Chapter 103: The Three Heroes versus the Twin Hammers, Part II
"How dare you!" Tang Xiao roared in fury.
He hadn't expected two ordinary soul masters to actually dare to attack him and his brother. Tang Xiao assumed they would hold off and wait until Ye Wen returned. But he didn't understand that for soul masters who reached high levels of cultivation, pride was inevitable; they didn't care about the Haotian Sect or the Spirit Hall. Once truly provoked, they were ready to fight anyone who stood in their way.
Over the past year, both Dugu Bo and Lu Feng had come to see Tianxing Academy as their second home and couldn't tolerate such blatant disrespect toward the academy's core figures. These two were veterans of the soul master world, and Tang Hao's reasons for picking this fight didn't hold up. Even if they beat him to a pulp, the Haotian Sect "probably" wouldn't raise any serious objections after all, they weren't going for the kill.
Besides, whether they could even be defeated was yet to be seen, as both Dugu Bo and Lu Feng were Soul Douluo level opponents.
Since evolving into the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor upon reaching Soul Saint, Dugu Bo's cultivation had accelerated rather than slowed, even with his aging body. Thanks to the Blue Silver Forest's support, he could suppress his serpent venom through sheer soul power, despite lacking an antidote.
At this moment, Dugu Bo was a formidable level 79 Battle Soul Saint.
To prevent their clash from damaging Tianxing Academy, the two soul masters' long established teamwork instinctively drove the Tang brothers away from the academy grounds.
"Old Lu, I'll handle close combat; you cover me," Dugu Bo commanded, standing atop the head of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor clad in a menacing, dark green armor.
Lu Feng gave an approving nod and promptly activated his sixth soul skill.
"Gravitational Crush! Twenty fold gravity!"
The Tang brothers, who had just been thrown back a thousand meters, suddenly felt an immense weight bearing down on them, pinning them to the ground.
"Damn it! The rumors are true. Apparently, every instructor at this Tianxing Academy possesses a gravity soul skill. Such powerful gravitational abilities are rare, even among the elders of our sect," Tang Xiao muttered, his face darkening.
Tang Hao, however, was filled with battle fervor and summoned his martial soul without hesitation.
"So what?! A mere twenty fold gravity? I'll smash these two filthy snakes to pieces today."
"Haotian Nine Absolutes: Collapse!"
He sprang forward, transforming into a streak of light as he swung his colossal hammer down upon Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo's expression turned icy. This young man was audacious enough to charge in without knowing his opponent's skills brash and reckless, like a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Jade Phosphor Howling Strike!"
The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor beneath him opened its jaws wide, unleashing a blast of deep green soul power.
Seeing the poisonous green wave headed his way, Tang Hao's face shifted. He had to swing his hammer prematurely, redirecting its force to intercept the deadly wave before it could reach the serpent's body. The impact dyed half the sky in a sickly green hue.
Dugu Bo flashed a sly grin. On the Douluo Continent, the Dugu family reigned supreme in the art of poison. In poisonous combat, they were peerless experts. Most soul masters dared not face the Dugu family's Jade Phosphor Serpents because any contact with them spread venomous soul power. Even if their soul skills were dispersed, the residual poison would linger in the air, making it nearly impossible for opponents to escape unscathed if the fight dragged on.
In the original timeline, the reason no powerful figures succumbed to Dugu Bo's poison was that they all had inherent counters to his abilities.
Tang Xiao, however, understood the danger at hand and his face turned grim. While he possessed significant talent, he was ultimately a step behind Tang Hao, closer in skill to their father. He had taken a different path in terms of spirit ring configuration, moving away from the Haotian Sect's core emphasis on power stacking.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Thunderous Shock!"
"Stacking: Haotian Nine Absolutes – Pierce!"
Surging with thunderous energy, Tang Xiao's Haotian Hammer struck into the poisonous green mist before Tang Hao, purging it with lightning energy.
With the immediate threat cleared, Tang Hao seized the moment to press forward. Though he hadn't had time to gather energy for a stronger strike, he opted to use a soul skill.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Haotian True Body!"
A powerful wave of soul power surged forth, and a hammer the size of a small mountain rose into the air, emblazoned with the six pointed star symbol of the Haotian Sect.
"What terrifying power… Is this the might of the Haotian Sect's inherited martial soul?" Lu Feng muttered in awe as he observed from a distance.
Before reaching seven rings, beast martial soul masters typically held an advantage over tool martial soul masters due to enhanced physical strength. But upon reaching the stage where they could unleash their Martial Soul True Body, the tables turned.
While a beast martial soul's true body merely transformed the user into their soul beast form, a tool martial soul's true body differed greatly. By pouring their soul into the tool, they became one with their martial soul, unleashing its greatest qualities. When martial souls of equal quality and level clashed, beast martial souls could not compete.
The Haotian Hammer's defining trait was its weight. Even at its initial awakening, it weighed 50 jin (about 25 kg). Under the gravitational soul skill, its weight had been doubled.
Realizing his mistake, Lu Feng quickly deactivated his gravity skill. His intention had been to restrict the enemy's movement, not to amplify the power of their attacks. Thankfully, he was seasoned enough to react in time; otherwise, the hammer's impact would have been far more devastating, and even Dugu Bo wouldn't have been able to withstand it.
Dugu Bo, however, was undeterred. No matter how powerful the attack, if it couldn't land, it was meaningless. Unlike most martial souls, serpentine martial souls were known for their agility and evasiveness, especially in larger forms. Just as one would struggle to squash a mosquito with a single slap, the Haotian Hammer, despite its massive size, often missed its mark when wielded by Tang Hao.
Dugu Bo sneered inwardly. Was Tang Hao simply too dense to understand this?
At that moment, Tang Xiao joined the fray, his lightning infused hammer striking with fierce energy. Even Dugu Bo, in his Martial Soul True Body state, felt a tingling pain from the overflowing electricity.
Now faced with two opponents, Dugu Bo quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
The others, who had been observing from the sidelines, now saw what was unfolding. Seeing this, Lu Feng hurriedly shouted to Dugu Bo.
"Old Poison, get out of there! That brat's using the Haotian Sect's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique! If he reaches all eighty one strikes, no matter how fast you are, you'll be shattered into pieces!"
(End of Chapter)
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