Douluo Dalu: Transforming Soul Rings into Soul Veins

The rarely visited Soul Beast Forest welcomed several unexpected guests.

As a Soul Hunting Forest managed by the Spirit Hall, the one near Notting City did not—and could not—harbor Soul Beasts with cultivation levels exceeding a few thousand years.

Though hunting Soul Beasts was a personal matter, the Spirit Hall still had to ensure the survival rate of Soul Masters.

If a Soul Beast exceeding the expected cultivation level appeared, specialized Soul Masters would be dispatched to eliminate it.

This place was meant to be a primary hunting ground for early-stage Soul Masters and even those with lower talent seeking higher-level soul rings. Safety had to be guaranteed.

Of course, cases where a 29th-ranked Soul Grandmaster couldn't defeat a 400-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider were exceptions—extremely rare exceptions.

Thus, when Tang Hao rushed into the forest at full speed and stopped concealing his aura, the entire Soul Hunting Forest fell silent for a brief moment.

Then, flowers, grass, insects, fish—even the Soul Beasts peacefully enjoying their morning—were instantly overwhelmed by Tang Hao's oppressive presence.

Panic erupted.

The once-tranquil forest turned chaotic in an instant, filled with the roars of fleeing Soul Beasts and the thunderous stampede of their escape.

The Soul Beasts, sensing an unprecedented threat, abandoned their territories and fled toward the forest's edges.

Tang Hao didn't stop. Like a raging storm, he swept through the entire forest, deliberately exposing himself to lure out the source of that terrifying spiritual sense.

At the same time, he was creating a diversion—keeping attention away from Tang San and Ah Yin.

Of course, there was also an element of testing.

A Soul Beast riot like this would endanger the low-level Soul Masters here.

Whether the other party chose to intervene or not would reveal their character, making it easier for Tang Hao to strategize.

---

"What's happening?!"

A young trainee Soul Master, who had only awakened his Martial Soul two and a half years ago, cried out in panic.

"Run! It's a Soul Beast riot! Get out of here, now!"

A'kun's face was filled with terror as an endless stream of Soul Beasts stampeded past him.

The sheer force of the fleeing beasts was like a raging flood, suffocating in its intensity.

He even saw two tigers—one running frantically while the other was dragged along, its hind legs lifted in the air, its front claws scraping desperately against the ground as it roared in defiance.

A'kun didn't hesitate. He turned and bolted.

Just as the beast tide was about to overtake him, a thunderous voice boomed across the forest.

"Silence!"

A crushing pressure instantly knocked out all the rampaging Soul Beasts.

Then, the same voice echoed in the minds of every Soul Master still inside the forest:

"Leave. Now."

A'kun shuddered and immediately grabbed Old Man Ma, who was still practicing his "receive, neutralize, counter" techniques, and sprinted for the exit.

Chrysanthemum Douluo, however, found their escape too slow. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his Martial Soul and teleported them to safety.

Tang Hao narrowed his eyes.

The Clear Sky Hammer had already materialized in his grip—a pitch-black mallet with a half-foot-long handle and a cylindrical head resembling a miniature forging hammer.

Yet, its dark surface shimmered with an eerie light, and faint patterns coiled around the hammerhead.

As it expanded in his palm, its weight became apparent—tens of thousands of pounds!

Absolutely terrifying.

BANG!

The massive Clear Sky Hammer smashed into the ground, shaking the earth and splitting the terrain.

Tang Hao's bearded face twitched slightly.

He hadn't expected the other party to actually intervene.

Not only that, but they had merely knocked out the Soul Beasts instead of slaughtering them outright.

Was it because these Soul Beasts were considered non-renewable resources?

If it were him, he wouldn't have hesitated—obstacles were meant to be crushed!

---

"Tang Hao! Your judgment has come!"

As a domain unfolded, sealing the area, Qian Daoliu and the others descended from the sky.

The pressure of a 99th-ranked Ultimate Douluo and two Title Douluo pressed down without restraint.

"Spirit Hall! Qian Daoliu!"

Tang Hao's voice was laced with mockery.

"To think you'd come personally—I must be quite the honored guest!"

"Enough nonsense!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo sneered at the sight of Tang Hao—his tattered robes barely covering his bronze skin, his unkempt beard and bird's-nest hair making him look like a vagabond.

"A stray dog like you, guilty of heinous crimes, dares to bark so arrogantly?"

Tang Hao lowered his head slightly, his brows furrowing as his eyes turned icy.

"A mere chrysanthemum dares to yap before my Clear Sky Hammer?"

