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Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. A bright golden stream of light pierced through the roof of the hall, shooting toward Tang Hao with incredible speed and violence. The sudden noise immediately drew everyone's attention.
While the crowd stood there stunned, Tang Hao's expression darkened. He reacted instantly, swinging his massive Clear Sky Hammer upward with a powerful force.
A loud metallic "Clang!" echoed through the room. In the next second, the golden stream of light was sent flying. It spun rapidly in mid-air before diving down and embedding itself deep into the stone floor of the hall. Everyone turned their eyes toward the object. It was a beautiful, shining golden dragon spear.
"Hehe, Clear Sky Douluo, you certainly have great power," a voice called out from above. "Today, I want to see exactly what you plan to do to the Breaking Clan."
As the voice faded, a figure dressed in blue and gold descended slowly. He drifted through the hole in the roof, bathed in sunlight and falling dust. He wore a simple but elegant martial outfit, and his posture was as straight as a pine tree.
His long blue-gold hair fluttered slightly in the breeze. His face was handsome, but his eyes carried a calm composure and a faint chill that seemed far too mature for his age. Most striking was the faint blue-gold halo glowing around him. His left eye was a calm ice-blue, while his right eye was a deep, profound emerald green.
"It's you... you rebellious son!" Tang Hao's face changed instantly when he saw the newcomer. He looked shocked and furious. He suddenly raised his hand, pointing a finger at Tang Chen, and shouted at the top of his lungs. "You're the rebellious son who worked with Spirit Hall and forgot your own ancestors! How do you have the face to even show up in front of me right now?"
Tang Hao didn't stop there. His voice was full of rage as he continued his accusations. "First, you worked with those people from Spirit Hall to steal the memento your mother left behind. Now, you've become even more daring.
You actually snuck into the Clear Sky Sect to steal our most secret technique, the Ring Explosion! How is that any different from betraying your own blood? You're the greatest disgrace to the Clear Sky Sect since it was founded! How did I, Tang Hao, give birth to such a wicked obstacle like you? You're unfaithful, unfilial, unkind, and unjust! Today, I'll clean up the Sect for everyone's sake and slaughter you myself!"
Facing Tang Hao's storm of insults and heavy accusations, Tang Chen remained unnervingly calm. He didn't flinch or look away. Instead, a small, mocking smile appeared on his lips. He didn't even look at the golden dragon spear stuck in the ground, nor did he care about the shocked looks from the people standing around them. He simply lifted his eyes and met Tang Hao's burning, angry gaze with a cold stare.
"Clean up the Sect? For the sake of the Sect?" Tang Chen let out a soft chuckle. The laughter was full of deep mockery. "My good father, Tang Hao.
Before you stand there so righteously and accuse me of being a bad son, why don't you answer a few of my questions first? Tell me, in the dozen or so years since I was born, you gave me life, but when did you ever act like a father for even one single day?"
Tang Chen stepped forward, his voice steady but sharp. "When I was four years old, I fell down in the wilderness. My arm was badly injured and became infected. I had a fever for three whole days and almost died alone.
Where were you then? Were you too busy feeling sorry for yourself because you lost your wife, or did you just not care that you had a son who needed you? When I was five, I had to learn how to set traps in the woods just to fill my stomach.
I had to dig for wild vegetables and fight wild dogs for scraps of food. In the winter, I didn't have any warm clothes and almost froze to death in a broken house. During all those times, where was my noble and powerful father? Where was the famous Clear Sky Douluo while his son was starving?"
He didn't stop. The room was silent as his words cut through the air. "When I was six and it was time for my Spirit Awakening, where were you? Were you passed out drunk at home, or were you just staring at an iron hammer in some dark corner, ignoring the world?"
Tang Chen's voice wasn't loud, but every word felt like a physical blow. He painted a cold, heartless picture of a lonely child struggling to survive while his father did nothing. Even the leaders of the other clans, like Tai Tan and Bai He, looked on with sympathy. Even the heavily injured Yang Wudi and Niu Gao stopped groaning and watched the father and son with complicated expressions.
Tang Hao opened his mouth to argue, but he seemed to lose his voice. The anger on his face began to melt into a mix of pain, guilt, and eventually, a defensive rage. He took a deep breath and finally snapped back.
"You... what do you actually know?" Tang Hao shouted, trying to justify himself. "Do you think I wanted to fail as a father? Do you think I enjoyed living with a bottle of alcohol every day, feeling lost and confused? It was Spirit Hall's fault! Spirit Hall forced your mother, Ah Yin, to her death! They are the ones who broke our family! I took you into hiding just to keep you alive.
I was depressed and in pain because I lost the woman I loved. I lived in agony every single second! You only care about your own suffering, but have you ever thought about the pain I had to deal with? I couldn't even take care of myself back then, so how was I supposed to take care of you?"
As he spoke, Tang Hao seemed to convince himself he was right. His voice grew louder and more confident. "As for the Clear Sky Sect... closing the gates was the only choice we had. We had to preserve our strength so we could get revenge later. Sacrifices had to be made! Should the entire Sect have died just for the two of us? That was the decision made by the Elders and the Sect leaders.
What could I have done to change that? But look at you! You can't understand the hardships your father went through or the Sect's difficult situation. Instead, you hold a grudge and become a traitor! You joined Spirit Hall and stole the Ring Explosion technique. You truly are ungrateful!"
Tang Chen looked at Tang Hao with eyes that held no love at all. There was only cold disappointment. "A father who never raised me has no right to stand there and talk to me about loyalty or family. You want to clean up the Sect? Fine. Come on then. Let me see the strength of the famous Clear Sky Douluo for myself."
"Rebellious son... you rebellious son!" Tang Hao was breathing heavily now, his face red and his eyes bloodshot with rage. He was humiliated that his own son was talking back to him in front of everyone. He suddenly hoisted the Clear Sky Hammer high into the air.
A dark, heavy light erupted from the hammer head as he let out a primal roar. "Since you refuse to listen and remain so stubborn, I will fulfill my duty and take you down right here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet shattered with a massive "Boom!" Tang Hao launched himself forward like a cannonball. He looked like an enraged beast, pouring every bit of his spirit power, anger, and killing intent into this one attack.
He moved so fast that his body became a blurry black afterimage, tearing through the air with a terrifying aura that felt like it could crush mountains. He flew straight toward Tang Chen in the center of the hall.
The Clear Sky Hammer wasn't just a simple weapon anymore. As he charged, the pitch-black shadow of the hammer expanded and became solid. It seemed to suck in all the light and sound in the room. It carried a suffocating wave of destruction, aiming to smash Tang Chen into dust.
The full power of an angry Titled Douluo was terrifying. The air in the hall became thick and heavy, making it hard to breathe. The massive pillars groaned under the pressure, and the stones on the floor rattled and jumped as the hammer approached.