The arena where Tang Hao stood.
Bibi Dong and Tang Hao faced each other from the north and south ends.
Tang Hao rested an enormous Clear Sky Hammer on his shoulder. Its head was larger than his own, and its dark body gleamed with a cold light beneath the sun.
His gaze swept over Bibi Dong, a trace of disdain curling at the corner of his mouth.
In his eyes, a woman—especially one so much younger than he was—could never be his match.
Under ordinary circumstances, he wouldn't have bothered to fight her.
But today was different.
And most importantly, this woman had a very special status.
She was the current Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall. If he defeated her, he could deal Spirit Hall a humiliating blow.
His grandfather had once soundly defeated the previous Pope, Qian Daoliu. He could just as easily soundly defeat the current Holy Maiden, Bibi Dong.
"Little girl." Tang Hao extended his Clear Sky Hammer, pointing its head straight at Bibi Dong. "Don't say I'm bullying you. I'll give you three moves. How about it?"
"Sure."
A smile tugged at Bibi Dong's lips. Her eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing within them.
With a thought, her Soul Rings rose abruptly from beneath her feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, red!
Seven Soul Rings encircled her, slowly revolving.
The two yellow, two purple, two black, and one red rings blazed beneath the sun.
Most striking of all was the blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. It radiated a heart-stopping energy, tinting the surrounding air with a faint layer of crimson.
At the same time, the phantom of a Death Spider God more than ten meters long quietly appeared behind Bibi Dong.
The phantom's entire body was purple-gold. Its eight Spider Spears were like enormous scythes, and golden patterns spread across its body like veins, faintly radiating the same aura as the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
Its eight compound eyes glimmered with a cold red light beneath the sun as it looked down at Tang Hao across the arena, as though judging prey awaiting slaughter!
At the same time, an invisible surge of Soul Power, accompanied by the pressure of the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, swept toward Tang Hao like a rising tide.
"What is that?"
Tang Hao's pupils contracted sharply, and the Clear Sky Hammer in his hands sank a little without him realizing it.
His eyes were fixed on the blood-red Soul Ring, filled with utter disbelief and shock.
"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?"
"And it's her Seventh Soul Ring?"
"No... That's impossible!"
But before he could voice another doubt, the invisible pressure of Soul Power bore down on him like a solid weight!
The pressure was as heavy as a mountain and as vast as the sea. Tang Hao felt as though a mountain had been placed on his shoulders. His knees bent involuntarily, and his back hunched slightly.
Overcome with panic and confusion, his combat strength was instantly suppressed by at least twenty percent!
"Tsk, tsk..."
Looking at Tang Hao's wretched state, Bibi Dong mocked him without the slightest restraint:
"So this is the strength of the Clear Sky Douluo's own son?"
"You're not much to look at..."
"We haven't even started fighting, and you've already bent your back."
She tilted her head slightly, looking down at Tang Hao.
"What is it? Trying to wish me a happy new year?"
"Or are you begging me to spare you?"
She folded her arms and spoke calmly:
"I'm a magnanimous Holy Maiden."
"If you jump off the arena on your own, I can spare you."
Humiliation. Utter humiliation.
Whether Tang Hao really was Tang Chen's son or not, if he surrendered of his own accord today, he'd never be able to hold his head up again.
Bibi Dong's words were a blatant insult, delivered right to his face.
Tang Hao's face flushed red, and the veins at his temples bulged one by one.
He gripped the Clear Sky Hammer tightly in both hands, his knuckles protruding as the hammer trembled faintly.
"Your Spirit Hall—" he gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep his spirits up. "Can you do nothing but run your mouths...?"
"Then have it your way!"
Before Tang Hao's words had even faded, Bibi Dong was already moving!
She reached out with her right hand. Purple light burst from her palm, and the Death Spider God Scythe appeared in a flash!
The scythe was entirely purple, covered in golden patterns. Its handle was long, its blade crescent-shaped, and a cold purple light rippled along its edge.
Bibi Dong held it in her right hand, the handle rising above her left shoulder as she lifted the crescent blade over her head.
Her gaze was cold and intent. Her long hair whipped in the surging Soul Power, and her robes fluttered despite the still air. She looked like a god of death descended to the mortal world!
"Sixth Soul Skill—Death Spider God Slash!"
Her cool voice rang out.
Vmmm—!
A colossal purple-gold blade of energy, more than ten meters long, burst from the scythe's blade!
The energy blade was condensed as solid as a real object. Cold purple light rippled along its edge as it hurtled toward Tang Hao with a violent force that threatened to tear apart everything in its path!
The air rippled visibly as it ripped through the space around it. It plowed a shallow trench into the Adamantine Rock beneath it, while gravel and dust swirled into the air.
"Damn it! Why is she attacking right away?!"
Tang Hao was panicking, but it was already too late to dodge.
He could only grit his teeth and desperately channel Soul Power into the Clear Sky Hammer in his hands, without regard for anything else.
Black light flashed. Fueled by the Soul Power, the Clear Sky Hammer expanded rapidly: three meters, five meters, until it became a colossal hammer about seven meters long.
Tang Hao gripped it with both hands and planted it upright in front of himself, hammerhead down and handle up, huddling behind it.
Yes... He chose to take Bibi Dong's Soul Skill head-on.
Clang—!
A deafening clash of metal erupted in midair!
The sound was shrill and piercing, as if two mountains of iron had collided. The Soul Power barrier around the arena rippled violently from the impact.
In the stands, many spectators with weaker cultivation instinctively clapped their hands over their ears, grimacing.
"Ugh—!"
A moment later, Tang Hao let out a muffled cry of pain.
He and the seven-meter Clear Sky Hammer were both sent flying by the terrifying force of the Death Spider God Slash!
The hammerhead went first and Tang Hao followed, arcing through the air like a stone knocked away.
Crash—!
The Clear Sky Hammer slipped from his hands and struck the ground with a heavy thud, then turned into a streak of black light and returned to his body.
Thump, thump, thump—!
Tang Hao's body bounced several times on the ground and rolled over and over. He was sent more than thirty meters before finally coming to a stop.
His robes were ripped in several places by the gravel. His hair was disheveled, his face was covered in dust, and he looked utterly wretched.
"Ugh! Pfft—!"
He struggled to prop himself up, but couldn't stop a mouthful of blood from spurting out. The bright red blood splattered across the Adamantine Rock, a shocking sight.
"Second Brother!"
Tang Yuehua cried out and hurried over, lifting the hem of her skirt.
Her face was pale, and her eyes reddened. She crouched beside Tang Hao, frantically pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
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