Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "About half an hour ago. I sensed you when you were approaching the village, but I didn't pay much attention. Twenty minutes ago, you got closer, changing positions three times. First, on a distant hillside, then behind a rock about five hundred meters away, and finally, you ended up behind the closest large tree, a hundred meters from here."
As he spoke, Xiao Yan used his mental power to assess Tang Hao's strength.
He had to admit, Tang Hao was terrifying. Despite such grievous injuries, he was already up and about so quickly.
Xiao Yan took a deep look at Tang Hao. His aura hadn't changed much compared to two years ago; it hadn't weakened due to his injuries.
While Xiao Yan was shocked, Tang Hao was equally shaken.
He hadn't expected Xiao Yan's strength to have improved so much in the past two years.
Two years ago, Xiao Yan wouldn't have been able to sense his presence, let alone with such precision.
"Looks like you have indeed become stronger," Tang Hao said in a low voice.
Xiao Yan smiled and said, "You haven't changed a bit, Tang Hao."
Upon hearing Xiao Yan directly address him by name, Tang Hao made no attempt to hide his face. He removed the black cloth covering it, revealing his features. "I didn't expect you to recognize me so quickly, Little Three."
Hearing that unfortunate nickname, the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. "Is it really that difficult? Aside from you, I doubt any other Spirit Master of such strength would appear near me."
Adjusting the internal force circulating within his meridians, Xiao Yan's tone became colder. "However, what I didn't expect was that you'd actually dare to show yourself before me."
Glancing at the two girls beside Xiao Yan, even though it wasn't the first time he'd seen them, Tang Hao still felt a strange sensation. Spirit Skills taking human form?
It was truly bizarre.
"I didn't expect you to be so interested in your own Spirit Skills. It seems I was indeed rash back then. If that Humanoid Spirit Beast were still alive today, it should be quite attractive."
Why did Tang Hao always focus on such strange things?
Xiao Yan snorted coldly. "Even if they are Spirit Skills, so what? Xiao Xue and Xiao Yi have their own independent thoughts. I'm happy with them, and they're happy with me.
If Xiao Wu could have lived until now, her existence would have definitely changed the entire continent's development, something that certain people with brains the size of peanuts couldn't even imagine."
Xiao Yan sneered at Tang Hao. "Some people, driven by their own selfish desires, formed a bond with a Humanoid Spirit Beast, causing serious damage to their sect. They stubbornly insisted on their path, and in the end, couldn't even protect their wife, leading to her sacrifice. Despite possessing immense power, being a Title Douluo who surpassed most Spirit Masters, they failed to protect their sect and family, failed to protect their beloved wife, and couldn't even properly care for their child. Their enemy resides within Spirit Hall, yet they harbor no desire for revenge, instead spending their days in a mountain village, drowning their sorrows in alcohol.
If I were him, such a pathetic excuse for a man, I would have hanged myself in shame long ago. And yet, this man has the audacity to meddle in other people's lives?"
Xiao Yan's words struck Tang Hao like a series of sharp axes, piercing his heart.
He remembered his own youthful exuberance, when the Spirit Master world hailed him as one of the Clear Sky Sect's twin stars. But after falling in love with Ah Yin, his father was angered to death by his actions, and Ah Yin's identity was soon discovered by Spirit Hall, forcing her to sacrifice herself for him.
After several escapes, he had retreated to the small village of Holy Spirit Village.
"Father... Ah Yin..."
Tang Hao's vision seemed to blur, and the figures of his father and Ah Yin appeared before him.
Seeing the two people closest to him, Tang Hao felt an unbearable pain, and with a thud, he knelt on the ground.
It was precisely because of this feeling that he spent his days drunk, numbing himself.
After getting drunk, everything was forgotten.
Seeing Tang Hao, who seemed a bit disoriented, Xiao Xue poked Xiao Yan's arm with her hand and whispered, "Is this person going crazy?"
Xiao Yan shook his head. He was also startled by Tang Hao's appearance. He had only said a few words, could that really drive someone crazy?
The mental fortitude of a Title Douluo shouldn't be so fragile, right?
"Spirit Hall, Spirit Hall..."
Suddenly, Tang Hao, kneeling on the ground, slammed his fists on the ground and roared twice, then stood up abruptly. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Xiao Yan, shouting almost like a roar: "Do you know how powerful the Spirit Hall is? There are countless Title Douluo-level Spirit Masters, and even more Spirit Douluo and Spirit Saint-level Spirit Masters. What can I do? What can I do?"
Tang Hao asked as he hammered his chest with his fists, his expression contorted as if he were a madman.
Facing Tang Hao's madness, Xiao Yan calmly retorted, "Is this the reason you're using to escape the problem?
"Can drinking all the time solve the problem? If the problem is left unaddressed, it will always remain a problem. Can you drink your enemies to death by drinking every day?"
Xiao Yan sized up Tang Hao, "Judging by your age, you should have been around thirty years old when the incident happened, so your mind should have been very mature. Didn't you think about how powerful the Spirit Hall was from the beginning, and the many terrifying consequences? Or did your desires cause you to ignore these things?"
"I..." Tang Hao wanted to continue arguing, but he found himself speechless.
In the fifth year of his and his elder brother's training, he met Ah Yin. The three of them became sworn siblings, and those were the happiest days of his life.
Over the next three years, they traveled to every corner of the continent.
Although his elder brother also fell in love with Ah Yin, who was like a fairy, his elder brother chose to back down. Without his elder brother as competition, his relationship with Ah Yin naturally progressed.
Even though he knew Ah Yin was a Humanoid Spirit Beast, the love in his heart overshadowed everything.
Unfortunately, as the new generation of the Clear Sky Sect, how could they escape the attention of the Spirit Hall? Ah Yin, who was with them, also attracted the Spirit Hall's notice.
He remembered that the Spirit Hall sent a Title Douluo to capture Ah Yin. However, that Title Douluo had a leg crippled under his Clear Sky Hammer.
After that Title Douluo escaped, the tragedy gradually began.
If time could flow backward, if he had thought things through more carefully back then, he might have avoided many of today's tragedies.
Xiao Yan could probably guess the truth of what happened to Tang Hao.
It was nothing more than a disciple from a large sect encountering a Humanoid Spirit Beast while out and about, and then falling in love. This kind of storyline wasn't uncommon in some Xianxia stories.
The only difference was that the male lead was in his thirties, which seemed to be a first.
It was just this thirty-something man who acted like a child, without considering the consequences at all.
Xiao Yan truly couldn't understand.
Tang Hao took a deep breath, calming his emotions: "After saying all that, do you think your strength is so great that even if one day others find out you have two Humanoid Spirit Beasts by your side, and you are hunted by Spirit Hall, you will still be able to protect them in the future?"
As he spoke, Tang Hao's aura rapidly climbed!