Yu Hao vs Long Aotian
Upon hearing Long Aotian's soul power level, a sharp glint flashed through Yuhao's eyes.
"He truly deserves to be called the strongest of the younger generation of the Noumenon Sect."
Long Aotian was not yet fifteen years old, yet his cultivation had already reached Rank 51, stepping firmly into the realm of the Soul King. Looking across the entire Douluo Continent, Yuhao knew that among those of the same age, only Xiao Hongchen of the Sun Moon Empire could barely rival such terrifying progress.
Yuhao also understood very clearly that if he had not appeared and interfered midway, the position of Young Sect Master of the Noumenon Sect would undoubtedly have fallen into Long Aotian's hands.
"What a pity… what a real pity."
Yuhao shook his head inwardly, his thoughts calm but resolute.
Long Aotian did not understand why Yuhao suddenly shook his head. He only spoke in a steady voice:
"Huo Yuhao, I'm starting now."
Yuhao nodded faintly. In the depths of his eyes, purple and golden light alternated once more, flickering like divine flames.
Soul Shock!
However, although Long Aotian's martial soul belonged to the Noumenon type—focused on the physical body—his spiritual power was by no means weak. In fact, it was even stronger than Gu Tong's.
Coupled with his Rank 51 soul power, Long Aotian's reaction to the spiritual impact was minimal, far smaller than Gu Tong's earlier response.
At the same time, Long Aotian did not rush forward recklessly. Instead, he took a single step.
Yet this single step caused his entire aura to undergo a dramatic transformation.
An invisible pressure descended instantly upon Yuhao, causing his shoulders to sink slightly, as though a heavy mountain had pressed down upon him.
Momentum Suppression!
Before Yuhao could fully react, Long Aotian had already released his martial soul. In the next instant, five soul rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, and black—rose beneath his feet, their colors far exceeding the optimal configuration for soul masters of his age.
This alone was enough to prove why Long Aotian was revered as the strongest disciple of the younger generation within the Noumenon Sect.
Buzz—
A streak of silver light swept across Long Aotian's body. As his soul power erupted, a silver-white phantom gradually condensed behind him, its outline majestic and oppressive.
He was well aware that Huo Yuhao could never be treated as an ordinary Great Soul Master. Therefore, the moment he made his move, Long Aotian displayed his strongest state without hesitation.
The second awakening at the silver level had already doubled his combat strength.
In the next breath, Long Aotian vanished soundlessly.
When he reappeared, he was already standing directly in front of Yuhao.
His jade-white palms clenched into fists, and with overwhelming force, he smashed downward toward Yuhao's head.
Boom!
Carried by violent wind pressure, Long Aotian's punch contained boundless power, like Mount Tai collapsing from above, or as if the heavens themselves were overturning.
At that moment, Long Aotian's soul power, mental power, and physical body merged perfectly into one. Even the surrounding environment seemed to resonate faintly, showing signs of being drawn into this terrifying unity.
Seeing this, a trace of admiration flashed across Du Buushi's eyes.
Yuhao's talent was indeed monstrous, unparalleled in the world. But the disciples cultivated by his Noumenon Sect were by no means inferior.
"This is… unity of man and nature!"
Yuhao's heart shook violently. One of the Noumenon Sect's most terrifying combat methods was to integrate all of one's power with the surrounding environment, unleashing explosive might in a single strike.
And the Long Aotian before him was clearly using this technique.
It was just that his mastery was still incomplete, and he could only exert a fraction of its true power.
Even so, Yuhao felt an overwhelming pressure, as if resistance itself had become difficult.
Bang!
The punch tore through the air with a deafening sound. Yuhao's figure was instantly sent flying backward, just like Gu Tong before him.
Seeing this, joy flashed across Long Aotian's face. From his perspective, Yuhao seemed to have been blown away without even having time to react.
"I won!"
