The Clear Sky Clan's assembly hall buzzed with excitement as disciples gathered for an unprecedented meeting.
"Tang Yu, I challenge you!"
At Tang San's declaration, Tang Yu's lips curled into a smirk as he looked at him with undisguised contempt.
This outcome had been expected. The moment the Second Elder laid out the terms, Tang Yu had known—given Tang San's personality—there was a 100% chance he would pick him.
Being publicly humiliated with a slap had left Tang San desperate to save face. Judging by his previous behavior...
"I've been marked for death again." Ye Hao chuckled inwardly.
"Tang Yu," the Second Elder asked solemnly, "Tang San has challenged you. Do you accept?"
"Of course."
With that, Tang Yu strode to the center of the hall, locking eyes with Tang San.
The disciples quickly cleared the area, forming a wide circle around them.
"Tang Yu, don't hold back! Beat this trash to death!"
"Show him the might of the Clear Sky Clan!"
"You're our only hope! Make him crawl out of here!"
The crowd's cheers for Tang Yu were deafening, their hostility toward Tang San palpable.
"You...!" Tang San's fists trembled. Every word felt like a personal insult.
Tang Yu summoned his Clear Sky Hammer, its six soul rings gleaming as he rested it on his shoulder.
"What's wrong, trash? Want to say we all 'deserve death'?" He laughed mockingly. He knew Tang San's mentality all too well—especially those hypocritical "rules" from the Mysterious Heaven Record.
Tang San gritted his teeth but remained silent.
Then, he turned to the Second Elder. "Elder, do you remember the three conditions you set a year ago?"
The Second Elder nodded. "First, bring back the head of a Spirit Hall Titled Douluo. Second, kill their young master, Ye Hao. Third, reach rank 80 within ten years with a 100,000-year soul ring. Why? Regretting it already?"
Tang San sneered. "Ye Hao and I share an irreconcilable hatred. I don't regret anything. I merely wished to remind you—lest you forget."
"Arrogant!" The Seventh Elder erupted.
And yet, Tang San had the capital to be arrogant. With the Sea God's relic, the Slaughter Domain, and a future godhood awaiting him, his confidence wasn't unfounded.
Meanwhile, the actual Ye Hao (disguised as Tang Yu) could only shrug.
Oh? You think you're special? Try inheriting two god positions—Death God and Asura God—then talk.
Seeing Tang San's conceit, Tang Yu shook his head. This man had already lost.
"Is that so?" The Second Elder's voice was icy as he sat back down. "Tang Yu, show no mercy. Unleash the full might of our Clear Sky Clan. Let's see what gives him the right to boast."
"Understood."
"Tang Yu," Tang San snarled, "this time, I'll shatter every bone in your body. Let you taste what I endured!"
His six soul rings flared as Blue Silver Grass erupted across the floor.
"No need." Tang Yu smirked. "My bones are tougher than my fate. Since you've come all this way, I've prepared a special 'fracture gift pack' for you. And trust me—a month in bed won't be enough to recover."
The tension was suffocating.
"Using Blue Silver Grass against the Clear Sky Hammer? Overestimating yourself," the Seventh Elder scoffed before shouting:
"Tang Yu! No holding back! Cripple him if you must—I'll take responsibility. But if you lose, I'll confine you for a year!"
His ultimatum underscored the stakes.
"Last time, you had Tang Long and Tang Hu helping you. Now, you're alone!" Tang San roared. "Face my wrath!"
His Blue Silver Grass writhed like bloodthirsty spears.
"'Let thunder shatter darkness'? Cute."
Tang Yu remained unfazed. With four 100,000-year soul bones (one being an external bone) and the Death God's Heart masking his aura, even Titled Douluos couldn't see through his disguise.
Tang San has the Sea God's relic, but I've got Asura God's power and Death God's Heart. He'll never see 'Ye Hao' coming.
"Third Soul Skill: Spiderweb Restraint!"
A blue orb shot from Tang San's palm, exploding midair into countless vines that lashed toward Tang Yu. One coiled around his hammer; another pinned his feet.
Control-type soul masters were tricky—and as a Soul Emperor, Tang San's mastery was formidable.
"Let me teach you humility!" Tang San lunged, fist blazing with fury.
Yet—
Smack!
Tang Yu caught the punch effortlessly.
"Allow me to correct you," he said coldly. "You can be arrogant... if you've got the strength to back it up."
