Dark crimson ripples caused the air to solidify. In this blue world, everything gained an additional layer of pale red radiance. The surroundings seemed to crystallize, transforming into blocks of resplendent crystal.
Moon Glade was, after all, a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse. Though his innate talent was not particularly outstanding, he had been a Titled Douluo for many years. The Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens martial soul was released almost instantaneously—nine Soul Rings burst forth alongside a torrent of massive Soul Power. As the seventh Soul Ring blazed with light, the enormous chrysanthemum surged in size, coiling around his body while emitting a cascade of clanging, explosive booms.
Moon Glade knew that this was a moment of life and death. He pushed his perceptive senses to their absolute limit and launched himself skyward without a moment's hesitation, shielded by the true body manifestation of the Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens weapon spirit.
The very instant his body surged upward, a streak of pitch-black light swept past beneath his feet—flashing once and vanishing.
"Perish." A cold, clear voice echoed through the forest. The blue light vanished in that same instant. When Moon Glade's vision cleared, what he saw were the forty-nine Soul Masters he had brought along, frozen in midair in a bizarre array of contorted poses. Each body was encased in that translucent, pale red crystal.
The scene was dreadfully familiar. Though Moon Glade harbored boundless hatred toward that person, at this moment, every shred of that hatred had utterly transformed into terror. His heart trembled. He had no intention whatsoever of rescuing his subordinates. Stepping onto the Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens, his body transformed into a streak of golden light as he fled into the distance in an instant.
A crisp, melodic shattering sound rang out. Even as Moon Glade fled, the frozen pale red crystals had already been reduced to fine dust under the influence of a peculiar force, scattering into the midair without leaving so much as a corpse behind.
Forty-nine elite Soul Emperors from Spirit Hall—their combined strength was indeed formidable. They could have easily annihilated an army of a thousand soldiers. Unfortunately, they had encountered what, in their minds, existed only in legend: a hundred-thousand-year Soul Skill.
The eighth Soul Skill of Thousand Hand Douluo Tang San, sourced from the hundred-thousand-year Demonic Tiger Whale King Soul Ring—Blue Silver Demonic Tiger Whale Mirror's Annihilation.
Concealing himself within the Boundless Ocean Body Shield and using his spiritual sense to scout out this forest for an ambush—all of this was undeniably Tang San's handiwork. Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun had not struck because doing so would have immediately broken the invisibility effect. Tang San had two options: attack Moon Glade directly, or unleash a wide-area attack.
Had he targeted Moon Glade directly, Tang San would have had roughly a one-in-ten chance of killing him outright. After all, Chrysanthemum Douluo was not Ghost Douluo. Although Moon Glade's strength fell short of Ghost's, the Sea God's Trident held no special suppressive effect against him either. Instantly killing a Titled Douluo was still an exceedingly difficult feat. But even so, under the cover of a sneak attack, Tang San was confident he could severely wound Chrysanthemum Douluo.
He chose not to. Instead, he opted for the area-of-effect skill, because from the very outset of this operation, Tang San had resolved to let not a single Soul Master dispatched by the Spirit Empire escape alive. Revenge was secondary—the key reason was that he did not want word of his presence guarding the rear of the supply line to reach Bibi Dong's ears.
A Soul Emperor-level Soul Master, barring some extraordinary circumstance, stood absolutely no chance of survival against Tang San's Blue Silver Demonic Tiger Whale Mirror's Annihilation.
"If you've come, why be in such a rush to leave?"
Moon Glade was retreating in frantic terror, his mind screaming endlessly: it's him, it's him. But in this moment, he could not muster even the faintest desire to avenge Ghost Douluo. There was no other Titled Douluo by his side, and no Bibi Dong to back him up. That person had dared to steal even the Pope's Soul Rings and had annihilated Ghost—let alone himself.
The only thing he prayed for now was that he could escape during the interval after that person unleashed an eighth Soul Skill, when his Soul Power would need time to readjust. In Moon Glade's memory, that person was certainly not an agility-attack system Soul Master. His own Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens had boundless wondrous uses. Perhaps there was still a chance to flee.
But a dense mass of blazing flame shattered every last shred of hope in his heart.
With a deafening explosion, that explosive flame blocked Chrysanthemum Douluo's path with brute force. Two yellow, two purple, four black—eight Soul Rings blazing around his body, wreathed in roaring flames, Ma Hongjun stood in his way.
Slowly retracting his raised right arm—what Ma Hongjun had just used was the Phoenix Burst Strike, a sub-skill granted by his Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm.
In truth, given Moon Glade's strength, he should have been able to blast Ma Hongjun away even from a surprise attack. Unfortunately, his mind had already been thrown into chaos, filled with the image of that person and that terrifying golden trident. That was how Ma Hongjun had managed to intercept him from the flank and block his path.
