"Blue Silver Overlord Spear!"
This was a skill Tang San obtained after his second Martial Soul awakening through a special method in Slaughter City.
Relying on this fifth soul ring's detached skill and pairing it with the Clear Sky Hammer after switching Martial Souls, he had recently killed a Soul Emperor in combat.
Without a doubt, the blood-colored Blue Silver Overlord Spear possessed even greater power.
The only regret was that this soul ring, awakened a second time, could no longer grow—it was merely a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
The Blue Silver Overlord Spear, trailing crimson flames, shot toward Dugu Yan like a bolt of lightning.
"Is this all you've got?"
Watching the spear approach, Dugu Yan slowly raised her hand, the phantom of her Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul manifesting behind her.
Poisonous gas seeped from her palm, gradually condensing into a dark green javelin.
The toxins were compressed to an extreme density. Lightly gripping the poisoned javelin, she thrust it toward the oncoming Blue Silver Overlord Spear.
"Boom!"
After barely holding for a single clash, the Blue Silver Overlord Spear shattered into soul power and was completely eroded away.
"Such domineering poison!" Many Soul Masters in the audience gasped in shock.
Most might not have a deep understanding of the Misfortune Poison Body's eroding domain, as few Soul Masters possessed domains.
But in a direct clash of soul skills, simply flicking a poisoned javelin to completely dismantle the opponent's technique—that was a visual spectacle.
As the Blue Silver Overlord Spear dissipated, Dugu Yan glanced out of the corner of her eye.
"That strange footwork again?" Unbeknownst to her, Tang San had already appeared behind her.
Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul vanished, replaced by a simple, ancient hammer in his grasp.
No soul rings appeared as he tightly gripped the hammer's handle, his muscles slightly swelling.
"Take this, Dugu Yan!"
The hammer slowly expanded, its surface gradually enveloped in a layer of blood-red soul power, all compressed onto one side of the hammerhead.
"The secret techniques of the Clear Sky Clan—I've heard about them from Rongrong!" With a light sweep of her poisoned javelin, she blocked the incoming Clear Sky Hammer.
Tang San's momentum halted briefly before—
The second hammer strike came down with even greater force, followed by the third, the fourth…
"Empty, Seal, Pierce, Penetrate, Entangle, Quake, Shatter, Halt, Collapse."
With each successive strike, the Clear Sky Hammer grew slightly larger, its power increasing as well.
Under the enhancement of the Asura Domain, Tang San indeed possessed the ability to kill a Soul Emperor.
The appearance of his second Martial Soul also shocked the audience.
Even though Dugu Yan had warned them earlier, very few had truly believed Tang San possessed twin Martial Souls.
"So, Tang San really does have twin Martial Souls." On the VIP platform, Xue Qinghe's voice carried a tone of admiration, though his eyes remained calm, as if merely offering praise.
"Ah, I had my suspicions about Tang San's twin Martial Souls." Ning Fengzhi chimed in. "But I wasn't entirely certain."
"Oh? Teacher, you're familiar with twin Martial Souls?" Xue Qinghe recalled that only that woman had ever broken the curse of twin Martial Souls. Every other known twin Martial Soul possessor had, at some point in their training—
—"Splat!"—exploded.
"Not exactly familiar." Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "But a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul with innate full soul power is impossible. Even if Tang San's Martial Soul came from his mother, making it plausible…"
"His previous Martial Soul seemed different from his current one—almost like a second awakening."
"In other words, the probability of twin Martial Souls is higher."
"So that's how it works?"
Xue Qinghe observed the arena, deep in thought.
"Clear Sky Nine Absolute—Merge!"
"Empty, Seal, Pierce, Penetrate, Entangle, Quake, Shatter, Halt, Collapse."
Like nine sacred words, the characters faintly materialized around the Clear Sky Hammer, converging after the 80th strike.
Dugu Yan felt a surge of pressure.
Compared to before, this blood-red hammer radiated an even more intimidating aura.
"So, this is the final strike?" She recalled the words Ning Rongrong had transmitted to her through their spiritual resonance:
"Go all out, crush him, and leave the rest to me."
"Fine, I'll trust Rongrong!" Dugu Yan felt her brain wasn't wired for overthinking—this was too exhausting.
