Although the violent tremors left Tang San's insides feeling like they were on fire, his mind remained perfectly clear. He understood that he had come out ahead in that exchange. His father had once told him that the Clear Sky Hammer was the nemesis of all assault-type Martial Souls — no matter how powerful an assault-type Martial Soul might be, the crushing force inherent in the Clear Sky Hammer itself would deliver a devastating blow to any opponent. Moreover, when he had swung the Clear Sky Hammer to unleash the Chaotic Windmill Dance, he had also employed the Quake technique from the Nine Clear Sky Extremes. In a head-on collision, this would undoubtedly produce the greatest effect. Without the Clear Sky Hammer, how could Tang San have abandoned all his wondrous soul skills?
The Sea Dragon Douluo's self-sacrificing technique was tremendously powerful, but when he clashed physically with the Clear Sky Hammer and their attack power was roughly equal, Tang San had definitely gained the advantage. The injuries sustained by the Sea Dragon Douluo had to be more severe than his own. More importantly, Tang San's recovery ability was extraordinarily formidable — even without Oscar's recovery sausage, he would heal faster than the Sea Dragon Douluo without question.
However, Tang San felt no excitement whatsoever. The reason was simple: he was currently in the middle of the ocean, not on the Sacred Pillar platform. That was right — he had gained the upper hand in that last exchange. But he was still dozens of meters from the pillar platform, and whatever he could think of, the Sea Dragon Douluo could naturally think of too. Being in the water was the perfect opportunity for his opponent to attack. Only by returning to the Sacred Pillar platform could he gradually convert his advantage into victory.
This challenge was different from all the previous ones. It had simplified the combat scenario, yet it was far more perilous than any prior trial. Even the slightest mistake could lead to a crushing defeat. After all, without being able to use soul ring or soul bone skills, both Tang San and the Sea Dragon Douluo were far more vulnerable than they would be in a normal battle. Otherwise, they wouldn't have both spat blood from that earlier collision.
So the moment his body began to plummet downward, Tang San immediately recalled his Clear Sky Hammer and released the Blue Silver Emperor at the same time. He used only his base Martial Soul, which did not violate the rules both parties had established.
The Blue Silver Emperor was the exact opposite of the Clear Sky Hammer — dozens of strands released simultaneously greatly increased Tang San's buoyancy. He pressed both palms downward, channeling force. Though he couldn't use the flight ability of his Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, he still rose rapidly toward the sea surface.
But just then, the spiritual force Tang San had spread outward clearly detected a dark-blue figure hurtling toward him at terrifying speed. It had already crossed the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar and was closing in at astonishing velocity.
Fast. Tang San's expression turned grave. A quick calculation told him that when the Sea Dragon Douluo reached him, he still wouldn't have surfaced. In this ocean, his speed was severely hampered, whereas the Sea Dragon Douluo — a sea-based Soul Master — would receive a boost. Even his attack power might increase under the sea's influence.
The Sea Dragon Douluo was feeling miserable too. In that last collision, he had felt his arms nearly snap. Every scale on them had shattered. Although his Martial Soul had since restored them, both arms were still trembling violently. The tyrannical force from the Clear Sky Hammer had invaded his entire body. Tang San's insides felt like they were burning — the Sea Dragon Douluo was in an even worse state, having spat out two more mouthfuls of blood after plunging into the sea before he could expel the domineering force the Clear Sky Hammer had hammered into him. In this moment, he fully understood just how terrifying the Clear Sky Hammer was as a Martial Soul, and deeply regretted agreeing to Tang San's terms of fighting hand-to-hand without soul skills. Now that they were in the water, this was likely his last chance — he absolutely could not let that boy reach shore. If they clashed a few more times, he wouldn't be able to hold on.
Therefore, the same instant Tang San sensed danger, the Sea Dragon Douluo disregarded his own injuries and immediately accelerated through the water. The ocean would only propel him forward — never hinder him. Before long, he spotted Tang San's figure rising toward the surface using the Blue Silver Emperor.
