The vibrant, sprawling expanse of Seven Treasure City had transformed into a nightmarish canvas of devastation. Plumes of acrid smoke billowed into the otherwise clear morning sky, casting long, wavering shadows across the shattered remnants of defensive barricades and pulverized stone. The deafening cacophony of war—the shriek of tearing metal, the concussive boom of spirit abilities detonating, and the heavy, rhythmic thuds of massive weapons striking the earth—drowned out all other sounds. Thousands of elite Spirit Masters from the Star Luo Empire, the Clear Sky Sect, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan surged forward like a relentless tide of iron and fury.
Meeting this tide was the combined, resolute might of the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect and the Spirit Hall. The defenders held their ground with grim determination, their formations bolstered by the radiant, multi-colored light cascading from Ning Fengzhi's Nine Treasure Glaze Tile Pagoda hovering majestically in the distance. The profound amplification radiating from the Sect Master ensured that every defending Spirit Master fought with the strength of someone a full tier higher.
Despite the severe numerical disadvantage, the allied forces of the Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect were systematically suppressing the invaders. However, this suppression was far from complete. The Star Luo Empire's vanguard possessed a stubborn, bloody resilience, refusing to break under the immense pressure.
A significant factor contributing to the invaders' stubborn foothold was a creeping, insidious mist spreading across the central valleys.
Tang San stood amidst a chaotic melee of mid-tier Spirit Masters, his deep purple eyes scanning the shifting battlefield with cold, calculating precision. The sickly, pale violet vines of his Deathly Spirit Grass writhed around him like a nest of agitated vipers, releasing thick clouds of noxious fumes. He had unleashed his Deathly Poison Domain from the very moment his boots touched the soil. The domain crept outward, a silent plague that bypassed conventional armor and spirit barriers.
Countless Spirit Kings and Spirit Emperors belonging to the Spirit Hall found their movements growing sluggish. The lethal combination of the death attribute and the potent neurotoxins seeped into their meridians, rapidly draining their vitality and rotting their spirit power from the inside out. Tang San watched as a squad of Spirit Hall enforcers collapsed to their knees, coughing up dark, tainted blood, their skin taking on a ghastly, ashen pallor. This widespread toxic suppression forced the defending commanders to constantly rotate their front lines, granting the Star Luo infantry precious breathing room to advance.
Yet, Tang San had no time to revel in the tactical advantage his domain provided. A suffocating, mountainous pressure suddenly locked onto his figure, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.
'A Super Douluo,' Tang San identified the threat instantly, his mind racing through dozens of survival variables.
Descending from the chaotic skies with the force of a falling meteor was Fifteen Ton Douluo. The Level 96 Super Douluo wielded his fearsome Coiling Dragon Rod, the heavy, intricately carved staff glowing with a dense, golden light that seemed to warp the very gravity around it.
"Your poison ends here, boy!" Fifteen Ton Douluo bellowed, swinging the massive staff in a sweeping horizontal arc aimed directly at Tang San's torso. The sheer kinetic force accompanying the swing generated a localized vacuum, pulling the surrounding air and debris toward the point of impact.
Tang San did not waste breath on a retort. He knew that a single, direct strike from a Level 96 Super Douluo would shatter his bones into powder, regardless of his impressive physique.
His deep black seventh spirit ring flared. Tang San instantly retracted his Deathly Spirit Grass, the violet vines melting back into his palms, and immediately summoned his secondary martial spirit. Black lightning crackled fiercely as the heavy, intimidating form of the Clear Sky Hammer materialized in his grasp.
Simultaneously, the ancient, profound energy within his left arm surged. The Titan Left Arm Bone activated.
'Gravity Control,' Tang San calculated, pushing his spirit power into the bone. He instantly distorted the local gravitational pull within a ten-meter radius, cranking the gravity to twenty times its normal weight. The sudden, crushing downward force caught Fifteen Ton Douluo slightly off guard, causing the trajectory of the Coiling Dragon Rod to dip by a mere fraction of an inch—but a fraction was all Tang San needed.
Without pausing, Tang San channeled the remaining energy in his left arm. 'Titan Firmament Breaker!'
