Every one of these items was shrouded in a faint aura of blood, their hidden sharpness seeming as though it might erupt at any moment. Even those present who were—or had once been—Titled Douluo-level powerhouses felt an instinctive sense of dread gazing upon these metal components.
"He succeeded. He truly completed a masterpiece bestowed by heaven itself. Senior Lou Gao, you... why did you have to be so obsessed..."
Those dark silver nails and components—they were the parts of the Rainstorm Pear Needles! Tang San had always felt that his research on the Rainstorm Pear Needles was missing something. Now he finally understood. What shocked him even more was that in just a few short years, Lou Gao had not only figured everything out but had actually done it. The key was that when the Rainstorm Pear Needles were being formed, one had to use the blood essence of a human to unlock the sharpness of the deep-sea sunken silver mother ore—only then could this premier mechanical hidden weapon under heaven be completed!
Tang San placed the wooden box reverently on the table from before, raised both hands, and caressed the dark silver components with deep emotion. Suddenly, his hands began to move, sweeping through the box like an illusion. Each dark silver part seemed to come alive as it leapt from the box, spiraling within the phantom trails of his fingers.
A string of crisp metallic sounds rang out, echoing in everyone's ears like a beautiful melody. When Tang San's hands came to rest, a cylinder roughly a foot long lay in his palms. Unlike the previous cylinder engraved with hidden peacock patterns, this dark silver cylinder bore only two large characters—Lou Gao. Those characters were formed by dark blood-red patterns, made from the true blood of the divine artificer Lou Gao.
With utmost care, he placed the cylinder back into the wooden box. Tang San took three steps back, dropped to his knees with a thud, and performed three full bows with nine kowtows toward the box.
Lou Gao, who had devoted his entire life to the art of forging, absolutely deserved this gesture of respect—and it was the only way Tang San could pay his respects.
In just five short years, Lou Gao had successfully forged the three great peerless mechanical hidden weapons of the
Closing the wooden box, Tang San did not store it away in his Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night. Instead, he cradled it in his arms and sat back down in his seat. Deep sorrow shone in his eyes, and for the longest time he could not compose himself. Had he known beforehand that Lou Gao would pay with his life, he would rather not have had these peerless hidden weapons at all.
Tang Xiao did not try to console Tang San, nor did
Tang Xiao swept his gaze across everyone's faces, his expression solemn. "Hao, First Elder, fellow Elders. The First Elder's words the other day were truly thought-provoking. Our Clear Sky Sect cannot remain silent any longer. The sect our ancestors left behind cannot be allowed to perish in our hands. I propose that the sect make its return. Does anyone object?"
No one spoke. The gazes of all five elders fell upon Tang San. They all knew that whether the Clear Sky Sect could rise again hinged entirely on him.
"Tang San." Tang Hao gave a sharp shout, jolting Tang San out of his grief. He looked up at his father seated across from him. In that moment, it was as if he once again saw the sternness his father had wielded in the past.
Suppressing his emotions, Tang San took a deep breath and finally stored the wooden box away in his Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night. Only then did he face the others squarely.
"I have been away from the sect for five years, and away from the continent for five years as well. On my way back, I heard certain news. At the same time, I also fought once with the former Pope of Spirit Hall—the current Empress of the Spirit Empire,
The moment these words left his lips, everyone was stunned.
Tang San continued, "However, even if she has reached level ninety-nine, I am confident I can at least hold her in check. So her individual existence is not what's truly frightening. What's truly terrifying is the Spirit Empire's overall strength. Or rather, the collective strength of all the Soul Masters the Spirit Empire possesses."
"I have said before that the Spirit Empire controls over eighty percent of all Soul Masters, and that was no empty claim. It is precisely for this reason that whether facing the Tian Dou Empire or the Xing Luo Empire, it holds an absolute advantage. However, the two great empires are not without the strength to mount a direct defense. The key lies in how they defend."
