In truth, though Tang San was certainly surprised, Bai He's astonishment was no less than his own. Tang San hadn't released his Martial Soul at all, so how could he possibly be using Instant Teleportation so continuously? It was enough to shock anyone. Bai He had already figured out that Tang San's Instant Teleportation didn't come from a Soul Ring skill, which meant it had to come from a Soul Bone. A young man who possessed a Soul Bone — and one with a supreme-grade continuous Instant Teleportation skill at that. All Bai He could hope for was that by relentlessly pursuing him, he could drain as much of Tang San's Soul Power as possible, leaving him unable to sustain the Soul Bone ability any longer.
The incense continued to burn quickly. During the process of the two figures constantly flickering in and out of sight, a quarter of it had already burned away. In that brief span, Tang San had teleported nearly a hundred times. It went to show just how fast Bai He's pursuit truly was.
Bai He was disappointed — Tang San kept teleporting without any sign that his Soul Power was running dry. How could he possibly know that the Soul Bone Tang San used for Instant Teleportation was of the hundred-thousand-year level? Hundred-thousand-year Soul Bones and Soul Rings didn't drain massive amounts of Soul Power when activating their skills, nor did they produce overwhelmingly powerful effects. Instead, they consumed a negligible amount of Soul Power while producing formidable results. That was the greatest benefit of hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings and Soul Bones — and the reason they were regarded as the most precious treasures in the world of Soul Masters.
Suddenly, Bai He's body came to an abrupt halt. Two piercing beams of light burst from his eyes as his seventh Soul Ring lit up first.
Under the influence of that black Soul Ring, waves of distinctive radiance could be seen cascading off Bai He's body. His form then rose into midair — his arms truly became wings, and his pressed-together legs transformed into tail feathers. In the blink of an eye, the patriarch of the Speed Clan had become a Needletail Swift, its body barely a meter long with a wingspan of roughly one and a half meters.
Seventh Soul Skill — Martial Soul Avatar.
Seeing Bai He's Martial Soul Avatar, Tang San froze for a moment, and his expression turned grim. Bai He was even harder to deal with than he'd imagined. Normally, when a Martial Soul Avatar was released, the user's body would grow larger — a bigger frame could hold more Soul Power. But Bai He's Martial Soul Avatar had actually shrunk his body down. That didn't mean his Soul Power hadn't increased; rather, it had been forcibly compressed. The speed he could unleash in this state would have to be described as nothing short of terrifying.
What made Tang San's pupils contract even further was that once Bai He had ascended into midair with his Martial Soul Avatar, the last of the eight Soul Rings encircling his body also blazed to life. For the sake of his clan, this powerful pure-speed Soul Douluo was going all out.
With the flash of that final Soul Ring, the single Needletail Swift hovering in the air instantaneously became five. It was another cloning skill, but an eighth Soul Skill clone would be far from ordinary. Once activated, each of Bai He's clones would possess the same speed and defensive capability as his original body. Of course, his defenses were negligible even among Soul Masters of his rank — but that was beside the point.
More importantly, all five bodies, including his original, could each be considered real — and each could be considered fake. That was to say, under his own control, he could switch any clone into his main body at will, or turn any main body into a clone. For a clan like the Speed Clan, whose offensive and defensive abilities were both limited, this skill could only be called the ultimate escape technique. Even the most powerful Titled Douluo in the world couldn't hope to intercept all five of Bai He's clones when they moved at this kind of speed. As long as even a single clone escaped, he could vanish in an instant.
And of course, for the Speed Clan, having five clones meant they could scout with absolute impunity during reconnaissance missions. Leave one clone in a safe location, and the rest could venture into the most dangerous places to investigate. This seemingly unassuming eighth Soul Skill was, in fact, astonishingly versatile.
A flash of movement — the five Needletail Swifts split apart in every direction, their terrifying speed nearly indistinguishable from Tang San's Instant Teleportation. To create the illusion of teleportation purely through movement speed went to show just how horrifying Bai He's velocity had become.
This also reminded Tang San of what it might look like if Titan and Niu Gao were to unleash their full strength — just how immense their power and defense would become.
But right now, he had no time to dwell on such thoughts, because the pressure bearing down on him had suddenly intensified.
