The powerful effects of the hundred-thousand-year soul bone were on full display. Although the teleportation skill consumed a certain amount of Soul Power, when channeled through the soul bone, Tang San's teleportation required no charging time.
The oppressive force that Tian Ya had felt now descended upon himself. Though E Kao didn't possess Tian Ya's speed, his reflexes were no less swift—he rolled on the spot and flipped out of the way. Though he ended up covered in dust, Tang San's hammer blow still struck empty air.
Though neither of them was struck, the faces of both E Kao and Tian Ya had gone deathly pale.
They simply couldn't understand how this young man before them, who didn't even have a single Soul Ring visible, could execute such a terrifying teleportation ability. And the powerful Soul Power fluctuations emanating from that hammer gave them an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
This was simply unwinnable. It wasn't as though they lacked area-of-effect attacks, but under the ever-intensifying influence of the Killing God Domain, their already feeble fighting spirit had been completely shattered.
"Bu Le, retreat! A gentleman bides his time—ten years is not too late for revenge!" E Kao screamed in a shrill voice.
But for Bu Le now, retreating was no longer so easy.
The massive dome that Bu Le swung hurtled toward Ma Hongjun like a lid descending. In the past, he had used this very dome to block Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line, then trapped him inside and beaten him senseless. But the Ma Hongjun of today was no longer the chubby kid of yesteryear. After years of training and with the aid of the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, his phoenix had truly awakened. How could such viscous Phoenix Flame be blocked by an ordinary Martial Soul?
A burst of firelight flashed suddenly. Ma Hongjun neither dodged nor avoided it, charging head-on into Bu Le's twin domes. Bu Le's Martial Soul was called the Heavenly Net Twin Dome—a peculiar Martial Soul. Perhaps because this fellow was far too lecherous by nature, his Martial Soul had actually evolved from certain female necessities.
It was naturally extremely tough, especially when augmented by Bu Le's Soul Power, and had diverse applications. Among Control Type Soul Masters, it could be considered quite the oddity.
Unfortunately for him, today he was facing Ma Hongjun, whose Phoenix Flame had fully awakened.
A flash of pink light, and Ma Hongjun's body was enveloped as the two Heavenly Net Domes overlapped and closed around him. Bu Le was overjoyed immediately—his third Soul Ring blazed with light, the Heavenly Net Domes contracted in an instant, and he himself lunged toward Ma Hongjun at tremendous speed.
Damn fatso, you're dead meat this time. I'm going to destroy your little thing first and let you feel what it's like to no longer be a man.
But before he could get close to Ma Hongjun, suddenly an intense searing heat surged from the depths of his being. The next instant, the heat rushed up his throat, and with a cry, Bu Le spat out a mouthful of blood. His forward momentum slowed abruptly.
With horror, he saw that his Heavenly Net Twin Domes had actually turned fiery red. Streams of flame began to leak through from within, and the scorching sensation continued to assault his body and mind.
The Martial Soul and the Soul Master were one entity—when the Martial Soul sustained damage, the Soul Master would also take a corresponding blow. Bu Le's Martial Soul was merely this Heavenly Net Twin Dome, nothing like Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor that was virtually limitless. In a state of shock, his mind cleared somewhat from its earlier fury, and he hastily retrieved his Heavenly Net Twin Dome without hesitation.
With a whoosh, a pair of magnificent phoenix wings spread open in spectacular fashion. The enormous phoenix pinions unfurled behind Ma Hongjun—though he himself was chubby and round, those phoenix wings were indescribably dazzling. Their moving beauty and the blazing flames left all the surrounding soldiers and the members of the Strength Clan filled with awe.
Those four members of the Strength Clan had originally thought Ma Hongjun was merely Tang San's sidekick. The little fatty was easygoing by nature, never cared about status, and had never bothered to explain anything about himself. Now, as he spread his phoenix wings and unleashed his third soul skill, Phoenix Wings Soaring to Heaven, only then did the Strength Clan members realize just how powerful he truly was. The sheer oppressive force of his Martial Soul alone was enough to make Soul Masters of the same rank feel immense pressure—let alone Bu Le, facing the fatty head-on.
Bu Le's retrieved Heavenly Net Twin Dome was already riddled with damage. Seeing Ma Hongjun's spread phoenix wings, he knew he was unlikely to walk away from this unscathed. E Kao's shout came at that very moment, but retreating was easier said than done.
Ma Hongjun grinned. "My turn." Behind him, the massive wings of Phoenix Wings Soaring to Heaven beat down, sending his rotund body soaring into the air as he hurtled toward Bu Le. With the increase in his Soul Power, Phoenix Wings Soaring to Heaven could sustain his flight for progressively longer periods. Though his speed didn't look particularly fast, the Phoenix Flame erupting from Ma Hongjun's body locked firmly onto Bu Le, forcing Bu Le to face him with full concentration.
If Bu Le tried to flee now, how could his speed possibly match Ma Hongjun in the air? Once caught from behind, his fate would only be more wretched.
