An unexpected change

His figure flashed, moving far faster than before, and the Clear Sky Hammer hurtled toward Wang Qiu'er with a shriek that tore through the air.

This blow was far stronger than the last.

Wang Qiu'er raised an eyebrow and extended one hand, golden light swirling in her palm as she met it.

Clang!

The thunderous impact was deafening.

A blast of air erupted, snapping the surrounding trees in half.

Tang Hao grunted and staggered back three steps, each leaving a deep footprint in the ground.

Wang Qiu'er stood rooted in place, not moving an inch. Only her palm tingled slightly.

"Interesting." She flexed her hand. "A demigod skill, all right. It deserves the name."

Tang Hao said nothing. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

So this is Ring Detonation? It really is a divine skill. Sensing the aura nearby, Lin Changgeng thought to himself, No wonder it's the foremost self-created soul skill beneath divine skills. It could certainly be called a demigod skill. Tang Chen's talent really was terrifying-but did Tang Chen truly devise this skill himself?

Lin Changgeng's gaze flickered. He did not know how much Tang Chen had contributed to developing this skill, but clearly, the Great Sumeru Hammer and Ring Detonation were not skills a soul master should possess.

But in Tang Hao's condition, he probably won't last long. The question is whether we can kill him. At that thought, Lin Changgeng unconsciously glanced up at the sky.

In his previous life, he had heard that Asura had brought Tang San here, though he did not know whether it was true. If they failed to kill Tang Hao today, it was true; if they succeeded, it was false.

Even after detonating four soul rings, Tang Hao still could not beat her.

He gritted his teeth, and the soul power inside him erupted again.

His fifth and sixth soul rings shattered.

Black, black.

Two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings exploded simultaneously. Tang Hao's aura surged once more, the black glow around the Clear Sky Hammer thickening like ink as even the surrounding air warped under the pressure.

His imposing aura rose another level.

Even an ordinary Super Douluo would have to take him seriously.

Tang Hao charged again, bringing the Clear Sky Hammer down toward Wang Qiu'er's head with the force to destroy heaven and earth.

Wang Qiu'er put away her indifferent expression and raised both hands, golden soul power gathering in her palms as she took the blow head-on.

Clang!!!

The collision rang out even louder than before.

The ground cracked, spiderweb fissures spreading in every direction.

Tang Hao was sent flying backward. He somersaulted twice in midair before steadying himself, his arms numb and the Clear Sky Hammer nearly slipping from his grasp.

Wang Qiu'er retreated half a step.

A trace of seriousness flashed in Wang Qiu'er's eyes. "You forced me back half a step. At least those detonations weren't wasted."

Tang Hao landed, his legs buckling beneath him. He nearly fell to his knees.

He forced himself to remain upright, gasping for breath as every muscle in his body trembled.

After detonating six soul rings, his body was already under an immense strain.

Yet all he had done was force Wang Qiu'er back half a step.

He glanced at his three remaining soul rings.

Two ten-thousand-year rings and one hundred-thousand-year ring.

A ruthless glint flashed in Tang Hao's eyes.

His seventh and eighth soul rings shattered.

Black, black.

Another two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings exploded.

Tang Hao's aura surged to its utmost limit. His muscles bulged, his clothes burst apart, exposing his powerfully built torso, and his wounds tore open. Blood ran down his arms and dripped onto the Clear Sky Hammer.

After detonating eight soul rings, his aura and strength had reached their apex.

His aura had already returned to the level it had been at before his injuries.

Tang Hao roared, swinging the Clear Sky Hammer toward Wang Qiu'er in a blaze of blood-colored light.

This blow already possessed the power of a Peak Douluo.

Wang Qiu'er's expression grew slightly grave, and she finally released her martial soul.

A resonant dragon's roar rang out.

An enormous golden dragon silhouette appeared behind her. As she released her golden dragon martial soul, its terrifying draconic might spread outward.

The aura of a level ninety-seven Super Douluo erupted without restraint.

She threw a punch, and the golden dragon silhouette surged with her fist to meet the Clear Sky Hammer.

Boom!!!

A thunderous crash shook heaven and shattered earth.

The entire rear mountain trembled. Rocks tumbled down, and trees fell in swaths.

Dust and smoke filled the air.

Tang Hao flew backward out of the dust and slammed heavily into the mountain wall, sending shattered stone flying.

His arms were twisted at grotesque angles, their bones clearly broken.

Blood kept spilling from his mouth, and his face was as pale as paper.

Detonating eight soul rings had merely forced Wang Qiu'er to release her martial soul. It had not injured her.

Wang Qiu'er stood amid the dust, her golden dragon martial soul slowly receding as her breathing quickened slightly.

"Too naïve." She looked at Tang Hao embedded in the mountain wall. "Did you think detonating eight soul rings would let you injure me? If you had no old injuries, perhaps you really could match me with Ring Detonation. Unfortunately, you're badly wounded. Even detonating your rings only brings you back to your own peak, not mine."

Tang Hao slid down the mountain wall and leaned against a rock, gasping for breath.

His arms were broken, his body covered in wounds, and his soul power almost exhausted.

But his gaze remained ferocious.

He still had one final soul ring.

A hundred-thousand-year ring.

The soul ring Ah Yin had left him.

He had never detonated this soul ring.

Not because he did not dare, but because he could not bear to.

It was the only thing Ah Yin had left him.

But now, he had no choice.

Trembling, Tang Hao raised his head and looked at that final red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. A trace of tenderness flashed in his eyes, only to be replaced by ruthlessness.

"Ah Yin..." he murmured. "I'm sorry."

His ninth soul ring shattered.

Red.

The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring exploded with a thunderous roar.

In that instant, heaven and earth changed color.

An utterly terrifying power poured out of Tang Hao. Red light enveloped the entire rear mountain, and a destructive aura filled the air.

Detonating a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was on an entirely different level from detonating the previous eight.

Tang Hao's aura climbed wildly, breaking past the Peak Douluo level and surging toward an even higher realm.

Under that power, his broken arms were forcibly mended, and his wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His entire body was wrapped in red light, like a demonic god descending into the world.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred.

A bone-chilling surge of killing intent suddenly erupted from Tang Hao.

That killing intent was extraordinarily dense, as though it came from the abyss of the netherworld, carrying a destructive aura that made the heart quail.

This aura had faintly reached the Limit Douluo level!

A trace of blood-colored light mingled with the red glow.

The two powers intertwined, and Tang Hao's aura surged again, becoming even more terrifying than before.

Tang Hao had no idea what was happening.

He merely felt another power stirring inside him and assumed it was an additional effect of detonating his Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Before he even had time to consider it, that power had swept through his entire body.

Wang Qiu'er's expression changed slightly. She instinctively stepped back, a trace of gravity flashing in her golden slit pupils.

"Is this... a god's aura?"

Sensing that icy killing intent, Lin Changgeng's gilded pupils contracted slightly.

Cold. Slaughter.

This power... so it really is Asura? Lin Changgeng thought. If I wasn't certain before, I am now. Tang Hao was already gravely injured, yet not only did detonating his rings fail to kill him, he even surpassed his prime. I won't believe there's nothing fishy going on here.