Tang Yuehua: ∑(O_O;)
"Surprised? Didn't expect this, did you?"
...
At this moment, the atmosphere in the room was tense and awkward.
Tang Yuehua was pinned beneath Ye Hao. Her pupils shrank as she stared at him in disbelief.
"Tan... Tang Yu? No, you're... you're not Tang Yu." she cried out.
"Of course I'm not Tang Yu," Ye Hao replied with a faint smile. "Madam Yuehua, it's only been three years, and you've already forgotten me? I guess important people really do forget things easily."
"You're... Ye... Ye Hao," Tang Yuehua's face turned angry. Ye Hao—the enemy of the Clear Sky Clan. Her second brother, Tang Hao, had died at his hands.
"Good memory, Madam Yuehua. Seems you haven't forgotten me after all," Ye Hao grinned.
"How... how did you disguise yourself as Tang Yu? Where is the real Tang Yu?" she demanded.
Without hesitation, Ye Hao replied, "Tang Yu is me. Ye Hao is also me. It's always been me. I've been inside the Clear Sky Clan for three months now, and you never even noticed me. Seems my acting was pretty good, huh?"
With that, Ye Hao lifted Tang Yuehua's chin, eyeing her with interest.
"What?!" Tang Yuehua was stunned, flustered by his taunting.
The revelation struck her like lightning. Ye Hao had been in the Clear Sky Clan all this time, pretending to be Tang Yu. They had lived together for three months, and she had noticed nothing.
Even worse, the clan had passed on its secret art, the Great Sumeru Hammer, to him—and had even named "Tang Yu" as the next Clan Master.
Now that the truth had come out, Tang Yuehua was horrified. The Spirit Hall was truly terrifying. They had infiltrated the clan undetected, and Ye Hao had played the role of Tang Yu so perfectly that not even she—his aunt—had noticed. Nor had Clan Master Tang Xiao or the five elders. They had all been fooled.
"Then... where is the real Tang Yu?" she asked, a terrible foreboding in her heart.
"Dead," Ye Hao replied.
Those simple words made Tang Yuehua's eyes widen as she began to tremble, her fists clenched tightly as she glared at him.
"The Clear Sky Clan won't let you get away with this," she said through gritted teeth, tears in her eyes.
"I don't intend to let the Clear Sky Clan get away either." Ye Hao smiled, pushing her aside.
Tang Yuehua curled up in the corner, wrapping herself in a blanket.
"Ye Hao... Tell me... Was it you who set up Xiao San (Tang San)?" Her eyes were filled with tears as she stared at him.
Tang San was now being hunted by three titled Douluo elders for killing clan disciples. If nothing unexpected happened, he would surely die.
"No. I infiltrated the clan for one reason: to destroy you. But Tang San's actions truly surprised me. From the moment he entered the clan, he plotted to kill Tang Yu. Yesterday's open attack was also his doing. I merely played along—diverting three elders as part of the act."
Ye Hao climbed onto Tang Yuehua's bed, slowly approaching her.
"Don't... don't come any closer..." she said, panicking, with nowhere to run.
"Madam, you don't want anything to happen to the Clear Sky Clan, do you?" Ye Hao chuckled.
Tang Yuehua's body trembled in anger and fear.
Suddenly, she looked at him, wide-eyed. "Ye Hao... Tell me... Has the Spirit Hall already attacked the Clear Sky Clan?"
She bit her lip, looking pitiful.
"Do you think I'm that kind of person?" Ye Hao shook his head with a sigh.
Then, a red light flew out from Ye Hao's forehead and entered Tang Yuehua's.
"What did you do to me?" she asked, suddenly feeling drowsy and unable to move.
"I'm taking you as a hostage to use against Tang Xiao," Ye Hao said coldly.
"I won't let you succeed!"
Tang Yuehua understood—once she fell into the Spirit Hall's hands, they'd attack the Clear Sky Clan without restraint.
She thought of biting her tongue to end her life, but her body suddenly froze.
