A massive shock wave spread through the air. Within its reach, the entire sea surface sank more than five meters. That single stomp already carried a measure of Bo Saixi's might.
Savage, overwhelming force slammed into Tang San. Under such powerful field suppression and Soul Power lock-on, he could not even activate Teleportation. But he had already unleashed his Seventh Soul Skill, Blue Silver Avatar, and his Sixth Soul Skill, Void. With both skills acting together, his body looked somewhat illusory. Void's immunity to physical attacks and fifty-percent reduction of energy attacks meant Ren Tao's blow could not inflict fatal damage.
Boom!
Seawater surged backward, towering waves refracting red light through the night sky like dazzling crystal.
Then the crystal shattered again, breaking into countless fragments.
They lashed Tang San's body like countless sharp blades, striking with a rapid clatter.
But Tang San activated Invincible Avatar at that moment. When Ren Tao had stomped down earlier, he had only unleashed Void, knowing Ren Tao would surely have a follow-up. And so he did. That seemingly mighty stomp had merely set the stage. The true killing move was to shatter the spray, then launch a second attack.
Using the recoil from Invincible Golden Body and the brief opening as his body slid through the water, Tang San activated Teleportation. His figure flashed repeatedly through the air like a projectile, moving so fast his trail was almost impossible to follow.
Then, during his final flash, Tang San simply vanished into thin air.
Only the pitch-black night remained around them. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, who had just climbed out of the water, stared in astonishment.
A second after Tang San disappeared, Ren Tao beat his golden wings and swiftly vanished from their sight as well.
"What... should we chase them?"
Zhu Zhuqing was bewildered and uncertain. Their Hell White Tiger fusion skill had been broken apart. Though their injuries were not serious, they had consumed too much Soul Power to fight again anytime soon.
"We can't take part in their battle anymore!"
Dai Mubai sighed, looking dispirited. With Ren Tao's speed, his advantage in aerial combat, and his means of spatial transportation, having the Shrek Seven Monsters join forces against him was no longer realistic. But what troubled Dai Mubai even more was the rift among them. Ren Tao's attack on their hearts before the battle had been the real cause of their crumbling fighting spirit.
Ren Tao moved through the night without rushing to attack. He was assessing Tang San's speed, methods, and possible strategies.
Hiding within the Vast Sea Protective Shroud and flying with the Flight Leg Bone were obvious enough. What Ren Tao could not work out was Tang San's next move. By all rights, he had reached the end of the road, where mountains blocked his path and rivers ran dry. No matter how long he hid, he would have to emerge and fight eventually. Could he possibly escape back to Sea God Island?
Regardless, it was time to end this battle quickly.
Ren Tao's gaze shifted, and he suddenly unleashed two Shattered Fang Slashes. Two red semicircular arcs shot diagonally in different directions, then abruptly curved back, crossing in midair and striking a single point between them.
Light flared explosively. Tang San appeared amid the bursting white radiance and plummeted downward.
At the same time, two glossy black iron balls flew from his hands. They had been launched together, but the second abruptly accelerated, swift as a meteor, and struck the first.
Boom!
An explosive report rang out, and purple mist spread.
Here it comes!
Ren Tao counted inwardly. Three, two, one!
This was the Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Orb, ranked fifth among the Tang Sect's mechanism-powered hidden weapons. It contained hundreds of Bone-Melting Needles, designed specifically to pierce protective energy and carrying an exceptionally deadly poison...
But Ren Tao was not counting down to the hidden weapon's detonation. He was counting what Tang San could do in that interval. Powerful though the Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Orb was, it amounted to little in Ren Tao's eyes. He had far too many ways to dodge or neutralize it. Tang San's move seemed intended to buy time, but he was actually luring his enemy deeper.
But you didn't see this coming, did you? I predicted your prediction.
Waves suddenly churned beneath the surface. Columns of blue water roared into the sky like torpedoes tearing upward through the air.
Both the poisoned needles from the Mother-Child Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Orb and Tang San himself were within range of those water columns. His entire downward escape route was sealed. Unless he dodged, he would face a ferocious assault of energy and water.
Tang San had only two choices: first, use Teleportation to evade the attack; second, activate Invincible Golden Body again and withstand the assault head-on.
Ren Tao would never allow Tang San to fall into the sea again and return to the Sea God's embrace. Whether Tang San had mastered Sea God's Light himself or the Sea God's power within the Vast Sea Protective Shroud was secretly interfering, the Abhorrence Brand could put Ren Tao at a disadvantage.
Tang San chose Teleportation. His body flipped, and he instantly fled far away. At the same time, he returned the Yama's Invitation held in his palm to Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.
Ren Tao won't take the bait. Then there's only one final move...
Invincible Golden Body activated for the second time. Even as Tang San teleported, he was closing in on Ren Tao.
He drew closer and closer. A look of ruthless resolve flashed across Tang San's face. This time, he truly was staking his life.
For now, neither hidden weapons nor poison could break through Ren Tao's defenses, rendering them effectively useless. He could only take a desperate risk. Tang San was using himself as bait to approach once more. Then, whether his own Eight Spider Lances devoured Ren Tao or Ren Tao devoured him in return, either would provide an opening:
An opening for Tang San to inject poison into Ren Tao's body.
