Tang San's body was a mess of wounds, his skin torn open again and again by countless blades. His clothes had long soaked red, as if he had crawled out of a vat of fresh blood. He looked more dead than alive.
He had resisted with every ounce of strength he had, but it was no use. Sword after sword cut into him. The only relief was that he'd managed to dodge those fatal stabs—his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step had saved him from being pierced right through the heart.
But the crisis wasn't over.
"Fifth Soul Skill—Wind-Cutting Absolute Slash!"
Lu Yuan's sword swung, releasing a violent storm of Sword Qi that twisted and tore at the air.
Facing the overwhelming strike, Tang San took a long, deep breath.
"Crack—"
A sharp sound echoed, and Tang San's first spirit ring shattered.
One ring. Two rings. Three rings...
By the time his fourth ten-thousand-year ring exploded, his aura had surged skyward. In the blink of an eye, Tang San's cultivation climbed straight to the level of a Soul Emperor.
At last, he had revealed it—the forbidden technique.
During the six months in Clear Sky School, his uncle Tang Xiao had not taught him everything. But Tang San was not obedient. During the sect conference, he had sneaked into the library archives of Clear Sky School, and from there he discovered... this method.
The Shattering Ring.
Yu Xiaogang, standing in the audience, was breathless. His pupils constricted in disbelief.
"The rings… shattered?!" Yu Xiaogang muttered. "That's... Ring Detonation?!"
He had read fragments of records in the Martial Soul Hall library long ago. The Shattering Ring. The forbidden skill unique to the Clear Sky Sect, a secret only whispered in sparse pages of history.
Today was the first time he had ever witnessed it with his own eyes. And the one using it... was none other than his own disciple.
In the shadows of the cornered seats, Tang Hao's expression stiffened into shock.
"Xiao San... you... actually learned that?!"
His dull eyes trembled faintly. Anyone in the Clear Sky School who dared secretly learn cultivation techniques would inevitably face punishment. Sec secrets were an iron taboo.
If word returned to the sect that Tang San had detonated rings, the reaction would almost certainly condemn him.
"The mistress... she will be implicated as well," Tang Hao whispered under his breath.
But before panic could settle, his thoughts shifted. His gaze followed Lu Yuan.
That boy.
For a long time now, Tang Hao had harbored suspicions. Because years before, the man who attacked and stole Ah Yin's life, his ring, and her body was someone whose power, build, and aura fit too closely with Lu Yuan.
Yet, he hesitated. Lu Yuan's martial soul was not of cold attributes. A person's mask, looks—those could be disguised. But martial souls? Their nature was innate. They didn't just change.
Tang Hao had once investigated and found that Lu Yuan had ties only to Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong. He lacked any suspicious relatives who might be connected with Ah Yin's assailant.
And yet...
Now, with Tang Hao's eyes locked on Lu Yuan's battle skills—his sword, his strikes, his cold efficiency—they were exactly like the one from back then. The one who stole his wife.
Suspicion boiled over into conviction.
Lu Yuan.
It had to be him.
Tang San roared, swinging the Clear Sky Hammer with every ounce of burst power he carried.
A gigantic hammer shadow crashed down from above, aiming to crush Lu Yuan beneath sheer force.
"The fourth soul skill... Sword Will!"
Lu Yuan's voice was calm, steady, cutting. A tidal surge of intent coiled around him. The Sword Will burned hotter and brighter than before, and the air itself crackled with tension.
"Split... the earth!"
A glowing sword shadow nearly seven meters long surged into existence behind him. Lu Yuan swung down.
"Boom—!"
The collision shook heaven and earth. Sword shadow cleaved directly through hammer shadow, splitting it apart like chopped bamboo.
"Clang—!"
A crisp metallic cry echoed.
The Clear Sky Hammer shuddered violently in Tang San's grip. His extra limbs—the Eight Spider Lances—snapped under the blow with sharp cracks.
Lu Yuan still stood his ground, steady as a mountain. Tang San, however, was sent flying.
His body convulsed in agony. Pain spread from his back and limbs like wildfire.
But midair, he refused to collapse.
"The Great Sumeru Hammer!"
His voice was hoarse, his spirit burning desperately. The hammer swelled, expanding to nearly ten meters in an instant.
From the corner, Tang Hao froze completely.
"What...?!" he gasped.
The Great Sumeru Hammer?!
Was his son insane?
