Everyone's expression grew strange upon hearing Tang San propose a wager with Yang Wudi.
However, while this method of Tang San's was old-fashioned, it was clearly very effective, especially when used against someone as arrogant and stubborn as Yang Wudi.
Yang Wudi let out a cold snort. "You think you're worthy of betting with me?"
Tang San smiled calmly. "Does the senior not dare?"
Yang Wudi said dismissively, "A bet on how many rounds you can last against me?"
Tang San shook his head. "No. I wish to bet on the outcome with the senior. If I defeat you, I want nothing else but for you to agree to one thing. If I lose, I will submit to whatever punishment you see fit. How about it?"
Yang Wudi genuinely suspected his ears had malfunctioned. This young man before him, who looked barely into his twenties, actually wanted to compete with him, an eighty-second-level Soul Douluo, in a contest of victory and defeat. This was an unbearable insult.
"Good, good, good. What a reckless junior. I'll see what makes you think you can compete with me. As long as you can beat me, forget about one thing—even ten or a hundred, even this old life of mine, will be yours."
Tang San smiled faintly; his goal was achieved. What remained was a contest of strength. He quickly retreated five steps, creating distance between himself and Yang Wudi, and bowed respectfully as a junior would. "Junior Tang San, sixty-sixth-level Control-type Battle Soul Emperor, respectfully requests your guidance."
Sixty-sixth-level? A question mark immediately formed in Yang Wudi's mind, but he coldly replied at once, "Yang Wudi, eighty-second-level Assault-type Battle Soul Douluo."
In an instant, their Martial Souls were released from both of them.
Yang Wudi was called "Old Goat," not because his Martial Soul was a goat—that was just a teasing nickname from the four clan leaders in their youth. His Martial Soul appeared in his right hand: a spear twelve feet long.
The spear was entirely pitch-black, radiating a cold, sinister sheen. The shaft was eight feet long, and the surprisingly broad spearhead was a full four feet. The shaft was as thick as a normal person's arm. Two yellow, two purple, and four black—eight Soul Rings in the optimal configuration—shone simultaneously along the spear's length, orbiting the twelve-foot weapon and bursting into a dazzling display.
Yes, the Martial Soul of the Breaking Clan was the spear, the Breaking Soul Spear.
With the spear in hand, Yang Wudi did not immediately attack. As an elder and a Soul Douluo, he naturally had to wait for Tang San to fully release his Martial Soul before making a move.
Tang San understood this perfectly well. He, therefore, released his Martial Soul with unruffled composure.
A blue-gold light shimmered, and a stalk of Blue Silver Grass leapt from the palm of his right hand. Immediately after, his six Soul Rings—the perfect embodiment of his status—appeared silently, pulsing rhythmically around his body.
No one had ever seen Tang San's hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring without being shocked, and Yang Wudi was no exception. Seeing that brilliant crimson light, his originally contemptuous gaze instantly became solemn. Although his opponent was only a Soul Emperor, the appearance of an impossible hundred-thousand-year ring completely erased the faint disdain still lingering in his heart.
"Your Martial Soul isn't the Clear Sky Hammer?" After Tang San revealed his rings, Yang Wudi's voice lost its previous arrogant hardness. Facing a powerful opponent, an outstanding Soul Master, the change in his emotions stemmed from respect.
Tang San smiled faintly. "The senior will see my Clear Sky Hammer."
As he spoke, Tang San leaned slightly forward, his back hunching a little. Then, a soft cracking sound came from behind him, and his blood-red Eight Spider Lances appeared.
Facing a powerhouse of Yang Wudi's caliber, even Tang San was not entirely confident of victory. The hallmark of the Breaking Clan lay in its attacks—absolutely overwhelming, destructive attacks. Tang San had to give it his all to have a chance. That was why he summoned his Eight Spider Lances right from the start.
"That's..." Even Niu Gao and Bai He widened their eyes; this was the first time they had seen Tang San reveal his full strength.
Tang San held nothing back. He already considered the people before him the future core of his Tang Sect and saw no need for secrecy from them. Otherwise, he would not have so casually revealed his hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring.
"This is my external spirit bone, the Eight Spider Lances."
The words "external spirit bone" alone were enough to cause a profound shock. While a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring could still be traced, and hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts could be hunted, an external spirit bone was an absolute treasure of chance. Unless one was extraordinarily lucky, how could one ever come across one?
