The ones escorting the prison carriage were all highly skilled experts.
In other words, these individuals were seasoned, powerful senior soul masters.
When everyone saw the face of the man blocking the prison carriage, several soul masters with weaker mental fortitude were struck as if their heads had been hit by a heavy hammer. They fell directly off their horses, their heads slamming into the ground, leaving them covered in dirt. Yet, no one dared to laugh at them.
Because they had all recognized the identity of the man standing in front of the prison carriage.
"The Twin Peaks of Soul Masters, the invincible Clear Sky Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect's first generation—Tang Chen?! Impossible! Impossible! Weren't you already missing?! How could this be?!"
A soul master in his nineties pointed at the silent Tang Chen, his face contorted in terror, his gaze laced with a hint of madness.
Hearing the soul master's exclamation, Tang Hao, who had been almost entirely shutting off his senses within the prison carriage, suddenly lifted his head and looked forward. There, he saw the figure he had yearned for day and night over countless years.
"Father! Father! Is it you, father? It's me, Tang Hao!"
"Hmm, I know."
Looking at Tang Hao, who appeared even older than himself in the prison carriage, Tang Chen sighed deeply. His emotions churned wildly, but he didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only reply calmly.
Decades ago, during the eighth trial of the Asura God's divine inheritance, Tang Chen had unknowingly been corrupted by the Nine-Headed Bat King, a variant soul beast. Without realizing it, his body had been occupied by the creature, turning him into the Slaughter King of the City of Slaughter.
Logically, he should never have been able to break free from the creature's control. Even though he was an Ultimate Douluo, a divine inheritor who had completed the first seven trials, he had flaws in his mental state. As a result, he couldn't shake off the control of the relatively weak Nine-Headed Bat King.
However, fate gave him a glimmer of hope. Days ago, the God of Asura's subordinate, the Killing God, descended upon the Douluo World. Since the City of Slaughter is a trial ground of the Asura God, the entity appeared directly in the city. With a single glance, it identified the problem with Tang Chen and effortlessly removed the Nine-Headed Bat King's control.
Thus, Tang Chen barely escaped with his life and regained his consciousness. However, because his body had been ravaged for decades, it could no longer endure the power of the Asura God. Ultimately, even with divine intervention, he barely passed the eighth trial, but he failed the ninth.
Now, he was merely a high priest—a failed divine inheritor destined to sacrifice himself for the next true divine successor.
Unlike Bo Saixi and Qian Daoliu, who were chosen bearers of divine responsibility from birth and followed the gods' guidance to become high priests, Tang Chen took up the Asura God's trials halfway through his life. As such, his mindset as a high priest was vastly different.
Although Tang Chen respected the Asura God, he did not feel much devotion.
Looking at the world, now seemingly unfamiliar to him, Tang Chen felt an inner turmoil.
In the past, he had looked down upon Qian Daoliu primarily for his pedantic nature and secondarily because he thought Qian Daoliu's talent and abilities were inferior to his own, which was why Qian Daoliu couldn't ascend to godhood. Tang Chen had believed that he would surely succeed where Qian Daoliu failed and become a god, rather than merely a high priest.
Yet, decades later, as Tang Chen walked the Douluo Continent once again, he realized just how laughable his younger self had been.
He had mocked Qian Daoliu, but in the end, he had fared worse. At least Qian Daoliu, despite his weakness, had spent his life doing what he wanted and never succumbed to anyone's control.
Tang Chen, on the other hand, had been defeated in a moment of carelessness, becoming a puppet controlled by a beast, manipulated like a toy for decades. If not for the exceedingly rare descent of a god, his lifetime of brilliance would have been ruined by an insignificant creature.
Bitterness and regret filled Tang Chen's heart as murderous intent surged from his body, enveloping the area in a domain of killing intent. Yet, despite this suffocating aura, he did not truly intend to kill anyone—he only planned to teach them a small lesson.
"Little Chrysanthemum, Little Ghost, your cultivation progress has been quite fast, huh? Judging by appearances, your status in the Spirit Hall must be quite high now?" Tang Chen raised his Clear Sky Hammer and pointed at Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
"Release Tang Hao, apologize to him sincerely, and then find someone to heal him. If you do this, I'll let this matter slide. If you dare refuse, none of you will leave here alive. I believe this decision gives Qian Daoliu enough face, doesn't it? If you report back like this, even that brat Qian Xunji won't dare say much."
"Senior Tang Chen… Qian Xunji is already the former Supreme Pontiff. He was killed by Tang Hao. Currently, Tang Hao is a wanted criminal in Spirit Hall. His appearance here is also tied to being an evil soul master. We cannot let him go easily."
Although they were terrified, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance and gritted their teeth before stepping forward. They summoned their martial souls, and eighteen soul rings floated around them. Their soul powers resonated faintly, indicating they were ready to unleash their Martial Soul Fusion Technique at any moment.
Currently, both Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were at Rank 97, with more than half of their bodies equipped with soul bones. When combining their Martial Soul Fusion Technique, even a god-level entity would be restrained to some degree, as Qian Daoliu himself had confirmed.
If Qian Daoliu did not activate his Angelic Domain first, being caught in the Two Extremes Static Domain would force him to remain still.
After all, in the original timeline, even the Hell White Tiger formed by two Soul Douluo was said to rival Tang San, who had already achieved godhood. Thus, it was reasonable that the joint efforts of two Super Douluo could restrain a god-level being.
"Qian Xunji is dead? Killed by Tang Hao? I think I've heard about this…"
Tang Chen shook his head, trying to recall memories of his time as the Slaughter King. Eventually, he vaguely remembered the event.
Perhaps due to the Nine-Headed Bat King's possession, Tang Chen's memories of his time as the Slaughter King were faint. He could only recall bits and pieces and had no idea what he had done. Everything felt veiled in mist, and without deliberate effort, he couldn't recall anything.
Sometimes, even Tang Chen himself didn't know who he truly was.
Tang Hao had collaborated with a 100,000-year soul beast to ambush the Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff, Qian Xunji. In retaliation, the Spirit Hall attacked the Clear Sky Sect, forcing it to seal its gates.
Tang Chen frowned, his thoughts chaotic, but his hands didn't stop moving. His irritation led him to exert a bit of genuine power.
"Today, I will take him with me. I will personally discuss this matter with Qian Daoliu later. No one can stop a decision made by me, Tang Chen."
"Deathgod Domain, activate! Asura Assault!"
A blood-red domain with a radius exceeding a kilometer unfolded, then rapidly compressed to within twenty meters of Tang Chen under his control. The blood-colored power gathered onto the Clear Sky Hammer, forming a tremendous force that surged toward the convoy.
"Martial True Body!"2x
Sensing the terrifying power, Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo immediately activated their seventh soul ring. The massive Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum stood in the void, exuding near-perfect golden energy. Ghost Douluo, on the other hand, melted into an amorphous black shadow, radiating a strange aura.
Though not brothers by blood, Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo were closer than brothers. Decades of companionship had allowed them to achieve synergy far beyond the sum of their parts.
The two concentrated their soul powers into one and faced the blood-red energy head-on, unleashing a massive shockwave.