Chương 104: Tang Hao's Defeat (Two-in-One)

**Chapter 104: Tang Hao's Defeat (Two-in-One)**

While mocking Tang Hao, Gu Ziyi was also quite surprised at that moment.

He thought he would need the help of his Domain—Tai Chi Realm—to block Tang Hao's attack, but he didn't expect it to be as easy as it was.

"It seems I've seriously underestimated my own strength!"

The main reason is that Gu Ziyi had neglected his Domain since awakening it, mainly because its capacity and usefulness would also increase as his Soul Power level rose.

Within his Domain, the level gap between him and Tang Hao was no longer significant.

If Gu Ziyi and Tang Hao were both Soul Kings during this confrontation, and Tang Hao didn't use the Exploding Ring technique to escape, he might not have been able to defeat Gu Ziyi in a fight.

"How... how is this possible?"

Tang Hao looked incredulous as he watched his Clear Sky Hammer in his hand gently caught by Gu Ziyi with one hand.

However, what irritated him even more was the taunt that followed.

His Clear Sky Hammer being ridiculed?

"Outrageous!"

"Disorder, Division, Wind Hammer! (Haotian Jiujue - Zhenzi Jue)"

Tang Hao became furious. After reclaiming the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand, he attacked Gu Ziyi again.

This time, however, he didn't hold back and displayed his soul abilities.

Still, what he used were the self-created abilities of the Haotian Sect, not the soul abilities provided by his Soul Rings.

"Third Soul Ability – Golden Light Talisman!"

"Golden Light Shield!"

Seeing Tang Hao attacking again and using soul abilities, Gu Ziyi didn't recklessly try to block the attack with his hands. Instead, he summoned a Golden Light Talisman, transforming it into a small golden light in the palm of his hand.

Bang—

Using his own strength, along with the Golden Light Shield and the power of the Tai Chi Realm, Gu Ziyi successfully blocked Tang Hao's attack this time.

He managed to block Tang Hao's attack primarily because of the Tai Chi Realm. Sixty-seven percent of the attack's power was deflected by the Tai Chi Realm, leaving only thirty-three percent for him to defend against.

Bang—

However, after blocking Tang Hao's attack, the small Golden Light Shield transformed from the Golden Light Talisman also dissipated.

"Impossible!"

"Try again!"

"Disorder, Division, Wind Hammer! (Haotian Jiujue - Zhenzi Jue)"

Seeing this, Tang Hao was even more unwilling to accept the facts before him. He grabbed the Clear Sky Hammer and continued to strike Gu Ziyi fiercely.

"Hmph!"

"Golden Light Shield!"

Facing Tang Hao's assault, Gu Ziyi merely hummed and activated another Golden Light Shield, helping him block Tang Hao's remaining attack.

"Damn it! Try again!"

…

"Am I seeing this correctly? Gu Ziyi actually blocked Tang Hao's attack!"

"It's unbelievable that Gu Ziyi, a support-type Soul Master, actually blocked Tang Hao's frontal attack!"

"Can you believe he's been using just one hand the entire time?"

"He's not a support-type Soul Master! He's clearly a battle-oriented, offensive Soul Master. He's outright competing with Tang Hao!"

"…"

At this moment, all the spectators in the arena were in an uproar as they watched the battle between Gu Ziyi and Tang Hao.

Never before had they thought a support-type Soul Master could stand toe-to-toe with an offensive-type Soul Master.

Now looking at Gu Ziyi, there was an enormous Tai Chi diagram beneath his feet. His third soul ability was also actively in use in his hands. Not only could it enhance a Soul Master's attributes, but it could also be used for long-range attacks. Now he could even transform his third soul ability into a small shield of light that greatly increased the defense of the person attached to it.

He blocked all of Tang Hao's attacks, one by one, without any panic.

Everyone was stunned, including the members of his Golden Generation Team.

"His Highness Gu Ziyi is so strong!"

"This is incredible..."

"The competition is definitely ours now!"

The team members were all thrilled.

"When did this little brat of a younger brother become so strong?"

