Three days later, in Heaven Dou City.
Inside a VIP room at the Heaven Dou Auction House, Tang Hao stood with his hands behind his back, clad in a black robe and hood, silently contemplating his plan.
Knock, knock, knock—
Suddenly, a series of knocks sounded at the door.
"Enter."
Regaining his focus and sensing the identity of the visitor outside, Tang Hao spoke indifferently.
Soon, the door to the VIP room was pushed open, and a portly middle-aged man holding a jade box walked in, accompanied by an elderly man with a strong presence.
"Do you have what I asked for?"
Glancing at the old man, whose soul power radiated at the level of an eight-ringed Soul Douluo, Tang Hao directed his question to the middle-aged man.
"Your Excellency, this left leg soul bone comes from the Dark Spirit Demon Snake soul beast. Though its age is only a little over twenty thousand years, it carries the ability to conceal one's aura, allowing one to suppress or even alter their own presence.
Most importantly, this concealment soul bone skill is quite special. Aside from consuming a small amount of soul power when changing one's aura, maintaining the altered presence requires no additional energy, making it undetectable to most Title Douluo."
As he spoke, Xue Fengnian, the portly manager of the Heaven Dou Auction House, respectfully presented the jade box.
A week ago, a black-robed man had visited the auction house, revealing a formidable level of soul power and specifically requesting to meet the person in charge. The staff had brought him to Xue Fengnian.
Initially, Xue Fengnian thought the visitor was just another rogue cultivator, but to his shock, the man turned out to be a rare Title Douluo.
Although this Douluo had not revealed his martial soul or soul rings, his presence far surpassed the eight-ringed Royal Guest Elder who presided over the auction house. In fact, he even exceeded the strongest Guest Elder Xue Fengnian had ever met—Jade Phosphor Douluo, Dugu Bo. Without a doubt, he was a true Title Douluo.
With a Title Douluo visiting, Xue Fengnian, as a member of the Xue Clan's branch family, had been exceptionally courteous, eager to win favor for the empire.
When the black-robed Douluo requested a soul bone with aura-concealing properties, Xue Fengnian had immediately reported the request to Emperor Xue Ye. The emperor then authorized the retrieval of this Dark Spirit Demon Snake left leg bone from the royal treasury, waiting for the Douluo's return.
After waiting for a full week, the black-robed Douluo had finally come back.
Receiving the jade box and glancing at the faintly black-glowing left leg soul bone inside, Tang Hao nodded slightly before storing it in his spatial soul tool.
With the item in hand, he cast a brief look at Xue Fengnian, who remained respectfully poised, as well as the eight-ringed elder standing beside him. Then, he prepared to leave.
That's right—he intended to leave just like that.
Had this been ten or twenty years ago, when he was still the young master of the Clear Sky Clan, he would never have stooped to eating a free meal. It would have been too disgraceful.
But times had changed. Now, Tang Hao had no money.
Besides, soul bones were incredibly expensive. Even a twenty-thousand-year-old soul bone, regardless of the body part, would cost hundreds of millions of gold soul coins—something he simply could not afford.
Since he couldn't afford it but still needed it, his only option was to take it for free.
After all, Heaven Dou Empire wasn't particularly powerful; they couldn't do anything to him. Moreover, he had concealed his face and martial soul, so they had no way of knowing it was him. This loss was inevitable for Heaven Dou.
Of course, if this were the Spirit Hall instead of the Heaven Dou Auction House, Tang Hao wouldn't have stopped at just taking the soul bone—he would have looted their entire treasury before leaving.
However, just as he was about to rely on his overwhelming strength to take the soul bone without paying, Xue Fengnian suddenly spoke again.
"May I ask Your Excellency's title? His Majesty has decreed that this soul bone is a gift to Your Excellency. The empire wishes to extend a hand of friendship."
To ordinary people, a soul bone was a priceless treasure. But to Emperor Xue Ye, a single soul bone was insignificant—especially one that was merely twenty-thousand years old and a left leg bone at that.
If this act could secure goodwill from a Title Douluo, then it was a worthy exchange.
And if it could lead to an alliance, then it would be a massive gain.
As for the possibility that the recipient might be an ingrate?
Damn it! So what if he is?
It was just a soul bone of minor value. The Heaven Dou Empire could afford the loss.
Upon hearing this, Tang Hao, hidden beneath his hood, couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.
Xue Ye giving it away so freely made his original plan to take it by force seem somewhat shameless.
After a moment of silence, Tang Hao finally said, "I am Clear Sky! I will remember this favor, I, Tang Hao, do not forget kindness."
Then, before Xue Fengnian could respond, Tang Hao's figure vanished from the VIP room.
Heaven Dou Empire had two major enemies—one was the Star Luo Empire, and the other was the Spirit Hall.
However, in the past few decades, the power of the Spirit Hall had grown immensely. What was once their primary rival, the Star Luo Empire, had now been pushed to second place. The ambitious Spirit Hall had become Heaven Dou Empire's greatest threat.
Tang Hao harbored an irreconcilable grudge against the Spirit Hall. Given their overwhelming strength, his future revenge would require the assistance of other forces. Heaven Dou Empire was a potential ally.
Moreover, Emperor Xue Ye had shown him respect. Leaving his name behind was not an issue.
"Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao?!"
Inside the VIP room, Xue Fengnian's eyes widened in shock before a look of uncontrollable joy appeared on his face.
This Clear Sky Douluo was not someone the empire could easily recruit. After all, Tang Hao was not a wandering soul master but a member of the once-preeminent Clear Sky Clan. It was impossible for him to join Heaven Dou.
But if it was Tang Hao… whether the empire could win him over actually didn't matter.
Apart from the Star Luo Empire and the Spirit Hall, Heaven Dou Empire had no other enemies—or at least none worth worrying about.
If the Spirit Hall remained standing, then the Star Luo Empire was not truly Heaven Dou's enemy. Both empires understood that. Neither wanted to give the Spirit Hall a chance to take advantage of their conflict.
As for dealing with the Spirit Hall, who could be more motivated than Tang Hao?
This man had a blood feud against the Spirit Hall—the murder of his wife and the forced closure of his clan. He would never stop fighting against them.
So, whether they had successfully recruited Tang Hao or not, he was already Heaven Dou Empire's most reliable ally—at least when it came to fighting the Spirit Hall.
"We lost out!"
Suddenly, Xue Fengnian slapped his thigh in frustration, a hint of regret flashing across his face.
Tang Hao was already a guaranteed enemy of the Spirit Hall.
That meant…
Even without this soul bone, he would have fought them to the bitter end.
Didn't this mean that gifting him the soul bone was a complete waste?
After all, even if they hadn't given it to him…
Hmph! I, Tang Hao, would have just taken it anyway!
Wait—no, no. That was the work of a mysterious black-robed Douluo.
What did that have to do with the illustrious Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao?
For additional chapters....
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