In a moment like this, Tang San couldn't afford to hold anything back. Beyond the purple-gold light flooding both his eyes, one blue and one white ring of light spread out from beneath his feet simultaneously, instantly enveloping the entire hall.
Slowing his opponent down was the same as speeding himself up. Under the influence of the Asura Domain, even a Soul Douluo would suffer some degree of suppression — especially a pure-speed specialist like Bai He, whose offensive and defensive capabilities were already weak. And the Blue Silver Domain would push Tang San's spiritual power to its absolute peak, giving him better control over everything around him.
With both Domains unleashed at full power, Tang San radiated an entirely different aura. The cold, brutal, savage energy of the Asura Domain sent a chill through everyone present. And when the Blue Silver Domain washed over them, they felt that icy sensation intermingled with an intense surge of vital life energy. These two auras, which should never have coexisted, appeared together in perfect synchronicity — how could it not feel eerie?
What truly stunned everyone, Bai He included, was the release of Tang San's Martial Soul.
Without a doubt, Tang San had summoned his Blue Silver Emperor. Two yellow, one purple, two black, and one red — the moment those six brilliant Soul Rings appeared, the air in the reception hall seemed to freeze solid.
Bai Chenxiang, who had just lost to Tang San moments ago, stared with her wide eyes stripped of all defiance, replaced entirely by sheer disbelief. She finally understood — her defeat hadn't been unjust. He was a six-ring Soul Emperor.
She rubbed her eyes hard, certain she had to be seeing things. Because among those six shimmering Soul Rings, the last one was red. That bewitching crimson glow was so overwhelming that it even overshadowed the fact that Tang San's fourth Soul Ring was already black. In the entire reception hall, no color could compare to that red ring.
The elder Bai He, transformed into a Needletail Swift, was equally stunned. As a Soul Master, how could he not know what red represented? But like his granddaughter, his first reaction was disbelief — how was it possible? How could a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring appear on someone so young? And as a sixth Soul Ring at that.
A faint divine light played across Tang San's face as his spiritual perception locked fully onto all five Needletail Swifts. With his experience, he certainly wouldn't assume any of the five clones were decoys. He could clearly sense five auras that were virtually identical. His spiritual perception, enhanced by the Blue Silver Domain's probing, could not be wrong. So in the fight to come, he would be facing five supremely fast pure-speed specialists flying at full velocity.
The incense had burned past the halfway mark. Bai He snapped out of his brief shock quickly — regardless of how strong this young man was, his first priority was to defeat him.
The five Needletail Swifts moved as one. Five silhouettes instantly became five streaks of light, slicing across the reception hall. In that single moment, the Needletail Swifts flying at a height of one meter from the ground had effectively controlled the vast majority of the hall's space.
Tang San's Instant Teleportation was nearly preemptive — the instant his spiritual perception detected fluctuations in his opponent's Soul Power, he had already flickered away. He knew that from this point forward, his teleportation would afford him no breathing room. He had to keep flickering nonstop, or he would have no chance of dodging the relentless pursuit.
But Tang San had still underestimated Bai He's speed in this state. The five Needletail Swifts had taken up positions controlling five separate zones of the hall, and the moment Tang San materialized from a teleport, he was greeted by the sight of a Needletail Swift's beak hovering directly before his face.
Tang San could lock onto Bai He with his spiritual power, but a Soul Douluo of Bai He's caliber could certainly lock onto him in return. The instant Tang San appeared, guided by spiritual resonance, Bai He would materialize right in front of him. His speed was fast enough to rival Tang San's own Instant Teleportation.
Fortunately, Tang San reacted with extraordinary quickness. In the instant his body materialized, he flung his upper body backward into a dramatic iron bridge, and his entire body teleported away again within that very motion — barely, just barely, evading Bai He's lunge.
But for Tang San, this was only the beginning. Far greater difficulties awaited him.
Bai He's full speed had been unleashed. Pure velocity alone rendered all technique meaningless. The next time Tang San's body reappeared, he was already leaning backward, and he didn't hesitate for a moment before rolling sideways, teleporting away in the very same instant to dodge Bai He's pursuit. The spot where Bai He's talons struck was precisely the gap between two teleportations — a window shorter than the blink of an eye.
Bai He's composure had settled in. Given how things were developing, Tang San would find it increasingly difficult to dodge. But Tang San's next teleportation took Bai He completely by surprise.
