Tang Hao vs. Long Xiaoyao! Utterly Crushed!

Ah Yin hesitated no longer.

"I'm willing to join the Holy Spirit Cult."

"As long as you truly can bring me back to life, I'll follow the Holy Spirit Cult's rules."

Long Xiaoyao nodded slightly.

"You won't regret the choice you made today."

He raised his right hand.

Heaven and Earth Energy rapidly gathered inside the cave.

The soil around Ah Yin's true body slowly rose.

The entire Blue Silver Grass plant, roots and all, was lifted into the air.

Not a single root was damaged.

Long Xiaoyao took out a Soul Tool capable of holding a living being.

Soft light enveloped the Blue Silver Emperor.

Ah Yin's phantom entered it along with her true body.

"I'll take you to meet my master now."

"Once my master acts, you'll have a body again."

Ah Yin stood inside the Soul Tool's space.

She looked at her Blue Silver Grass body, anticipation growing in her eyes.

"I can finally leave this place."

Long Xiaoyao put away the Soul Tool.

He turned and walked out of the cave.

The waterfall parted to either side once more.

Long Xiaoyao stepped into the air and flew toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

Outside Heaven Dou City.

Before another waterfall.

Tang Hao stood bare-chested beneath the rushing water.

The heavy cascade pounded against his body.

Clear Sky Hammer in hand, he swung again and again into the torrent.

Boom!

The Clear Sky Hammer split the waterfall.

Spray exploded in every direction.

Tang Hao stepped out of the water.

He was about to rest when a powerful aura suddenly swept past in the distance.

Tang Hao immediately looked up.

High above, Long Xiaoyao flew with his hands behind his back.

Ah Yin's aura emanated from the Soul Tool he carried.

Tang Hao froze on the spot.

He could never mistake that aura.

It was Ah Yin.

"Ah Yin?"

Soul Power erupted beneath Tang Hao's feet.

He shot into the sky and blocked Long Xiaoyao's path.

"Stop!"

Long Xiaoyao halted.

He looked at Tang Hao standing before him.

"Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao?"

Tang Hao did not care how the man knew who he was.

All his attention was fixed on the Soul Tool.

"Do you have Ah Yin?"

Long Xiaoyao raised his hand.

The Soul Tool emitted a faint blue light.

Ah Yin's phantom appeared between them.

At the sight of her familiar face, Tang Hao took a step forward.

"Ah Yin!"

"Don't be afraid!"

"I'll get you back right now!"

Ah Yin looked at Tang Hao, her expression conflicted.

"Tang Hao, he didn't abduct me."

"I chose to leave with him."

Tang Hao stood stunned in midair.

"You chose to?"

"Why would you leave with a stranger?"

Ah Yin replied, "He promised to bring me back to life."

"I'm going with him to meet the Cult Leader of the Holy Spirit Cult."

Tang Hao shook his head at once.

"Ah Yin, don't believe him!"

"How could anyone come back to life after death?"

"He must be lying to you!"

Tang Hao turned to Long Xiaoyao, his face darkening completely.

"So you're the one trying to deceive my wife and take her away?"

"You know she's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, so you want her Soul Ring and Soul Bone?"

Long Xiaoyao offered no explanation.

But Ah Yin spoke up. "He isn't lying to me."

"The Holy Spirit Cult doesn't need my Soul Ring or Soul Bone."

"This is my own choice."

Tang Hao looked at Ah Yin.

"You can come back to life if you stay in that cave."

"The Blue Silver Emperor has tremendous vitality."

"If you keep growing, sooner or later you'll take human form again."

Ah Yin shook her head gently.

"I've already waited too long."

"I don't want to stay in that cave anymore."

Tang Hao's expression shifted again and again.

"Ah Yin, come back with me first."

"Once I've investigated the Holy Spirit Cult, we can decide whether to trust them."

Ah Yin did not agree.

"I've already promised to join the Holy Spirit Cult."

"Tang Hao, this is my own decision."

Tang Hao stood motionless.

He had never expected Ah Yin to refuse him like this.

After a moment, he turned back to Long Xiaoyao.

"Hand Ah Yin over."

Long Xiaoyao hovered high above with his hands behind his back.

"She already told you leaving was her own choice."

"Didn't you hear her?"

Tang Hao raised his right hand.

Black light swiftly condensed.

The heavy Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his palm.

Nine Soul Rings rose in succession: two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red.

His Titled Douluo Soul Power spread outward without restraint.

Struck by the Soul Power, the waterfall split down the middle.

Tang Hao tightened his grip on the Clear Sky Hammer.

"Ah Yin is my wife."

"I won't let you take her away."

Long Xiaoyao glanced at the Clear Sky Hammer.

"I'm taking her with me."

"Are you going to stop me?"

Tang Hao said nothing more.

His foot struck empty air, and he appeared before Long Xiaoyao in an instant.

The Clear Sky Hammer smashed toward his face.

"Give Ah Yin back to me!"

An immense hammer-shadow blanketed the sky.

The surrounding cliffs shook violently.

Soul Power pressed a huge hollow into the deep pool beneath the waterfall.

