"Big brother, be careful—this man is very strong."
Long Kui's soft voice echoed inside Xiao Se's mind.
"Mm."
Xiao Se nodded lightly. Facing Tang Ritian's overwhelming aura, he remained calm and unafraid.
"You've been tailing me all the way," he said lazily. "I thought you'd at least pretend to be patient a bit longer."
"You shouldn't have touched him," Tang Ritian said coldly.
"Alright, spare me the nonsense," Xiao Se waved dismissively. "Isn't this just the classic: beat the kid, and the parent shows up? I've met plenty like you."
His gaze swept the surroundings, then he added:
"You held back outside the city so you wouldn't expose yourself, and I also don't want to cause a big commotion.
Since that's the case—we fight outside the city."
With that, his wings snapped open, and his body shot out like a streak of azure light, flying straight toward the outskirts of Soto City. Mid-flight, he popped a Qi Restoration Pill, a Windwalking Pill, and a fourth-rank Beast Strength Pill into his mouth.
Against a power-type Spirit Master whose realm was higher than his own—carelessness would be fatal.
Behind him, Tang Ritian snorted coldly, then took off—moving so fast the air itself shrieked.
Ten kilometers outside Soto City.
Xiao Se and Tang Ritian stood facing each other, separated by dozens of meters of open ground.
"Before we start," Xiao Se said calmly, "I want to ask you something."
Tang Ritian didn't reply.
Black light surged around him, condensing into a massive Clear Sky Hammer over two meters long.
At the same time, nine spirit rings rose beneath him—
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
They pulsed with blinding brilliance.
Since Tang Ritian gave no intention of answering, Xiao Se simply continued:
"That kid called Tang San… he should be your son, right?
Honestly… I feel a bit sorry for you.
Your son was possessed by someone, and you didn't even notice."
"Possessed?" Tang Hao's brows lifted slightly.
After a moment of thought, he asked, "What do you mean?"
Xiao Se began spinning the tale smoothly:
"My soul was born far stronger than others.
That's why I can sense things even a Titled Douluo can't.
And I can see what you can't."
"Tang San's soul—while compatible with the body—has an odd dissonance to it.
This kind of dissonance only appears when a soul occupies a body that isn't its own. The mismatch causes instability."
"But Tang San's soul seems to have already adapted. Meaning…"
Xiao Se smiled faintly.
"There's only one possibility:
When your son was very young, his soul was devoured by another.
That intruder then took over the body, living a new life under your son's name."
"And if I'm not wrong, Tang San must have seemed unusual since childhood—creating strange things, using techniques that shouldn't exist in this world.
Take his moves against me:
His grappling skill, his clever footwork, those purple-glowing eyes, his hand turning icy like cold jade…
None of those are related to his martial spirit.
Surely you didn't teach him that.
And neither did his teacher."
As Xiao Se spoke, Tang Ritian fell silent.
Memories of Tang San's childhood flooded his mind.
Indeed—too many things about the boy had been odd.
Far too odd.
Not a single trace of what a normal child should have looked like.
If what Xiao Se said was true…
If his son had already been replaced…
How was he supposed to face Ah Yin's death?
After a long while, Tang Ritian exhaled, staring at Xiao Se with a shadowed expression.
A faint killing intent stirred in his eyes.
"This matter… aside from you, does anyone else know?"
"Oh? Looks like you already believe me."
Xiao Se laughed coldly.
"So you want to kill me to silence the witness? And then keep pretending Tang San is your real son?"
Purple light rippled across his right hand, and the magic sword materialized in his grip.
In an instant, Xiao Se's aura skyrocketed.
For the first time—the magic sword's power was unsealed.
Feeling that well of power rushing through him, Xiao Se's lips curled upward in excitement.
This was the first time in two years he had used the sword's power.
This intoxicating strength… was addictive.
Though Tang Ritian frowned at Xiao Se's sudden surge of power, he still didn't take him seriously.
The difference between them spanned entire realms—two, perhaps even three.
With a heavy stomp, Tang Ritian lunged forward, swinging the massive hammer down on Xiao Se with terrifying speed.
Xiao Se sneered.
His left hand formed a seal as he leapt back into the air, purple wings spreading wide.
"Fire Release—Great Fire Annihilation!"
A gigantic cyan fireball the size of a meteor erupted from Xiao Se's mouth, crashing downward like a falling star, smashing into the ground where Tang Ritian had just stood.
This was the Green Lotus Core Flame—its temperature immeasurably high.
Even a Dou Huang wouldn't dare touch it.
Feeling the terrifying heat radiating from the blue fireball overhead, Tang Ritian's expression finally shifted.
"Clear Sky Avatar!"
With a thunderous roar, the first seven spirit rings on his body shone at once.
A towering dark-red giant—over ten meters tall—manifested around him.
It gripped an enormous Clear Sky Hammer and swung it upward violently at the descending fireball.
RUMBLE!!!
The cyan fireball halted for a moment against the titan's strength—
Then was forced back into the air.
If it had been the original Uchiha Madara using Great Fire Annihilation, he would have suffered backlash.
But this was a Heavenly Flame—Xiao Se's own origin flame.
He controlled it perfectly.
It couldn't harm him.
But Tang Ritian was not so lucky.
The moment the Clear Sky Hammer contacted the fireball, it heated to a glowing red.
Tang Ritian's palms blistered instantly—skin splitting, blood dripping.
Hovering within the massive cyan fireball, Xiao Se's eyes gleamed brilliantly.
The giant fireball shrank, then condensed onto his body.
"Fire God's Wrath—First Layer: Serpent Fury!"
Instantly, Xiao Se's aura—already swollen from the magic sword—exploded upward again.
Now, it nearly matched Tang Ritian's own presence.
"What flame is this? The heat is monstrous…"
Tang Ritian muttered, eyes narrowing.
Gripping the scorching Clear Sky Hammer with burned hands, he launched himself skyward again, appearing before Xiao Se in a blink.
"Clear Sky Hammer—Wild Wind Dance!"
With a deafening roar, the hammer expanded tenfold.
Tang Ritian swung it with hurricane force, smashing it down toward Xiao Se.
Xiao Se only sneered.
The magic sword in his hand shone with violet light as the Heavenly Flame wrapped around it—
Condensing into a sword far larger than the giant Clear Sky Hammer.
Cyan flames rippled along its surface—
Even the air twisted and distorted around it.
"Crimson Flame Sword—Limit Break!"
Swallowing the three pills still in his mouth, Xiao Se roared and swung the enormous flaming sword downward.
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this novel, you might like to check out my other novels as well.
You could also give my friend Soulcaster01's novels a try. One of the popular ones is
"Douluo Dalu: Storm-born Thunder King and His Many Loves" on Webnovel.
I hope you'll enjoy those too.