The Soto Great Soul Arena was bustling with activity. Many people cheered in the stands, and reports of Shrek's successive victories rose and fell amid the cheers.
Their battles had all ended in victory, of course, and, unsurprisingly, they had also drawn their own people as opponents. In the shadows of the stands, Huo Yuhao stared at the blank opponent card in his hand, a self-mocking smile curling his lips. After several rounds of drawing lots, he had not so much as touched the hem of a Shrek student's clothes, as if fate had deliberately arranged it.
"Hmph, you got lucky with the draw this time. You won't be so lucky next time."
The moment he stepped out of the Soul Fighting Arena, a chill ran down his back. That presence, clinging to him like a bone-deep affliction, had appeared again. Ever since he had entered Suotuo City, this concealed yet vast pressure had followed him like a shadow, a sword of Damocles hanging over his head.
The night wind swept dust across the ground outside the Soul Fighting Arena. Huo Yuhao tucked the hem of his cloak into his waistband, his boots grinding over the debris as Spiritual Detection spread out like a spiderweb. The presence remained at an elusive distance, neither showing itself nor moving away, occasionally leaking a trace of Soul Power. "This presence..."
"Whose guard could it be?" Huo Yuhao turned into a narrow alley, the sound of his boots grinding over gravel startling birds from beneath the eaves. He thought to himself, This fellow must be a Titled Douluo. Otherwise, there's no way he could have followed me for so long. The Titled Douluo of this era can be counted on one's fingers, and he's secretly protecting Tang San and the others.
By the time he fled into the dense woods on the outskirts of the city, the canopy had cut the moonlight into fragments. Huo Yuhao came to an abrupt halt, his boots screeching against the dead leaves.
The killing intent behind him was like a solid wave, and each approaching step sent a faint tremor through the air. Huo Yuhao now suspected only two forces. "First, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo might have learned that I fought Ning Rongrong at Shrek Academy (bullied Ning Rongrong) and come to demand an explanation."
"Of course, there's another possibility, one Huo Yuhao was already almost certain of: Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao. That old bastard could very well have intervened for Tang San. After all, I nearly killed his son."
"The killing intent in that presence is also growing stronger. The person must be getting closer and closer. In that case..."
The rotting leaves in the forest rustled and trembled under the invisible pressure. The lurking killing intent washed over his ankles like a tide, and a chill shot up his spine to the crown of his head.
"If I can't avoid it, I'll face it head-on." He spun around, his boots carving a semicircular furrow through the fallen leaves, and shouted, "Senior Haotian, come out! Why hide your head and show your tail?"
Before his voice had faded, a black figure plunged down from the canopy. Black robes snapped like a flag, and the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand glowed red. Every step sent spiderweb cracks spreading across the ground. Tang Hao pulled back his hood, the vicious scar over his left eye shining a livid white in the moonlight, while towering rage churned in his cloudy eyes. "Oh? You little brat, you recognize me?"
"Who on the whole continent hasn't heard of the mighty Clear Sky Douluo?" Huo Yuhao clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm. The night wind in the forest suddenly stilled, and he grumbled inwardly, It really is this old bastard. This is going to be a bit tricky. He then put on an act and said, "Senior, there's no grudge between us. Why have you pursued me all this way to kill me?"
The answer was a sudden surge of killing aura. Dark red mist spread wildly from Tang Hao, and wherever it passed, leaves withered to ash in an instant. Huo Yuhao's throat tightened, as though a pair of invisible hands had closed around his neck, and his knees bent slightly against his will.
"No grudge?" Tang Hao's voice seemed to come from the depths of the nine underworlds. The air within the domain began to twist and warp, brimming with killing intent. "Brat, bullying people feels pretty good, doesn't it? Then let me bully you a little!"
The pressure forced Huo Yuhao to one knee. "What do you mean by that, Senior? I don't understand what you're talking about." He forced his Soul Power to circulate, using it to support himself as he stood, but under the impact of the killing aura, he gave an overstrained crack.
"You beat the young one, so of course the old one has to seek justice!" Tang Hao took half a step forward, and a roar suddenly rang through the entire forest. "Tang San is my son! You nearly took his life. Did you really think I could stand by and pretend I hadn't seen it?" The air pressure inside the domain doubled in an instant, and Huo Yuhao's ear bones buzzed under the strain. "I hear you like challenging the strong? Today, I'll show you what real power is!"
Huo Yuhao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but a fierce fighting spirit burned in his eyes. "I see... Then let me experience your power, Clear Sky Douluo!"
Tang Hao abruptly withdrew Divine Slaughter's Domain, and the blood-red color filling the sky receded like a tide. He flexed his wrist, his knuckles cracking like popping beans. "You've got some nerve, brat. I won't use my Martial Soul. If you can last against me for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, I'll leave at once."
His gaze swept over Huo Yuhao, his cold smile tinged with amusement. "But if you can't hold out... blame your bad luck!"
The instant Tang Hao pinched out the incense wick, sending sparks flying, the air in the forest froze. The next second, the Clear Sky Douluo shot forward like an arrow loosed from the bow, his punch whipping up a wind powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stone. Dead branches snapped to pieces in his wake.
Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted sharply. With a quick wave of his hand, the Red Armillary Sash shot through the air like a crimson rainbow. The red sash coiled and wrapped around the blow, barely managing to divert the mountain-shattering strike to one side.
So fast! Huo Yuhao exclaimed inwardly. The seemingly simple punch concealed an intricate Soul Power trajectory that sealed off every route of escape. Before he could think further, scarlet flames gathered around his right fist. "Flame Fist!" His punch roared toward Tang Hao's chest on a wave of scorching heat, but it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree. The moment it touched Tang Hao's protective Soul Power, it vanished without a trace.
"Pathetic tricks!" Tang Hao sneered and sprang into another attack, swinging both fists again and again, each swing producing a thunderous sonic boom.
Huo Yuhao dodged repeatedly, easily evading Tang Hao's incoming attacks.
"Ducking and dodging like an annoying monkey." A hammer suddenly appeared in Tang Hao's hand: his Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer. He did not use his Soul Rings, merely attacking with the Clear Sky Hammer alone.
The Clear Sky Hammer descended. With no time to think, Huo Yuhao pushed off with his toes and shot backward like an arrow loosed from the bow. The instant he moved, the Clear Sky Hammer slammed into the ground. The earth within ten zhang immediately caved in, forming a vast, deep crater. Broken stones shot skyward like a torrential downpour, only to be ground to powder by the Soul Power.
The youth suddenly concealed the presence around him, and the golden dragon in his palm abruptly transformed into a pitch-black flood dragon. Amid a roaring dragon cry, he shouted, "Black Dragon Mountain-Shaking Fist!" The black dragon's phantom charged at Tang Hao's abdomen with crushing force. (It should have been a golden dragon, but it was disguised as a black dragon. It would remain a black dragon throughout this timeline; in the original timeline, these would have been Golden Dragon Explosive Fist and Golden Dragon Mountain-Regretting Fist.)
The sudden change made Tang Hao's expression turn slightly grave. With a low shout, he instantly used a Soul Skill. The hammer's shadow crashed down like Mount Tai bearing down from above, and the black dragon's phantom charged to meet the Clear Sky Hammer. The two terrifying forces collided in midair.
In an instant, space seemed to tear apart. A powerful blast spread outward from the point of impact, snapping the surrounding trees in half and sending branches and leaves flying through the air. The blast hurled Huo Yuhao backward into a giant tree, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.