Li Taibai was completely dumbfounded. His eyes widened. "Holy crap, those are talismans? Could Qian Renxue be a transmigrator too?"
"Ding! Host, Qian Renxue is a native of this world, not a transmigrator." The system's voice rang out in his mind.
"Then how does she know how to use these? I don't even know how! Does she have a system too?" Li Taibai pressed.
"No. No system energy fluctuations have been detected. As for why she knows things that don't belong to the Douluo Continent, this system has no idea."
"You don't know this, you don't know that. What good are you?" Li Taibai instinctively scoffed.
"Host is dissatisfied with this system. Unbinding..."
"Wait, wait! Bro System! System Grandpa! I'm sorry! I've got a smart mouth!" Li Taibai was so scared he nearly lost his soul, and hurriedly offered a sincere apology.
In the distance, Tang San watched his father take hit after hit inside the barrier. His gaze grew colder and colder, and one thought filled his mind: This is bad. I have to find a way to turn things around, or Father's in danger!
Tang Hao's voice rang out in a low shout. "Left leg Soul Bone Skill, Clear Sky Shelter!"
A blood-red shield of energy instantly spread out from him, crystalline as amber, sealing him in from head to toe.
"Crackle—boom—"
One attack after another struck the shield. Lightning burst into blue-violet arcs, fireballs sent out scarlet ripples, and ice spikes shattered into a shower of ice crystals. The shield shuddered violently, but it held firm.
"Damn it!" Tang Hao glared at Qian Renxue outside the shield, his face twisted with rage.
"What the hell is this? An invisible force has locked down space. I can't break out!"
He couldn't understand how this girl had so many bizarre tricks. She had one Soul Bone Skill after another, and her Soul Power seemed bottomless.
Any other Soul Douluo would have run dry after launching so many attacks, yet she was still completely at ease.
"I refuse to believe you have more Soul Power than I do!" Tang Hao gritted his teeth, a flash of madness in his eyes. "I'm a Ninety-Fifth-Level Titled Douluo, one of the continent's strongest! I'll wear you down if I have to!"
"Grand Elder, don't you think this is unfair?" Tang San suddenly spoke.
Qian Daoliu looked at him calmly. "Xiao Xue and Tang Hao are competing on equal terms. How is that unfair?"
"Your granddaughter is clearly relying on external tools. Whether she has a Martial Soul makes no difference to her."
"But my father is forbidden from using his Martial Soul. Even as a Titled Douluo, he's become dangerously weak." Tang San stared straight at Qian Daoliu, his gaze sharp. "How is that fair?"
"You can use other methods too, as long as you don't use your Martial Soul," Qian Daoliu said coolly.
"We're Soul Masters. We should compete using a Soul Master's methods. How can we rely on external tools?"
Tang San's voice turned colder. "Even in the Soul Master Tournament, we're only allowed to use our own Martial Souls. Grand Elder, are you trying to cast aside the principles Soul Masters have upheld for a thousand years?"
"Hey, kid, don't push your luck!" Li Taibai couldn't help sneering as he stepped forward.
"Right now, we're the butchers and you're the fish on the chopping block. If we give you a chance, you should take it. Don't go looking for trouble!"
He couldn't stand the way Tang San acted as if he had the moral high ground.
Tang Hao was clearly the one at a disadvantage, yet Tang San kept going on about fairness. He was just looking for a way to save face.
"Who are you?" Tang San turned to him, his eyes icy.
"Grand Elder's disciple, Li Taibai." Li Taibai raised an eyebrow, his tone taunting. "What, want to test your skills against me?"
Tang San gave a cold snort and sharply turned away. But he had already memorized the name: Li Taibai? Just you wait. You've only added to your list of crimes. Once I've grown stronger, I'll make you see that offending me was the biggest mistake of your life.
An incense stick's worth of time slipped by in the tense standoff.
Tang Hao felt the Soul Power left in his body—less than half—and sweat beaded on his forehead. At this rate, he'd run dry before time was up. How had that woman still not exhausted her Soul Power?
"Had enough fun? It's time to finish this." Qian Renxue's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with laziness.
Seven long swords appeared out of thin air in front of her, their blades glimmering with cold light. Nine talismans clung to each sword, their runes flashing with a dangerous aura.
The swords floated in the air, their power rising by the moment until the air around them began to warp.
"Seven Star Absolute Kill. Go!"
Qian Renxue pointed a finger. The seven swords vanished in an instant, then reappeared beyond the Dragon Trapping Array's barrier, hovering above Tang Hao's head.
The seven blades crossed in midair, forming a strange sword formation.
Seven third-tier swords, combined with sixty-three third-tier talismans and infused with Qian Renxue's Soul Power and Mental Power, could already rival a Ninety-Third-Level Titled Douluo.
More terrifying still, the sword formation was greedily absorbing the energy drifting through the Dragon Trapping Array. Its light grew brighter and brighter, and its power continued to climb.
"Break!" Qian Renxue thrust her jade-white hand downward.
The seven swords shot down like meteors chasing the moon, carrying razor-sharp sword energy as they stabbed toward Tang Hao's shield.
Before the swords even arrived, their fierce sword energy had already sent ripples across the shield.
"Hold!" Tang Hao's eyes bulged as he poured every last drop of Soul Power into the shield.
The barrier swelled to its limit, and the Clear Sky Hammer's phantom appeared on its surface.
"Zzzzt—"
The swords crashed against the shield, producing a grating screech.
Cracks raced across the barrier, visible to the naked eye. Tang Hao's face grew paler and paler as his Soul Power poured away like floodwaters through opened gates.
A few seconds later, a sharp crack rang out. Clear Sky Shelter shattered!
The seven swords surged downward, stabbing toward Tang Hao's seven vital points—his brow, throat, heart, and all four limbs. Their angles were treacherous, leaving him nowhere to dodge.
A look of grim resolve flashed in Tang Hao's eyes. With his life in danger, he couldn't care about any agreement. Staying alive was what mattered most!
The pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer suddenly appeared in his hand, its head wreathed in raging Soul Power.
"Nine Absolutes of Clear Sky, Break Formula! Break!"
Tang Hao poured all his strength into the attack. The Clear Sky Hammer instantly swelled to several feet in size and smashed toward the seven swords.
"Boom!"
A world-shaking crash exploded through the forest. A terrifying shock wave burst out from the point of impact, ripping up the surrounding trees by their roots and collapsing the ground into a huge crater several yards across.
The Dragon Trapping Array's barrier shattered. The array disk and flags were swept away by the shock wave, and the seven swords flew backward, every talisman on their blades bursting apart.
Qian Renxue's gaze sharpened. She beckoned with her jade-white hand, and the scattered array disk, flags, and swords flew to her like birds returning to their nest before vanishing into her Space Ring.
Leaning on the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang Hao dropped to one knee and panted violently. Sweat mingled with blood and streaked down his face. His chest heaved like bellows. He was clearly at his limit.
Qian Renxue walked slowly up to him, her gaze cold as a blade. Her voice held not a trace of warmth. "Tang Hao, you broke your agreement. Now, how do you want to die?"
Tang Hao opened his mouth as if to speak, but only a hoarse rasp came out.
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