National Martial Arts vs. Soul Emperor

"Good thing I had the foresight. Otherwise, I would've missed such a huge secret."

With a sly chuckle, Tang Jue had an idea.

"I might not be able to pull off this God Creation Plan, but I can sell it. At the very least, I can trade it for a few soul bones. Still, I need to be careful, or I might lose my life."

The God Creation Plan was indeed tempting, but it was not something ordinary people could manage. Simply finding a hundred-thousand-year-old transformed soul beast was incredibly difficult, let alone earning its trust.

Tang Jue knew his own limits. He could not pull it off, but that did not mean others could not. He believed that the Seven Great Sects, the Two Great Empires, and even Spirit Hall would be interested.

He was not greedy. As long as he could use it to trade for six soul bones and some money, that would be enough.

With six soul bones, he could at least cultivate to the Titled Douluo level. By then, he would become an elder of the Clear Sky Sect.

"No, the secret here is too great. If I go back, the young master might silence me."

Suddenly coming to his senses, Tang Jue realized that he absolutely could not return. Otherwise, his life would surely be in danger.

After all, he was not from the Clear Sky Sect's direct line, merely a member of a collateral branch. Even his martial soul was the downgraded mutated Vajra Hammer. At the Clear Sky Sect, he had only learned the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer to use for smithing.

To ensure absolute secrecy, that young master would surely not mind eliminating an insignificant collateral branch member like him.

He even suspected that the young master had specifically instructed him to keep it secret in preparation for silencing him afterward. Once he killed Tang Jue after the task was complete, no one would know the secret here.

"Let's keep looking. There might be other secrets."

Forcing himself to calm down, he carefully searched the room again. He even pried up every stone brick in the floor and tore down all the wooden walls, yet found nothing new.

With no other choice, he moved on to search another room—the room Tian Hao had been smashed into, and also the one Ah Yin had lived in. Her refreshing body fragrance still lingered inside.

Entering the room with a massive hole blasted through its wall, Tang Jue glanced at the youth who had long since ceased breathing and began searching.

But only moments after he turned around, an ear-piercing screech of metal scraping against metal suddenly sounded behind him, making his entire body shudder.

That instinctive shudder cost him his chance to dodge.

Realizing what was happening, he instinctively lunged forward, smashing through the wooden wall ahead and rushing into the courtyard.

He rolled awkwardly across the ground. Looking down at the blood seeping from his chest, his expression darkened, and his heart trembled.

That sword had been so fast!

Though he had not seen the strike, he understood just how swift it had been.

He had lunged forward to evade it the instant he sensed danger, yet he had still been too late.

Moreover, the sword strike had been incredibly precise. It had entered through the gap between the ribs on his back and emerged through the gap between the ribs on his chest, passing exactly through the heart's position without the slightest obstruction.

If he did not possess a soul skill that could partially negate fatal wounds, that strike would have pierced straight through his heart.

Before he could even catch his breath, a whistling sound tore through the air from behind him, and it was very close. Tang Jue's expression changed drastically.

The gleaming Vajra Hammer in his hand swung backward. Though he had no time to activate a soul skill, with his strength enhanced by Soul Power, the blow was still not something just anyone could withstand.

Not to mention that his Vajra Hammer now weighed a full thousand jin. If it hit, shattered tendons and broken bones would be inevitable.

However, Tian Hao understood that swordsmanship emphasized agility, so he did not clash head-on with the swinging Vajra Hammer. He abruptly crouched to evade it, while the sword in his hand continued its swift thrust toward the vital point of Tang Jue's lumbar spine.

But Tang Jue truly deserved to be called a Soul Emperor. Although years spent managing the clan's businesses had made him rusty, his foundation remained.

His body suddenly sprang upward, evading that vicious thrust aimed at his spine.

Yet swordsmanship was ultimately about flexibility and constant variation. It was not so easily avoided.

The sword in Tian Hao's hand followed with an upward slash, passing between Tang Jue's left and right legs.

"Ah!"

A shrill scream rang out as Tang Jue lunged even farther away, his face twisting in absolute savagery.

Tian Hao pressed his advantage without mercy. Soul Power surged into his legs to enhance his explosive force, and he instantly rushed behind Tang Jue. The sword in his hand thrust out once more from an exceptionally tricky angle, making it difficult for Tang Jue to turn around and attack.