He compressed the surrounding air and the distorted gravitational energy into a dense, glowing yellow orb around his left fist, punching forward to meet the descending staff.
The collision was catastrophic. The Titan Firmament Breaker detonated against the golden aura of the Coiling Dragon Rod. The resulting shockwave tore a massive crater into the earth, sending jagged chunks of rock flying in all directions. Tang San was thrown backward by the sheer recoil, his boots carving deep trenches into the soil. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his internal organs protesting the immense kinetic transfer, but he remained on his feet.
Fifteen Ton Douluo landed heavily, his eyes narrowing in genuine surprise. "A mere Spirit Douluo blocking my strike? The Clear Sky sect has bred a resilient monster. But resilience only delays the inevitable."
The Super Douluo launched himself forward again, the Coiling Dragon Rod spinning into a blur of lethal golden light, striking from multiple angles with blinding speed.
Tang San was forced entirely on the defensive. He utilized the profound, explosive footwork of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, weaving desperately through the barrage of heavy strikes. He swung his Clear Sky Hammer, utilizing the precise, defensive parries of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes to deflect the glancing blows that threatened to crush his skull. Every time his hammer met the Coiling Dragon Rod, Tang San felt his arms go numb. The disparity in raw spirit power was a vast, yawning chasm.
'I cannot match his raw output,' Tang San analyzed, his mind operating at terrifying speeds. 'I must rely on disruption and attrition.'
As Fifteen Ton Douluo thrust the staff forward like a spear, Tang San activated his Sky Azure Right Arm Bone. 'Sky Azure Slowing Divine Claw!'
An untraceable, phantom claw manifested in the air, completely ignoring the radiant, golden physical shields surrounding the Super Douluo. The phantom claw clamped down on the elder's shoulder. Instantly, Fifteen Ton Douluo felt his physical movements and his very perception of time slow down tenfold. A strike that was meant to pierce Tang San's chest became sluggish, moving as if submerged in thick mud.
Tang San capitalized on the momentary disruption. He slammed his foot into the earth, activating his Earthquake Torso Bone. 'Toxic Tremor!'
The ground beneath the Super Douluo violently erupted. A powerful, venom-infused shockwave blasted upward, shattering the stone and releasing a dense cloud of corrosive miasma. The venom clung to Fifteen Ton Douluo's golden aura, rapidly eating away at his defensive barrier and heavily lowering his spirit power recovery speed.
"Pathetic tricks!" Fifteen Ton Douluo roared, forcibly breaking through the temporal slowing effect through sheer, overwhelming spirit power. He spun his rod, generating a fierce whirlwind that blew the toxic tremor away. He lunged forward, the blunt end of his staff clipping Tang San's left thigh.
Tang San grunted in pain, but the Ironback Left Leg Bone flared to life. 'Toxic Endurance.' His physical defense spiked, absorbing the brunt of the bone-crushing impact, while a highly corrosive cloud of noxious fumes erupted from the point of contact, forcing the Super Douluo to quickly step back to avoid breathing the melting vapor.
'I am barely surviving,' Tang San thought grimly, tasting copper. He immediately switched his martial spirit back to the Deathly Spirit Grass, using the pale violet vines to vault himself backward, creating distance while continuously pumping his Deathly Poison Domain across the battlefield to aid his allies. He knew his role was to distract the Super Douluo, preventing the elder from massacring the Star Luo infantry, even if it meant dancing on the razor's edge of death.
A few miles away, closer to the imposing walls of Seven Treasure City, another monumental clash was shaking the foundations of the earth.
Tang Xiao, the majestic Sect Leader of the Clear Sky Sect, swung his colossal, deep blue Clear Sky Hammer in a wide, devastating arc. The sheer force behind the swing generated a howling gale that uprooted ancient trees and pulverized the surrounding boulders. He was employing the complex, momentum-building strikes of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, seamlessly blending offense and defense into a seamless, unbreakable rhythm.
Meeting this storm of brute force was Bone Douluo Gu Rong. The skeletal giant stood his ground, a haunting, raspy laugh echoing from beneath his dark robes.
"You swing that heavy hammer with great enthusiasm, Tang Xiao," Gu Rong taunted, his eerie voice carrying across the chaotic battlefield. "But enthusiasm rarely hits a shadow."
