Ring Explosion

"Little San!"

Tang Hao turned to look back. His son and Xiao Wu had already fainted behind him.

He immediately turned back and stared coldly at Ye Xiaobao.

"Looks like I can only end this quickly."

Ye Xiaobao would not give Tang Hao any time to rest. Holding the Golden Cudgel, he charged again.

Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo, meanwhile, tried to circle around Tang Hao and seize Tang San and Xiao Wu.

"If you want to get past, you'll have to get through me first!"

"Nine Secrets of the Haotian, Seal!"

The Haotian True Body wielded the Haotian Hammer, somehow drawing Ye Xiaobao and the others all into its attack range while holding Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo in place.

"Shake!"

"Bind!"

"Break!"

The Haotian Hammer seemed to come alive in Tang Hao's hands. Every strike blocked an opponent, and he only grew fiercer as the battle continued.

For a time, he fought five against one on equal footing.

Tang Hao grew more valiant with every exchange, and his aura became increasingly powerful.

Every collision between Ye Xiaobao's Golden Cudgel and the Haotian Hammer made him feel his Soul Power draining at an alarming rate.

Wasn't Tang Hao a little too overpowered? Wasn't Ye Xiaobao supposed to be the protagonist?

Ye Xiaobao grumbled inwardly, but his attacks never paused. The massive Golden Cudgel crashed down again and again.

At the same time, Chrysanthemum Ghost, Ni Huang, and Demon Bear, the four Douluo, all unleashed their ninth soul skills.

"Ninth Soul Skill, Withered Chrysanthemums, Wounds Across the Ground, Flowers Fall and Hearts Break!"

"Ninth Soul Skill, Hellish Specter!"

"Ninth Soul Skill, Demon Bear Sky Annihilation!"

"Ninth Soul Skill, Phoenix Nirvana Flame!"

Seeing four Titled Douluo-level experts unleash their strongest attacks at once, Tang Hao knew he could never withstand them.

"Looks like I can only use that move."

"Seventh, eighth, ninth—three rings explode together."

"Ring Explosion!"

The two black Soul Rings and the red Soul Ring around him exploded with a thunderous roar.

They immediately reformed behind him into a golden Soul Seal.

"Great Sumeru Hammer!"

The several-hundred-zhang Haotian True Body gripped its hammer with both hands, its body twisting into an unbelievable arc.

It swung toward the combined attack of the five, while the Haotian Hammer continued expanding without end.

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

The Haotian Hammer shattered four ninth soul skills in succession, sending the four Titled Douluo flying back.

After the four were blasted away,

the Haotian Hammer collided with the Golden Cudgel.

The two incomparably enormous weapons struck each other with a resounding clang.

A violent gale erupted at once.

Tang Hao's face twisted slightly as he roared,

"Die!"

The strength of the Haotian True Body increased by several more degrees.

Ye Xiaobao felt an incomparably immense force travel through the Golden Cudgel, while his Soul Power drained at a terrifying pace.

Damn, my Soul Power is draining too fast. Time's up!

Ye Xiaobao's Great Sage Equal to Heaven martial soul abruptly dispersed, returning him to human form. The enormous Haotian Hammer struck empty air and smashed into the ground.

With a thunderous boom,

a mushroom cloud surged into the sky.

Ye Xiaobao's human body was also hurled away by the shockwave from the violent explosion.

The swirling sand and dust obscured all sight of the area.

After a while,

a massive crater spanning more than ten li had appeared in the ground, bearing witness to the battle that had just taken place.

Before long, Dong Bo arrived with dozens of high-level Soul Masters.

When he saw the enormous crater in the ground, he could not help but gasp in horror.

"Four Titled Douluo were clearly deployed. How did the battle still turn out like this?"

"Where is the Young Master?" He looked around, but could not find anyone.

"Quick! Go find the Young Master!"

"Yes!"

The Soul Masters scattered to search, while Dong Bo descended into the crater and found four severely injured Titled Douluo at its bottom.

The four were covered in blood and looked utterly miserable.

"First Elder!"

Dong Bo hurried over to examine them. After confirming that all four were seriously injured but their lives were not in danger, he finally relaxed.

"First Elder, where is the Young Master?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo clutched his chest with one hand and said,

"Xiaobao's Martial Soul Avatar was broken by Tang Hao. We don't know where he was sent flying. I'm afraid..."

"What?!"

