Chapter 498. Void Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail (Part 2)

If this were on flat ground, two seconds would mean nothing, but he was currently suspended in mid-air above the abyss.

The two Clear Sky Hammers instantly merged into one—and one that had lost its Tool Spirit True Body effect at that. Under the immense weight of the Clear Sky Hammer, his entire body plummeted downward like a meteor chasing the moon.

One had to understand that with his Soul Power exceeding the ninety-rank level, the weight of the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand already exceeded three thousand jin, and during the activation of the Tool Spirit True Body, it could surpass ten thousand jin. How far would three thousand jin fall in a two-second freefall? From the shore, onlookers could only watch as the Seventh Elder's body vanished into the mist in the blink of an eye.

A figure shot rapidly downslope—it was Tang Xiao, Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect. He was certainly not going to rescue the Seventh Elder; a Titled Douluo didn't go down that easily. What worried him was Tang San, who had been hit by the Seventh Elder's Tool Spirit True Body.

On the cliff face, a deep crater had been smashed into the rock, and Tang San's body had sunk a full ten meters into it.

But when Tang Xiao reached the cliff wall and was about to enter the crater to rescue Tang San, he happened to see Tang San walking out on his own.

The Eight Spider Lances on his back were retracting, merging back into his body. The Blue Silver Grass blades were also dissolving back into him one by one. All Tang Xiao could see were some fine cracks on the Eight Spider Lances. Beyond that, only the trace of blood at the corner of Tang San's mouth could attest that he had just been struck by the Clear Sky Hammer's Tool Spirit True Body.

"Xiao San, you..." Tang Xiao gripped the cliff face with one hand, staring at Tang San with a mixture of shock and concern.

Tang San wiped the blood from his mouth with a bitter smile. "Uncle, I'm fine. Please don't worry."

With the Blue Silver Grass having evolved into the Blue Silver Emperor, Tang San's already extraordinarily resilient body had gained countless additional layers of vitality. Tang Hao had once said that in terms of physical toughness, there were probably only a handful of people on the entire continent who could surpass him. Under the protection of the Blue Silver Grass and the Eight Spider Lances, Tang San had fully leveraged his own durability. Moreover, since the Tool Spirit True Body had already been weakened somewhat by his Blue Silver Overlord Lance, even though his body had been embedded in the cliff, the majority of the impact had been absorbed by the evolved external soul bone—the Eight Spider Lances. He himself had only suffered some concussive injuries. The only thing that depressed Tang San was that for at least the next month, he would not be able to use the Eight Spider Lances. They needed time to recover.

Tang Xiao stared dumbfounded as Tang San launched himself up from right beside him, a burst of air jetting from his right leg as he returned to the mountain summit in the blink of an eye. He was left utterly speechless. Brother Hao, you really have raised a little monster!

Tang San had come back up before waiting for Tang Xiao because his Soul Power expenditure had been far too great, and he needed to rest immediately. Otherwise, he truly would have been injured.

Watching Tang San climb back up, every single one of the Clear Sky Sect's elders and second- and third-generation disciples was rendered speechless.

Everyone had seen the Seventh Elder forced to unleash his full power at the last moment under the pressure of Tang San's Purple Extreme Demon Eye. The outcome of this contest was beyond dispute. As they watched Tang San climb up, then sit cross-legged on the ground as though no one else existed and begin cultivating, the elders' gazes all took on a peculiar look. One particularly kindly-faced elder even laughed out loud.

"Old Seven took quite a beating there! Second Brother, keep an eye on him later—don't let him do anything rash."

Before the words had even faded, the Seventh Elder's figure had appeared in everyone's line of sight. Though he had fallen fast, his strength was formidable after all. Once he had regained control of his body, he immediately activated a skill, using the thrust of his own Soul Power to propel himself toward the cliff face, then climbed back up—this was how he had returned so quickly.

But seeing him huffing and puffing, his face flushed crimson, the second- and third-generation disciples held their tongues like cicadas in winter. At a time like this, nobody dared to anger the already ill-tempered Seventh Elder.

The moment the Seventh Elder clambered up, he bellowed, "Where's that kid? Don't tell me I smashed him to pieces—how come there's no trace of him?" During his ascent, he had already gone to check the crater that Tang San had been smashed into, but had found no one—only a few traces of blood. That was why he had scrambled up in such a hurry.

Before his words were even finished, he had spotted the cross-legged figure on the ground. He rubbed his eyes hard. "How did this kid get up here? Sect Master, did you save him?"

Tang Xiao shook his head. "He came up on his own."

The Seventh Elder blinked, then declared flatly, "Impossible. Under the full-force strike of my Tool Spirit True Body, he'd lose a layer of skin even if he survived. There's no way he could climb back up on his own. Absolutely impossible."

"Ahem." The Second Elder cleared his throat, walked over to the Seventh Elder, and patted him on the shoulder. "Accept the reality of it. We all watched—the boy flew up from below on his own. If I'm not mistaken, he has some kind of flight ability that he didn't use during the fight with you."

"But..." The Seventh Elder started to say something more.

"Silence." The Second Elder's expression turned stern. "The boy's injuries should not be serious. You violated the prior agreement during the match. You have lost this contest."