After consecutively using two of the Nine Heavens Hammer Arts, Tang Chen successfully widened the distance between himself and Qian Xunji.
In the void, nine Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, and red—appeared beneath his feet.
The scarlet Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring fused with the Clear Sky Hammer martial spirit.
"Ninth Soul Skill, Clear Sky Heavy Cannon!"
A vast amount of Soul Power compressed into a black beam of Soul Power and shot toward Qian Xunji.
With a sidestep, Qian Xunji moved a hundred meters away and evaded the Soul Power cannon.
Qian Xunji was not like Bo Saixi, some stationary mage in a wheelchair. Rather than standing there and taking the blast head-on with a defensive soul skill, he chose to dodge it.
As for the mountain behind him that took the blast and was wounded by it, there was no need to get distracted in the middle of battle by looking back and marveling at the extent of its destruction.
"He dodged it."
"He dodged Grandpa's Hundred-Thousand-Year soul skill that easily?"
"How was that possible?!"
Tang Hao, watching from afar, spoke with utter disbelief.
At the same time, he considered Qian Xunji a coward, too afraid even to face his grandfather's Hundred-Thousand-Year ranged artillery soul skill head-on.
So a soul skill as powerful as a Soul Power cannon doesn't have to be taken head-on. You can simply dodge it and avoid serious injury, Bibi Dong thought.
All at once, she felt as if she no longer knew how to fight.
Or rather, all the combat experience from her previous life was meaningless.
In less than three minutes of battle, Qian Xunji had shocked her twice through his actions and shattered her old way of thinking.
Attacks could be dodged.
Battle was not simply a head-on clash where whoever had the more powerful soul skill would win.
Yu Yuanzhen and Gu Rong, the two Titled Douluo with dragon-type martial spirits, both brightened.
At equal Soul Power Levels, neither of them thought their heads were tough enough to fight a Clear Sky Hammer martial spirit wielder head-on or take a blow from the Clear Sky Hammer.
But relying on their speed advantage to evade the Clear Sky Secret Techniques, which required time to charge before unleashing their immense force and devastating power—didn't that just require having legs?
Spirit Masters with dragon-type martial spirits excelled in attack, defense, and speed alike.
Spirit Masters with wolf or cat martial spirits believed they could use their speed advantage to evade attacks from Clear Sky Hammer Spirit Masters.
However, their offensive power was insufficient to break through a defensive soul skill like Haotian Guardian.
Getsuga Tensho.
With zero startup, he swung his sword and released a golden crescent energy wave.
The crescent came first, with Qian Xunji behind it.
Tang Chen did not possess Qian Xunji's speed and could not swiftly move away to evade the attack, so he could only swing his hammer.
Absolute of Void absorbed the enemy's attack, then Absolute of Seal firmly confined the golden crescent slash within a small area.
Qian Xunji charged power into his blade without releasing it, instead using it directly in close combat as he accurately slashed toward Tang Chen's neck.
At the critical moment, Tang Chen decisively used Ring Detonation, detonating his first, second, third, and fourth Spirit Rings in succession.
After detonating his rings, his aura surged magnificently. He shattered the golden crescent energy wave and sent Qian Xunji flying with a hammer strike.
After flying only a little over ten meters, Qian Xunji braked in midair and came to a stop.
The dull ache in his chest and the sweetness rising in his mouth both stimulated his nerves.
I was injured. His emotions were difficult to calm.
In the more than a year—nearly two years—since coming to Douluo Continent, he had experienced countless battles and slain an unknown number of fallen ones and Spirit Beasts.
It was not as though he had never felt physical pain before.
The Ice and Fire Body Tempering had left his entire body in pain, a sensation he still remembered vividly.
But being injured and bleeding in a fight against an enemy was a first for him.
After all, he had always pursued killing his enemies without taking damage and ending battles quickly.
The means did not matter. As long as he could kill the enemy, that was enough.
If he sensed danger, he ran. Pride was nowhere near as important as his life.
