The formless and intangible Giant Dragon of energy, carrying the terrifying power imbued by Yun Ming and Tang Xiao, charged toward Tang Xiao at high speed.
"Wooo--"
Tang Xiao was too close to the energy; before he could recover or prepare a defense, the energy struck him. The last thing Tang Xiao heard was a heavy, whistling wind that sounded suspiciously like a dragon's roar.
"BOOM--"
The energy Giant Dragon crushed Tang Xiao and slammed into the earth, emitting a thunderous sound. Simultaneously, a massive shockwave surged outward with the force of a collapsing mountain and an overturning sea.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo, Yang Wudi, and the others channeled their full Soul Power, retreating at top speed to seek emergency shelter.
After unleashing his ultimate move, Yun Ming immediately used Teleportation to appear in front of the fleeing Dugu Bo. He made a quick judgment of the distance and realized they likely wouldn't escape the shockwave's radius, so he decided to find a powerhouse to help block it.
In the end, it was just as Yun Ming had anticipated; even though Dugu Bo and the others ran quite promptly, they still couldn't avoid being caught in the crossfire. Seeing that things were dire, Dugu Bo quickly activated his Martial Soul Avatar, shielding the three of them and the suddenly appearing Yun Ming beneath the Serpent Coil.
No sooner had Dugu Bo finished his defense than the shockwave descended upon the serpent's body. The massive frame of the Jade Scale Serpent Emperor was instantly struck by the formidable impact.
The shockwave swept past Yun Ming and the others, continuing to spread outward. It covered not only the entire plaza but also the surrounding areas near the plaza, burying everything under a cloud of dust and debris.
Fortunately, Yun Ming's Fifth Soul Skill was a domain-type and did not generate a world barrier; otherwise, he would have had to endure a backlash of power from his soul skill being broken.
"Rumble--"
"."
From a distance, Tang San, who was spying on the scene, saw that most of the Breaking Clan was shrouded in dust. Hearing the deafening roar in his ears, he felt both anxious and hopeful.
He was anxious because the attack Tang Xiao had just received was too powerful, and he didn't know if he could withstand it; he was hopeful that the members of the Breaking Clan would be severely injured, or better yet, die directly in the impact.
Although after seeing the Jade Scale Serpent Emperor appear, Tang San felt it was unlikely, but what if that was just a fragile snake!
After a long while, the noise gradually subsided, and the scene returned to calm. Tang San stared intently at the changes on the field.
Unfortunately, the scene Tang San had hoped for did not come to pass. Shortly after the situation settled, a "swishing" whistling sound echoed from the center of the field.
Tang San squinted to look, and it was a giant snake violently whipping its tail to disperse the smoke and dust.
Before long, the battlefield reappeared before Tang San's eyes.
The original plaza and the surrounding buildings had vanished, leaving behind a massive crater a hundred zhang in diameter. About twenty zhang from the center of the impact, a giant snake covered in wounds was hissing at the sky. Although its scales were severely damaged and the Jade Light was dim, it was clear from its spirit that it had not suffered a mortal blow.
The giant snake dissipated into specks of soul power, and Tang San saw Yun Ming and the others once again.
Yang Wudi and Yang Wutian remained unchanged, while Dugu Bo's face was somewhat pale—a result of the aftershocks. Although he had sustained minor injuries, it was nothing serious.
As for Yun Ming, the runes on his forehead faded, his Gold and Silver Pupils receded back to normal, and the armor on his body vanished. This battle, which spanned over thirty levels of difference, consumed too much Soul Power. At this moment, he could only barely maintain his Fifth Soul Skill and could no longer support his full-power combat mode.
Yun Ming turned his head and glanced in the direction where Tang San was hiding. He had noticed Tang San earlier while fighting Tang Xiao, but he hadn't had the time to deal with him. Now that Tang San still dared to watch, he truly didn't know how to write the word "death."
