"Despicable insect, die! Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Nearly having his Martial Soul True Body shattered in one blow, Evil Tang Chen erupted in fury. His nine spirit rings flared at once, then sank into the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand.
As lines of demonic patterns surfaced, in an instant, the Clear Sky Hammer in his grip transformed into a hundred-meter-long blood-red giant hammer, roaring down upon the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow.
"Hmph—"
With a cold snort, Mu Yang hurled another fully-formed Slaughter Iceflame Spear to meet the descending blood hammer.
Though the force of this strike was immense, it was merely the Great Sumeru Hammer—without the added might of exploding rings. Within his god-level Martial Soul Fusion state, Mu Yang had no reason to fear.
"Boom—"
Spear and hammer clashed, releasing a deafening explosion. Under the crushing might of the strike, the Iceflame Spear shattered into countless shards of icy-blue flame.
Yet Tang Chen gained no advantage. Though the spear was broken, the blood-red hammer was covered in fine cracks. On its head, the spear had even gouged out a deep pit.
"Roar—"
Just then, the Iceflame Dragon charged forth, breathing a torrent of dragonfire that engulfed Evil Tang Chen's Clear Sky True Body.
"Damn it—shatter!"
The ice-blue flames burned fiercely, their piercing chill seeping into his body through the True Body. Feeling as though his very blood was about to freeze solid, Evil Tang Chen's rage surged. He raised his only remaining left arm, swinging the hammer down toward the dragon.
Naturally, Mu Yang would not allow him to succeed. Even as he conjured another Iceflame Spear, he controlled the dragon to lash its tail, narrowly dodging the blow, and began circling in hit-and-run maneuvers.
Exploiting his strengths against his foe's weakness—the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow attacked at range with spears, while the Iceflame Dragon harassed in close combat.
Yes, Mu Yang was bullying Tang Chen's lack of long-range attacks!
By coincidence, when he had slain Tang Hao, Mu Yang had used a similarly "shameless tactic."
And by further coincidence, Tang Hao's death ground had been right near this very place.
"Arghhh! Damn it!"
Round after round passed in moments. Seeing himself—supposedly peerless—unable to break the stalemate, Evil Tang Chen, corrupted and far less composed than his former self, finally lost patience. The nine spirit rings embedded within the Clear Sky Hammer flared once more.
"Great Sumeru Hammer Secret Art—Exploding Rings!"
A furious roar echoed. At once, his nine spirit rings radiated dazzling light, then shattered in succession.
In that instant, a terrifying aura erupted from Evil Tang Chen, surging past the hundredth Level, stepping into an entirely new realm.
"Just what I was waiting for—your exploding rings!"
Seeing him blast all nine rings, ascending into god-level strength, Mu Yang was not alarmed but rather elated. Recalling the dragon from its close combat harassment, he spread the wings of iceflame upon his back, and retreated at full speed.
In Mu Yang's view, Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue aside, even the death of "Secluded Chamber Douluo" Qian Xunji at Tang Hao's hands was largely because Qian Xunji had exposed his own weakness.
The Exploding Rings secret of the Great Sumeru Hammer could indeed amplify power tremendously—but its drawbacks were glaring. Once the duration ended, the user fell into crippling weakness.
So long as the difference in level was not overwhelming, an Angel Spirit wielder's speed far outstripped that of a Clear Sky Hammer Spirit Master. By exploiting this speed, keeping distance, and refusing to clash directly, once the hammer king's time expired, the kill would be effortless.
Though such tactics might seem dishonorable, and some might scoff at the victory as unworthy, Mu Yang knew it was far preferable to being remembered as the "Hammer King's Eternal Punching Bag."
"Despicable insect, if you dare, face me in a duel to the death!"
Seeing Mu Yang retreat, Evil Tang Chen fumed. He had unleashed his ultimate move, and yet his opponent simply ran? Utterly disgraceful—a coward among Soul Masters!
"Heh… Let's see if you still have the courage to say that once your exploding rings wear off."
Mu Yang chuckled lightly, unprovoked by the taunt.
He had entered god-level strength through Martial Soul Fusion. Evil Tang Chen had reached god-level through exploding rings. At equal rank, Mu Yang was confident the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow would not simply be beaten down. At the very least, they were evenly matched.
But why fight with risk, when there was a safer, easier path to victory?
If he fought head-on and won, the effort would be great, the reward small—a minor loss. If he fought and lost, the cost would be catastrophic.
Either way, it was loss. Why gamble?
Mu Yang possessed dual soul cores of yin and yang. Shui Bing'er, too, carried her own soul core. Both of them could recover spirit power automatically—and rapidly—enough to sustain the Fusion technique indefinitely.
In battles not of the highest intensity, he could maintain the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow without limit.
And Evil Tang Chen? How long could he maintain this state?
Once the weakness came, his fate would be sealed.
Could Evil Tang Chen simply end his exploding rings state early?
Yes, but doing so too soon would still carry consequences. Though the weakness would be lessened, his rings were already destroyed, and could not be restored quickly. He could never explode them again, nor wield the Great Sumeru Hammer properly.
With his greatest trump card already burned, could he possibly resist a god-level Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow?
Indeed, from the very moment Evil Tang Chen exploded his rings, his defeat had been decided.
Though his temperament was poor, Evil Tang Chen was not entirely a fool. Realizing that he could not strike the retreating Ice Phoenix, he decisively ended the exploding rings state.
Yet his defeat was already laid bare—there was no path to reversal.
In truth, Tang Chen's body was in worse condition than Mu Yang had even expected.
After years of parasitism by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, his body was gravely depleted. Were it not for the foundation of a half-god, he would have burned out long ago.
Moreover, even before breaking free of the bat king's control, Evil Tang Chen had already lost his right arm and part of his shoulder to Mu Yang's Iceflame Spear. His physical state was no better than Tang Hao's when he had been riddled with hidden injuries. Even without ending the exploding rings early, he could not have lasted long.
The instant he withdrew, Mu Yang immediately advanced, embodying the maxim: "If the enemy advances, I retreat; if the enemy retreats, I advance." He drove the Iceflame Dragon to the fore, while he himself rained down spear after spear from afar.
After more than ten rounds, one Iceflame Spear shattered Evil Tang Chen's already-ruined Clear Sky True Body. Then the dragon swooped down. With a tearing sound, blood sprayed as its razor-sharp claws pierced straight through Tang Chen's heart.
Moments later, suffering mortal injury, Tang Chen's life force utterly faded.
The Ancestor of the Clear Sky Sect, Land's Invincible Tang Chen—fallen!