Tang Hao let out a wild roar: "Little San, watch closely. This is the true power of our Clear Sky Sect's Clear Sky Hammer."
As he spoke, Tang Hao strode forward like a whirlwind, the Clear Sky Hammer in his hands spinning at blinding speed as he charged straight toward Golden Crocodile Douluo. If Golden Crocodile Douluo was like a blazing golden sun at this moment, then Tang Hao was like a black demonic sun — overflowing with savage dominance and a terrifying aura of annihilation.
Growing up, Tang San had only ever seen his father fight once — back at Spirit Hall, when Tang Hao had single-handedly clashed with several of their Titled Douluo to rescue him and Xiao Wu. But at that time, Tang Hao's old injuries had yet to heal, and his true strength had been severely diminished. Tang San had never witnessed his father's full power. Now, watching him enter battle, Tang San consumed a Large Recovery Sausage to regulate his breathing while focusing every ounce of his attention on the fight.
At that moment, the Douluo Subduing Demon had also recovered, but he did not intervene. Instead, he quickly retreated to the side. One only needed to look at the deep reverence on his face toward Golden Crocodile Douluo to understand just how exalted the Second Elder's status was within the Spirit Empire.
Tang San's mind raced through calculations. He knew that at this point, the Tian Dou Empire had no chance of breaking through Jialing Pass. The reinforcement of six Spirit Empire Elders and five thousand Soul Masters had completely reversed the balance of power. Including the Thousand Pound Douluo he had blasted away, there were now four Titled Douluo of Elder rank inside Jialing Pass. The fact that his eldest uncle could lead the Clear Sky Sect disciples to cover the Tian Dou Empire's army's retreat was already remarkable. Launching another attack was out of the question. A golden opportunity had slipped away. Still, though the Tian Dou Empire had suffered considerable losses, the Spirit Empire's garrison at Jialing Pass had fared no better. By rough count, if the Angel and Holy Dragon Soul Master legions combined had ten thousand survivors left, that would be generous — the army's casualties were even more staggering.
The Tian Dou Empire's losses were significant as well, but at least the Tang Family Army had remained unscathed, and the Soul Master casualties were far fewer than the enemy's. The Tian Dou Empire's resources ran deep. Looking at the bigger picture, though today's battle had failed to break the enemy in one stroke, the advantage still faintly tilted toward the Tian Dou Empire. Bibi Dong may not have died, but within a month she would be utterly incapable of fighting. The crucial question was how to contend with the six Elders before them after this battle concluded.
Thinking of this, Tang San signaled to his companions with a glance. The group of powerhouses, already holding the upper hand, left only Sword Douluo behind to stand guard while the others withdrew rapidly from the city wall. Sword Douluo moved to Tang San's side to protect him. In the eyes of this ninety-seventh-ranked Titled Douluo, a fervent light blazed. He certainly knew Tang Hao — this former Clear Sky Douluo had created too many miracles throughout the Soul Master world. But he had also heard of Golden Crocodile Douluo, a figure who had once been renowned alongside Sword Douluo's own grandfather. His seniority was immense, his strength formidable — unquestionably one of the finest among the older generation. The clash between two titans of different eras would be an extraordinary spectacle for Sword Douluo, whose own path of growth had all but plateaued. He had no intention of letting such an opportunity slip by. With only a single arm remaining, he might yet learn something from this pinnacle duel. After all, Soul Power level alone did not define the entirety of one's strength — Tang San, at merely the ninety-third rank, had already demonstrated that truth by defeating numerous more powerful opponents.
Tang Hao showed no reaction to the transformation of Golden Crocodile Douluo's body. He simply continued to point that enormous Clear Sky Hammer at his opponent. Due to the hammer's sheer size, he could barely see the other man's body, yet the overwhelming aura of dominion radiating from him was utterly undiminished by his opponent's identity or power.