To her horror, she found herself pulling off her blanket on her own. Dressed in a shining silver palace gown that highlighted her graceful figure, she knelt on the bed, exposing a slender, pale leg.
Unwillingly, she crawled toward Ye Hao. Her delicate hands trembled as they landed on his shoulders.
"From now on, you'll be my maid," Ye Hao said calmly.
Tang Yuehua didn't respond. Her eyes filled with tears, her hands soft yet firm.
"Your hands are skilled, Madam Yuehua. Looks like I'll be enjoying this," Ye Hao sighed in pleasure, meeting her angry, tearful gaze.
"My brother will never forgive you," she growled, her body still moving against her will.
"You mean Tang Xiao?" Ye Hao smirked. "I should thank him. If he hadn't taught me the Great Sumeru Hammer, I wouldn't have known your clan had such a powerful secret art. And the elders—if they knew I was the Spirit Hall's young master and that they made me the next Clan Master by accident—just thinking about it would make them choke on their rage."
Ye Hao closed his eyes in enjoyment. He had to admit, Tang Yuehua's massage skills were even better than Ah Yin's.
Meanwhile, Tang Yuehua was struggling to break free. She knew none of this was her own will.
But no matter how she fought, the "Death God's Heart" controlled her completely—her thoughts, her actions—everything was at Ye Hao's mercy.
She was like a puppet, manipulated by invisible strings.
"Stop struggling. It's pointless. Even Ah Yin couldn't escape me. You're not even a soul master—what can you do?" Ye Hao shook his head, knowing her mind.
She simply wanted to kill him, even if it meant dying with him.
"Ah... Ah Yin?" Tang Yuehua frowned. That name sounded so familiar...
"Alright." Ye Hao grasped Tang Yuehua's slender hand with a reverse grip. In an instant, a violet glow filled the walls of the room.
The next second, Ye Hao appeared outside Tang Yuehua's room, the Death God's Heart floating in his palm.
"It's time for you to reunite with Ah Yin." Ye Hao retracted the Death God's Heart and looked toward the Clear Sky Clan bathed in flames.
The roaring fire lit up the night like day. The ground was strewn with the corpses of Clear Sky Clan disciples.
Ye Hao walked down the bloodstained path with practiced ease, heading deep into the clan. The sounds of killing rang in his ears, never ceasing for a moment.
The air was thick with the stench of blood—this scene was identical to three months ago when the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan were annihilated. The three upper clans had now officially fallen.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ghost Leopard Douluo turned into a black shadow, appearing mysterious against the backdrop of night. He hunched his body, shooting forward like a black arrow rain, aiming straight for the Second Elder wielding the Clear Sky Hammer.
"Spirit Hall scum, prepare to die!" The Second Elder activated all nine soul rings on his hammer, which glowed brilliantly as it swung to meet Ghost Leopard Douluo.
However, in the blink of an eye, Ghost Leopard Douluo shifted behind him. His black claws left five deep gashes on the Second Elder's back. Blood gushed out, soaking the elder from head to toe.
At the same time, Falling Devil Douluo swung his Dragon-Coiled Staff, a red dragon twining around it. As it clashed with the Third Elder's Clear Sky Hammer, blood burst from the Third Elder's mouth. He was thrown back several dozen steps, his palms numb from the shock.
The soul power difference between the Second and Third Elders and Ghost Leopard and Falling Devil Douluo was enormous. At the Titled Douluo level, every rank of difference was like a chasm.
"Clear Sky Clan is about to become history. If you want to live, surrender now." Falling Devil Douluo rested his staff on his shoulder, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Never." The Second Elder wiped blood from his mouth, using the Clear Sky Hammer to support his body.
Their five elders were all aging. Even as Titled Douluo, their strength likely had peaked.
"Second Brother, looks like tonight's our end," the Third Elder gritted his teeth and sighed heavily. Their grand legacy was crumbling before their eyes—they had failed their ancestors.