Qian Renxue's voice cut in coldly.

"Grandfather, no need for words. Capture him and take him back for execution!"

Tang Hao chuckled darkly.

"Oh? And who's this little brat? Catching me won't be so easy."

Chrysanthemum Douluo's lips curled into a sinister smile.

"If it's hard, then don't bother trying! Old Ghost!"

"Two-Pole Static Domain!"

As Chrysanthemum Douluo called out, Ghost Douluo's shadowy figure materialized beside him.

The two were among the rare Title Douluo capable of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and their Two-Pole Static Domain was infamous across the continent.

Once activated, everything within the domain—even time itself—would freeze.

Ghost Douluo's form flickered as if phasing between dimensions, his dark soul rings resonating with Chrysanthemum Douluo's.

As they joined hands, space itself seemed to solidify, an overwhelming force pressing down on Tang Hao.

"Hmph!"

Tang Hao snorted, swinging the Clear Sky Hammer with a deafening roar.

Yet, within the Two-Pole Static Domain, his movements slowed considerably. Though his strikes remained fierce, they lacked their usual unstoppable momentum.

"The Clear Sky Hammer is nothing special!" Chrysanthemum Douluo taunted.

But Tang Hao's expression remained unshaken. He took a deep breath—and his aura exploded.

The air around him twisted violently, forming a massive vortex.

"Nine Ultimate Arts of the Clear Sky—Unity of Nine!"

With a thunderous crash, the Clear Sky Hammer struck the center of the domain.

BOOM!

The entire forest trembled.

And then—a crack appeared in the Two-Pole Static Domain.

"Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!"

Seizing the flaw, Tang Hao hammered relentlessly at the fracture.

"Impossible!"

Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo's faces paled.

Their domain—their unbeatable technique—was being shattered!

"Tang Hao, accept your fate."

Qian Daoliu sighed softly as his soul rings blazed to life—eight black and one red, a configuration even more terrifying than Tang Hao's.

Tang Hao's eyes widened.

He had never imagined Qian Daoliu's soul rings would be this monstrous.

He had thought his own two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red were unmatched in the world.

But this?

How could someone have a ten-thousand-year soul ring as their first?

Unless—

As a possessor of the Slaughter Domain, his mind immediately went to one possibility.

"A god's blessing...?"

---

Possessing the Slaughter Domain meant having an invitation to inherit the Asura God's position.

Thus, Tang Hao was aware of the existence of deities.

"Angel's Judgment!"

Golden light instantly flooded the Soul Hunting Forest as Qian Daoliu's voice resonated like divine decree, carrying supreme majesty.

Within the radiance, Qian Daoliu's figure gradually blurred, transforming into a colossal golden angel.

Its wings blotted out the sky, and in its hand gleamed a sacred longsword.

The angel's eyes were cold as ice, seemingly capable of perceiving all sin in the world.

"Judgment!"

With Qian Daoliu's command, the golden angel swung its sword, unleashing a massive golden pillar of light that descended from the heavens toward Tang Hao.

The light pillar pierced through the firmament, shattering layer upon layer of restraints.

Even the fundamental laws seemed on the verge of erosion.

Facing this cataclysmic strike, Tang Hao did not retreat. Instead, he straightened his back and swung the Clear Sky Hammer once more, colliding head-on with the golden pillar.

Not daring to underestimate his opponent, Tang Hao shattered all nine of his soul rings—including the 100,000-year ring at the top—releasing an overwhelming surge of energy.

The surrounding space trembled violently under the force.

"Ring Explosion!"

"Great Sumeru Hammer!"

The Great Sumeru Hammer condensed all of one's soul rings into a single entity, channeling their full power into the Clear Sky Hammer to achieve pure, unadulterated force. This multiplied the user's strength exponentially, forcibly breaking through all constraints to unleash power far beyond their normal limits.

It followed the principle of "overwhelming force defeats all techniques"—no amount of skill or soul abilities could withstand the sheer might of the Clear Sky Hammer's concentrated power.

To counter Qian Daoliu's attack—which didn't even seem to be his full strength—Tang Hao detonated all his soul rings and fused them into the Clear Sky Hammer.

A deafening explosion erupted, shaking the entire Soul Hunting Forest.

At the point of collision between the golden pillar and the Clear Sky Hammer, a blinding light burst forth, radiant as the sun.

Yet within the epicenter of the blast, Tang Hao's figure gradually faded, as if swallowed by the golden light.

"Slaughter Domain!"

A murderous aura, accompanied by an icy chill, radiated from Tang Hao's body.

