After leaving the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Tang Yuehua and Ling Tian Douluo, with the help of Meng Shenji and Bai Baoshan, returned to the Clear Sky Sect.
After the two academy elders took their leave, Tang Yuehua could no longer hold back her tears. No matter how composed she usually was, she was still human—a woman who'd just lost her beloved second brother and nephew. How could she not be heartbroken?
"Yuehua, what's wrong?" At that moment, Tang Xiao led some people out from within the sect.
As soon as she saw Tang Xiao, Tang Yuehua rushed into his arms, crying, "Big brother, second brother is dead… San is dead too…"
"What did you say?" Tang Xiao was stunned. Unlike the other elders, he deeply valued brotherhood and had never hated Tang Hao.
Tang Yuehua relayed everything she'd heard from Jun Tianlin at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, then said bitterly, "Jun Tianlin must be lying—he's the one who caused their deaths!"
"Why do you say that? If he's not lying, aren't the murderers someone else?" The second elder asked, remaining calm. He didn't care about the deaths of Tang Hao and Tang San, since he'd never acknowledged them as sect disciples. The only thing that irked him was that the two sect inheritance soul bones on Tang Hao were probably lost for good.
"Second Elder, maybe he didn't kill them personally, but he definitely planned it!" Tang Yuehua gritted her teeth. "Tang San, no doubt, was ambushed by the rest of the Emperor Battle Team under Jun Tianlin's leadership. As for second brother, I even suspect that so-called Soul Beast King was lured by Jun Tianlin. Otherwise, how else would they coincidentally go to the extreme north together and just happen to encounter each other in such a vast place?"
"Jun Tianlin, you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Tang Xiao roared, smashing his fist into the doorframe. The force of his level-97 soul power shook the whole mountain range.
Aside from the incident with Tang Hao years ago and pressure from Spirit Hall that led to the old sect master's death, no one had ever seen Tang Xiao so furious. Tang Yuehua hurried to calm him, "Big brother, don't be rash. You may not be Jun Tianlin's match. Don't forget, even the seventh elder couldn't withstand a single move from him!"
"Hmph, that's only because his master's Sword Dao of Destruction is formidable. He just broke through to Titled Douluo, so his level can't be that high. As long as I avoid his Sword Dao, with my level-97 strength, I can kill him," Tang Xiao said dismissively.
As a super Douluo, he knew better than anyone that every level after 95 was like crossing a chasm.
"Even if you could defeat Jun Tianlin, remember—the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect now has many Titled Douluo, far outnumbering us. Today, there's even a Spear Douluo who easily defeated the Grand Elder, not to mention Chen Xin of the Sword Dao. If you kill Jun Tianlin, their entire sect will retaliate, and our Clear Sky Sect could be wiped out," Tang Yuehua analyzed. She knew, no matter the hatred, now was not the time for revenge.
"Damn it! If Grandfather were still here, who would dare provoke our sect? Now even the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect dares offend us," Tang Xiao forced himself to calm down. As sect master, he was steadier than Tang Hao. "Yuehua, you're right. Now's not the time for revenge, but I will never forget this hatred. One day, I will see Jun Tianlin utterly destroyed."
Tang Yuehua nodded. "Of course. I'm not saying we won't seek revenge, but we can't be reckless. In the world today, only one power is strong enough to help us take revenge on the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Why not use their strength?"
"You mean Spirit Hall!" Tang Xiao was taken aback, realizing what she was suggesting. "No way! Our grudge with Spirit Hall is far deeper than with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect! I'd rather die than work with them."
"The sect master is right, Yuehua, how could you even consider colluding with Spirit Hall!" The elders also disagreed.
No matter what Jun Tianlin did, he only killed three people, two of whom the sect never acknowledged as disciples. But Spirit Hall had slaughtered hundreds in the Clear Sky Sect, including the old sect master. Many elders had lost sons and brothers to Spirit Hall. Their hatred was immeasurable.
"Big brother, elders, of course I wouldn't cooperate with Spirit Hall—they're also our enemies. But their power far exceeds ours, with only the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect capable of resisting them. Conveniently, those two forces are already enemies. I'll devise a plan to pit them against each other. When both are weakened, that will be our chance for revenge." There was deep hatred in Tang Yuehua's gaze. For the first time, this refined woman revealed the fury hidden in her heart.
…
Meanwhile, after returning to the imperial palace, the two academy elders reported Tang San and Tang Hao's deaths to Emperor Xue Ye and Crown Prince Xue Beng.
"Lawless! Jun Tianlin, the Emperor Battle Team, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—how dare you ambush a count of my empire!" Emperor Xue Ye was enraged. The death of that father and son was a great loss to the empire.
"Brother Tang, we swore brotherhood. I, Xue Beng, swear I will avenge you one day!" Xue Beng shed a few tears, but anger outweighed his grief.
He'd counted on Tang San as a future pillar. Now, his brother Tang San was dead at Tianlin's hands, and Shui Bing'er was taken by Tianlin. At this moment, his hatred for Tianlin surpassed even that for Xue Qinghe and Spirit Hall.
If his grief was partially an act, for one person, it was true heartbreak.
"My lord, you lived an honest and upright life, fighting Spirit Hall for the continent's sake, and the young master was talented and pure. Yet both fell to Jun Tianlin's schemes." Tai Tan sobbed, burning yellow paper for his master's soul.
It was all he could do as a servant.
After three days of mourning, Tai Tan went to a valley—the place where Tang Hao had planted A Yin. Before leaving, Tang Hao had instructed Tai Tan to water A Yin regularly. Tai Tan had never dared neglect this duty. Now, with his master and young master gone, caring for their mistress would be the mission of his clan for generations.
That was true loyalty: even after the master's death, his wife would be looked after.
Arriving at a small wooden hut, Tai Tan began sorting through Tang Hao's belongings. There, under the bed, he discovered a secret compartment filled with hidden weapon blueprints.
"These… these are the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus and Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle!" Tai Tan was overjoyed—Tang San had left the blueprints for Tang Hao.
Originally, he and Tang San had planned to recruit Lou Gao for the Tang Army and have him forge these weapons. But when they went to Gengxin City, they found Lou Gao had already been taken by Tianlin.
Fortunately, there were three great craftsmen in the world. Besides Lou Gao, both Tai Tan and Tang Hao qualified. Tai Tan understood why Tang San hadn't given him the blueprints—they hadn't known each other long enough to build trust. So, Tang San left them with Tang Hao, hoping that while he took Xiao Wu to train, Tang Hao would gather soul bones and forge some weapons for him.
Unexpectedly, the blueprints surfaced in Tai Tan's hands today. "Haha! With these, we have hope for revenge. Master, young master, rest assured—your old servant will carry on your legacy, make Tang Sect's hidden weapons shine, destroy the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and Spirit Hall, and avenge you!"