First Beat the Son, Then Beat the Father

Tang Wulin stood at the very front, his right hand transforming into the Golden Dragon Claw. Then he spoke at once.

"Everyone, spread out."

"Don't take him head-on. Harass him from the sides."

"Xie Xie, attack with me."

Xie Xie nodded, the Light Dragon Dagger in his hand spinning half a turn, while the others hurriedly scattered as well, surrounding Tang Hao in a fan formation.

Tang Hao gave a cold laugh. The next instant, he was already moving, the Clear Sky Hammer smashing toward Tang Wulin with a howling wind.

It was extremely fast, and immensely powerful.

Tang Wulin did not meet it head-on. His body flashed to the side.

At the same time, his right-handed Golden Dragon Claw raked backward, sending five golden claw beams flying toward Tang Hao's face.

Tang Hao tilted his head to avoid them. The claw beams skimmed past his cheek and left five deep grooves in the tree behind him.

A flicker of surprise crossed Tang Hao's eyes. This boy's reaction speed was more than just a level above Zhang Yangzi from earlier.

But that was all.

He was just about to pursue when his foot suddenly tightened.

A thick Blue Silver Grass vine burst out of the ground and wrapped around his ankle.

Tang Hao glanced down, snorted coldly, and slammed the Clear Sky Hammer downward.

Bang!

The vine was smashed to pieces, but in the next second, even more vines surged in from every direction.

They wrapped his ankles, his wrists, his waist, his neck.

One after another, dense and endless.

Tang Hao's brows drew together.

"Annoying things."

With a flick of his wrist, the Clear Sky Hammer spun once around his body, shattering all the approaching vines.

But that instant of pause was exactly what Tang Wulin wanted.

"Xie Xie!"

Xie Xie's figure flashed out from the side, brilliant light flaring from the Light Dragon Dagger.

First soul skill, Light Dragon Blade.

A golden blade of light shot from the dagger at astonishing speed, heading straight for Tang Hao's ribs.

Tang Hao had no time to dodge. He could only turn slightly and take the blow with his shoulder.

"Hiss—"

The light blade sliced through his clothes, leaving a shallow blood mark on his shoulder.

It was not deep, but it hurt badly.

Tang Hao's face darkened.

"You little brat..."

He had lived so many years, and this was the first time he had been wounded by some kid barely in his teens.

After landing his hit, Xie Xie immediately retreated, giving him no chance to counterattack.

Tang Hao wanted to chase, but his foot tightened again. The Blue Silver Grass had come once more.

"Will you ever end!"

Tang Hao roared, and the Clear Sky Hammer slammed hard into the ground.

Boom—!

A huge crater was smashed into the ground. Broken stones and dust sprayed outward, blasting all the surrounding Blue Silver Grass away.

But Tang Wulin had already retreated beyond a safe distance, and new Blue Silver Grass was growing back out of the ground.

Tang Hao gritted his teeth and charged toward Tang Wulin.

Since the vines were annoying, then he would deal with the person controlling them first.

Tang Hao was fast. His three-ring cultivation limited his soul power, but it did not limit the battle instincts he had honed through countless trials.

In almost an instant, he charged right up to Tang Wulin. The Clear Sky Hammer rose high, then smashed down viciously.

Tang Wulin did not retreat. A layer of golden light lit up over the surface of his body.

Golden Dragon Body.

He raised his right arm, and the Golden Dragon Claw met the Clear Sky Hammer head-on.

Clang—!

Tang Wulin's feet sank into the ground, dropping half an inch, but his arm held the Clear Sky Hammer firmly in place.

"This... is impossible."

Though he had not used his full strength with that hammer blow, it still was not something a three-ring soul master could take head-on.

"Who exactly are you?"

Tang Hao asked through gritted teeth.

Tang Wulin did not answer. His left fist was already swinging out, heading straight for Tang Hao's face.

Tang Hao hurriedly retreated, avoiding the punch.

But Xie Xie came charging in from the side again.

Second soul skill, Light Dragon Storm.

Xie Xie's body began spinning rapidly with himself as the axis.

The Light Dragon Dagger turned into a golden storm amid the rotation, sharp light circling around his body, both offense and defense in one.

That storm swept toward Tang Hao, forcing him to retreat once more.

Tang Hao's expression grew uglier and uglier. He was being suppressed.

The others were not idle either. Zhu Zhuqing, Luo Ziyan, Wang Jinxi, and the rest harried him from every direction.

Though the damage was not high, it was irritating, like flies—impossible to drive away and endless to swat. Fortunately, he had still dealt with six of them.

Tang Hao's chest heaved violently.

Several more wounds had appeared on his body. Though they were not deep, each one was seeping blood.

So damn stifling...

Tang Hao cursed inwardly.

Too damn stifling.

He was the mighty Clear Sky Douluo. Even back then, facing over a dozen Title Douluo from Spirit Hall, he had never felt this stifled.

Now he was being surrounded and beaten by a bunch of little brats with three rings, two rings, even one ring, and he could hardly fight back.

It was not only his soul power that had been weakened; his physical constitution had also been weakened. If he had the physical constitution of a Title Douluo, then this group of little brats before him would be one hammer blow each!