With Tang San's help opening his eight extraordinary meridians, Tang Hao's Soul Power had already reached the ninety-seventh rank. Though the gap between the ninety-seventh and ninety-eighth rank meant the difference of a full doubling in Soul Power — putting him at a disadvantage — Tang Hao had never truly been defeated since the day he entered the world. His peak-intensity presence, his aura of supreme dominance, was something even Tang San standing behind him recognized he could not remotely match.
"Come," Tang Hao bellowed.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's fury surged even higher. He was three full generations above Tang Hao and, mindful of his seniority, had originally planned to let Tang Hao strike first. But he never expected Tang Hao to be this proud — so contemptuous that he wouldn't even bother with that small advantage. Years of pent-up rage filled his chest. Without another word, golden light erupted from his entire body as he pivoted instantly. The massive tail behind him lashed toward Tang Hao like a steel whip.
This was no ordinary strike. As the colossal crocodile tail swept out, the air in its path warped and distorted until the tail's true position became impossible to discern. The terrifying currents of air produced a string of shrill shrieks and sonic booms. He had not used any Soul Skill — just a pure physical attack.
Tang Hao's movement was equally simple. He stepped forward with his left foot and drove it into the ground with a thunderous crash. The earth around his foot cracked in a web of fractures across Jialing Pass's solid battlements. His right arm, gripping the Clear Sky Hammer, swung fully back behind his body. Every muscle in his frame locked tight in a single explosive instant. Intense black light merged his body and hammer into one. His left heel lifted, leaving him balanced on the ball of his foot. The fabric of his trouser leg over his left calf ripped apart, revealing calf muscles harder than granite. The next moment, the Clear Sky Hammer swung forward without the slightest sound.
That was correct — absolutely no sound, as though every echo in the world had been sucked dry by this single blow. The colossal Clear Sky Hammer cut across the air, and despite the absence of any sound to underscore its might, in Tang San's eyes this strike was the perfect fusion of his father's spirit, will, and soul. Even that heaven-subduing aura of his had been wholly absorbed into the hammer itself.
This seemingly simple swing brought Tang San an entirely new understanding of hammer technique. Just as Tang Hao had said — this was the true Clear Sky Hammer.
BOOM—
The Clear Sky Hammer and the crocodile tail collided with catastrophic force. Shockwaves of dark energy exploded outward in every direction. Tang San could feel with crystal clarity the terrifying power erupting from his father's strike — a force so immense it produced a sensation in his heart that even the Sea God's Trident might not be able to withstand it.
When Tang San was very young, Tang Hao had once taught him that the calves were the true root of a person's power — the muscles of the two calves were a person's second and third heart. Before today, Tang San had believed he'd done well in applying that lesson. But now, watching his father unleash this hammer blow with his own eyes, he realized he still had an incredibly long way to go. The muscles of his father's left calf had contracted with such explosive force at the moment of impact that they had literally pulsed like a heartbeat. His entire body had coiled around that calf like a great bow being drawn to full extension — physical strength, the Clear Sky Hammer's power, spiritual force, and Soul Power all fusing into one seamless whole. Tang Hao, once hailed as a once-in-a-century prodigy of the Clear Sky Sect, had finally revealed his true power before his own son.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's tail was blasted upward by the Clear Sky Hammer, and the force carried his entire body into a half-spin.
His released Soul Power was absolutely no less than Tang Hao's. Yet in this very exchange, where his Soul Power should have completely overwhelmed Tang Hao's, he had been utterly overpowered.
Tang Hao's momentum did not cease. After knocking the crocodile tail aside with a horizontal sweep, his left foot bored into the hard ground like a drill as his body whirled at tremendous speed. The Clear Sky Hammer, driven by his peak-condition body, spun with it. This time, the bow was drawn even wider, the explosion of force even more savage. The second hammer blow followed hot on the first, crashing toward Golden Crocodile Douluo.
