The Powerful Li Yuntian!

Above the Star Dou Great Forest

Tang Zhen and Li Yuntian turned into two streaks of light. Every collision exploded like thunder, scattering the clouds.

"Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!"

"Clear Sky Nine Absolutes!"

Tang Zhen's beard and hair flared in fury as the pitch-black giant hammer in his hand spun like the wind, every strike carrying the force to split mountains and shatter earth.

Layers upon layers of hammer shadows overlapped. With the seamless combination of the two ultimate techniques, Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer and Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, they wove an impenetrable black net across the sky.

At first, Li Yuntian could only barely fend him off. The Green Fire Sword trembled in his hand, the green flames along its blade flickering bright and dim. Every direct clash with the Clear Sky Hammer sent tearing pain through the web between his thumb and forefinger.

Yet his gaze remained as calm as still water. He moved through the gaps in the hammer shadows, and though danger lurked at every turn, he never showed signs of defeat.

Ten moves, fifty moves, a hundred moves...

A strange feeling gradually rose in Tang Zhen's heart.

Li Yuntian's swordsmanship was transforming at a visible rate—his initially clumsy blocks were gradually becoming precise interceptions.

The suppressed sword momentum had even begun to thrust out sharp counterattacks with the tenacity of spring grass.

"Boom!"

The Green Fire Sword collided with the Clear Sky Hammer for the one hundred and thirty-seventh time. This time, Li Yuntian retreated only three steps.

The green flames on the blade suddenly surged, transforming into a pillar of fire that shot into the sky and dyed half the heavens a vivid azure.

How is that possible?! Alarm bells rang in Tang Zhen's mind.

He could clearly sense that his opponent's strength was growing wildly in the midst of battle.

It was not an increase in Soul Power, but the awakening of some deeper kind of "intent."

"You only entered the ranks of a Title Douluo a few years ago. How can you possess such combat power?"

Tang Zhen knocked aside the sword edge with one hammer strike, and his voice finally carried a trace of uncontrollable shock.

Li Yuntian did not answer. He turned his wrist, and the Green Fire Sword traced a perfect arc.

There was nothing flashy about this strike, yet it was too fast for the eye to follow.

Tang Zhen's pupils shrank sharply. In his haste, he used the "Defense" formula of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, raising the giant hammer horizontally before him.

"Clang—!"

The ringing clash of metal echoed through the forest. This time, it was Tang Zhen who was forced back.

He lowered his head to look at the slightly trembling web between his thumb and forefinger, then raised his eyes toward the longsword burning with green flames. At last, he understood the source of that strange feeling—this man was using his Clear Sky Hammer techniques to temper his sword!

On the ground, Zhang Qingxuan stood with his hands behind his back, the corner of his lips lifting into an almost imperceptible smile.

The days and nights he had spent "sparring" with Li Yuntian surfaced in his mind. Though he was not proficient in swordsmanship, every basic sword form passed down for a thousand years on Dragon Tiger Mountain contained the deepest principles of martial arts.

He had practiced moves with Li Yuntian and offered what appeared to be casual guidance, but in truth, every sword strike had laid the groundwork for this very moment.

Running into Tang Zhen today had given them the perfect whetstone!

"Buzz—"

A ripple of steadily withdrawing Soul Power suddenly came from behind him!

Zhang Qingxuan turned around and saw Yang Wanqing slowly open her eyes. The aura around her was full and harmonious; she had clearly absorbed that Soul Ring completely.

"Godmother, how do you feel?"

Yang Wanqing stretched her waist, her bones cracking softly. A relieved smile appeared on her face. "Not only did my Soul Power rise by one level, but the quality of my martial soul seems to have improved as well."

"Next time, if I obtain another Ninth Soul Ring of roughly the same caliber, it should be able to undergo a transformation!"

Her gaze shifted to Tang Li, who was curled up on the ground nearby, bruised and swollen. She raised a brow. "Which family does this boy belong to?"

"Oh, just some brat who spoke rudely and was arrogant beyond measure." Zhang Qingxuan's tone was calm, as though he were commenting on the pleasant weather.