Long Aotian was thrilled. Although he was fighting a Great Soul Master in name, the sense of accomplishment he felt was indescribable.
That was because, deep down, Long Aotian had already regarded Yuhao as an opponent of equal standing—or even someone stronger than himself.
He turned to look at Du Buushi, pride overflowing in his eyes. His expression seemed to declare:
"Sect Master, I have defeated the Young Sect Leader you chose."
However, when he saw Du Buushi slowly shaking his head, Long Aotian's expression stiffened instantly.
He hurriedly turned around, only to see that the dust cloud created by Yuhao's fall had already dissipated.
Yuhao stood there calmly, unscathed, as if he had never been struck at all.
"This… this is impossible!"
Long Aotian shouted, disbelief flooding his eyes.
He simply could not accept that Yuhao could emerge intact after taking his full-powered punch.
Not to mention Yuhao—even a Soul Sage who had activated their Martial Soul True Body would certainly suffer heavy injuries if they were caught off guard by that strike.
Although Yuhao's talent was terrifying, how could he possibly be compared to a Seven-Ring Soul Sage?
Indeed, Yuhao truly could not compare to a Seven-Ring Soul Sage at his current level.
Long Aotian's punch earlier was more than enough to severely injure him.
However, Yuhao possessed an incomparably powerful soul skill—the Ice Emperor's Golden Body, an ultimate full-body defensive ability.
Moreover, after the evolution of the Golden Dragon King's power, Yuhao possessed a brief moment of absolute invincibility.
It was precisely relying on that one second of invincibility that Yuhao could stand before everyone completely unharmed.
Yuhao lifted his gaze and looked at Long Aotian. Recalling the terrifying punch from earlier, his eyes shimmered repeatedly with excitement.
"It seems that coming to the Noumenon Sect was the right decision after all."
If he could truly master the combat method of uniting man and nature—integrating all of his power and resonating with heaven and earth—then the destructive force he could unleash would be unimaginable.
However, before that, he still needed to deal with Long Aotian standing in front of him.
Buzz—
Purple and golden light alternated once again within Yuhao's eyes, and a powerful soul attack shot straight toward Long Aotian's spiritual sea.
But Long Aotian was already prepared. His formidable mental strength and surging soul power allowed him to block the attack with ease.
Although his full-powered strike earlier had failed to injure Yuhao, shaking his confidence slightly, Long Aotian quickly adjusted his mindset.
After all, he was Long Aotian.
In the blink of an eye, he reentered the battle state.
So what if Yuhao possessed an invincible defensive soul skill? Such heaven-defying abilities were destined to be limited in duration.
Furthermore, Yuhao's mental attacks—his greatest trump card—were ineffective against him.
Under such circumstances, Long Aotian believed that his chances of victory were still greater than Yuhao's.
With his thoughts settled, Long Aotian raised his head and looked toward Yuhao again.
But Yuhao was no longer there.
"What?!"
Long Aotian was shocked. He immediately looked downward, only to see a mass of black shadows rapidly swimming along the ground, arriving before him in the blink of an eye.
Before he could respond, a figure burst out from the darkness—it was Yuhao.
Bang!
Yuhao activated the Ice Emperor Dragon Ao and unleashed a Rising Dragon Fist, smashing fiercely toward Long Aotian's chin.
The attack came far too suddenly. Long Aotian had no time to dodge or raise his arms to block.
Yet his instincts reacted instantly. The ten-thousand-year soul ring beneath his feet lit up, and ripples spread across the surface of his skin.
In the next moment, Long Aotian slammed his head forward, colliding directly with Yuhao's fist.
Bang!
Yuhao felt as though his fist had struck solid granite. The surface was incomparably hard, and an intense repulsive force surged back, forcing him to flip backward through the air.
Long Aotian did not fare much better. He staggered backward three or four steps, each footstep resounding heavily against the ground, before finally stabilizing himself.
The first true head-on clash between the two had ended—
In a perfect draw.