Nine brilliant Soul Rings slowly rose around Tang Hao. The blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring at the very end radiated a particularly soul-stirring pressure. He swung the Clear Sky Hammer, its shadows forming a vast curtain that blotted out the sky as it smashed toward Huo Yuhao with world-destroying force.
The youth darted aside like a ghost. The hammer's wind blasted a massive crater into the ground, and the flying stones were ground to powder before they even landed.
"I really underestimated you. You can be proud of yourself for forcing me to use my Martial Soul!" Tang Hao's voice carried a trace of surprise. By now, sweat had soaked through Huo Yuhao's black clothes. The Black Dragon Mountain-Shaking Fist had drained most of his Soul Power, and he could barely evade with the help of his exquisite footwork and Spiritual Detection.
With cultivation at level thirty-something, facing a fully armed Titled Douluo, every dodge was a dance on the edge of life and death. (He was only level thirty-something now, barely a Soul Elder, and had yet to acquire his Soul Rings. Facing a Titled Douluo equipped with a full set of Soul Rings and Soul Bones, it was truly no small feat to hold out this long.)
Huo Yuhao did not pause for an instant. Forcing himself to endure the agony, he leaped up again. A faint, eerie red light glimmered in his eyes. "Spiritual Shock!" Invisible spiritual power swept toward Tang Hao as though it had taken solid form. Tang Hao frowned slightly, his body swaying as a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
After that, he kept dodging Tang Hao's attacks as time slipped quietly by amid their fierce exchanges. Just as the incense was about to burn out, Huo Yuhao's eyes suddenly turned crimson, and Soul Power gathered wildly around him. "Black Dragon Explosive Fist!"
This time, the black dragon's phantom was more solid than before. Explosive flames coiled around its body as it hurtled forward like a nuclear bomb primed to detonate. Tang Hao was caught off guard and driven half a step back by the blow, while the flames left scorch marks on the hem of his black robe.
"Interesting!" Appreciation flashed in Tang Hao's eyes, but before he finished speaking, he suddenly froze-the stick of incense had already burned to ash. Huo Yuhao forced his swaying body to stay upright, a cold smile curling at his lips. "The time it takes an incense stick to burn has passed. Senior, are you going to break your word?"
Tang Hao looked down at the youth kneeling on one knee, chilling killing intent surging in his eyes. The cold laugh that escaped his throat seemed steeped in shards of ice. "Kid, did no one ever teach you? In this world, the rules have always been set by the strong."
Before his words had faded, bloody mist suddenly rose around him, and all nine Soul Rings blazed with light. The phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer instantly solidified into a colossal hammer, the patterns on its face twisting like the gaping, ferocious maw of a taotie.
The air shrieked under the unbearable strain. Before Huo Yuhao could even muster his Soul Power, the hammer came crashing down, carrying world-destroying pressure. The Red Armillary Sash instinctively crossed itself to block, but the terrifying shock wave sent it flying the moment they touched.
The youth smashed through seven ancient trees like a kite with its string cut. His back slammed against a bluestone, and blood sprayed from his mouth, blooming across the ground like shocking red plum blossoms.
"Hmph, you actually dared to hit my son?" Tang Hao advanced slowly, each step leaving the ground sunken and webbed with cracks. "I see you never took me, the Clear Sky Douluo, seriously at all." His immense Soul Power poured out unchecked like boiling magma. His Soul Rings suddenly lit up, and the Clear Sky Hammer split into three afterimages that attacked again from different directions.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, Electrolux's phantom trembled violently, overwhelming fury showing through the roiling gray-white mist (he had long been unable to hold back). "A mere ant dares to bully my disciple! How incredibly bold. I see he doesn't take me seriously either!" Gray flames rose around him, but he was interrupted by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's startled cry. "Good grief! This pressure... how is this human so powerful? Can Yuhao still hold on?"
"Silence! Big bug, shut your mouth," Electrolux snapped, turning to Huo Yuhao's projection of consciousness. "Yuhao, let your teacher take action! I'd like to see just what this Tang Hao is made of!"
Huo Yuhao struggled to keep his mind clear and sent a message through the Sea of Consciousness. "Teacher, please don't act. This isn't our timeline. The moment you act, you'll be exposed, and that will cause a lot of trouble..."