However, before Yun Ming could pursue him, he heard a familiar heartbeat.
Yun Ming looked back toward Tang Xiao's location, sensing the still-formidable vitality at the very center of the impact. He was astonished by the strength of Tang Xiao's physique—how could he be fine after that?!
It was just like before, when Tang Xiao took many shots from Yun Ming but only suffered superficial wounds; it was simply abnormal!
Dugu Bo and the others also noticed Tang Xiao's current state. Dugu Bo instinctively fired a "Jade Scale Poison Light" toward Tang Xiao, but just as it was about to hit, a large hammer flashing with electric light appeared and blocked the poison.
"Bang--"
At the same time, the sound of footsteps rang out.
"Thump, thump, thump."
Tang Xiao reappeared before Yun Ming and the others.
Yang Wudi looked at the muscular man opposite him, who only had fabric covering his lower body while the rest of his skin was exposed. Aside from his previous wounds, he appeared to have no new injuries, and he exclaimed in surprise.
"How is this possible? With such a powerful impact, how could you not be injured?"
Even Dugu Bo's Martial Soul Avatar had been injured while twenty zhang away from the center of the impact; how could a Title Douluo with a Weapon Spirit be completely unscathed?
Tang San's eyes lit up when he saw that Tang Xiao was unharmed.
Only Yun Ming saw the faint yellow soul light surrounding the opponent's body, as well as his plummeting—and still falling—Soul Power pressure, and he understood. Yun Ming spoke up.
"You are indeed lucky to have obtained a rare Head Spirit Bone with time-based attributes. However, with only one-tenth of your total Soul Power remaining, you are still going to die."
Hearing Yun Ming's words, Tang Xiao's expression stiffened; he hadn't expected his soul skill's secret to be seen through so quickly.
Just as Yun Ming had judged, the reason Tang Xiao's injuries hadn't worsened was because of his family's heirloom Head Spirit Bone.
The effect of Tang Xiao's Head Spirit Bone skill, "Time Lock," locked the time of the host's body upon activation. Regardless of any subsequent abnormal states, severe injuries, or poisoning, they would not manifest immediately.
The side effect of this soul skill was that once the Time Lock ended, all injuries and toxins would erupt simultaneously, potentially causing sudden death. Furthermore, during the duration of the Time Lock, the more severe the injuries, the more Soul Power was consumed to maintain the state. It was a high-risk but highly effective soul bone skill.
When Tang Xiao was first injured, he had locked his body in its least-damaged state, which was why he could still stand now.
Although Dugu Bo and the others didn't know the specifics of Tang Xiao's soul skill, after Yun Ming's reminder, they felt a bit more at ease seeing Tang Xiao's Soul Power plummet.
At this moment, Tang Xiao realized that once the "Time Lock" ended, his body would likely be unable to withstand the eruption of his injuries, and his days were numbered. His heart, however, grew calm.
Looking at Yun Ming, whose soul power fluctuations had returned to the level of a Soul King, Tang Xiao praised him sincerely.
"Yun Ming, it is my honor to have met a talent like you, who stands unrivaled throughout history, and to have crossed blades with you."
"Even my grandfather, Tang Chen, is like a mere firefly compared to you."
"It is a pity! I should have stopped the elders' suggestions back then; otherwise, we would not have ended up at this point."
"It is likely that the Clear Sky Sect will produce an unparalleled talent capable of rivaling the Angel God!"
Yun Ming looked at Tang Xiao, who was sighing with infinite emotion, and spoke indifferently.
"But there are no 'ifs' in this world; this is our destiny."
Tang Xiao sighed deeply.
"Indeed!"
"So, receive the final strike of my life! Let us see where your destiny will be led."
As these words fell, all nine of Tang Xiao's Soul Rings shattered simultaneously.
Dugu Bo and Yang Wutian saw all of Tang Xiao's Soul Rings explode and were momentarily confused, but only Yang Wudi's expression shifted drastically, his face pale with panic as he shouted.
