Snow Empress vs. Tang Hao!

Ning Rongrong stepped forward as well.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda spun in her hand.

Two yellow Soul Rings lit up simultaneously.

"Seven Treasures Have a Name, first: Strength!"

"Seven Treasures Have a Name, second: Speed!"

Two beams of light fell upon Tang San.

Tang San tightened his grip on the Clear Sky Hammer.

The black hammerhead dragged across the ground, immediately cracking the stone slabs.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing released their martial souls at the same time.

The White Tiger, Evil Fire Phoenix, and Hell Spirit Cat appeared at the entrance.

Xiao Wu rose from the ground as well.

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and slowly raised both hands.

The seven Shrek members stood together.

Support, control, assault, and agility—they had it all.

The way they looked at Qian Chen regained a measure of confidence.

Dai Mubai stared at Qian Chen.

"Do you still dare say we aren't qualified to challenge you?"

Qian Chen looked at the Clear Sky Hammer.

"And this is enough for you to put on such a display in front of me?"

Tang San raised the Clear Sky Hammer.

"You'll find out soon enough whether it's just a display."

"First Soul Skill, Entangling!"

Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground once more.

Countless vines sealed off the surroundings.

Dai Mubai charged out first.

The White Tiger's claws tore through the air, shooting straight for Qian Chen's chest.

Ma Hongjun opened his mouth and spat out a Phoenix Fire Line.

Zhu Zhuqing skimmed close to the ground, her claws slashing in from the other side.

Xiao Wu followed close behind.

Her eyes had regained their clarity. With a twist of her waist, she flipped through the air.

Oscar continuously produced sausages.

Ning Rongrong's two enhancement beams continued to fall upon everyone.

Tang San stood at the rear.

He gripped the Clear Sky Hammer with both hands, waiting for the seven of them to force Qian Chen into a corner.

Qian Renxue took half a step forward.

Shui Bing'er immediately released her Ice Phoenix martial soul.

"Qian Chen, I'll hold them off."

"No need."

Qian Chen raised a hand.

"Stand here and watch."

Golden Soul Power spread out from beneath his feet.

The approaching Blue Silver Grass froze instantly.

Dai Mubai's tiger claws halted in midair.

The frigid air cut off Ma Hongjun's fire line.

Zhu Zhuqing had only just approached when ice sealed her feet.

Xiao Wu descended from the air, her body stopping right in front of Qian Chen.

Looking at the golden light so close before her, her expression changed again.

"A domain?"

Tang San clenched the Clear Sky Hammer.

"Don't stop!"

He suddenly stomped the stone slabs beneath his feet to pieces.

The massive black hammer descended from above, carrying tremendous force as it smashed toward Qian Chen.

"So what if it's the Clear Sky Hammer?"

Qian Chen raised his eyes.

His eighth crimson Soul Ring rose behind him.

Yet he did not use Ice and Fire Annihilation.

An azure throne slowly emerged behind him.

The throne was formed from Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice.

Nine Ice Dragon patterns coiled around its backrest.

Qian Chen sat upon it.

In an instant, all the cold air at the entrance gathered toward him.

"Frozen Throne."

The four words fell.

Azure light surged along the ground toward Tang San.

The Clear Sky Hammer Tang San had swung was directly covered by the frigid air.

Hammerhead, handle, arm.

Layers of ice crystals rapidly formed over them.

Tang San's movement froze in midair.

Dense cracks appeared across the Clear Sky Hammer.

"Break!"

Tang San gritted his teeth and mobilized all the Soul Power in his body.

Ning Rongrong immediately cast a third enhancement beam onto him.

Oscar also brought a Recovery Sausage to his mouth.

Tang San's aura rose once more.

Black Soul Power surged toward the Clear Sky Hammer.

Yet the ice crystals did not loosen in the slightest.

Instead, they continued spreading along the hammer's handle.

A succession of cracking sounds came from within the Clear Sky Hammer.

