Douro Continent

Chapter 484 Returning to the Haotian Sect (Part 2)

This place is not far from Tiandou City, the capital of the Tiandou Empire, located 300 miles east of Tiandou City. It is surrounded by mountains behind it, and what appears before Tang San is just a small village that looks not much different from the Holy Soul Village he left back then.

Wisps of smoke rose from all over the village, signaling that it was almost lunchtime. At the village entrance, several children were playing, while in the nearby fields, many people were tidying up their farm tools, preparing to return to the village for lunch.

Unfolding the sheepskin map in his hand, Tang San carefully examined it again. He was certain that he hadn't come to the wrong place. This was it; the map showed that the Clear Sky Sect was actually this small village before him.

The once number one sect in the world has actually fallen to its current state?

In fact, not only him, but even Tang Hao would be surprised to arrive here. After the Clear Sky Sect announced its closure, it relocated. That map was originally given to Tang Hao by Tang Yuehua. But he never had the chance to return, so naturally he wouldn't know the true situation here.

With the mindset of "since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it," Tang San put away his map and strode towards the seemingly unremarkable little mountain village before him. At the same time, he felt a strange sadness in his heart.

Once upon a time, the Clear Sky Sect was the number one sect in the Soul Master world of Douluo Continent.

But now they've been reduced to hiding in a small mountain village. Although this allows them to conceal themselves well, it's still a huge blow to a family with a powerful heritage. Perhaps this is the source of my father's pain.

It was certainly my father's fault for bringing disaster to the sect, but did he have any other choice at the time?

Tang San understood that as Tang Hao's son, he would naturally side with his father in this matter. However, times had changed, and now was not the time to investigate who was responsible, but rather to figure out how to rebuild the sect and wash away the shame of the past.

Amidst a flurry of thoughts, Tang San had already reached the entrance to the mountain village. Just as he was about to go in, several middle-aged villagers who had just returned from working in the fields blocked his way.

"Please leave. We don't welcome outsiders here." The speaker was a burly middle-aged man who looked Tang San up and down with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Tang San sighed inwardly and stood still. "I'm not an outsider; I'm just coming home."

The middle-aged villager was taken aback. "Go home? We don't have any aristocratic young masters like you around here. We're all country folk. What home are you going back to?"

Tang San didn't need to see to sense the growing tension among the villagers around him; their grip on their farm tools tightened noticeably. They moved slightly, subtly trying to surround him.

Not wanting to waste time here, Tang San slowly raised his left hand. Black light surged from his palm, carrying a calm and powerful aura, and the Clear Sky Hammer silently appeared. He tightened his grip on the hammer handle with his left hand, and Tang San smiled slightly, "Does this prove it?"

Upon seeing the Clear Sky Hammer, the middle-aged men were initially taken aback, but quickly relaxed, and when they looked at Tang San again, their eyes were filled with respect.

The middle-aged man who had spoken to Tang San earlier tentatively asked, "May I ask which family you belong to? I don't think I've seen you before."

Tang San didn't want to linger here any longer. "My aunt's name is Tang Yuehua. She's the one who sent me back."

Upon hearing this, the villagers dared not neglect Tang San and hurriedly ushered him into the village. What was Tang Yuehua's status? In the entire Haotian Sect, apart from the sect leader, she held the highest position and was also the sect leader's own sister.

This small mountain village is less a representation of the Haotian Sect and more a former outpost of it. Even if the Haotian Sect were to fall on hard times, it would never allow itself to be treated so poorly. The people living in the village are all affiliated and collateral relatives of the Haotian Sect. The sect's true strength does not lie here.

However, these outposts were quite cautious. Although Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer had earned their partial trust, they still did not take Tang San directly to meet the sect's people.

Instead, they invited him into the village and arranged for him to rest in an empty room, and sent someone to inform the sect.

After waiting for about half an hour, hurried footsteps came from outside. The door opened, and several men dressed in gray appeared at the door.

The leader was a man with broad shoulders, a straight nose, and a square mouth. His short hair was like steel needles, and he looked to be around thirty years old. The muscles hidden under his gray long shirt were bulging, and his whole body was like a lion poised to pounce, full of strength and power.

