Huo Yuhao's domain shattered like glass, the massive black hammer descended like a divine punishment brought down by the heavens.
His eyes sharpened. The massive Susanoo raised its arms, with swords blazing with black flames and red lightning, blocked the descending hammer. The sheer, heavy force of the hammer was so tyrannical and overbearing that it almost destroyed the entire Shrek Academy.
*Cracked—!*
"?!" Huo Yuhao's eyes widened as the Susanoo shattered almost instantly and the horrifying weight of the hammer descended fully upon him.
But just as the pressure was about to obliterate him, he disappeared in a burst of white smoke.
"Teleportation? No, it can't be. I've locked down the entire space in the area."
The sky turned dark, clouds gathered, and thunder rumbled like war drums. Standing upon the sky of Sea God Island, was a handsome man draped in black tattered robes that couldn't conceal his bulging muscles. With a ginormous black hammer in his hand, he looked like the true God of War descending upon the mortal world to bring down strife and chaos.
This was the man that had once made history in his era. The man who brought forth the Hero and Child of Destiny from ten thousand years ago!
Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao!
Now, ten thousand years in the current era, he reappeared in the mortal realm as a ascended deity. He now took on the divine title of "Titan", a second class God.
"Uncle Hao, long time no see." Dai Mubai laughed heartedly and flew up to greet him with cupped hands.
Tang Hao grunted, lifting the massive hammer and casually rested it on his shoulder. "Mubai, it's good to see you again. I'd like to chat and hear how the others are doing in the Divine Realm, but we have an important mission to do."
"In fact, why haven't you done your part? Taking down a kid that hasn't gotten his seventh soul ring yet should've been easy. Regardless of his status as a Child of Destiny or your state, as a God, you possess abilities beyond mortal reach. Not even Limit Douluos could ever block or dodge your attacks. You..." He narrowed his gaze.
"You went easy on the boy."
"Yes." Dai Mubai admitted, looking a bit embarassed. He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "I am a God and his elder, going all out on the boy... It isn't right."
"This isn't about right or wrong! This is about doing what Xiao San said; to save the goddamn world and stop a future threat."
Dai Mubai narrowed, his expression turning serious. "Even so, Uncle Hao. That boy is still my blood. I couldn't bring myself to kill him without giving him a chance. Besides, he's far stronger than we anticipated. That clone alone was able to push me this far."
Tang Hao snorted, his grip tightening on the Clear Sky Hammer. "Blood? In front of the survival of the continent and Xiao San's grand plan, blood means nothing. That child is a tumor that must be removed before he grows into something uncontrollable."
Dai Mubai kept glaring at him for a while before looking away, keeping his thoughts to himself.
Tang Hao ignored him, trying to keep his temper down. He was already in a bad mood after failing his mission. The millennia plan of conquering the plane was quickly falling apart.
He had come from the Hollow Earth, the subspace between the surface and deep core of the planet. He suffered a crushing defeat from the King and Queen of Monarchs, with his wife heavily injured from the failed connection with the Life Core, they had no choice but to retreat back onto the surface.
'Fortunately there's a new Blue Silver Emperor. Ah Yin would recover quickly by devouring it. With her skills, even if injured, she wouldn't encounter any dangers. But the situation might go wrong, I can't waste time!'
His sharp gaze swept across the devastated Sea God Island, lingering on the Ancient Golden Tree. He gritted his teeth and angrily roared,
"GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE BOY!"
"..."
Tang Hao frowned, and without any hesitation he swung his hammer downward and shattered the air as if it were glass.
The shockwaves alone flattened what remained of the surrounding structures on Sea God Island. The branches shattered into dust, the ground cracked open, and the surface of Sea God Lake surged violently as massive waves crashed against the shores.
The former Clear Sky Douluo wasn't one to talk needlessly. He's a very hot blooded person who encounters his problems head on. He blasts away his opponent with his superior abilities, crushing any enemy that stands in his way. He didn't care that there would be innocent people caught in his attack.
Ever since he ascended to Godhood, with the long passage of time accompanied by the departure of many familiar faces, Tang Hao and others have become indifferent to mortal lives.
To a God, mortals were like mayflies; here today, gone tomorrow. What mattered were those in the present, the friends and family that are still alive.
After that thunderous blast, strangely, everything was silent. All of the Shrek elders, staff, and the rest of the students in the academy had all disappeared.
"When did they—?!" Dai Mubai's eyes contracted, his divine sense spread out and covered the entire area.