Tang Xiao's hammer crashed down upon the exact spot Gu Rong occupied. However, the heavy weapon struck nothing but empty air, leaving a massive, smoking crater in the bedrock.
Gu Rong had simply ceased to be there. Utilizing the profound, terrifying spatial attributes of his Bone Dragon spirit, the Super Douluo had casually stepped through a tear in the fabric of reality, reappearing fifty meters to the left.
"Eighth Spirit Ring Ability: Spatial Bone Prison," Gu Rong chanted lazily, pointing a bony finger toward the Sect Leader.
The space surrounding Tang Xiao rippled violently. Massive, jagged ribs of dark, impenetrable bone erupted directly out of thin air, converging rapidly to form a suffocating, lethal cage designed to impale him from a dozen unpredictable angles.
Tang Xiao's eyes narrowed. He did not panic. He planted his feet firmly, gripping the haft of his hammer with both hands. He channeled his massive Level 96 spirit power into his weapon, unleashing a localized, explosive shockwave that shattered the encroaching spatial bones before they could pierce his flesh.
"Do not mistake my patience for weakness, Gu Rong," Tang Xiao declared, his voice a deep, resonant rumble. He launched himself forward, initiating the continuous, compounding swings of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer technique. Each consecutive swing grew heavier, faster, and more destructive than the last, creating a terrifying vortex of crushing pressure aimed directly at the elusive Bone Douluo.
Gu Rong did not engage in a test of pure strength. He understood the fundamental mechanics of the Clear Sky Hammer better than most. He continued to shift, utilizing minor spatial jumps to evade the devastating strikes, occasionally manifesting sharp, bone-laced spatial tears to lash out at Tang Xiao's flanks, forcing the Sect Leader to constantly adjust his footing to protect his vital organs.
'His spatial manipulation is flawless,' Tang Xiao analyzed internally, beads of sweat beginning to form on his brow. The continuous, heavy swings of the Disorder Splitting Wind required massive, sustained physical exertion and spirit power. He was an apex powerhouse, but the constant need to alter his momentum to strike an enemy who could teleport at will was rapidly draining his stamina. 'If I cannot pin him to a single location, my attacks will merely exhaust my reserves.'
Conversely, Bone Douluo Gu Rong appeared entirely unbothered by the prolonged engagement. Beneath his dark robes, resting securely within his dantian, a highly condensed, autonomous Spirit Core rotated with a steady, mesmerizing rhythm. This profound, internal engine—a marvel of cultivation that Zhang Tian had elucidated for the top-tier defenders—continuously drew upon the ambient energies of the battlefield. It filtered and fed pure, refined spirit power directly into Gu Rong's meridians, vastly accelerating his recovery speed.
While Tang Xiao's chest heaved with the exertion of his heavy, brutal swings, Gu Rong's breathing remained perfectly steady, his skeletal face betraying no fatigue. The Spirit Core granted the defending Super Douluo a terrifying advantage in a war of attrition, allowing him to endlessly weave his spatial traps and slowly, methodically suppress the leader of the Clear Sky Sect.
Yet, the most visually spectacular and terrifying battle taking place on the ground was located near the shattered remnants of the eastern mountain pass.
Tang Hao stood amidst a landscape of utter ruin, his dark, tattered cloak billowing in the fierce winds generated by his own oppressive aura. He held the massive, pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer loosely in his right hand, his eyes burning with a cold, unrelenting fury. Radiating outward from his imposing figure was the dense, suffocating white mist of the Death God Domain. The domain saturated the air with pure, primal killing intent, seeking to freeze the blood and shatter the courage of anyone standing before him.
Standing exactly fifty paces away was Sword Douluo Chen Xin. The pristine, white-haired swordsman stood with perfect, relaxed posture, the sleek, silver blade of the Seven Kill Sword resting casually at his side. Emanating from Chen Xin was a sharp, piercing, and formless energy—the Sword Domain. It was a domain born of decades of singular, obsessive devotion to the path of the blade.
The two domains clashed violently in the space between them.
