When Tang Xiao finally vented his anger and realized Ah Yin was watching behind him, he quickly turned, wanting to explain himself.
Suddenly, the illusion shattered, and Tang Xiao's consciousness returned.
Back inside his crippled body, his heart was filled not only with despair but also with unrelenting hatred and unwillingness.
Tang Hao, you damned bastard. You ruined me so badly, yet you're fine, aren't you? Hiding away, just waiting for your son to become a god and bring you endless glory.
Damn it, I hate this!
"Do you crave revenge?" A hoarse, sharp voice rang out—not Ah Yin's.
"Who's there—?" Tang Xiao looked around in shock.
Only then did he notice his surroundings had changed.
He was in a pitch-black space. Ahead of him lay a pool, its liquid green and rancid, reeking of decay. Floating on the surface were countless bones.
At the pool's center stood a small island. Atop the island was an altar, and upon the altar rested a scythe.
The island was connected to Tang Xiao's position by a single rickety bridge.
"Tang Xiao, I am the Rakshasa God. Tell me—do you desire the power to take revenge?" the Rakshasa God asked.
The Rakshasa God? Tang Xiao never expected to meet a deity. Like a drowning man clutching at straws, he seized this last hope with desperation and quickly nodded.
"I do! Almighty Rakshasa God, please grant me the strength for revenge."
"I can give you the power of vengeance. But what price will you pay?" the Rakshasa's voice rasped in his ears.
"Anything!" Tang Xiao answered without hesitation.
"Then crawl across that bridge of peril. Reach the altar of the Demon Scythe, and touch the Rakshasa Scythe with your own hand. I will bestow upon you power."
Without a second thought, Tang Xiao began crawling toward the bridge. His body was paralyzed, ruined by Tang Lie—only one functioning hand dragged him forward inch by inch.
The bridge was nothing more than a rotting plank, swaying under his weight, groaning as if it might split at any moment.
Now and then he glanced down. Beneath him, the green liquid churned and boiled, bubbling up with skeletal remains.
No—I mustn't fall. I must reach the other side!
At last, Tang Xiao reached the opposite shore. Behind him, the rotting bridge finally gave way, collapsing into the lake.
Relieved, he turned back briefly, then continued crawling toward the altar.
"Tang Xiao!"
He froze. Ahead of him, Ah Yin stood, watching him.
Their eyes met, and for a moment it was as if they had returned to the past.
"Ah Yin…" Tang Xiao's voice was tender.
She opened her mouth, about to speak, when suddenly a dark gate appeared behind her. From within came a deep, terrifying voice:
"What are you waiting for? After this farewell, return to me."
With helpless sorrow, Ah Yin said to Tang Xiao:
"Brother Xiao, I'm sorry. I have to go."
"Ah Yin, where are you going?" he cried desperately.
But Ah Yin's figure stepped through the Rakshasa Gate. The gate closed behind her.
"Ah Yin! Ah Yin!" Tang Xiao wailed, crawling in every direction, searching for the vanished doorway.
The Rakshasa God's chuckle echoed.
"Heh heh… Tang Xiao, do you wish to see Ah Yin?"
"Rakshasa—where is she?" Tang Xiao demanded.
"Jie jie jie… When she sacrificed herself for you, it was I who carried away her seed of life. I revived her body in the God Realm. If you wish to see her again, you must ascend to godhood. Only then, in the God Realm, can your wish be fulfilled."
"Become a god… How do I do that?"
"Whoever draws the Demon Scythe shall inherit my legacy. Eternal power, sharp as a blade through flesh—but their heart will be consumed, corrupted, and twisted. They will fall, becoming a god of pure malice. Are you prepared?"
Tang Xiao's eyes turned toward the scythe on the altar. He nodded firmly.
"To see Ah Yin again, no matter the cost—I am willing."
He climbed onto the altar.
"Yes, that's it… crawl to the altar. Touch the Rakshasa Scythe with your hand," the Rakshasa urged.