Golden Crocodile Douluo proved worthy of his ninety-eighth rank. The shock of losing the first exchange was immense, but his reaction was lightning fast. While his body twisted horizontally in midair, his seventh Soul Ring blazed to life. Every muscle and meridian in his body surged outward instantly — his Golden Crocodile Avatar released. He had transformed into a colossal crocodile over ten meters in length. Another tail strike came sweeping in, but this time, his aura had changed entirely. The force was so tremendous it sent sand and stone flying across the battlements of Jialing Pass, the horrifying shockwave blotting out the sky like an encroaching storm cloud.
Facing his opponent's suddenly amplified strength, Tang Hao did not flinch in the slightest. His second hammer blow descended exactly as before, unchanged in form or trajectory. But in the instant before the Clear Sky Hammer collided with the Golden Crocodile Douluo's avatar-state tail, the entire hammer suddenly turned white. Tang Hao's dominating aura instantly transformed into something even more frenzied — a wild, berserker fury. He roared like an wrathful Vajra guardian. The billowing energy beneath his feet shattered the earth in a spreading web of cracks.
BOOM—
The second collision happened without any ambiguity. This time, Tang Hao could no longer send the crocodile tail flying — but neither could the tail move him an inch.
Tang Hao launched himself upward, hurling his body forward with overwhelming aggression. His left foot stamped down again, and this time the entire city wall cracked open, a massive crater forming beneath the impact. With a thunderous boom, the Clear Sky Hammer swelled against the wind, its already enormous head expanding like a dark thundercloud. It descended upon Golden Crocodile Douluo with the crushing weight of a sky-falling avalanche.
From the first hammer to the third, Tang Hao's technique lacked the fluid grace that characterized Tang San's style. But the connection between these three blows carried a brutal, primal beauty — the beauty of pure, devastating power. That savage, world-dominating aura made Tang Hao himself appear to be a living Clear Sky Hammer, forging his opponent through sheer force. Golden Crocodile Douluo, whose cultivation, Soul Power, and experience all surpassed Tang Hao's, had been driven completely into a defensive posture.
The third hammer, falling like a guillotine from above, was the manifestation of the Clear Sky Avatar. It had been this very blow that Tang Hao had used to rescue Tang San and Xiao Wu before the doors of the Papal Hall. Now, the one facing him was not the Papal Hall but the Spirit Empire's Second Elder. Three consecutive hammer blows had pushed his aura to its absolute peak — a terrifying pressure beyond the power of words to describe. Golden Crocodile Douluo, whose cultivation was superior, felt a sensation he could not suppress: that he simply could not stand against this.
Why? How could this be? Was the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul truly this powerful? Or was this middle-aged man himself already this strong?
Golden Crocodile Douluo had once seen the Clear Sky Sect's most distinguished Sect Master — Tang Chen. But when Tang Chen had fought Qian Daoliu, his use of the Clear Sky Hammer had been entirely different from what he now witnessed in Tang Hao. Tang Chen, too, had been overwhelmingly domineering, but he had relied far more on the combination of his immense Soul Power and exquisite technique, striking with such precision that opponents found no avenue of defense.
The Tang Hao before him, however, was not walking Tang Chen's path at all. What he displayed was pure power — peerless, incomparable strength. Even when facing an opponent whose Soul Power exceeded his own, he chose to crush them through sheer force.
At that moment, already withdrawn from the battlefield, the Titan Hall Master of the Tang Sect — Titan — had tears streaming down his face. The reason he so revered Tang Hao, the reason he had pledged himself to Tang Hao as his lord, was precisely this — Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer, forged from nothing but overwhelming power and indomitable will.
Flandre, who had also withdrawn and broken free of his Golden Holy Dragon state, felt ice-cold dread crawling over his entire body. He still remembered the time he and Zhao Wuji had faced Tang Hao without him using a single Soul Skill — without even releasing his martial soul — and had been completely suppressed by absolute power alone. He was deeply, profoundly grateful that the him of that day had never truly picked a fight with Tang Hao.