Even Bibi Dong looked doubtful, her beautiful eyes carefully observing her younger brother's impressive figure.

At this moment, she found Gu Ziyi's presence incredibly striking. Her younger brother, who was only at Level 40, hadn't faltered in the face of Tang Hao's strength at Level 54 as a Soul King.

"Is he really that powerful?"

Ning Shuangjiang was equally stunned at this moment, her beautiful eyes fixed on Gu Ziyi's figure.

Initially, she had wanted to see this brat humiliated and beaten by Tang Hao, but after being repeatedly shocked, she suddenly found that he seemed increasingly handsome.

More importantly, she realized that Gu Ziyi was actually a combat-focused Soul Master, not a purely auxiliary Soul Master like those in her family sect.

Unintentionally, the memory of being forcibly kissed by this handsome youth resurfaced in Ning Shuangjiang's mind.

When she had thought of that scene before, she mostly felt embarrassment and anger, with anger dominating.

But now, recalling that moment again, Ning Shuangjiang inexplicably felt her heart beating faster.

"Impossible..."

"This is absolutely impossible..."

The one most incapable of accepting the facts before him was undoubtedly Yu Xiaogang.

Looking at Gu Ziyi, who easily defended against his idol Tang Hao's attacks, he truly could not comprehend it.

'How could Gu Ziyi, a Spirit Ancestor who had just reached Level 40, be this strong?'

And even now, he had yet to use his hidden fourth soul skill. Gu Ziyi had only relied on his Domain and third soul skill repeatedly in this match—nothing more.

What's more, Gu Ziyi's third soul skill had been developed with various creative uses that he could think of.

"How on earth did he do that?"

"How could this be a soul skill? It's practically a Martial Spirit at this point..."

Seeing the myriad ways Gu Ziyi utilized his third soul skill, Yu Xiaogang couldn't understand how his rival had done it, effectively turning a soul skill into a Martial Spirit.

The Martial Spirit appeared to be the Golden Light. The amplification from the Golden Light Talisman was one soul skill, its long-range attack another, and the Golden Shield yet another.

Not to mention Yu Xiaogang's bewilderment, even Gu Ziyi himself often felt his Golden Light Talisman was more like a Martial Spirit than a soul skill. But this was also the result of his self-condensing Soul Rings. They granted him greater control over his soul skills, making them easier to develop further.

…

"Detestable!"

"Disorder, Division, Wind Hammer Technique (Haotian Jiujue Zhenzi Jue)!"

Tang Hao, still in the ring, realized that even his self-created soul skills couldn't defeat Gu Ziyi. Unwilling to accept this, his frustration grew with each passing moment.

Boom—

One hammer strike after another, his attacks kept raining down on Gu Ziyi.

Previously, Gu Ziyi could seize opportunities to use the Golden Light Talisman to interfere with Tang Hao's long-range attacks, but now he couldn't do so anymore.

Now, Gu Ziyi could only continue to defend passively.

Moreover, his interference had only worked during Tang Hao's initial strikes. Once Tang Hao realized that the Golden Light Talisman's attack power was weak, he simply ignored it and continued his assaults.

A single strike from the Golden Light Talisman could only cause minor pain to Tang Hao without inflicting significant harm. As such, Gu Ziyi stopped wasting his Soul Power on it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Feeling that each of Tang Hao's attacks grew stronger than the last, Gu Ziyi's defense became increasingly challenging.

However, he remained calm, continuing to defend without panic.

Originally, he had planned to use his fourth soul skill, the Restriction Talisman, together with his third soul skill, the Golden Light Talisman, and wield the Golden Light Sword to both restrain and injure Tang Hao.

If Tang Hao continued to ignore his attacks, he would undoubtedly be struck, potentially sustaining serious injuries.

But while passively defending against his opponent's attacks, Gu Ziyi suddenly realized that his understanding of his Domain—the Tai Chi Realm—was deepening, and he no longer felt the need to rely on tricks to end the battle quickly.

'Perhaps I can use Tang Hao's attacks to break through to the second level of the Tai Chi Realm!'