But Tang San noticed that once Yang Wudi gripped his thick, dark iron spear, the man seemed to change entirely. All the previous fluctuations in emotion seemed to vanish completely at that moment. Every ounce of his spirit, energy, and focus converged entirely upon the spear in his hands. Neither Tang San's hundred-thousand-year ring nor the appearance of the Eight Spider Lances could disturb his state in the slightest.
Upon realizing this, Tang San's expression grew grave. To be able to focus entirely on one's Martial Soul, seeing nothing but the spear—this level of concentration already told him a great deal. Today's battle would be exceptionally fierce.
Yang Wudi looked coldly at Tang San. "Are you ready?" For him, regardless of the opponent, nothing would affect his mindset. Only by maintaining absolute, unwavering confidence in his victory, refusing to let any circumstance about his opponent influence his emotions, could he unleash his ultimate "Break" when his momentum reached its absolute peak. Unbreakable by any defense, destroying all things—the first thing he had to hypnotize was himself.
"Please." Tang San gave a low shout. His body shifted slightly, and countless Blue Silver Emperors surged forth from around him.
The reason he dared to challenge Yang Wudi head-on was that he understood his opponent's weakness. All the abilities of the Breaking Clan were focused on offense. As a Control-type Soul Master, relying on his restraining capabilities, Tang San inherently held a significant advantage. The key to victory and defeat lay in whether he could suppress Yang Wudi, whether he could use his restraining skills to break Yang Wudi's imposing aura.
"Hah!" Yang Wudi roared suddenly, flicking his long spear forward. The instant the spearhead pointed directly at Tang San, his entire being seemed to merge with the spear. The power that erupted and surged upward was even more terrifying than Tang San's Killing God Domain evolution skill, the Killing God Assault. A horrifying aura of extreme sharpness hurtled straight toward Tang San's chest. His body moved with the spear, without any extraneous motion, thrusting in a straight line toward Tang San's chest.
The Blue Silver Emperor moved. Accompanied by the shine of his first Soul Ring, Tang San's Blue Silver Binding skill activated. The swarming Blue Silver Emperors shot toward Yang Wudi's body.
Yang Wudi seemed not to notice the blue, red, and gold-glowing Blue Silver Emperor vines. His motion did not change at all, his gaze remaining locked on Tang San. His aura continued to climb.
In almost an instant, Tang San recognized Yang Wudi's terror. The first Soul Ring on Yang Wudi also lit up, and a wave of explosive, resonating energy erupted from his body. The Blue Silver Emperors that had been about to wrap around him were blasted apart, utterly failing to achieve their effect. Meanwhile, Yang Wudi's own aura reached its peak within this explosive force. Tang San clearly felt that under this terrifying pressure, his own body had become sluggish. In his mind, it was as if he had already been pierced through by that horrifying spear.
Boom!
Yang Wudi's body slammed heavily into the Blue Silver Emperor that had risen instantly to form the Blue Silver Prison. The explosive force collided with the Blue Silver Emperor, producing a series of grating sounds that set teeth on edge. To stop him, Tang San had no choice but to use his fourth Soul Skill. At the same time, his third Soul Skill was released instantly—a massive spider web, cast toward Yang Wudi, who was trapped within the Blue Silver Prison.
However, Tang San had underestimated the "Breaking" aspect of the Breaking Clan. Once Yang Wudi thrust his spear, there was no possibility of pausing. Even if his body was stopped, the attack itself was completed. His left hand slapped fiercely against the spear's butt. Though his body was trapped inside the Blue Silver Prison, the spear suddenly accelerated, still flying straight toward Tang San's chest. That feeling of advancing relentlessly gave everyone a sense of chilling lethality.
What a devastating spear.
The formidable force, carrying the terrifying spear, directly lifted the Web of Silk that followed, then pierced through it in an instant. The spearhead was already before Tang San's eyes.
At this moment, Tang San's body, enveloped by that terrifying aura, had become extremely sluggish. He couldn't take a single step, let alone dodge.
The third Soul Ring on the spear lit up, and a layer of black light burst from the spearhead. This was Yang Wudi's third Soul Skill: "Explode."
His first skill, "Resonate," could shake off insufficiently powerful bindings. This "Explode," however, would elevate his attack power to even more terrifying levels. Upon striking any object, the Soul Power would generate a horrific explosive force, granting the spear even greater destructive power.
But Yang Wudi's blow ultimately did not succeed, because Tang San's body vanished.
Hundred-thousand-year spirit bone skill: Instant Teleportation, activated.