"Shrek Seven Devils—get out of my way!" Spotting the eight Soul Rings on Ma Hongjun's body, Moon Glade no longer had the composure to be shocked. The Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens shot from his hand at full speed, the enormous chrysanthemum swelling further under the true body manifestation until it exceeded ten meters in diameter. Spinning violently, it hurtled toward Ma Hongjun. Simultaneously, Moon Glade himself leaped onto the giant chrysanthemum, his entire body bathed in the golden radiance it emitted, his energy and the martial soul fusing into one.
Powered by his Titled Douluo-level strength and executed for the desperate purpose of escaping with his life, this strike was terrifyingly potent. Ma Hongjun's current Soul Power was only at rank eighty-one, and he had not yet activated his martial soul true body. There was simply no way he could withstand it.
Of course, Moon Glade had no intention of killing Ma Hongjun. He merely needed to clear the path ahead and break free before that person caught up.
But he had gravely underestimated Tang San's recovery speed. For an ordinary Titled Douluo, unleashing an eighth Soul Skill might require time to recuperate. But for Tang San—who possessed six Soul Bones, whose Soul Rings were all at least fifty-thousand-year rank, and whose body had already surpassed the limits of human existence—what did unleashing an eighth Soul Skill amount to?
And so, just as the radiant chrysanthemum was about to reach Ma Hongjun, what Moon Glade saw was the contemptuous smile at the corner of Ma Hongjun's mouth—and a pitch-black trident of enormous proportions.
BOOM—
Moon Glade's momentum was tremendous. To break through and flee, he had poured every ounce of his strength into the charge. And so, even though he could see the black trident blocking his path, he could only crash straight into it.
The instantaneous collision made Moon Glade feel as though every internal organ in his body was about to shatter. His entire body, along with the Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens martial soul, slammed into what felt like an insurmountable wall of steel.
The Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens shattered on impact. Moon Glade's body was flung backward by the recoil, golden stars exploding across his field of vision as blood poured from his nose and mouth. He felt no pain—his entire body had gone completely numb.
Even a rank ninety-seven Sword Douluo or a rank ninety-nine Bibi Dong could not breach the barrier of the Sea God's Trident through a head-on collision. In a contest of sheer physical force, there was perhaps no one in the entire continent who could knock the trident from Tang San's grip.
The weight of one hundred and eight thousand jin was simply too terrifying. The only way to deal with Tang San's Sea God's Trident was to avoid colliding with it.
Moon Glade was, without question, a Titled Douluo, and his charge had been extraordinarily powerful. But the greater the force applied, the greater the equal and opposite reaction. Tang San had relied entirely on the combination of brute strength and the Sea God's Trident to sever his path of retreat—and with nothing more than raw power, had sent Chrysanthemum Douluo flying. The impact had not only shattered the Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens, but had also broken his nerve.
"You—" Moon Glade stumbled back several steps, staring at Tang San and Xiao Wu, who had appeared beside him. "It really is you… Tang San."
Tang San said coolly, "We meet again, Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo."
Moon Glade's expression shifted rapidly. "Tang San, spare me. You should know—everything we did was under the Pope's orders. As long as you're willing to let me go, I'll join your Tian Dou Empire! I can help you fight the Spirit Empire. Regardless of everything else, I am still a Titled Douluo."
Tang San did not look at Moon Glade again. A trace of deep sorrow surfaced in his eyes—whether it was prompted by Moon Grode's abject groveling, or by memories that surfaced unbidden.
"Senior Moon Glade, back then—in the depths of Star Dou Great Forest—did you ever show mercy to me and Xiao Wu? Do you know how much suffering that encounter caused us? Did you ever show mercy to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family? To my parents? And to the countless strong individuals who perished at Spirit Hall's hands? Spirit Hall has committed far too many sins. Straighten your spine. Yes, you are a Titled Douluo—die with dignity."
Moon Glade's expression changed once more, but this time it turned cold and hard. From Tang San's words, he understood with perfect clarity that this young man would show him no mercy whatsoever. He had never imagined that he, a Titled Douluo, would one day meet such an end.
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You're right. As a Titled Douluo, why should I debase myself like this? The fact that I've come to this is entirely my own doing. If not for my greed for the wealth and glory Spirit Hall could provide, things would never have reached this point. If I had another chance to choose, in my next life, I would be a free Soul Master. Only now do I understand—a life of freedom is more important than power, status, or money. Perhaps death is merely a new beginning for me. Tang San, before you make your move, can you tell me one thing? How is it that you possess such tremendous power when you don't display a single Soul Ring?"
Tang San said indifferently, "I have a skill that conceals my Soul Rings. Since a dying man speaks honestly, I'll let you pass with your questions answered."
As he spoke, the Sea God's Trident in his hand slowly pointed forward. One by one, Soul Rings materialized silently around his body.
Black, black, black, black, red, black, red, red, red. Nine Soul Rings. Each one that appeared seemed to make the very air heavier. By the time all nine had fully manifested around Tang San, not only was Moon Glade stunned into silence—even Ma Hongjun, standing nearby, was frozen in shock.