Gradually, her fifth soul ring began to glow again, brighter than before.
Though she was going all out, there was no need to resort to the life-risking Soul Ring Fusion skill.
As the fifth soul ring—the Misfortune Poison Body—lit up—
The poisoned javelin in Dugu Yan's hand turned pitch black.
"Tang San, the Clear Sky Clan's strength was never in the Clear Sky Hammer—it was in the Asura King, Tang Chen!"
"Before Tang Chen's era, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, as a beast-type Martial Soul, had held the title of 'Number One Under Heaven' multiple times."
Shifting blame? Who couldn't do that?
Look, I just promoted your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan for you!
The dark green javelin, radiating a sinister glow, stabbed forward violently, terrifying poison mist spreading across the entire arena.
"What?!" Sensing the lethal threat, Tang San's expression changed drastically.
Even the mere proximity of the aura—without direct contact—made him feel certain death was imminent.
The condensed soul power in his 81st hammer strike was actually being eroded.
"Damn it!"
"Clear Sky Nine Absolute—81st Strike!"
The violent soul power tore through space, its force comparable to a Soul Emperor's—enhanced further by the Asura Domain's buffs and debuffs. Even an average Soul Emperor would struggle against it.
Yet, even such terrifying power sank like a stone in the ocean.
Tang San's eyes widened in horror as his soul power and Asura Domain were devoured at an even faster rate than before.
The Clear Sky Hammer clashed with Dugu Yan's poisoned javelin, soul power erupting and spreading outward from the center of the arena.
"Boom—!" Dense cracks spiderwebbed across the arena floor.
"No… impossible!"
His 81st hammer strike, a secret Clear Sky technique akin to a self-created soul skill, had been blocked by a mere poisoned spear.
Tang San was stunned.
Just how strong is Dugu Yan's physique?!
After undergoing the trials of Slaughter City and receiving special training from his grandfather Tang Chen, his physique far surpassed that of an ordinary Soul King—allowing him to execute the Clear Sky Nine Absolute.
And yet, she still blocked it?
"Tang San, it's over!"
What seemed like an evenly matched battle had actually given Dugu Yan a moment of enlightenment.
"Domain—Ten Thousand Poisons Devour the Heart!"
Tang San was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth.
"She actually tore through the Asura Domain by force?!"
His spirit weakened, Tang San staggered to his feet on the arena.
He had lost—completely. Whether in domain or raw power, he had been outmatched.
He understood now—Dugu Yan had deliberately let him gather the power of 81 hammer strikes before crushing him, using the Clear Sky Clan's defeat to cement the absolute superiority of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's younger generation.
"Damn it… I can't accept this!"
Tang San still gripped the Clear Sky Hammer, but his hand—the one that had struck Dugu Yan—had been contaminated by her poison. From his palm to half his forearm, his skin had turned green.
Strangely, however, the toxins spreading through his body didn't seem to affect him.
"You've lost, Tang San!"
Dugu Yan stood calmly in the center of the arena, a pool of green poison swirling beneath her feet as if she were standing atop a toxic swamp.
"You—" Tang San tried to speak, but his Clear Sky Hammer wouldn't manifest. A searing pain shot through his arm.
Clutching his poisoned right arm with his other hand, he let out a piercing scream.
"AHHHHH—!"
Sweat poured from his forehead, dripping onto the arena floor.
Gritting his teeth, Tang San barely supported himself on his hands and knees, his body feeling as if countless ants were gnawing at him.
"What… what did you do to me?"
"Nothing much—just injected some poison into you."
"Admit defeat. If you surrender, I'll detoxify you. It's not the first time, after all—I'm quite familiar with the process, no?"
"You… Dugu Yan…"
What kind of nonsense is this?!
As a former outer disciple of the Tang Sect, proficient in hidden weapons and poisons, he had been poisoned twice now.
What's the difference between this and the God of Thunder being electrocuted?!
Humiliation—unprecedented humiliation. Worse than defeat, this was a blasphemy against the Tang Sect itself.
Twice! Twice now!
"Still refusing to surrender?" Dugu Yan glanced at Ning Rongrong, who was "struggling" at the edge of the arena to protect the audience from the poison. She sighed inwardly before recalling the poison mist.
Subtly, she shot Ning Rongrong a discreet glare.