The colossal Clear Sky Hammer was deflected once again.
The immense force transmitted through the hammer reached Tang Hao's hands.
"Hmph!"
Tang Hao let out a cold snort. Ever since he was tricked by this move before, he had been on guard. If not for this ability, there was no way Gu Yi would have survived the last time. The spirit power protecting his body dissipated the hidden force.
However, the frontal force released from the punch was also formidable, far stronger than before. Tang Hao could feel an unprecedented intensity in that power.
But this time, Tang Hao would not hold back. This battle could only end in one way—either he would die, or Gu Yi would perish. There was no second option.
Tang Hao regained control of his Clear Sky Hammer and swung it once more toward Gu Yi, intending to use both the Great Sumeru Hammer technique and the chaotic Wind-Splitting Hammer method at the same time. The power that could be unleashed would exceed anything imaginable.
Gu Yi understood his advantage clearly. This time, he didn't choose to use his Evil Domain. Instead, he activated the domain tied closely to his martial spirit:
"Primal Energy Domain, activate!" A wave of energy spread out, though it didn't expand much. It only enclosed both him and Tang Hao.
If the domain expanded too far, his control over the power within would weaken. Under such circumstances, he needed to maximize his strength.
Tang Hao was no slouch either. The terrifying killing intent he acquired from the Slaughter City erupted, and his Killing God Domain unfolded, clashing with the Primal Energy Domain.
The two forces created a stalemate, preventing Gu Yi from controlling the surrounding elemental energy near Tang Hao. Similarly, Tang Hao's terrifying killing intent couldn't affect Gu Yi. These domains merely served as ways to enhance their own powers.
"Fire! Ice!" Gu Yi summoned the ice and fire elements from the surrounding area, forming two mighty dragons, one of ice and one of fire, coiling majestically around him, resembling a god descending to the mortal realm.
"Can a spirit master even wield such power?" Emperor Xue Ye muttered in awe as he watched Gu Yi in the sky. He had seen titled Douluo before, but never anything like this. Two dragons, each tens of meters long, hovered in the sky, blocking out the sun. Such power could annihilate even the most powerful armies. Just a single swipe of their tails would cause countless casualties among soldiers.
Ning Fengzhi was equally impressed. "Uncle Bone, with your keen eye, what do you think of those two dragons?" he asked.
Bone Douluo carefully observed the massive dragons slowly moving through the sky. "They're not just for show. The power they possess is on par with a Titled Douluo. How strong they truly are would have to be tested in battle to know for sure."
Flender, now freed from the ice, looked up at the proud young man in the sky and sighed deeply. The boy who once stood by his side had grown to such heights, far beyond what he himself could handle with a single strike.
The appearance of the twin dragons of ice and fire left the entire city of Heaven Dou in awe. In the sky, the situation changed once more as the two dragons swiftly flew toward Tang Hao, leaving brilliant trails in the air.
Tang Hao could clearly see that these dragons were no trivial creations, but he also felt they were not quite enough to pose a serious threat.
He swung the massive Clear Sky Hammer again, and the sheer force left faint black scars in the air. These were spatial cracks, caused by the inability of the Douluo Continent's space to withstand such immense power. In another world, this level of power could shatter the void and ascend to the heavens.
In the Douluo Continent, however, only those who inherited or created a god's position could leave.
Tang Hao first aimed at the fire dragon. The massive hammer struck it, immediately dispersing the dragon into scattered flames.
"It looks impressive, but it's not much," everyone, including Tang Hao, thought. He firmly believed that no matter what he faced, nothing could survive the Clear Sky Hammer's blow, let alone a mere energy construct. But just as he turned his attention to the ice dragon, something unexpected happened. The scattered flames of the fire dragon began to reassemble into the shape of a dragon and wound themselves around the Haotian Hammer, quickly approaching Tang Hao.
"Not good!" Tang Hao reacted swiftly, channeling his full power to shake off the fiery dragon from the hammer, but it was already too late. Because… the ice dragon was already upon him.
He could feel the chilling breath as his body froze in place for a moment. The massive dragon's head opened wide, as if it was about to swallow Tang Hao whole. In front of the dragon, which was tens of meters long, Tang Hao seemed as insignificant as an insect, not even enough to fill its mouth.
"Get… lost!" Tang Hao bellowed, his spirit power swelling even more. The twin dragons, which had been so aggressive, were suddenly sent flying. His hair stood on end, and a terrifying aura of energy surrounded him, causing ripples in the space around him.
Tang Hao no longer wanted to drag this fight out.
"Look, a god!" someone shouted from the crowd.
All eyes were drawn toward Gu Yi.
What is that?
A phantom figure slowly enlarged from the place where Gu Yi stood, soon growing to a size like a giant. Its head touched the heavens, and its feet stood firmly on the earth.
Gu Yi stood within this colossal figure. The dragons, which had been thrown off earlier, flew back and now coiled around this giant, one on each side.
"Is that… a Martial Spirit Avatar?" Ning Fengzhi wondered aloud.
There are two types of Martial Spirit Avatars: one for Beast Martial Spirits, allowing the spirit master to transform into their martial spirit for immense power; and one for Tool Martial Spirits, merging the spirit master with their weapon to unleash even greater strength.
What Gu Yi displayed seemed like a Martial Spirit Avatar, yet it felt different—something even strange.
"What are you up to now?" Tang Hao warily eyed Gu Yi, growing increasingly frustrated with his seemingly endless tricks.
"It seems that with enough power, even without obtaining a seventh spirit ring, one can use a Martial Spirit Avatar," Gu Yi mused as he recalled how in the original story, Tang San had used the combined strength of his teammates to activate a Martial Spirit Avatar during the finals.
With the power Gu Yi now possessed, it was clear that even if Tang San had seven people, they would still be no match for him. Their spirits were leagues apart.
If Tang San could succeed, why not him? Initially, it had only been an experiment, but Gu Yi hadn't expected it to actually work.
Or rather… it wasn't entirely a success. His Martial Spirit Avatar was only half complete. A true Martial Spirit Avatar should be solid, not still semi-illusory like it was now.
Gu Yi guessed that only after obtaining the seventh spirit ring would he be able to fully master the Martial Spirit Avatar.
Still, this was more than enough. Gu Yi was confident.
(End of chapter)