The white mist of the Death God Domain surged forward like a tide of screaming phantoms, while the invisible, cutting edge of the Sword Domain met it head-on. The air itself shrieked, tearing and warping as the two supreme domains fiercely suppressed each other. Sparks of chaotic energy ignited where the domains intersected, the localized pressure creating minor, continuous implosions that pulverized the loose gravel beneath their feet. As the domains ground against one another, both men felt their respective auras sharpening, utilizing the intense friction to continually strengthen their own domains.
"You possess a formidable blade, Chen Xin," Tang Hao acknowledged, his deep voice carrying easily over the roaring winds. "But today, my hammer will shatter that sword."
Tang Hao moved. He did not rely on flashy, long-ranged energy blasts. He engaged the profound, fluid footwork of a unique, ancestral movement method, allowing his heavy frame to glide across the broken terrain with startling, deceptive agility. He raised the massive Clear Sky Hammer, initiating the rhythmic, unbroken cycle of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.
He swung the hammer, the blunt head carving a dark trench through the air.
Chen Xin did not evade. His eyes, sharp as polished steel, tracked the exact trajectory of the descending blow. 'The brute force is immense, but the path is predictable,' Chen Xin analyzed internally. 'To block it directly would be foolish. To deflect would be better way to deal with it.'
"Seventh Spirit Ring Ability," Chen Xin chanted calmly, his voice a clear, ringing bell amidst the chaos. "Spirit Avatar Seven Kill Sword."
His deep black seventh spirit ring flared brilliantly. Instantly, Chen Xin's physical figure was entirely replaced by a colossal, breathtaking manifestation of his martial spirit. A huge Seven Kill Sword, measuring two meters long and a half meter wide, materialized in his place. The giant sword stood proudly inserted into the pulverized ground, identical in pristine detail to the weapon he held moments before, just magnified to terrifying proportions.
Emanating from the front of this massive, spectral sword were six distinct, incredibly powerful lines of sword light. These lights wove together flawlessly in the air, forming a massive, imposing character representing the word 'kill'. Each stroke of the character was rendered in pitch-black light. This was not mere energy; it was another dimension entirely exposed to the mortal realm as the absolute sharpness of the sword lights cut open space itself. The black word 'kill' possessed the terrifying, inherent capability of tearing apart the very fabric of reality.
Tang Hao's first swing struck the spatial tear generated by the character. The immense kinetic force of the hammer was instantly swallowed, sliding harmlessly into the dark void rather than striking the sword avatar.
Tang Hao grunted, shifting his footing seamlessly, using the rebound to carry the momentum into his second, heavier swing. Then a third. Then a fourth. The Disorder Splitting Wind Technique continued to rapidly stack up power, the hammer moving so fast it became a dark, roaring blur.
"Your clever tricks will not hold against absolute force," Tang Hao declared, his aura expanding exponentially as he reached the fortieth consecutive swing.
Chen Xin, speaking from within the massive sword avatar, responded smoothly. "Then let us test that absolute force. Eighth Spirit Ring Ability: Seven Kill Thunderous Eruption, One Sword Strikes the Sky."
His eighth black spirit ring pulsed with a blinding, silver radiance. The giant, two-meter-long sword vibrated violently, before unleashing a massive, erupting pillar of concentrated, thunderous sword energy that shot directly upward, aiming to skewer the descending trajectory of the Clear Sky Hammer.
Sensing the lethal, piercing threat of the eighth ability, Tang Hao knew that relying solely on stacked momentum would result in a grievous injury. He needed overwhelming, unquestionable power.
His eyes hardened. He bypassed his eighth ring entirely, calling upon the supreme, legendary power resting at the pinnacle of his cultivation.
The blood-red, hundred-thousand-year ninth spirit ring illuminated the battlefield, casting a sinister, crimson hue over the churning dust and debris.
"Ninth Spirit Ring Ability," Tang Hao roared, his voice shaking the surrounding mountains. "Clear Sky Fury!"
The transformation of his weapon was instantaneous and terrifying. Red line after glowing red line appeared rapidly from the core of the gigantic Clear Sky Hammer, weaving across the dark metal like pulsing veins. In an instant, the entirely black giant hammer turned a blinding, radiant blood-red. The sheer density of the aura radiating from the weapon caused the ground beneath Tang Hao to liquefy into molten slag.