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist. The Golden Light Whip coiled around Tang Li abruptly contracted, turning into a speck of light the size of a grain of rice before snapping against Tang Li's chest with a "smack."

Tang Li did not even have time to groan. He flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing through three ancient trees in succession before embedding himself in the trunk of the fourth, where he fell completely unconscious.

Yang Wanqing looked up at the sky. Her gaze paused on Tang Zhen's distinctive black giant hammer, and her expression changed slightly. "That is... the Clear Sky Hammer of the Clear Sky Sect?!"

Zhang Qingxuan nodded calmly. "Yes. He should be Tang Zhen, the Clear Sky Sect's Great Elder!"

At this time, the Clear Sky Sect had only two Title Douluos. This man was clearly not Tang Chen, the ninety-ninth-level sect master of the Clear Sky Sect.

Yang Wanqing abruptly turned her head, lowering her voice. "Qingxuan, what exactly happened?"

Zhang Qingxuan briefly explained the whole sequence of events.

From Tang Zhen demanding the Soul Bone, to Tang Zhen using the Breaking Clan to target her, then Zhang Qingxuan deciding to destroy the Breaking Clan, and finally Tang Zhen attacking in fury and battling Li Yuntian.

After hearing him out, Yang Wanqing remained silent for a long while. Then she sighed with a complicated expression. "The Clear Sky Sect has become increasingly domineering over the years."

"Qingxuan, how do you intend to deal with this?" She looked at her adopted son, her eyes questioning.

Zhang Qingxuan looked toward the sky and said in an even tone, "Leave no roots behind!"

"If my godfather and I join forces, we can take his life within a hundred moves. Sink the body in a lake, and no one will be the wiser."

He was not being arrogant.

Having cultivated the Five Thunders Method to the peak of mastery, he truly possessed the qualifications to fight a Title Douluo.

With Li Yuntian's Green Fire Sword, which grew fiercer the longer it fought, keeping a ninety-second-level Tang Zhen here was not impossible.

But Yang Wanqing shook her head. "No."

She placed a hand on Zhang Qingxuan's shoulder. Her voice was soft, but her tone was resolute. "If the Clear Sky Sect's Great Elder dies here, Tang Chen will certainly investigate personally."

"Once he discovers anything, it will not only be you and me. The entire Li Family will be turned upside down."

Zhang Qingxuan frowned slightly, but in the end, he did not argue. He turned and walked toward Tang Li.

A moment later, Zhang Qingxuan returned carrying the unconscious Tang Li and casually tossed him onto the ground.

Then he raised his head toward the sky, his voice rolling through the entire forest like thunder:

"Old bastard up there—if you've had enough, then get lost! Keep dragging this out, and your family's prodigy might be staying in the Star Dou Great Forest forever!"

Before his words had even faded, he raised his foot and lightly kicked Tang Li's cheek.

The meaning was obvious—take your brat and scram!

When Tang Zhen saw this, veins bulged on his forehead!

But he was no fool. He knew that if he fought desperately now, it would be one against three. Both he and the young master would very likely truly be buried in the Star Dou Great Forest!

Even if he escaped by luck and returned to the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Chen would not spare him.

"Give me my young master, and I'll leave immediately!"

"Now that's more like it!" Zhang Qingxuan directly threw Tang Li over.

After catching Tang Li, Tang Zhen gave Zhang Qingxuan a venomous glare.

"You little bastard, just you wait. The Clear Sky Sect will not let this go!"

With that, Tang Zhen sped away with Tang Li.

The three of them did not pursue Tang Zhen as he left.

Zhang Qingxuan curled his lip, utterly disdainful!

The Li Family was now flourishing in every aspect, especially because of the presence of Li Yuntian, a Title Douluo.

Numerous factions, and even Spirit Hall, had business partnerships with the Li Family.

Even more factions hoped to obtain the Li Family's secret for absorbing Soul Rings beyond the usual age limits!

If it truly came down to it, they could simply join Spirit Hall and use one force against another!

That old man Qian Daoliu was stubborn to the extreme!

Even when fighting Tang Chen, he would abandon his aerial advantage because of his chivalric code and clash head-on with Tang Chen!