"Guh—!"

Blood sprayed across the sky.

Tang Hao's imposing momentum crumbled abruptly. The arrogance and disdain in his eyes were replaced by sheer terror.

He had never imagined...

The power of a 99th-ranked Ultimate Douluo could be so terrifying. He stood no chance.

Even his frenzied, explosive soul power couldn't shake Qian Daoliu's technique.

Moreover, Qian Daoliu had complete control over the battlefield, preventing even a wisp of rampaging energy from escaping. They were simply not on the same level.

"Oh? Weren't you so arrogant earlier? Turns out you're just a pathetic loser!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo seized the moment to taunt. Back then, this very man had critically injured Pope Qian Xunji right before his eyes.

How could he not relish this?

Tang Hao collapsed weakly to the ground.

The essence of the Great Sumeru Hammer—Ring Explosion.

Each soul ring could be detonated once, releasing its full power in an instant to merge with the user's abilities, generating force far beyond their normal capacity.

The higher the quality of the exploded ring, the greater the resulting attack—but the backlash afterward was equally severe.

After detonating all rings, the user would enter a weakened state.

Recovering from a single ring explosion required at least three days of rest.

For someone like Tang Hao, who detonated all nine rings simultaneously, the recovery period would be far longer.

Ring Explosion was extremely dangerous. Losing control meant failing to suppress the backlash, risking annihilation by the very energy unleashed.

Within the Clear Sky Clan, only those who inherited the title of "Clear Sky Douluo" could cultivate the Great Sumeru Hammer. Without exceptional talent and profound foundation, attempting this technique was tantamount to suicide.

After using Ring Explosion once, all soul rings would vanish for three days, leaving only raw soul power.

The rings would gradually return after this period.

Moreover, this technique required at least 36 days between uses—otherwise, the soul rings risked permanent destruction.

At this moment, Tang Hao had reached the end of the line.

The once-invincible Clear Sky Douluo stood no chance against Qian Daoliu, a 99th-ranked Ultimate Douluo.

This was the true disparity between their realms.

Under the combined Martial Soul Fusion Skill of two Title Douluo—especially one like the Two-Pole Static Domain—Tang Hao couldn't even mobilize his full power.

Already restricted, facing an Ultimate Douluo's attack left him no room for reversal.

In the original timeline, his ability to rescue Tang San under similar circumstances was only possible because Bibi Dong's strength was suppressed by the Rakshasa God's power, and Qian Daoliu hadn't intervened.

That, and a certain someone had cheated by giving his "dear father" an unfair advantage.

As Tang Chen once said: "The Great Sumeru Hammer is a divine skill—only by surpassing Level 100 can its true power be unleashed. How could a mere Clear Sky Douluo rely on it to challenge an Angel Douluo across realms?"

"Swish—!"

Two golden streaks slashed forth from Qian Daoliu's hands.

"Guh—!"

Kneeling on the ground, Tang Hao's eyes flashed with despair.

Blood trickled from his lips as he clenched his teeth, refusing to scream.

The golden lights severed his right arm and left leg.

As the limbs fell, two soul bones emerged—the Clear Sky Clan's heirlooms, treasures of the clan.

Soul bones of over 70,000 years.

Qian Daoliu collected them calmly, his expression unreadable.

"I will hold onto these for now. Tang Hao's crimes are innumerable. I shall safeguard them on behalf of the Clear Sky Clan. If any of his descendants prove worthy in the future, they may be returned."

Lin Feng sighed inwardly. Qian Daoliu truly was the most magnanimous figure in the story.

Even now, he considered such matters.

Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo, however, brightened. They lacked high-quality soul bones themselves.

And Tang Hao—rumored to possess a full set of six!

Clearly aware of their thoughts, Qian Daoliu gave a slight nod.

With a surge of soul power, he shattered Tang Hao's dantian.

In a flash, he appeared behind Tang Hao, pressing a hand against his spine and the Clear Sky Hammer in his right grip.

Tremendous soul energy erupted, ravaging Tang Hao's meridians and crippling his foundation.

His soul power plummeted—

Level 90... Level 80... finally stabilizing at Level 50.

With a wave, Qian Daoliu flung Tang Hao's broken body toward Chrysanthemum and Ghost.

"Take him back to Spirit Hall for sentencing."

"Yes!"

Qian Renxue's eyes burned with the satisfaction of vengeance.

She delivered a vicious strike to Tang Hao's unconscious head.

"Thud!"

A good sound for a good head.

"Crack."

That might have been the sound of dislocating vertebrae.