Douluo: Unparalleled General, Starting by Deceptive Thousand-Snow-Peak 114

Chapter 114: Victory Over Tang Hao, Threats, a Deal, and a Promise

“Sixth Soul Skill, Ice Prison!”

“昊天九绝—震字绝!” (Hāotiān Jiǔjué – Zhènzìjué! – The ninth level of the Haotian hammer technique – the tremor style)

Lan Xue unleashed Ice Prison, a large-scale control Soul Skill. Those hit would be instantly frozen. The control effect would be significantly weaker against opponents stronger than the user. If the opponent possessed skills that counter control Soul Skills, the effect would be even worse.

Unfortunately, the Haotian Nine Absolutes was a unique hammer technique containing various methods of exerting force. Tang Hao had practiced this technique for many years, reaching the point where he could exert force from any part of his body, even without the Haotian Hammer.

At this moment, both had activated their Artifact Soul True Bodies. Tang Hao and the Haotian Hammer were nearly one. The power of the Haotian Nine Absolutes was several times stronger. With a tremor of his muscles, he shattered all of Lan Xue’s ice.

Unable to use her ultimate ice, she couldn’t restrain Tang Hao’s movements.

“昊天九绝—透字绝!” (Hāotiān Jiǔjué – Tòuzìjué! – The ninth level of the Haotian hammer technique – the penetration style). The unbound Tang Hao slammed his hammer down. Lan Xue raised her spear to block. The disparity in power between a single bone and a body with six soul bones was immense. The moment the Haotian Hammer struck the Mystic Ice Spear, the spear shaft almost bent.

Lan Xue knelt, her hands bleeding from cracked knuckles, and vomited blood. The penetration style could force the Haotian Hammer’s power through the opponent’s body, shattering their internal organs.

Fortunately, Lan Xue used her Soul Power to protect her internal organs; otherwise, her innards would have been shattered.

“No, at this rate, Her Majesty Xuanbing will die at Tang Hao’s hands. I can’t care anymore. Soul Bone Skill – Medusa’s Gaze!” Du Guobo couldn’t wait for another opportunity; he had to save Lan Xue.

“Humph, a mere Medusa’s Gaze…what?” Tang Hao initially didn’t take Medusa’s Gaze seriously. He believed Du Guobo’s Soul Power couldn’t break through his Haotian Protection.

However, when the grayish-white light swept over, Tang Hao’s detached Haotian black shield instantly turned to stone.

Tang Hao quickly abandoned Lan Xue, retreating continuously while charging his Haotian Hammer.

“昊天九绝—破字绝!” (Hāotiān Jiǔjué – Pòzìjué! – The ninth level of the Haotian hammer technique – the breaking style).

At the peak of his charge, Tang Hao struck again. This breaking style possessed the ability to break techniques; its force was swift and destructive. This strike used all of Tang Hao’s power, without reservation. Two of his Soul Rings were gone, apparently having been exploded. Though they were just the two weakest hundred-year Soul Rings, their boost was not insignificant.

Without using the Great Sumeru Hammer, this breaking style was arguably one of his most powerful attacks, even stronger than many of his Soul Ring skills.

Tang Hao rarely used Soul Skills. Although he possessed a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring, the one from the Blue Silver Emperor didn’t have particularly high compatibility with his Haotian Hammer, and he didn’t obtain any super powerful attack Soul Skills. Therefore, his combat methods typically involved random attacks, the Haotian Nine Absolutes, exploding Soul Rings, and the Great Sumeru Hammer.

“Boom!”

The hammer and Medusa’s Gaze collided. Both Tang Hao and Du Guobo were thrown back by the force. Du Guobo stumbled back seven steps, spitting blood. Tang Hao wasn’t unscathed; one side of his Haotian Hammer was petrified.

Tang Hao could use his strong Soul Power to slowly expel Du Guobo’s Soul Power and repair the Haotian Hammer, but he was now at a disadvantage. The Haotian Hammer was double-sided, and the Haotian Nine Absolutes was created to take advantage of this; now, with one side disabled, not only was the hammer’s power greatly reduced, but using the Haotian Nine Absolutes would be severely limited.

Lan Xue seized the opportunity, charging again. Tang Hao had no choice but to fight with only one side of his hammer. The situation began to reverse; Lan Xue slowly gained the upper hand, and Tang Hao’s hidden injuries were about to worsen.

Their fight accelerated until even Du Guobo, a Title Douluo, could only see streaks of hammer and spear. Finally, Lan Xue’s spear sliced across Tang Hao’s chest, while Tang Hao’s heavy hammer struck her shoulder.

A loud bang echoed as they were both blown away. Lan Xue, clutching her injured shoulder (where bones had fractured), swayed slightly. This wasn’t fatal to a Title Douluo; some time would heal it.

“Tang Hao, you’ve lost!”

The battle was decided. Tang Hao’s injuries were far more severe. Even without her ultimate power, if she couldn’t defeat a weakened Haotian Hammer, she might as well quit. In their final clash, her cold energy had entered Tang Hao’s body. Although she was injured, with meridians damaged and several bones broken, she didn’t care.