Tang Hao swung the crimson hammer downward, bringing the full, catastrophic weight of a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring bearing down upon the erupting pillar of thunderous sword energy.
The collision defied mortal comprehension. A dome of pure, blinding white light expanded outward, followed by a shockwave that flattened every tree within a five-mile radius. The sound arrived a second later—a deafening, apocalyptic boom that temporarily deafened every combatant in the vicinity.
The sheer, unmatched ferocity of the Clear Sky Fury attack shattered the thunderous eruption. The crimson hammer continued its descent, forcing the giant Seven Kill Sword to slide backward through the earth, carving a massive, smoking trench.
Tang Hao had successfully utilized the terrifying might of his red ring to fight directly against the Sword Douluo and even violently push him back a significant distance. While Sword Douluo's eighth and seventh abilities were formidable, the raw, destructive power of his own spirit rings was somewhat weaker compared to the legendary, hundred-thousand-year enhancement Tang Hao possessed.
However, Chen Xin's foundational cultivation, currently resting at Level 98, was superior to Tang Hao's Level 97 by exactly one critical level. This profound difference in raw spirit power density and worldly comprehension seemed to perfectly even the scales, preventing the hammer from shattering the sword entirely.
Inside the massive sword avatar, Chen Xin remained remarkably calm. He recognized the devastating threat of the red ring. 'His burst damage is unparalleled,' Chen Xin analyzed, feeling the reverberating tremors passing through his sword intent. 'I must sever his control over the battlefield.'
Chen Xin's final, most guarded black spirit ring flared.
"Ninth Spirit Ring Ability," Chen Xin commanded. "Phantom Blade."
The atmosphere immediately shifted. Chen Xin's supreme sword intent actively took absolute control of the immediate surroundings. The sharp, formless energy rapidly expanded, acting like millions of invisible, razor-sharp scalpels that began to mercilessly tear apart and shred the white mist of Tang Hao's Death God Domain. The weaker, less concentrated portions of the domain were ripped to shreds, restoring clarity to the battlefield.
Having suppressed the domain, the giant sword avatar vanished, replaced by Chen Xin's physical form holding the Seven Kill Sword. With a casual, elegant flick of his wrist, six distinct, spectral swords materialized and quickly moved together, creating a giant word 'kill' in mid-air. This dense, black character emitted an immense, suffocating pressure that locked directly onto Tang Hao's spatial coordinates, aiming to crush his internal organs before cutting him down.
Tang Hao swung the crimson hammer, shattering the oppressive pressure, but the effort forced him to halt his Disorder Splitting Wind stack. He planted his feet, breathing heavily, his eyes locked onto the pristine swordsman.
Tang Hao did not rush to use his ultimate, suicidal techniques yet. He kept his grip firm, analyzing the broader battlefield. He knew the devastating, taxing nature of the Great Sumeru Hammer and the Ring Explosion. If he detonated his rings now without first exhausting the opponent or ensuring the other heavy hitters from the Spirit Hall were dealt with, he would be left utterly exhausted and vulnerable. It would be a catastrophic tactical error to burn his foundation too early.
Furthermore, Tang Hao noticed a chilling detail. Despite having just unleashed his seventh, eighth, and ninth spirit ring abilities in rapid succession, Chen Xin did not appear fatigued.
Resting securely within Chen Xin's dantian was a fully forged Spirit Core. The core spun autonomously, pulling vast quantities of ambient spirit power from the air and channeling it directly into the Sword Douluo's meridians. Due to this profound internal engine, Chen Xin was easily able to recover energy at a staggering rate. He utilized this bottomless stamina to continuously launch waves of Phantom Blades and precise, lethal sword strikes, keeping Tang Hao strictly on the defensive. The relentless, high-speed assault managed to bypass the heavy hammer several times, leaving shallow, bleeding cuts across Tang Hao's arms and ribs.
While the earth was being reshaped by the clash of Super Douluos, an even more terrifying, mythic battle was unfolding high above the cloud layer.
The stratosphere had become a battlefield of gods.
