Zhu Zhuqing's reaction was remarkably fast. After transforming into her Martial Soul's true form, the Nether Spirit Cat, she possessed an almost precognitive sense of awareness. She immediately lunged sideways toward Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai was no slower. Spotting that Zhu Zhuqing was under attack, his massive White Tiger true body slammed directly toward her. He was confident that as long as he could buy Tang San a few breaths of time, he would have the chance to subdue Zhu Zhuqing. Therefore, without a moment's hesitation, he chose to merge with Zhu Zhuqing, activating their Martial Soul Fusion Technique — the Nether White Tiger. This was their most important trump card for defeating Tang San. Moreover, once merged, their attributes would increase dramatically, so they naturally wouldn't fear a sneak attack from Tang San. Even Little White couldn't injure them in their Nether White Tiger state, let alone Tang San, whose Soul Power was far below Little White's.
However, no matter how quickly they reacted, they were still a beat slower than Tang San, who had struck first. A beam of blue light erupted from the center of Tang San's brow, lightly enveloping Zhu Zhuqing. It not only halted her rolling body but also firmly restrained her within it. At the same time, the triangular blue light perfectly blocked several streams of auxiliary light that Ning Rongrong had sent to aid her. Dai Mubai's massive body did crash toward them, but with that barrier of blue light in the way, not only did Zhu Zhuqing fail to complete the Martial Soul Fusion Technique with him, she was sent flying from the impact.
This blue light was one of the four great skills of the original Ocean Heaven's Might Cover — the Ocean Heaven's Restraint, which had now become Tang San's skull skill.
Watching Zhu Zhuqing, trapped within the Ocean Heaven's Restraint, get sent flying sideways by Dai Mubai's charge, Tang San let out a long laugh. "Thanks, Boss Dai."
Light and shadow flickered, and the surrounding blue-gold forest shifted. The four of them — Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, and the others — found their vision blurring, unable to see each other anymore.
A golden-red glow expanded in the next instant, and the illusions that had bewildered Dai Mubai became clear once more. It was Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Domain being released. Seeing Zhu Zhuqing under attack by Tang San, Ma Hongjun finally couldn't hold back. He transformed into his Seven-Headed Fire Phoenix and unleashed his domain. His timing was perfect — the domain dissolved the illusions within a twenty-meter diameter. He quickly guided Ning Rongrong and Dai Mubai to regroup. But Zhu Zhuqing, whose body had been immobilized by the Ocean Heaven's Restraint, had vanished without a trace. Clearly, in the brief moment it took Fatty to release his domain, Tang San had already carried her beyond that twenty-meter range.
Tang San versus Zhu Zhuqing, one-on-one — no one needed to ask how that would turn out.
Whether it was Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, or Ning Rongrong, the hearts of all three sank. They had originally believed that even if Tang San was powerful, combining the strength of all five of them would surely be enough to defeat him easily. The combined fighting power of the five of them was unquestionably greater than Tang San's alone. But once the battle truly began, it was far from what they had imagined.
The Blue Silver Domain, which should have been their team's greatest asset, had been turned against them — and the pain was excruciating. On top of that, Tang San's endlessly varied skills gave them an enormous headache. In just a few blinks, five people had been reduced to three.
Ning Rongrong rapidly cast all manner of auxiliary skills onto Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai. Both were Soul Masters with tremendous burst power, and combined with Ning Rongrong's terrifying eighty percent boost, going head-to-head against Tang San wasn't necessarily hopeless — but they had to be on their guard.
A gorgeous nine-colored radiance spread from Ning Rongrong's body, also extending to a twenty-meter diameter, enveloping all three of them. They could see everything outside, but from the outside, no one could peer through this dreamlike nine-colored mist. This was the domain that came with Ning Rongrong's skull — the Illusory Space.
The Illusory Space combined with the Phoenix Domain finally managed to temporarily neutralize the threat of the Blue Silver Domain. Of course, only within the immediate twenty-meter diameter.
"Boss, what do we do?" Ma Hongjun whispered to Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai replied in a low, grave voice: "Xiao San's various skills are impossible to guard against. If we want to beat him, we need to break out of this Blue Silver Domain first. With all these plants augmenting him, his domain will last far longer than yours. Fatty, let's concentrate our attacks on a single point and see if we can break through Xiao San's domain. With Rongrong's full boost, the combined Soul Power of the two of us should far exceed Xiao San's. Breaking through the domain temporarily should be feasible. Once we're out, we launch a full-scale assault on him — no chances for him to activate his domain again. Rongrong, the moment we break through, you shroud Xiao San in the Illusory Space. Cut off his connection to the surrounding plants."
Ning Rongrong forced a bitter smile. "I'll try. But my mental strength is far below Third Brother's. I'm afraid I won't be able to restrain him for long."