"No, it is the Clear Sky Sect's supreme art, the Great Sumeru Hammer! Quickly, dodge!"
Yang Wudi had heard his father describe the characteristics of the Great Sumeru Hammer when he was a child. Because the technique required detonating one's Soul Rings at the final stage, it left a deep impression on him, and he recognized it at a glance.
Just as Yang Wudi had said, what Tang Xiao was using at this moment was indeed the Clear Sky Sect's supreme art, the Great Sumeru Hammer.
Although this technique was said to be passed down to only one person per generation—with the current successor being Tang Hao—Tang Hao had suffered severe injuries after the events of the past. It would not have been a surprise if he had died suddenly, so he had long since passed the secret technique to Tang Xiao to guard against the unexpected.
Hearing Yang Wudi's words, Tang Xiao also spoke up.
"Correct, it is indeed the Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Afterward, Tang Xiao began to explain the essence of the technique. With all his Soul Rings detonated, his death was a foregone conclusion. The only reason he could still stand and not explode instantly was the effect of his Inheritance Spirit Bone helping him preserve his life. This was also why this bone was considered the head of the Clear Sky Sect's inheritance bones; it was simply too well-suited for the Great Sumeru Hammer.
But Tang Xiao could not let the Clear Sky Sect's art be lost upon his death, so he intended to pass on the finer points of the Great Sumeru Hammer—those not written down—to Tang San. As for whether Yun Ming and the others heard it, it did not matter; it was useless for the dead to hear anything.
"Little San, listen carefully to what follows. This will be your greatest trump card for traversing the Soul Master World in the future."
"The Great Sumeru Hammer is a special cultivation method passed down exclusively to the successive Clear Sky Douluo since the Clear Sky Sect's inception a millennium ago. Because this cultivation method has extremely high requirements for the practitioner—requiring a genius with innate talent and excellent physical constitution—it is impossible to master without such gifts, and attempting it carries a risk to one's life. Thus, it can only be passed to one person per generation. The orthodox successor of our generation is your father, Tang Hao!"
"The so-called Great Sumeru Hammer involves condensing all of one's Soul Rings into a single entity and injecting them entirely into the Clear Sky Hammer. It transforms them into the purest power and attack force, multiplying one's own strength geometrically to forcibly break through all restraints. It allows one to exert power far beyond one's own Soul Power, following the path of 'one force overcoming ten techniques.' No matter how many soul skills or techniques the opponent possesses, they cannot contend with the purest power and attack force of the Clear Sky Hammer."
"Finally, there is the ultimate mystery of the Great Sumeru Hammer—Ring Detonation."
"Every Soul Ring can be detonated once. After detonation, the power of the Soul Ring is completely unleashed, instantly becoming one's own strength and merging into the attack, producing power far greater than one's original capability. When detonating a ring, the higher the quality of the Soul Ring, the greater the effect, but the greater the backlash."
"Each Soul Ring detonated provides a massive boost in strength. Once all Soul Rings have been detonated, the user will enter a state of weakness. However, for those with extremely strong physical constitutions, as long as the age of the nine Soul Rings is not exceptionally high, they will not enter a state of weakness after the detonation. Yet, the process of detonating rings is extremely dangerous. If one loses control and cannot suppress the backlash generated by the detonation, one may be consumed by the energy of the explosion. This is why only the successive Clear Sky Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect practice the Great Sumeru Hammer; without powerful talent and a deep foundation, performing this art is no different from suicide."
"The price of Ring Detonation is also immense. After using the Great Sumeru Hammer's Ring Detonation once, all Soul Rings will disappear for three days, leaving only Soul Power. It takes a full three days for the Soul Rings to gradually recover, and after using Ring Detonation once, one must wait at least thirty-six days before using it again, otherwise, there is a risk that the Soul Rings will be truly shattered."
