It was an utterly bizarre scene.
Just a heartbeat ago, the entire battlefield was locked in a fierce and chaotic struggle. Yet, the instant Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo unleashed their Martial Soul Fusion Technique, Polar Still Domain, everything—people, weapons, even the air itself—froze in place.
At this moment, neither the elders of Spirit Hall nor the Titled Douluo on the Heaven Dou Empire's side could move an inch. They stood like figures in a painting, frozen mid-action. Even Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo themselves were motionless.
At first glance, this might have seemed like a blessing for the Heaven Dou Empire—after all, if even the enemy's Titled Douluo were immobilized, buying time could be advantageous.
But reality was far more dangerous.
Aside from the six elders and Chrysanthemum-Ghost duo, Spirit Hall's forces still included several Contra-level powerhouses. Though these men could not match a Titled Douluo's strength, they were unaffected by the domain. Without the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's support, they were not important enough to be included in the Polar Still Domain's locked space—and thus, they were free to move.
With all Titled Douluo trapped in place, these Contras instantly became the strongest active combatants on the battlefield.
Five Contras and more than a dozen Soul Saints surged forward like sharp blades aimed straight at the heart of the formation—heading directly for the Seven Treasure Team and Shrek Team.
Earlier, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had followed Chen Feng's suggestion and moved together with Shrek Academy—or, more precisely, with Tang San.
Some didn't understand the reason for this choice. But the answer soon revealed itself.
Five Contras and twelve Soul Saints—an offensive lineup so overwhelming that even an ordinary Titled Douluo would have been forced to avoid head-on confrontation.
But just as they were about to reach Tang San, a colossal war hammer suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"With just you lot… You dare to harm my son? Get out of my sight!"
The voice was filled with domineering fury, belonging to a man whose mere name was enough to give Spirit Hall headaches. The moment his voice rang out—before his figure even appeared—several of the Soul Saints, and even some of the Contras, felt their legs trembling uncontrollably.
And when their eyes landed on the massive hammer, engraved with crimson lines, their hearts were seized with dread.
Bang!
The sound was like muffled thunder.
With just a single swing, the five Contras and twelve Soul Saints were smashed into the ground like cannonballs.
"Tang Hao! You dare?!"
One Contra roared hoarsely as he looked up.
High above, a middle-aged man in a simple gray robe appeared, holding in one hand a war hammer as large as a water tank, its sheer size nearly eclipsing his burly frame. The pressure he exuded was crushing.
"You… are unworthy to even speak my name."
Nine soul rings rose beneath Tang Hao's feet—two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—circling in perfect order.
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Red!
Gripping the Haotian Hammer in one hand, Tang Hao's leg muscles bulged as he twisted his waist, his back and arms following in a perfect chain of explosive movement.
The sixth black soul ring lit up, and the hammer swelled to monstrous size, its shadow engulfing the Contra below.
"Watch closely—this is the true Haotian Hammer."
Tang Hao didn't look back, but everyone knew those words were for Tang San.
The massive hammer descended, crimson lines pulsing with suffocating killing intent. The targeted Contra retreated at full speed, but no matter how he moved, he could not break free from the hammer's lock.
"Help me!"
In desperation, he shouted for aid.
The remaining four Contras instantly activated their Martial Soul True Bodies, their eighth soul rings glowing as they launched a combined strike to intercept the colossal hammer.
"Overestimating yourselves," Tang Hao sneered.
In that instant, his ninth red soul ring blazed to life. The once pitch-black Haotian Hammer turned blood-red, its head expanding once more until it spanned hundreds of meters, looming like a small mountain above the battlefield.
BOOM!
When the hammer collided with the five Contras, the shockwave made every soul master below the Soul King realm dizzy and collapse on the spot.
The Heaven Dou Empire's royal knights heard their warhorses scream in terror before all of them dropped to the ground, bodies trembling and fouling themselves in fear.
Spirit Hall's so-called Soul Master Legion fared no better—nine out of ten soul masters were sprawled on the ground, unable to fight. The few still standing wavered unsteadily.
The five Contras were driven down from the sky like meteors, their impact shaking the earth and splitting it with jagged cracks. Black lightning crackled across the ground as they vanished into deep craters—without even managing to cry out. Whether they were dead or alive was unknown.
Tang Hao, on the other hand, only staggered slightly.
He didn't glance at Tang San but instead turned toward Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
"A chrysanthemum and a ghost… Have you already forgotten the lesson I gave you back then?"
The Haotian Hammer shone once more.
"Your Polar Still Domain? Before absolute power, all stillness is shattered. — Great Sumeru Hammer!"
The hammer fell, unstoppable.
Chrysanthemum Douluo? Ghost Douluo?
Block it, and you die.
The frozen space cracked apart, the hammer obliterating the domain. In that instant, everyone trapped within regained control of their bodies.
And by then, the hammer was already upon them.
BOOM!
Like a muffled thunderclap, the two Douluo were smashed into the air, blood spraying from their mouths.
In an instant, countless bones in their bodies were shattered by brute force. Chrysanthemum Douluo fared slightly better thanks to the resilience of his martial soul, the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
Ghost Douluo, however, was in far worse shape—his body split open in multiple places, his soul rings forcibly knocked back into his body, blood streaming as he barely clung to life. His aura plummeted, his soul power running rampant like molten fire, leaving him in unbearable pain.
Tang Hao gave a cold snort and slowly withdrew the Haotian Hammer. With six more Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall still present, killing one outright in such a direct manner was unrealistic.
Even so, those two devastating strikes left Tang Hao's mouth bleeding faintly.
"Father," Tang San called softly.
Tang Hao wiped the blood away without concern. "It's nothing—just pulled at some old wounds."
He glanced at Ning Fengzhi, then toward Shrek Academy, giving a small nod.
"All these years, thank you all for looking after Little San. But for his safety, I'll be taking him with me now."
In the distance, the six remaining Spirit Hall elders stood with faces dark as iron—but none moved.
No one dared stop him.
Who in their right mind would provoke Tang Hao, this living nightmare?
Even Pope Bibi Dong found him troublesome—let alone them.