At this moment, Long Yue's expression was grave.
The reason he had dodged wasn't because he couldn't withstand the blow.
Even though that single hammer strike had created a massive crater in the rare metal arena, he was confident that his Mountain Dragon King martial soul's formidable defense could endure it.
However, he had instinctively chosen to evade.
First, he was unfamiliar with Tang Wulin's peculiar exoskeleton mech and couldn't predict how much his strength would be amplified.
Second, the massive hammer was clearly no ordinary soul-guided weapon. It might possess more than just its apparent size, weight, and visible lightning attributes.
Third—and most importantly—Long Yue felt his own bloodline being suppressed.
The Mountain Dragon is destined to reign supreme!
Even though it was the last dragon created, the Mountain Dragon King's power and bloodline aura were by no means weaker than any other Dragon King's, nor should it be suppressed by another's bloodline.
Moreover, the Nine Great Dragon Kings were already the strongest bloodlines under the Dragon God that Long Yue knew of.
Thus, Long Yue had never imagined that his bloodline could be suppressed by someone else's dragon bloodline.
In his mind, unless the Dragon God returned, there was no way his bloodline could be suppressed.
And yet, here it was.
Tang Wulin was somehow suppressing his bloodline.
What kind of bloodline was this?
Although Long Yue's expression remained serious, he didn't lose confidence or morale.
On the contrary, he still possessed absolute self-assurance.
Even though his bloodline was being suppressed, he hadn't reached the point of being completely overwhelmed like Hua Lantang, unable to even muster the will to fight. He merely felt a sense of oppression and a fleeting desire to submit, but he quickly suppressed it. He still retained the strength to fight.
However, the dragon might that usually oppressed his opponents now failed to function. Instead, he himself was also affected by the dragon might.
This was the only disadvantage caused by Tang Wulin's bloodline suppression.
But compared to the dragon might suppression Tang Wulin exerted on others—even those without any dragon bloodline—this disadvantage was negligible.
Almost insignificant.
Overall, there was a gap between their bloodlines, but not a qualitative one.
Long Yue had dodged Tang Wulin's first hammer strike, but when faced with the second hammer strike augmented by the Chaotic Windsplitting technique, he chose not to dodge again. Instead, he allowed Tang Wulin's hammer to strike him directly.
His martial soul manifested, and the shadow of the Mountain Dragon King appeared behind him. Its presence was as heavy as mountains and continents, seemingly fused with the earth itself.
His aura was incredibly dense, exuding an overwhelming sense of power.
With a swing of his dragon claw, he clashed with the massive, lightning-wrapped hammer.
Boom!
The collision between the hammer and the dragon claw unleashed a shockwave that spread all the way to the soul-guided energy barrier at the edge of the arena, hundreds of meters away, causing ripples across the protective shield.
A look of astonishment flashed in Long Yue's eyes.
Such immense power.
Was this only the second strike of the Chaotic Windsplitting Hammer technique?
Many spectators, especially those from the Tang Sect, immediately recognized the hammer technique Tang Wulin was using. Although they might not have studied this ultimate skill themselves, they were all familiar with it.
After two millennia of development, the Chaotic Windsplitting Hammer technique had undergone innovations. It combined the methods of Tang San, integrating techniques like Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps and Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon, to address some of the weaknesses of the original technique.
For example, while stacking the hammer strikes, the user's evasive capabilities were maximized. This made it harder for opponents to dodge while also allowing the user to better evade counterattacks, preventing the stacking process from being interrupted.
Most importantly, it enabled the technique of "empty stacking."
Even if the hammer didn't land on a solid surface, the stacking wouldn't be wasted. The force could continue to accumulate, albeit at a slightly reduced intensity. Undoubtedly, this made the stacking process smoother.
Tang Wulin frequently used the Chaotic Windsplitting Hammer technique in forging, so he had mastered it thoroughly. He had also practiced its integration with other advanced skills like Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps and Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon, achieving remarkable proficiency.
Each successive hammer strike added to the force, making his massive hammers increasingly terrifying.
---
Long Yue grew increasingly astonished.
He was also proficient in Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps, so theoretically, he should have been able to predict Tang Wulin's movements and interrupt the Chaotic Windsplitting Hammer stacking between hammer strikes.
However, he attempted it once and failed.
It wasn't due to a lack of prediction.
Rather, the exoskeleton mech miraculously assisted Tang Wulin in transferring force, enabling a new method of stacking the Chaotic Windsplitting Hammer technique.
Originally, the hammer had to complete a full circle in midair to stack force. But now, thanks to the mech's ability to redirect, store, and borrow force, the hammer could perform arbitrary rotations in midair, making its trajectory completely unpredictable.
Not only was the hammer's trajectory unpredictable.
Each joint of the exoskeleton mech was ingeniously designed to store and dissipate force, providing highly effective assistance in mobilizing the user's full strength.
Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps lost all semblance of structure, allowing for unrestricted movement.
Of course, all of this required the user to be thoroughly familiar with the exoskeleton mech. Tang Wulin's mech was crafted from spirit-infused alloys, seamlessly integrated with his body, making its operation fluid and natural.
It was completely impossible to interrupt!
---
In the Shrek viewing box
Yuanen Yehui watched this scene in amazement.
As a power-type soul master, she could easily adopt Tang Wulin's combat style.
If the tremendous strength of the Titan Ape were combined with a pair of powerful weapons and the uninterrupted, freely stacking Chaotic Windsplitting Hammer hammer technique, the upper limit of her explosive power would increase by more than just one level!
She turned her gaze toward Xu Yuan.
"Xu Yuan, is this what you call an exoskeleton mech?"
Xu Yuan smiled.
"That's right. Isn't this type of mech far more convenient to control than traditional mechs? It's more like battle armor, but with the size, theory, and principles of a mech, while retaining the advantage of synchronizing perfectly with the soul master like battle armor."
When he raised his hand, the mech raised its hand. When he kicked, the mech kicked. Whether bending over or jumping, every movement was perfectly synchronized with the mech.
Controlling this mech was far easier than traditional button-, key-, or lever-operated mechs.
This exoskeleton mech was only the most basic version of its development.
In the future, Xu Yuan planned to refine it into a complete mech control system. Even inside the mech, the same level of synchronization could be achieved without direct contact with the joints. Instead, arrays within the mech would allow for remote connection between the mech and the soul master.
"For now, let's focus on the match."
Seeing Yuanen Yehui's eager expression, as if she wanted to ask him to design a similar mech for her, Xu Yuan changed the subject.
"If you have anything to discuss, come to my room later tonight."
Long Yue, having been hammered repeatedly by Xu Yuan's hammer, felt deeply frustrated and began to grow angry.
He stopped suppressing himself and fully unleashed the bloodline power of the Mountain Dragon King.
A deafening dragon roar shook the heavens and the earth, causing the ground to tremble.
The massive shadow of the Mountain Dragon King transformed back into its dragon form, rising high into the air. Its terrifying presence swept outward in all directions.
Meanwhile, bloodshot veins began to spread across his eyes.
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