"Damn it! I've been deceived by Bibi Dong again!"
Tang Hao's heart sank as he saw the sudden appearance of Bibi Dong and the other Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall. Rage flared within him. This treacherous woman must have already known he was hiding in the Strength Clan's residence after the last encounter!
Realizing his location had been compromised, Tang Hao shot into the sky, abandoning all attempts at concealment.
Once in the air, he was met with a daunting sight: a total of ten Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall. Aside from the familiar faces of Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, and the familiar elders Qianjun Douluo and Jianglong Douluo, there were now four additional male and one female Douluo with them.
Tang Hao's face darkened, his expression hard and cold.
"Ten Titled Douluo... Spirit Hall must think highly of me, sending such a force."
Though Tang Hao was proud, even he couldn't deny the overwhelming odds stacked against him. He had barely survived their last encounter against five Titled Douluo. If not for Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's timely intervention—his notorious "fart bomb" attack that had released a putrid stench so vile it forced the Spirit Hall Douluo to retreat—Tang Hao might have been killed that day.
But this time was different. Spirit Hall had clearly come prepared. There would be no chance of replicating the last escape.
"Spirit Hall... you truly are persistent!"
Tang Hao growled, his eyes sweeping over the ten Titled Douluo, his voice dripping with venom.
"Hmph. Persistent? Spirit Hall merely seeks to rid the world of a dangerous menace," Bibi Dong retorted, holding her Pope's scepter with regal poise. A cold smile spread across her striking features as she continued, "Your son, Tang San, is nothing more than a demon from beyond our realm. His very existence threatens the safety of our world. We are doing what must be done to protect the people of Douluo Continent—this is justice."
"That's utter nonsense!" Tang Hao roared in anger. "I know my son better than anyone! He's no demon, and this 'demon' story is nothing more than slander from that wretch Lin Yu!"
His fury mounting, Tang Hao pointed accusingly at Bibi Dong. "When has any evidence ever been shown of my son bringing harm to the Douluo Continent? You have none! All of this is baseless!"
With his words filled with outrage, Tang Hao's aura surged as he summoned his Clear Sky Hammer, gripping the mighty weapon tightly. His nine soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, and red—shone menacingly, encircling him like a halo of deadly power.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Strength Clan's residence...
Upon seeing how swiftly Spirit Hall had located Tang Hao, Yang Wudi erupted in fury. He turned on Tai Tan, his finger pointing accusingly at the figure now hovering in the air.
"Old Gorilla! This is what you meant when you said Tang Hao and his son weren't here?!" he shouted in disbelief.
"Old Goat, I—" Tai Tan stammered, his voice faltering as his wrinkled face twisted into a pained grimace. But in the end, all he could do was shake his head, his expression heavy with regret.
He had sheltered Tang Hao before fully understanding the man's true nature. By the time he realized the danger, it was too late to turn back.
"Let's not be too quick to blame Old Gorilla," Niu Gao interjected, stepping between the two. "If Tang Hao had been hiding here for a long time, by the time Tai Tan realized what kind of man Tang Hao truly was, it was already too late. There wasn't much he could do."
Yang Wudi grumbled under his breath but eventually nodded. "Is that what happened, Old Gorilla?" he asked Tai Tan, who responded with a sad nod.
In the sky, Tang Hao stood firm, his Clear Sky Hammer radiating immense power. "If you want to kill me and my son, Spirit Hall, then come at me! Let's see if you have the strength!" he bellowed, ready for battle.
The Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall responded in kind, their cold smiles reflecting their readiness to strike.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo, activate your Martial Spirit!" Yue Guan cried out, his voice filled with malicious glee.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Spirit Avatar!"
"Ghost Martial Spirit, merge!" Gui Mei followed suit.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Spirit Avatar!"
"Coiling Dragon Staff, awaken!" roared another, as one by one, the powerful Spirit Hall Douluo summoned their Martial Spirits, unleashing the full might of their avatars.
Besides the familiar faces of Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, Qianjun Douluo, and Jianglong Douluo, five more Titled Douluo had joined the fray: Porcupinefish Douluo, Serpent Spear Douluo, Ghost Leopard Douluo, Demon Bear Douluo, and Flame Eagle Douluo. These five had recently advanced to the rank of Titled Douluo, with cultivation levels ranging from rank 91 to 92.
"Prepare to die, Tang Hao!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo moved as one, their voices booming in unison: "Martial Spirit Fusion Technique—Two Yi Stasis Field!"
Golden and black auras collided in midair, forming a massive pillar of brilliant gold and silver light that shot toward the heavens. The enormous dual-colored ring expanded rapidly from the light column, encompassing everything within its radius.
The space around the Strength Clan's residence seemed to freeze in place as the Stasis Field took hold.
"Not good! Move!" Tai Tan shouted, his voice trembling with urgency. He, Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, and Bai He wasted no time, retreating as fast as they could to escape the rapidly expanding battlefield.
In the sky above, Tang Hao felt the oppressive power of the Two Yi Stasis Field bearing down on him. But he wasn't one to back down. With a furious roar, he activated his Clear Sky Hammer's Martial Spirit Avatar, summoning the full force of his Killing God Domain to shield himself from the stasis effect.
As Tang Hao pushed back against the fusion technique, Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes.
"So, you think your Killing God Domain can protect you?" she sneered.
With a wave of her Pope's scepter, two waves of energy—one cold and white, the other black and filled with the aura of decay—spread from her body, extending outward with terrifying speed. In mere moments, Bibi Dong's Killing God Domain and Death Domain engulfed the surrounding area.
This time, Bibi Dong wasn't holding back.
During their previous encounters, she had refrained from using her full strength. There had still been remnants of her feelings for Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, as well as a lingering debt to settle with Tang Hao for avenging her mentor, Chihiro Ji.
But now, those ties had been severed.
Bibi Dong's heart was filled only with cold hatred. There would be no mercy for Tang Hao today.