With this thought in mind, Gu Ziyi no longer rushed to act and began focusing fully on defense.

And while defending, he also deepened his comprehension of his Domain.

Initially, Gu Ziyi could only neutralize 67% of Tang Hao's attack power, but that figure gradually rose to 89%.

Thus, even though Tang Hao's Clear Sky Clan technique continued to grow stronger, Gu Ziyi still managed to block it.

It was just that defending was becoming increasingly strenuous, and he was beginning to sustain some minor injuries.

Still, his eyes shone brighter and brighter.

"Damn it, you can actually block my attacks!"

Tang Hao grew even more shocked as he saw Gu Ziyi still holding on.

"Disorder, Division, Wind Hammer Technique—Fifty-Fifth Hammer! (Haotian Jiujue Zhenzi Jue!)" (N/E: The English name is really bad, but since I chose this one, I'll stick with it.)

Boom—

Tang Hao's chaotic hammering abilities continued to stack, while Gu Ziyi constantly defended himself, his Golden Light Talismans breaking one after another with each strike of Tang Hao's hammer.

By the thirtieth hammer, Gu Ziyi had to use two Golden Light Talismans simultaneously to block Tang Hao's attack.

"Such strength, both of them are so strong!"

"Is this the famous self-created technique of the Clear Sky Sect? It's truly terrifying!"

"Gu Ziyi probably can't hold on much longer!"

"He's already incredibly strong, but you have to remember he's only a Rank 40 Soul Ancestor!"

"Yes, Gu Ziyi is already extremely powerful!"

"But he seems to have strong defenses and weak offensive abilities. Tang Hao can simply ignore his attacks..."

"Even so, this is already remarkable. If you were up there, I bet you couldn't even take a single hit from Tang Hao..."

"..."

The audience, seeing Gu Ziyi's increasingly precarious position, started to murmur among themselves.

However, no one dared to underestimate him any longer.

The strength this young man displayed had far exceeded their expectations.

"Even if Tang Hao wins, this battle will consume most of his Soul Power. What will he have left to face Bibi Dong next?"

"Exactly!"

"It looks like the Spirit Hall Team will win the individual battle and advance directly to the finals!"

"The Spirit Hall Team is sure to win. After this fight, Tang Hao will definitely not be a match for Bibi Dong!"

"And in the finals, their team still has both Bibi Dong and Gu Ziyi, so it's highly likely they'll claim the championship."

"No wonder the Spirit Hall's Pope was so generous this time, directly offering two soul bones as prizes!"

"Haha, this is clearly a gift prepared for his disciples!"

"..."

While most believed Gu Ziyi was on the verge of defeat, the general consensus was that the winner of this one-on-one battle—and the finals—would be the Spirit Hall Team.

No matter the speculation, the battle in the ring raged on, with Tang Hao continuing his relentless assault using his self-created soul ability.

"The Eightieth Hammer!"

Boom—

By now, Tang Hao had delivered his eightieth hammer strike at Gu Ziyi.

The force was so immense that the surrounding space seemed to tremble with the blow.

Bang!

Yet, this powerful strike was once again taken head-on by Gu Ziyi.

Deng Deng Deng...

However, after enduring this attack, Gu Ziyi staggered back four or five steps before steadying himself, looking rather disheveled.

Buzz—

Despite this, after withstanding the blow, his eyes gleamed even brighter. He could clearly feel his understanding of the Tai Chi Realm deepening.

The Tai Chi figure that had been spinning slowly beneath Gu Ziyi's feet now began to rotate faster.

A breakthrough—from the First Level to the Second Level.

The first level of the Tai Chi Realm allows one to "move a thousand pounds with four ounces," a skill known as Xiyin, which provides immense resistance to incoming forces.

The second level, however, goes a step further—it turns the enemy's attack into one's own strength.

In this second level, he would not only repel the enemy's strikes but could also redirect their power for his own use.

"Haha, is that all you've got?"

"Come at me again!"