Lan Xue’s body suddenly emanated cold energy. In the next moment, she stood as if nothing had happened.

“Madwoman!” Tang Hao was shocked. The woman had used ice to freeze and reconnect her broken meridians and bones, using the cold to numb the pain. She could still fight at peak strength for a short time.

In contrast, Tang Hao was not only frostbitten by Lan Xue’s cold energy but half of his Haotian Hammer was petrified by Du Guobo’s Medusa’s Gaze. His old injuries had fully resurfaced, leaving him unable to fight.

Tang Hao raged silently, calling her a madwoman. He thought he was crazy enough, but she was even more insane. He wondered if Nan Tianchen had a masochistic tendency to marry such a woman.

“Heh, good, good. I never thought that Qian Xunji with Ju Douluo and Ghost Douluo couldn’t defeat me, but today, the two of you have wounded me like this.” Tang Hao touched his massive chest wound, his hand crimson with blood, laughing furiously, “Du Guobo, your Medusa’s Gaze was comparable to a ten-thousand-year Soul Skill. Lan Xue, your level has risen to ninety-five in such a short time. It seems you two have had some amazing adventures!”

Tang Hao knew he had lost, not due to inferior strength, but because of his hidden injuries and lack of information. He had dared to fight two at once because he considered Lan Xue and Du Guobo to be among the weaker Title Douluos.

Du Guobo had always been considered the weakest in single combat among Title Douluos, his Soul Power stuck at level ninety-one for years. Tang Hao thought he could easily defeat him with one blow. Instead, Du Guobo was at level ninety-three and possessed a ten-thousand-year Soul Skill.

Tang Hao wanted to ask how Du Guobo lost to Ju Douluo in the past – was he holding back, or had he recently gotten much stronger?

As for Lan Xue, if Du Guobo’s power was a recent development, then Lan Xue’s was always there, her Soul Power exploding after level seventy. He thought she’d only reach level ninety-one or ninety-two after recently breaking through to Title Douluo, but she was a Super Douluo. He couldn’t imagine how strong she would be if he hadn’t crippled her for seven or eight years.

Lan Xue knew her victory was unfair. This wasn’t a fair Soul Master Douluo match, but a battle for a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. For her son, she wouldn’t hesitate.

“Lan Xue, don’t get cocky. Before I came, I already sent people to Haotianzong. If I die here, my elder brother will know you killed me!” Tang Hao threatened, “I lost this battle, but don’t think I’ll wait to die. I can take you down with me!”

He could admit defeat, but not wait to die. Otherwise, Lan Xue might kill his son nearby. His son, Tang San, was his only hope of defeating the Martial Soul Temple.

To achieve this, he lied, even mentioning Haotianzong.

“Lan Xue, think carefully. I’m not the same as I was. When I fought you before, my Soul Ring explosion technique was just starting, so I couldn’t explode many rings. Now, I can explode all nine. Qian Xunji died under my Great Sumeru Hammer after I exploded my ten-thousand-year Soul Ring. Do you think you’ll be luckier?” Tang Hao’s voice was cold, his blood-red ten-thousand-year Soul Ring trembling slightly.

“Take us with you? Explode your rings? With your injuries?” Du Guobo scoffed. As Title Douluos, they had noticed Tang Hao’s injuries. He felt Tang Hao was bluffing.

“Haha, normally, no. But do you know what Soul Beast my ten-thousand-year Soul Ring comes from? I’ll tell you.” Tang Hao recounted his past with his wife, Ah Yin.

His ninth ring was the ten-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor.

Lan Xue, after hearing Tang Hao’s grievances against the Martial Soul Temple, realized, “So that’s it! Your wife was also a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast in human form. So, you spared that rabbit not for her ten-thousand-year Soul Ring and Soul Bone, but for her to marry your son?”

Tang Hao nodded. “Exactly. I don’t want the tragedy of Ah Yin and me to repeat itself with Tang San and Xiao Wu. Xuanbing Douluo, Poison Douluo, please understand a father’s determination. Spare Xiao Wu, and Tang Hao will be eternally grateful!”

Lan Xue, simple-hearted, was moved by Tang Hao’s story.

But the cold-hearted Du Guobo didn’t care. He only saw the rabbit. Just because Tang Hao got a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring doesn’t mean all ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts should belong to him.

Hunting Soul Beasts was the rule of the continent. Any Soul Master had the right to hunt them, as long as they didn’t overdo it.

Even if the Soul Beast was his wife and daughter-in-law.

Did Tang Hao only kill single Soul Beasts? What if those Soul Beasts had wives and children? He didn’t show any mercy then.

Du Guobo was about to attack when Lan Xue stopped him, whispering, “Mr. Du Guobo, wait. Tang Hao might have more tricks. The Blue Silver Emperor is the most tenacious plant-type Soul Beast. It might not give Tang Hao powerful attack skills, but it might have a way to quickly restore his vitality. If he really explodes all nine rings, even if he only manages one blow, even if we can kill him, I can’t guarantee our safety.”

Lan Xue had experienced the power of the exploded rings. Back then, Tang Hao had only exploded two rings, and the boost was huge. If he exploded nine, she was unsure of the outcome.

