Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but feel secretly alarmed. They had only exchanged one blow, yet Tang Hao had already been utterly defeated. The gap in their strength was so vast that it was beyond imagination.
Qian Xun'an didn't kill Tang Hao immediately because he wanted to drive him into a corner.
He wanted to see what means Tang Hao had used back then to kill his elder brother, a Level 95 Titled Douluo.
"Boom—"
Just then, a thunderous roar rang out, and Tang Hao emerged from the ground.
Tang Hao looked at Qian Xun'an in the air, his eyes icy. He was covered in blood, his entire body somewhat twisted, and he looked utterly wretched.
Tang Hao was consumed by frustration. He had thought he could defeat Qian Xun'an, but now he knew that the gap between their strength was far too great.
"Father!"
Tang San immediately shouted from nearby.
Tang Hao looked at Tang San in the distance and said, "Xiao San, get out of here! I'll hold them off!"
Tang Hao knew how powerful Qian Xun'an was, and he understood all too well that he probably wouldn't make it out alive today.
Tang Hao shouted, "Poison Douluo, Sword Douluo, Sect Master Ning!"
Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Ning Fengzhi all turned to look at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao continued, "The three of you, I'm afraid I won't make it out of here today. But I'll fight with my life to hold off the people from Spirit Hall. Please take them away!"
"If I'm lucky enough to survive, I'll repay the three of you for this great kindness!"
The three exchanged a glance and silently nodded to one another.
Dugu Bo immediately grabbed Tang San and Xiao Wu and took off with a single step.
Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi, along with the three Shrek teachers, followed right behind them and raced toward the exit.
Qian Xun'an's gaze remained calm. He made no attempt to pursue them.
The only person he cared about was Tang Hao. As for everyone else, they had no grudge against him, so he didn't care.
Besides, Bibi Dong wanted the Soft Bone Demon Rabbit's Soul Ring. If the Soft Bone Demon Rabbit escaped, that would be good for him. Why would he help Bibi Dong seize its Soul Ring?
Bibi Dong immediately said, "After them! Don't let the Spirit Beast escape!"
Bibi Dong rushed after them at once.
The Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall immediately followed her.
Seeing Bibi Dong and the others take off after them, Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer and charged after them, hoping to stop the people from Spirit Hall.
"Your opponent is me. Do you still dare to take your eyes off me?"
As Qian Xun'an spoke, his body became a blur. He overtook Tang Hao and appeared in front of him in an instant, then kicked him squarely in the chest and sent him flying.
"Pfft!" Tang Hao spat out a mouthful of blood. His whole body looked much more feeble, and his aura had weakened considerably.
"With strength like that, how did you manage to kill my elder brother back then?" Qian Xun'an asked calmly as he watched Tang Hao.
"Cough, cough..." Tang Hao coughed lightly a few times, then slowly got to his feet. He looked at Qian Xun'an with a vicious expression and said, "If I survive today, I'll never rest until Spirit Hall is destroyed!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying force erupted from Tang Hao.
The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand radiated surges of immense power, and an overwhelming killing intent burst from his body.
"Divine Slaughter's Domain!"
"Rumble!"
Terrifying shock waves swept out in every direction around Tang Hao.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"
Just then, Tang Hao waved his hand, and the Clear Sky Hammer blazed with a dazzling golden light.
A vast energy erupted in an instant.
"Rumble..."
Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky. A series of explosions rang out, and then three of the Soul Rings on Tang Hao's body burst apart.
"Ring Detonation, Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Tang Hao roared.
The next moment, the three black Soul Rings on Tang Hao's body—each a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring—exploded. The powerful shock wave surged violently toward Qian Xun'an.
Tang Hao knew that detonating ordinary Soul Rings wouldn't do a thing against an expert like Qian Xun'an. That was why he detonated Soul Rings that were over ten thousand years old—and three of them at once.
At that moment, Tang Hao unleashed the Great Sumeru Hammer. A terrifying aura surged from the enormous hammer, and his power reached its peak in an instant.
Dense Soul Power enveloped Tang Hao's entire body, and his Clear Sky Hammer swelled to an enormous size.
"Ha!"
Tang Hao roared and brought the Clear Sky Hammer crashing down.
Qian Xun'an watched Tang Hao use the move, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Detonating Soul Rings to instantly gain an explosive surge of power. That's rather interesting. So this was the move you used to injure my elder brother back then."
Qian Xun'an murmured to himself. The move looked powerful, but he didn't care.
Qian Xun'an remained where he stood, utterly unmoved. As the enormous Great Sumeru Hammer reached him, the third Soul Ring on his body lit up.
At that moment, a colossal Angel Phantom appeared behind Qian Xun'an. It stood at his back and wrapped its arms around him.
The wings behind it spread wide, and their translucent feathers enveloped Qian Xun'an.
The enormous Clear Sky Hammer came crashing down directly onto the Angel Phantom.
Terrifying waves of energy rippled outward. Within a radius of several hundred meters, trees, plants, and even rocks crumbled to dust as soon as they touched the shock waves.
"Bang!"
A terrifying explosion rang out, but the Angel Phantom wasn't damaged in the slightest.
Qian Xun'an hadn't moved at all, as if the attack had had no effect whatsoever.
This was Qian Xun'an's third Soul Skill—Angel's Shelter!
Blood trickled from the corner of Tang Hao's mouth. Seeing this, his blood surged violently, and he spat out another mouthful.
He stared at Qian Xun'an in utter shock and asked, "How is that possible?"
Tang Hao gazed at Qian Xun'an in disbelief. He had detonated three black Soul Rings, each one a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
With such immense power, he should have been able to fight even a Limit Douluo.
Yet it hadn't had the slightest effect on Qian Xun'an?
How... could that be?
Tang Hao spat out another mouthful of blood. After detonating three Soul Rings in a row, his body had begun to weaken. Combined with his earlier injuries, his condition couldn't possibly be worse.
The Angel Phantom surrounding Qian Xun'an faded away. He looked at Tang Hao calmly and said, "That had some power. Why don't you try detonating your Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring too?"
"You!" Tang Hao's expression turned dark as he saw that Qian Xun'an hadn't been injured in the slightest.
Qian Xun'an continued, "Since you won't use it, I'll force you to."
As he spoke, Qian Xun'an held out his hand. Specks of golden light gathered in his palm, eventually forming a golden longsword.
Terrifying Soul Power surged from the sword. Its edge was so sharp that it seemed capable of cleaving the sky and destroying the world.
"Go!"
Qian Xun'an spoke softly, then thrust his right hand forward. The golden longsword shot toward Tang Hao.
Tang Hao's pupils contracted when he saw the golden longsword.
At that moment, he sensed the aura of death emanating from it.
He knew all too well that he would die if the sword struck him!
Even as a Level 95 Titled Douluo, he had no chance of surviving.
Tang Hao reacted swiftly, retreating the instant Qian Xun'an sent the sword flying.
But no matter how fast he moved, the sword reached him in an instant. The attack was simply too fast; even he couldn't dodge it!
Faced with death, Tang Hao was powerless.
His mind raced as he searched for a way to break free. He knew there was only one way to survive.
He had to detonate his Soul Rings!
If he detonated all his Soul Rings, he might be able to blunt some of the sword's power and give himself a slim chance of survival.
But if he detonated all his Soul Rings at once, he would probably become a cripple for the rest of his life.
Tang Hao had no time to think. His body reacted on instinct. The six Soul Rings he had left—two yellow, two purple, one black, and one red—exploded in an instant.
The immense energy surged into his body.
The terrifying power instantly formed an enormous Clear Sky Hammer phantom.
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