After mastering the second level of the Tai Chi Realm, also known as Nizhuan, Gu Ziyi lifted his head with a grin and taunted Tang Hao. (N/E: Originally the name of the first level of the Domain, it means 'Reversion'.)

"Arrogant!"

"Eighty-first Hammer! Return Strength as One!"

Boom—

Hearing Gu Ziyi's provocation, Tang Hao could no longer hold back. With all his might, he unleashed the final strike of his technique, channeling the full force of the Clear Sky Hammer into Gu Ziyi.

"Golden Light Shield!"

Faced with the most powerful blow from Tang Hao's sect's soul ability, Gu Ziyi, despite his taunt, did not dare to be careless. He instantly conjured ten Golden Light Talismans in the air before him to form a shield.

Then these ten Golden Light Talismans gathered to form a Golden Light Shield the height of a person, blocking Gu Ziyi's entire body.

Boom—

At the moment Gu Ziyi set up his defense, Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer hit the golden shield in front of him with full force.

Crack ~

Seeing that the Golden Light Shield was about to break, Gu Ziyi quickly used his hands to support it and sent his Soul Power into the Golden Light Shield so it could continue to hold the force of the blow.

At the same time, both the first and second levels of his Tai Chi Domain started to operate simultaneously.

Gu Ziyi realized that he still needed to resist a part of Tang Hao's attack power, otherwise it would be too much for his Domain to handle at this stage.

However, no matter what happened, he was able to hold on for now, facing Tang Hao's strongest blow.

"How is this possible…"

The golden light breaking that he expected didn't happen, and Tang Hao's eyes filled with horror.

This is his strongest strike!

And it still included eighty-one hammer strikes in a single massive blow.

"Be crushed by me!"

Tang Hao, who wasn't willing to accept this, continued using his full strength.

Buzz—

But at that moment, after blocking half of Tang Hao's attack, all the remaining attack power was absorbed by Gu Ziyi. Then it passed through his body to the Tai Chi diagram beneath his feet, only to be reversed by the Tai Chi diagram and then returned to his hands.

Bang—

At the same time, the golden shield in front of him was first broken.

Just when Tang Hao was surprised and about to continue attacking Gu Ziyi behind the Golden Light Shield, Tang Hao suddenly realized that his Clear Sky Hammer could no longer move.

When he looked again, his eyes nearly popped out.

It turned out that Gu Ziyi had once again grabbed his Clear Sky Hammer with one hand.

"This is impossible…"

Tang Hao couldn't understand how the boy did it.

But Gu Ziyi didn't tell him that most of the attack's power had been knocked down by him. At this moment, the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang Hao's hand no longer had any remaining power.

Boom—

Gu Ziyi didn't have time to explain to him at this moment, because all the transformed power had gathered in his hands. If he didn't release the power now, his hands would be unable to support the excess power for much longer.

"I took your attack, now it's my turn to strike back!"

Gu Ziyi didn't have much time to speak, so he just said that before taking action.

Boom—

Then he held Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer with his left hand and struck with his right hand, directly hitting his own Clear Sky Hammer.

It wasn't that Gu Ziyi didn't want to directly bombard Tang Hao, but the distance wasn't enough for him to attack. Gu Ziyi couldn't move at that moment because of his Domain and had to quickly release the power in his hands.

Bang!

Crack ~

Gu Ziyi's right fist hit Tang Hao's Martial Soul. With a loud bang, the Clear Sky Hammer gradually shattered.

"This is impossible…"

Tang Hao's eyes widened again.

Boom—

However, in the next second, he felt a powerful force coming from his shattered Clear Sky Hammer. It felt as though he had been struck by his own Clear Sky Hammer and flew backward.

Whoosh—

Tang Hao, who was flying upside down in the air, spat blood.

He wasn't only injured by Gu Ziyi's attack, but also by the recoil caused by his destroyed Martial Soul. (N/E: This is temporary, the Martial Soul will regenerate in his soul sea.)

Bang—

In the end, Tang Hao's body flew out of the ring and landed far from it.

Dead silence!

The scene fell into a deadly silence for a moment!

...

(End of chapter)