At last, Tang Xiao reached the top. Staring at the ominous scythe, he recalled his tragic life—his humiliation, his crippling, his hatred.
For revenge against Tang San and Tang Hao—for one more chance to see Ah Yin—Tang Xiao reached out and seized the scythe's handle.
The moment he touched it, immense divine power surged into him.
He felt his shattered spine mending, his ruined martial spirit restored, his crippled body returning to full strength as sinister energy filled him.
"Aaahhhhhh!" His cries turned to moans of ecstasy as the overwhelming force poured through him. His clothes shredded under the impact, leaving him transformed.
Under the Rakshasa's power, his body changed drastically.
His bronze skin darkened—black as coal—covered in coarse hair. His steel-like hair curled into thick locks, his lips grew fuller. His legs shortened, his frame became stockier, but his arms stretched long, hanging past his knees.
Tang Xiao reveled in his restored body, laughing manically.
"I'm whole again! No longer a cripple! Hahahahaha!"
He summoned the Clear Sky Hammer. With it came his immense spirit power—Rank 92—and nine spirit rings: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
"Power! I feel overwhelming power! I, Haotian Douluo, have returned! Aaaahhhhhh!"
He bellowed wildly, pounding his chest with his long arms like a drum, roaring like a beast unleashed.
The mark of the Rakshasa God's trial burned onto his forehead.
"I am whole now! I lack nothing! I have inherited divine power! Tang Hao—prepare to suffer my vengeance! Ahahahaha!"
His eyes burned red, the Rakshasa Scythe amplifying his evil aura. He roared madly, his voice shaking the entire space.
On the other side of the door, a man and a woman were entangled.
The Evil Emperor sneered wickedly:
"Doesn't your conscience hurt, Ah Yin?"
Ah Yin put on an innocent expression and replied:
"It's them who like me, not me who likes them. That green hat was their choice to wear, wasn't it? Why shouldn't I seek my own pleasure?"
And so, the two indulged again.
Meanwhile, Tang Xiao was immersed in overwhelming ecstasy, while Tang Hao—whose eyes were fixed rigidly on his daughter-in-law and his three 'grandsons'—unknowingly found a little color added to his head.
"Power… such great power! Hahahahaha!"
Right now Tang Xiao felt better than he ever had in his life.
Suddenly, in the depths of his consciousness, he received the content of the First Trial of the Rakshasa God:
Rakshasa God's First Trial: Devour a Titled Douluo who possesses the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul.
Reward: +10% Rakshasa God Affinity, Rakshasa Domain.
Tang Xiao looked at the content of the trial. The first test required him to devour a Clear Sky Hammer Titled Douluo. Yet such a requirement stirred no inner turmoil in him. Ever since he was expelled from the Clear Sky Sect by Tang Lie, Tang Xiao had lost all affection for the sect.
Seeing this task, his first thought wasn't "I shouldn't do this," but rather: "Who should I target?"
"In the world today, Titled Douluo with the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul… besides myself, only Tang Lie, Tang Hao, and Tang Chen remain."
Tang Chen couldn't be found, and even if he could, Tang Xiao wasn't confident of winning.
Tang Hao's whereabouts were unknown, and besides, with the God of Shura behind him, he was far too troublesome. More importantly, Tang Xiao didn't want Tang Hao to die so soon—he wanted to torment the father and son slowly, to let them taste pain a hundred times greater than his own.
"That leaves you, Tang Lie, as the perfect prey." Tang Xiao's lips curled into a sinister smile.
That night, the moon hung high in the sky, casting its light upon a cold mountain peak.
The Rats had dug a hole in this mighty mountain, naming it Rat Cave.
Outside the cave, two rats stood guard at the entrance. One of them yawned—then suddenly heard footsteps approaching.
He tensed immediately and looked toward the source of the sound.
