Clear Sky Elder Tang Lie! The Clear Sky Hammer Appears!

Before the King's Arena, a deathly silence fell.

Everyone was still immersed in the battle that had just shattered their understanding, their minds buzzing.

Someone as powerful as Hu Yan Zhen, an eighty-ninth-level defense-type Soul Douluo and wielder of the Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul,

had actually... actually been instantly killed by someone with lower Soul Power who looked like a carefree playboy?!

The outcome was too shocking, too inconceivable!

Si Kong Zhen's voice thundered like lightning, shattering the suffocating silence and rousing everyone from their thoughts:

"Victory and defeat have been decided! Since you failed to challenge the arena, you must honor your promise!"

"By the rules, if the Elephant Armor Sect has no Divine Artifacts or Heavenly Treasures to offer as compensation, then every Soul Bone on Sect Master Hu Yan's body belongs to my King's Hall!"

His words were icy and carried an unquestionable Power of Rules, as though he were merely stating the most ordinary fact.

"What?!"

"Not only are they taking his life, they're stripping his bones too?!"

"How... how is this any different from outright robbery?!"

The audience instantly erupted. Everyone was shocked by King's Hall's ruthless, decisive, no-holds-barred approach!

They had not merely won the match—they intended to squeeze every last bit of value from the loser!

Inside the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's private room, Yu Yuanzhen slammed his palm onto the table, his face livid:

"Bastard! How is this any different from the actions of bandits?!"

"They merely won through opportunistic tricks with that strange ability! How dare they act so arrogantly!"

Yu Luomian, the second-in-command, leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Sect Master, should we... step in?"

Yu Yuanzhen stared fixedly at Si Kong Zhen on the arena, especially the few objects beside him that were faintly visible and emanated fluctuations of laws not belonging to this world.

Those must have been the Divine Artifacts bestowed by the Heavenly Ranking!

A flash of greed and ruthlessness crossed his eyes as he lowered his voice:

"If King's Hall can rob others, then why can't we?! Let us watch the situation first. If an opportunity arises..."

Just as public outrage surged and undercurrents stirred,

a group of travel-worn yet imposing people forcibly parted the crowd and boldly arrived at the edge of the venue!

At their head stood a burly old man with bristling hair and beard.

His gaze was sharp as an eagle's, and his entire body radiated an explosive aura like a volcano on the verge of eruption. He was the Clear Sky Sect's Seventh Elder—Tang Lie!

"What a King's Hall! What grand airs!"

Tang Lie's voice boomed like a great bell. His openly provocative gaze swept over the crowd before settling on Si Kong Zhen at the center of the arena.

"You've made such a grand spectacle, stepping on the sects of the world to make a name for yourselves!"

"I'd like to see just what capabilities you possess to dare claim the top spot on the Heavenly Ranking!"

With that, he strode forward like a dragon and tiger, Soul Power faintly surging around him as he prepared to walk onto the arena!

His domineering arrogance made it seem as though he did not regard King's Hall at all!

Inside the private room, Xue Qinghe looked at the aggressive old man below, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes as he quietly asked Ning Fengzhi beside him:

"Teacher, who is this...?"

Ning Fengzhi's expression was grave as he explained softly:

"He is Tang Lie, the Clear Sky Sect's Seventh Elder. The Clear Sky Sect has secluded itself from the world for more than ten years. It is only natural that Your Highness the Crown Prince has never seen him."

Xue Qinghe mused inwardly:

What a Clear Sky Sect. The moment they reemerge, they are already this flamboyant and overbearing. They truly have not changed their temperament.

Bone Douluo Gu Rong's clouded eyes flashed with sharp light as he said solemnly:

"Did you sense the Soul Power fluctuations from his body? Dense and violent—he is definitely at the level of a Titled Douluo!"

"Before the Clear Sky Sect entered seclusion, Tang Lie's Soul Power should not have broken through to the Titled Douluo level yet!"

"Who would have thought that after just over ten years in seclusion, he would break through as well!"

Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly, his tone meaningful:

"It seems the Clear Sky Sect's seclusion was not complete silence. They were accumulating strength, intending to rise in one great burst!"

Xue Qinghe thought to himself:

I never expected that after more than ten years of seclusion, the Clear Sky Sect's strength would not only fail to decline, but improve so greatly!

The number of Titled Douluo they possess likely exceeds previous estimates. This is definitely not good news for Spirit Hall!

In a quiet corner of the spectator stands, far from the noisy crowd,

a slender young woman with a thin black veil over her face spoke softly, her voice as clear as a mountain spring:

"Mother, who are those people? Their presence is so frightening."

Her deep blue hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

Most captivating of all were her large, pale blue eyes, clear to their depths and untouched by worldly dust.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, as though they could speak, revealing curiosity and a hint of timid unease.

The beautiful woman beside her resembled her by seventy percent, though she possessed a more mature charm. Her gentle temperament also carried an almost imperceptible resilience.

She replied softly:

"They must be people from the Clear Sky Sect, which has remained secluded for so long."

"Lingling, this place is filled with all manner of people. Let us observe quietly for now and not become involved in any conflict so easily."

These two were Ye Qingxian, the current head of the Nine Heart Begonia Family—the continent's most mysterious and rare support-type sect—and her daughter, Ye Lingling, the next inheritor.

Ye Qingxian had come with a determination far surpassing that of the other factions.

She had not come merely to watch the excitement or issue a challenge. She desperately wanted to establish ties with the King's Hall that had emerged from nowhere,

even if it meant allowing the entire Nine Heart Begonia Family to become dependent on this newly risen overlord!

This was because the Nine Heart Begonia lineage was bound by the ancient curse that "only two inheritors may exist in the world at once."

The family had few members, its influence had never been able to expand, and it had always been overshadowed by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Though they possessed an unrivaled Martial Soul, they found it difficult to fully display its power.

Yet deep in Ye Qingxian's heart, she had always believed that their Nine Heart Begonia was the undisputed number one support Martial Soul in the world in terms of healing and support!

She needed a powerful platform, an opportunity to break the deadlock!

At that moment, on the arena, Seventh Elder Tang Lie saw that no one immediately answered him, and his arrogance grew even more rampant.

He suddenly stepped onto the arena, his voice shaking the surrounding lands:

"What?! The moment my Clear Sky Sect arrives, no one from your King's Hall dares come out and fight?! Are you afraid?!"

Before Seventh Elder Tang Lie's arrogant challenge had fully faded—

BOOM—!!!

A vast and terrifying surge of Soul Power exploded from his body!

His berserk aura instantly swept through the entire venue. The weaker Soul Masters were directly crushed pale by the pressure, staggering backward!

Then, an awe-inspiring Soul Ring configuration appeared:

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black!

Nine Soul Rings in total—the nine Soul Rings symbolizing the peak of a Soul Master—rose beneath his feet!

Light rapidly gathered, and the phantom of an enormous black Great Hammer, covered in ancient dark patterns and berserk power, suddenly solidified in his hand!

Its hammerhead was massive enough to smash mountains, while its thick handle bore incomparable strength!

It was none other than the Clear Sky Hammer, renowned across the continent as the number one Weapon Martial Soul in the world!

The instant the hammer fully solidified, the air around Tang Lie seemed to turn heavy and viscous, as an invisible force field pressed down upon everyone's nerves!