Ring Detonation? Laughable. One Sword, and Not Even Your Ashes Will Remain

"Oh, my goodness, this is way too terrifying."

Seeing the giant sword descend, Ma Hongjun was so frightened his legs went weak.

"Fatty, let's run!"

Dai Mubai could no longer spare a thought for the man he had just summoned to act. He immediately grabbed his best buddy Ma Hongjun and made to flee.

Yu Xiaogang had also slumped limply onto the ground. Flender stepped forward to pull him up, with Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Oscar following close behind.

"Wait, the sword is falling faster!" Tang San looked back, and his expression changed drastically.

They were in trouble now. They probably wouldn't escape death!

He had never imagined Lin Ye had such a trump card. Had he known, he would have advised his teacher not to provoke Lin Ye.

"Ah! I don't want to die yet..."

Ma Hongjun was on the verge of tears from terror, his trousers already soaking wet.

He hadn't had his fill of visiting brothels yet. He didn't want to die so soon.

But the giant sword wouldn't stop for their wishes. It fell faster and faster.

Just as the Taixu Divine Sword was about to strike, a figure suddenly appeared, swinging a massive hammer with an imposing aura as he desperately blocked the attack.

At the sight of him, the corners of Lin Ye's mouth lifted slightly.

"Heh, you finally came, Tang Hao."

Tang Hao's appearance didn't surprise Lin Ye. After all, Tang San was about to lose his life.

Tang Hao wore black and stood with his back to the Shrek group, but Tang San still recognized him at a glance.

The martial soul this black-clad man wielded was the Clear Sky Hammer. Tang San could clearly sense its connection to the Clear Sky Hammer within his own body.

"Dad!" Tang San shouted excitedly.

But Tang Hao couldn't afford to divide his attention. The giant sword was too powerful; he had to give it everything he had.

He could only force out a strained sentence. "San, get out of here, all of you."

"Dad!"

"Go!"

Tang San was frantic. He could hear the urgency in his father's voice.

With no time to think, he immediately turned and fled with the Shrek group.

"Oh dear, they actually got away."

Although the people from Shrek had escaped, Lin Ye's face was full of smiles.

A game of cat and mouse was only fun when played slowly.

After all, the little mice only needed to serve themselves up on his doorstep, while the cat had so much more to consider.

For instance, when to catch the mice, how to catch them, how to toy with them afterward, and how to let them go once he grew bored...

No matter how much time he gave them, threatening him would remain nothing but a pipe dream.

Tang Hao was no exception, of course.

Seeing that his son had run far enough away, Tang Hao stopped holding back. His aura surged, and rings of light appeared behind him.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red!

The next instant, his soul rings exploded one after another, releasing terrifying energy.

This was the ultimate secret of his Great Sumeru Hammer: Ring Detonation!

Overwhelming energy poured into his Clear Sky Hammer as Tang Hao roared like a madman, "You dare try to kill my son? I'll kill you!"

Tang Hao swung his heavy hammer again, smashing upward with all his might in an attempt to shatter the giant sword.

But Lin Ye would never let him have his way. With a faint smile, he lightly pointed a finger toward the giant sword. In the next instant, it grew larger again and blasted Tang Hao away with even more terrifying power.

Even then, Tang Hao showed no fear and attacked with another swing of his hammer.

Yet the heavy hammer shattered like papier-mâché the instant it struck the blade.

Horrified, Tang Hao knew he was no match for his opponent. He immediately circulated the last of his soul power, attempting to escape.

The giant sword descended. With a violent tremor, all of Shrek Academy was instantly razed to the ground.

And Tang Hao, that arrogant man who had once beaten Spirit Hall into quaking terror, had now become another soul slain beneath the sword. Not even his ashes remained.

Oh, no, that wasn't quite right. Five soul bones still lay among the ruins, though the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, the one that interested Lin Ye most, wasn't there.

