Dust billowed outside Heaven Dou City.
Dugu Bo knelt on one knee, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
He pressed one hand against his chest, where at least three bones had broken.
He raised his head and looked at the disheveled figure in midair.
Tang Hao hovered there, the Clear Sky Hammer in his grip, his aura bearing down as though it had taken solid form.
That aura pressed down so heavily that Dugu Bo could barely lift his head.
Dugu Bo gritted his teeth, a trace of fear rising in his heart.
Although he was also a Titled Douluo, the gap between him and a monster of Tang Hao's caliber was far too great.
Yet Tang Hao gave Dugu Bo little time to think.
Holding the Clear Sky Hammer, he stepped through the air toward Dugu Bo, one step at a time.
With every step, a ripple of Soul Power visible to the naked eye spread through the air.
His voice was cold enough to pierce bone.
"Won't talk? Then I'll choose for you!"
His words fell.
Tang Hao's ninth Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
That blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring exploded outright!
An utterly terrifying surge of energy poured from the shattered Soul Ring, flooding madly into the Clear Sky Hammer.
Red Soul Power coiled around the surface of the Clear Sky Hammer, which gave off a vibrating hum.
If this hammer strike landed, Dugu Bo would undoubtedly die!
Dugu Bo's face instantly turned deathly pale.
Without a second thought, he unleashed his eighth Soul Skill.
"Eighth Soul Skill, Time Freeze!"
A ring of jade-green light spread from Dugu Bo.
Wherever the halo passed, time seemed to have been paused.
Even Tang Hao's descending Clear Sky Hammer slowed for an instant.
Seizing his chance, Dugu Bo immediately activated his Martial Soul Avatar.
"Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Avatar!"
The phantom of an enormous jade-green python instantly enveloped his body.
The next second, he turned into a streak of jade light and fled into the distance without looking back.
He was heading toward his medicinal garden!
There was a poisonous miasma there, filled with all manner of deadly poisons, along with the poison formations he had laid.
He did not know whether that poisonous miasma could stop Tang Hao.
But he knew that running anywhere else would be an even surer road to death. However-
He had been fleeing for less than three seconds.
A fierce gust suddenly rushed at him from behind!
Not daring to look back, Dugu Bo violently twisted his body sideways.
Whoosh!
The Clear Sky Hammer swept past, almost brushing his body.
The wind from the hammer tore a large gash in Dugu Bo's clothes and scraped a bloody mark across his skin.
Too close!
Dugu Bo had only just begun to feel a little relief.
The next second, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
Tang Hao had silently appeared behind him!
He raised his foot and viciously kicked Dugu Bo in the back.
Bang!
Dugu Bo was kicked out of the air like a cannonball.
He slammed heavily into the ground, smashing out an even deeper crater.
This time, Dugu Bo could not get back up.
He lay facedown in the crater, blood pouring continuously from his mouth.
At least half the bones in his body had broken.
Even his Martial Soul Avatar had been shattered by that kick.
Tang Hao slowly descended from midair.
He reached out, and the Clear Sky Hammer that had flown away returned to his hand on its own.
He walked to the edge of the crater and looked down at Dugu Bo from above.
His eyes were filled with disdain.
"You laid a hand on my son, and you still think you can run?"
Dugu Bo lay in the crater, without even the strength to raise his head.
Tang Hao wasted no more words.
He raised the Clear Sky Hammer over his head with one hand.
The Clear Sky Hammer instantly grew in his grip.
From three feet long, it became thirty feet long!
The enormous hammerhead smashed viciously toward Dugu Bo with an unstoppable momentum!
Dugu Bo placed his right hand against his chest and closed his eyes in despair.
He spoke softly.
"Master, I'm afraid I'm going to fail to live up to your recognition."
Boom!!!
An earth-shaking crash rang out.
Tang Hao's full-force hammer strike came crashing down!
The ground shook violently, and dust surged into the sky.
The entire mountain forest outside Heaven Dou City trembled beneath that hammer strike.
But-
Even after waiting for quite some time,
Dugu Bo still did not feel the pain he had expected.
Puzzled, he opened his eyes.
A golden token hovered right in front of him.
A faint golden Light Curtain radiated from its surface, forming a shield.
Tang Hao's hammer strike had actually been completely blocked by that shield!
Dugu Bo's pupils abruptly contracted.
"This is... Master!"
Dugu Bo cried out involuntarily, his voice filled with shock and excitement.
It was Master!
Master had been watching him all along!
At his moment of greatest danger, Master had intervened!
At the edge of the crater, Tang Hao froze as well.
He stared at the golden token, his brow deeply furrowed.
In that instant while Tang Hao was distracted,
the golden token blazed with light.
The next second, Dugu Bo vanished on the spot!
There was no spatial fluctuation, nor any trace of Soul Power.
Tang Hao stood at the edge of the crater, looking all around.
His spiritual sense swept across a radius of ten li, yet he could not find even a trace of Dugu Bo's presence.
"Hmph."
Tang Hao snorted coldly and put away the Clear Sky Hammer.
"A skulking rat who only knows how to play with poison. You certainly run fast."
Tang Hao did not pursue him any further.
With a flicker, he vanished from the spot.
Inside a private room on the first floor of the Nine Dragon Tower.
Dugu Bo suddenly appeared on the sofa.
He froze for a moment, then surveyed his surroundings.
This was the very private room he had occupied during the auction.
In the air before him, the golden Tower Token was slowly breaking apart.
Crack.
The Tower Token shattered into countless specks of golden light and dissipated into the air.
Dugu Bo watched the fading specks of light without speaking for a long time.
He had never expected this Tower Token to be so powerful.
Not only could it block Tang Hao's full-force strike, but it could also teleport him straight back to the Nine Dragon Tower.
Dugu Bo's eyes reddened slightly.
He murmured softly.
"Master, had you already foreseen this?"
At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, in the council hall.
Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong sat in the hall.
Their gazes all rested on Ning Rongrong.
They were waiting for her final decision.
Ning Rongrong sat in a chair with her head lowered, her fingers constantly twisting the hem of her clothes.
Her face was full of conflict.
Leaving Shrek to go to Skywater Academy.
This decision was far too difficult for her.
Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and the others were there.
They had just gone through so much training together, and she was still reluctant to leave.
But what her father had spoken of concerned the future of the entire sect.
Breaking past rank seventy-nine and becoming a Titled Douluo.
That was the dream passed down through generations of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Seeing his daughter's conflicted expression, Ning Fengzhi's heart softened.
He spoke gently.
"Rongrong, if you don't want to go, I won't force you."
Ning Rongrong raised her head and looked at Ning Fengzhi.
Then she looked at Chen Xin and Gu Rong beside him, both wearing kindly expressions.
Finally, her gaze returned to Ning Fengzhi.
She took a deep breath, and the hesitation in her eyes gradually gave way to resolve.
Ning Rongrong stood up and looked at Ning Fengzhi, her voice clear and firm.
"Dad, I've made my decision!"
Before you continue