Kuang Xue's attack missed. He was slightly surprised, but he had fought countless battles in the Soul Fighting Arena, so his combat experience was naturally second to none.
The Fourth Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up in an instant, and his gravity-control skill unfolded.
Su Yuntao felt as though some kind of pressure had descended on his body. Unfortunately for Kuang Xue, a thousand-year Soul Skill like this was nothing to Su Yuntao now.
The Black Tortoise Hammer came crashing down again, but Su Yuntao dodged it by the narrowest margin. His reflexes and agility far surpassed what Kuang Xue had imagined, but Su Yuntao didn't want to reveal too much just yet, so he did his best to keep them in check.
After dodging Kuang Xue's second attack, the First Soul Ring beneath Su Yuntao's feet flared to life.
"First Soul Skill! Demon Wolf Claw Strike!" Su Yuntao's massive wolf claw slammed into Kuang Xue's chest, sending him flying.
Although Su Yuntao's First Soul Ring looked yellow on the surface, it was actually only a white ring of ninety years. But with Su Yuntao's current physical strength, even an ordinary attack would be enough to seriously injure Kuang Xue, let alone a Soul Skill. He activated the skill and deliberately held back to make the fight seem less bizarre.
Cheers erupted from the stands. Su Yuntao's impressive performance had clearly given the audience quite a show.
Many in the VIP seats, however, wore grave expressions as they wondered who this young Soul Master could be.
Kuang Xue tumbled across the ground several times before barely managing to steady himself. He knew he had encountered a true master, but for a veteran of countless battles like him, it was too soon to admit defeat.
His eyes grew heavy as his Third and Fourth Soul Rings lit up together.
"Fourth Soul Skill! Gravity Control!"
"Third Soul Skill! Black Tortoise Heavy Strike!"
His mighty fifty-ninth-level Soul Power surged into the Black Tortoise Hammer, which burst into dazzling white light.
At the same time, the muscles in Kuang Xue's arms bulged. He hurled the Black Tortoise Hammer at Su Yuntao.
The Second Soul Ring beneath Su Yuntao's feet suddenly lit up.
"Second Soul Skill, Demon Wolf Acceleration!" In an instant, Su Yuntao's speed increased considerably.
In truth, if he let loose, his natural speed alone could reach—and far exceed—this pace without activating his Second Soul Skill. But Su Yuntao would always put on the show he needed to.
With Demon Wolf Acceleration active, Su Yuntao easily dodged Kuang Xue's attack once again, doing so by the narrowest margin.
Hammer-type Martial Souls excelled in strength and sheer force, but they also had a major weakness: their Soul Masters lacked mobility and strong defenses.
No Martial Soul in the world was flawless. Even if one Martial Soul could suppress another, unless the difference in quality was enormous, it would be difficult to achieve an all-around advantage—unless they were the same type.
Take the divine Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. It possessed three attributes—holiness, light, and fire—and all three had reached their utmost limits.
On top of that, the Six-Winged Angel's attack power was fearsome, and its six wings gave it unparalleled mobility in the air.
Even its defense was terrifying. The ultimate mystery of its holy attribute, Divine Protection, was an invincible defensive Soul Skill!
And when it came to control and healing, the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was just as powerful. Light Binding and Light Blessing, granted by its light attribute, were among the pinnacle Soul Skills for control and healing.
The divine Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was truly terrifying. Yet even so, when facing the top-tier Clear Sky Hammer, it was still suppressed in strength.
One force could overcome a hundred techniques. No matter how many tricks Qian Daoliu had up his sleeve, Tang Chen, mighty and Invincible on his own ground, could simply swing his hammer. Once the Clear Sky Hammer—more accurately, the Emperor Heaven Hammer—had been developed to its absolute limit, even a divine Martial Soul had to kneel on a battlefield suited to it.
After dodging Kuang Xue's attack once more, Su Yuntao seized his chance. With the boost from Demon Wolf Acceleration, he swiftly counterattacked, using Demon Wolf Claw Strike to grab Kuang Xue again.
Kuang Xue spat blood. After hitting the ground and bouncing several times, he finally managed to absorb some of the impact.
His chest was now a bloody mess. The wounds from Su Yuntao's two claw strikes had carved an X across it.
Though he was gravely wounded, Kuang Xue's ironclad will to fight forced him back to his feet once more.
He had already unleashed several Soul Skills and expended a great deal of Soul Power. After taking one heavy blow after another, his body was on the verge of collapse. It was clear that he was preparing to make one final desperate stand.
His Fourth and Fifth Soul Rings lit up together.
"Fourth Soul Skill! Gravity Control!"
"Fifth Soul Skill, Black Tortoise Violent Kill!"
His Fifth Soul Ring granted him an extremely powerful Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill.
Black Tortoise Violent Kill had astonishing destructive power, and it was a group attack Soul Skill. At his current level, its range covered nearly half the Soul Fighting Arena. Kuang Xue was certain that Su Yuntao couldn't dodge it. He was ready to stake everything on one desperate strike and turn the tide!
Su Yuntao felt perfectly calm, but he still let a trace of gravity show on his face. It didn't reflect what he actually felt.
A Soul Ring that shifted into purple rose slowly beneath his feet. This was his Fourth Soul Ring. Four years ago, after absorbing a thirty-thousand-year Gale Demon Wolf, Su Yuntao had gained this immensely powerful Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
"Fourth Soul Skill! Demon Wolf Strangling!"
In an instant, green light blazed around Su Yuntao's right hand. The wind elements in the air began to gather and take shape. The next moment, a wolf howled, and a gigantic wolf's head shot from his palm, bearing down on Kuang Xue with terrifying force.
Su Yuntao had not only been holding back his strength and using little Soul Power; he had also not unleashed the true power of his Fourth Soul Ring.
His Fourth Soul Skill was originally called Twin Wolf Combined Strike. Its specialty was catching opponents off guard: two wolf heads struck out at once, one from each side, attacking from crossed angles and leaving the opponent no way to defend.
He could also merge the two wolf heads into one and launch a head-on assault, bringing its power to the absolute peak.
A thunderous boom rang out from the center of the Soul Fighting Arena, echoing in all directions.
The shock wave from the collision of the two Soul Skills sent the nearby flags whipping violently.
Su Yuntao had held back far too much and hadn't fully unleashed his Soul Skill, but even so, an attack of this caliber was more than Kuang Xue, a Soul King, could withstand.
Su Yuntao's strength had long since surpassed the Soul Emperor level. Aside from a few Soul Sages with the potential to become Titled Douluo, he would be hard-pressed to find a worthy opponent even among Soul Sages.
As expected, Su Yuntao's weakened Fourth Soul Skill, Demon Wolf Strangling, shattered Kuang Xue's attack. Amid the violent shock wave of the collision, Kuang Xue's body flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
Su Yuntao had deliberately controlled the force of his attack, so Kuang Xue's life wasn't in danger. But after hitting the ground, he still spat out several mouthfuls of blood before losing consciousness.