Tang Xiao, leading the Clear Sky Sect disciples in covering the army's withdrawal and simultaneously fighting off three Elders while retreating from Jialing Pass, also witnessed this scene. His gaze grew hazy with emotion, but the Clear Sky Hammer in his hands only grew more ferocious, forcibly pinning the three Elders at the gate so they could not break through.
The Clear Sky — the Clear Sky Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect — had finally returned. The title of Clear Sky Douluo had never represented the strongest in terms of Soul Power within the Clear Sky Sect. It represented the true strongest. Tang Chen of old, and Tang Hao now and in the present, were both such men. That world-conquering Clear Sky Hammer blow, descending from atop Jialing Pass with boundless might, declared to all that the Clear Sky Sect had returned.
At last, Golden Crocodile Douluo could not bring himself to face the blow head-on under that extreme, crushing pressure. His crocodile body jerked backward, and his hard skull slammed into the side of the Clear Sky Avatar's hammer. But the impact sent his own body hurtling backward — he was blasted away by pure force. The Clear Sky Hammer, unimpeded, crashed down upon the battlements of Jialing Pass.
A flash of black light erupted, and the entire space seemed to shudder violently. Every person present felt their heart skip a single beat — when it resumed, it was pounding at twice its previous speed. And at the very moment their hearts began beating again, a thunderous explosion erupted from the battlements of Jialing Pass — a sound that could be heard for over a hundred li.
Wild black light scattered in every direction. Across the hundred-meter-thick wall of the Clear Sky Sect's fortification, amid the flying debris of shattered stone and earth, a colossal breach ten meters deep had been carved into the city wall.
Golden Crocodile Douluo suddenly realized that he truly might be getting old. He had landed safely, largely unaffected by Tang Hao's hammer blow. But as he stared at the enormous gap before him and felt that indomitable, heaven-defying aura from his opponent, he understood — his spirit had already lost to this man.
Tang Hao did not pursue. He stood with the hammer held horizontally at his side. At this moment, he looked every bit as imposing as Tang San when he had overwhelmed Bibi Dong, the Golden Trident held aloft as he floated in midair. His brutality and Tang San's elegance formed a striking contrast, yet both undoubtedly struck deep into the hearts of the Tian Dou Empire's soldiers.
"Golden Crocodile Douluo, I forgot to tell you — my name is Tang Hao, and my title is Clear Sky. I am the current Clear Sky Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect. The one who grievously wounded Qian Xunji all those years ago, after which he coughed up blood and died. At the time, his Soul Power had already reached the ninety-fifth rank, and I had only just entered the Titled Douluo realm."
Golden Crocodile Douluo's face drained of color. He blurted out: "You are Tang Hao." Though he had not left the Elder Hall in ages, how could he not know the name Tang Hao?
Qian Xunji — the previous Pope of Spirit Hall, and the only son of the Grand Elder Qian Daoliu. In his day, he too had been hailed as a prodigy of Spirit Hall, reaching the Titled Douluo realm at the age of fifty and continuing to break through in succession. Yet despite all that, he had still been gravely wounded by Tang Hao and had died shortly after returning to Spirit Hall. The name Tang Hao had nearly driven Qian Daoliu to madness. The grief of losing a son in his twilight years had compelled Qian Daoliu himself to personally hunt Tang Hao down. But after initial encounters in which he failed to kill Tang Hao, he had lost all trace of him. Twenty-odd years had passed, and now the Clear Sky Douluo who had once shaken Spirit Hall to its foundations had returned at this very moment — and appeared right before his eyes.
Tang Hao raised his left hand, pointed a finger at Golden Crocodile Douluo, then wagged it dismissively. His voice was cold as iron: "If you want to avenge Qian Xunji, you're not up to it. Send Qian Daoliu instead." As he spoke, he turned and walked back to Tang San's side. He pulled his son up, patted him on the back, and channeled a powerful stream of Soul Power into Tang San's body.