Here Come the Fireworks
Tang Hao was so furious he actually laughed. Was this little bastard not going to stop until he had gotten his own father killed?
Just as Tang Hao's face turned ashen and Xu De and the others thought the outcome was settled, a flash of sword light appeared in the distance, and the situation changed once more.
Outside Nuoding City, a figure stood beneath the evening sky. It was none other than Sword Douluo Chen Xin, the person the people of the Sun Moon Empire least wanted to run into. After all, with Qian Daoliu staying out of the fight, he was the strongest combatant known to the public on Douluo Continent.
Xu De and Xu Tianxing both frowned deeply. Xu Tianxing had fought Chen Xin before, so there was no need to say more about him; Xu De had read the original work thoroughly and knew how formidable Chen Xin was as well.
Not only did Chen Xin possess level 96 Soul Power, he had also mastered several Self-Created Soul Skills. That was precisely the Sun Moon Empire's greatest weakness: its native experts were relatively weak as individuals and had no Self-Created Soul Skills. For a long time, they had merely relied on the strength of their powerful Soul Tools to conceal this fatal flaw.
Chen Xin, who had just arrived, looked at the situation in the city and could not help feeling inwardly shocked. These Soul Tools really were formidable.
At that moment, Chen Xin was a little dumbfounded. Damn it, which fellow had said Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue was on sale in Nuoding City, and that eating it would let a man gallop on horseback all night long? He had made Chen Xin want to come and buy some... no, that wasn't right. He had come to buy some for Old Bones and Fengzhi to try.
Inside Nuoding City, Tang Hao's face lit up with joy. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Clear Sky Sect were both among the Upper Three Sects, so naturally he recognized Sword Douluo.
"Senior Chen Xin, I am Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect. Please save me!"
Hearing Tang Hao's plea, Chen Xin circulated his Soul Power. Since they were both from the Upper Three Sects, he naturally would not abandon Tang Hao. What was more, with a great war imminent, the addition of a top combatant like Tang Hao would undoubtedly greatly ease the pressure on the Heaven Dou Empire, to say nothing of getting the Clear Sky Sect to join as well.
Chen Xin did not answer Tang Hao, instead showing his intentions through action. The Seven Kill Sword slowly materialized in his hand, and killing intent so dense it was almost tangible merged into the wind. The Soul Masters at Nuoding City's gate felt a chill at their throats, as though an invisible killing intent had locked onto them.
Nine Soul Rings lit up behind him-yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.
The Seven Kill Avatar appeared, and a sword silhouette soared straight into the sky, hundreds of feet tall, merging with Chen Xin himself. The Eighth Soul Ring on the blade suddenly lit up:
"Seven kills summon thunder, one sword cleaves the sky!"
The phantom giant sword slashed through a spatial rift and headed straight for the city. But just as it was about to strike, an enormous curtain of light rose from the city gate, formed by several level-eight defensive Soul Tools working together.
The three Soul Douluo joined forces with the Soul Masters in their legions, releasing vast amounts of Soul Power and forcibly taking Sword Douluo's attack head-on. The curtain of light merely shuddered violently and developed a few tiny cracks; it was nowhere near collapsing.
Chen Xin frowned deeply, a wary look on his face. It was this loathsome trick again. Back on the battlefield, those fellows had been no match for him, yet they had managed to fight him on equal terms by relying on those things.
Meanwhile, Xu Tianxing had not been standing idle. The Scarlet Sun Cannon was more than halfway charged, and its second metal ring had lit up. Given a few more minutes, he could blast Tang Hao to death for good. The bad news was that he had few energy-storage beads left; he had nearly used up his three-month supply.
The two sides were now at a stalemate. Chen Xin dared not enter, while Tang Hao could not get out. The Sun Moon Empire was happy to see it, since its chargeable Soul Tools all needed time to power up.
Suddenly, Tang Hao seemed to come to terms with it. He had clung to life for so many years; it seemed the heavens could no longer bear to watch and had sent this father-trapping bastard to collect him. So why should he keep agonizing? Ah Yin, everything I owe you, I'll repay it all this time!
Tang Hao hesitated no longer. His eyes turned blood-red, and the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand swelled once again, blood-red cracks spreading across its surface.
