Tang Hao was furious.
Could any random cat or dog snatch his disciple away?
He had only stopped for a little wine, and some fool who didn't know death was coming wanted to rob his home?
They wanted to steal the fine disciple his son had gone to such lengths to find for him?!
They truly had a way to court death.
They thought he was too old to lift the Clear Sky Hammer, did they?
"Kneel!"
Wielding the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang Hao brought it crashing down on Xuan Zi's head without another word.
This old calf had dared to dig up the ground over the Grand Duke's head.
He was asking for a beating.
Tang Hao was not known for his good temper.
"How dare you!!!"
Xuan Zi was equally enraged.
How many years had it been?
He was the deputy master of the Sea God Pavilion!
For how many years had no one dared show him disrespect?
And Tang Hao was the first person ever to dare tell him to kneel.
The presence of the Godly Taotie Bull erupted with a roar. Xuan Zi had already decided to teach Tang Hao, this fool who didn't know death was coming, a harsh lesson.
Showing him disrespect
was already a capital offense!
And this fool who didn't know death was coming had dared to snatch Dai Lingfeng away first, making his crime even worse!
He had to kill Tang Hao in the name of justice!
"You're courting death!"
Xuan Zi unleashed monstrous strength, raising his arms like pillars holding up the heavens, intent on knocking Tang Hao flying.
But the instant he came into contact with the Clear Sky Hammer,
an irresistible force bore down on him, as though the weight of the three mountains and five sacred peaks had fallen on his shoulders.
Xuan Zi's expression changed at once.
He couldn't withstand it.
He couldn't withstand it at all!
Boom!
In a single exchange,
before Xuan Zi even had time to think, he was smashed hard into the ground, his whole body driven in like a gopher.
Tang Hao had cultivated him.
He had planted him in the ground like a ginseng root.
"Hmph."
After cultivating Xuan Zi with one hammer blow, Tang Hao gave a cold snort and proudly put away the Clear Sky Hammer.
He hadn't used his full strength.
His original god-level combat power had been suppressed by the Douluo Continent plane, leaving him with only the strength of a level 99 Limit Douluo. By rights, he shouldn't have been able to defeat Xuan Zi in an instant so effortlessly.
But Xuan Zi had underestimated his opponent too much.
He had severely underestimated Tang Hao's combat power and hadn't even used half his strength. He had acted arrogantly before Tang Hao, and the consequences were easy to imagine.
He had gone straight into the ground to play gopher.
"Ugh-"
Xuan Zi stretched an arm out of the ground and weakly clawed at the earth, trying to pull himself out.
He wasn't cold yet.
He was still struggling.
"Huh? You can still move?"
Tang Hao raised an eyebrow, his hands moving swiftly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Without mercy, he followed up with several more hammer blows, even using the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique.
Terrifying blows pounded the ground one after another, enough to make anyone's heart leap just watching.
It was hard to imagine
how the person in the hole could possibly survive.
This time, all movement in the hole ceased.
Xuan Zi had been knocked straight to sleep.
"Tsk."
Dai Lingfeng jumped out of the shadows.
He was invincible while hidden in the shadows. As long as he didn't show himself, even Xuan Zi couldn't do anything to him.
This skill was even more overpowered than Invincible Golden Body.
Thanks to Shadow Stealth,
Dai Lingfeng, a One-Ring Soul Master, had held out against the level 98 Xuan Zi until Tang Hao arrived.
It was still most comfortable hiding in the shadows.
"What should we do with this guy?"
Tang Hao dug Xuan Zi out of the ground and held him up like a baby chick as he asked Dai Lingfeng.
He had seen Xuan Zi at the Ancient Tree of Life,
which was why he had deliberately left him alive.
Otherwise, he would have mashed Xuan Zi into garlic paste long ago.
"Keep him. Someone will come to claim him in a month."
Dai Lingfeng came up to Xuan Zi.
Xuan Zi was sleeping peacefully.
Slap! Slap!
He swung both hands in turn, delivering two slaps. Seeing that Xuan Zi showed no sign of waking, he wiped his hands.
