The moment Serpent Spear Douluo pivoted in midair, his aura had already locked onto Yang Wudi. With his superior Soul Power level, he could freely shift his target lock at will. The instant he fixed on Yang Wudi, he immediately realized that this man was practically riddled with openings. And these weren't the kind of feigned vulnerabilities one deliberately exposed—they were genuine flaws. It felt as though wherever his serpent spear struck, it would instantly pierce through a thousand holes in the opponent's body.
And that was precisely the reality of it. Even after Yang Wudi thrust his spear, Serpent Spear Douluo still felt the same way. Yet he could not leave a fatal wound on his opponent with his serpent spear, because he could sense with absolute clarity that if his spear landed on the opponent, that pitch-black long spear would likewise possess the power to punch clean through his chest.
The second Soul Ring on the dark long spear blazed to life—it possessed a single, straightforward ability called "Penetrate." It increased piercing power by a hundred percent. Yang Wudi was, after all, a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse, and on top of that, all of his Soul Rings' properties were invested entirely into offense. Even a Titled Douluo standing before him could not match him in pure attacking power. Such was the terrifying ferocity of Yang Wudi's strike.
That spear, steeped in a grim, almost tragic killing intent, forced the nine illusory images conjured by Serpent Spear Douluo to collapse back into a single form. His blue-purple serpent spear had no choice but to meet Yang Wudi's Soul-Breaking Spear head-on.
"Haa—!" The instant the Soul-Breaking Spear made contact with the serpent spear, Yang Wudi let out a thunderous shout. His first Soul Skill ignited simultaneously—the very same skill that had once caused Tang San no end of trouble: "Tremor."
The ever-so-slightly trembling spear tip struck dead center at the fork of the serpent spear's blade. "Penetrate" and "Break," two Soul Skills bolstered by Yang Wudi's purely offensive Soul Power, detonated at full force. At the same time, the white radiance of Tang San's Deathgod Domain surged violently, condensing from Yang Wudi's entire body and focusing into that single thrust.
Clang—, buzz—
Two distinct sounds rang out in succession. The first was the sharp vibration produced by the collision of spear and serpent lance. The second was the reverberating hum of the serpent spear itself.
Neither Xue Qinghe, nor Porcupine Fish Douluo, nor even Serpent Spear Douluo himself had anticipated what was about to happen before the battle began.
With a muffled grunt, Serpent Spear Douluo was sent flying backward. The serpent spear in his hand trembled so violently it nearly slipped from his grasp. His upper body was bent completely backward, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He retreated all the way to Xue Qinghe's side before finally managing to plant his feet. His face had turned an ashen white. He had actually sustained no trivial injury from a single thrust of Yang Wudi's spear.
Underestimating Yang Wudi had been his gravest mistake. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that a Soul Douluo with such a fundamental gap in rank could deliver a spear thrust like that. Even more deceptive was the fact that the Soul Skills attached to Yang Wudi's strike were merely his first and third. Serpent Spear Douluo had released his own third Soul Skill at the moment of impact, yet the outcome remained the same.
How could this Serpent Spear Douluo possibly know that Yang Wudi, as patriarch of the Yang Clan—the clan of the Broken—had devoted his entire life to studying how to make his offensive power the absolute greatest? To contest pure attack power with him was to lose, even if you were a Titled Douluo. This was precisely why Tang San, despite having four Soul Bones equipped and a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring enhancing his attributes, had still been sent flying by a single thrust from Yang Wudi's spear.
Moreover, Yang Wudi was not relying solely on his own abilities at this moment—he was also standing within Tang San's Deathgod Domain. Ever since their earlier confrontation, Tang San had recognized that when his Deathgod Domain fused with Yang Wudi's aggressive fighting style, the result would inevitably be a qualitative transformation.
Yang Wudi's Martial Soul fighting style prioritized momentum above all—an unstoppable, relentless forward drive and pure offensive power. The Deathgod Domain, whether boosting momentum or amplifying attack, complemented him in perfect synergy. Vast killing intent surged upward and flooded into Yang Wudi's heart, elevating his attack power to unprecedented heights. Among all Titled Douluos, only Sword Douluo Chen Xin and those who wielded as formidable a weapon as the Clear Sky Hammer could hope to match his offensive capability head-on.
Yang Wudi's true strength lay entirely in the Soul-Breaking Spear. While Soul Skill enhancements were important, compared to ordinary Soul Masters, his dependence on them was far lesser. On top of that, at the instant of collision, the Deathgod Domain's evolved ability—Deathgod Charge—flashed briefly, augmenting allies while weakening the opponent, producing an incomparable effect. That was why Serpent Spear Douluo had suffered such a devastating blow the moment their weapons met.
