With a smash of the Clear Sky Hammer onto the grassy sphere, the immense force shattered the Purple-Haired Girl's technique instantly.
What surprised Tang Hao was that his hammer strike hadn't killed the girl outright.
The azure-green sphere seemed to have neutralized most of the power from his Clear Sky Hammer.
"A person formed from a mere soul skill... How many blows can you endure?"
Tang Hao's arm holding the Clear Sky Hammer twitched slightly. Although the massive hammer head adjusted its angle in the air, the surrounding air became noticeably heavy.
Before Tang Hao could pursue the Purple-Haired Girl, the girl formed from the third soul ring instantly flashed in front of him, engaging him in close-quarters combat with fierce leg techniques.
Close quarters were dangerous.
Being so close, less than an arm's length away, the two-meter-long Clear Sky Hammer in Tang Hao's hand was restricted, unable to unleash its full potential.
Considering his legs as his heart, he wouldn't use them to counterattack. Instead, Tang Hao fought solely with his left arm.
What surprised Xiao Yan was that even with this limitation, Tang Hao was evenly matched with the Pink-Clothed Girl, even subtly gaining the upper hand.
"Your main body died in my hands. How much strength can this mere remnant soul possess?"
After a few exchanges, Tang Hao grabbed the Pink-Clothed Girl's slender leg. Swinging his arm as if he were wielding the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, he slammed her towards the ground.
At that moment, the Purple-Haired Girl retreated a few meters, using the force to her advantage. A vine rose from her feet. With her slender fingers forming seals, she commanded countless Blue Silver Emperor leaves around her body to launch a barrage of attacks toward Tang Hao.
In a flash, Tang Hao raised his left arm, lifting the Pink-Clothed Girl. Coordinating with his right hand, he met the clustered attack of Blue Silver Emperor leaves.
Golden light flashed. The Pink-Clothed Girl activated her Invincible Golden Body again. With her flexible body, she twisted to gain momentum, and her long right leg kicked directly towards Tang Hao's chest.
Transforming his palm into a fist, Tang Hao forcefully sent the golden girl, known for her resilience, flying. He dodged the Blue Silver Emperor leaves that were shooting towards him.
At this moment, Xiao Yan moved.
Four years of cultivation hadn't just increased his inner strength.
The Six Meridians Divine Sword he'd devised could now execute two different sword techniques, and he could use them in sequence during a fight.
Compared to before, where he could only use two moves before running out of energy, this was a massive improvement.
Xiao Yan brought his hands up, the Shao Shang Sword in his right hand and the Shao Chong Sword in his left.
The Shao Shang Sword was the most powerful, while the Shao Chong Sword was the fastest—two moves with extreme advantages.
Tang Hao heard a faint hissing sound in the air and immediately became alert.
As he dodged, there was a pfft sound. His left arm's robes suddenly burst open, revealing a glaring hole.
"What kind of move is this? Formless and intangible, making it incredibly difficult to defend against!"
Tang Hao's eyes, like those of a lion, locked onto Xiao Yan.
"Whether it's that humanoid Soul Skill, or that bizarre attack just now, as long as we take down the main body, it'll all be meaningless!"
With the strategy decided, Tang Hao remained still. The Pink-Clothed Girl instantly teleported in front of him again, her legs moving like a blur of shadows, kicking towards Tang Hao.
"Annoying little pest!" Tang Hao frowned, raising his hand to meet the attack.
Accustomed to overpowering everything with sheer strength, he found it difficult to exert his power in this close-quarters battle, which made him incredibly uncomfortable.
Fortunately, the disparity in their strength was vast, so Tang Hao wasn't struggling too much to cope.
However, Tang Hao wasn't just facing one person.
Xiao Yan's internal energy surged forth, and in an instant, the Shao Shang, Shang Yang, Zhong Chong, Guan Chong, Shao Chong, and Shao Ze sword techniques combined in various sequences. The sword qi danced and flew about, becoming more and more practiced with each use, as if divinely assisted.