"Third Brother, let's go together tonight. But we'll take those two Titled Douluo with us—we won't walk that road alone." The Second Elder's voice was weary, his life nearly spent.
Tonight, Spirit Hall had launched a sudden ambush at the perfect moment. Three Clear Sky Clan Elders were out hunting Tang San, and almost immediately after they left, the attack came. The timing was too coincidental. The Second Elder was sure—there was a traitor in the clan.
Boom!
Inside the Clear Sky Clan's main hall, a wall suddenly exploded.
Tang Xiao flew backward through the air. As he did, Golden Crocodile Douluo seized the moment, his arms transforming into golden crocodiles aiming to rip him in half.
"The mighty Clan Master of the Clear Sky Clan? You're nothing!" Golden Crocodile Douluo sneered, his nine soul rings blazing—his ninth was a hundred-thousand-year ring.
Among the seven consecrated elders, only Golden Crocodile Douluo and Qian Daoliu had such a soul ring. His power had reached rank 98. To destroy the Clear Sky Clan, Ye Hao had specifically requested the support of the consecrated elders.
The Clear Sky Clan wasn't like the other two clans. Without Tang San drawing some of the fire away, this battle would have been even worse.
"Ahhh!" Tang Xiao braced his Clear Sky Hammer against the golden crocodile. He knew he wasn't a match for this Titled Douluo—one with a hundred-thousand-year soul ring far surpassed the ordinary.
"Clan Master." The Second and Third Elders rushed to help him up.
Three versus three—Spirit Hall's trio led by Golden Crocodile Douluo had surrounded them. At once, they unleashed their true martial souls: a massive golden staff, a wide-open crocodile maw, and the crouching Ghost Leopard ready to strike.
This was life or death.
At this point, Tang Xiao and his two allies had no choice but to fight with everything they had. They activated their seventh soul rings, their Clear Sky Hammers glowing as three phantom figures appeared—each resembling them, each holding a hammer, each scanning the battlefield warily.
The tension was explosive.
"Attack!"
At the command, a cataclysmic battle erupted.
Outside the clan, Ye Hao stood still, watching the scene unfold in the main hall.
He had seen it all. The battle was reaching its peak.
Six Titled Douluo clashed—an unprecedented event. The sheer power of their battle shook the mountain violently, reducing the entire Clear Sky Clan to ruins.
The six figures soared into the sky, lighting up the night with their soul powers.
"Master," said Zhuzhu, appearing at Ye Hao's side.
"How's the situation with the clan disciples?" Ye Hao asked.
"It's been dealt with. Aside from the sixty who were sent after Tang San, the rest have all been executed," Zhuzhu replied.
"Good." Ye Hao nodded faintly, still watching the sky.
"Master, should I go up and help?" Zhuzhu cracked his knuckles. With six Titled Douluo clashing, his blood was surging with excitement.
"This is a battle between the Clear Sky Clan and Spirit Hall. You stay out of it. Tang Xiao and the others aren't a match for Elder Golden Crocodile."
Then Ye Hao turned to Zhuzhu. "I've got a special task for you. Head down the mountain and track Tang San. I want his location—precisely. Then, mask your identity and send messages to the three elders still outside."
"Yes!" Zhuzhu nodded and vanished.
"I can't kill you, but others can." Ye Hao murmured to himself.
The battle above raged on. The night sky was bright as day, the six figures flashing like lightning. They unleashed their strongest soul skills in a storm of collisions.
At that moment, Falling Devil Douluo, bathed in blood, raised the Dragon-Coiled Staff high. The red dragon around it seemed to come alive.
With a mighty strike, the staff shattered the Third Elder's body. His Clear Sky Hammer flew from his hand.
Seizing the moment, Falling Devil Douluo drove the crimson staff into the ground. It grew massively in size mid-air, then came crashing down.
In the Third Elder's final, terrified gaze, the staff crushed him into the earth, leaving only one arm above the surface.
The Third Elder of the Clear Sky Clan—had fallen.