Douluo Dalu: From Bishop to Deity...

"Haha..."

"hahaha..."

"Hahahaha"

"Ah, I never expected—

From all the places I have traveled, all the answers I have chased,

That I would find the key to the mystery within my heart

In a place so simple, so unexpected.

How wonderful, how truly wonderful...

Haha," Salas laughed heartily—at least, that's what Tang Hao felt seeing Salas.

But Tang Hao struggled to understand what Salas was talking about—mystery and whatnot. Still, from the tone and how the words sounded poetic, he genuinely felt that Salas was a person with a good story.

Salas? Of course, his laughter was genuine. He was truly happy, as everything was almost aligning just as he had envisioned. As for the so-called mystery? That was the same nonsense he had spouted to Xiao Wu months ago.

Under the watchful eyes of Tang Hao, Salas, who was laughing heartily, suddenly stopped.

Then Salas slowly raised his left hand...

The wind seemed to halt at that moment, and even space itself felt as though it had solidified.

Then it appeared.

A massive hammer—heavy and undeniable—materialized with a soft ripple through the air, then gently fell into his grasp with the weight of history behind it.

But unlike the pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer known throughout the continent, this one bore differences that couldn't be missed.

Deep black still formed its base, dense and absolute. Yet through its surface, golden veins ran like living fire—tracing ancient patterns in elegant arcs and sharp angles, as if two opposing forces had been melded into one form. The hammer's head was broader but slightly leaner than Tang Hao's, embodying Salas's own appearance—its silhouette more refined.

The hammer's appearance differed slightly from Tang Hao's because it had changed after Salas absorbed his second and third soul rings. Most importantly, the second soul ring, which came from the Titan Giant Ape's sacrifice, had enhanced Salas's strength attribute by a huge margin and evolved his Clear Sky Hammer noticeably compared to before.

While Salas also underwent refinement through the Ice and Fire Immortal Grass, they didn't contribute to his martial soul's evolution. The improvements and changes to his Clear Sky Hammer came solely from absorbing soul rings.

The moment Salas released his martial soul, Tang Hao's heart leapt to his throat.

Clear Sky Hammer !

Although the appearance seemed different, the genuine Clear Sky Hammer's aura was unmistakable. It was the Clear Sky School's uniquely inherited spirit—and also the pinnacle form of a unique spirit.

"You… you're… Clear Sky… School's… disciple… You're… what's your... name?" Tang Hao's voice trembled, and he felt as if his mind had gone completely blank.

---

Hours later...

At a lake not far from Soto City, under the moonlight, two figures—one wearing a patched black cloak and the other in a white robe—stood under the silver sky.

The soft breeze slightly lifted their clothes, giving them both the appearance of wanderers who had met under a twist of fate.

Salas, with his back turned to Tang Hao as he gazed at the shimmering lake water, let out a deep sigh.

"So that's what happened... I didn't expect the reason I couldn't find anyone with the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul was because everyone had gone into seclusion. Haa... Spirit Hall, ah, Spirit Hall, I am truly irreconcilable with you."

After Salas released his martial soul, he and Tang Hao had reconciled seamlessly—as if the person who suppressed Tang Hao with a spiritual domain wasn't Salas, and as if the one who wanted to escape to the ends of the world with his son wasn't Tang Hao himself.

Afterwards, under the philosophy that blood is thicker than water, Salas shared his fabricated experience—how he lost his memory and woke up on a mountaintop, not knowing who he was. He also shared his tale of meeting Da Ming and Er Ming, how they became sworn brothers, and how Bibi Dong killed them—delivered with a heartbroken expression.

Unlike the vague version he once told Xiao Wu, Salas recounted a vivid and detailed narrative to Tang Hao. After all, during the past few months, he had plenty of time to beautify his so-called heartbreaking and heartwarming story and fix all the loopholes in it.

Now, after modifying it carefully and refining every inconsistency that a clever mind could detect, when Salas told Tang Hao his story—Tang Hao fully believed it.

Tang Hao also shared his experience of how he lost his soul beast wife, as he was touched by the atmosphere Salas created and decided to open up to another man who had experienced the same kind of pain.

With their man-to-man conversation and considering how eloquent Salas was, the two grew closer.

The spark of doubt that briefly surfaced in Tang Hao's heart—when he realized that Salas had appeared silently before him, implying he could have followed him quietly and even taken his wife away—also extinguished.

The man before him, named Boxuan, had such a noble heart, and shared the same bloodline and clan. How could he possibly do such a thing? The spark of suspicion was extinguished before it even had a chance to burn.

Then Salas and Tang Hao began discussing possible clues to Salas's identity.

Tang Hao shared his observations—that he had never seen someone like Salas in the sect—and speculated that Salas might be from an older generation who had somehow gone missing. Since Salas said he only had memories from the last ten years and some vague dreams, that was all Tang Hao could guess.

But when Salas let him check his bone age, Tang Hao was dumbfounded again.

Bone age: 51.

Only 51? How in heaven...? Salas was even younger than Tang Hao himself, who was now 57. How was this possible?

But reality stood before him. Even if it seemed impossible, when the person is right there and you've checked again and again carefully… you have no choice but to believe it—even if you don't want to.

Tang Hao's worldview was once again shaken when he realized Salas's body was exceptionally powerful... Possibly at level 98. Although he couldn't determine it with precision, he was certain that Salas was much stronger and more talented than himself.

Then, knowing Salas was younger than him but had never seen him in the sect, Tang Hao truly couldn't come up with any other possibilities. He could only respond to whatever Salas asked, hoping at least Salas might find the answer himself by piecing together some clues.

Salas also started calling Tang Hao elder brother, while Tang Hao did the opposite—calling Salas younger brother.

Like that, the two talked for hours straight... and here they were, with Tang Hao now telling Salas about the Clear Sky Clan's current situation.

"Younger brother... If you can go and visit our clan, you may probably get an answer to your question. The elders in our clan might know about your circumstances."

"They will also be happy to realize that our Clear Sky bloodline has produced someone as powerful as you... someone even more talented than me..."

Speaking up to this point, Tang Hao looked at Salas's back with hope in his eyes. Tang Hao had always blamed himself over the years, believing he was the reason behind the clan's current state—and the deaths of many clansmen, including his own father. He had longed to atone for it and dreamed of it every other day. But he no longer had the face to return and apologize, nor the strength to redeem his sins in his current physical condition...

When his son awakened the twin martial souls—including the Clear Sky Hammer—he saw a new possibility for redemption. He hoped Tang San could help the sect rise once more. That had always been one of his deepest wishes. But he also knew that would take many years... and during that time, what might the sect have to endure?

Now, having met Salas—someone immensely talented and overwhelmingly powerful—Tang Hao was truly happy. With Salas representing the present, and Tang San representing the future, having both of them gave Tang Hao hope that the Clear Sky Sect would one day emerge from the mountains once more.

"Big brother... I will. But I want to go to Slaughter City before that," Salas said solemnly.

He had already laid the foundation for this situation from the very beginning. Now, after telling Tang Hao his story, Tang Hao also knew how Salas had awakened on a mountaintop not far from Killing City, and how his instincts told him he had to go there...

"Younger brother... sigh. I'll help you enter," Tang Hao said, resigned. "Considering my presence and your strength... I hope nothing will go wrong."

In his heart, he would have preferred if Salas went there a few years later—alongside his son. But he couldn't stop Salas for such a reason. He could only help Salas now that he had the ability. After all, Salas had clearly guessed that Tang Hao had once been to Killing God City—by some instinct only he knew.

.....