This time, when Tang San reappeared, his entire body was already in midair. Most remarkably, one of Bai He's Needletail Swift clones could only sweep beneath his feet, missing him entirely.
Bai He's prediction had been flawless — even teleporting into the air, Tang San's body should have dipped slightly before the next teleportation. But instead of falling, Tang San had actually risen a few inches higher. Bai He's diving attack hit nothing but empty air.
And it was in that precise moment that Bai He clearly saw Tang San's sixth Soul Ring — the red ring representing a hundred thousand years — ignite. Tang San's sixth Soul Skill, which he had never once used, finally revealed itself to everyone.
A faint, ethereal silhouette emerged before him. Though the figure was translucent, not a trace of her beauty was diminished.
Hair as black and glossy as midnight was braided into a neat scorpion braid that draped past her calves. A pair of expressive, soulful eyes held a hint of gentle sorrow and quiet contentment. A graceful figure, slender legs — every aspect of her appeared utterly flawless. Even Bai Chenxiang, who had always considered herself exceptionally beautiful, was struck dumb the moment this apparition appeared before Tang San.
The instant she materialized, the space around Tang San's body warped and distorted slightly, causing Bai He's five Needletail Swifts to pass through as though they were phasing through a mirage, never once making contact with Tang San's body.
Gazing upon that beautiful silhouette, Tang San's eyes glazed over with a daze he couldn't control. His slightly reddened eyes and trembling body betrayed the emotions he could no longer contain.
Yes — that ethereal figure was none other than Xiao Wu. Her faint form turned gently in the air to face Tang San. One slender, delicate hand rose and came to rest against his cheek.
There was no sensation of physical contact, and she couldn't speak, but the collision of their souls sent tears streaming down Tang San's face in an unstoppable flood. In that moment, he had entirely forgotten that he was still in the middle of his contest with Bai He. For him, nothing in the world mattered anymore — only the gentle face before him.
A red radiance enveloped both their bodies. Time and again, the Needletail Swifts swept past, phasing through nothing but warped light, never once managing to reach Tang San.
Bai He certainly couldn't call this a foul. It was true that the Soul Skill Tang San had deployed wasn't a contest of pure speed, but wasn't Bai He's eighth Soul Skill — the Speed Clone — also something other than raw velocity?
In this moment, though Tang San did not speak, and though the enchanting phantom before him made no grand gestures — merely brushing his face with her fingertips — the emotion that radiated between them saturated the entire hall, touching every heart present.
With painstaking care, Tang San raised his hands and gently cradled the ethereal figure before him. This sixth Soul Skill hadn't been something he'd activated deliberately. Before this, he'd had only a vague understanding of what his sixth skill did. He had never wanted to use it because he didn't want to relive the soul-crushing agony that came with summoning it. But he had never imagined that this sixth Soul Skill would manifest on its own at his moment of greatest need — and that he would be reunited with the breathtaking beauty that haunted his every waking thought.
It was more than just a flicker of emotion. In that instant, Tang San's heart was so full it left not a single crack for air to pass through. In all his life, he had never desired anything with such desperate intensity as he did right now — to have the person in his arms truly return to his embrace.
Tang San's own body had taken on a slightly transparent quality under the influence of that red light. This was the form of his sixth Soul Skill — Nihility.
Nihility — immune to all non-energy-based physical attacks. Reduces all energy-based attacks by fifty percent. It appeared to be merely an auxiliary skill, but the ability to become immune to all physical attacks was staggeringly powerful. Under its effect, the only thing Bai He's Needletail Swifts could pass through was emptiness.
Their eyes met, and the emotions surging through Tang San's heart rode a roller coaster. If he had known beforehand that activating this skill would let him see Xiao Wu again, he would have unleashed it every single day — facing his beloved with every sunrise. Even if he could only look at her, it would be enough.
Though this was only Xiao Wu's phantom, from those moving, expressive eyes he could read her emotions — he could feel her longing, her love. The contact of their souls assured him with absolute certainty that his Xiao Wu was not gone. She was still alive, still existing, and she was bound to him still.
Xiao Wu's hand gently brushed the tears from Tang San's face, but she was only an apparition — how could she truly wipe them away? In her eyes were reluctance and longing, sorrow and solace, each emotion deeply, profoundly moving the Tang San of the present moment.