Bathed in moonlight, a dark-skinned, short-limbed, curly-haired aberration approached slowly, carrying a scythe on his shoulder.
The moonlight shone on his black skin like oil, reflecting a greasy sheen.
His lips were thick, nose broad, nostrils flaring as he exhaled, and his eyes glowed blood-red.
The two guards hastily summoned their Clear Sky Hammers, crossing them together. They shouted at the approaching aberration:
"Stop! Who are you? This is the Clear—uh, Rat Cave! You shall go no further!"
(The guard had nearly blurted out Clear Sky Sect, but quickly changed his words—knowing if word spread, it would invite suppression from two mighty Titled Douluo of the Judgement Hall. He dared not.)
The aberration stopped. His blood-red eyes fixed on the two rats, then he raised his head and looked at the plaque above the entrance: "Rat Cave."
In a deep voice, he said:
"I am here… to collect a debt."
"Collect… a debt?" the two guards echoed in confusion.
The next instant, the aberration vanished—reappearing right before them.
"You—" One guard only saw a flash of cold light before his consciousness faded.
Both guards collapsed in a pool of blood. Tang Xiao swung the Rakshasa Scythe, flinging their blood off the blade.
He raised his head, his cold gaze fixed on the plaque, and roared furiously:
"Mighty Clear Sky Sect, once the proud No.1 sect in the world—now reduced to a joke! Run by a pack of cowardly rodents! Since the Clear Sky Sect cast me out, then it no longer deserves to exist!"
He lifted the Rakshasa Scythe and slashed toward the cave entrance. A dark green slash ripped forward, instantly cutting the Rat Cave apart and reducing it to ruins under its violent energy.
The destruction roused all the rats within.
Tang Xiao bellowed toward the depths of the cave:
"Tang Lie! Come out here and die!"
Then he thrust the scythe into the ground, clenched his fists, stretched his long arms, and pounded his chest like a drum, issuing deep, thunderous sounds that echoed as a challenge to all inside.
Soon enough, the rats poured out, led by Tang Lie. Among them, only Tang Lie could tread upon the air.
He looked at the ruined entrance, the corpses of his men, and the strange dark-skinned, short-limbed figure glaring at him with hatred.
Something about this odd being felt familiar, yet he couldn't place it.
"Who are you, to dare trespass in my Clear—uh, Rat Cave, and kill my men?" Tang Lie demanded, summoning his Clear Sky Hammer and pointing it at Tang Xiao.
"Heh… heh heh heh ha ha ha ha! Tang Lie, has it been so long you've forgotten me? I am Tang Xiao—the one you cast out!" Tang Xiao raised his hand, summoning a Clear Sky Hammer shrouded in dark miasma.
Nine soul rings encircled him: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
"You're Tang Xiao?" Tang Lie felt the sinister, ominous power radiating from him. His heart tightened, though he kept his voice sharp:
"I don't know what happened to turn you into this half-human, half-demon monster, but hear me: the Clear Sky Sect is no place for your rampage!"
"Then fight!" Tang Xiao roared, swinging his hammer straight at Tang Lie.
Tang Lie met him head-on, his hammer blazing with searing heat.
The two Titled Douluo wielding Clear Sky Hammers clashed fiercely in midair. But how could Tang Lie, in his decline, match Tang Xiao at his peak?
Before long, Tang Xiao smashed Tang Lie's spine with a crushing blow. Tang Lie crashed to the ground in agony.
The next instant, Tang Xiao descended and stomped on Tang Lie's back.
"Unh—arghhhhhhh!" Tang Lie howled in excruciating pain. Tang Xiao looked down at the crippled man beneath his feet, feeling sheer satisfaction surge in his chest.
"Tang Lie, when you crippled me and cast me out of the sect, did you ever imagine this day would come?" Tang Xiao asked triumphantly.
"Don't gloat, Tang Xiao! If you have the guts, kill me! I'll curse you from the depths of Hell—you'll die without peace!" Tang Lie spat venomously.