The only good thing was that his physical constitution had not been weakened to the same level as his soul power. Otherwise... Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw would be a huge problem.

No...

Tang Hao took a deep breath.

I have to deal with those two most troublesome ones first.

His gaze swept quickly between Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. Tang Wulin had strong defense, strong control, and could fight.

Xie Xie was fast, his attacks were sharp, and he was slippery as a loach.

If he did not take care of these two, he could forget ever turning the situation around.

Tang Hao gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the Clear Sky Hammer. Inside his body, soul power began to surge wildly.

Two yellow and one purple, three soul rings, trembled violently.

Then...

"Ring Detonation!"

Tang Hao let out a low roar.

The energy of the soul rings erupted instantly, transforming into a violent force that surged into the Clear Sky Hammer. The Clear Sky Hammer's size swelled by a full circle, dazzling light flowing over the hammer's body.

Tang Hao's aura suddenly climbed by a large margin. He had never imagined that he would use Ring Detonation when facing a group of little brats.

Tang Wulin's pupils contracted slightly.

"What kind of soul skill is this?"

He had never seen anything like it, and Tang Hao gave him no time to think.

The Clear Sky Hammer, carrying a force that seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth, smashed toward Tang Wulin.

This time, its speed and power were more terrifying than any previous strike.

Tang Wulin did not take it head-on. His body flashed to the side, and Blue Silver Grass sprang up from the ground, wrapping around Tang Hao's ankle.

But Tang Hao only exerted a little force, and those vines exploded into pieces.

A cruel curve lifted the corner of Tang Hao's mouth.

"After Ring Detonation, this hammer of mine isn't something you can block."

He raised the Clear Sky Hammer again and chased after Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin kept retreating. Strand after strand of Blue Silver Grass wrapped around him, but every single one was shattered in an instant.

Xie Xie charged up from the side, the Light Dragon Dagger stabbing toward Tang Hao's back.

Tang Hao did not even turn his head. The Clear Sky Hammer swept backward.

"Clang—!"

Xie Xie was sent flying by the impact. He flipped several times in midair, then staggered several steps after landing before he managed to steady himself.

The web between his thumb and forefinger had gone numb, and the Light Dragon Dagger nearly slipped from his hand.

"What incredible strength..."

Xie Xie sucked in a cold breath. Tang Hao ignored him and continued chasing after Tang Wulin.

His target was very clear: take care of the most troublesome one first.

Tang Wulin retreated while observing Tang Hao's condition.

After Ring Detonation, Tang Hao's attack power and speed had both increased by a large margin.

But... his breathing had grown more rapid, and his soul power was being consumed even faster.

Moreover, the light of the soul ring he had detonated was dimming bit by bit.

"He won't last long."

Tang Wulin made his judgment inwardly.

"I can't clash head-on. Keep wearing him down."

He stopped retreating and instead began circling around Tang Hao.

Blue Silver Grass surged over from the ground, from the air, from every direction. Though every strand was shattered, new vines immediately filled the gaps.

Xie Xie also understood Tang Wulin's intention. He stopped attacking from the front and instead used Light Dragon Blades from a distance to harass him.

One blade of light after another flew toward Tang Hao, forcing him to block with the Clear Sky Hammer.

Tang Hao's breathing grew heavier and heavier.

His soul power was being consumed at a terrifying speed, and the light of his soul ring was growing dimmer and dimmer.

"Damn it..."

Tang Hao gritted his teeth, wanting to catch up to Tang Wulin, but the other party's footwork was as nimble as the wind. He simply could not catch him.

And those annoying vines—though they could not hurt him—were draining his stamina and soul power one after another.

At last, Tang Hao's second yellow soul ring also detonated.

His strength climbed once again, but his face had already turned somewhat pale.

Tang Wulin still did not take him head-on. He continued retreating, continued wearing him down.

At this moment, Tang Hao was extremely agitated inside, especially because aside from Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, that group of little brats would occasionally come up and throw a few moves at him. The damage was not great, but the insult was overwhelming.

Especially since every time he made a move, Tang Wulin could use Blue Silver Grass to drag them back.

Just as Tang Hao was suppressing the agitation in his heart, Tang Wulin spoke.

"Now!"

He stopped retreating and suddenly charged toward Tang Hao. Golden light blazed from his Golden Dragon Claw, and the Golden Dragon Body on the surface of his body became even more solid.

Xie Xie charged up from the other side, his Light Dragon Dagger aimed straight at Tang Hao's back.

One in front and one behind, the two launched their attacks at the same time.

Tang Hao directly raised the Clear Sky Hammer, then detonated his third soul ring outright. His aura surged sharply. Seeing the somewhat exhausted expression on Tang Hao's face, Tang Wulin chose to clash head-on.

"You're courting death!"

Tang Hao's gaze landed on Xie Xie as he charged toward him, and then he swung the hammer straight at Xie Xie.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie both froze. Tang Hao had clearly been facing Tang Wulin just now—why had he suddenly turned around to attack Xie Xie?

Xie Xie: ???

The Clear Sky Hammer landed on Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw also passed through Tang Hao's body.

The two turned into points of light and disappeared.