehension.
Even though victory was within reach and the prey seemed to have lost the ability to fight, they still dared not advance.
Because the man standing before them was Tang Hao, one of the two stars of the Clear Sky School, Tang Hao, who, with his Soul Douluo strength, had single-handedly taken down several Soul Douluo level powerhouses on their side!
"Brother Hao."
The woman protected behind the man's back looked worried. She gazed at the determined silhouette shielding her, her eyes passing over the man to land on the relentless enemies. The hand cradling the infants tightened slightly, a flicker of sorrow and hesitation in her eyes.
"Ah..."
The naive, monotonous babbling of an infant sounded from her embrace, tinged with hoarseness and weakness.
[Beep—Warning! Warning! Host's life value is about to reach critical level.]
A strange mechanical voice sounded, yet no one showed surprise. Both sides remained locked in a stalemate, neither willing to retreat.
*Children...*
Ah Yin lowered her head, her emotions shifting for a moment. She raised her head, looking at the wounds on Tang Hao's body from the recent intense battle, and the blood surging from the torn and bruised flesh, both red and black, indicating he had been poisoned.
They were at their wit's end.
A fleeting shimmer of crystal-clear water appeared. Ah Yin took a deep breath and voluntarily stepped forward, channeling her soul power into her voice to amplify it, "Stop. I am willing to go back with you."
As she spoke, the golden and blue Blue Silver Emperor emerged from her wrist, tightly wrapping around the swaddling clothes of the two infants in her arms. A tenacious Blue Silver Emperor thread connected them, like a central hub.
"Ah Yin?!"
Tang Hao was startled and turned back abruptly, only to see his wife walking beside him, half-kneeling, and hanging both children on him.
"As long as I go with you, you will let Brother Hao go, right?"
Her back to the enemy, she softly asked again.
The red-robed figures exchanged glances, then exchanged covert looks. Clearing his throat, one of them said, "Yes. As long as you surrender, we will not take your lives!"
"Is that so..."
Ah Yin stood up, looking at her anxious lover with reassurance. A halo of silver-blue light rippled in her eyes, and a sacred and powerful energy field instantly erupted from her center, catching everyone off guard and forcing them back several steps.
"This is..."
"She's going to sacrifice herself! Stop her quickly!"
A sharp voice suddenly rang out. The red-robed group immediately became agitated, drawing their weapons and channeling their powerful soul skills to advance on the pair.
But it was too late.
"No—!"
Time seemed to stretch infinitely.
Tang Hao, pinned in place by his wife and unable to move with the two children on him, his eyes bloodshot, widened in disbelief and despair, etched onto his rough, scarred, and blood-stained face. A hoarse voice choked from his throat:
"No! No! Third Sister, stop! You go with them!"
"Brother Hao." Ah Yin, enveloped in a silver-blue halo, had her soul power flowing towards Tang Hao, and her body began to become transparent. Only the smile on her lips remained the familiar, gentle one Tang Hao knew.
"I'll leave the children to you."
Her battered body began to heat up, a powerful energy filling her limbs. Her depleted soul power circulated madly, like a traveler in a desert finally finding an oasis, madly drawing from the source of life.
"No—!"
Crimson soul rings emerged from beneath Tang Hao's feet, followed by rings of black and purple, signifying his advancement to Titled Douluo.
"Third Sister! Don't leave me!"
Tang Hao, concentrating his power, finally broke free from his wife's restraint. Eagerly, he reached out, trying to grab his wife and hold onto that smile.
"Farewell, my love."
Scattered azure light points brushed past his fingers. A small ball of light inadvertently slipped into his clothes; nothing else remained.
*Third Sister...*
Tang Hao's already bloodied and cloudy eyes were instantly dyed with an ominous black energy and frightening ferocity. He spoke word by word, "I, WILL, MAKE, YOU, PAY, WITH, BLOOD!"
The powerful aura unique to a Titled Douluo erupted, shaking the two grass cocoon-like bundles hanging on his neck by a sturdy Blue Silver Emperor.
[Beep—Detected host life value reaching critical level, initiating mandatory custody mode.]
The final cold mechanical voice echoed, and the air suddenly vibrated.
"Roar—!"
A black film of light exploded from Tang Hao, instantly freezing everyone in mid-air with a sudden burst of terrifying power, maintaining their original poses. However, their soul power ceased to circulate, remaining as still as dead water no matter how they called out or urged it on, receiving no response.
What was happening?!
As they watched with apprehension, the void enveloped by the black film rippled slightly.
"Hoo..."
A non-human black and gold vertical pupil opened in the surging black tide, like a beast lurking in the darkness finally revealing its fangs, filled with cold ferocity, staring at these trapped prey.
An aura even more profound and terrifying than before pressed down on everyone. Even Tang Hao, who had just advanced to Titled Douluo and was at the peak of his soul power, let out a muffled groan. He stared intently at the eye that had suddenly appeared with the black mist, alarms screaming in his mind, warning of danger.
"What, what is this thing!?"
The blond man's face, which had held pity and arrogance, could no longer maintain its facade, revealing terror and apprehension.
Because he could feel his sacred Six-Winged Angel martial soul trembling, as if encountering its natural predator, vibrating violently.
[Want to play poker?]
The mechanical voice said playfully, unheard by anyone.
The next second, the black and gold vertical pupil slowly shifted its gaze to the blond man and the others.
"!"
Before the blond man could counter-attack, a black and red ring of light violently swept outwards.
An invisible force tore through the air, and a deafening explosion erupted, occupying all sight.
"Quick, go—!"
The explosion drowned out that heart-wrenching warning. Suddenly snapping back to reality, feeling an inexplicable pang of unease, Tang Hao's pupils contracted sharply. He swiftly grabbed his Clear Sky Hammer, retreated rapidly, and disappeared into the sky-obscuring storm of dust and the roar of the explosion...
—Author's Notes—
It's been a while~ Mo Li is back with a new story!
I was watching the anime and seeing Senior Qin Ming die so tragically made me cry, so I furiously started a new story.
[Reading Reminders for this Story:
1. Old rules apply, don't overthink the details. Any OOCness is mine, I'll attribute it to personal interpretation unless it's a bug.
2. This time, no ships will be broken. The story is written solely to remove the regrettable "eating a bento" (dying) and achieve a complete ending. Extreme nitpickers and argument starters will be immediately ejected.
3. The female lead's ship is undecided, she might remain single throughout, depending on the situation.
4. I will try my best to portray all characters fairly. Mo Li knows that some villains might not be inherently evil. But without villains and adversaries, where would the chance for reversal and fate-changing come from?]
Lastly, please don't "raise" this story (i.e., save it for later and forget about it), it will die if you do QAQ. Even just checking in daily would be fine (whispering).