It seemed Tang Hao's hammer blows had landed pretty hard.
Being knocked silly didn't hurt the brain.
All right,
Xuan Zi would be held at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
Shrek really was generous, sending him a level 98 Xuan Zi as a gift. He was very satisfied.
"All right."
"But this kid is a level 98 Super Douluo at the very least. Ransoming him won't be so easy."
Holding Xuan Zi, Tang Hao suddenly found himself in a bit of a bind.
Xuan Zi's Soul Power was as high as level 98.
There were no shackles or cages here that could hold Xuan Zi. Imprisoning a level 98 Super Douluo was far too difficult.
It seemed they could only rely on Tang Hao to keep him imprisoned personally.
"Forget it."
"Every time he wakes up, I'll knock him out again. I can just keep doing that for a month."
"Anyway, this guy's thick-skinned and tough. A few knocks won't kill him."
Tang Hao couldn't be bothered to look for another way.
Whenever he woke up, one hammer blow would settle it.
But the matter with Xuan Zi had also served as a reminder.
Dai Lingfeng was a hot commodity!
There were plenty of people like Xuan Zi who coveted Dai Lingfeng. He couldn't stay behind the scenes, or trouble out in the open would never stop coming.
As it happened, Dai Lingfeng's engagement banquet was a month away.
The occasion carried enough weight,
and all the important figures would be present.
Tang Hao decided to make a public appearance then and cow the petty villains.
As for Dai Lingfeng and Xu Jiujiu's marriage,
Tang Hao's response was a scoff.
Like hell it counted!
What era was this? They were still playing by that old-fashioned business of parents' orders and matchmakers' words.
Once he brought Tang Wutong over, the two children would grow up together as childhood sweethearts and naturally end up together.
As for that Xu Jiujiu, she could get lost when the time came!
Meanwhile, in the Heaven Dou Empire on the other side of the Douluo Continent.
The Body Sect.
"Dai Lingfeng?!"
"The heir of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion has Twin Martial Souls, the White Tiger and the Hell Spirit Cat, and can use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with himself?"
Du Busi stroked his beard, his face full of astonishment.
Such talent
could be called unparalleled in the world!
Even though he had great confidence in his own Long Aotian, he had to admit that Dai Lingfeng's talent far surpassed Long Aotian's.
Long Aotian didn't even have Twin Martial Souls,
whereas Dai Lingfeng possessed a Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill that stood above ordinary Twin Martial Souls!
A super mechanics monster and a stats monster!
Which was stronger and which was weaker was clear at a glance!
"Yes, Sect Master."
"The White Tiger Duke's Mansion and the Star Luo Imperial Family plan to join in marriage. Princess Xu Jiujiu and Dai Lingfeng's engagement banquet is in a month."
"My imperial father also received an invitation, but he needs to oversee the capital and can't conveniently go."
"So he'd like to ask you to take me there."
The little loli princess Vina held out the invitation and spoke in a clear, youthful voice.
"Oh?"
"Since His Majesty can't go, I'll take Your Highness there myself."
Du Busi was very interested in Dai Lingfeng, and he was immediately delighted to hear that the emperor wanted him to accompany Vina.
He wanted to see for himself
just how much of a genius Dai Lingfeng really was!
"By the way, Aotian, you're coming with me too. You can see the gap between yourself and a true peerless genius."
Du Busi planned to broaden Long Aotian's horizons.
Attending an event like this
and meeting Dai Lingfeng would do Long Aotian a lot of good.
"Yes, Sect Master."
Long Aotian cupped his fists and accepted.
Du Busi had said he was taking him to see the gap between himself and a true peerless genius.
He didn't argue.
Dai Lingfeng truly was monstrous.
Never mind him;
even those super geniuses with Twin Martial Souls would probably pale in comparison to Dai Lingfeng.
But that didn't mean Long Aotian had lost his fighting spirit.
He wanted to challenge Dai Lingfeng!
Only someone who could always maintain a challenger's mindset was a genius.