The next instant, Tang San appeared behind Yang Wudi. The Eight Spider Lances on his back moved simultaneously, thrusting toward Yang Wudi's entire body inside the Blue Silver Prison. A sinister red light pierced through the gaps of the Blue Silver Prison. At this moment, due to his previous relentless offensive and the launched spear, Yang Wudi was in a state of full output, his defenses at their weakest.
Tang San's timing was undoubtedly excellent. But if the Breaking Clan's flaw was so obvious, how could they lack a way to compensate?
Yang Wudi didn't even turn around. The Breaking Soul Spear was already back in his hand. In a reverse grip, a backstab. The pitch-black spearhead thrust straight behind him.
Though the Eight Spider Lances were long, they were on Tang San's back. No matter how far they reached from eight directions, they couldn't be faster than the straight-line distance between Tang San and Yang Wudi. If Tang San insisted on using the Eight Spider Lances to stab him, the first thing to be pierced would be Tang San's own chest. With the destructive power added to Yang Wudi's Breaking Soul Spear, if that happened, the contest would be over. Whether Tang San's lances could even touch him was uncertain.
With just two spear strikes, Yang Wudi elevated Tang San's assessment of him by an entire tier. One front thrust, one back thrust—these two devastatingly fierce attacks perfectly demonstrated that terrifying offensive desire. Tang San had only ever sensed a similarly terrifying offensive aura from Sword Douluo Chen Xin. But one must not forget, Chen Xin was hailed as the Titled Douluo with the strongest offensive power.
Left with no choice, Tang San was forced to change his motion. He threw his upper body violently backward, his right foot kicking toward the Breaking Soul Spear. Simultaneously, with his backward motion, the four lower Eight Spider Lances continued their thrust toward Yang Wudi's body. With the lances' life-draining and venomous properties, just one hit would achieve Tang San's goal.
However, Yang Wudi's next action forced Tang San to use Instant Teleportation once again.
The spear chopped downward. Following the momentum of his backstab, Yang Wudi, without turning, slapped his left hand fiercely upward on the spear's shaft. The enormous spearhead instantly cleaved downward toward Tang San's chest like a heavy broadsword. The situation was strikingly similar to before, looking like a mutual destruction exchange, yet Yang Wudi's attack was still faster than Tang San's. And at this moment, Tang San had no opportunity to dodge. His second Instant Teleportation occurred.
This time, Tang San appeared directly above Yang Wudi. Even now, Yang Wudi had not dispelled the Blue Silver Prison obstructing him. Appearing above his body, Tang San unleashed his Killing God Domain from the air, pressing both hands downward as the Eight Spider Lances extended again. This time, they thrust toward Yang Wudi's head. Eight spider lances, all targeting the same spot—whether in speed or imposing force, it was far stronger than before.
Yet Yang Wudi's movement remained simple. He turned, pulled the Breaking Soul Spear backward, and kicked his right foot violently, striking the spearhead directly. The massive Breaking Soul Spear was swung upward like a club. This time, the fourth Soul Ring on the spear also lit up, and the entire weapon was engulfed in pitch-black.
The Blue Silver Prison offered absolutely no obstruction and was sliced in half by the swung spear. Then, that spear, brimming with destructive force, swept directly toward Tang San's body.
What was slightly different this time was that Tang San was a fraction faster than Yang Wudi. His Eight Spider Lances could definitely strike Yang Wudi first. However, that margin was incredibly slim—not nearly enough time for him to use Instant Teleportation. In other words, while he would certainly stab his opponent, perhaps even kill Yang Wudi, his own body would undoubtedly be cleaved in two by that horrifying spear.
Using offense as defense—what a brilliant tactic! This time, Tang San did not dodge. He also wanted to test exactly how powerful Yang Wudi's attack was.
His body twisted in mid-air, and he flung the Eight Spider Lances outward, colliding with the swung Breaking Soul Spear.
Clang!
The ear-piercing explosion of sound made the entire reception hall shudder. Tang San's deflected body was sent flying like a cannonball.
The Eight Spider Lances were unharmed, but they hadn't even managed to deflect the Breaking Soul Spear. If Tang San hadn't employed the technique of borrowing force, that spear would have struck him already.
"Hah!" Yang Wudi bellowed. The fifth Soul Ring on his spear flared. In an instant, a ring of black flames erupted from around his body. The swung spear did not change course; instead, it slammed directly onto the ground. The next moment, he soared into the air, in hot pursuit of Tang San, who had been sent flying.