"You're Tang San?" the burly man in gray asked. His eyes flashed with a sharp light as he scanned Tang San from head to toe, his expression a mixture of curiosity and hostility.

Tang San was certain that he did not know this person and did not understand where his hostility came from, but he still simply nodded and said, "That's me."

The burly man in gray waved to his two companions, "Come with us." Without another word, he turned and left first.

From the perspective of etiquette Tang Yuehua taught Tang San, these three people were clearly rude; they didn't even introduce themselves. However, Tang San didn't seem to care. He had returned to atone for his sins. His father owed the sect too much, and it was up to him to make amends. From the three men in gray, he sensed a familiar yet domineering aura. Without a doubt, they were direct descendants of the Clear Sky Sect.

These three individuals are quite strong, especially the burly man in the lead, who appears to be around thirty years old. Despite his age, his soul power surpasses Tang San's, suggesting he has already broken through level sixty. Reaching level sixty at such a young age is considered exceptionally impressive among the younger generation of the Clear Sky Sect.

The other two men, who appeared to be around his age, were both between level 50 and 60 in strength.

Although the Haotian Sect has sealed its mountain gates, the true strength of the sect can be seen from these three direct disciples.

After all, this was once the number one sect in the world!

After following the three out of the room, the three did not wait for Tang San and simultaneously sped off towards the back of the village.

Although they did not use their martial souls, their soul power was at a certain level, and once their speed was unleashed, it was still quite astonishing.

Tang San smiled calmly, took a step forward, and his body suddenly became ethereal. After years of training, his Ghost Shadow Step had reached a level of perfection. Moreover, his right leg contained an heirloom left by his mother: the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone.

Even without using the flight skills granted by it, his speed would not be inferior to that of a speed-type Soul Master of the same level.

Therefore, although the three people in front of him were fast, he followed them quietly as if he were strolling in a garden. Not only did he not fall behind at all, but it also did not affect his elegance at all. He was completely unaffected by worldly affairs and always maintained a distance of about ten meters from the three people in front of him.

The gray-clad leader turned to look at Tang San. When he saw that Tang San was so close, yet he hadn't sensed anything, his expression changed slightly.

He increased his speed again, as if he wanted to deliberately test Tang San's speed.

Unfortunately, it wasn't Tang San who couldn't keep up first, but his two companions. Once the leading gray-clad strongman reached a certain speed, the other two gray-clad strongmen began to fall behind.

They knew the leader in gray was competitive, and couldn't help but feel helpless. Boss, even if you want to compete with him, there's no need to rush.

Just as the two men in gray were gritting their teeth and accelerating, only to find themselves falling behind, they suddenly felt a gentle force coming from behind them. Their bodies instantly felt much lighter, and their speed increased dramatically. In the blink of an eye, they had caught up with the distance they had fallen behind.

When they turned around, they saw Tang San smiling and nodding at them; clearly, the power came from him.

While expressing their gratitude, the two men in gray were simultaneously shocked. How old was he? Not only could he keep up with their boss with his physical abilities, but he could even help them.

No wonder, no wonder...

Soon, the group of four had left the village from the back. Directly in front of them was a mountain. The mountain itself was not high, but it was extremely steep. The entire mountain wall was almost perpendicular to the ground and extremely smooth. There was no vegetation at all; it was a rocky mountain.

The gray-clad leader showed no sign of slowing down. Seeing that they had reached the foot of the mountain, he took a step, leaped up, and rushed straight up the mountainside.

Tang San was slightly startled. This mountain peak in front of him was over 500 meters high. Was he really planning to climb it directly on this smooth stone wall? Tang San knew he couldn't do it by just jumping.

After all, he also needs to leverage his abilities to unleash the wonders of Ghostly Appearance.

However, his doubts were quickly resolved. It was clear that the gray-clad leader could not have climbed directly. When his body rose to a height of about twenty meters, he touched the mountain wall with his toes and then rose again.

Tang San stared intently and saw that there was a depression about every ten meters on the smooth, mirror-like mountain wall, which was just enough to help him climb up.

A smile appeared on his face. It seemed that the Clear Sky Sect was indeed completely closed off. However, the steep mountain wall in front of him was not something that a Soul Master below level 40 could climb.

(End of this chapter)