"Losing to you, I don't die unjustly. But I won't go quietly. If you want my life, come and take it!"
Moon Glade bellowed, and every inch of his body blazed with renewed radiance. The shattered Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens reformed, completing the true body manifestation in an instant. Having abandoned all reservations and all desire to cling to life, he burned his fighting spirit and Soul Power without reservation.
"Fatty, you and Xiao Wu fall back," Tang San said calmly. At the same time, the Sea God's Trident in his hand was already aimed at the center of Moon Glade's chest.
A deep blue radiance rose from beneath Tang San's feet, instantly enveloping his entire body as the Blue Silver True Body activated. Simultaneously, the red Soul Ring positioned last among his nine—that had been dormant since being bonded to him—lit up for the very first time.
Moon Glade looked utterly ferocious in this moment. The Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens true body trembled wildly as he poured Soul Power into it without the slightest regard for cost. What lit up on his body was also the ninth Soul Skill—the last ring in his sequence.
The colossal Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens soared into the sky. Moon Glade did not use it to defend himself. Staring fixedly at Tang San, he bellowed each word with deliberate force, his voice carrying an uncanny, almost magical resonance. With every syllable he uttered, the chrysanthemum in the air grew larger still, and the golden radiance upon it became more brilliant and crystalline.
"Chry—san—the—moon—falls—wounds—the—heart—breaks—."
As his final word rang out, the already titanic Chrysanthemum That Pierces the Heavens in midair shattered with a thunderous roar. Every brilliant golden petal transformed into a crescent blade and began spinning violently. All the petals assembled into a massive golden vortex that descended from the heavens, bearing down directly on Tang San.
At the same instant, within the Blue Silver True Body state, the blue radiance around Tang San's body suddenly shifted to cyan. A resounding dragon's roar erupted from the Soul Power surging through him. The red ninth Soul Ring fused into his body in a flash, and then the cyan light blazed to its fullest—an enormous Azure Dragon burst forth from Tang San's body.
Yes. The lifelong wish of Tianqing Niu Mang Da Ming—the one he had never fulfilled in life—was finally completed after he had sacrificed himself to Tang San and become his Soul Ring. This Azure Dragon form was the evolution Da Ming had undergone upon sacrifice. It was one of Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor hundred-thousand-year ninth Soul Skills—the Blue Silver Azure Dragon's Spirit.
Without any fanfare, the colossal Azure Dragon crashed straight into the golden vortex formed by the chrysanthemum petals. Countless deafening explosions detonated in the sky. The collision of two ninth Soul Skills shot toward the heavens, and the shockwave generated by the interplay of gold and cyan light was so intense that even the sunlight overhead dimmed considerably.
The collision of Soul Skills was, in essence, a direct confrontation between two Soul Masters. Almost the very instant the two ninth Soul Skills collided, Moon Glade's face had turned deathly pale. Tang San had not used his Sea God's Trident—this was a straightforward clash of Soul Skills. But in that single instant, Moon Glade understood that even in this domain, he was utterly no match for this young man.
The chrysanthemum vortex could not so much as scratch the Azure Dragon. Every petal that struck a dragon scale vanished on contact. The impact generated did nothing more than cause a faint shimmer of light along the dragon's enormous form.
Then, without warning, another explosion erupted. Moon Glade felt the ground tremble beneath his feet, and the next instant, his body was no longer under his control. He rocketed skyward. Beneath him, a second enormous Azure Dragon soared upward and, in what seemed like a heartbeat, coiled its colossal body around him. The crushing pressure made it impossible to breathe. With his Soul Power already depleted and injuries mounting, he had lost every shred of resistance.
Tang San stood in place, his expression unchanged, and said calmly, "Although both are ninth Soul Skills, the greatest difference between a hundred-thousand-year Soul Skill and a ten-thousand-year one is this: with the same amount of Soul Power, you can only release a single ninth Soul Skill. But I can release two."
With a soft hissing sound, the first Azure Dragon had already burst through the bonds of the chrysanthemum petals, shattering Moon Glade's last hope completely. It plunged from the sky, hurtling toward the second Azure Dragon.
Tang San no longer looked at Moon Glade. He turned and launched himself skyward, flicking a strand of Blue Silver Emperor that wound around Xiao Wu's waist, pulling his beloved to his side. "Let's go."
He had no need to look back. This battle was already over. The second colossal Azure Dragon that had ensnared Moon Glade was none other than his ninth Soul Skill's second technique—the Blue Silver Azure Dragon Binding Tenacity. As the most powerful control skill among his Soul Ring abilities, it was neither like Unfixed Storm, which combined offense and defense, nor like the Slow God Claw, which could slow an opponent for ten seconds. But it also did not carry the success-rate limitations of Unfixed Storm or the grappling requirements of the Slow God Claw.