Because Tang San himself was now a massive vessel of poison.
Back in the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Ye had been afflicted with a Mixed Poison composed of seven toxins. As an expert in poison, how could Tang San not know such a method? After his previous defeat at Ren Tao's hands, he had painstakingly devised this plan: mix different poisons into his own body, then use their mutually reinforcing and counteracting properties, along with the circulation of Mysterious Heaven Skill, to maintain a delicate balance.
Once those toxins entered Ren Tao's body, the different poisons would no longer be suppressed by Mysterious Heaven Skill. Alternatively, the different nature of Ren Tao's own cultivation method could trigger them. Either way, they would erupt rapidly within him. Even a Super Douluo could not withstand the full eruption of so many deadly poisons. Only death would await Ren Tao.
Of course, this method was equally dangerous for Tang San. He might well be strangled to death before the poison took effect in Ren Tao.
But he still had one final use of Invincible Golden Body. As long as he survived those first few seconds, Tang San would become the ultimate victor.
Ren Tao snorted coldly. He had clearly seen through Tang San's scheme, yet made no move to stop him. This was part of his own calculation as well. Closing in offered an opportunity not only to Tang San, but to him too. Whoever schemed more deeply and struck more ruthlessly would have the last laugh.
Humm-
Tang San's Invincible Golden Body collided with Ren Tao. Powerful recoil passed repeatedly between them, producing a thunderous ringing like a bell, as though both of them had been cast from metal.
The Eight Spider Lances silently bound Ren Tao, while a great mass of Ren Tao's Devouring Golden Threads erupted as well. They wound around them again and again, enclosing him and Tang San in a gigantic golden cocoon.
"Let me tell you something."
Ren Tao's voice sounded like a gentle breeze beside Tang San's ear, startling him. Wasn't Ren Tao in his arms? Why was his voice coming from behind him?
"You were never the one I was wary of. It was your Sea God. I left you alone before because of the Sea God, and I'm dealing with you now because of the Sea God too. You'd better pray he comes out to save you in time!"
Tang San's cheeks and body twitched, but he could no longer make a sound. The process of devouring and counter-devouring had begun. He had to devote all his effort to controlling and maintaining the balance of the Mixed Poison, ensuring that every toxin was drawn out of his body and poured into Ren Tao's.
Ren Tao chuckled coldly, his figure appearing a hundred meters from the Blood Sea Pagoda.
The sight made Dai Mubai tremble all over. How could this Evil Orca King move like a ghost? Wasn't he supposed to be with Tang San?
"San, watch out!"
Dai Mubai shouted, only to see Ren Tao raise his index finger to his lips.
"Shh! Don't disturb him. If the poison flows back, not even the gods will be able to save him!"
"Ngh!"
Of course, Tang San had already realized Ren Tao was not beside him. From the very second he began transferring the poison, he knew he was holding a "dummy." It was actually the Blood Sea Pagoda's ultimate method, Golden Body Pagoda. It looked exactly like Ren Tao apart from its color, but in truth, it was a body replicated by the evolution system-a substitute.
Although Ren Tao did not know what methods Tang San would use, things were different now. He had unlocked the second evolution stage, with limitless prospects ahead and a body as precious as gold and jade. Why would he lightly court danger and perish together with Tang San, jade and stone burning alike?
Thus, the substitute gave Tang San a chance to unleash his final move, while also serving as a trap for the Sea God's Heart.
Ren Tao did not believe the Sea God would refuse to intervene when Tang San's life hung by a thread. The so-called Sea God's Nine Trials were nothing more than a formality. There was only one Sea God's Heart. Other than Tang San, who could inherit the Sea God's legacy?
So the Sea God would surely appear to save his sole successor.
Tang San trembled all over, alternately burning hot and freezing cold, while his colors kept shifting. Within the golden silk cocoon, light and shadow cycled through seven colors, from red to violet, before finally stopping.
But then the Devouring Golden Threads began spinning violently. They abruptly compressed, then burst apart in an instant.
A sea of blood appeared in the sky, and golden light shattered. Tang San's figure became drenched in blood as he hung in midair. A blue, three-dimensional triangle enclosed his body.
"Heh. You finally came!"
Ren Tao looked at that blue barrier, a sharp light blazing in his eyes.
I've been working out the plot these past few days. I wasn't satisfied with the chapters I finished yesterday, and I'm still adjusting them. I want to say:
1. Thank you for your support! People have given me monthly votes, tips, comments, and suggestions, and I'm truly grateful! That's all the more reason to write this well.
2. Some friends on Qidian still can't post comments. Some people do nothing but hurl abuse, and I don't want the comment section turning into a mess, so I set a fan-value requirement for posting. I actually really want to see your messages. Every day, I quietly open the comments, then immediately see hostile remarks... I'm speechless!
3. Writing webnovels means keeping up the release volume, so there are some plot developments I'm not entirely satisfied with myself, and readers probably have different ideas too. But to maintain steady updates, I can't keep revising endlessly. All I can say is that my writing isn't good enough yet, but I'll do my best to improve!
4. I'll do my best to write plot developments that satisfy everyone!
Finally, I'm going bald trying to work out the plot!
Before you continue