Tang San's pupils contracted.

He tried to retract his martial soul, only to discover that his palm had frozen together with the hammer's handle.

The next moment.

Crack!

The frozen Clear Sky Hammer split down the middle.

The entire massive hammer turned into countless shards of ice, scattering before Tang San.

Tang San's body stiffened where he stood.

The Soul Power within him instantly lost its support.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in Ning Rongrong's hand stopped spinning.

The sausage Oscar had just raised fell to the ground.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu all stopped as well.

No one at the entrance spoke again.

Everyone looked at that azure throne.

And at Tang San standing before it, now deprived of his Clear Sky Hammer martial soul.

Someone recognized the black giant hammer.

"The Clear Sky Hammer..."

"The continent's number one tool martial soul was frozen and shattered just like that?"

"That was the Clear Sky Hammer!"

Qian Chen rose from the throne.

Ice crystals slowly dissipated along his robes.

He looked at Tang San's pale face.

Tang San stood amid the shattered ice crystals.

His right hand remained in the posture of gripping the hammer.

But the Clear Sky Hammer had already turned into fragments of ice across the ground.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong had also been immobilized by the cold.

All seven of their Soul Rings had fallen still.

At the entrance, only the faint sound of wind and snow sweeping over the stone slabs remained.

Qian Chen stepped down from before the Frozen Throne.

"Tang San."

He stopped before Tang San.

"Do you still want to continue?"

Tang San raised his head.

His face was pale, and blood still lingered at the corner of his mouth.

After the Clear Sky Hammer had been shattered, the Soul Power within him had already become a chaotic mess.

But he did not retreat.

"You destroyed my second martial soul."

"That was not your second martial soul."

Qian Chen looked at the shattered ice on the ground.

"It was merely a hammer you had just taken out."

Tang San's fingers tightened.

His Blue Silver Grass martial soul emerged from his palm once more.

But the vines froze into ice crystals the instant they appeared.

"Release them."

Tang San stared at Qian Chen.

"This has nothing to do with them."

Qian Chen turned and looked at the seven people sealed in frost.

"They attacked together just now."

"So they will naturally bear the consequences together."

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth.

"Qian Chen, don't go too far!"

"Shut up."

Qian Chen glanced at him.

The ice crystals around Dai Mubai immediately spread upward.

The cold sealed his shoulders, making even opening his mouth extremely difficult.

Ma Hongjun's face turned pale.

He looked at Qian Chen's eight Soul Rings, his Soul Power repeatedly surging within him, yet he could not break free of the restraints.

Xiao Wu leaned against Tang San.

She raised her head, frost clinging to her pink hair.

"Tang San, what do we do?"

Tang San did not answer.

He watched Qian Chen as a layer of black light slowly emerged in his palm.

The Clear Sky Hammer had already shattered.

Yet he still refused to give up resisting.

Just then.

A crushing pressure suddenly descended from above the Great Soul Arena.

The snow filling the sky was forcibly scattered.

Buildings on both sides of the long street cracked at the same time.

Everyone raised their heads.

The distant sky had already been swallowed by darkness.

A tall figure stepped down from the sky.

He wore a tattered black robe, with broad shoulders and long hair hanging loose behind him.

In his hand, he carried a pitch-black giant hammer.

Before the giant hammer even hit the ground, the surrounding stone slabs had already buckled under the pressure and cracked one after another.

Tang San's body trembled.

"Father!"

The newcomer was none other than Tang Hao.

Tang Hao landed in the middle of the long street.

His gaze passed over Tang San and fell upon the shattered Clear Sky Hammer on the ground.

Then, he looked at Qian Chen, who stood before the throne.

"You destroyed his martial soul?"

Tang San immediately said, "Father, he crippled Ma Hongjun too, and he killed Teacher Zhao."

Tang Hao did not respond.

He raised his giant hammer, and a crushing aura bore down on Qian Chen.

The frost around them shattered in great swathes.