"It's no use. He's hidden himself deeply, to the point that even divine sense couldn't see through his presence. It isn't a illusory technique or integrating himself with the void..." Tang Hao's sharp eyes gleamed as he surveyed the area, scrutinizing everything down to atomic level with his divine sense.
"I've felt this feeling before, only from my wife. It's a state of being one with the heavens and earth—to be one with nature."
Dai Mubai looked confused. "Isn't that something anyone who achieved the so-called... Concrete-Immaterial Realm(Spirit Domain Realm)?"
In his experience when he became a Limit Douluo and acquired Concrete-Immaterial Realm of spiritual power, he had clearly seen and sense different colors of energy particles in the air and control and resonate with them. This is also known as encountering the heaven and earth principles, and the best opportunity to form a Spirit Domain.
"No. There's a vast difference sensing and resonating with nature, and becoming "one" with nature."
"Let me put it this way. A cultivator can sense a higher level of energy; like Immortal Qi and Planar Law, but they can't properly use it with full mastery. But when one truly becomes one with nature, that's it. They are the wind, the earth, the life force of the planet itself."
"That boy has reached a level that unless a master in using divine consciousness or someone with high affinity with nature was here, he cannot be found."
"What about aunt Ah Yin? With her abilities..."
"She can't, not right now."
Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow, and his eyes gleamed.
'Ah, I see.'
"Well, those are the ordinary methods anyways." Tang Hao snorted raising his hammer,
"Shatter!"
.....
"Yeah, I'm out."
"What?! W-What do you mean you're out!?"
Huo Yuhao coldly snorted in his heart, staying completely still in a meditative pose on a unassuming branch. He had successfully gotten away thanks to using Body Flicker infused with natural energy. If he was half a moment late, he would've dissipated.
The moment he managed to escape he instantly tapped deep into Sage Mode, merging even further with the life force of the Ancient Golden Tree and the entire Sea God Island.
He became one with the rustling leaves, the flowing lake water, the very wood beneath his legs. His presence completely vanished, not even a trace of soul power or spiritual fluctuation could be detected.
'Fortunately my original body didn't swap places with me. I don't trust Dai Mubai, I'm certain he knew I was a clone. That acting of ignorance....heh, it's hereditary alright. He wanted to fish out more information from me.'
'The moment an opportunity presents itself, I'm leaving. The knowledge of Gods from the Dragon Kings are outdated and lacking, they may possess methods to track my original body if they capture me.' He frowned and contemplated on ending himself now.
"Child, you can't just run away now when I'm so close to return to my peak. If you hold on just a little longer, I could easily expel these Gods out of the Plane." The Life Core pleaded, sounding desperate.
"Then give me another boon. Because you and I know that I wouldn't be able to hold both of them back, especially that guy with the Clear Sky Hammer." Although he only knew the Clear Sky Hammer through texts and seeing it a few times from Wang Dong'er, he easily saw through the identity of the massive hammer when thinking about Tang San's second martial soul.
And considering that the man had God-level aura but didn't looked like Tang San....
'It's Tang Hao, huh.' Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, sensing a unfamiliar energy within his spiritual sea.
Using his inner spiritual sense, he could see that it looked like a humongous creature in a fetal position. Judging by its immense spiritual fluctuations and translucent body, it seemed to be only a soul body. It was almost entirely white, with large icy-blue crystals protruding from its back. It was similar to a wingless True Dragon.
"This is...?"
"This is what I can offer you, unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on her body. But a fragment of her soul should be enough to assist you, considering your... otherworldly abilities and status as my Child, she would become your guardian. Unfortunately, my other children couldn't come here to assist in a short amount of time."
"However, this little one is one of the strongest Monarchs; who died at the combined attacks of Asura and Destruction during their great war. The beast who had once reigned supreme amongst all icy beasts and brought an ice age throughout seven cosmos with a single breath."
"The World Ender Monarch - Shimo(Frost)."
Huo Yuhao grinned, all six eyes of his started glowing with an eerie gray light. A familiar grey soul ring manifested around him.
"This is more than enough—?!"
"Shatter!"
His eyes widened as the air around him shattered, revealing his existence. He threw up a mouthful of blood and looked up at Tang Hao and Dai Mubai looking at him coldly.
A large shadow enveloped him and a tiger's roar sounded simultaneously.
'I hope the others and the main body is having an easy time.'
BOOOM!!