"He probably didn't bring it with him. I reckon it's in that cave."

Lin Ye hurried forward, intending to pocket all five soul bones.

Kill the enemy and loot the body—speed was essential! An unexpected turn of events would be troublesome.

Sure enough, the next instant, Lin Ye sensed an approaching presence.

Lin Ye instantly locked onto that presence and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

A concealed figure swiftly became visible in front of the soul bones.

At the sight of this man, a cruel smile appeared on Lin Ye's lips.

It seemed this was a little mouse who had been hiding in the shadows all along.

Lin Ye flashed in front of him, scooped up the soul bones, and regarded him with a beaming smile.

"Hello, little mouse. Sneaking around isn't a good habit."

Upon seeing Lin Ye, the man looked as though he had seen a ghost, his face turning deathly pale.

"Y-you... how did you find me?"

He had been confident his martial soul would leave no opening to expose him. With it, he had carried out plenty of illicit trysts, murders, and robberies.

He had thought those five soul bones were as good as his, only to be discovered after all.

Lin Ye put all the soul bones into his Storage Soul Tool and watched him with a mocking gaze.

"I knew you were there from the very beginning. You were hiding in those woods over there, following your employer's orders and planning to deal me a fatal blow at the crucial moment."

"But you and your employer both miscalculated. Neither of you ever imagined I possessed this kind of power, so your employer got scared and abandoned you, running away."

"You, however, felt you'd suffered too great a loss. So you decided to take a gamble and try to steal my spoils after I defeated Tang Hao."

"Am I right, Soul Douluo sent by Dai Mubai to assassinate me?"

Upon hearing this, the Soul Douluo was so terrified that he fell to his knees with a thud, hurriedly kowtowing and begging for mercy.

But Lin Ye remained unmoved.

"Heh, spare you? In your next life."

"Inch-Punch!"

With that, Lin Ye threw a punch, blasting him to pieces in an instant.

"Cough..."

[Danger resolved. Power resealed.]

Lin Ye suddenly staggered, about to collapse.

"Lin Ye!"

"Big Brother Lin Ye!"

Zhu Zhuqing moved swiftly, reaching Lin Ye's side in an instant and catching his falling body. She slowly lowered him until his head rested on her lap.

Ning Rongrong ran over a step behind her. At the sight, she froze briefly, then immediately shook her head and sat down in front of Lin Ye.

Clearly, this was no time to dwell on such things. Lin Ye's safety mattered most.

"Big Brother Lin Ye, what's wrong?" Ning Rongrong asked anxiously.

Lin Ye shook his head and looked at her, his voice weak. "I'm fine... Rongrong... let me rest a little."

Hearing that, Ning Rongrong could only nod.

Soon, Lin Ye fell into a deep sleep on Zhu Zhuqing's lap.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong couldn't bear to disturb him. They remained in that position until night fell.

"When will Big Brother Lin Ye wake up?" Sitting on the ground, Ning Rongrong gazed at the moon slowly rising above the ruins and suddenly asked.

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. Looking at Lin Ye on her lap, she said, "I'm not sure either, but Lin Ye clearly used an incredibly powerful force just now. He needs time to recover."

"All right. Big Brother Lin Ye really is mysterious, hiding such incredible power..."

Ever since she was little, Ning Rongrong had found Lin Ye mysterious. Every time he acted, he reshaped her understanding of him.

It was precisely that mystery that drew her to him, making her want to keep learning about him and exploring his secrets.

Ning Rongrong's words made Zhu Zhuqing's slender body tremble.

Indeed, Lin Ye was truly mysterious. Even she had found her gaze drawn to that mystery.

Ning Rongrong turned to glance at Zhu Zhuqing, then suddenly asked, "Zhu Zhuqing, are your legs tired? Do you want to rest and let me take over?"

"..."

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent. Naturally, she saw through Ning Rongrong's intentions, but for some reason, she suddenly felt reluctant.

"No..."