Ning Chuan descended the back mountain with light steps, his heart filled with excitement and anticipation for the future as he headed home.
He had no idea that the brief yet pure fluctuation of light energy released during his Soul Skill test earlier was like a stone thrown into a calm lake—tiny, yet enough to disturb the giant crocodile lurking in the depths.
At the edge of Holy Soul Village, inside the most dilapidated blacksmith’s shop.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of cheap ale.
A slovenly, disheveled figure lay slumped beside the cold stove, snoring thunderously—Tang Hao, dead drunk.
However, the moment Ning Chuan tested his second Soul Skill, “Holy Radiance Judgment,” and that pure, faintly divine light energy flashed and vanished—
The snoring stopped abruptly!
Tang Hao’s tightly shut, clouded eyes snapped open!
There was no grogginess of waking, only the sharpness of a hawk and a bone-deep vigilance!
An incredibly terrifying pressure leaked uncontrollably from his broken body, causing even the dust in the air to freeze for an instant!
“Hmm?!” A short, hoarse grunt escaped his cracked lips.
That aura… though faint, was of an exceptionally high essence!
Pure, warm, yet carrying an undeniable sense of judgment…
This was no ordinary light-attribute Spirit Power!
And it certainly shouldn’t appear in Holy Soul Village!
Was it a scout from the Spirit Hall?
Had they discovered Xiao San’s anomaly?
Or were they here for me?
Countless thoughts flashed through Tang Hao’s mind in an instant, scattering the remnants of his drunkenness without a trace!
Images of Ah Yin, the Spirit Hall’s pursuit, the pain of severed limbs, the hatred of losing his wife…
The deeply buried, agonizing memories erupted like a volcano, instantly igniting the dormant violence and killing intent in his eyes that had lain quiet for years!
Whoever it was, whatever their purpose, anyone who dared to spy on this place and disturb Xiao San must die!
Whoosh!
The figure that had been slumped like mud vanished from the spot, leaving only a distorted afterimage and a faint sonic boom.
In the next moment, Tang Hao’s tall yet slightly hunched figure appeared in the mountain hollow on the back hill where Ning Chuan had just tested his Soul Skill.
His speed was ghostly fast!
Standing where Ning Chuan had stood earlier, his deep, abyss-like eyes swept sharply across the surroundings.
His terrifying spiritual power, like an invisible storm, instantly engulfed the entire hollow—every inch of soil, every leaf, every speck of dust laid bare under his perception.
In the air lingered the light aura that filled him with intense disgust and vigilance.
Though dissipating rapidly, its purity and that peculiar “judgmental” essence made him frown deeply.
“This isn’t the aura of the Angel Martial Soul… purer, more… ancient?” Tang Hao muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and icy, tinged with a trace of imperceptible doubt.
His gaze suddenly fixed on the tree trunk pierced by “Radiant Impact.”
He walked over, his rough fingers tracing the smooth, charred hole, sensing the residual purification force and scorching heat within.
“Strong offensive power, excellent penetration, with a purification effect…
It seems like a Soul Skill from some powerful light-attribute Martial Soul, but the energy level…
doesn’t seem very high?
About Soul Elder level?” Tang Hao’s brows furrowed tighter, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger, yet his confusion deepened.
A Soul Elder possessing such pure and peculiar light-attribute Martial Soul, sneaking to the back mountain of Holy Soul Village to test Soul Skills?
This was utterly absurd!
He then noticed the shrub that had been healed by ‘Endless Vitality,’ sensing the rich life energy lingering within.
“There’s also life-attribute power?
Twin Martial Souls?
Or a special composite attribute?” Tang Hao’s heart sank.
The situation seemed more complicated than he had imagined.
Finally, his gaze fell to the ground, where there were shallow footprints left by Ning Chuan as he departed, and…
an extremely faint trace of…
plant fragrance, masked by the light and life auras?
Tang Hao crouched down, pinched a bit of soil with his fingertips, and lightly sniffed it.
