Chapter 20: Death of the Supreme Pontiff, Gains from Nearly a Year of Cultivation
"Supreme Pontiff, what should we do now? That Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast has sacrificed itself. Should we continue fighting Tang Hao?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at the man roaring at the sky with some concern, a hint of fear hidden in his eyes.
Clearly, Tang Hao's previous absurd performance had left too deep an impression on him, causing him to feel the urge to retreat.
An eight-ring Tang Hao was already so ridiculous; now that he had not only become a Titled Douluo but also possessed a Hundred-Thousand-Year spirit ring, it was simply unimaginable how terrifying he would be.
Thinking a bit further, what if this guy even used a secret method to detonate that Hundred-Thousand-Year spirit ring? What then?
Chrysanthemum Douluo seriously doubted that if he walked in, he would be lucky to be carried out; he feared he wouldn't even have a complete corpse left.
Tang Hao was naturally unwilling to detonate the Hundred-Thousand-Year spirit ring that represented his wife, but Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't know that, so his fear was normal.
Qian Xunji, who had already anticipated that this operation might fail, had a cold expression, his eyes flashing with sharp killing intent.
"Let's test his strength again first. He used the Clear Sky Sect's secret Ring Explosion method earlier. Even with the sacrifice of a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast, it's impossible for him to recover so quickly."
"The spirit ring is gone, but isn't there still a Spirit Bone? Let's see if we can seize it."
What else could Gui Mei and Chrysanthemum Douluo say? They could only nod in agreement.
"Don't worry, if we really can't get it, we won't force it. We'll retreat immediately then."
Qian Xunji knew his thoughts were a bit extreme, so he comforted the two Titled Douluo beside him.
"In a moment, as soon as Tang Hao makes a move, the two of you use your Spirit Fusion Ability immediately."
Hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Gui Mei exchanged a look; this way, it seemed there might actually be a chance.
However, they were mistaken about one thing: the moment Tang Hao became a Titled Douluo, the entire situation had already spiraled out of their control.
As Tang Hao stepped forward, before they could even react, their pupils constricted as they witnessed a terrifying scene.
The first eight spirit rings, which had been restored due to the sacrifice, exploded once again. Simultaneously, the ninth blood-red spirit ring suddenly flashed.
The pitch-black giant hammer expanded wildly, looking like a small mountain peak. The blood-red spirit ring dyed the hammer the same color, exuding an overwhelming aura of ferocity.
Raise! Smash!
An all-encompassing shadow enveloped the three Titled Douluo.
This strike was comparable to a casual blow from a Rank 98 Titled Douluo... "That's how it happened. The Supreme Pontiff was gravely injured, and the two Elders almost perished. Since then, Tang Hao's name has resounded across the continent, and many Spirit Masters gave him the title: Clear Sky."
Su Haichao stopped his narration, and the room fell into a brief silence.
Tang Shan's expression changed several times. He had been immersed in his own cultivation and training during this period and hadn't expected the timeline to have progressed to this point. Presumably, Tang San had already been born by now.
The information Su Haichao received was not entirely complete. He only knew that the Supreme Pontiff and two Elders had tried to hunt down Tang Hao but returned in defeat. As for the Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast, the Blue Silver Emperor, it was clearly beyond his current level to know.
Fortunately, Tang Shan understood the original story and could roughly reconstruct the situation at that time. He just didn't know if there was a puppet master behind this grand drama.
Tang Shan rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. There were too many possibilities; he wasn't an eyewitness, so it was indeed difficult to see clearly.
"Then, Father, did you call me and my older brother back urgently because of the Supreme Pontiff?"
Tang Shan had some guesses about why his father had called him and his brother over.
"No."
Su Haichao shook his head.
"Even if the Supreme Pontiff dies from his injuries and the Holy Maiden takes over, it won't affect us. We've taken good care of that Yu Xiaogang. Besides, if he really had a deep relationship with the Holy Maiden, she wouldn't have shown zero concern for him after all this time."
Tang Shan could only sigh at his father's perspective. Indeed, most people find it difficult to understand the convoluted thinking of a psychopath.
If Tang Shan hadn't read the original work and seen a certain Supreme Pontiff's explosive behavior, he wouldn't have believed that the Supreme Pontiff had such a massive obsession with Yu Xiaogang.
But as his father said, they had never slighted Yu Xiaogang. Even when he showed up at their door and inexplicably said he wanted to take a disciple, then inexplicably left, they hadn't caused him any trouble.
Setting aside any connection Su Haichao might have with the Grandmaster, even if there were none, baselessly dealing with a city's branch hall master would cause Bibi Dong, who had just taken office and was not yet stable, to lose a large amount of support.
At most, her 'love brain' reached the level of a mental illness, but she wasn't a lunatic. She wouldn't go that far.
Su Haichao looked at the endless sky and let out a long sigh.
"I'm worried that the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall will go to war. It wouldn't be good if we were caught in the crossfire."
"I hope nothing happens to the Supreme Pontiff."
Just as Tang Shan thought of the fate of a certain unlucky Supreme Pontiff, as if they were linked by heart, a spirit tool on Su Haichao's person reacted.
He quickly took out a long-shaped communication spirit tool from his storage bracelet and activated it with spirit power.
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll immediately order the subordinates to be on high alert..."
The words of the person on the other side couldn't be heard. After about a few minutes of exchange, the communication ended.
Su Haichao put down the communication spirit tool, his face looking grim.
"The Supreme Pontiff has died after unsuccessful resuscitation."
Hearing Su Haichao's words, Tang Shan's first reaction wasn't shock or 'as expected,' but surprise.
What did he mean by 'died after unsuccessful resuscitation'? This phrase was strangely familiar. If he hadn't lived with his father for six years, he would seriously suspect if his father had also encountered a 'Mud Truck' in the past.