“Also, he said he informed Haotianzong. Though not trustworthy, we can’t ignore it. The Haotianzong elders dislike Tang Hao, but Tang Xiao and Tang Hao’s brotherhood is well-known. If he knows Tang Hao died by our hands, he will retaliate. We have no quarrel with Tang Hao. We only want the ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. We shouldn’t provoke Haotianzong.”

Du Guobo nodded and said to Tang Hao, “Tang Hao, we can spare you and the rabbit, but as the victors, you must give us sufficient compensation. That’s fair, right?”

“What do you want?” Tang Hao knew he couldn’t make the two Title Douluos leave empty-handed.

“Simple. The rabbit has a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring and Soul Bone. Though my granddaughter and Xiaofei can’t absorb the ring yet, Her Majesty Xuanbing can freeze it. We won’t waste anything. To save her, you must give us two things: your ten-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone (you have enough soul bones, so you couldn’t absorb your wife’s when she sacrificed herself), and your Haotianzong’s Soul Ring explosion technique.” Du Guobo smiled.

This was Tang Hao’s own fault. Why boast so much about his wife’s sacrifice and his explosion technique? He had become a target.

“What?!” Tang Hao was shocked. The old man was greedy. After hearing his story, he felt nothing? He only cared about profit, wanting Ah Yin’s Soul Bone. If he weren’t injured, he would kill him.

Also, the explosion technique was a Haotianzong secret. Only those who received the Haotian Douluo title could learn it. He would never give it up.

“Don’t get angry, hear me out. Your wife’s Soul Bone, however precious, is just an object. It’s worth it to save your daughter-in-law. Even if you decide not to have her as your daughter-in-law and kill her for her Soul Bone, it’s a fair exchange. Don’t talk about marital love. I’m a snake, cold-blooded.”

“I’ve heard of your exploits. I don’t think you’d treat Soul Beasts like humans because of the Blue Silver Emperor. Only the Blue Silver Emperor and the Soft-Bone Rabbit are special to you, because one was your wife and the other is your daughter-in-law.”

“Mr. Du Guobo is right, Tang Hao. When I first fought you, you only had two clan Soul Bones. You were in your seventies. When you fought Qian Xunji in your eighties, you had six Soul Bones. You’ve been training since then; those likely aren’t all clan Soul Bones. How did you get four Soul Bones between your seventies and eighties? Exactly where you lacked them?” Lan Xue realized she had almost been moved by Tang Hao’s story.

“You won’t tell me you found, tricked, or stole them? How many Soul Beasts have you slaughtered? Did you care about your wife’s feelings then?”

The only explanation was massive Soul Beast slaughter.

The Tang family had the same belief: others killing their family’s Soul Beasts was evil, while their own killings were justified.

Tang Hao clenched his fist. He knew it was useless to answer. He could only save one – Ah Yin’s Soul Bone or Xiao Wu’s life.

“Ah Yin’s Soul Bone, I’ll give it to you!” Tang Hao’s voice was cold. He chose Xiao Wu. Life couldn’t be regained, but Soul Bones could be. Lan Xue wanted the Soul Bone for Nan Feihuang. He’d take it back after recovering and killing Nan Feihuang.

“But I won’t give you the explosion technique. A different condition.”

His bottom line was Haotianzong.

“Tang Hao, for the explosion technique, just the incantation. We don’t need the methods. That’s acceptable, right?” Du Guobo compromised.

“Just the incantation?” Tang Hao was confused. What use would that be? The incantation just summarized the steps. But the actual use requires the method.

Without the method, the incantation is useless.

Du Guobo confirmed, “Yes, just the incantation. We’ll try to deduce the methods ourselves. If we succeed, it’s our skill. If not, you won’t lose anything.”

Tang Hao considered. The explosion technique and the Great Sumeru Hammer were Haotianzong’s highest techniques. Deduction from just the incantation is impossible. Even Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi couldn’t do it.

“Fine. I’ll give you the incantation. Then the deal is done. You won’t attack Xiao Wu or plot against her.” Tang Hao made his decision. For his son, betraying Haotianzong wasn’t a big deal.

Du Guobo was shrewd. He knew Tang Hao would agree.

He could get the Soul Bone back later.

The incantation is useless without the method.

He knew Tang Hao would think he got the better of the deal.

The Soul Bone, once in Nan Feihuang’s hands, would be irretrievable. As for the method, there’s the Daoist Method of No Form, found in the book of Dungeon Heaven, allowing one to simulate an opponent’s energy and use their techniques. Du Guobo had heard Nan Feihuang mention it.

Nan Feihuang, with the incantation, could simulate the explosion technique in a future fight with Tang Hao and deduce the complete methods.

Tang Hao gave Lan Xue the Blue Silver Emperor’s right leg bone. He usually kept it in the cave where he planted Ah Yin, only taking it on journeys. Luckily he had it.

They only trusted immediate rewards.

Tang Hao then gave Du Guobo the incantation. He knew they were honorable. He had no choice but to trust them.

He was the most frustrated he’d ever been in his life.

(End of Chapter)

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