Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I am the White Emperor of Heaven

Chapter 665 Exploding Rings
"today……"

Tang Hao suddenly said, "If Xiao San uses the Clear Sky Hammer, the outcome is still uncertain."

Dai Chengfeng smiled.

He offered no explanation, no rebuttal, but simply smiled, a glint in his eyes that Tang Hao couldn't decipher.

Tang Hao believed that Dai Chengfeng had shown his full strength today—that terrifying Killing God Domain, that self-created "Blood Slaughtering a Hundred Miles," and that profound understanding and application of the White Tiger Martial Soul were indeed enough to crush his peers, and even defeating a Soul Emperor of a higher level was not out of the question.

But Tang Hao didn't know that Dai Chengfeng had another trump card.

He did not use the fifth spirit ring's spirit skill, which was comparable to a 100,000-year-old spirit skill, today.

He did not reveal the second martial soul of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion today.

Even if Tang San were to actually use the Clear Sky Hammer, in Dai Chengfeng's view, it would only make victory a little more troublesome.

But there's no need to say these things.

"Now that you're here, senior, are you going to fulfill your promise?" Dai Chengfeng steered the conversation back to the main topic.

Tang Hao gave him a deep look, then suddenly turned around and said, "Come with me."

Two figures, one after the other, swept across the city wall like ghosts—with their strength, the guards of Wuhun City were practically useless.

Once outside the city, Tang Hao suddenly increased his speed, while Dai Chengfeng followed at a leisurely pace, always maintaining a distance of three zhang.

The two traveled north for a full hour before arriving at a deserted valley.

Under the moonlight, the valley is filled with jagged rocks, and a stream flows by, making a clear, melodious sound.

Tang Hao stopped in the middle of the valley and turned to look at Dai Chengfeng: "The ultimate technique of Haotian Sect, the Great Sumeru Hammer, lies in 'exploding the rings'."

The so-called "ring explosion" refers to the complete activation and detonation of the energy contained within a spirit ring in an instant, thereby gaining a brief but terrifying burst of power.

He slowly raised his right hand, and the phantom of a giant, jet-black hammer appeared in his palm. The hammer was ancient and simple, with intricate and complex patterns on it; even its mere phantom exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.

Haotian Hammer.

The number one weapon spirit in the world.

"Watch closely." Tang Hao's voice turned solemn. "I will only demonstrate once. How much you can comprehend depends on your own destiny."

As soon as he finished speaking, his aura changed abruptly.

The originally deep and restrained soul power suddenly awakened like a dormant volcano.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, red—nine spirit rings rose from beneath his feet. The last one, a blood-red 100,000-year spirit ring, seemed to freeze the air in the entire valley the moment it appeared.

But what Tang Hao wanted to demonstrate was not the oppressive aura of a Title Douluo.

With a thought, his first yellow hundred-year spirit ring suddenly shone brightly, and then—

"boom!"

A slight cracking sound rang out, and the yellow spirit ring exploded out of thin air, turning into countless points of light. However, those points of light did not dissipate, but instead surged wildly toward the illusory image of the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang Hao's hand.

The Haotian Hammer trembled violently, its body expanding at a visible speed, the patterns on it seemingly coming to life, flowing with golden light.

A violent, domineering, and destructive aura emanated from the hammer, causing the surrounding air to distort and the rubble on the ground to silently turn into dust.

"This is the exploding of a hundred-year-old soul ring."

Tang Hao's voice sounded somewhat ethereal amidst the surge of soul power, "The power can be increased by 30%."

With a wave of his hand, the illusory image of the Haotian Hammer gently tapped a small hill in the distance.

No sound.

But Dai Chengfeng clearly saw that the small hill, along with all the rocks and trees within a hundred feet behind it, turned into the finest dust in an instant and drifted away with the wind.

Only a smooth, mirror-like indentation remained, as if the land had never existed in the first place.

Dai Chengfeng's pupils contracted slightly.