Shui Bing'er immediately stepped in front of Qian Chen.

"Qian Chen, be careful."

Qian Chen reached out and pulled her behind him.

"Stay there."

Shui Bing'er glanced at him, then retreated to Qian Renxue's side.

Qian Renxue gripped her wrist.

"Don't get close."

Shui Bing'er nodded.

Tang Hao stared at Qian Chen.

"You're young, yet you strike without mercy."

"They attacked first."

Qian Chen remained where he stood.

"If they lost, they had to pay the price."

"Since when was it your place to lecture people from Shrek Academy?"

Tang Hao took a step forward.

The stone slabs beneath his feet sank with a boom.

"Today, I'll seek justice for them."

"You want to die too?"

Qian Chen raised his eyes.

Two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings lit up at once.

Crimson-gold and deep-red radiance intertwined as they rose.

Eighty-ninth-level Soul Power spread outward.

Tang Hao's footsteps paused for an instant.

He saw the five black Soul Rings behind Qian Chen, then the three crimson-red Soul Rings, and his expression gradually darkened.

"Level eighty-nine."

"And three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings."

Tang Hao tightened his grip on the Clear Sky Hammer.

"No wonder you dared to run wild in Heaven Dou City."

The seventh black Soul Ring rose beneath his feet.

Black light covered his entire body.

The figure behind Tang Hao rapidly expanded, and an enormous Clear Sky Hammer carrying mountain-like force smashed toward Qian Chen.

"Seventh Soul Skill, Clear Sky Avatar!"

The giant hammer descended.

The surrounding air was compressed into visible ripples.

Qian Chen did not retreat.

He raised his palm.

Golden Soul Power gathered in his hand.

Boom!

The giant hammer stopped above Qian Chen's head.

A golden barrier blocked the hammer's edge.

All the Soul Power within Tang Hao erupted.

Black light continuously surged along his arm and into the giant hammer.

Fine cracks appeared across the golden barrier.

Qian Chen's robes billowed in the air currents.

Yet his feet did not shift even half a step.

Gravitas flashed through Tang Hao's eyes.

He raised his other hand, and his fourth Soul Ring suddenly lit up.

"Clear Sky Hammer, Chaotic Wind!"

The pitch-black giant hammer drew back.

The next instant, its edge crashed down again with even greater force.

The second blow fell.

The golden barrier shattered on the spot.

Tang Hao swung the giant hammer, smashing down several times in succession.

The buildings along the long street shook without cease.

Even the entrance sealed in ice was split with large cracks by the hammer winds.

Qian Chen raised his right hand.

His eighth crimson-red Soul Ring lit up.

Azure chill and Crimson-Gold Dragonflame rose behind him at the same time.

"Eighth Soul Skill, Ice and Fire Annihilation."

The Ice Dragon charged out from the left.

The Fire Dragon rose from the right.

The two dragon phantoms crossed in midair and charged straight at Tang Hao.

Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer with both hands.

Black light condensed into a massive hammer phantom, which smashed head-on into the Ice Dragon and Fire Dragon.

Boom!

Chill and dragonflame erupted simultaneously.

A dazzling blaze of light rose above the long street.

Tang Hao's giant hammer was knocked aside by the two dragon phantoms.

His body slid backward dozens of meters.

His feet carved two deep trenches into the ground.

Tang San's expression changed.

"Father!"

Tang Hao raised a hand to press against his chest.

Crimson-gold flames burned along his arm.

Azure chill spread down from his shoulder.

Large portions of his black robes had shattered, and a crisscrossing wound appeared across his chest.

The blood had barely spilled out before the chill froze it into beads.

The entire scene fell silent.

A Titled Douluo had actually been injured in the very first exchange.

Shui Bing'er looked toward Qian Chen.

She knew Qian Chen was powerful.

But Tang Hao had once been one of the continent's greatest experts.

Yet Qian Chen had injured Tang Hao head-on with only his eighth Soul Skill.

