When Tang Chen saw that Cheng Ying didn't dodge, he immediately had a bad feeling. Although his teacher wasn't skilled in combat, he had demonstrated the entire Random Wind Hammer Technique to him before!
Cheng Ying's hammer, having missed due to Chao Changkong's nimble evasion, slammed into the ground, leaving a deep crater. At the same time, Chao Changkong's snake staff struck Cheng Ying's arm… and left nothing but a red mark.
That's right Cheng Ying's arm didn't even twitch. A blow strong enough to put a four-ring Soul Ancestor out of commission for a month left just a faint red mark on him.
In fact, if it weren't for the Man-Faced Demon Spider's final desperate blow, it wouldn't have even scratched Cheng Ying. That was why an attack powerful enough to pierce through Dugu Bo could only leave a small cut on his finger.
Cheng Ying's defense astonished Chao Changkong, but judging from his appearance, he seemed no older than twenty. At most, he would have five soul rings not enough to be a real threat.
"Hmph! Just a thick-skinned brute. Think you're invincible? I've just been holding back," Chao Changkong sneered, then used his full strength to strike Cheng Ying's wrist, trying to knock the Clear Sky Hammer from his hand.
But Cheng Ying didn't even glance at him, continuing to swing the hammer a third time. With a loud boom, another crater formed, while the snake staff strike only left a small bruise—one that was already quickly fading.
"I'd like to see how many more hits you can take!" Chao Changkong growled, dodging the hammer and weaving around Cheng Ying, landing more bruises across his body.
With every hammer swing, Cheng Ying received at least three attacks in return. But no matter how many times he was hit, his movements never stopped. The bruises from earlier strikes had already completely healed.
At this point, Chao Changkong began to realize something was wrong. Cheng Ying's strength and durability were simply outrageous. He couldn't imagine what kind of martial soul could produce such a result.
What truly alarmed him was that each crater left by Cheng Ying's hammer was getting bigger. Chao Changkong had no idea that the Random Wind Hammer Technique could stack up to 81 times, but he could tell things were getting out of hand.
As the hammer's power increased, so did its speed. Dodging would soon be far more difficult.
Unwilling to let this continue, Chao Changkong activated his fourth soul ring. A sickly green light burst forth—the same technique he had used to immobilize Meng Shu.
And then...
The green light shattered.
Chao Changkong's face turned pale as if he'd been punched in the gut. He had completely underestimated Cheng Ying. This soul skill could immobilize soul masters even stronger than himself—so long as the difference in soul ring count wasn't more than one, they couldn't break free in a second. Yet it had no effect on Cheng Ying at all.
But it made sense. In terms of total soul power alone, Cheng Ying was indisputably number one on the continent. Though most of his cultivation came from sleeping, it was still real. Unless you were a Title Douluo, your control-type soul skills might as well be ineffective against him.
Still unwilling to give up, Chao Changkong activated his third, fourth, and seventh soul rings simultaneously. The snake staff glowed with dazzling green light and once again targeted Cheng Ying.
Again, it did absolutely nothing.
The green light shattered, and Chao Changkong coughed up a mouthful of blood from the backlash. This brat was clearly a freak of nature—completely unmanageable in a frontal confrontation.
Meanwhile, Cheng Ying had just finished swinging his 36th hammer. This strike was already eight times stronger than the first. His footwork had also begun to sync with the Random Wind Hammer Technique.
When Chao Changkong retreated, Cheng Ying chased in an S-shaped arc, not fast, but each swing causing Chao Changkong's eyes to widen with disbelief.
At full power, Cheng Ying's hammer strikes were more destructive than Tang Chen's. Now enhanced eightfold, every blow left a crater four to five meters wide.
At this point, Chao Changkong didn't even dare attempt sneak attacks anymore. All he could do was retreat while launching snake-shaped soul power projectiles at range.
He had no choice—Cheng Ying's attacks had evolved from single-target to AOE (area of effect). Just stepping into one of the craters meant getting caught in the aftermath. The blast radius was wider than his attack range—Cheng Ying himself was even in his own danger zone.
Against such a madman, Chao Changkong could only try to kite him to death.
But soon, he realized something even more alarming: the destructive range was still growing. At the 48th hammer, the blast radius reached ten meters. By the 64th, it had become a terrifying thirty meters.
At this point, Cheng Ying wasn't fighting—he was clearing the map. Each hammer strike devastated a thirty-meter area, producing sonic booms. Chao Changkong deeply regretted agreeing to this fight. He was now completely focused on escaping.
And he had to run! Even though Cheng Ying moved in S-shaped arcs and paused between each strike, he was traveling at subsonic speed during those curves!
After the 64th hammer, the Random Wind Hammer Technique's accompanying footwork became the fastest movement technique on the entire continent. Even flying wouldn't help Chao Changkong now—the gap between them was closing rapidly.
At the 72nd hammer, he was caught in a fifty-meter blast radius for the first time, and was sent flying. The last nine hammer strikes clearly hit harder and harder.
By this point, Chao Changkong no longer cared about soul rings. What was a soul ring worth compared to his life? The guy holding the Clear Sky Hammer was a maniac—even a Title Douluo might cough up blood from a direct hit with that thing!
Barely surviving to the 80th strike, Chao Changkong was in tatters, clothes shredded, body a mess. When he saw Cheng Ying leap into the air, surrounded by a roaring black dragon, his face turned green.
Pride be damned—he stomped the snake staff into the ground, activating his first soul ring for the first time ever. A tunnel opened in the earth over ten meters deep. Without hesitation, he dove in, curled up, and braced himself…
The black dragon roared downward with the hammer. The moment it struck the ground, even Tang Chen—thousands of meters away—felt the earth tremble. He was now only thankful that the Clear Sky Hammer was durable enough, otherwise it would've snapped.
All that remained was a hundred-meter-wide crater. Not a blade of grass survived within it. At the center, lava flowed.
Cheng Ying stood amidst the molten rock, staring blankly at the bruised and battered Chao Changkong left with nothing but a single pair of tattered underwear.
Truthfully, Cheng Ying was worse off. During the final strike, his underwear had been burned away too, but thanks to his ability to instantly manifest clothing, he still looked perfectly pristine in flowing white robes.