Chapter 196: The Skill of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Ring
"Luo Ling! You bastard!"
Humiliated once more, Tang San's rage exploded. The five rings of the Clear Sky Hammer ignited one after another, flashing with ominous light.
The first ring.
The second.
The third.
Three powerful halos rose beneath his feet at once, flooding his body with strength.
Each of those first three abilities enhanced raw power. The Clear Sky Hammer followed the path of absolute, unrestrained strength.
With the triple amplification in effect, Tang San's aura surged to a terrifying level, dark red energy swirling chaotically around him like a crimson mist.
"Fourth Spirit Skill—Slaughter Storm!"
A murderous tornado erupted around him—much larger and stronger than the one he'd unleashed against Godwind Academy.
The storm roared toward Luo Ling, ripping apart the arena floor in its wake.
At the same time, Tang San's arms moved ceaselessly. The Clear Sky Hammer danced through the air—strike after strike—his Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique building power with every blow.
One strike. Two strikes. Three strikes...
More strength gathered with each motion, the air trembling from the force.
Luo Ling, however, didn't interfere. He patiently watched Tang San accumulate the energy of his storm, standing still amid the howling wind. Then, the sixth and final crimson ring on his body began to glow.
A hundred-thousand-year spirit ring—the ultimate ability.
The spectators collectively held their breath.
Across the battlefield, Tang San's crimson storm raged on, its destructive force reaching Soul Emperor levels.
But what truly stunned everyone wasn't the storm itself—it was that Luo Ling was about to activate a hundred-thousand-year ability.
Such skills were near-mythical. Even the most seasoned masters of Spirit Hall had never truly witnessed their full power.
Now, before the entire continent, they were about to see it for the first time in history.
Calmly, Luo Ling raised one hand.
A void opened before him—dense, pitch-black, and utterly silent.
Sixth Spirit Skill: Evil Shadow Black Hole.
The sphere of darkness floated still, its surface absolutely calm, as if lifeless. Not even the faintest ripple of energy escaped from it—like a deep, stagnant pool.
Then, in the very next second, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
As Tang San's Slaughter Storm swept toward Luo Ling, the black sphere suddenly pulled on the entire vortex of red energy—swallowing it.
Invisible gravitational power drew the storm in. The funnel of scarlet wind bent and twisted, screaming as it collapsed inward.
The red hurricane tried to resist, spinning wildly around the point of darkness. But the black hole's pull was inexorable.
In moments, the storm's eye shifted and vanished into the dark center.
The entire arena watched as the raging vortex—strong enough to devastate Soul Emperors—was utterly devoured.
No light. No dust. No trace left behind.
The world fell silent again.
The air cleared. The black hole now floated quietly, as if nothing had happened at all.
A Soul Emperor-level storm erased—completely gone.
The eerie, unstoppable might of the hundred-thousand-year ring left even the most hardened spectators in awe.
Tang San's expression darkened. He didn't stop swinging.
Forty hammers.
Sixty hammers.
Seventy... two.
He reached the limit of his Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique—its seventy-second blow. That was the farthest he could go.
In the match against Feng Xiaotian, he had reached seventy-two too—but then he hadn't enhanced his strength with his first three ring abilities.
Now, bolstered by all three, the hammer's force had reached its peak. But that still wasn't enough.
The hammer's heavy rotations stirred the air, each swing shaking the arena to its foundation. Then, his fifth ring lit up.
Dark red patterns crawled along the Clear Sky Hammer as it grew larger, suffused with destructive energy.
Luo Ling simply stood watching. He made no move to strike, even as terrifying power gathered before him.
He wanted to crush Tang San—not in haste, but at the height of the other's strength.
When Tang San reached his absolute limit, with all his power focused into one ultimate strike, Luo Ling would end him with overwhelming superiority.
Tang San exhaled heavily, his body trembling from the strain. Then he saw Luo Ling still standing still—calm, expressionless—waiting.
That unbothered attitude flooded him with fury.
He could feel the contempt in it. Luo Ling wasn't just confident—he was mocking him.
"You'll pay for your arrogance, Luo Ling!" Tang San roared.
Destructive light surged from the hammer, coating it in furious energy.
"Fifth Spirit Skill—Hammer of Destruction!"
He hurled the weapon forward.
"Not interrupting me was your greatest mistake!" Tang San's voice rose with exhilaration. "My Destruction Hammer is an unavoidable strike! Enhanced by all my skills and the seventy-twofold force of the Chaotic Cloak Hammer—it's near Soul Sage level! You can't stop it!"
The massive black hammer sliced through the air, humming with unstoppable power. Even as it approached, the ground beneath it cracked merely from the pressure.
It was a blow worthy of a Soul Sage—equal to the mighty scythe strike Luo Ling had once used against the Xingluo Royal Academy.
The audience leaned forward breathlessly. Even Ning Fengzhi's calm composure wavered with concern.
The destructive energy in Tang San's attack rivaled anything Luo Ling had shown before. Could even he withstand it?
After all, offense and defense were rarely equal. Luo Ling's attack power was monstrous—that was certain—but that didn't guarantee his defense matched it.
Few spirit masters were perfectly balanced.
But Luo Ling wasn't like most.
And even Ning Fengzhi couldn't truly read him.
Across the stands, the high elders of Spirit Hall wore calm, untroubled expressions.
In their eyes, Tang San's effort was nothing more than a child's tantrum.
Luo Ling lifted his gaze to meet the oncoming hammer.
For once, his eyes gleamed—not with fear, but with appreciation.
Multiple layers of buffs, the seventy-twofold hammer technique, and a guaranteed hit—Tang San's combination was indeed impressive.
He raised his hand once more.
High above, the once-still black hole began to tremble violently, rippling with waves of energy.
The crowd gasped as they realized—they'd all forgotten about the black hole still hovering there.
Its shuddering intensified, energy building within it like thunder before an eruption. Then—suddenly—it imploded, vanishing into itself.
In its place erupted a beam of brilliant black light.
It streaked forward like lightning, colliding head-on with the Clear Sky Hammer's devastating strike.
The power released from the Evil Shadow Black Hole was monstrous—its might fueled by everything it had absorbed earlier: the storm, the fury, the violence—all fused into this single devastating counterattack.
Sharp-minded spirit masters instantly understood. Luo Ling was using Tang San's own energy—the remnants of his Slaughter Storm—against him.
A group skill condensed into a single point, intensified and reflected with titanic force.
The two attacks met at the arena's center.
In an instant, a shockwave blasted through the stadium.
The ground cracked and collapsed inward. Dust erupted skyward, blotting out the light.
When the roar finally faded, it left only shattered stone, swirling ash, and absolute silence.
(END CHAPTER)
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