As soon as Li Xun had finished casting Wood Release: Wooden Dome Wall to protect Ning Rongrong, he had already connected with the tree roots beneath his feet using Wood Release to transfer himself away.
What remained above to take the attack was merely a Wood Release Clone.
Now appearing behind Tang San, he had achieved this by merging with the tree roots beneath his feet.
"Not good!" Although most of Tang San's attention was on the Wood Release Clone, his expertise in assassination naturally made him sense something amiss.
Hearing the sudden sound of something cutting through the air behind him, Tang San's pupils constricted sharply, and he immediately used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dart to the side.
Despite Tang San's quick reaction, the distance between them was too close to completely evade Li Xun's attack.
Thud—
A dull sound rang out.
Tang San's left side was struck by a large tree, sending him flying over ten meters. He tumbled several times on the ground before managing to dissipate most of the impact force.
As the force could no longer harm him, Tang San used the last bit of momentum to spring up from the ground, instantly assuming a defensive stance. However, his left arm was already injured, leaving him to only cross his right arm in front of his chest.
Li Xun was not about to let this opportunity slip. The moment he struck Tang San, he controlled the vines to pursue and encircle him.
Facing the vines attacking from all directions, Tang San's heart sank. He used Crane Control, Dragon Capture with his right hand to redirect the plants in front of him to the side. Simultaneously, dozens of Blue Silver Vines rapidly spread out in all directions from beneath his feet to intercept Li Xun's assault.
Seizing this chance, Tang San swiftly used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to escape the encirclement of vines.
"Is this your Third Soul Skill?" Tang San was somewhat disheveled at this moment. His left arm hung slightly, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating he had sustained significant injuries.
In response to Tang San's question, Li Xun chuckled softly, forming hand seals with both hands.
The vines that had been extending upward from both sides of the street quickly converged and intertwined, forming a massive wooden cage that trapped Tang San inside. Once formed, the cage began to shrink and narrow at a visible rate.
"You want to trap me here?" Tang San was initially startled, but the thought of Xiao Wu waiting for him caused a sharp pang in his heart, and his eyes immediately turned blood-red. "First Soul Skill, Entanglement. Second Soul Skill, Parasitism."
He released two skills in quick succession.
Suddenly, a large number of Blue Silver Vines appeared around Tang San. These vines immediately tangled together, forming four cylindrical structures resembling load-bearing walls, attempting to halt the cage's contraction.
Crack— Crack—
As the load-bearing walls made contact with the shrinking wooden cage, a series of creaking, grating sounds erupted, followed by the sound of the walls giving way under the pressure.
Tang San's expression turned grave, and he quickly activated his Second Soul Skill, Parasitism.
The seeds that had been parasitizing the surrounding vines instantly sprouted dense clusters of Blue Silver Vines. These vines were slender and light, resembling fluffy sponges at a glance.
Tang San intended to fill the cage with Blue Silver Grass to resist the contraction and reduce the impact force.
Seeing the contraction slow, Tang San's Eight Spider Lances suddenly slashed at the cage. However, Li Xun had reinforced the outer layer, and the Eight Spider Lances only managed to cut through a few columns before the vines quickly replenished them.
Seeing Tang San's mediocre Soul Skills, Li Xun's lips curled into a smirk. He extended his right hand and clenched it in the air, causing the force of the cage's contraction to suddenly increase. The four load-bearing columns of Blue Silver Vines finally gave way, bending outward in all directions.
The Blue Silver Grass that filled the cell was instantly compressed by this force.
Crack, crack, crack...
Listening to the sounds of the surrounding vines breaking, Tang San's expression changed several times. With the force of the cage's contraction, when the support pillars broke, he would be crushed just like the surrounding Blue Silver Grass.
We are both Soul Grandmasters, so why are the plants he controls far superior to my Blue Silver Grass in terms of strength, quantity, and toughness? Could the direction Teacher set for me be wrong?
Tang San suddenly recalled what Li Xun had said in the Soul Hunting Forest. Improve the quality of Blue Silver Grass, expand its advantages...
Crack—
The Blue Silver Vines scattered and broke, and the cage rapidly contracted.
"Li Xun, you dare to kill someone in broad daylight? Aren't you afraid of the empire's laws and the Spirit Hall's reprimand?" Tang San's eyes twitched wildly as he dismissed his thoughts and quickly summoned the Clear Sky Hammer.
He switched the Clear Sky Hammer to his uninjured right hand, positioned it to use both ends of the hammer as supports, and used the Eight Spider Lances as a frame, curling his entire body into a small ball beneath the hammer.
"Now you remember the empire and the Spirit Hall?" Hearing Tang San's shouts from within the cage, Li Xun curled his lips and clenched his fist, causing the cage to tighten further. "Why weren't you afraid just now?"
Although Tang San had used the Clear Sky Hammer as a support, a hammer could only brace against the cage's contraction on two sides, unable to fully cover his body.
As the cage grew narrower and his limbs were compressed, Tang San inevitably let out a scream, and his bones began to emit a series of cracking sounds. The Eight Spider Lances on his back broke at the roots, and his ribs were crushed by his knees.
"How dare you!"
A furious roar suddenly came from the distant sky, followed by a Clear Sky Hammer streaking down like a meteor and smashing into the ground. The cage was instantly shattered by the shockwave carried by the hammer.
The latest novel is first published on 69shu!
The shockwave was astonishingly powerful. After shattering the cage, it not only sent Tang San flying like a rag for over ten meters but also continued its momentum straight toward Li Xun.
"Clear Sky Hammer?"
The sudden turn of events made Li Xun's expression freeze. Tang Hao would even attack his own son?
Just as he was about to dodge, a Flying Sword descended from the sky, landing straight in front of him and dissipating the shockwave.
Li Xun looked up into the sky.
After so much had happened without anyone intervening, he had thought Tang Hao and the Sword Douluo were not nearby. He hadn't expected them to act in such perfect unison just as he was about to finish.
As Li Xun was lost in thought, the Sword Douluo gracefully descended from the air and landed in front of him.
"Xiao Xun, you did well this time," the Sword Douluo said with a smile, standing with his hands behind his back.
The fight between Li Xun and Tang San had been extremely fast, so fast that even he and Tang Hao hadn't had time to return and stop it. The dangerous moments had made his heart tremble, and he hadn't expected that child named Tang San to have such a murderous intent.
Fortunately, he knew some of Li Xun's abilities and was aware that Li Xun possessed a Soul Skill called the Substitution Technique. Though he was worried, he wasn't overly panicked.
But Tang Hao was different.
The Sword Douluo glanced at a two-story building nearby, then used his Soul Power to send a thread of words into Li Xun's ear: "Tang Hao is nearby. It's not the time to go for the kill."
With Tang Hao's level using the Ring Detonation skill, even Sword Douluo, who was already at level 97, was not confident that he could protect Li Xun and the other two in his hands. After all, protecting someone is much more difficult than killing them.
Is this not a good time?
When Li Xun heard Sword Douluo's advice, he did not feel disappointed but rather a hint of excitement.
Could there have been some conflict between Sword Grandpa and Tang Hao? A glint appeared in Li Xun's eyes, and his curiosity was ignited.
Although the members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had already accepted the strategy towards the Spirit Hall, they still maintained a wait-and-see attitude towards the Clear Sky Sect.
(End of Chapter)