Dai Mubai was a veteran of countless battles and knew that this was not the time to lose heart — otherwise there would be no point in continuing this fight. He took a deep breath, exchanged a glance with Ma Hongjun in his Seven-Headed Fire Phoenix form, and under Ning Rongrong's full boost, began unleashing their Soul Skills.
"White Tiger — Annihilation — Kill!"
"Phoenix — Cloud — Piercing — Strike!"
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had coordinated for years. Their simultaneous attacks rocketed straight toward a single point in the Blue Silver Domain's Myriad Phenomena forest outside. Under Ning Rongrong's eighty percent boost, each of their individual attacks now exceeded Tang San's in raw power. Moreover, they were concentrating single-target attacks onto one point, supplemented by their respective enhancement abilities. Even a Titled Douluo below level ninety-five wouldn't dare take such an attack head-on.
Then something bizarre happened. The instant their attacks left the twenty-meter diameter covered by the Illusory Space and Phoenix Domain, all the blue-gold around them vanished — without any warning whatsoever. Their incomparably powerful strikes hurtled straight into the ocean. In a heartbeat they crashed into the sea, raising waves nearly fifty meters high along with surging plumes of water vapor.
"Where's Xiao San?" Dai Mubai was stunned. Not only had the Blue Silver Domain failed to collide with their attacks, but even after their strikes had slammed into the ocean, the surrounding beach was completely empty. There was no sign of Tang San anywhere.
"Did Third Brother run away in the middle of the fight?" Ma Hongjun said in disbelief.
"Run away, your face," came Tang San's voice from behind him before the words had even left Ma Hongjun's mouth. A chill ran up Ma Hongjun's spine. Tang San's long-established authority took effect, and he reflexively urged his Seven-Headed Fire Phoenix true body forward to dodge.
"Rongrong, go keep Xiao Ao company." Tang San's figure materialized beside Ning Rongrong. Before she could react, his right hand was already pressed against her forehead. Another mental shockwave — though Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda generated a degree of protective energy, compared to Tang San's vast-ocean-level mental strength, the gap was simply too great. She let out a soft grunt and collapsed into Tang San's arms.
From the moment Tang San withdrew his Blue Silver Domain, through Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai's whiffed attack, to Tang San knocking Ning Rongrong unconscious — all of it took place in roughly two breaths. Since Tang San's Blue Silver Domain had not collided with their attacks, he naturally suffered no impact. Meanwhile, the two of them who had launched their full-power strikes were in that brief vulnerable window where old force had just been spent and new force had yet to build. Even if they wanted to rush back to protect Ning Rongrong, they simply couldn't. Ma Hongjun had been scared so badly by Tang San that he'd flown dozens of meters away.
With Ning Rongrong's boost gone, by the time Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai scrambled back, Tang San was already carrying her skyward. Mid-flight, he deposited Ning Rongrong into his Mustard Seed Treasure Pouch.
Over a hundred Blue Silver Emperors bloomed from Tang San's body. Facing Ma Hongjun's pursuit, Tang San smiled serenely and swung his left leg upward. A razor-shaped red light blade slashed out, sending Fatty's Martial Soul true body tumbling through the air in a series of flips.
Before Dai Mubai could even pounce, Tang San's eighth Soul Ring had already lit up. The blood-red halo appeared once more, but this time it did not condense the ocean or space. Instead, it released wave after wave of blood-colored rings of light. In an instant, they shrouded the bodies of both Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
Both of them fell into a dizzied state almost simultaneously. This was the second skill of Tang San's eighth Soul Ring.
Twisting in midair, Tang San lunged toward the stunned Ma Hongjun. A massive web of spider silk unfurled through the air, wrapping around the body of the Seven-Headed Fire Phoenix. Fire-immune Blue Silver Grass had no fear whatsoever of the scorching Phoenix flames that shielded him.
At the same time, a second figure separated from Tang San. Flickering through the air with a translucent image trailing behind, it flew to Dai Mubai's back. A long scorpion braid lashed out, coiling around Dai Mubai's neck. A phantom projection erupted, and in the next instant, Dai Mubai's body was airborne. This was Tang San's sixth Soul Skill — Void, Eight-Stage Explosive Slam.
When Ma Hongjun finally emerged from his dazed state, what he saw were eight golden spears aimed at eight vital points on his body, and what he felt was the spider web binding him tightly.
Dai Mubai had it even worse. When he came to, all he perceived was a world of phantoms, his body being hurled and flung wildly through the air. Of course, Xiao Wu's spiritual projection wasn't truly slamming him down, but at that moment, both he and Ma Hongjun understood — they had lost this battle. Lost it completely. Tang San hadn't even needed to recall Xiao Wu's spirit to her original body to join the fight. He had defeated them with absurd ease.