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a determined light burning in his eyes. "I have my own way to deal with him. If my newly acquired power really can't hold out, it won't be too late to ask you to act then."
Electrolux was silent for a moment. In the end, he dissolved with a sigh and watched Huo Yuhao in silence.
Just then, a mysterious, deep voice boomed through Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness. "If that old fellow can't act, let me do it."
Huo Yuhao's lips curved into a confident smile as he allowed the power within him to awaken. "Those are the words I've been waiting for..." He slowly raised his head to meet the Clear Sky Hammer as Tang Hao swung it down once more. A glint flashed in his eyes that made even the Titled Douluo's heart tremble.
In an instant, Huo Yuhao's meridians surged like rushing magma, and crimson flames erupted from his body, forming a giant lotus thirty meters across in midair. Dark-gold runes flowed over its petals, and each time they opened and closed, a deafening boom erupted, burning every fallen leaf within a hundred meters to powder. His loose black hair danced wildly without wind, and two clusters of eerie golden flame flickered in his eyes. He looked like an ancient god of slaughter reborn from fire and descended into the mortal world.
Tang Hao's pupils contracted sharply, but outwardly, he gave a cold snort. "You're only putting on a show!" Yet stormy waves surged in his heart-the youth who had been on the brink of defeat moments ago now had the presence of a Ferocious Beast that had broken its shackles. The pressure of someone who had crossed several major realms bore down on him like something solid. He actually managed to cross several levels. His presence now is not to be underestimated. Could it be some kind of forbidden secret art? The hand gripping his Clear Sky Hammer trembled slightly, and cold sweat beaded at his temple.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, Electrolux's phantom trembled violently, delight showing through the gray-white mist. "This is the new power Yuhao obtained?"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's compound eyes widened, and his crystalline blue body curled into a ball. "Good grief! This pressure is even more terrifying than mine, and I'm a Hundred-Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
Huo Yuhao slowly raised his head, a chilling smile curling his lips. His voice seemed to come from the depths of the underworld. "A lowly ant dares to act so wildly before me? Today, I'll show you what true power is!"
Tang Hao roared, all nine Soul Rings blazing with light. "Enough of your arrogance! Let's see how long that stolen power of yours can last!"
He unleashed the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, turning the Clear Sky Hammer into a sky full of afterimages. Every blow carried the force to split mountains and shatter stone. But the fiery lotus barrier was like an eternal divine shield: no matter how the hammer shadows struck it, they raised only the faintest ripples.
The flames around Huo Yuhao suddenly surged. His black hair drifted through the air, the Demon Slaying Sword in his hand burst forth with ten thousand zhang of golden light, and the Red Armillary Sash coiled around him like a blood-colored flood dragon. "In that case, I'll send you on your way!"
Golden light shone in his eyes, as though it could set the whole world ablaze. Such mighty power existed here...
The Red Armillary Sash turned into a streak of light and bound Tang Hao. Runes lit up along it, and it began drawing out his Soul Power. Tang Hao's pupils contracted sharply, and he roared through gritted teeth, "Ring Detonation!" Two Soul Rings exploded, and the powerful energy storm blasted the Red Armillary Sash away.
But before he could catch his breath, the Demon Slaying Sword in Huo Yuhao's hand had already swept through the air, sending two precise slashes of sword Qi infused with Samadhi True Fire into Tang Hao.
Tang Hao staggered backward, watching it spread from his wounds, and finally showed fear. "What are you, human or ghost?! This... what kind of power is this?!" The fiery lotus suddenly contracted, then turned into a skyful of fire that poured down like rain. The agony drew a piercing howl from the Clear Sky Douluo. Beads of blood kept seeping from his wounds, only to evaporate into wisps of smoke the instant they touched the flames.
"How is that even a person?!" Tang Hao clutched his mangled chest and turned to flee in panic. "That guy is too terrifying. Or rather, he has an extremely powerful hidden force behind him. Son, what kind of being did you provoke this time..."
His howls gradually faded into the distance, leaving only the charred, devastated woods and an unrivaled figure standing in place, burning silently.
P.S. Thanks to God-Slaying Weapon and Qiqi_Bc for the monthly votes. Thank you for your support.