Long Xiaoyao stood where he was.

He did not release his Martial Soul.

Nor did he reveal his Soul Rings.

Only when the Clear Sky Hammer reached him did he raise a single finger.

His fingertip met the Clear Sky Hammer.

Boom!

Soul Power burst outward in waves.

Tang Hao's arm suddenly sank.

The Clear Sky Hammer stopped against Long Xiaoyao's fingertip, unable to descend another inch.

Tang Hao's pupils contracted sharply.

Long Xiaoyao gave a slight push with his finger.

The Clear Sky Hammer immediately rebounded.

Terrifying force surged through its handle and into Tang Hao's body.

Tang Hao's arms went numb as he flew dozens of meters backward.

He took several steps through the air before barely steadying himself.

"How is that possible?"

"He didn't even release his Martial Soul."

Tang Hao looked down at his hands.

He had held nothing back in that strike.

Yet the man had stopped the Clear Sky Hammer with a single finger.

Tang Hao raised his head again.

His seventh Soul Ring lit up.

"Clear Sky True Body!"

Black light soared into the sky.

The Clear Sky Hammer expanded rapidly.

Its enormous head blotted out a vast stretch of the heavens.

Tang Hao gripped the handle with both hands, pouring all his Soul Power into the Clear Sky Hammer.

"Chaotic Cloak!"

The first blow fell.

Long Xiaoyao raised a hand and blocked it.

The second blow followed close behind.

Long Xiaoyao still did not retreat.

Tang Hao swung the Clear Sky Hammer again and again.

Each blow built upon the force of the last.

The Clear Sky Hammer swept up every current of air in the valley.

Trees all around snapped one after another.

The waterfall was scattered by the force of the hammer's swing.

Yet no matter how much power Tang Hao piled on, he could not make Long Xiaoyao move a single step.

The eighty-first blow fell.

The enormous Clear Sky Hammer bore down on Long Xiaoyao from the front, carrying all of Tang Hao's strength.

Long Xiaoyao finally raised his right hand.

His palm came down on the Clear Sky Hammer.

Boom!

The heavy hammer stopped dead.

The Soul Power blanketing the valley rapidly broke apart.

Before Tang Hao could react, Long Xiaoyao was already in front of him.

A palm strike fell.

A heavy blow struck Tang Hao's chest.

His body plunged from the sky and crashed into the deep pool below.

Water surged dozens of yards into the air.

Wide cracks split the bottom of the pool.

Tang Hao burst out of the rubble.

Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

He looked up at Long Xiaoyao in the sky, shock filling his eyes.

"Who exactly are you?"

Long Xiaoyao did not answer.

He walked down from the sky, step by step.

With every step he took, the pressure on Tang Hao grew.

Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer, trying to attack again.

Long Xiaoyao raised a hand and pressed downward.

Immense force descended from the sky.

Tang Hao's body was driven back into the pool.

His feet sank into the ground.

The Clear Sky Hammer in his hands was pinned down so firmly he could not lift it.

Long Xiaoyao still had not released his Martial Soul.

He stood above the waterfall, calmly watching Tang Hao below.

Tang Hao kept driving his Soul Power.

All nine Soul Rings flared with light.

But no matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free of the force pinning him down.

"How can this be?"

"We're both Titled Douluo. How can he be this strong?"

Tang Hao stood in the middle of the deep pool.

The force bearing down on him grew heavier and heavier.

Broken stones kept sinking beneath him.

Water surged in from every side, yet could not come within three yards of him.

He tightened his grip on the Clear Sky Hammer, and his nine Soul Rings lit up one after another.

"I haven't lost yet."

All the Soul Power in Tang Hao's body poured into the Clear Sky Hammer.

The heavy hammer rapidly swelled.

Black light blotted out the sky above the valley.

"Great Sumeru Hammer!"

The Clear Sky Hammer swung up from below with a thunderous roar.

Its immense power tore through the force Long Xiaoyao had imposed on him.

The blow parted the pool's waters to either side.

The entire valley shook violently.

Wide cracks spread across the cliffs.

Long Xiaoyao finally lifted his gaze.

"Great Sumeru Hammer."

"The Clear Sky Sect's secret art is indeed much stronger than the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer."

He stepped forward.

Dense darkness spread from his body.

The light between heaven and earth swiftly dimmed.

An enormous black dragon rose behind Long Xiaoyao.

The black dragon spread its wings.

A crushing draconic aura enveloped the entire valley.

The water in the deep pool sank lower and lower.

Even Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul was suppressed.

"Martial Soul Possession."

Black dragon scales covered Long Xiaoyao's arms.

A pair of enormous dragon wings unfolded from his back.

Dark-gold patterns flowed across the scales.

His eyes turned deep purple.

His fingertips became razor-sharp dragon claws.

The Dark Sacred Dragon raised its head.

Its vast body stretched beneath the firmament.

Tang Hao stared at the black dragon, his expression changing abruptly.

"A dragon-type Martial Soul?"

"What kind of Martial Soul is that?"

"Why is it so much stronger than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?"

Long Xiaoyao glanced at the Clear Sky Hammer hurtling toward him.

