Chapter 29

Seeing Tang Hao still walking straight toward them without a word, the Spirit Hall group realized he had come with ill intent and attacked first.

"Second Soul Skill: Earth-Splitting Slash!"

The Mountain-Splitting Axe blazed with an earthen-yellow light and hurtled straight toward Tang Hao with ponderous force.

Unfortunately, things did not unfold as he had imagined.

Watching the axe coming toward him, Tang Hao made his move. He merely raised his hand and summoned the Clear Sky Hammer, without even using his Soul Rings. The Clear Sky Hammer traced an arc through the air.

The wind pressure from the descending hammer sent the five-man squad reeling in all directions. The hammer struck the ground, and the impact shattered the Soul Power barriers they had raised. Under his control, four of them fainted outright, leaving only the one on the left, a Power Attack System Soul Master whose Martial Soul was a staff.

Tang Hao withdrew his hammer and stepped back, glancing at the young man. He looked eighteen or nineteen, with a thin, small frame and a short staff clenched in his hand. Judging by his aura, he was probably a Soul Master who had just broken through rank twenty and obtained his second Soul Ring. His steps were unsteady and his legs trembled slightly, clearly scared out of his wits by that hammer strike.

Tang Hao met his eyes for a moment, then looked away and went over to Tang San. "I've dealt with the other four. The one with the staff is yours."

Tang San was slightly startled. "Mine?"

"You have to grow up. Since you've chosen the path of revenge, you'll have no shortage of battles against other people. Just look at how many people Spirit Hall sent this time," Tang Hao said.

"Work together with Xiao Wu, and you won't have any problems. But remember, unless your lives are in danger, I won't intervene."

Tang San took a deep breath and leaned halfway out of the reeds. "Xiao San, should I also..." Before Grandmaster could finish, Tang Hao stopped him.

Tang San said quietly, "Teacher, wait here." Grandmaster instinctively reached out to hold him back, but withdrew his hand.

Tang San looked at Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, draw his attention and circle around from the right. I'll come in from the left. Just focus on keeping his short staff occupied."

After bringing the two children near the short-staff Soul Master, Tang Hao looked at the still-trembling man and felt this would offer little training, so he told him, "These two children will fight you. Win, and you live."

But the moment he heard Tang Hao's voice, the man trembled uncontrollably. Then, looking at the four unconscious people behind him, Tang Hao added, "If you win, not just you, but all four of your teammates will live."

Hearing this, the short-staff Soul Master remembered how his teammates had looked after him ever since he joined Spirit Hall. They had even helped him hunt down his second Soul Ring, from a three-hundred-year-old Soul Beast. He could never have accomplished that alone.

He gradually steadied himself, his gaze resolute as he watched Tang San and Xiao Wu approach, both hands gripping his short staff.

He thought, Two little brats, six or seven years old. I can win. I can definitely win!

Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, understanding that this was the signal to begin. Xiao Wu nodded, lowered her body, and shot forward close to the ground, as fast as a bird skimming over the earth.

Xiao Wu's opening stance made the short-staff Soul Master's pupils contract. Too fast. Instinctively, he held his short staff across his body.

Xiao Wu's figure flashed before him. Planting her left foot, she snapped her right foot up and kicked straight at his staff-holding wrist. He had no time to adjust and could only follow the motion with a half-step back, swinging his short staff in a full circle and whipping up a ring of wind to repel Xiao Wu's first close-range attack.

But at that moment, Xiao Wu's Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul suddenly lit up, her first Soul Ring flashing. Using her opponent's force, she flipped backward, her body bending into an almost impossible arc in midair. Then her toes touched the ground, and she sprang back even faster than before.

The short-staff Soul Master finally used his Soul Power. His first Soul Ring lit up, and his entire short staff shone with an earthen-yellow light. Its length shot up by a foot, and its shaft grew heavy and thick.

Gripping the end of the staff, he shouted, "First Soul Skill: Mountain-Crushing!"

The short staff swept across with a heavy force of earth and stone. The strike covered a considerable area; if Xiao Wu charged straight in, she would take it head-on. She prepared to retreat again.

But the instant the short staff swept out, Tang San moved. Blue Silver Grass surged silently from underground, like dozens of writhing snakes, winding upward along the short-staff Soul Master's legs.

He was swinging his staff forward, his center of gravity entirely ahead of him. As soon as the Blue Silver Grass wrapped around him, he felt his balance falter and nearly fell.

He lowered his head to tear the grass apart, but Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was far tougher than ordinary Blue Silver Grass. Even after two tugs, it did not break. While he was distracted by the Blue Silver Grass at his feet, Xiao Wu attacked from the side.

Xiao Wu's figure traced a slender arc through the air, her whole body like an arrow loosed from its bow. Her toes touched his staff-holding right arm, and she pushed off it, flipping behind him. She clamped her legs around his neck, then exerted her waist and abdomen to sink downward.

With his neck locked in her hold, the short-staff Soul Master was dragged toward the ground by a tremendous twisting force. He could no longer hold the short staff, and it flew out of his hand. He tried to pry Xiao Wu's legs apart with both hands, but the Soft Bone Rabbit's flexibility made the hold extremely tight.

For a moment, he actually failed to break it. His face flushed red and veins bulged on his head. After struggling for about three breaths, his eyes turned fierce. Hugging Xiao Wu's legs, he threw himself backward. Both slammed heavily into the ground, but Xiao Wu was clearly hurt worse. Her strangling legs loosened, and she lay on the ground, moaning in pain.

At the sight, Tang San's eyes glinted red. More than a dozen strands of Blue Silver Grass curled straight up from the ground and bound the short-staff Soul Master as he struggled to rise.

Seeing this, the short-staff Soul Master stopped insisting on getting up. He rolled about on the ground, occasionally striking the Blue Silver Grass that came near him with his short staff.

Tang San first ran over to check on Xiao Wu, only relaxing after finding that she had merely suffered some external injuries.

He helped Xiao Wu up. Because of his momentary distraction, the short-staff Soul Master had also gotten to his feet, returning both sides to where they had started.

Realizing that Tang San and Xiao Wu were difficult opponents, the short-staff Soul Master abandoned his initial underestimation. Holding his staff in one hand, he stood ready for battle.

This time, under Tang San's direction, Xiao Wu did not rush forward again. Instead, she and Tang San attacked together, one from the left and one from the right.

And it was not just the two of them. Under Tang San's direction, more than a dozen strands of Blue Silver Grass wound toward the short-staff Soul Master from every direction.

This truly left the short-staff Soul Master struggling to cope. Before he could knock away the winding Blue Silver Grass, Xiao Wu attacked from his right, kicking toward the side of his waist.

The short-staff Soul Master grunted in pain, switched his Martial Soul from his left hand to his right, and swung it casually to force Xiao Wu back first. Then he switched it back to his left hand and thrust forward at the approaching Tang San.

Clang!

The Blue Silver Dagger in Tang San's hand collided with the short staff, and the impact forced Tang San back five steps...