Soul Masters were like this. As long as they were not allowed to freely unleash their soul skills, their combat power was only so-so. Just look at those Fallen Soul Masters restricted within the City of Slaughter.

Moreover, Tian Hao had sparred with Tang Hao many times before and had plenty of experience fighting power-type hammer Soul Masters. In particular, he knew how to limit their use of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer to a certain extent.

To put it simply, he used speed to restrain them. Only an idiot would try to meet the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer head-on.

With this relentless barrage of swift attacks, Tang Jue could only flee and circle around the courtyard in a sorry state. He could not even turn around, or the tricky sword edge would pierce one of his vital points first.

Combined with the pain in his chest and down below, as well as the unceasing blood loss, he was nearly driven mad.

He had actually been outmaneuvered by a mere youth and forced into such a state.

"Vajra Shakes the Earth!"

Realizing that this could not continue, Tang Jue gritted his teeth. Enduring a sword thrust through his kidney, he activated his soul skill and smashed his hammer into the ground before him. The immense Soul Power was transformed by his soul ring and soul skill into a shockwave that spread outward.

Even though Tian Hao was behind Tang Jue, he was still affected, his body pausing for an instant.

But it was not over. Tang Jue swung the shrunken Vajra Hammer and struck the sword tip protruding from his abdomen. The force was light, but as his second soul ring rotated, it generated a vibrating force that shattered the Iron Mother-forged blade into several pieces. The fragments withdrew from his abdomen, while Tian Hao was left holding only the hilt. He was nearly cut by the blade fragments that shot back at him.

"I'll kill you!"

The enraged Tang Jue finally turned around, preparing to activate his soul skills and hammer the youth to death.

Though he did not look, he knew that he had lost something precious—his twin brother, born of the same mother.

How could he endure that?

Yet before Tang Jue could activate a soul skill and strike back, Tian Hao rushed into his arms first and launched a flurry of close-range strikes. Their bodies were almost pressed together.

His hands shifted between fists and claws, unpredictable and ever-changing. From time to time, he even threw in a strike at that particular leg.

Naturally, vicious moves like stomping on toes were not left out either, driving Tang Jue nearly insane.

Heavens have mercy, most of the soul skills attached to his Vajra Hammer were offensive. He did not have a single defensive one, and they all required broad, powerful movements. He had never encountered this kind of close-range combat style.

His only support skill was a life-saving one, and it came with considerable side effects.

Furthermore, his opponent was far too fast, far beyond what soul skills requiring charged activation could match. He had no way to counterattack. Even the heavy Vajra Hammer in his hand had become a burden.

What troubled him even more was that the youth's attacks repeatedly landed on his points of exertion, making it impossible for him to gather his strength to its fullest. He could not even unleash half his power.

On top of that, every spot Tian Hao struck seemed to be pierced by a strange force that burrowed into his body. Even his own Soul Power could not perfectly block it. Every hit hurt terribly, like being pricked by needles.

This was the terrifying aspect of National Martial Arts. In close-range combat, it was practically invincible, especially when force techniques were used.

Yet Tian Hao remained dissatisfied. The opponent's Soul Power was simply too abundant. His Dark Force alone could hardly break through it, at most causing pain without inflicting any real damage.

It was like a National Martial Arts practitioner fighting an internal-energy martial artist. The latter might not be able to completely eliminate the damage from force techniques, but they could protect their body with internal energy and offset most of the damage. Such a battle would be difficult to decide quickly.

However, his state of enlightenment and Soul Power reserves could not last long. Dragging this out would be greatly disadvantageous to him.

Determining that he could not take down his opponent anytime soon, Tian Hao decisively stopped his assault and leaped back. The iron mother steel spear he usually used was leaning against the wall behind him.

Tang Jue also could not help but sigh in relief, staring warily at the youth.

Their exchange had been extremely brief, not even half a minute, and Tian Hao had not used a single soul skill. Yet it had been incredibly perilous, leaving Tang Jue drenched in cold sweat.

At the same time, he was deeply puzzled. Earlier, his hammer had clearly shattered the youth's breastbone and caved in his chest. By all logic, he should have died without question. So why did he look completely unharmed?

Strange. Far too strange!

Tian Someone: With self-healing abilities and the recommendation votes from you guys, I can do whatever I want!