Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

"Boom! Boom!"

"Rumble!!!"

Trees collapsed and shattered, and the ground was left scarred with craters and cracks.

This remote wilderness, not far from Shrek Academy, now looked as though it had been ravaged by a monster, utterly devastated and desolate.

"...Boom!"

Finally, after another earth-shaking strike, the continuous explosions that had echoed for two hours came to a halt.

The scene shifted back to the battlefield.

At this moment, Yun Chuan, still in his devilishly muscular form, was panting heavily. His clothing was torn, revealing a body of solid, well-defined muscles, though several areas showed bruises, evidence of the hammer's strikes.

Opposite him stood Tang Hao, wielding the mighty Clear Sky Hammer. Though his breathing was somewhat labored, suggesting that two hours of intense combat had taken a toll even on him, he stood firm. His clothes were similarly damaged, and bruises adorned his body. It was clear that as Yun Chuan's battle skills had improved over time, he'd finally managed to land some hits.

During this brief pause for rest, far off in the distance, Flender and Zhao Wuji, who had been watching the entire fight, found themselves greatly enlightened. High-level soul master battles were rare to witness, especially involving someone as renowned as the Clear Sky Douluo. For the two spectators, the battle was undoubtedly instructive.

"Is it over? Are they done?" Zhao Wuji, snapping out of his awe, asked somewhat reluctantly.

"Probably. The time for one incense stick has long passed," Flender speculated with a hint of doubt, sharing Zhao Wuji's lingering excitement.

Unfortunately, they were wrong.

The real fight was just beginning.

"Clear Sky Douluo truly lives up to his name!" After catching his breath, Yun Chuan, now somewhat recovered, looked at Tang Hao not far away and said, "This match is my loss."

"However, it's rare to have the chance to face a Titled Douluo. I have one last move. If I don't use it, it'll feel like something's missing."

As he spoke, Yun Chuan's over-muscled form suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, returning to his original lean and wiry physique.

"Oh? What move? Let's see it," Tang Hao said, intrigued.

"The move I'm about to use is incredibly powerful!" Yun Chuan said casually as he stretched, "So go ahead and use any soul skills you like. I want to see how far my strength is from that of a Titled Douluo."

With that, the seventh soul ring surrounding Yun Chuan erupted in radiant light.

"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul Avatar!"

For soul masters who reached level 70, the seventh soul skill granted by any soul ring would always be the Martial Soul Avatar. For beast-type martial souls, this meant the soul master would take on the appearance of their martial soul. For tool-type martial souls, their weapon would enlarge and attack under the soul master's control.

Yun Chuan possessed two martial souls: the Supreme Clear Sky Hammer and the Goddess of Life. However, only the Clear Sky Hammer had soul rings attached; the Goddess of Life was still a blank slate. As such, he had no Martial Soul Avatar to activate. What he was doing now was putting on a show, deceiving Tang Hao as well as Flender and Zhao Wuji in the distance.

As he shouted "Martial Soul Avatar," a Blue Silver Grass appeared in Yun Chuan's hand, glowing a vibrant, life-filled green. The plant then floated out of his grasp, radiating brilliant light.

Tang Hao watched silently, his aura poised and ready. His nine soul rings glimmered around him, exuding invisible pressure. He was clearly prepared to unleash a devastating strike at any moment.

From their distant vantage point, Flender and Zhao Wuji also observed intently, curious about this supposed trump card that warranted full power from a Titled Douluo.

Under everyone's watchful gaze, the glowing Blue Silver Grass emitted a dazzling light that forced them to squint.

Finally, as the light dimmed, they saw something astonishing.

Where the Blue Silver Grass once floated now stood a graceful, ethereal figure.

A young woman in an elegant green gown appeared, her hair a flowing cascade of blue, her eyes a flawless sapphire. Her serene and noble demeanor, paired with her breathtaking beauty, made her seem otherworldly, as though she were the center of all creation. Everything around her paled in comparison.

"...Ah-Yin!"

At the sight of this figure, so achingly familiar and engraved in his soul, Tang Hao froze in place, only able to murmur her name.

Meanwhile, Yun Chuan, observing Tang Hao's reaction, felt no surprise. Though he had never met his biological mother, he could easily guess that the martial soul he inherited from her bore her exact likeness.

This was his ultimate life-saving trump card—"Mother's Protection!"

Before the fight, Yun Chuan had already decided that if things became desperate, he would "unintentionally" summon the Goddess of Life martial soul to reveal his true identity.

After all, when Tang Hao saw a martial soul identical to his late wife, he would undoubtedly start questioning Yun Chuan's origins. He might even suspect that Yun Chuan was the child stolen by Spirit Hall years ago.

Faced with such a revelation, how could Tang Hao bear to harm his long-lost son?

This was why Yun Chuan had been so bold, unafraid of Tang Hao ambushing him or punishing Tang San at will.

"What a unique Martial Soul Avatar!" Flender exclaimed in awe, snapping out of his daze at the Goddess of Life's extraordinary beauty.

"Indeed, I've never seen anything like it," Zhao Wuji echoed.

Back on the battlefield, Tang Hao finally emerged from his shock. He couldn't believe the Martial Soul Avatar looked exactly like A-Yin.

No! There was no such coincidence in the world.

The only explanation was that the young man before him was...

His child.

The one taken by Spirit Hall twelve years ago.

To confirm his suspicion, Tang Hao's nine soul rings erupted in brilliant light as he flashed forward, appearing before Yun Chuan and grabbing his wrist to perform a bone age assessment.

The test confirmed his fears: twelve years old.

Matching the age of his stolen child.

"Twelve... How did you end up with Spirit Hall?" Tang Hao's voice was filled with guilt and conflict. Though grateful his son seemed well-raised and well-trained, reaching Soul Sage at such a young age, doubts clouded his mind.

Soul Sage? At twelve?!

Tang Hao's eyes narrowed. This was impossible through normal means. The only explanation was that Spirit Hall had used forbidden methods, such as feeding his son life-consuming drugs.

His heart twisted in anguish. "Spirit Hall!!!"

Seizing the moment, Yun Chuan prepared his final move.

With a mighty shout, the ground erupted, creating a massive thirty-meter-tall figure resembling the Goddess of Life. Combining his self-created techniques with martial soul power, Yun Chuan formed a majestic multi-armed deity—a Thousand-Hand Guanyin.

Though awe-inspiring, Tang Hao couldn't bring himself to fight. Struck by complex emotions, he chose to retreat.

His heart heavy, Tang Hao fled, leaving behind the battlefield—and his son.