That faint wisp of grassy scent caused a strange glint to flash in his eyes.
“A plant Martial Soul?
Light and life-attribute Soul Skills, yet coming from a Soul Master with a plant Martial Soul?” This completely defied the common knowledge of Martial Souls on the Douluo Continent!
Unless it was an extremely rare mutation, or…
the other party deliberately concealed their true Martial Soul?
“Playing tricks!” Tang Hao snorted coldly, standing up.
His overwhelming killing intent was no longer concealed in the slightest, spreading out like a tangible force!
Boom!
A terrifying pressure instantly descended upon the entire mountain hollow!
The surrounding trees swayed violently without any wind, groaning under the strain!
The gravel on the ground trembled slightly, the air grew thick and icy, as if even the light had dimmed!
The birds, beasts, and insects inhabiting the forest instantly fell silent, trembling, instinctively sensing the arrival of utter disaster!
When a Titled Douluo rages, heaven and earth lose their color!
“Whoever you are, whoever stands behind you, since you’ve come, show yourself!” Tang Hao’s voice rumbled like rolling thunder, echoing through the mountain hollow, painfully vibrating eardrums.
He believed the other party must still be hiding nearby, using some special method to conceal their aura!
However, only the howling mountain wind and the rustling of leaves answered him.
Tang Hao waited patiently, his spiritual power spreading like a net, scanning every inch of space over and over again, leaving no clue unchecked. This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.
A quarter of an hour passed…
half an hour passed…
Apart from the rapidly dissipating residual aura and those obvious traces, he found nothing!
No hidden person, no traces of spatial fluctuations, no signs of any Soul Tool’s existence!
It was as if the person who had released the Soul Skill had appeared out of thin air and vanished just as mysteriously!
“How is this possible?!” Tang Hao’s expression turned extremely grim.
With his cultivation level, unless the other party was a peerless Douluo of the same rank and exceptionally skilled in concealment, it was absolutely impossible for them to hide completely under such meticulous scrutiny!
Could the other party truly have fled thousands of miles away?
But the residual aura indicated they had left no more than the time it takes an incense stick to burn!
What movement technique could be that fast?
Or perhaps…
the other party didn’t leave through conventional means at all?
Countless doubts and the feeling of being toyed with caused Tang Hao’s inner fury and killing intent to burn to their peak, yet with nowhere to vent!
He suddenly slammed a fist into the large tree that had been pierced nearby!
Boom!!
A deafening roar echoed as the massive tree, thick enough to require two people to embrace, along with the large expanse of mountain rock behind it, seemed to be struck by an invisible giant hammer.
In an instant, it was reduced to fine powder, scattering into the air like a cloud of dust!
A crater several meters deep appeared in its place, as if a meteor had crashed into the earth!
Tang Hao’s chest heaved violently, his eyes bloodshot as he gasped for breath, his gaze fixed intently on the now-empty mountain hollow.
In the end, he forcibly suppressed the nearly uncontrollable rage and killing intent surging within him.
The opponent’s methods were bizarre, their intentions unclear, but they did not seem to have directly targeted the village or Xiao San.
For now, the enemy was hidden while he was exposed—it was unwise to reveal too much.
But he would never let this go!
“No matter where you hide, I will find you…” Tang Hao’s voice was as cold as eternal ice, carrying a terrifying resolve.
“Any factor that threatens Xiao San’s safety must be completely eliminated!”
After one last sweeping glance over the devastated mountain hollow, his figure flickered and vanished like a ghost, leaving only the land ravaged by terrifying power, silently bearing witness to the overwhelming fury of a Titled Douluo.
Night had completely enveloped Holy Soul Village.
Ning Chuan, at home, was excitedly planning for the future, completely unaware of the earth-shattering storm that had erupted on the back mountain—all because of him.
He was even more unaware that he had inadvertently stepped to the edge of a forbidden zone—a line that a father, a former peak powerhouse, would never allow anyone to cross.
The threads of fate quietly intertwined.
Crisis had already been sown.