[TL/N: Lin Mu's Elemental Armor Origin and the Reason He Uses Duanmu Yan as a Fake Name (Check the comments).]
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"Little San!"
Seeing Tang San injured, Ah Yin was instantly enraged. She recklessly manipulated her vines to lash out at Tang Hao.
Seeing this, Tang Hao didn't hesitate. He swung his Clear Sky Hammer, obliterating the incoming vines, and prepared to smash it directly against the Blue Silver Emperor's main body. Since Ah Yin and Tang San had turned against him, he viewed them strictly as enemies.
In this critical moment, Tang San quickly activated his third Soul Skill, condensing a Blue Silver Barrier that successfully held back Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer.
On the other side of the clearing, Tang Xiao noticed the two separate Martial Souls Tang San was utilizing. He was shaken to his core, beginning to doubt Tang Hao's earlier claims. 'Had Lin Mu really bewitched Ah Yin and his nephew, or was there something more to this?'
Before he could ponder further, Lin Mu wielded the Molten Scale Blade and slashed down. After absorbing Xiong Jun's Soul Ring, Lin Mu's Soul Power had surged, and his physical attributes had been significantly enhanced. Even without resorting to his ninth Soul Skill, he possessed enough power to suppress Tang Xiao.
Tang Xiao was virtually at his peak, and his mastery of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes was unparalleled. With his level 96 Soul Power, he could normally unleash the combat strength of a level 97 expert. However, Tang Xiao lacked the Ring Explosion skill, which rendered him unable to truly contend with absolute powerhouses like a fully powered Lin Mu.
Faced with Lin Mu's relentless onslaught, Tang Xiao was forced into a desperate retreat, barely managing to cope even with his sect's ultimate techniques.
"Sect Master, we are here to help you!"
Seeing the struggle, the four elders immediately joined the fray. They unleashed their Clear Sky Hammers simultaneously, striking at Lin Mu from all directions. They believed that defeating Lin Mu would resolve all their current problems. Meanwhile, the Second Elder remained on the sidelines, holding Dugu Bo as a hostage to be used as leverage in a critical moment.
"Five at once? Do you think that will scare me?" Lin Mu sneered.
As the Clear Sky Hammers closed in, he activated his first and sixth soul rings simultaneously, unleashing a massive molten fist toward Tang Xiao. Tang Xiao was momentarily dazed by the sight of Lin Mu's soul ring configuration. In that split second of distraction, the attack was upon him. He could only hastily raise his hammer to defend, but the resulting explosion blasted him dozens of meters away.
The other four elders were also forced back by the sheer force of the blast. Since Lin Mu's first Soul Skill had been upgraded to a ten-thousand-year level, its raw power had increased dramatically. Combined with the Qilin Fire and the amplification of his sixth Soul Skill, its destructive force was now comparable to the eighth Soul Skill of an average Titled Douluo.
Gasping for breath, Tang Xiao slammed his hammer into the ground to stabilize himself. "How is this possible! His soul rings..." He clutched his chest, coughing up a trickle of blood as he looked up. When he saw the configuration again, his eyes filled with sheer disbelief.
"Six black and three red... a Titled Douluo!"
The sight of those nine soul rings was enough to shake the elders of the Clear Sky Sect to their very souls. They had expected Lin Mu to be preparing for his ninth ring by raising the Blue Silver King, but they never imagined he had already broken through.
"So what if he's a Titled Douluo? I don't believe he can defeat all of us combined!" The Seventh Elder roared, regaining his senses. He immediately activated his sixth Soul Skill, Martial Soul Clone, wielding a Clear Sky Hammer in each hand as he swung them at Lin Mu like a dual-edged storm.
Lin Mu remained calm. His fifth Soul Ring suddenly ignited. The Molten Scale Blade in his hand condensed into an extremely long, blazing giant blade that looked even more magnificent than its base form. With his sixth Soul Skill doubling his attack power, this strike reached the power level of a ninth Soul Skill.
The Seventh Elder was completely unable to parry. He was blasted over a hundred meters away, his body engulfed in hellfire that began to sear both his flesh and his soul. Seeing the Seventh Elder's miserable state, the remaining three elders were paralyzed by fear.
"Now you know fear?" Lin Mu held his blade low, his gaze sweeping over the terrified figures as he chose his next target.
Suddenly, the Second Elder raised his hammer over Dugu Bo's head. "Lin Mu! Surrender now, or I'll kill him!"
"You've captured him; why should I surrender?" Lin Mu sneered.
Tang Xiao and the elders were stunned. 'Did he really not care about Dugu Bo's life?'
"Wait, why does that sound so familiar?" Dugu Bo muttered to himself, recalling similar situations.
Seeing Lin Mu's indifference, the Second Elder hesitated. If he actually killed the hostage, he would lose his only remaining leverage. In that moment of hesitation, Lin Mu switched to his Hurricane Armor and flashed to the Seventh Elder's side.
"Since you want to play, let's see whose blade is faster."
Lin Mu switched back to his Nava Flame Armor and prepared to strike. The Second Elder, fearing for the Seventh Elder's life, shouted, "Wait! Lin Mu, if you release him and return the soul bones, we will leave!"
"If you want soul bones, go find Tang Hao. What does that have to do with me?"
"The two soul bones you stole belong to our sect! Return them!"
"I'm done reasoning with you. You aren't worthy of my time." Lin Mu grabbed the Seventh Elder by the neck and hurled him toward the Second Elder. While they were occupied catching their comrade, Lin Mu snatched Dugu Bo back and shattered the soul power seal on him.
On the other side of the forest, Tang Hao and Tang San had exchanged dozens of blows. Through the skillful use of his dual Martial Souls and the interference of his hidden weapons, Tang San was actually holding Tang Hao back.
"You wretch! I am going to kill you, and you still dare to resist!" In his berserk state, Tang Hao detonated all seven of his usable Soul Rings. The immense energy surge briefly elevated his combat power back to the Titled Douluo level.
"Great Sumeru Hammer!"
With a deafening shout, Tang Hao concentrated every drop of his Soul Power into his hammer. A burst of purplish-black light erupted as the enormous Clear Sky Hammer hovered menacingly over the Blue Silver Emperor.
Tang San decisively stood in front of his mother. He circulated his soul power to its limit, activating his third soul ring to create a massive fortress to shield her.
Simultaneously, Lin Mu activated his right leg Soul Bone, unleashing a scarlet slash toward Tang Hao. The strike not only sealed a portion of Tang Hao's Soul Power upon contact but also deflected the trajectory of the hammer.
BOOM!!
The impact destroyed more than half of Tang San's fortress. Though he coughed up blood from the shockwave, the Blue Silver Emperor remained safe. Tang San looked toward Tang Hao with eyes now filled with pure, cold murderous intent.
Tang Hao collapsed to the ground, his body broken. Between his old hidden injuries and the massive backfire from the Great Sumeru Hammer, he was on the verge of death. Tang San showed no pity. The last vestige of familial hesitation had vanished. He raised a hidden weapon, ready to end it.
At that exact moment, Lin Mu finally unlocked his ultimate armor.
"Thunder Atlas Armor!"
In an instant, he donned the armor. His entire body gleamed with a brilliant, divine gold, radiating an aura of absolute dominance that made the very air tremble.