"If our sect makes its return, we will inevitably side with the Tian Dou Empire. Although we no longer possess the might we once had, the fact is that with all five elders having become Titled Douluo, the Clear Sky Sect's overall strength has not diminished—it has actually increased. We will surely serve as a shot in the arm for the Tian Dou Empire against the Spirit Empire. Therefore, I believe the matter of our return should be done sooner rather than later. We need to establish contact with the Tian Dou Empire as quickly as possible. The Spirit Empire is currently integrating the forces of those kingdoms and principalities, and once that integration is complete, war will erupt once more. Given the Spirit Empire's current position, they have completely cut off the Tian Dou Empire and the Xing Luo Empire from each other. When they launch their offensive, they will inevitably defend on one front while attacking on the other. Although the Tian Dou Empire's overall national power is inferior to that of the Xing Luo Empire, it has the support of the
After hearing Tang San's words, everyone nodded in agreement. Tang Xiao said, "Good, then it's settled. There's nothing much to prepare in the sect. In three days, we'll head straight for Tian Dou City. As for establishing contact with the Tian Dou Empire..."
Tang San nodded and said, "Leave that to me. I'll depart right after I restore Father's missing limb."
"Restore his missing limb?" Tang Xiao and the five elders looked at Tang San, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Tang San rose to his feet,
"What more is there to say? Come on." Tang Hao tore off the sleeve of his empty right arm, revealing the stump that had long since healed. His eyes, gleaming with a steel-like sheen, seemed to foretell that the Titled Douluo Hao Tian—the man who had once dared to slay even the Pope of Spirit Hall—had returned.
When facing an enemy, Tang San never hesitated for even a moment. But now, the one before him was his own father. Looking at the shoulder where Tang Hao's arm was missing, two streams of heat rushed into his eyes, and his right hand, gripping the Sea God's Trident, trembled ever so slightly.
Tang Hao shot his son a glare. "What's there to hesitate about? I was able to sever my own arm—do you think I'm afraid of a little pain?"
Tang San drew a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut, paused for a single second, then snapped them open. In that instant, his gaze was filled with an icy calm. The Sea God's Trident in his right hand swept down like a bolt of black lightning. Blood sprayed as the scarred stump on Tang Hao's right shoulder—along with bone, muscle, and blood vessels—was cleanly sliced off by a full inch. That inch was nothing more than the excess flesh that had grown after the original amputation. The massive Sea God's Trident, wielded by Tang San, cut with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel.
Tang Hao's expression didn't change. The gaze he fixed on his son held only encouragement, as if the Sea God's Trident were cutting through something that had nothing to do with his own body.
Tang San's eyes remained impossibly calm. With a wave of his left hand, he unleashed
Without a moment's hesitation, Tang San pressed the right-arm Soul Bone directly against the cross-section of Tang Hao's severed arm. The brilliant golden Sea God's brand on his forehead blazed with light, and a beam of Sea God's radiance shone down upon the point where the bones were to be joined.
Blood spurting from Tang Hao's wound had already stained Tang San's hands and the Soul Bone a deep red. Fortunately,
A blue-gold radiance simultaneously ignited from Tang San's right leg, traveling upward along his body until it reached his left hand, which held the Soul Bone, and then flowing rapidly into Tang Hao's wound.
Strangely enough, the moment the Sea God's light enveloped the bone, golden mist began to rise from the junction of Tang Hao's severed arm and the Soul Bone. Tang Hao, who had been able to maintain his composure until now, could not help but furrow his brow sharply—evident proof of the excruciating pain he was enduring. Then, as the blue-gold light from Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone reached the wound, the blood that had been gushing just a moment before stopped instantly. The intense blue-gold radiance completely enveloped Tang Hao's severed arm and the right-arm Soul Bone.
From the moment Tang San swung the Sea God's Trident to the moment the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone's energy halted the bleeding, the entire process had taken no more than a few blinks. Tang San's movements were as though he had rehearsed them thousands of times—he had not allowed Tang Hao to lose a single extra drop of blood.
Watching the blue-gold light spread, Tang Hao's expression gradually relaxed. Tang Xiao and the five elders of the Hao Tian Sect could not hide their expressions of awe. This was a divine technique they had witnessed for the very first time. Before this, they had never even heard that a removed Soul Bone could be re-implanted.
Tang Hao was already formidable enough, but what his son had just demonstrated surpassed even Tang Hao's former prowess. The five elders' expressions had turned from their earlier sourness to one of understanding—even the lingering displeasure of having lost to Tang San was gradually giving way to joy. It was as though they could already see the Hao Tian Sect returning to the pinnacle of the continent, guided by this father and son duo.
