The King of Slaughter, having regained his sanity, murmured as he suddenly raised his empty left hand. A gigantic pitch-black hammer condensed in his palm, its body covered in dark golden demonic patterns.
With a flick of his wrist, he swung it. The two Yama's Invitations struck the hammer's handle and bounced away with two sharp clangs, embedding themselves deeply in the nearby tree trunks.
The massive hammer did not slow, hurtling straight at Tang San.
Tang San's pupils abruptly constricted. This guy's Martial Soul...
Stormy waves surged through his heart, but the "Nine-Nine Unification" of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes had reached its final stage. It demanded a single decisive strike; retreat was no longer possible.
Gritting his teeth, he poured all his Soul Power into his hammer and charged head-on.
The two Clear Sky Hammers collided with a thunderous boom. A shockwave exploded outward from between them, uprooting every tree within dozens of yards as soil churned like ocean waves.
Tang San was sent flying again. This time, he hit the ground heavily and braced himself against it as he coughed up blood.
Yet he sensed that his opponent had held back at the last moment.
"Who exactly are you?" Tang San asked, gasping for breath.
The man slowly landed. The black hammer in his hand gradually dispersed, and even the blood-red sword turned into crimson light and vanished.
He was silent for a moment before speaking. "Child, are you a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect? Whose child are you?"
His voice was no longer hoarse. There was even a trace of long-lost warmth in it.
Tang San froze, seized by an indescribable intuition.
That form of address, that tone, compared against the list of Clear Sky Sect members who had gone missing... this man...
He seemed