Walking along the quiet path home, Shen An was in high spirits—until a figure appeared before him.
For a soul master, seeing in the dark was no challenge. The man before him was burly, with unkempt hair and a rough face, his eyes carrying an indescribable intensity.
Shen An recognized him immediately.
Clear Sky Douluo—Tang Hao.
Shen An's gaze sharpened. This didn't look like a friendly visit.
He subtly gestured to Tom, who instantly understood: strike first.
The two men stared at each other in silence until Tang Hao finally spoke, his voice hoarse:
"Shen An, my wife passed long ago, and now Xiao San is my only son. As a father, my greatest wish is to see him grow into a peerless powerhouse."
Tang Hao's eyes remained fixed on Shen An, completely unaware of the sneaky cat creeping behind him, quietly placing bundles of explosives at his feet—even tying a few to his legs without him noticing.
Shen An kept his expression neutral. "So, you came to me because...?"
Tang Hao's half-lidded eyes snapped open, the killing intent he'd been suppressing now laid bare.
A palpable aura of bloodlust crashed over Shen An, suffocating him, as if he stood before a god of slaughter atop a mountain of corpses.
"Yet you, who had no real quarrel with him, repeatedly opposed Xiao San—even stealing his Clear Sky Hammer!"
"Taking his hammer is no different from severing his future. Since that's the case... don't blame me for bullying the weak!"
Killing God Domain—unleashed.
The overwhelming pressure of a 95th-rank Title Douluo's soul power threatened to crush the very space around them. Nine dazzling soul rings blazed to life.
——
Far outside Heaven Dou City, Qian Daoliu strolled leisurely, admiring the scenery, when he suddenly sensed that tyrannical soul power and soaring aura.
He knew this presence all too well.
The Clear Sky Douluo who supposedly 'hammered' his son to death—Tang Hao.
Once, he had pursued this man relentlessly.
Of course, Qian Daoliu knew the truth: it was Bibi Dong who killed his son, not Tang Hao. His "chase" had merely been for show.
Did anyone truly believe a freshly promoted Title Douluo (back then) could escape a 99th-rank Limit Douluo—the closest existence to a god?
"Interesting. I spared you, yet you dare show yourself?" Qian Daoliu murmured.
In the next instant, the leisurely elder vanished—a silent shockwave rippling toward Heaven Dou City.
——
"Tom!"
Shen An didn't hesitate, gathering soul power to shout—yet no sound escaped. His voice seemed trapped in a bubble around him, echoing uselessly.
Tang Hao smirked cruelly. He'd planned this thoroughly.
The Killing God Domain blocked all sound transmission. No risk of exposure.
Seeing Shen An's mouth move without sound, Tom panicked. Something was wrong.
Without delay, the cat struck a match, lit the fuses, then bolted to Shen An's side, covering his ears.
Tang Hao's heart lurched. Where had this cat come from? How had he missed it?
The fuses burned impossibly fast. Shen An didn't wait—sword intent erupted from his Grass Blade, countless sword qi swirling protectively.
Tom had used every last explosive from his inventory. The Taffy Armory's stock, gacha pulls—all deployed.
No one could predict the blast radius.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The soundproof Killing God Domain now contained the explosion's roar—along with Tang Hao, dead-center in the detonation.
Shen An braced for the shockwave. Fifty meters was too close for this payload.
Yet miraculously, the explosion remained confined around Tang Hao, not spreading outward.
Shen An paused.
...Actually, this made sense. He recalled Tom bombing Jerry's mousehole—only for the entire house to vanish while the hole stayed intact. Tom & Jerry logic.
From the smoke came a roar: "Cough—Shen An! I'll kill you!!!"
Shen An's enhanced vision pierced the haze:
The once-disheveled Tang Hao now looked charred, flesh mangled, smoke rising from his orifices.
Tom had ignited the bombs instantly—no time for soul power defense. Tang Hao had tanked it raw.
Now, his ninth soul ring gleamed, gathering energy for a final strike.
But as the soul skill activated, Tang Hao's body convulsed violently. The explosion had worsened his already-failing health.
Rage and shame flashed in his eyes. A Titled Douluo, injured by a mere Soul Elder's trick?
Yet he didn't falter. Shen An was too dangerous—those mysterious weapons would cripple even a weaker Soul Douluo.
Shen An's face paled. A ninth soul skill—against him? What an honor.
"Tom! Kung Fu Headband!"
Simultaneously, Shen An stepped forward, pouring every ounce of soul power into his Nine-Leaf Sword Grass. Sword intent, soul power, and physical strength fused perfectly.
"Sword Art: Cloud-Severing!"
Tom donned the headband, determined to cripple this man and loot all his shiny rings.
Then—
A voice, serene as nature itself, spoke:
"Is this the Clear Sky Sect's pride? A Titled Douluo stooping to attack a child? Tang Chen's face must be rotting in shame."
A gray-robed figure materialized before the falling Clear Sky Hammer.
A single finger extended.
A wisp of golden light drifted toward the hammer.
The contrast was absurd: a massive, darkness-wreathed hammer versus a flickering golden spark.
BOOM!
The spark collided—and blossomed, its radiance intensifying, overpowering the hammer's descent.
The Clear Sky Hammer rebounded violently.
Tang Hao spat blood, his ninth soul skill overwhelmed.
When he saw the interloper's face, terror replaced his fury.
The once-domineering Tang Hao now looked like a startled rabbit.
Without hesitation, he leveraged the hammer's recoil to flee, his battered body be damned.