This is just the explosion of a hundred-year-old spirit ring. What about a thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, or even a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring?

Tang Hao didn't stop, and his second yellow spirit ring exploded.

This time, the phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer expanded to three zhang in size, with golden patterns flowing like lava on its surface. The oppressive aura it emitted forced Dai Chengfeng to circulate his soul power to resist. The ground beneath his feet began to crack, with fissures spreading like a spider web.

"A thousand-year soul ring can increase power by 50%."

Tang Hao pointed further away again. This time, a low mountain in the distance disappeared completely, leaving behind a bottomless pit with smooth walls, as if it had been swallowed whole by some terrifying being.

The third purple spirit ring exploded.

Dai Chengfeng groaned and staggered back three steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Merely observing, merely experiencing the aftershocks, was enough to inflict minor injuries on him, a Soul Emperor.

"A ten-thousand-year soul ring can double its power."

Tang Hao's voice echoed like thunder throughout the canyon.

This time, instead of attacking from afar, he slowly raised the phantom of the Haotian Hammer and then gently lowered it.

"boom--!!!"

Centered on Tang Hao, the ground within a radius of a thousand feet suddenly sank three feet! It wasn't a collapse, nor a shattering, but rather the entire ground was forcibly pressed down by unimaginable force!
The stream flowed backward, the rocks crumbled, and the entire valley's topography was permanently altered in that moment.

Dai Chengfeng knelt on one knee and supported himself with his hands on the ground to avoid being crushed.

He raised his head, his eyes showing no fear, only an almost fanatical focus.

He saw clearly.

It's not that the spirit ring actually "exploded," but rather that a special method was used to completely release and burn the rules and energy contained within the spirit ring in an instant, transforming it into the purest power to enhance the martial soul and attack.

This requires an ultimate understanding of the structure of spirit rings, absolute control over one's own spirit power, and an almost insane courage...

Because after the spirit ring is destroyed, it will temporarily disappear and need time to recover.

During the recovery period, you will lose the soul skills provided by this soul ring.

If all your spirit rings explode during a battle, you will gain devastating power for a short time, but afterwards you will become a spirit master without spirit rings, at the mercy of others.

This is the "Exploding Ring" technique, a desperate skill that injures the enemy a thousand while damaging oneself eight hundred.

Tang Hao stopped his demonstration. One by one, the spirit rings on his body disappeared, and the terrifying pressure in the valley receded like a tide. He looked somewhat tired, but his eyes remained sharp.

"Do you understand now?" he asked.

Dai Chengfeng slowly straightened up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He closed his eyes, his mind replaying the scenes from just moments ago—the instant the spirit ring shattered, the trajectory of energy flow, the point of power conversion, the threshold that his martial spirit could withstand…

After a long while, he opened his eyes, a look of confusion flashing across them, then shook his head with a bitter smile:

"The senior's demonstration was amazing, but... it was too profound."

"I only saw the spirit rings explode and the power surge, but I couldn't understand the principles or the way it worked at all."

Tang Hao stared at him for a long time, and suddenly, a barely audible sigh of relief came from under the cloak.

"Just don't understand."

Tang Hao's voice returned to calm, even carrying a hint of smugness, "This is a closely guarded secret of the Haotian Sect, passed down for ten thousand years. How could you learn it just by watching it once? The fact that you were able to stand firm amidst the aftershocks of the exploding rings is already a testament to your exceptional talent."

He turned away, no longer looking at Dai Chengfeng: "The agreement is fulfilled. I'm leaving. Remember your promise."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Hao's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, as if he had never been there at all.

Dai Chengfeng stood alone in the unrecognizable valley, the moonlight shining on him and casting a long shadow.

After a long while, he slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward.

There was no fluctuation of soul power, no soul rings appeared; he simply stood there quietly, eyes closed, as if sensing something.

The night breeze blew, lifting his silvery-white hair.

Suddenly, a very faint yet profound smile appeared on his lips.

"The ring exploded... I see."

(End of this chapter)