"The Holy Maiden Bibi Dong has taken over as the Supreme Pontiff, and Spirit Hall is preparing for war with the Clear Sky Sect."
Su Haichao's face was solemn.
"In the coming days, either stay at home or come to Spirit Hall. Don't wander around."
"Once the war starts, all sorts of monsters and demons might appear. You must stay highly alert."
Tang Shan and his brother nodded in agreement... In front of the giant angel statue, Qian Daoliu looked at the letter in his hand with a complex expression.
The elegant yet heroic handwriting and the unique Angel information undoubtedly revealed the identity of the letter's owner.
Some parts of the letter's paper had softened, clearly the result of tears falling and then drying.
Heart-wrenching! Every word was written in blood!
Reading the sorrow between his granddaughter's lines, Qian Daoliu didn't know what he should be feeling at this moment.
"Little Xue, your father was wrong, your mother was wrong, and your grandfather was also wrong. I hope you can accept it when you learn the truth."
"We are all sinners. When you become the Angel God, you can judge us all together."
"I won't let that woman surpass you, Little Xue, and become a god first. When the time comes, she and my sins will be judged by you together."
There was no one else in front of the angel statue besides Qian Daoliu, and no one heard his murmuring.
He turned around, faced the angel statue, and bowed his head in prayer.
Whether it was a blessing, a confession, or an atonement... days passed, and nothing much changed.
Training continued as usual, and cultivation continued as usual.
The conflict between the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall erupted more intensely than imagined, but it also ended more quickly than expected.
In the end, it concluded with the death of the current Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect and the sacrifice of many Clear Sky disciples. Thereafter, the Number One Sect in the world sealed its gates. The Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao, was expelled from the Sect, and subordinate forces, led by the Four Single-Attribute Families, broke away from the Clear Sky Sect one after another.
"Hahaha, I've made a Breakthrough."
Su Yuntao's laughter rang out in the courtyard. He stood with his hands on his hips, a look of unmistakable pride on his face.
"Then let's spar, Big Brother."
Along with Tang Shan's words, a fist carrying the whistling sound of wind already swung toward Su Yuntao's face.
"Little Brother, you're not playing fair! You're actually sneak-attacking me!"
Although he said this, Su Yuntao's own response was not slow.
He raised his hand and clenched his fist, muscles on his arm bulging, and collided with the incoming fist.
Bang!
The sound of physical impact was accompanied by Su Yuntao's sharp intake of breath.
"Little Brother, your fists have gotten harder again. And this skin of yours—if anyone says a Body Martial Soul is a trash Spirit, I'll have a bone to pick with them."
Quickly jumping back two steps, Su Yuntao took a stance, his expression very solemn.
"Big Brother, use your spirit power. Today, I'll try out a method I recently acquired."
Tang Shan had a faint smile on his face. His complexion was rosy, and his eyes were bright; he clearly looked like a teenager in his early teens.
The growth effect of the Body Martial Soul combined with Tang Shan's own research into training methods was simply too exaggerated. Despite being a child of less than seven years old, he looked like a youth in his early teens.
Hearing Tang Shan's reminder, Su Yuntao didn't act overconfidently. Instead, he unhesitatingly channeled spirit power into his fists and feet.
Seeing that Su Yuntao was ready, Tang Shan didn't hesitate either. He tapped his foot on the ground. Though his body didn't seem to exert much force, a small pit appeared on the ground.
Focus the Spirit, align the bones, gather strength, and then punch.
Bang!
The sound came from the unison of muscles and bones, and also from the air exploding.
Seeing such a commotion, Su Yuntao's eyelids twitched. He unhesitatingly crossed his arms in front of his chest, pushing his spirit power to the limit to prepare for the block.
Bang!
The punch struck the hardest part of his crossed arms. Su Yuntao's entire body leaned back. After diverting the force, his left leg swept out, aiming at Tang Shan.
Facing the sweeping leg, Tang Shan didn't dodge. Instead, he sank his hips, his feet seemingly rooting into the earth, remaining motionless.
The thigh collided with Tang Shan's calf, but in the end, the calf was victorious. Tang Shan's entire body didn't even wobble.
However, it wasn't over yet. Su Yuntao's hands formed claws, attacking various parts of Tang Shan's body.
Tang Shan countered every move. Each time, it seemed like the attack was just a hair's breadth away from hitting, but that tiny gap was like an insurmountable chasm.
After dozens more exchanges, Tang Shan was still calm and breathing normally, but Su Yuntao was already red-faced and struggling to keep up.
Finally, Tang Shan took the initiative to stop, allowing Su Yuntao to catch his breath.
As he took a deep breath, dense beads of sweat poured out from the pores all over his body.
If anyone had observed the battle between the two just now, they would have been shocked to find that despite the intensity of the fight, neither of them had shed a single drop of sweat throughout the entire process.
Clearly, during these days, Su Yuntao had also mastered Tang Shan's Standing Meditation method and possessed strong control over his own pores.
The so-called closing of pores might seem mysterious, but in fact, many people have experienced it—it's The Shivers.
After taking a hot bath in winter, just as you step out of the bathroom and are hit by a cold wind, you shudder and shiver. At that moment, the pores all over your body are tightly closed.
Once the pores are closed, energy is locked inside the body, and the person feels instantly clear-headed.
This is the so-called closing of pores to prevent energy leakage.
PS: Tomorrow is hunting Spirit Beasts to obtain spirit rings. Everyone, guess what the protagonist's first Spirit Beast will be. Hint: it appeared in the original work and is not a super Spirit Beast. Seeking favorites, recommendation votes, and monthly tickets. This minor author is immensely grateful.