With no other choice, Bu Le could only grip his still-scorching Heavenly Net Twin Domes with both hands and hold them before his chest, his face a mask of grief and indignation. Of course, the grief and indignation emanating from that wretched face of his were quite difficult for anyone to sympathize with.
"Bu Le—" E Kao lunged toward Bu Le without a moment's hesitation, and Tian Ya did the same. They could both see that Bu Le couldn't withstand this blow. If Ma Hongjun got close, his death would be certain.
"Your opponent is me." Tang San's third hammer crashed downward in a devastating arc, the hammer held slightly horizontal. The evolved Clear Sky Hammer radiated an even more overwhelming dominance than before, and under the Killing God Domain's influence, the two complemented each other perfectly. Three consecutive strikes were swung in the manner of the Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique—though Tang San's body kept teleporting, this did nothing to diminish the stacking force of his hammer blows.
Tian Ya and E Kao's eyes had turned red. "I'll fight you to the death!"
E Kao's sixth Soul Ring suddenly blazed to life—a thousand-year Soul Ring as well. His swan wings instantly turned black as he spun around, and within the surging dark light, a fierce and razor-sharp wave of energy erupted from his wings, meeting Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer head-on.
"Swan Asura Blade!"
Regardless, he was a Soul Emperor above the sixtieth rank. Even if he couldn't defeat Tang San, the attack power he could unleash when fighting for his life was still terrifying.
And Tian Ya used that brief instant to burst forward, leaping in front of Bu Le. His broken blade held high, his own sixth Soul Ring also released a blinding brilliance. The broken blade actually began to grow—in the blink of an eye it transformed into a four-foot-long saber. The saber danced through the air as hundreds of blade lights converged into a curtain of light, blocking Ma Hongjun's incoming assault. This was none other than Tian Ya's sixth soul skill—Broken Blade Hundred Slashes.
A thunderous explosion rang out. Tang San's body was sent flying by the tremendous impact, flipping backward three times in the air before falling toward the ground.
But E Kao was faring no better. Though Tang San's Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique had only accumulated three hammer blows' worth of force, Tang San's own Soul Power was higher than his, and there was also the eight-hundred-jin weight of the Clear Sky Hammer. So despite having no soul skill amplification, the attack power of Tang San's strike was still terrifying.
As the foremost of all tool Martial Souls, how could the power of the Clear Sky Hammer be underestimated? E Kao felt as though his arms were about to split apart, his insides were on fire, and both of his calves had sunk into the ground.
Tang San was also quite surprised—he hadn't expected that the seemingly cowardly E Kao and Tian Ya could burst forth with such tremendous power in an instant. E Kao's Swan Asura Blade carried extremely formidable attack power. Though Tang San had the Clear Sky Hammer to block it, the fierce blade energy still sliced his right shoulder. Fortunately, his reactions were swift enough to avoid a serious injury.
This blade had undoubtedly served as a wake-up call for Tang San, and also filled him with self-reproach. Clearly superior in strength to his opponent yet still wounded by him—that could only mean one thing: he had been careless and underestimated his enemy. E Kao was by no means strong among Soul Emperor-level Soul Masters, yet Tang San had still underestimated him, nearly getting himself seriously hurt.
At the same moment that Tang San and E Kao separated, the battle on Ma Hongjun's side also reached its conclusion. A dense mass of flame erupted in midair, splitting into countless fiery red orbs of light that blasted outward. Hundreds of fireballs hung in the air like dazzling fireworks, each one containing Phoenix Flame with tremendous explosive power and scorching heat.
Facing Tian Ya's sixth soul skill, the fatty finally unleashed his own fifth soul skill—Phoenix Meteor Shower.
Even Tang San had never seen this soul skill of the fatty's before. As the skill was deployed, half the sky turned crimson red. The inherent advantages of one's Martial Soul grew ever more pronounced with increasing Soul Power. As one of the most powerful beast Martial Souls, Ma Hongjun's Fire Phoenix continued to transcend. Though this was merely a fifth soul skill, it was also the fatty's first thousand-year soul skill—and when pitted against Tian Ya's sixth soul skill, it showed absolutely no disadvantage.
Titan, watching from the sidelines, bellowed at the soldiers, "Run if you don't want to die!"
The soldiers had long since been stunned senseless by the magnificent spectacle. Only when they heard Titan's lion-like roar did they snap back to reality, scattering in a frenzy while crying out in terror.
The very moment they began fleeing, the two great soul skills collided.
A chain of thunderous booms exploded in the sky. Phoenix meteors crashed into Tian Ya's blade lights one after another. Both shattered on impact, collided again, and shattered once more.
In terms of Soul Power, Tian Ya, as a Soul Emperor, was naturally somewhat stronger. But how could his Martial Soul compare to Ma Hongjun's? Amid the relentless violent collisions, the broken blade in Tian Ya's hands had become scorching hot, and the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him left him increasingly breathless. His Broken Blade Hundred Slashes had been gradually pushed back, and he was on the verge of being unable to hold off the Phoenix Meteor Shower.
