The Melee Begins

The core region of Sunset Forest.

Just as everyone was arguing, a streak of dark-gold light approached at tremendous speed. One moment, it was at the far end of the horizon; the next, it had torn through the dusk above Sunset Forest.

But everyone could tell that something was wrong with that light.

The dark-gold Soul Power flickered, like a lamp about to be blown out by the wind.

The light enveloped a figure who flew crookedly through the air, bobbing up and down as though he could barely keep going.

The fluctuations of his Soul Power were even more alarmingly chaotic. At times, they were so powerful that even the Titled Douluos present felt their hearts tighten; at others, they were as weak as a thread about to snap.

Those fluctuations alone told everyone that the newcomer could no longer suppress his injuries.

Under everyone's gaze, Tang Hao, clad in black robes, landed on a mountain peak not far from them, his feet smashing a shallow crater into the ground.

He knelt on one knee, bracing himself with the Clear Sky Hammer in his right hand, its head sinking into the earth.

Dark-gold Soul Power spilled from the surface of his body, carrying a scorched smell.

His face was now so pale it looked gray, and his chest heaved violently. After such a long journey, he had already expended more than half his Soul Power, causing his old injuries to flare up until even suppressing them had become difficult.

Compared with his prime, he now possessed only forty or fifty percent of his peak strength.

Clear Sky Douluo, the Clear Sky Douluo who had once gravely wounded Spirit Hall's previous Pope with a single hammer strike, now struggled even to stand steadily.

"Brother Hao!"

Tang Xiao's face filled with worry at the sight.

He had never expected Tang Hao to have fallen into such a wretched state after so long apart. Where was the imposing presence of the Clear Sky Douluo of old?

Azure Luan Douluo hovered in midair. Upon seeing Tang Hao's condition, he could not suppress the curve of his lips.

He rapidly assessed the situation in his mind. There were three on his side, and after resting for so long at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, their Soul Power had long since returned to its peak.

And the other side? Tang Xiao was in perfect condition, but that Clear Sky Sect elder's aura was unstable, as though he had only recently broken through and had yet to fully consolidate it.

As for Tang Hao, his Soul Power was below half its peak, his meridians were in disorder, and his old injuries had flared up, becoming somewhat impossible to suppress.

Moreover, his Soul Power was being consumed at an abnormal rate. He was using some method to forcibly suppress his injuries, but the harder he suppressed them, the faster they rebounded.

If he took on Tang Xiao, Pufferfish and Snake Lance could handle Tang Hao and that elder.

On paper, the sides looked evenly matched, but the longer things dragged on, the more advantageous it would become for them.

Tang Hao was already in poor condition and could not hold out for long. That elder could not last either. As long as they weathered the initial burst, all that remained afterward would be the harvest.

The only variable.

Azure Luan Douluo's gaze swept toward Sword Douluo.

If Chen Xin chose to help the Clear Sky Sect, it would be three against four, and that would be troublesome.

Chen Xin's Seven Kill Sword was far too powerful offensively. In a real fight, he might not be able to guarantee victory over Tang Xiao. With Chen Xin added to the mix, the situation would spiral completely out of control.

He looked at Chen Xin.

At that moment, Chen Xin was also observing the situation.

The Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall now had three people each. If the two fought, it remained uncertain who would bring down the deer.

He could not get involved now, or he would become the target of every arrow.

Coupled with Tang San's earlier reminder, he had also been the first to reach the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, so he knew which direction Dugu Bo had left in.

Perhaps if he gave chase now, he might still gain something.

At that thought, Chen Xin moved.

Carrying Tang San on his shoulder, he took a step forward, raised his arm, lifted Tang San off his shoulder, and tossed him toward Tang Xiao.

"Sect Master Tang, catch."

Tang Xiao instinctively reached out and caught Tang San, momentarily stunned.

Chen Xin offered no explanation. He turned, held the Seven Kill Sword across his front with its tip pointing downward, and made a sword-sheathing gesture.

Then he pushed off, darting northeast at tremendous speed. Within a few breaths, he had put several dozen zhang between them.

"Sword Douluo!" Azure Luan Douluo called.

Chen Xin's voice drifted back from afar, unhurried. "The grievances between your two sides have nothing to do with my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I won't get involved."

By the time his words faded, he had already plunged deep into the forest.

Azure Luan Douluo froze briefly, then was overjoyed.

Sword Douluo had left. Now it was three against two-no, three against two plus a half-dead Tang San.

Tang Xiao also had to protect Tang San now, leaving him with only one and a half people's fighting strength. What was there left to fight? Victory was assured.

Tang Xiao's expression darkened.

He lowered his head and glanced at Tang San in his arms.

Tang San lay against the crook of his arm. The patch of petrified skin on his chest gleamed coldly in the dusk. His face was ashen, but his eyes were open, looking at him.

"Uncle," Tang San said softly.

Tang Xiao did not answer. He pushed Tang San into the arms of the elder behind him and held the Clear Sky Hammer across his front as lightning blazed.

"Take him back," Tang Xiao told the elder quietly. "Don't stay too close."

The elder took Tang San and retreated more than ten zhang.

His Soul Power was indeed unstable, but he could still protect Tang San and withdraw to a safe distance.

Azure Luan Douluo gave them no more time.

"Attack."

Snake Lance Douluo She Long moved first. His body twisted like a snake, and with a turn of his arm, an azure-purple lance appeared in his palm. Its shaft coiled like a snake, and the scale-like patterns at its tip opened and closed.

His Martial Soul was the Mutated Azure-Purple Snake Lance, which possessed the dual traits of a tool Martial Soul and a Beast Martial Soul. It could be wielded as a lance or undergo beast transformation into a giant two-headed python.

His fifth Soul Ring lit up. Thunderclap Shattering Kill! The lance thrust toward Tang Xiao, wrapped in a mass of lightning.

Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue moved at the same time. He ducked and rolled, curling his entire body into a spiked ball as he rolled toward Tang Xiao's flank. His

Martial Soul, the Ci Xue Pufferfish, carried a numbing toxin on its spines. Even a graze could slow an opponent's circulation of Soul Power.

Their objective was clear. Tang Xiao was the only one capable of fighting back, so they would tie him down first.

As long as Tang Xiao was held up, that elder and Tang San would be meat on the chopping block.

At the sight, Tang Xiao did not retreat. He swung the Clear Sky Hammer, smashing his first blow toward Snake Lance's lance tip.

Lightning met lightning. The instant the two forces collided, a dazzling burst of white light exploded in the air.

She Long's lance was knocked off course, but Pufferfish's spiked ball had already rolled to Tang Xiao's feet.

Tang Xiao stamped his foot, instantly unleashing the Shake Character Formula of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes.

A shock wave exploded beneath his feet, forcibly halting Pufferfish's roll for half a beat.

In that half-beat, Tang Xiao's hammer had already swung back.

The second strike: the Break Character Formula.

The lightning patterns on the hammer erupted as it smashed into Pufferfish's spiked ball.

Boom-

Ci Xue was forced back into human form. He crossed his arms over his chest, all the spines on his body standing erect, and took the hammer blow head-on.

His feet sank half a foot into the ground, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but he had still withstood the attack.

Had Tang Hao delivered this hammer strike in his prime, Ci Xue certainly could not have withstood it. But Snake Lance had just held Tang Xiao up for a moment, so this strike carried only seventy percent of his strength.

"He's distracted!"

Just then, Ci Xue roared at She Long, "The little one!"

She Long understood immediately. He feinted with his lance, twisted his body, skirted around Tang Xiao's front, and lunged toward the elder and Tang San more than ten zhang away.