Thus, he had never been injured or bled in battle.
Not even during that battle forcibly triggered by Bo Saixi's sneak attack had he been injured or bled.
Injury and bleeding equaled danger to his life.
The low-level code etched into Qian Xunji's soul was triggered, and adrenaline surged wildly.
Madness rose to his head, yet he attacked with fierce calmness.
"So fast."
"So heavy."
Tang Chen was sent flying.
Qian Xunji's renewed counterattack left him utterly bewildered. His fighting style had become savage; he no longer dodged, willing to trade injuries for his enemy's life as long as he could kill him.
In close-quarters combat, every swing of his sword unleashed a Getsuga Tensho.
"Detonate them! Detonate them! Detonate them! Keep detonating them!"
To avoid being killed by Qian Xunji, Tang Chen hardened his heart and detonated four more ten-thousand-year Spirit Rings in succession.
Other than his ninth Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, he detonated all eight of his remaining Spirit Rings without reservation.
Detonating the Spirit Rings provided him with tremendous power.
"Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Angel Wings.
Tang Chen watched as Qian Xunji's body turned intangible and the Clear Sky Hammer passed through him, allowing him to evade his most powerful ultimate move. His eyes widened.
He could not believe that someone had so easily neutralized his attack.
The distant spectators.
"It's a spatial-type soul skill—body intangibility!" Gu Rong cried out, his eyes wide.
The Bone Dragon martial spirit possessed spatial attributes.
Unfortunately, Gu Rong had never obtained an "intangibility" soul skill while absorbing Spirit Rings.
Yu Yuanzhen took Gu Rong's words to heart.
The spatial soul skill Void, a divine skill that allowed a Spirit Master's body to become temporarily intangible and avoid physical attacks, was also recorded in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's library.
However, no wielder of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial spirit had ever obtained the Void soul skill.
He had never before considered using such a soul skill to counter the overwhelming destructive power of the Clear Sky Hammer martial spirit.
But after seeing it today, he understood how extraordinary the Void soul skill was.
His Spirit Rings were already full, but he still had vacant Spirit Bone slots.
If he could obtain a Spirit Bone with the Void soul skill and fuse with it, he would have much more confidence when facing Clear Sky Sect Spirit Masters in the future.
Bibi Dong knew all too well which Spirit Beast could provide the Void soul skill.
Having been reborn, she watched Qian Xunji use the Void soul skill to turn intangible and completely evade the Great Sumeru Hammer Ring Detonation attack from the Clear Sky Hammer. Her heart stirred.
She dearly wished to grow up quickly, go to the core region of the Star Dou Forest, and hunt the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbits beside the Lake of Life to obtain the Void soul skill.
"He dodged it! Grandpa's Great Sumeru Hammer Ring Detonation was actually dodged!"
Tang Hao lost control of his emotions. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he panted like a bull as his red gaze fixed firmly on Qian Xunji.
He wanted to see through the armor and glimpse the face hidden beneath the fully enclosed helmet.
He wanted to know what kind of person could be so cowardly.
"We lost... it's over..." Tang Zhen muttered repeatedly, his face grim.
His father, Tang Chen, had detonated eight Spirit Rings and even used the Great Sumeru Hammer.
Yet the enemy was not seriously injured at all and instead looked as though he was only growing fiercer as the battle continued.
His father, on the other hand, had suffered backlash after using the Great Sumeru Hammer Ring Detonation. He had consumed too much Soul Power, and his recovery was far slower than his expenditure. Fatigue had already begun to show.
What made Tang Zhen even more despairing was that Qian Xunji showed no mercy with any of his moves, intent on taking his father's life.
Yet he was merely a level 93 Titled Douluo, incapable of participating in a battle between level 99 Limit Douluo.
The sense of powerlessness bent the back that had always stood straight.
At this moment, Tang Zhen was like a helpless son.
Blood scattered through the void, and the Tangs wailed in grief.
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