"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?"

"Is it even worthy of being compared to the Dark Sacred Dragon?"

Long Xiaoyao raised his scale-covered right hand.

His dragon claws collided head-on with the Clear Sky Hammer.

Boom!

Tang Hao's Great Sumeru Hammer stopped in midair.

The black Soul Power covering the hammer broke apart.

Long Xiaoyao closed his fingers.

With one hand, he caught the enormous Clear Sky Hammer.

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon barely qualifies as a top-tier Martial Soul."

"It possesses some Dragon Clan blood, but it does not even count as a true True Dragon Martial Soul."

"The Dark Sacred Dragon represents the pinnacle of dark power."

"It is the superior Martial Soul of the Dark Emperor Dragon."

"The one truly on its level is the superior Martial Soul of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon: the Radiant Sacred Dragon."

Long Xiaoyao thrust his arm forward.

The Clear Sky Hammer flew backward, taking Tang Hao with it.

Tang Hao slammed into the cliff.

Large chunks of rock tumbled down from above.

He forced himself to steady his body and activated the Great Sumeru Hammer again.

The Clear Sky Hammer crashed down with the weight of a mountain.

The dragon wings behind Long Xiaoyao spread slightly.

Dark power gathered around his right arm.

He used no Soul Skill.

Relying solely on the strength granted by his Dark Sacred Dragon Possession, he drove a fist straight at the hammer.

The Clear Sky Hammer was knocked away in an instant.

Agony shot through both of Tang Hao's arms.

His Martial Soul Avatar shuddered violently under that single punch.

Long Xiaoyao appeared before him once more.

A scale-covered palm struck Tang Hao's chest.

Bang!

Tang Hao flew out of the cliff.

His body hurtled across the deep pool and crashed into the forest on the far side.

Ancient trees snapped one after another in his wake.

Ah Yin stood inside the Soul Tool's space.

Through the image of the outside world, she watched the Dark Sacred Dragon behind Long Xiaoyao.

"So strong."

Tang Hao had already unleashed the Great Sumeru Hammer.

Yet Long Xiaoyao had not used a single Soul Skill.

The boost from Martial Soul Possession alone had been enough for him to completely suppress Tang Hao.

They were not on the same level at all.

Long Xiaoyao withdrew his dragon claws.

He looked at Tang Hao lying in the forest.

"You are no match for me."

"Step aside."

"Ah Yin has already agreed to join the Holy Spirit Cult."

"From now on, she has nothing to do with you."

Tang Hao rose from the shattered wood.

Blood ran down from the corner of his mouth.

"Nothing to do with me?"

He looked at Ah Yin inside the Soul Tool.

"She's my wife!"

"If I let you take her away right in front of me today, what kind of man would I be?"

Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer again.

Blood ran down his palm onto its handle.

He had already exhausted more than half his Soul Power.

His arms had also been badly injured by the repeated clashes.

Yet he still stood in Long Xiaoyao's path.

"I won't let you take Ah Yin."

Long Xiaoyao watched him calmly.

"You can't stop me."

"We won't know until we fight!"

The first Yellow Soul Ring around Tang Hao lit up.

Then cracks appeared across its surface.

Bang!

The First Soul Ring shattered.

All the power stored within the Soul Ring surged into the Clear Sky Hammer.

Tang Hao's waning aura rapidly rose.

Long Xiaoyao watched the shattered Soul Ring.

"Ring Detonation?"

The second Yellow Soul Ring shattered as well.

An even greater surge of power rushed into Tang Hao's body.

His meridians rapidly expanded.

The black light on the Clear Sky Hammer grew denser.

"Still not enough!"

The third, purple Soul Ring shattered.

The fourth, also purple, followed immediately.

Terrifying Soul Power spread outward from Tang Hao.

Every loose stone in the valley was hurled into the air.

Ripples split the surface of the deep pool, one after another.

Bloody streaks appeared across Tang Hao's arms.

Ring Detonation could release all the power stored in a Soul Ring in a short burst.

That power far exceeded what a Soul Master's body could withstand.

With each Soul Ring he detonated, his body suffered an even fiercer impact.

The fifth black Soul Ring shattered.

The sixth black Soul Ring shattered.

The seventh black Soul Ring also burst into black light that filled the sky.

The power of all seven Soul Rings flowed into the Clear Sky Hammer.

The Clear Sky True Body behind Tang Hao kept swelling.

The hammerhead blotted out half the valley.

Black light forced away all the surrounding Heaven and Earth Energy.

At that moment, Tang Hao's Soul Power broke past the level ninety-five threshold.

The Clear Sky Hammer in his hands erupted with power far beyond what it had shown before.

Long Xiaoyao finally showed a flicker of interest.

"So this is the Clear Sky Sect's Ring Detonation?"

"Detonating all the power in the Soul Rings, then channeling it into the Martial Soul."

"That really is rather interesting."

Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer with both hands.

"Interesting?"

"Take this hammer blow, then say that again!"

The last black Soul Ring beneath his feet, the eighth, began to shatter.

An even greater surge of power poured into the Clear Sky Hammer.