"Theoretically speaking, the power of the Great Sumeru Hammer is infinite."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo, Yang Wudi, and the others immediately turned pale and tried to move to dodge. But it was too late. Tang Xiao had finished detonating his rings, and a terrifying pressure far exceeding that of a level 96 powerhouse descended upon this space, pinning the three of them—excluding Yun Ming—in place.
Feeling Tang Xiao's current aura, Yun Ming's expression turned grave. For the first time, he felt the situation slipping out of his control.
Tang Xiao's current aura had initially touched the level of a Limit Douluo. Although in Yun Ming's perception, Tang Xiao indeed only had the strength for one strike as he had claimed, this final, desperate hammer blow had a power that likely rivaled the full-force strike of a Demigod.
(In Douluo Dalu 3, Limit Douluo are divided into three tiers: Quasi-Demigod, Demigod, and Quasi-God. Before his death in his previous life, Yun Ming was roughly at the level of a step beyond Quasi-God.)
As he finished speaking, Tang Xiao slowly removed the Space Ring from his hand, which contained the detailed cultivation methods for the Great Sumeru Hammer and the ten forms of the Clear Sky Nine Decisions. Tang Xiao tore through the space of this small world and sent it to Tang San. Yun Ming wanted to intercept it, but he could not; the current Tang Xiao was not something this small world could restrain.
Tang San looked at the ring that appeared out of thin air, his eyes blurred with tears.
"Uncle."
Tang Xiao looked at Tang San, smiled, and said one final thing.
"Little San, farewell. Live well!"
After speaking, Tang Xiao used the limit of his life's strength to strike out a stable Space Channel, sending Tang San far away from this place.
Tang San was swallowed by the Space Channel, leaving this place to head toward the next stop in his life.
The battlefield was left once again to Yun Ming and the others. Tang Xiao soared into the air, looking down at the four people below, and spoke.
"To be able to die under the Great Sumeru Hammer, you should be proud."
Subsequently, Tang Xiao raised the Clear Sky Hammer above his head. The fragments of his Soul Rings and his blood-colored Soul Power surged into the hammer all at once. Bolstered by the Soul Power, the Clear Sky Hammer expanded rapidly.
One hundred meters, two hundred meters... nine hundred meters. The diameter of the hammer head quickly reached a staggering nine hundred meters and was still slowly growing, finally stopping at the limit of nine hundred and ninety-nine meters.
With power reaching this level, Tang Xiao's Head Spirit Bone also reached its limit. The wounds that he had previously been able to seal began to bleed, and scars appeared all over Tang Xiao's body as blood poured out. However, Tang Xiao no longer cared. He shouted sharply.
"Great Sumeru Hammer—Killing Word Art!"
The Killing Word Art, which no one could resist, was the strongest killing move created by the Clear Sky Sect Master Tang Xiao by merging the nine word arts: Hide, Seal, Pierce, Penetrate, Entangle, Zhen, Break, Kill, and Collapse. Now, driven by the power of the Great Sumeru Hammer, Tang Xiao's attack power had reached the absolute peak of his life.
Tang Xiao's face flushed red, the muscles in his arms bulged, his blood vessels burst, and blood sprayed out as he swung his final hammer with all his might.
Yun Ming looked at Dugu Bo and the others, who were pinned down by the sky-covering hammer. His lips moved slightly to transmit his voice to the three, and then, under their disbelieving gazes, he channeled the World Force to send the three of them out of this small world.
After sending Dugu Bo and the others away, Yun Ming watched the approaching world-destroying hammer, the Lapis Light flashing in his eyes as the entire small world began to burn.
Yun Ming looked up at Tang Xiao, the Glazed Fire rising in his eyes, and said softly.
"Since that is the case, let this world be buried with you!"
As he finished speaking, the Great Sumeru Hammer, wreathed in boundless blood-colored lightning, descended. East of Heaven Dou City, a true Heaven Falls and Earth Cracks.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader