Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King
Tang Chen was so annoyed by his question that he snapped, "Hey kid, can't I come here if there's nothing wrong?"
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant." Tang San chuckled and waved his hand.
Then he changed the subject, his tone slightly mischievous. "The main problem is that you didn't bring any gifts, like Soul Bones. Forty or fifty thousand wouldn't be too low, seventy or eighty thousand would also do, of course, a hundred thousand would be even better."
Upon hearing this, Tang Chen jumped up and gave Tang San a sharp rap on the head. "You brat, do you think Soul Bones are as easy as cabbages?! A hundred thousand years' worth!"
"Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone isn't something you can just get easily." Tang Chen pretended to knock again.
Tang San laughed and dodged, rubbing the spot where he'd been hit. "Just kidding, just kidding!"
Tang Chen waved his hand, steer the conversation back to business, and said in a more casual tone, "I just heard you were back, so I came to see you. How was the trip?"
"Thank you for your concern, Great-Grandfather. I'm doing very well."
Tang San smiled, then with a thought, he opened his left hand, and the Clear Sky Hammer condensed in his palm, with five bright red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings slowly pulsating beneath his feet.
Tang Chen's pupils contracted slightly, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.
He took a deep breath and rolled his eyes at Tang San: "Hurry up and put it away, don't show off in front of this old man."
His tone was filled with envy, jealousy, and satisfaction.
Tang San chuckled and put away his Martial Soul and Soul Rings.
"I'm glad you're alright. I'll be leaving now. I won't stay here as a third wheel, lest some people find me annoying," Tang Chen said in a haughty tone.
He was about to leave, but Tang San stopped him.
"Great-grandfather, don't rush, I have something to ask you."
"What's up?"
"Did you encounter the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King during your trip to the Slaughter City?"
Tang Chen frowned slightly when he heard the name of the Soul Beast that had controlled him for decades.
A complex emotion flickered in his eyes. "I didn't have time to specifically look for it. At the time, my main focus was on rebuilding order in the Slaughter City and preventing any more Evil Soul Masters from escaping. I didn't have time to specifically search for its whereabouts. But it should still be deep within the Slaughter City. Why are you asking about this?"
"I want it to become the Soul Ring of the Clear Sky Hammer." Tang San didn't beat around the bush.
The Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King is Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, a top-tier existence in the fields of darkness, vampire, and mental erosion.
It was able to parasitize Tang Chen's body for decades by relying on its extremely powerful mental manipulation and soul penetration abilities.
This attribute does not conflict with Tang San's destructive power.
The power of destruction itself has the property of dismantling all order, including the dark order.
Tang San was confident that after absorbing its Soul Ring, he would not be assimilated by the darkness, but would instead use the power of destruction to transform its darkness into the destructive edge of the Clear Sky Hammer.
As a weapon Martial Soul embodying ultimate power, the Clear Sky Hammer requires Soul Ring attributes that can enhance power burst, attack penetration, or battlefield suppression.
The Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King's blood-sucking, mental erosion, and high-speed mobility perfectly complement the Clear Sky Hammer's strengths in long-range suppression and mental deterrence.
Furthermore, it is a being of the hundred-thousand-year level, and its quality perfectly meets Tang San's requirements.
Tang Chen was silent for a moment, then nodded. "That's a good idea. Without further ado, I'll go with you now, and we can talk on the way."
Without hesitation, Tang San turned around, gave a brief explanation to Shui Bing'er and the other three, and then left Heaven Dou City with Tang Chen.
The two flew at an extremely fast speed, and with Tang Chen leading the way, they arrived at the outskirts of the Slaughter City in less than two days.
The two did not linger outside, but passed directly through the gray mist and entered the depths of the Slaughter City, where they began searching the entire city.
More than a month later, the two figures returned to the backyard of the Blue Hao Prince's Residence's Mansion.
Tang San landed with steady steps, but his aura was more solid than when he set off, and the oppressive feeling he had been tempered in the Abyss of Destruction seemed to have intensified.
Tang Chen, standing beside him, had a hint of helplessness in his eyes, as if he had been hit hard by something.
The Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King was indeed still deep within the Slaughter City, hiding in a dark cave. It took Tang San and Tang Chen more than twenty days to find it.
Tang San chose to face that top-tier Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast alone.
The most dangerous threat to the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King is its mental attacks, while its claws and nine heads also possess excellent tearing properties.
Although Tang Chen's parasitism was caused by the interference of the Rakshasa God, without strong Spiritual Power, it would be impossible to control a Peerless Douluo for decades.
However, Tang San's Spiritual Power had already surpassed the level of Peerless Douluo. In addition, with the support of his 300,000-year-old Head Soul Bone and the External Soul Bone Dreamlike Illusion Eyes, the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King was simply unable to break through his mental defenses.
Although it took some effort, Tang San still managed to kill him without any trouble.
After absorbing the Soul Ring, he gained two Soul Skills.
The first skill of the Sixth Soul Ring is "Nine-Headed Soul-Suppressing Hammer". The Clear Sky Hammer is swung out, and then splits into nine dark red hammer shadows that rush forward at the same time.
Each hammer shadow carries powerful physical destructive damage and mental impact. The nine hammer shadows cover a large area simultaneously, and opponents in front will not only suffer physical attacks but also be hit by the mental impact.
Even Titled Douluo would experience brief dizziness and loss of consciousness if hit head-on, and coupled with the terrifying physical damage, he would be severely injured even if he didn't die.
The Sixth Soul Ring's second skill, "Clear Sky Soul-Devouring Lock," releases a mental shockwave. Martial Soul Masters hit within the area will have their Martial Souls enter a "Soul-Devouring" state for ten seconds.
During this period, the connection between those Soul Masters and their Martial Souls was completely severed, making them unable to manipulate their Martial Souls or unleash Soul Skills.
This Soul Skill combines the domineering power of the Clear Sky Hammer with the spiritual erosion characteristics of the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, making it a skill specifically designed to counter all Martial Soul Masters.
After absorbing the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, Tang San's Soul Power reached the peak of level 97. Although he did not skip levels, he was only a hair's breadth away from the threshold of Level 98.
What's puzzling is that the Soul Bone dropped by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King was Head Soul Bone, not the torso bone that Tang San currently lacks.
Under normal circumstances, when Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast drops Soul Bone, it will prioritize filling the missing parts.
However, there are exceptions. If the body part corresponding to the core ability of Soul Beast is fixed, the Soul Bone of that part will be forcibly dropped, and it will not be affected by the missing part of the killer.
The Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King focuses on spirit and soul. Just like the Evil Eye Tyrant Clan, which only drops skulls or External Soul Bones, it can only drop Head Soul Bones.
However, Tang San couldn't use this Soul Bone, so he had to keep it for now.
On the way back, Tang San couldn't resist the urge to challenge Tang Chen.
At first, Tang Chen maintained his seniority, saying things like, "I won't stoop to the level of a junior," but after Tang San's repeated entreaties, he finally agreed.
The two sparred in a desolate, remote area along the road, and the result was self-evident: Tang San won by a "slight" margin. Of course, Tang Chen probably held back a little.
Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer mastery and combat experience far surpassed Tang San's, but Tang San's Soul Ring Configuration and Soul Bone combination were too comprehensive. The alternating use of the Life Domain and Destruction Domain suppressed Tang Chen's Slaughter Domain. The dual Martial Soul switching between the Blue Silver Emperor and the Clear Sky Hammer made it impossible for Tang Chen to find a breakthrough in the battle.
Tang San became more and more adept at the fight, especially when using the newly acquired Clear Sky Hammer Soul Skills, his rhythm was noticeably smoother and more skillful than before.
Tang San's Great Sumeru Hammer also became more refined under Tang Chen's guidance. The tricks he used to figure out by trial and error were reinterpreted and became more efficient under Tang Chen's instruction.
Defeated by his own great-grandson, Tang Chen wore a look of utter dejection and helplessness all day long, but at the same time, he couldn't hide his relief.