Perfect opportunity. The Sea Dragon Douluo feared the Clear Sky Hammer, but he wasn't afraid of the Blue Silver Emperor. Besides, in the water and unable to use soul skills, how much of his strength could Tang San actually bring to bear?
At such a moment, the water combat skills Tang San had honed during his second trial — spending an entire year battling alongside Xiao Bai — proved invaluable. Sensing the Sea Dragon Douluo's approach, he responded immediately. The Blue Silver Emperor strands he had been using to ascend were rapidly withdrawn. He was now only about two meters from the surface. At the same time, the Clear Sky Hammer returned to his hand. Without a moment's hesitation, Tang San swung his left arm and hurled the Clear Sky Hammer, sending it straight at the charging Sea Dragon Douluo.
The instant the Clear Sky Hammer entered his hand, its terrifying weight dragged his body downward three meters. After throwing it, Tang San reversed direction without hesitation, swimming rapidly toward the surface.
The Sea Dragon Douluo watched Tang San's actions with hidden amusement. This is supposed to stop me from attacking you? I just won't meet it head-on. Without soul skills, your hammer can't track my movements, can it?
With that thought, the Sea Dragon Douluo's body flickered slightly — his scales flared open then closed again — and he dove rapidly, planning to slip beneath the incoming Clear Sky Hammer. After that, one burst of effort and he would catch up to Tang San heading for the surface. At that point, it would be predator and prey.
But something the Sea Dragon Douluo never expected happened. Without looking back, Tang San's left hand formed a claw behind his body, grasping and pulling — a seemingly subtle motion that sent a tremendous pressure crashing down on the Sea Dragon Douluo from above. When he looked up, the enormous black hammer, shimmering with dark-golden veins, had already reached him.
You're kidding — even from this range?! The distance was too short and the Clear Sky Hammer's descent was far too fast, forcing the Sea Dragon Douluo to abandon his pursuit of Tang San. He crossed both claws overhead to block.
A muffled boom. Though the Clear Sky Hammer was heavy and reinforced with Tang San's soul power, it still couldn't match a ninety-fifth-ranked Sea Dragon Douluo. The Clear Sky Hammer, weighing over two thousand jin, was sent flying upward by the impact — it looked as though it would shoot straight out of the water.
But the Clear Sky Hammer's weight wasn't entirely useless. While it couldn't harm the Sea Dragon Douluo under these conditions, its mass and the explosive force of the collision still drove the Sea Dragon Douluo's body downward, costing him at least a full second.
In that time, Tang San's body had broken the surface. With a wave of his left hand, the Clear Sky Hammer that had been knocked away by the Sea Dragon Douluo vanished into thin air and reappeared in his left grip. Still without the slightest pause, Tang San hurled the Clear Sky Hammer once more, then slammed both palms against the water's surface, launching himself out of the ocean.
This time the Sea Dragon Douluo didn't dodge. That previous scene of the Clear Sky Hammer pursuing him had been far too uncanny — he met it head-on, expecting to send it flying again. But the Clear Sky Hammer simply vanished. His own powerful soul force erupted through the seawater in a violent underwater surge. The Sea Dragon Douluo was directly below Tang San at that point. The surge became a wave that erupted from the surface, catching Tang San's just-descending body and launching him back into the air.
The Sea Dragon Douluo was furious. He could never have imagined that Tang San would use this Martial Soul-switching method to escape his pursuit. But Tang San was still above the water — there was still time. Pressing both palms against the water in the same manner, the Sea Dragon Douluo chased Tang San's body toward the surface.
The instant the Clear Sky Hammer vanished in the water, Tang San had already switched to his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul. A single strand of Blue Silver Emperor cracked through the air, transforming into a blue-gold streak of light that shot swiftly away. It crossed dozens of meters and wrapped around the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar.