Tang San produced a pill from his Myriad Treasure Pouch—one he had personally refined to strengthen the body's foundations—and placed it in his father's mouth. At the same time, he planted the Sea God's Trident into the ground, freeing his right hand to grip his father's left wrist pulse and monitor the changes in Tang Hao's body.
Soon, Tang San's expression also relaxed. Everything had gone even more smoothly than he had anticipated. During the years he had spent on Sea God Island, Ah Yin had been using her knowledge of plants to feed Tang Hao the various spirit herbs growing around the Twin Flame Springs. Combined with the fact that Tang Hao now knew his wife might be revived, his mentality had shifted from what it once was. His body had been nurtured remarkably well—despite having lost both limbs, his blood and vital energy were even more robust than before. Therefore, although he had lost a bit of blood, his body had suffered no real impact. Of course, this was also closely tied to the flawless technique Tang San had displayed during the limb reattachment.
Beneath the blue-gold radiance, others could not see it, but both Tang Hao and Tang San could feel Tang Hao's right arm slowly regrowing. The Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone's "Wildfire Burns Unending, Spring Wind Blows New Growth" ability was being performed to perfection under Tang San's precise spiritual control. Meanwhile, as the right arm gradually recovered, Tang San also channeled a stream of pure and gentle
A full half-hour passed, yet Tang Xiao and the five elders felt no impatience whatsoever. To bear witness to such a miraculous scene filled them with a sense of pride.
Finally, when the blue-gold light faded, a right arm had fully regrown from Tang Hao's right shoulder. If one had to note any difference, this newly grown arm was rather pale and smooth, its skin tone slightly different from the rest of Tang Hao's body.
Tang Hao gazed at his right arm with a hint of wonder and clenched his right fist. Soul Power flowed into the arm, and a faint black glow emanated from it. The shoulder that had been blocked by the severed limb could finally complete its cultivation cycle once more. The sensation of the Soul Bone integrating with his body, brimming with power, nearly caused his Soul Power to surge from level seventy-nine back above level eighty in a single instant. What astounded him even more was that this newly grown right arm carried not a shred of discomfort—it was nimble, powerful, exactly as it had been before the amputation. Even the full energy of his Soul Bone had completely fused with his body.
This went beyond what "Wildfire Burns Unending, Spring Wind Blows New Growth" alone could achieve, given that Tang Hao had been missing his arm for six or seven years. The reason such a perfect result had been attained the moment it was restored was thanks to the Sea God's Light. The Sea God's Light had made this restoration process absolutely perfect.
While Tang Hao was rejoicing over his recovered right arm, Tang San's Sea God's Trident had already sprung into action once more. The same procedure was carried out on Tang Hao's left leg. Restoring the entire left leg took a full hour, and Tang Hao endured even greater pain.
Yet with the perfectly restored right arm as his spiritual anchor, he appeared somewhat more at ease during the process of restoring his left leg. It was only after the left leg was fully recovered that his complexion turned noticeably pale. After all, although the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone had transferred considerable energy to him, the entire restoration process also drew upon his own blood and vital energy. Reattaching two limbs still placed a considerable demand on Tang Hao's reserves.
Tang San gave his father another pill. Under Tang Xiao's arrangements, Tang San accompanied Tang Hao to a quiet chamber, instructing his father to begin cultivating immediately. One purpose was to clear the meridians and restore the original cultivation cycle. The other was to take advantage of the two Soul Bones' reintegration to recover as much of his lost Soul Power as possible.
The moment they stepped out, Ah Yin and
Tang San sat down with his father in the quiet chamber, positioning himself behind Tang Hao. He told Tang Xiao to ensure that no one disturbed them. Then, placing both hands against his father's back, he unleashed the full power of the Sea God's Light, enveloping his father completely to assist him in his cultivation.
Tang San's Soul Power and vital essence were incredibly powerful, and combined with the Sea God's Light—a power that belonged to a god—they were undoubtedly of tremendous benefit to Tang Hao's recovery.
"Dad, relax your Soul Power and don't resist the Soul Power I'm sending into your body. Let both your body and mind go completely relaxed. No matter what you feel, don't mobilize your Soul Power to resist the flow of mine."