From the start of the battle to its end, the whole thing had taken less than five minutes. When Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun landed safely on the ground and all attack effects were dispelled, both of them were dazed and motionless. A crushing sense of failure flooded their hearts. Especially the feeling that they clearly had the strength to fight, but had simply never been able to bring it to bear — that made it all the more bitter.
Tang San said nothing. Instead, from his Mustard Seed Treasure Pouch, he released Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Oscar one by one. Finally, he brought out Xiao Wu's true body and gently held her.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, once freed and awakened, stood in stunned silence, unable to utter a word.
Oscar, the moment he regained consciousness, couldn't help but blurt out: "Damn it, Xiao San, you're too despicable. You actually sneak-attacked me."
Dai Mubai replied with a sour tone: "Xiao Ao, is this your first day out in the world? Does an enemy politely announce themselves before striking? And don't forget — it's five of us against Xiao San alone."
Oscar was stunned. He stared at the four defeated partners before him and blurted, "You actually lost? With Rongrong's incredible support, Boss Dai's powerful physique, Fatty's terrifying burst, and Zhu Qing's speed — you combined still couldn't beat Xiao San? Boss Dai, didn't you and Zhu Qing use the Nether White Tiger?"
Zhu Zhuqing sighed softly. "Third Brother never even gave us the chance to use the Nether White Tiger."
Dai Mubai's gaze shifted slightly as he looked at Tang San. He spoke in a low voice: "Xiao San, tell us — why?"
Tang San naturally understood what he was asking. Instead of answering directly, he let his gaze sweep calmly across each of his five companions. Once everyone's attention was focused on him, he said evenly: "The reason is simple. Because under my attacks, you never truly brought out your real strength. I exploited my familiarity with every one of you — each attack struck exactly where it would hurt most. If you had been more cautious and careful, beating you wouldn't have been easy at all. That's right, the combined strength of all five of you is absolutely greater than mine. But you forgot one thing: one person is far more agile than five. My individual strength exceeds that of any one of you, and if you can't coordinate an effective joint strategy against me, then even with preparation, your chances remain slim."
As he spoke, Tang San raised his hand and pointed at Oscar. "The first one I attacked was Xiao Ao. Because I knew that in conventional thinking, you would all assume my priority target would be Rongrong, who has no combat ability — so you'd focus more of your attention on protecting her. But you overlooked the fact that before eating a Clone Mirror Sausage, Xiao Ao isn't much stronger than Rongrong. Xiao Ao, do you know where your mistake was? Although you immediately started eating your Clone Mirror Sausage, first you didn't seek your teammates' protection, and second, when I was already launching attacks with instantaneous teleportation, you should have adapted on the spot. If you had used your Spirit Bone's clone ability to create a duplicate first, and then eaten the Clone Mirror Sausage, you would have had at least a fifty percent chance of escaping my attack."
Oscar nodded. "It really was my mistake. I never expected you'd target me first. I was still thinking about eating my Clone Mirror Sausage and then going to protect Rongrong."
Tang San said seriously: "After your Sausage Martial Soul broke past level seventy, it already possessed extremely strong combat capability. You can even replicate someone else's skills at one hundred percent power for ten minutes of combat time. However, there is one thing I need to warn you about — your greatest weakness is that brief window before you eat the Clone Mirror Sausage. That is when you are most vulnerable. If you can think of some way to compensate for this, it will leave far fewer openings. Otherwise, any opponent familiar with your Martial Soul will do everything in their power to prevent you from ever eating that Clone Mirror Sausage."
Oscar nodded in wholehearted agreement, lowering his head in deep thought as he pondered ways to improve.
Tang San's gaze turned secondly to Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai. "You two also fell into the same trap. After Xiao Ao was neutralized, you thought to rush back and protect Rongrong. But you forgot something. Rongrong's boost is powerful, but it can't defeat me in an instant. And among all five of you, the only one who possesses the ability to destroy me in a single blow is the Nether White Tiger. So from the very start of the battle, you should have been holding hands, maintaining physical contact. That way, even if I used my domain abilities, I wouldn't have been able to truly trap you. With the Nether White Tiger at your disposal, you would have had a real chance of winning. If you had been holding hands at that moment, my Ocean Heaven's Restraint would only have been able to trap the two of you, and the Nether White Tiger's power would have been more than enough to break free. Moreover, Zhu Qing, your reaction wasn't fast enough. In your Martial Soul true form, as an agility-type attacker, your body should never have shown any hesitation whatsoever. You need to be constantly moving at high speed on the battlefield, using everything around you — including your teammates' bodies — to shield your position. The defining traits of an agility-type attacker are overwhelming offensive power and speed, but their defense is always their weakness. If you let an opponent lock onto your body, then if what I had used at that moment hadn't been the Ocean Heaven's Restraint but instead the Blue Silver Overlord Spear, you could have suffered a serious injury."