Dong Bo's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

He had never expected Ye Xiaobao to go missing. Muttering to himself, he said,

"How could this happen... No... it can't be..." Then he rushed off to search frantically.

The four Titled Douluo were helped to their feet by several high-level Soul Masters.

Elsewhere, Tang Hao carried Tang San in one hand and Xiao Wu in the other as he fled madly.

He knew that Spirit Hall would definitely send people to investigate that area.

He did not dare delay. Relying solely on sheer willpower, he fled with Tang San and Xiao Wu.

After running for an unknown length of time, Tang Hao finally came across a cave and flashed inside.

"Pfft!"

Tang Hao spat out a mouthful of blood.

He did not have time to wipe it away. Using the last of his strength, he laid Tang San and Xiao Wu on the ground before immediately passing out.

"Hiss!"

"My head hurts."

"Big Sister, that person is awake! Come take a look!"

A childish voice rang out, followed by the patter of running footsteps.

Ye Xiaobao slowly sat up, and heart-rending pain shot through his entire body.

Enduring the pain, he lifted the blanket and took a look.

"Mm, good. It didn't shrink."

He then surveyed the room. Before him stood an old square wooden table, and the little wooden house carried a faint smell of mildew.

Many wooden splints were wrapped around his body. It seemed this family had saved him.

Ye Xiaobao tried to get out of bed, but gave up after struggling twice.

Right now, he did not have a trace of Soul Power or spiritual power left. He had no idea how many bones in his body were broken.

Where am I? Wasn't I sent flying by Tang Hao's hammer?

He vaguely remembered that Tang Hao's Ring Explosion strike had completely drained all his Soul Power and sent him flying.

It seemed that he had landed on a mountain. He had barely managed to use the soul bone skill Lightning Flash to avoid being crushed to death.

He remembered nothing after that.

I was really careless. I never expected Tang Hao to be this strong. These years of smooth sailing in cultivation must have made me too arrogant.

Even with the four Douluo unable to use their Martial Soul Avatars, I still dared to take Tang Hao head-on.

But then again,

"The Great Sage martial soul doesn't last long enough. It has no staying power at all..."

Monkey King really let me down.

What a waste of that rabbit's Soul Ring!

With a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring boosting him, perhaps he would have possessed the strength to truly face Tang Hao head-on.

As Ye Xiaobao pondered this, a delicate and gentle-looking young woman entered the room, followed by a little girl of five or six.

The young woman looked seventeen or eighteen years old. Her plain gray cloth dress, patched in several places, made it obvious that her family was poor.

"You're awake."

"Where am I?"

The young woman did not answer. Instead, she stepped forward to examine him.

"Mm, you're recovering well. Your bones should heal in another half month. But you've already been unconscious for half a month. Have some porridge later; don't eat solid food yet."

"Thank you, Miss, for saving my life."

Ye Xiaobao was also grateful for his good luck. Otherwise, even if the fall had not killed him, wild beasts might have eaten him.

"No need to thank me. I was gathering herbs on the mountain when I found you. It was nothing."

The little girl beside her was clearly unwilling to accept that.

"Big Sister, you're lying! When you came back that day, you were obviously covered in injuries."

"You talk too much."

Ye Xiaobao fell silent.

For an ordinary girl to drag him down from the mountain, it could not have been as simple as she claimed.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the young woman changed the subject.

"By the way, you look unfamiliar. You're not from one of the nearby villages, are you? How did you fall from the mountain?"

"Could you be a Soul Master?"

Ye Xiaobao did not want to lie to her, so he nodded.

"Yes, I'm a Soul Master. I only fell from the mountain because I was injured."

Seeing that Ye Xiaobao did not want to say more, the young woman did not press him further.

"You just woke up, so you must be hungry. I'll go make you some porridge."

The moment Ye Xiaobao heard there would be porridge, his uncooperative stomach began to growl.

The young woman covered her mouth and smiled before turning to make the porridge.

When Ye Xiaobao saw her smile, it seemed strangely infectious, and he found himself smiling as well.

"Big Brother, Big Brother, are you really a Soul Master?"

"Are you really powerful?"

"I'll be six in a few days too. The village chief said someone will come to help awaken us after a while."

"Do you think I can become a powerful Soul Master too?"

Standing beside Ye Xiaobao's bed, the little girl chattered as if a dam had burst open. Her adorable little hands gestured constantly as she talked without stopping.