The reason Ma Hongjun could suppress him despite the rank gap was not only due to his Martial Soul and soul skills—let us not forget that he also possessed a soul bone. The comprehensive physical attribute boosts granted by that soul bone alone were more than enough to bridge the not-so-large Soul Power gap between him and Tian Ya. Under these circumstances, how could Tian Ya possibly withstand his assault?
Bu Le's expression had turned extremely ugly. He spread his Heavenly Net Twin Domes, positioning one before himself and the other before Tian Ya. Ma Hongjun's formidable Phoenix Meteor Shower was already beyond what he could intervene in with his current strength—all he could do was try to provide some measure of defense for the two of them.
Finally, with a piercing sound of shattering, Tian Ya sprayed blood from his mouth. His broken blade had ultimately reverted to being a broken blade once more. The shattering of his Martial Soul directly left him gravely wounded.
And at this point, Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Meteors still numbered at least fifty or sixty.
E Kao's blood surged with agitation. Though he could see what was happening over there, it was already too late to provide aid. His heart raced with urgency, and he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood as well.
But what no one had expected was that the fatty's last few dozen Phoenix Meteors did not come crashing down. Instead, they suddenly changed direction, tracing an arc through the air and flying upward, gradually fading in midair.
Tian Ya and Bu Le, who had been certain they were about to die, now had looks of utter disbelief in their eyes. On the other side, E Kao was also stunned speechless.
However, equally surprised was Tang San—though not because the fatty had pulled his punches at the last moment, but because of the wound on his shoulder.
The initially damaged wound had caused him a burst of stinging pain, but when he turned to look at it, he saw a faint layer of golden light shimmering over the wound. Then his right leg grew warm, and as the golden light silently faded, the injury on his shoulder had actually healed completely. Had the torn clothing on his shoulder not given it away, one would never have known a wound had been there at all.
In that instant, Tang San finally perceived the effect of his Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone's second skill. His memory drifted back to when he had mutilated his own right leg—when he had forcibly extracted the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, he had felt an intense itching sensation spreading from the wound throughout his entire body. It seemed to have been the combined effect of his bloodline and the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone. But at the time, he had been singularly focused on saving Xiao Wu and hadn't paid it any mind. Now, recalling it, he finally understood what the second skill of the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone truly was.
As the heir to the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, possessing the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone meant that, for Tang San himself, the effects of this hundred-thousand-year soul bone should naturally surpass those of the hundred-thousand-year soul bone produced by Xiao Wu. Only now did Tang San finally understand where its true strength lay.
Ma Hongjun's phoenix wings remained spread behind him. He had now landed before Tian Ya and Bu Le, a hint of a smile on his chubby face. "I really didn't expect that two guys who look so sleazy could actually show some brotherly loyalty."
The fat cigar that had been in Tian Ya's mouth was long gone. In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Why didn't you kill us?"
Ma Hongjun curled his lip. "Are you that eager to die? What happened between me and Bu Le was settled long ago. He hit me, and I burned his little precious. I've had no grudge against him for a long time. Why would I kill him? What you guys do here—robbing and pillaging—has nothing to do with me. I just don't feel like killing anyone, alright? Now scram and clear the road so we can pass."
Bu Le stared at Ma Hongjun in a daze. Clearly, he hadn't expected Ma Hongjun to say something like this. For a moment, though the hatred in his eyes hadn't diminished, it was no longer as venomous as before. Looking at the dazzling phoenix wings behind the fatty, something else seemed to flicker in his gaze as well.
E Kao quickly walked over to the two of them and tugged at their clothes. Bu Le and Tian Ya both understood immediately. Neither said another word. Bu Le waved toward the distant soldiers. "Let them pass."
The soldiers didn't dare hesitate. The only reason they had been so brazen before was that they had Bu Le and the other two Soul Masters backing them up. Seeing that their protectors couldn't even hold the line, they hastily moved the roadblocks aside and cleared a path.
Tang San walked up to Ma Hongjun without another word. Though the four members of the Strength Clan were somewhat displeased, they returned to the carriage at Titan's meaningful glance.
Ma Hongjun grinned at Bu Le. "If you ever want to find me, come to Heaven Dou City. I'll be happy to oblige anytime."
Bu Le and Tian Ya exchanged a glance, then suddenly spoke to Ma Hongjun. "Little fatty, I have a few words for you."
Ma Hongjun blinked. "What else is there to say?"
Bu Le sighed, then suddenly reached over and wrapped his arm around Tian Ya's beside him. "Actually... I don't hate you that much. When you first burned my precious part, I was in absolute agony. But later, when my wounds healed... I suddenly discovered that being a woman isn't so bad." As he spoke, he deliberately leaned his head against Tian Ya's shoulder, wearing a coquettish expression on his face.