Tang Chen, the undisputed titan of the previous generation, swung his massive, dark Clear Sky Hammer with a ferocity that tore holes in the atmosphere. Emanating from his imposing figure was the Slaughter Domain, a vastly upgraded, infinitely more lethal evolution of the Death God Domain. The domain saturated the sky with a thick, blood-red aura, seeking to corrode and annihilate all life within its massive radius.
He was utilizing his profound mastery of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, seamlessly blending the techniques with the rapid, compounding strikes of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer. Every swing he delivered aimed to shatter the sky itself.
Meeting this storm of blood and iron was Qian Daoliu. The High Priest of the Angel God radiated a blinding, pure golden light. He had unleashed his Angelic Domain, a massive sphere of holy, purifying radiance that pushed back relentlessly against the encroaching Slaughter Domain, creating a brilliant, volatile boundary where gold and crimson constantly devoured each other.
The two supreme Limit Douluos were mostly even in raw, destructive output. When their weapons clashed, the resulting shockwaves cleared the clouds for hundreds of miles, creating localized, temporary vacuums in the upper atmosphere.
However, since this specific battle was taking place high in the sky, Qian Daoliu possessed a distinct, undeniable tactical advantage. Supported by the six massive, glowing wings of his Seraphim spirit, Qian Daoliu was able to utilize his supreme, unparalleled aerial speed. He moved like a beam of sunlight, darting effortlessly out of the massive hammer's crushing trajectory, only to instantly reappear at Tang Chen's flank, striking with precise, burning beams of holy energy generated by his Spirit Ring Abilities.
This relentless, high-speed harassment served to keep Tang Chen somewhat awkwardly on the defensive, forced to constantly parry rather than build the overwhelming, destructive momentum his hammer required.
But it wasn't just Qian Daoliu's speed that hindered the Clear Sky ancestor. Tang Chen's movements, while devastatingly powerful, lacked a certain, microscopic fluidity. He was somewhat rusty.
Decades of having his physical body and his spiritual sea violently possessed, warped, and suppressed by the vile, parasitic Blood Red Nine Headed Bat King had left a lingering, sluggish stiffness in his joints and meridians. He had not engaged in true, high-level combat against a peer in over half a century.
Qian Daoliu, noticing the slight, fractional delays in Tang Chen's usually flawless parries, did not miss the opportunity to employ psychological warfare.
"You swing wide, Tang Chen," Qian Daoliu taunted smoothly, his voice echoing from every direction as he blurred through the air, sending a volley of golden feathers that exploded against Tang Chen's defensive aura. "It seems that for the last fifty years, while the rest of the world moved forward, you have hidden away and haven't made much progress at all. Your techniques feel... aged."
Tang Chen grunted, swinging his hammer to shatter a massive cross of holy light. He did not verbally respond to the taunt, nor did he offer the humiliating explanation regarding his tragic possession by the bat. He maintained his stoic, warlord facade.
Yet, internally, Tang Chen knew that Qian Daoliu's teasing observation was indeed the bitter truth.
'My muscles remember the forms, but the meridians in my body are still scarred,' Tang Chen analyzed internally, his dark eyes tracking the golden blur. 'That parasite drained my vitality for decades. I am fighting at the pinnacle, but my body is reacting a fraction of a second too late. If I attempt the Great Sumeru Hammer right now, the backlash would put too heavy of the strain on my own body.'
He tightened his grip on the haft of his hammer, shifting his posture to a tighter, more conservative defensive guard. 'I must rely on prediction rather than reaction. Let him dance more. When he commits to a fatal strike, I will break his wings.'
Far below the clash of the Limit Douluos, the siege of Seven Treasure City continued its bloody, grinding pace. The combined forces of the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect and the Spirit Hall held the line firmly, their defenses unbroken, but the sheer, desperate tenacity of the Star Luo Empire's alliance ensured that the outcome of this monumental war was still dancing on the edge of a knife. The earth shook, the sky burned, and the true toll of the slaughter had only just begun.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels [Villain: Manipulating The Heroines Into Hating The Protagonist] and [Harem Master: Seduction System].
Also, check out 20 Chapters Ahead for this fanfic on my P.atreon.
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/c/evildragon04