...
The night wind howled, carrying with it the soft rustling of pebbles rolling down.
In the deep valley, Xuan Hao's words, which seemed to pierce the soul, echoed for a long time on the cliff face.
Tang Hao fell completely silent.
He did not refute, did not go berserk, and did not swing the Haotian Hammer, which represented destruction, again.
After experiencing initial shock, panic, struggle, and rage, this weathered Haotian Douluo unexpectedly calmed down.
The surging light of the nine soul rings on his body gradually dimmed, and the tangible killing intent and violent soul power slowly shrank back into his body, returning to stillness.
Tang Hao slowly straightened his back, which had been hunched over for over a decade, and his deep eyes regained their coldness and rationality.
He stared directly at Xuan Hao not far away, his voice devoid of its previous irritation, replaced only by indifference:
What do you want?
"You deliberately used such hurtful words to provoke me, even bringing up old grievances that should have been buried long ago...
Why did you go to such lengths to expose my secrets?"
Before Xuan Hao could answer, Tang Hao lowered his gaze slightly, his tone carrying an undisguised threat:
"I admit, your teleportation ability is indeed troublesome.
If you are determined to escape from here, I really can't stop you in this desolate wilderness."
"but."
"Your girlfriends at the Soto City Grand Hotel are not going anywhere."
"At my speed, I can definitely get back to that hotel and capture all those girls before you teleport away and run back to Soto City."
"That little girl Ning Rongrong from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, to avoid unnecessary trouble, I really can't touch her. But what about the others?
That Na'er you treat like a sore spot, and Xiao Wu... If they fall into my hands, do you think you can still stand here like this, looking down on me and criticizing me?"
So, tell me.
"What is your purpose in going to such lengths to provoke me?"
Faced with an undisguised kidnapping threat from a Title Douluo, Xuan Hao remained calm.
Instead of showing the fear or hesitation that Tang Hao had expected, he seemed to have heard a rather unfunny joke and couldn't help but chuckle.
"What do you want?
Why go to such lengths?"
Xuan Hao casually straightened his collar and brushed off the stone dust.
"Tang Hao, aren't you taking yourself too seriously?
I'm saying all this for no ulterior motive or anything."
Meeting Tang Hao's suspicious gaze, Xuan Hao spread his hands, his smile revealing a wicked mockery:
"I don't have any other hobbies; this is just a passing fancy.
I'm particularly interested in exposing the dark and unsavory thoughts hidden in the hearts of you so-called 'big shots,' and tearing off your self-deceiving fig leaves."
"Seeing you guys stripped of your pretenses, looking angry and helpless, is quite stress-relieving."
Xuan Hao put his hands back in his pockets, took two steps forward, and stared directly into Tang Hao's eyes, retorting without mercy:
"Besides, aren't you confused about the cause and effect?
You were the one who stayed up all night, hiding in the shadows to spy on me.
You were the one who lured me to this desolate wilderness by sending a telepathic message.
And you were the one who started hitting me with a hammer without saying a word!"
"You came all this way looking for trouble, and I exposed your secrets.
Now you're asking me what I want?"
Xuan Hao sneered, his tone full of disdain:
"They came here asking for trouble, so who can they blame?"
The night was deep, and the atmosphere in the desolate valley was so heavy it seemed to drip water.
Tang Hao stared intently at Xuan Hao, the killing intent that had subsided in his bloodshot eyes surging again, deeper and colder than before.
It was a pure killing intent born of careful consideration, a decision to completely eliminate any potential threat.
"You are really smart, and sharp enough."
Tang Hao's voice was devoid of anger, replaced by a chilling calm:
"But precisely because of this, you've learned far too many secrets you shouldn't have known."
He slowly clenched his rough fists, his knuckles cracking with a teeth-grinding sound:
"Since you know me so well, even see through my thoughts... do you think I would still feel comfortable letting such a dangerous variable like you continue to live in this world?"
Tang Hao stepped forward, and the oppressive aura of a Title Douluo once again subtly locked onto Xuan Hao's location:
"Give me a reason not to kill you and let you go.
Otherwise, this place will be your burial ground tonight."
"Let me go?"
Upon hearing this condescending ultimatum, Xuan Hao was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter in anger.
"Tang Hao, have you been hiding in the mountains for too long?
Has your brain gotten rusty?"
Xuan Hao met the terrifying killing intent head-on without flinching, his eyes full of mockery:
"You talk as if you really have the ability to kill me here!"
"Indeed, I'm only level 69 right now. If it's a head-on fight, I admit I can't beat you, a battle-hardened Haotian Douluo. But just because I can't beat you doesn't mean I can't escape.
You want to kill me? It's not as easy as you think!"
Xuan Hao extended a finger, pointing in the direction of Soto City, his tone tinged with mockery:
"First, you need to figure out where you are.
This is Soto City, a major town in the Barak Kingdom, not some desolate wilderness!
Do you think that if you unleash the pressure of a Title Douluo without any restraint here, or even swing the Clear Sky Hammer and make a huge commotion, the bishops and spies stationed here by the Spirit Hall will be blind and deaf and have no reaction?"
"A Haotian Douluo who disappeared for over a decade and is listed as the Spirit Hall's number one wanted criminal has reappeared.
If something happens to me here, guess what the Heaven Dou royal family will think?
And what will the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School do?"
Seeing Tang Hao's slightly furrowed brows, Xuan Hao coldly analyzed the pros and cons for him:
"To put it bluntly, Tang Hao, do you dare to touch me now?
Are you willing to gamble with your life?"
"If something happens to me in Soto City, and you become the prime suspect, none of the people standing behind me are easy to mess with."
"Putting everything else aside, let's talk about Rongrong.
If I were to lose even a single hair, that little girl would definitely run back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School crying and begging her Sword Grandpa and Bone Grandpa to help me avenge myself."
"Do you think your crippled body, riddled with hidden injuries from the exploding ring that hasn't healed in over a decade, can withstand the combined pursuit of two peak Douluo, Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong?"
Tang Hao's eye twitched violently.
He knew his own physical condition best; if he were truly targeted by those two old monsters from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, he wouldn't even be confident of escaping unscathed.
"Moreover," Xuan Hao continued, adding insult to injury, "if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School goes to great lengths for my sake, the Spirit Hall will definitely not mind going along with it and helping them out at this time, while also eliminating you, a remnant of the past."
"Kill me? That's tantamount to forcing yourself to commit suicide under the siege of the entire continent!"
Xuan Hao looked at Tang Hao's unpredictable face.
"Of course, I know you, Tang Hao, are tough.
Even if you don't care about your own life or death, and are really crazy enough to want to die with me, you'd better think carefully about the Clear Sky Sect that you've already ruined and forced to live in seclusion, and think about your precious son, Tang San, on whom you have placed so much hope!"
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