At night, the Star Luo Imperial City was shrouded in silence.
A squad of fully armored soldiers, holding long spears, patrolled the surroundings with torch-like gazes.
"Huu—"
A fierce gust of wind blew past, causing the flags on the city walls to flap violently, making a rustling sound.
"What a strong wind," a soldier wiped his face.
"Stay alert. If a thief sneaks into the Imperial Palace, we sentries won't get off lightly." His companion tightened his grip on the long spear, his gaze sharpening.
"Hmph, who would have the guts of a bear or leopard to dare cause trouble in the Star Luo Imperial City?"
...
Inside the Imperial Palace, in a cultivation chamber.
The Star Luo Emperor sat cross-legged on a futon. Soul power surged around his body, forming an invisible airflow that blew the surrounding windows, making a "swish swish" sound.
His expression was composed, eyes slightly closed, as if merging with his surroundings.
As the ruler of the Star Luo Empire, he not only held a noble status but was also a genuine Soul Douluo powerhouse.
Unlike Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Emperor was in his prime. In his fifties or sixties, he was at the peak period of a Soul Master's career.
After a long time, the Star Luo Emperor exhaled a turbid breath and slowly opened his eyes.
"Someone come." His gaze was like electricity, his voice plain but extremely intimidating.
However, unlike usual, this time no one responded to him.
The Star Luo Emperor frowned, a trace of displeasure flashing in his eyes. He raised his volume and shouted again, "Someone come!"
Just then, he keenly sensed something wrong.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. Even a few palace lanterns had gone out, plunging the entire cultivation chamber into dimness.
The Star Luo Emperor stood up, scanning the surroundings, then walked toward the main door. His steps were steady, but a trace of vigilance rose faintly in his heart.
However, just as he was about to push open the main door, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly glimpsed a figure standing quietly in the shadows of the room.
"Who is it!"
The Star Luo Emperor shouted sternly, his soul power erupting instantly.
However, before his White Tiger Martial Soul could possess him, a hammer the size of a millstone flew violently from the shadows, carrying the momentum of a thunderbolt, smashing straight toward him!
"Roar!"
A heaven-shaking tiger roar rang out. The roof of the cultivation chamber, impacted by this powerful energy, was instantly blasted with a large hole.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Inside the palace, soldiers' shouts rose one after another, and the entire Imperial City instantly fell into chaos.
"That direction! Not good, His Majesty!"
Soldiers ran toward the interior of the palace as if crazy, gripping their weapons tightly, their faces written with tension and panic.
Just then, a figure flew out of the cultivation chamber and smashed heavily onto a rockery, making a dull, loud noise.
The rockery collapsed instantly, crushed stones splashing, and dust rising everywhere.
An old man's figure slowly stood up from the dust, looking slightly wretched.
"It's the Great Consecrated Priest!" a sharp-eyed soldier shouted.
The Great Consecrated Priest was named Dai Lin, a clansman brother of the Emperor, a level 88 Soul Douluo powerhouse. As the number one expert of the Imperial Family on the surface, his reputation was known to everyone in Star Luo City.
But now, the Great Consecrated Priest had actually been defeated?
For a time, the soldiers fell into an uproar.
At this moment, a tall figure walked slowly out of the ruins of the cultivation chamber.
Tang Hao held a huge hammer in his hand, cold light flickering on the hammer head.
"Tang Hao!"
The Great Consecrated Priest struggled to get up, his pupils shrinking, his voice carrying a trace of shock and anger.
"You have such guts, daring to hurt the Star Luo Emperor! Aren't you afraid of bringing disaster to the Clear Sky Clan!"
Tang Hao sneered, his voice deep. "Hmph, you dared to touch my Ah Yin; today I came to collect the debt."
Under the moonlight, the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang Hao's hand emitted a palpitating pressure. He stared coldly at the Great Consecrated Priest, without a trace of fear in his eyes; instead, revealing a sense of determination and killing intent.
"Tang Hao, you hurt the Star Luo Emperor. If I let you walk out of Star Luo City alive today, what face does my Star Luo Empire have left!"
The Great Consecrated Priest shouted angrily, soul power surging like a tide.
A sharp whistle issued from his mouth. As if responding to him, three sharp whistles sounded simultaneously within the palace.
"Called for help?" Tang Hao smiled faintly.
