It wasn't far from the Tian Dou Empire's capital, Tian Dou City — roughly three hundred li to the east. Behind it rose ring after ring of mountains. But all that lay before
Wisps of cooking smoke curled up from various parts of the village. It was nearly time for the midday meal. At the village entrance, a handful of children were playing and chasing each other, while in the fields nearby quite a few people were putting away their farming tools, preparing to head back for lunch.
Tang San unfolded the sheepskin map in his hand and examined it carefully once more. He was certain he hadn't come to the wrong place. According to the map, the Clear Sky Sect was right here — this small village.
The former number one sect in the world had fallen to this?
In truth, it wasn't just him — even
With a mindset of "since I'm here, I might as well settle in," Tang San tucked away his map and strode toward the seemingly unremarkable mountain village. At the same time, a nameless sense of sorrow stirred in his heart.
Once upon a time, the Clear Sky Sect had been the foremost sect in the world of Soul Masters across Soul Land.
And now it had been reduced to hiding inside a tiny mountain village. While this was certainly effective concealment, for a family with such a powerful heritage, what a devastating blow that must be. His father's pain, Tang San suspected, stemmed largely from this very thing.
Bringing catastrophe upon the sect had certainly been his father's fault — but had his father truly had any choice at the time?
Tang San understood that, as Tang Hao's son, he would naturally lean toward his father's side on this matter. But circumstances had changed. Now was not the time to assign blame; it was time to figure out how to revive the sect and wash away the humiliation of the past.
Lost in these swirling thoughts, Tang San had already reached the entrance to the village. Just as he was about to walk in, a few middle-aged villagers — just returned from working the fields — blocked his path.
"Please leave. We don't welcome strangers here." The one who spoke was a burly middle-aged man. As he talked, his eyes swept over Tang San with open suspicion, looking him up and down.
Tang San let out a quiet mental sigh and planted his feet firmly. "I'm not a stranger. I've simply come home."
The middle-aged villager blinked. "Come home? We don't have any noble young masters around here. We're all country folk. What home could you possibly be coming back to?"
Tang San didn't need to look to sense the tension rising in the several villagers around him. Their grips on their farming tools visibly tightened. Their feet shifted subtly — he could feel them forming an implicit encirclement.
Unwilling to waste any more time here, Tang San slowly raised his left hand. Black light surged from his palm, carrying a heavy and imposing aura, as the Clear Sky Hammer materialized silently. His left hand clenched around the hammer handle, and Tang San offered a slight smile. "Does this prove it?"
When they saw the Clear Sky Hammer, the several middle-aged men froze for a moment, but their demeanor quickly relaxed considerably. When they looked at Tang San again, their eyes held little but respect.
The one who had spoken earlier ventured carefully, "May I ask which branch you belong to? I don't seem to recall having seen you before."
Tang San didn't want to get bogged down in further discussion here. "My aunt is Tang Yuehua. She sent me back."
The moment these words left his mouth, the villagers didn't dare hesitate. They hastily ushered Tang San into the village. Who was Tang Yuehua? In the entire Clear Sky Sect, apart from the Sect Master, she held the highest status — and she was the Sect Master's own sister by blood.
This small mountain village was better described as the Clear Sky Sect's outpost rather than the sect itself. Even in its current diminished state, the sect would not subject itself to such humble conditions. The people living in this mountain village were all affiliated branch family members. The true strength of the sect resided elsewhere.
Still, these branch-family sentries were quite cautious. Although the Clear Sky Hammer Tang San had produced earned their partial trust, they did not immediately take him to see anyone from the main sect.
Instead, they invited him into the village, settled him in an empty room to rest, and dispatched someone to notify the sect.
After roughly half an hour's wait, hurried footsteps sounded from outside. The door opened, and several men in gray robes appeared in the doorway.
The one at the front was broad-shouldered and wide-backed, with a straight nose and a square jaw. His short hair stood stiff as steel needles, and he looked to be about thirty years old. The muscles concealed beneath his gray robe bulged — the whole man resembled a lion tensed to spring, radiating raw, coiled power.
"So you're Tang San?" the gray-robed man asked. Sharp, piercing eyes raked over Tang San from head to toe, and his expression held not only curiosity but a trace of hostility.
Tang San was sure he didn't recognize this person and couldn't fathom where the hostility came from, but he gave a simple nod. "That's right."