"Great Sumeru Hammer, detonate all nine rings!"
The boost from the five rings he had detonated in succession was fading, but as Tang Hao went completely mad, the remaining four rings, including the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, exploded at once. The increase to his power reached its absolute peak.
He had learned his lesson this time. He swung his hammer straight at the Sun Moon Empire's two Titled Douluo, severely injuring them both, then brought it crashing down on the curtain of light. At the same time, Sword Douluo's ninth Soul Skill, God-Demon Dual Slash, arrived, and a gap was instantly torn in the curtain.
Without giving Tang San another chance to speak, he picked him up and hurled him toward Chen Xin. Chen Xin caught Tang San, but felt utterly depressed. After all that effort, he had saved only a little brat. Still, at least he could use him to persuade the Clear Sky Sect to join the war, while letting Tang Hao's final dance, fueled by his burning life, deal the Sun Moon Empire a heavy blow.
But just as Chen Xin was about to hurry away with Tang San, Tang San ran toward Nuoding City instead, then dropped to his knees and began kowtowing on the spot.
"Dad! When I become a god, I'll bring you and Mom back to life! And you bastards from the Sun Moon Empire, I, Tang San, swear I'll destroy you!"
Tang Hao and Chen Xin's thoughts at that moment: ...
Xu De was dumbfounded too. He had thought Tang Hao going mad would spell trouble for their side, only for Tang San to come through with another assist. It was decided: at this victory banquet, no one would touch their chopsticks until Tang San arrived.
But in truth, Tang San could not be blamed entirely. After all, he had never seen such a powerful Soul Tool from beginning to end, so naturally he did not know that, even from so far away and with Chen Xin beside him, the Scarlet Sun Cannon could still blast him to death.
Tang Hao and Chen Xin, however, had experienced the Scarlet Sun Cannon's power firsthand and knew it all too well.
Xu Tianxing naturally would not pass up this excellent opportunity. He aimed the Scarlet Sun Cannon, now seventy percent charged, in Tang San's direction. Though the Scarlet Sun Cannon was immensely powerful, its accuracy was truly poor. Tang Hao's current speed boost was too terrifying; though he could not dodge the Scarlet Sun Cannon entirely, avoiding the brunt of the damage would be no problem.
But shooting at Tang San was different. If Tang Hao wanted to save him, he would have to take the full force of the Scarlet Sun Cannon head-on. As for Chen Xin, would he take a blast head-on to save a child he did not know?
Boom!
A crimson beam shot out of the city, heading straight for Tang San. At the critical moment, Tang Hao fulfilled his duty as a father after all. Gripping the Clear Sky Hammer, he smashed it at Xu Tianxing with all his might, forcing him back while taking the cannon blast head-on.
When the smoke cleared, a gaping hole had been blasted through Tang Hao's chest. The boost from Ring Detonation had vanished, replaced by boundless weakness. His life force was rapidly fading!
Chen Xin did not dare linger. He knocked Tang San unconscious with a chop of his hand, picked him up, and quickly flew away. This pig teammate was a real liability. Tang Hao could have left behind an earth-shattering, unforgettable scene before dying, but thanks to this guy, he had gone straight offline.
Setting off his own father, a level 95 Titled Douluo, like a firework made Tang San the first person in all of history to do such a thing.
Inside the city, Tang Hao watched Tang San being carried away, and his heart finally grew calm. He was his son, after all; it was enough that he had survived. As for himself, being done in like this by his own son meant he had at least lived up to what Ah Yin had entrusted to him.
Just as he closed his eyes to meet death, Xu De walked up to him. Behind Xu De, Xiao Wu held a Soul Tool shaped like a sniper rifle with a curious look on her face, aiming at Tang San's figure.
"Clear Sky Douluo really is a loving father. In that case, why don't you guess whether this shot can kill Tang San?"
Tang Hao's first reaction was naturally disbelief. How could it be possible from so far away? But what if it was? He had seen the wonders of Soul Tools for himself, after all.
Xu De gave Tang Hao no time to think and pressed him in rapid-fire words: "Tell me where Ah Yin and the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone are, or watch Tang San die!"
The instant he finished speaking, Xiao Wu's finger tightened on the trigger.