His seventh soul ring shone, and the Clear Sky Hammer suddenly burst forth with intense black light. The massive Clear Sky Hammer unfurled in the wind, actually growing to over a hundred meters long.
The huge hammer head was like a small mountain.
In an instant, the surrounding air became distorted. Ordinary soldiers couldn't move a muscle at this moment.
Tang Hao swept his cold gaze over the four people in front of him. "Hmph, four Soul Douluo. The Star Luo Imperial Family truly has no one left. Today I will let you witness the true power of the Clear Sky Hammer!"
Before his voice fell, Tang Hao suddenly took a step forward, raising the Clear Sky Hammer high.
A dazzling light suddenly lit up on his body. The first soul ring—the yellow hundred-year soul ring—exploded instantly!
"Ring Explosion!"
Tang Hao roared low. The exploded soul ring turned into majestic soul power, pouring into his body. His aura skyrocketed instantly, and the weight of the Clear Sky Hammer seemed to increase several times.
Immediately after, his second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth soul rings also exploded at this moment!
His aura climbed again, the light on the Clear Sky Hammer becoming even more dazzling, as if even the air was being torn apart by this power.
The faces of the several Consecrated Priests changed. They didn't expect Tang Hao to use such an extreme move right from the start.
Their figures retreated rapidly. At the same time, everyone's seventh soul skill—Martial Soul Avatar—activated instantly, and waves of surging aura shocked outward.
"Boom!"
The Clear Sky Hammer smashed heavily onto the group, making a deafening loud noise.
The moment the two forces collided, the entire palace shook.
Surging waves of soul power scattered, and the surrounding palaces collapsed instantly, dust rising everywhere.
The aftershocks spread out, and soldiers below level 50 were instantly crushed by this thick air wave, unable to even scream.
"Block it!"
The Great Consecrated Priest roared, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The several Consecrated Priests exerted force simultaneously, forcefully blocking the Clear Sky Hammer's aura within the encirclement.
Tang Hao had a broken arm and lost a soul bone; his soul power had consequently dropped to level 89.
If the Consecrated Priests engaged in guerrilla warfare with Tang Hao, they might have been able to besiege and kill him here.
But now the battlefield was the Imperial Palace; they naturally couldn't let Tang Hao continue destroying it.
Tang Hao stood in place, the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand trembling slightly.
He took a deep breath, and his eighth soul ring exploded at this moment!
"Final blow, end it!" Tang Hao's voice was cold and resolute. The light on the Clear Sky Hammer reached its extreme, as if heaven and earth were about to be torn apart by this hammer.
Before his voice fell, the Clear Sky Hammer, carrying world-destroying power, smashed fiercely toward the four Consecrated Priests.
The faces of the Consecrated Priests changed drastically, and they hurriedly used soul skills to defend. However, in front of Tang Hao in the Ring Explosion state, their defenses appeared so fragile.
"Boom!"
The Clear Sky Hammer fell, and the defenses of the Consecrated Priests collapsed instantly.
Their bodies were shaken and sent flying backward, blood spurting wildly from their mouths. They fell heavily to the ground, unable to stand up again.
Tang Hao put away the Clear Sky Hammer, glanced coldly at the people on the ground, and turned to leave.
However, the moment he turned around, his body swayed slightly, and his face turned pale instantly.
A mouthful of blood almost spurted from his mouth, but he forcibly held it back.
The side effects of Ring Explosion began to manifest; the meridians in his body had suffered severe damage.
Tang Hao gritted his teeth, propping up his body, and said coldly, "Today's matter is just the beginning. Star Luo Empire, sooner or later, you will pay the price for your actions!"
After speaking, his figure disappeared into the night, leaving only a mess on the ground and the angry roars of the few men.
Tang Hao's figure stumbled forward in the night. His face was as pale as paper, and a trace of dried blood hung at the corner of his mouth.
Just as he was about to leave the range of the Imperial Palace, a sharp sound of breaking air suddenly came from behind.
"Tang Hao, prepare to die!"
A cold voice rang out. Immediately after, a pitch-black long spear, like a venomous snake, stabbed toward Tang Hao's back heart.
Dense soul power wrapped around that long spear, its speed so fast that it was almost impossible to react.
Tang Hao turned abruptly, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes.
He recognized that spear—the Soul Breaking Spear!