That was the ancestral technique of the Clear Sky Sect—meant to be passed to only one successor per generation. Even Tang Xiao would never casually teach it. Now his son had risked everything by cultivating both the Shattering Ring and the Great Sumeru Hammer.
"Xiao San… you've chosen such a narrow path..." Tang Hao's hands trembled.
Laughing coldly, Lu Yuan raised his sword once more.
"Sixth Soul Skill—Gale Sword Dance."
His blade blurred. Eighteen phantom slashes bloomed in an instant, like blossoms of death.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
After blocking three, Tang San's limbs faltered. His qi churned wildly, his blood surging, unable to maintain control.
He could not keep up. He could not even keep his Martial Soul's Clear Sky Hammer steady.
From the shadows, Tang Hao clenched his teeth. This was the limit. He could not just watch his son destroyed before his very eyes.
But then—
His heart came to a sudden, painful halt.
A faint, shimmering blue-gold aura glowed from Lu Yuan's waist, subtle but unmistakable.
Tang Hao's entire world collapsed.
"This aura...!"
It was her. Her breath.
Ah Yin.
He knew it. He felt it.
From Lu Yuan's very body came the unique existence that was his wife—the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin.
His soul burned red with fury. Power exploded from his frame, nine glorious rings illuminating all at once.
So long had he searched. Years upon years, he had sought even scraps of her presence. And now, finally—
"Ah Yin... you're right there!"
In the arena, with Sword Qi about to slice him apart, Tang San's body went limp. His consciousness blurred.
But then, a colossal Clear Sky Hammer appeared before him, shielding him from the deadly storm.
A giant hand gripped Tang San's shoulder.
"Dad..."
Weakly, Tang San's lips moved. Relief flooded him—he'd finally fallen into his father's protection. His eyes slipped shut, and he fainted entirely.
"Lu Yuan!"
Tang Hao's voice boomed, the sound shaking mountains. "Hand over Ah Yin!"
Lu Yuan frowned, puzzled. Ah Yin? What was this madman raving about?
His sharp gaze studied the new arrival. Something about the man's eyes, his face... strangely familiar. But Lu Yuan could not remember him.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Lu Yuan asked flatly.
The Clear Sky Hammer spun in Tang Hao's hands, overflowing with terrifying soul power. A crushing wave surged toward Lu Yuan like a tidal storm.
But before it could land, another force intervened.
"Boom—!"
Steel clashed against steel as Chen Xin, the Sword Douluo, appeared at Lu Yuan's side with blinding speed. His killing intent surged like a sharp blade.
"Tang Hao," Chen Xin growled, voice deep and clear. "Do you want to make an enemy of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect today?"
He didn't care who Tang Hao was. Attack Lu Yuan, and you face him.
From another side, Yue Guan's voice thundered angrily.
"How dare you run wild here, Tang Hao?!" Yue Guan's finger stabbed through the air as spirit power lit his frame. "This is the Soul Master Finals! You think you can smear Martial Soul Hall in front of everyone?!"
Bibi Dong's laugh was cold, cruel. A queen's fury trembled through her: "Tang Hao, do you seek death?"
Nine spirit rings flared from her body, her murderous intent freezing the battlefield.
But Tang Hao's eyes never strayed. In his gaze, only Lu Yuan remained.
That faint glow he saw—that was Ah Yin. It had to be.
Even if it meant tearing the entire world apart, he would reclaim her.
Chen Xin's patience finally snapped.
"Tang Hao, enough! Half a year ago you spewed lies, blaming Martial Soul Hall for stealing your wife. Now you suddenly accuse Lu Yuan of the same? Do you take everyone for fools?"
The audience whispered furiously.
Dugu Bo, from afar, had already moved to protect his granddaughter and others of Heaven Dou's delegation. He snorted.
"This old brute Tang Hao really does live up to his reputation... reckless beyond belief."
Even Dugu Bo admitted Tang Hao had offended both Martial Soul Hall and Seven Treasure Glazed Sect in one move. Running away would not be so easy this time.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan's expression turned to ice. His anger simmered as he muttered under his breath:
"This black bear dares swing at me? You'll regret it."
The moment the twin amplification abilities surged together, Lu Yuan poured his spirit power into the soul bone of his left arm.
Black flames ignited and coiled along his sword's edge.
In that instant, Lu Yuan's strength soared, overwhelming even the might of a Contra.
And the true storm was about to begin.
--
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