Xue Qinghe's expression turned ugly in an instant, his brows furrowing. A layer of greenish pallor surfaced over Serpent Spear Douluo's already pale face. Anyone who knew him could tell that this Titled Douluo had been driven to genuine fury.
Yang Wudi's motions did not stop. Having driven Serpent Spear Douluo back with a single thrust, he spun in place, stamped his right foot hard against the ground, and with a flick of the Soul-Breaking Spear, redirected it toward Porcupine Fish Douluo. Riding the momentum from repelling Serpent Spear Douluo, his aura blazed even brighter. His fighting style was one of escalating momentum—the more he fought, the fiercer he became. Especially when holding the upper hand, his attack power would only continue to climb. Though Tang San had told him to hold the line, for a pure-offense Soul Master like Yang Wudi, attack was the best defense.
At this moment, Dugu Bo and Porcupine Fish Douluo were locked in a tense standoff, neither making any rash moves. Dugu Bo's burst of toxic mist had been swallowed by Porcupine Fish Douluo, and he instantly understood that this Titled Douluo had been specifically sought out by Xue Qinghe to counter him. Clearly, the opponent possessed the ability to devour toxins and convert them into his own offensive power. In other words, the more poisonous mist or venom Dugu Bo released, the more lethal the toxic barbs covering the opponent's body would become.
So Dugu Bo did not act rashly, and Porcupine Fish Douluo similarly kept his aura locked entirely on Dugu Bo rather than rushing to attack. He understood perfectly well that in a clash between Titled Douluos, even if he was stronger than Dugu Bo, a complete victory was out of the question. The death throes of a Titled Douluo were simply too terrifying. He was biding his time—waiting for his companion to defeat Yang Wudi and Tang San so they could join forces to annihilate Dugu Bo. That way, the odds would be far greater, and he would be less likely to suffer serious injuries.
Dugu Bo remained still because he was strategizing. He knew full well that among Titled Douluos, aside from his mastery of poison, he was the weakest in every other aspect. A direct confrontation had no chance of defeating the Porcupine Fish Douluo before him. So how should he handle him?
Both were waiting, but what awaited them was vastly different. Porcupine Fish Douluo stared in disbelief as Serpent Spear Douluo was sent reeling by a single thrust from Yang Wudi, while Dugu Bo was overjoyed. How could he let such an opportunity slip? He twisted his body and released his Martial Soul Avatar.
A piercing, shrill cry tore from his throat. Emerald-green light erupted violently from within his body as his seventh Soul Ring blazed bright. His tall, gaunt frame swelled ceaselessly within that radiance, soaring upward. Jade-green scales, diamond-shaped and gleaming like inlaid pieces of emerald, covered a body that was no longer human. Dugu Bo had transformed into an enormous emerald serpent, fully thirty meters long and as thick as a water vat. The majority of its massive body reared upright, wreathed in dense, swirling green mist. Half-turning, the colossal tail whipped around and lashed toward Porcupine Fish Douluo from another direction, creating a pincer attack alongside Yang Wudi.
And at that moment, Tang San standing behind both Yang Wudi and Dugu Bo smiled. He was not smiling because of the situation unfolding before him, but because of his own luck.
Admittedly, the two Titled Douluos Xue Qinghe had summoned were perfectly equipped to counter Dugu Bo. However, Yang Wudi's presence simultaneously countered these two Soul Masters. Yang Wudi alone, of course, was not enough—he was still only a Soul Doulo. But Yang Wudi combined with himself? Together, their strength would not fall short of a Titled Douluo.
Now hideous beyond recognition due to Martial Soul Possession, the Porcupine Fish Soul Master let out a shrill scream. Despite being caught in a pincer attack, his reaction was astonishingly fast. His spherical body contracted sharply, and then his fifth Soul Ring burst with purple light as the compressed form expanded at lightning speed. Nearly a hundred venomous barbs attached to his body shot out simultaneously, rocketing toward Yang Wudi and Dugu Bo like bolts of lightning.
These detached barbs carried not only Dugu Bo's Emerald Phosphor Serpent King toxin but also every poison in the Porcupine Fish Soul Master's arsenal. The propulsive force behind their launch was terrifying in its intensity. Seizing this moment, he also retreated rapidly, attempting to regroup with the Serpent Spear Soul Master who was launching himself back into the fray.
Dugu Bo's enormous body was clearly incapable of dodging, and he had no intention of doing so. His massive tail swept in a wide arc before him, whipping up a cyclone of green mist that served as his shield.
Yang Wudi's offensive terror remained undiminished. The Soul-Breaking Spear did not slow by a fraction. Man and spear became one—his fifth Soul Ring blazed bright, black flames engulfed his entire body, and he tapped his toe against the ground, attempting to thread through the gaps between the incoming barbs.
