Lin Mu would rather fight head-on than take three sword strikes from the Sword Douluo.
Following the usual pattern, each strike would be stronger than the last, and the third strike would most likely be the Ninth Soul Skill. Rather than passively enduring such an attack, it was better to seize the initiative.
With the speed of Hurricane Armor, he might have a fighting chance.
"You want to fight me head-on?"
The Sword Douluo was incredulous. As a Super Douluo with unparalleled offensive power, the likes of the Poison Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo were nothing more than chickens and dogs in his eyes.
In his view, even if Lin Mu had defeated both of them consecutively, he was still only a Soul Saint.
Leaving aside the individual strength of the Poison and Chrysanthemum Douluos, the gap between a Super Douluo and an ordinary Titled Douluo was a massive chasm.
"Let's try and see."
Even facing a Super Douluo, Lin Mu remained calm and composed. Seven soul rings rose from his feet one after another, eventually encircling his body.
Seeing the incomparably scarlet 100,000-year soul ring, the Sword Douluo was once again shocked.
For a Soul Master, a 100,000-year soul ring is the ultimate treasure.
If he possessed one, his Soul Power would definitely be far beyond Level 96, and he might even have a chance to reach the level of a Peerless Douluo.
Only now did he realize why Lin Mu, despite only having the cultivation of a Soul Saint, possessed strength comparable to a Titled Douluo.
Since he possessed a 100,000-year soul ring, he most likely also possessed a 100,000-year soul bone. With these two treasures, it wasn't too surprising that his strength rivaled that of a Titled Douluo.
Meanwhile, Tang San, worried about his master's safety, had already run outside the Great Soul Arena.
Xiao Wu followed closely behind, but suddenly she sensed an extremely familiar aura.
When she looked up at the sky, her body instantly froze on the spot. Her pupils dilated, and her gaze fixed intently on Lin Mu's 100,000-year soul ring.
The aura of this ring clearly originated from Er Ming!
She had sensed a strange familiarity from Lin Mu before but thought it was just her imagination. She never expected it to be Er Ming's aura.
"How is this possible?"
Xiao Wu was struck dumb, her mind blank. She was unable to accept it all, feeling as if her world had collapsed in that moment.
If someone else had killed Er Ming, she could find a way to take revenge. But Lin Mu was Tang San's master. If she sought revenge on Lin Mu, who would Tang San help?
"Xiao Wu, what's wrong?"
Tang San noticed Xiao Wu's unusual behavior and quickly grabbed her wrist, asking anxiously.
However, Xiao Wu remained distraught, having no intention of responding.
First, his master encountered a powerful enemy, and now Xiao Wu was acting like this. This made Tang San even more anxious, and he gripped Xiao Wu's shoulders tightly, shaking her.
"Xiao Wu, what's wrong? Tell me!"
Shaken, Xiao Wu finally snapped out of her daze, tears streaming down her face. She sobbed, "Your master's 100,000-year soul ring... is my little brother!"
"What?!"
Tang San's pupils dilated, and he staggered back several steps, his face filled with disbelief.
His master had told him that this 100,000-year soul ring came from a Titan Giant Ape. Xiao Wu's true form was a rabbit, how could she be related to a Titan Giant Ape?
"Brother, what should I do?"
Having suffered such a devastating blow, Xiao Wu was completely lost, looking to Tang San for help.
However, Tang San was equally at a loss. Who could have imagined that the Titan Giant Ape that had attacked them so fiercely was actually Xiao Wu's brother?
A moment later, he strode forward, grabbed Xiao Wu's shoulder, and said solemnly, "Xiao Wu, back in the Star Dou Great Forest, it was the Titan Giant Ape that attacked us first. It was Master who stepped forward and stopped it, giving us a chance to escape. Master did nothing wrong!"
Hearing this, Xiao Wu's delicate body trembled violently. She looked up at Tang San and asked, "But Er Ming was innocent. Why did he kill him?"
"Aren't you afraid it would have killed us?"
Tang San gripped her shoulders tightly, his tone becoming more forceful. "Xiao Wu, it attacked us first. It's not Master's fault!"
Xiao Wu opened her mouth but couldn't refute him.
If it wasn't Lin Mu's fault, could it be Er Ming's? But even so, it shouldn't have resulted in his death.
Just as the two were arguing heatedly, the battle above began.
Lin Mu waved his right hand, and countless wind elements gathered, transforming into a fierce bow.
Immediately afterward, his fifth soul ring lit up.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Volley of Arrows!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The arrows left the bowstring, transforming into a dense rain of projectiles in the air, shooting toward the Sword Douluo in unison.
"Second Soul Skill: Spirit Sword Protection!"
The Sword Douluo shouted softly, and the Seven Kill Sword beneath his feet immediately appeared in front of him, a huge phantom image manifesting behind him.
At the same time, powerful sword energy formed a protective shield, enveloping him within it.
The barrage of arrows was rather scattered, landing on the sword aura shield without breaking through the defenses, only pushing the Sword Douluo back a few meters.
"Good speed, but somewhat lacking in attack power," the Sword Douluo commented simply.
His opponent's ability to defeat the Poison and Chrysanthemum Douluos meant his methods were far from simple; he must have a hidden trump card.
However, in the instant he made his comment, Lin Mu vanished from his sight.
"How is this possible?!"
Sword Douluo's expression changed drastically. 'That wasn't his full speed earlier... this speed is almost equivalent to teleportation!'
And the distance far exceeded standard teleportation, as if he had disappeared into thin air.
Just as the Sword Douluo sensed Lin Mu's location, Lin Mu was already twenty meters behind him, his cyan armor replaced by purple.
Having achieved forty percent mission completion, he had successfully obtained the right to use the armor 'Cliff's Cool Thunderclap'.
"Titan Skybreaker!"
With a furious roar, Lin Mu unleashed a powerful punch. A beam of energy containing terrifying power slammed directly toward Sword Douluo's back.
Even with Sword Douluo's swift reaction, it was too late to dodge. He could only use his spirit sword to defend once more.
However, this attack was clearly not as simple as the last one. Its power was even more terrifying than the Ninth Soul Skill of an ordinary Titled Douluo, directly blasting Sword Douluo hundreds of meters away and causing him to crash heavily to the ground.
Compared to Nava Flame Armor which has flame-attribute, the earth-attribute Thundercliff Armor was more compatible with the Titan Giant Ape's left arm bone.
The combination of the two could unleash 120% of its power.
Hundreds of meters away, two other Titled Douluos were watching this scene closely. One of them was the Snake Lance Douluo.
"To actually injure Sword Douluo Chen Xin to this extent... Chrysanthemum Douluo's past defeat was not unjust!"
The Snake Lance Douluo was shocked. He thought that Lin Mu's ability to defeat Chrysanthemum Douluo was his limit, but he didn't expect him to be capable of far more.
'With such a powerful prodigy, why do I even need to protect him?!'
The other Titled Douluo was standing on a rooftop further away, wearing a tattered cloak; it was Tang Hao, who had been secretly following.
"I didn't expect this kid to grow so quickly, already reaching this level. I don't need to lift a finger."
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[TL/N: I'm not sure why there is "Thunder" in Thundercliff despite it being an earth-attribute armor. I assume there's a reason behind it, possibly related to the armor's purple color.