The three people in the house were each immersed in their own cultivation.
At this moment, Shi Hao no longer appeared defeated or disheartened.
Instead, he exuded a heroic spirit, looking much more like a demigod.
Previously, he had considered giving up altogether. His wife was gone, and with two young children, what was left to avenge?
Fighting them head-on was out of the question. Even though he had managed to kill two demigods from the Sun and Moon Divine Hall, he wasn't foolish.
He understood well that the two demigods he killed were likely the weakest in the Sun and Moon Divine Hall.
Surely, there were stronger experts within, and he knew that if he went alone, he would only become prey, not an avenger.
Reflecting on the past, a sense of unease filled him. He thought:
"Wait a minute... didn't the Sun and Moon Divine Hall announce that I killed the previous Sun Master? After that, I supposedly caused both the Kai Tian Sword Sect and Thunder Hammer Sect to close off, isolating themselves from the outside world.
But it makes no sense. How could the Sun Master die so easily? Back then, I was only at level 91, while he was at least level 95. How could he die with a single strike? Could someone else have framed me for it? But no matter—it doesn't change things. Sooner or later, I'll kill him, even if someone else did it first."
The Sun and Moon Divine Hall was led by two top positions with equal authority: the Sun Master and the Moon Master.
They were part of the same family lineage, although divided over time due to inheriting different martial souls.
Even after thousands of years of separation, they remained members of the same clan.
Thinking about the Thunder Hammer Sect, he recalled something:
"There was someone else who broke through to the demigod level around the same time as I did, a person named Li Hao from the Thunder Hammer Sect.
He also had a wife who was a soul beast in human form, though I'm not sure of her type. I heard he seriously injured the Moon Master, and then the Thunder Hammer Sect met the same fate as the Kai Tian Sword Sect, closing off from the world.
Strange, though. The Moon Master was only at level 92, so being severely injured isn't surprising. But the Sun Master, at level 95… That's different. Never mind, though.
I'll go find Li Hao and try to convince him to join me in taking revenge on the Sun and Moon Divine Hall. His talent isn't inferior to mine. He'd definitely make a strong ally."
With this decision, Shi Hao left his home and began searching for any sign of Li Hao.
He figured that Li Hao might also be hiding somewhere, in the same state of despair.
As he searched, he drafted an outline of what he would say. Why draft a plan?
Because he was devising a strategy to persuade the Thunder Hammer demigod, and he needed to be fully prepared to… convince him.
After running around for three weeks, he finally arrived at his destination. He thought:
"Luckily, I had the intelligence support from the Kai Tian Sword Sect. Otherwise, finding him would've been nearly impossible.
But it's strange—surely, the Sun and Moon Divine Hall has long been aware of both him and me. Why haven't they sent anyone to hunt us down?"
"Ah, I think I understand now. To them, we're just a pair of useless, dispirited demigods, lacking any real vitality. Why bother chasing us?
Besides, hunting us would mean risking their top forces in battle. It's easier to leave us to rot away. After all, if we simply grow old and die, neither of our two great sects would go all-out against them."
So ruthless—truly devious! Only now did he fully comprehend the Sun and Moon Divine Hall's plan.
Previously, his own despair had blinded him to it, ironically working in their favor.
Reflecting on the situation, he could now clearly see the benefits the Sun and Moon Divine Hall gained.
First, the two most prominent sects of the two empires were forced into isolation, removing any competitors vying for influence and resources.
Second, they managed to avoid expending resources to eliminate the two prodigies of the century from these powerful sects.
"Damn it! How could I have been so blind before? I allowed the enemy to benefit so immensely from our misfortune."
In total, five demigods had perished, yet the Sun and Moon Divine Hall had only gained from it.
Apart from the unexpected death of the Sun Master, the deaths of the other four were entirely premeditated.
Shi Hao wasn't naive, those four fallen demigods were the lowest in power, and they were also old and past their prime.
Keeping them alive would have only drained resources from the Sun and Moon Divine Hall for as long as they lived.
Rather than let these old demigods drain resources and simply wait to die, the Sun and Moon Divine Hall decided to send them off to their deaths in battle.
Even if they didn't die, they would return gravely wounded, shortening their remaining years, which meant even more saved resources.
By investing these spared resources in cultivating new talents, they were ensuring a stronger future for their ranks.
In short, both Li Hao and Shi Hao had been sold out to benefit their enemy, even aiding them in the process.
From the start, the Sun and Moon Divine Hall's higher-ups hadn't been overly concerned about the two 100,000-year soul beasts. Their main objective was to get rid of bad personnel.
As for these two, both had lost their wives, their sects were sealed off, and they themselves were barely surviving, living no better than beggars.
The only word that could describe these once supreme talents was: Tragic!
With his clarity of mind restored, Shi Hao clenched his fists, his bloodshot eyes filled with fury as he forced out each word:
"Sun... Moon... Divine... Hall! I will make you pay for this."
He immediately flew off to find Li Hao's home. His goal was to convince him quickly, so they could grow stronger and seek revenge together.
As for why his wife's true identity had been exposed, Shi Hao had a good guess.
Normally, a demigod wouldn't see through it, but he knew that the Sun and Moon Divine Hall possessed divine-grade martial souls.
Under usual circumstances, no one would believe in the existence of a divine-grade martial soul, but in this situation, it was the only plausible explanation.
At that moment, Li Hao lay sprawled on his bed, a look of apathy toward life on his face. Suddenly, he sat up and went outside.
"Father, where are you going?" a soft, innocent voice called out.
A young child, no more than three years old, looked at Li Hao with a gaze as harmless as could be.
This child seemed far too mature for his age—probably 99.97% chance he was someone reincarnated.
Li Hao didn't glance at him, striding out the door and taking flight as soon as he was out of his son's sight, heading toward Shi Hao.
"Who are you? You don't look like someone from the Sun and Moon Divine Hall." Li Hao asked warily.
"We share the same fate. We were both sold out, helping others profit from our loss. I'm Shi Hao, the Kai Tian demigod."
Li Hao's eyes lit up upon hearing the name. He knew of Shi Hao, as they were both prodigies of the same generation.