A cold smirk flickered across the retreating Porcupine Fish Soul Master's face. As if my barbs are so easy to dodge? In midair, more than half of the densely packed barbs suddenly detonated, erupting into a storm of shrapnel that sprayed in every direction. Yet the spread was controlled with exquisite precision, ensuring not a single fragment would touch the disguised imperial guards—Soul Masters—stationed at the perimeter.
Yang Wudi's weakness immediately revealed itself. As a pure-offense Soul Master, facing such versatile and unpredictable attack methods, he was visibly lacking in adaptability. Still, he had no intention of retreating. The black flames simply burned brighter, elevating his attack power to even more terrifying levels. Meeting offense with offense was his best response to this kind of situation. He would rather take the hit himself than fail to land a strike on his opponent.
But at that very instant, a spinning yellow-green sphere of light appeared before Yang Wudi—not aimed at him, but rising in an arc from below his feet, rotating upward while traveling forward with his body. Just as the Porcupine Fish Soul Master's barbs and shrapnel were about to reach Yang Wudi, the yellow-green radiance detonated outward, transforming into a vast, rapidly spinning net. Like a shield, it intercepted every last attack. It was none other than Tang San's third Soul Skill of the Blue Silver Emperor: Web Bind.
Soul Skills possessed fixed capabilities, but how they were applied depended entirely on the Soul Master's ingenuity. In this regard, Tang San was without peer.
The web recoiled from the violent impact of the barbs and snapped back toward Yang Wudi. But the barbs and shrapnel had been launched at such tremendous speed that they were all already embedded in the web's strands.
Tang San would naturally not allow the web to envelop Yang Wudi. Under his spiritual control, the web contracted instantly, wrapping the barbs and shrapnel into a tight sphere. The position at which it curled inward happened to be exactly where the tip of Yang Wudi's Soul-Breaking Spear was aimed.
The Soul-Breaking Spear struck the web-wrapped ball without the slightest hesitation, still driving forward. His first Soul Skill activated—the spear tip vibrated, and the web sphere was launched ahead like a projectile hurtling toward Porcupine Fish Douluo. Meanwhile, the Soul-Breaking Spear itself suddenly swelled in size, and the seventh Soul Ring blazed to life under these circumstances.
When it came to continuously escalating his offensive power, Yang Wudi could unquestionably rank among the top three Soul Masters in the world. And that was counting all Titled Douluos.
Blue-gold light rose from the ground at the same moment. Sixteen strands of Blue Silver Emperor instantly wove into a cage, enveloping Porcupine Fish Douluo within. For a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse, such a cage was hardly a threat—but to stall even for a single instant was enough. After all, even a Titled Douluo had to break through the cage to escape it. And in a moment where a fraction of a second decided victory or defeat, that brief delay could lead to an entirely different outcome.
On the other side, Dugu Bo had withstood the barb assault through his defensive Soul Skill and the formidable resilience of his Martial Soul Avatar's true form. Though Porcupine Fish Douluo's barbs packed tremendous piercing force, against Dugu Bo—who had donned his Martial Soul Avatar, its tough emerald scales serving as armor, and who was himself a master of poison—they could only serve to slow him down. Now freed from the initial onslaught, the Emerald Phosphor Serpoon King Dugu Bo had become was already joining the fight. Though delayed, the sheer proximity and his enormous body meant he would reach the battlefield faster than Serpent Spear Douluo.
Through Tang San's deliberate orchestration and the surprise offensive enabled by Yang Wudi's assault, Porcupine Fish Douluo was now trapped in a desperate three-on-one situation.
This was where the true strength of a Titled Douluo became apparent. Facing the surrounding restraints, Yang Wudi's relentless onslaught, and the imminent arrival of the Emerald Phosphor Serpent King, Porcupine Fish Douluo made the most correct decision. On his already swollen body, the seventh Soul Ring erupted with blinding radiance. In a single instant, his entire form expanded once more, growing by geometric multiples compared to before. In the process, he simply shattered the Blue Silver Cage through sheer force, bursting the massive blue-gold prison apart before Yang Wudi's Soul-Breaking Spear could arrive. By that point, his entire body had become a colossal sphere ten meters in diameter. And the barbs that had been lost had regrown—each one as vicious and menacing as Eight Spider Lances, reaching nearly three meters in length.
Black flames blazed. Yang Wudi's Soul-Breaking Spear, pushed to the absolute pinnacle of his killing momentum, drove straight through the center. All of his ferocious, desperate aura was concentrated into this single thrust, utterly indifferent to whatever transformation the opponent might undergo. The Soul-Breaking Spear's attack did not waver by even a fraction—devastating beyond the extreme.