Spirit Hall City.
Spirit Hall Headquarters.
Hidden in the shadows, Lin Fan suddenly frowned. His stealthy steps came to an abrupt halt.
"What's going on?"
Closing his eyes, Lin Fan connected his consciousness to the Zerg neural network.
A moment passed.
His eyes opened once more—this time filled with a strange expression.
Tang Hao... was mentally collapsing?
He hadn't even triggered all the traps Lin Fan had carefully prepared in advance. The story was still unfolding, the plan far from reaching its climax—yet Tang Hao's spirit was already breaking?
Ridiculous. But then Lin Fan reconsidered... and he understood.
It was just like a scene he remembered from his previous life.
When Loki discovered that all the Infinity Stones—the very objects countless lives had been sacrificed for, that entire civilizations had been destroyed to obtain—were being used by mundane TVA clerks as paperweights...
A drawer full of them, treated like junk.
Tang Hao's mindset right now was no different from that broken Loki: confronted with something that shattered his understanding of the world. Something utterly beyond his expectations. His spirit, forged in countless battles, couldn't withstand the blow.
But Loki... Loki was an ancient Asgardian, a god who had endured centuries of hardship. He had the time and strength to bury that agony deep within.
Tang Hao, on the other hand, was just a mortal Title Douluo of this world—a genius, yes, but still human.
For someone like him, this kind of soul-crushing blow was deadly. Devastating.
Lin Fan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Tang Hao couldn't fall apart here.
The rest of the plan depended on him holding together.
And for someone already drowning in pain, there was only one way to bring them back.
Drag them deeper into the abyss.
A glint flashed in Lin Fan's eyes. A dark smile curled on his lips.
He reconnected to the Zerg hive mind.
Then, after narrowly avoiding a patrolling attendant, Lin Fan resumed his search—his senses locked onto Qian Renxue's location.
His instincts screamed at him.
She was close.
Very close—
Holy Soul Village.
Within the Zerg Wormhole.
Old Jack's eyes suddenly narrowed. A shadowy black light passed over them.
And then vanished as if nothing had happened.
Staring at the broken Tang Hao, Old Jack let out a sinister chuckle.
"Hehehe... What's wrong, Tang Hao? Lost the will to live?"
Tang Hao didn't respond.
Head lowered, hands clutching his head, he remained completely still.
Even his mighty Clear Sky Hammer had vanished, and the terrifying soul power that once surrounded him had completely dissipated.
Blue light still flickered weakly across his body—but Tang Hao paid it no mind.
Old Jack clicked his tongue and shook his head, sighing dramatically. "What a shame, Tang Hao."
"This old man... I was hoping to witness the glory of the peak Clear Sky Douluo."
"But don't worry. It's fine to give up now."
"Your Blue Silver Empress, hidden deep in the forest... and your newly awakened son, Tang San—"
"I'll be sure to take good care of them for you."
Tang Hao's head shot up, eyes bloodshot. His expression had transformed—no longer the look of a broken man, but a beast driven mad with hatred.
Murderous fury radiated from his every pore.
"You dare?!"
A thunderous growl erupted from his throat.
Old Jack only chuckled in response. "Heh, there we go. That's more like a Title Douluo."
"Hehehe! Don't worry. I was quite the gardener in my youth."
"Blue Silver Empress, was it?"
His eyes turned abyssal, gleaming with a crimson glow.
Locking eyes with Tang Hao, who was burning with rage, he continued slowly and clearly:
"I'll take her... leaf by leaf..."
"With a sharp pair of shears... I'll peel her apart—bit by bit."
BOOM!
BANG!!!
A deafening explosion shook the ground!
A massive shockwave tore through the air, roaring straight for Old Jack's chest like a divine hammer of wrath!
His eyes widened. The cruel words on his lips were swallowed by sheer force.
All he saw was a massive black blur streaking toward his face, glowing red—
THUD!!!
Old Jack's body flew like a rag doll caught in a hurricane, sent hurtling backward.
A long arc of blood traced behind him as he crashed to the ground.
Ssssshh—!
Scorching heat radiated from the massive Clear Sky Hammer, white steam rising as it burned the air itself.
One-handed, Tang Hao emerged from a massive crater, lifting the enormous hammer effortlessly.
His eyes were blood-red as he stared down at Old Jack—whose chest had collapsed inward, breathing shallow and faint.
"You... want to die!"
"Kh... khahaha... cough, cough..."
Old Jack lay sprawled on the ground, weakly pressing one hand to his chest.
With the other, he tried to push himself upright.
But Tang Hao stepped forward and slammed his foot onto Old Jack's body, forcing him back down.
The pressure increased.
But the expected agony... never came.
Instead, Old Jack lay there calmly, staring up at Tang Hao's twisted face, filled with hatred and pain.
And then... he smiled.
A faint curve on his lips.
Deep within his eyes, the sinister black glow disappeared.
The crimson Zerg energy entwined around his arms dissipated into nothingness.
His already shriveled body withered further, fresh blood pouring out in torrents.
The sight of it—so red, so vivid—was almost unbearable to look at.
And then... Old Jack's gaze softened.
He looked like the kind old man he once was. His eyes curved with familiar warmth.
Smiling, even as blood filled his mouth.
Trembling, he reached out—fingers brushing gently against the head of the hammer beside his head.
A hoarse, broken voice escaped his lips.
"So this... is the Clear Sky Hammer?"
"Ah Hao... Our Holy Soul Village... finally... finally has a Title Douluo."
As he finished, he began coughing violently—blood mixed with fragments of organs spilling from his lips.
Turning with great effort, he locked eyes with Tang Hao.
There was nostalgia in his gaze. Kindness. Regret.
And something else...
A deep, overwhelming guilt.
****
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