Chapter 1165: Close Combat |
A crisp ding rang out. The crystal sphere descended above Tang San's head, five-colored divine light pouring down to envelop him in a great rainbow barrier. This was the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor's signature technique, a versatile barrier that could be used both for defense and to suppress opponents.
It was a seamless combination; the Five-Phase Domain locked down the elemental energy flow, then the Rainbowglaze Barrier followed naturally
"It's useless."
Just as the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor was feeling good about its own proficiency, Tang San's calm voice sounded in its mind.
The next instant, Tang San's entire body erupted with dazzling white radiance. A swirling vortex of white light spun upon his chest, and the five-colored glow melted away like snow, devoured completely. In a heartbeat, the domain and barrier alike were simply removed from existence.
Chaos energy!
From primal chaos were born yin and yang. From yin and yang came the four phenomena, and from the four phenomena, the five phases. Simply put, the five elements that comprised the Five Phase cycle were a third-order derivative of chaos. Now that chaos had returned, these five elements naturally yielded to their source. How could they harm Tang San?
"You—!" The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor blanched. The crystal sphere in its hand transformed into a five-colored meteor, crashing down toward Tang San's head.
Few knew that this Emperor's true expertise actually lay in close combat. Another use of the Five-Phase Domain was to allow it to approach the opponent and erupt with a sudden burst of power at close range.
Tang San's left hand made a grabbing motion and the crystal sphere abandoned its trajectory and settled itself in his palm. There was no impact, but at the same time, his hand was temporarily occupied. At the same time, with the opponent so close, the Holy Dragon Spear in his right hand was too long and awkward to maneuver.
Five-colored radiance no longer flared outward, but condensed fully into the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor's palm as it thrust at his chest.
"Close combat, is it?" A faint smile touched Tang San's lips.
He twisted his upper body slightly, slipping past the strike by the narrowest margin. For a heartbeat, his form seemed illusory—not through space manipulation, but thanks to his movement art. Then his shoulder slammed toward the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor's chest.
The latter swept its other arm across, blocking his shoulder, while at the same time driving its knee viciously toward his abdomen.
Tang San raised his own leg to check the kick.
Shoulder met chest, knee met knee—the two impacts came as one.
A muffled boom resounded and the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor was blasted back, unable to withstand the immense force.
"EEXPLODE!" it roared. The crystal sphere in Tang San's hand flared with violent energy fluctuations, obviously on the verge of self-detonation.
"I don't think so."
The Spacetime Ring on Tang San's hand unleashed a distorted halo of light that enveloped the crystal sphere. Twisting the flow of time and space itself, he forcibly suspended the sphere in its non-explosive state.
At the same time, his other hand clawed at the void. The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor felt a terrifying suction force, then the feeling of an iron vise clamp onto its throat. Agonizing pain tore through it.
And then, without warning, blue-golden vines erupted, wrapping it firmly in their coils.
Five-colored light burst from it as it struggled to break free.
But in that instant, the Book of All Laws appeared once more in Tang San's palm.
"Bind."
The word carried the divine power of an Edict.
The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor froze. The energy it had gathered could not erupt. In that brief instant, it was dragged forward, and Tang San's hand closed around its throat like a steel claw.
Suffocation crashed over it as his immense power invaded its body. The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor could not move, and its eyes filled with fear.
From beginning to end, Tang San had led it by the nose, suppressing it at every corner.
Chaos energy poured into it, stripping the elemental energy from its body and feeding them into Tang San's to replenish his expenditure.
He had only just become an Emperor; his cultivation was not yet completely stable. Battles against Emperors certainly came with substantial energy consumption. Yet with each fight, he regained more of his old abilities. The Emperors thought they were wearing him down, but in actuality, he was only growing stronger.
"Do you yield?" Tang San smiled. He felt no particular malice toward this one.
The Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor's divine consciousness wavered. "You won't kill me?"
"Why should I? If I killed you, I fear a certain solar Emperor would be rather upset with me." Tang San chuckled.
The words came out of its mouth like air out of a deflated balloon. "I yield…"
With a flick of his wrist, Tang San yeeted it away. Another victory was his.
Four battles, four victories. Four Emperors defeated.
Without pause, his gaze turned to the Empyrean Dominion side. "Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor, please step forward."
When the Crystal Demon Emperor had still lived, the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor had ranked seventh. Now, with both the Crystal Demon Emperor and Tenebrous Demon Emperor gone, his rank had risen to fifth; unfortunately, however, the higher status did not come with a corresponding increase in combat power.
With a cold snort, the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor stomped the ground and his massive body shot into the air, charging straight at Tang San. Golden light blazed around him, so bright that it appeared almost as if there were two suns in the sky.
He did not summon up any elemental energy or domain—only the sheer, terrifying might of his flesh. He did not revert to his original form, either; he stayed in human form, and a massive battle axe appeared in his hands. His aura, all by itself, caused space around him to distort wildly.
In just that instant, he proved his cultivation surpassed the Rainbowglaze Nymph Emperor's.
The Empyrean Dominion's power had always surpassed the Solstice Empire's, and that power had as a cornerstone precisely this kind of overwhelmingly strong being.
The Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor's eyes gleamed with ferocity as he glared at Tang San. "Come at me!"
Tang San's golden soul rings shimmered brightly once, then returned to normal. Nothing much seemed to happen, but the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor narrowed his eyes. How strange… For some reason, it seems as if they are an entirely different set of rings. What are these things, anyway?
The next moment, a massive hammer appeared in Tang San's hand. Space around it cracked and fractured.
Looking at the weapon, Tang San remembered his father's words from his past life: "Always remember: the hammer in your left hand… exists to protect the grass in your right."
Yes—this was his other martial soul, twin to the Blue Silver Grass: the Clear Sky Hammer! The mightiest of all tool-type martial souls of the Douluo Continent!
Ever since acquiring the Sea God's Trident, Tang San had rarely wielded it. But today, facing the ferocious Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor, he could not resist the temptation to pit strength against strength.
"DIE!" the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor bellowed. Behind him, a colossal golden mammoth phantom appeared, stretching five hundred meters long and towering three hundred meters tall. Its radiance turned heaven golden!
He stomped on the empty space, and the empty space shattered. It was as if he'd stomped through many overlapped windows; countless irregular spatial rifts spread toward Tang San.
This War Stomp was the most terrifying Tang San had seen, by a large margin. Even compared to Ning Chen'en's, already powerful enough to crack space, the gap was immense.
At the same time, both his hands gripped his battle axe. Like a war god descending from heaven, he brought it down upon Tang San.
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