Qian Renxue also looked up at Qian Chen.

A trace of shock appeared in her golden eyes.

Tang Hao raised his hand and shook the frost from his arm.

Yet the Crimson-Gold Dragonflame still lingered outside his meridians.

He stared at Qian Chen.

"Your strength has already surpassed that of a Soul Douluo."

"Who exactly are you?"

"You don't need to know."

Qian Chen walked toward Tang Hao.

"If you intend to stand up for them, stay here."

Tang Hao looked at Tang San and the others, who had been sealed in frost.

Tang San had already suffered severe injuries.

The other six had their Soul Power suppressed by the chill as well.

If they continued fighting, the Seven Monsters would likely all be left here today.

Tang Hao raised the Clear Sky Hammer.

His ninth black Soul Ring lit up in turn.

The sky suddenly darkened.

Terrifying power rose from within him.

The ground outside the Great Soul Arena began to sink.

"Ninth Soul Skill, Clear Sky Nine Absolutes!"

Tang Hao shot into the sky.

The pitch-black giant hammer carved an arc through the air.

Countless hammer phantoms fell at once.

Every hammer phantom carried the power to shatter mountains and rocks.

Qian Chen raised his head.

His eighth Soul Ring lit up again.

The Ice Dragon and Fire Dragon converged from both sides.

Just as the two forces were about to collide, a snowflake slowly drifted down from the heavens.

That snowflake landed before the giant hammer.

Space froze with it.

All the hammer phantoms halted in midair.

The light filling the sky was covered by a layer of white.

Tang Hao's movements also stopped.

Wind and snow swept in from the far end of the long street.

Silver-white hair unfurled in the wind.

Wearing a spotless white dress, Snow Empress stepped across stairs of ice suspended in midair and slowly arrived beside Qian Chen.

The hem of her dress fell around her feet.

Silver-white strands brushed over her shoulders, and her luminous fair face looked especially beautiful beneath the moonlight.

She did not look at anyone around her.

Those cool, clear eyes rested only on Qian Chen.

"Are you hurt?"

"No."

Qian Chen shook his head.

"Someone merely interrupted the match."

Only then did Snow Empress turn her head.

She looked at Tang Hao in the air.

"Do you wish to continue?"

Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer.

He could feel that the power within the woman before him far exceeded anything he had imagined.

It was not the pressure brought by Soul Power Level.

It was a majesty that came from her very origin.

Tang San looked up at Snow Empress.

"Who is she?"

No one answered him.

Ice Empress hurried to Snow Empress's side.

She wrapped her arms around Snow Empress's arm, her emerald-green hair falling over the hem of her white dress.

"Snow Sister, he bullied Chen'er."

Snow Empress nodded gently.

"I saw it."

Tang Hao descended from midair.

His gaze settled on Snow Empress.

"This is between him and me."

Snow Empress looked at him.

"You wanted to kill him just now."

Tang Hao did not deny it.

"He destroyed my son's martial soul and injured people from Shrek Academy."

"They brought it on themselves."

Snow Empress raised her jade-like hand.

A snowflake fell into her fingertips.

"Take one move from me."

Tang Hao gripped his hammer with both hands.

"Come!"

The Ninth Soul Ring flared brilliantly.

A pitch-black hammer phantom condensed behind him.

A crushing aura bore down upon the long street.

Tang Hao charged forward.

The Clear Sky Hammer came crashing down from above.

Snow Empress stood where she was.

She raised one finger.

The instant her fingertip descended, every snowflake on the long street froze in place.

"Emperor Sword, Ice Extremity Unrivaled."

A streak of white sword light blossomed from her fingertip.

The sword light did not pierce Tang Hao's body.

Yet before the massive hammer could fall, it cleaved through the power of the Clear Sky Hammer head-on.

The black hammer phantom split down the middle.

Tang Hao's ninth soul skill collapsed on the spot.

The white sword light continued forward.

It struck him in the chest.

His black robe shattered instantly.