His left leg stomped—
CRACK!
The ground shattered. The vines binding him snapped.
Then—
WHAP!
A resounding slap sent Tang San reeling, his face burning, vision swimming.
---
Tang San's face twisted in rage, his entire body trembling with fury. "You... how dare you—"
SMACK!
Another resounding slap from Tang Yu cut him off mid-sentence. "Less talking, more fighting," Tang Yu sneered before delivering a powerful kick that sent Tang San rolling over a dozen meters away.
The Clear Sky Clan disciples erupted in cheers.
"Well done, Tang Yu!"
"Beat that bastard senseless!"
"Teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"
Only Clan Master Tang Xiao remained grim-faced, his fists clenched as he watched the scene unfold with a heavy sigh.
The Seventh Elder, however, nodded approvingly. "Excellent! This is exactly what he needs to understand the Clear Sky Clan's might."
Wiping blood from his split lip, Tang San's face bore the clear imprint of five fingers. "Tang Yu... you've... earned... your... death!" he spat, summoning his Clear Sky Hammer as the Slaughter Domain activated around him.
A chilling aura of killing intent spread through the hall as Tang San's eyes glowed crimson, his hammer radiating a sinister red light.
Tang Yu (actually Ye Hao in disguise) internally sighed. The Slaughter Domain? He knew it all too well - after all, he possessed it himself. But revealing it now would blow his cover.
Glancing at the hammer in his hand, Tang Yu suppressed a smile. While Tang San might have the Sea God's relic, he himself had four 100,000-year soul bones - and the combined power of Death God and Shura God's energies masking his presence.
The two hammers collided with an earth-shaking CLANG!, sending shockwaves that forced spectators to cover their ears. To everyone's surprise, it was Tang San who staggered back dozens of steps, his right arm trembling violently as blood dripped from his grip.
"Such strength..." Tang San muttered through gritted teeth, reassessing his opponent.
Tang Yu deliberately retreated a shorter distance, maintaining the facade of an even match. He had to play this carefully - while he could easily overpower Tang San, revealing his full strength might alert the clan's elders.
"A close match?"
"Didn't expect Tang San to hold his own."
"Come on Tang Yu! You can do it!"
As the disciples cheered, Tang Yu launched his counterattack, executing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique with perfect form. His soul bones' power circulated through his body like a blazing furnace, enhancing every movement.
Tang San desperately tried to control the battlefield with his Blue Silver Grass, but the vines stood no chance against Tang Yu's onslaught.
"Trash martial soul, trash soul master," Tang Yu taunted as his hammer shattered the defensive vines before connecting squarely with Tang San's chest.
CRACK!
The sound of breaking ribs echoed through the hall as Tang San was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth.
"I won't accept this!" Tang San roared through the pain, activating the Clear Sky Nine Absolute technique. His hammer pulsed with dark energy as he fought back desperately.
Their battle raged across the hall, hammers clashing again and again. Every attempt Tang San made to use his Blue Silver Grass was effortlessly countered. Without the Blue Silver Emperor evolution, his vines remained pitifully weak against a true expert.
Tang Yu's hammer now glowed faintly with Asura God's power as he prepared to end the fight.
"You're only the second person to push me this far," Tang San panted, multiple bones already broken. Without the Sea God's relic's protection, he'd have been defeated long ago.
"Who was the first?" Tang Yu asked mockingly.
"There won't be a first for long!" Tang San's forehead suddenly shone with blue light as he prepared to unleash the Sea God's relic's power.
Realizing the danger, Tang Yu moved with lightning speed - enhanced by two 100,000-year leg bones - intercepting Tang San before the relic could activate.
"You're finished!" Tang San grinned maniacally.
But to his utter shock, Tang Yu's hand clamped down on his forehead, physically preventing the relic's release.
"What... what are you doing?" Tang San's eyes widened in genuine fear for the first time.
Tang Yu gave no reply, instead bringing his hammer down on Tang San's wrist with a sickening CRUNCH!
"AAAAAHHHH!" Tang San's agonized scream filled the hall as bones shattered.
But Tang Yu wasn't done.
"Not enough!"
He continued his merciless assault, each blow punctuated by Tang San's increasingly pitiful cries.
The Second Elder watched with quiet approval while the Seventh Elder cheered enthusiastically. Tang Xiao could only shake his head in resignation, and Tang Yuehua wept silently as she witnessed her nephew being beaten within an inch of his life...