The Clear Sky Hammer Was Tiny, but Cute Too

Boom!

A violent shockwave swept outward.

Tang Hao charged in with Thunderous Might, only to be sent flying back before anyone could blink.

Two terrifying Ninth Soul Skills surged over him like a flood, leaving Tang Hao sprawled in the rubble like a dog by the roadside.

"Old Ghost, I feel terrifyingly strong right now!"

"My Ninth Soul Skill took down Tang Hao even after he detonated four rings at once!"

The grave look on Chrysanthemum Douluo's face gave way to shock. He stared at his slender fingers in disbelief.

Those hands held power beyond even his imagination!

Ghost Douluo's face darkened. "If you had that kind of power, we wouldn't have fled with our tails between our legs back then."

"It's obvious Tang Hao's old injuries have flared up. He can't control Ring Detonation anymore!"

"I know!" Chrysanthemum Douluo rolled his eyes helplessly. "Can't you have a sense of humor?"

As they spoke, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo moved into position with practiced coordination. All eighteen of their Soul Rings lit up.

"How is this possible!"

"I detonated my first four Soul Rings at once!"

Lying in the rubble, Tang Hao struggled to prop himself up, his head buzzing.

He couldn't understand it. He had detonated his rings, yet it felt as though he hadn't.

The power of four Soul Rings should have added up to three thousand years at least, shouldn't it?

Could it be...

A dreadful suspicion suddenly rose in Tang Hao's heart.

But before he could collect himself, intense light of two colors burst from Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, and their Soul Power merged in midair.

Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo were renowned throughout the world for their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Two Forms Stillness Domain!

It was said that this skill could freeze the movements and Soul Power of every target within its domain.

Even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast deep in the Star Dou Great Forest could never break free once caught.

Its only flaw was that Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo themselves could neither move nor attack while sustaining it.

If it had been just the three of them, that might not have mattered. But they were in the Spirit Hall Main Hall, and the red-robed bishops and temple knights were still there.

If Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo's Martial Soul Fusion Skill held him in place, and the red-robed bishops at the Soul Douluo level surrounded him...

Fear flashed in Tang Hao's eyes. Then he truly would have no escape, even if he grew wings.

"Clear Sky Hammer—Nine Rings, Detonate!"

Tang Hao threw caution aside and detonated his five remaining Soul Rings—four black and one red—in a single breath!

This time, Tang Hao finally saw the truth.

The instant those five rings shattered, all that poured from them was a dim white mist.

Tang Hao's eyes nearly split with rage. He understood at once why his wish had seemed to cost him nothing.

It wasn't that he hadn't paid a price. He simply hadn't noticed it!

If the Wish-Granting Tree Martial Soul had taken his Soul Power, he would have felt it drain away immediately.

But it had taken the power of his Soul Rings instead. Without using a Soul Skill, who could tell the rings were fakes?

"Damn it! Don't you know Ring Detonation is a technique for fighting with your life on the line?"

How am I supposed to fight for my life with nine white rings?

And his ninth Soul Ring had been a hundred thousand years old!

At that moment, Tang Hao wanted nothing more than to kill Xu Yuan.

No—only cutting Xu Yuan to pieces could settle the hatred in his heart.

But time waited for no one.

Five rings shattered—four black and one red—for a grand total of fifty years of power!

Even Old Jack of Holy Soul Village wasn't sixty yet.

It was as though Tang Hao had gained one whole Jack's worth of strength out of thin air.

The dark Clear Sky Hammer gave off a faint glow. It seemed a little heavier, though perhaps it wasn't.

"Hahahaha..."

"Tang Hao, oh, Tang Hao! There was a road to heaven, but you wouldn't take it. Hell had no gate, yet you barged right in!"

"Don't worry. Your little Clear Sky Hammer is quite cute too!"

Seeing Tang Hao detonate nine Soul Rings without any increase in power, Chrysanthemum Douluo covered his mouth and mocked him.

Ghost Douluo said nothing, but the curve of his lips betrayed what he was thinking.

Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Two Forms Stillness Domain, was ready to unleash!

Even if Tang Hao wanted to run, it was too late.

"Even without nine Soul Rings, I, Tang Hao, am still... Clear! Sky! Dou! Luo!"

Tang Hao's eyes blazed red, and he panted like an ox. Divine Slaughter's Domain surged to life, its icy killing intent plunging everyone into a frozen abyss!

His heart hammered like a pump. Killing intent and blood boiled and rushed like rivers toward his skull.

"Divine Slaughter's Dom—"

The instant Tang Hao raised the Clear Sky Hammer, a violent jolt struck inside his skull.

The stagnant blood and toxins accumulated in his brain, stirred by the surge of blood, blocked its meridians and vessels.

His eyes suddenly drew inward. His vision broke into overlapping shadows, and the ground twisted and swayed before him.

A splitting headache erupted. Nausea surged up, and one side of his body went numb against his will.

Clang!

The black Clear Sky Hammer crashed to the ground.

Tang Hao swayed and convulsed. His eyes crossed, and his consciousness began to fade.

"Yu Xiaogang, you're an am... amateur!"

"And Xu..."

Before he could finish, Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo's Two Forms Stillness Domain swept over him.

The instant its halo touched Tang Hao, both his body and his Soul Power froze.

Only the red-robed bishops outside the domain could still move!

"Eighth Soul Skill: Scarlet Flames Scorch the Heavens!"

"Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul Avatar, activate!"

"..."

Blazing lights erupted one after another and descended before Tang Hao's despairing, crossed eyes, throwing up a boundless cloud of dust.

When the dust settled, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo approached cautiously and examined Tang Hao.

Tang Hao was having a stroke. Blood had pooled in his brain, and his whole body kept twitching.

"He gave me a fright!"

"I thought he must have something up his sleeve to dare come here."

Chrysanthemum Douluo held a metallic petal between his fingers, ready to deal Tang Hao a fatal blow at any moment.

"Perhaps his old injuries were so severe they damaged his brain!"

Ghost Douluo's figure was as elusive as a phantom, his voice hoarse.

"Mm, that's certainly possible!"

"But what do we do now?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo looked at each other, at a loss.

The two of them oversaw punishment for Spirit Hall. This time, they had merely come to inspect the Spirit Hall Main Hall in Barak City as usual.

They were also following the pope's orders to see whether they could win over the Balak Kingdom.

Who could have known Tang Hao would suddenly leap out and hand them such a tremendous achievement?

Neither of them knew what to make of it.

And they hesitated over whom they should deliver Tang Hao to.

The current pope, Bibi Dong?

Or... Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu?

"Let's take him back to Spirit City first!"

Unable to decide, Chrysanthemum Douluo could only put the question off.

"Take him back just like that? Tang Hao is dangerous!"

Ghost Douluo said it abruptly.

It wasn't a lie.

They had seen Ring Detonation, the essence of the Clear Sky Sect's Great Sumeru Hammer.

Tang Hao hadn't managed to use it this time, but who could guarantee he wouldn't next time?

"Old Ghost, you mean..."

After years as Ghost Douluo's partner, Chrysanthemum Douluo understood him without another word.

They had rendered outstanding service to Spirit Hall, yet both were now stuck at level ninety-five.

If they could obtain a high-age Soul Bone, they might have a chance to advance another step!

"Take away the right hand he uses to hold his hammer, then sever his strongest leg—the left!"

Ghost Douluo's choice wasn't a wild guess.

He didn't know which of Tang Hao's Soul Bones was the oldest, but the ones in his right arm and left leg could hardly be poor!

"Why?"

"Unless a blacksmith is left-handed from birth, why would he learn to forge with his left hand later in life?"

"And as for the left leg, imagine swinging a hammer with your right arm at the forge. Which leg would you step forward with first?"

Understanding dawned on Chrysanthemum Douluo. Golden petals flashed at his fingertips, and a streak of blood stained the earth red.