By the time he finished, the Sea Dragon Douluo had already burst out of the water after him. Under his soul-force control, a wave surged forward, propelling his body straight at Tang San. Both dragon claws glowed with fluctuating light, and Tang San clearly sensed that even if his Mysterious Jade Hand were to clash with those blue-gleaming dragon claws, he would not come out on top.
With the Blue Silver Emperor wrapped around the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar, Tang San yanked hard. His body, which had been about to sink, shot sideways through the air toward the pillar at tremendous speed. But the Sea Dragon Douluo was even faster — under his soul-force command, another wave surged upward beneath his feet, propelling him after Tang San even faster than Tang San was being pulled by the Blue Silver Emperor. The razor-sharp dragon claws were closing the distance rapidly. It looked as though there was no way Tang San could escape.
If it were only the Sea Dragon Douluo's physical body in pursuit, Tang San would still have had a chance — after all, he could clash with his opponent in midair and use the rebounding force to reach the Sacred Pillar platform. But rising alongside the Sea Dragon Douluo was a massive wave. If he was dragged back into the ocean, the Sea Dragon Douluo would give him no second chance. Both Tang San and the Sea Dragon Douluo understood this perfectly.
In this critical moment, Tang San demonstrated his astonishing judgment and battle wisdom. Facing pursuit, he remained utterly calm. A flash of black light from his left hand, and the Blue Silver Emperor connecting him to the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar vanished — replaced by the Clear Sky Hammer.
Only Tang San couldn't feel the Clear Sky Hammer's weight, but it very much existed. The moment it appeared, his body plummeted toward the sea surface, looking for all the world like a man drinking poison to quench his thirst.
Yet Tang San didn't raise the Clear Sky Hammer to meet his opponent head-on. Instead, he threw it again, hurling it at the Sea Dragon Douluo. Meanwhile, his own body was dragged downward by the hammer's weight, falling diagonally toward the water. The pulling force that should have been enough to bring him to the Sacred Pillar platform was now insufficient. But Tang San seemed not to care at all, letting his body fall at an angle while twisting to face the Sea Dragon Douluo.
The Sea Dragon Douluo sneered. Again? His dragon claws crossed to block the Clear Sky Hammer.
The miraculous scene unfolded once more. The Clear Sky Hammer, seemingly about to collide with the Sea Dragon Douluo's crossed claws, suddenly dipped downward, dodging them entirely. Then it swung violently upward, smashing toward the Sea Dragon Douluo's chest. The speed of the change was even faster than it had been in the seawater.
The Sea Dragon Douluo was startled. Although he trusted in his Martial Soul's power, the Clear Sky Hammer had left too deep an impression — he dared not let that terrifying hammer strike his body. His dragon claws rushed to block downward. But the Clear Sky Hammer dipped once more, tracing a massive arc before reversing upward to strike from above, now targeting the Sea Dragon Douluo's head.
All the while, Tang San — nearly touching the water's surface — was waving both hands ceaselessly, alternately clenching and releasing, as though an invisible thread was connected to the Clear Sky Hammer, commanding it to perform its miraculous changes.
Yes — this was Crane Control Dragon Catch. The supreme Tang Clan technique, Crane Control Dragon Catch.
Underwater, Tang San had used Crane Control Dragon Catch to redirect the Clear Sky Hammer and buy himself the chance to breach the surface. His second strike before emerging had exploited the Sea Dragon Douluo's ingrained habits of thought. His Crane Control Dragon Catch was powerful, but while his body was in the air and the Clear Sky Hammer was still in the sea, the different mediums prevented full control. It was only the Sea Dragon Douluo's wariness from the first strike that made him pause and block.
Now, in the open air, Tang San's Crane Control Dragon Catch came into its own. Guided by his exquisite control and supported by the Mysterious Heaven Skill's internal energy, the Clear Sky Hammer became a flying projectile, constantly shifting and harassing without ever engaging head-on — all to buy himself time.