The Purple-Haired Girl stood gracefully on a vine, her fingers constantly shifting. Countless Blue Silver Emperor leaves fluttered and danced, making it difficult for Tang Hao to break free in close combat.
Tang Hao, fighting one against three, used his left arm to battle the Pink-Clothed Girl, while his right hand and the Clear Sky Hammer countered Xiao Yan's invisible sword qi. Throughout the process, his feet never stopped, dodging the fluttering Blue Silver Emperor leaves.
Although he wasn't at a disadvantage, his body frequently leaped and ducked, dodging left and right, making him appear quite disheveled.
Tang Hao became increasingly alarmed as the fight went on. The three of them, despite being in their first joint battle, fought with flawless coordination.
If his soul power level hadn't increased in the past decade, making him much stronger than when he first became a Title Douluo, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on for even a moment.
"Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, Vibrate!"
Tang Hao stopped, instantly increasing his soul power output.
As he swung the Clear Sky Hammer, a strange, rhythmic vibration emanated from it.
Even Xiao Yan, who was a hundred meters away, could see clearly. Every time Tang Hao swung the Clear Sky Hammer, a ripple of pure black light would emanate from it.
Whether it was his formless sword energy or the Purple-Haired Girl's Blue Silver Emperor grass leaves, they seemed to hit some kind of barrier and instantly lost their power.
Xiao Yan thought to himself, It seems the Clear Sky Sect can be called one of the top three sects; they do have some tricks.
The strength of Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent relied on Soul Skills. While there was the idea of self-created Soul Skills, they were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
This hammer technique of Tang Hao's was clearly some kind of self-created Soul Skill, a Soul Skill created based on the family's inherited Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer.
Without the support of Xiao Yan and the Purple-Haired Girl, the powerful soul power within Tang Hao erupted, forcing the Pink-Clothed Girl, whose leg techniques were sharp, to retreat with a palm strike.
With cold eyes fixed on Xiao Yan, Tang Hao said in a low voice, "As long as I deal with you, these two...things will likely be unable to hold on."
Dark red light appeared on the Clear Sky Hammer. Tang Hao attacked with all his might, "Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, Break!"
The two-meter-long Clear Sky Hammer whistled as he swung it, the air cracking with sonic booms. Countless streams of qi condensed into a dark-red beam of light, shooting straight forward.
Xiao Yan stood firm, but the internal energy within him surged through his meridians like a breached dam.
The internal energy accumulated in the six meridians, including the hand Taiyin lung meridian, the hand Jueyin pericardium meridian, and the hand Shaoyin heart meridian, reversed and converged in an instant. Then, following Xiao Yan's sword finger, it shot out: Six Meridians converge, one sword… silent!
Back when he was practicing that tiresome forging hammer technique, Xiao Yan had grasped a concept completely opposite to the technique of leveraging force – concentrating force into one strike.
Gathering the power of his entire body into a single point, a burst of explosive attack.
Six swords combined into one, the power multiplied, and on the foundation of being invisible and intangible, it achieved silence. Its speed was so fast that even if one sensed something, it was basically impossible to defend against it.
Tang Hao looked at his chest in disbelief, a stream of blood gushing out.
"This… how is this possible?"
If the wound had been three inches closer to his heart, his life would have ended today.
With a soft poof, the sword energy triggered the old injuries within Tang Hao's body. Tang Hao immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, and the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand slammed heavily onto the ground.
The Clear Sky Douluo, defeated!
At the same time, a dark red beam of light pierced through Xiao Yan's body, striking a large tree a hundred meters away.
With a loud boom, the tree instantly turned into dust, and a long gully appeared behind it.
The reason Xiao Yan dared to withstand Tang Hao's attack was due to Void, one of the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone skills – immunity to all non-energy physical attacks and a fifty percent reduction in the power of any energy attack.
Xiao Yan looked at the kneeling Tang Hao with a calm expression and said in a deep voice, "Tang Hao, come with me back to the Clear Sky Sect and admit your guilt!!!"
(End of Chapter)