Tang San knew full well that the instant the Clear Sky Hammer touched the Sea Dragon Douluo's braced dragon claws, it would be sent flying, and the Sea Dragon Douluo would catch up to him in no time. But the Clear Sky Hammer's attack power was terrifying — if it struck any other part of the Sea Dragon Douluo's body, he couldn't withstand it. So Tang San dodged the dragon claws and kept changing angles of attack. This way, the Sea Dragon Douluo's pursuit appeared just as fast, but the Clear Sky Hammer's interference kept him a beat behind.
Using that brief window, Tang San controlled the hammer with his left hand while his right hand flicked behind him. A ribbon-like metallic gleam shot through the air, crossing over twenty meters before latching precisely onto the scales of the giant dragon sculpture atop the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar and locking tight. Tang San pulled again, dragging his nearly-submerged body back into acceleration, hurtling toward the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar platform.
The Flying God Claw — yes, it was Tang San's Flying God Claw. He had already retrieved it from his Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night and secured it to his right forearm earlier, back when he'd first plunged into the sea, recalled the Clear Sky Hammer, and released the Blue Silver Emperor. That earlier pull with the Blue Silver Emperor had merely been to move himself closer to the Sacred Pillar, bringing it within the Flying God Claw's range. Now that he needed the Clear Sky Hammer to keep the Sea Dragon Douluo occupied, he obviously couldn't switch back to the Blue Silver Emperor. The Flying God Claw — this Tang Clan hidden weapon that Tang San had rarely employed — now proved its tremendous worth.
After several rounds of modification by Tang San, the Flying God Claw's effective range had increased to thirty meters, controlled by a mechanism strapped to his hand. Launched through a spring mechanism, it classified as a rope-type hidden weapon among the Tang Clan's mechanical devices. It could be used for both offense and traversal across complex terrain, and it excelled at climbing. In Tang San's previous life, the Tang Clan's Flying God Claw had been the finest tool for scaling city walls.
Now, it was the Flying God Claw that turned the tide for Tang San. Though the claw's gripping force couldn't pierce the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar itself, locking onto the scales of the dragon sculpture posed no problem whatsoever. With Tang San's eyesight, how could he possibly miss?
Watching Tang San draw ever closer to the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar, the Sea Dragon Douluo grew desperate. He knew that if Tang San made it back to the platform, he would never get another chance to force him into the water. The battle would be over. The injuries from their earlier collision were already aching. His opportunities were growing slimmer by the second. And to make matters worse, Tang San's control of the Clear Sky Hammer was nothing short of miraculous, forcing him to divide his attention. Catching up to a re-accelerating Tang San was becoming impossible.
In this moment, the Sea Dragon Douluo revealed his formidable nature. When the Clear Sky Hammer shifted position once more, smashing toward his lower abdomen from below, he didn't dodge — he let the Clear Sky Hammer slam directly into his gut while his dragon claws struck backward, hammering into the towering wave he'd generated. His entire body shot forward like a cannonball, chasing after Tang San. Victory or defeat would be decided in this single charge.
A thunderous boom — the Sea Dragon Douluo's body was blasted several meters upward by the Clear Sky Hammer's impact, but his goal was achieved. Both hands pushed against the seawater behind him, propelling his speed to a terrifying degree. The Clear Sky Hammer, now behind him, could no longer catch up. At this point, from his continuous pursuit, he was only ten meters from Tang San. And Tang San was still ten meters from shore. This was the distance that would decide the victor. The Sea Dragon Douluo calculated precisely — even if Tang San recalled the Clear Sky Hammer and hurled it again, it wouldn't be faster than his own pursuit. He could absolutely drag Tang San back into the sea before he reached land.
Tang San's spiritual force surpassed the Sea Dragon Douluo's. If his opponent could make that calculation, how could Tang San not? The Clear Sky Hammer wouldn't make it in time — so he wouldn't use the Clear Sky Hammer.
He ceased controlling the hammer. His left hand swept past his waist, and countless shimmering metallic points of light bloomed before Tang San like radiant flowers — he even had time to call out a warning to the Sea Dragon Douluo: "Bone-Piercing Needles, armor-piercing, and they're poisoned."