Chapter 89 – A Perfect Counter: The Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree vs. the Brute

After summoning the Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree Martial Soul and activating all six of his spirit abilities, Ye Yu instantly conjured a dense forest of blue-silver crystalline trees, encircling Tang Hao completely.

As the countless vines whipped through the air and surged toward Tang Hao, Ye Yu simultaneously unleashed his self-created spirit ability, Thunder Magnet Body, along with Thunderstep, cloaking himself in dazzling arcs of lightning. His spirit core's energy field quietly expanded, and he stood ready to trigger the flight ability of the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone at a moment's notice.

If things turned south, he was fully prepared to make a swift exit.

After all, having dared to beat up Flender during the dispute over the Fajin metal—

And then pummel Tang San after being ambushed with hidden weapons—

Ye Yu clearly wasn't afraid of Tang Hao showing up.

And that fearlessness came from two sources.

First was his own strength.

Even though Ye Yu's cultivation was only at the Spirit Emperor level, he had compressed his spirit power nine times and condensed a spirit core. In terms of quality alone, his spirit power had already reached the level of a Title Douluo.

His physical strength? Surpassed even most Title Douluo.

He might have only six spirit rings, but every one of them was absorbed far beyond its limit. His sixth ring alone came from a 90,000-year Demon-Devouring Vine.

Apart from lacking a Martial Soul Avatar, Ye Yu was already no different from a Title Douluo in combat capability.

The second reason?

Mobility.

With the flight ability of the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, his spirit core propulsion, and the magnetic suspension and acceleration from Thunder Magnet Body and Thunderstep, Ye Yu had four flight abilities stacked together.

His speed could rival a high-speed spirit aircraft—

Even Qian Daoliu would probably be eating dust chasing him.

With that much room to advance or retreat, what was there to be afraid of?

Seeing Ye Yu summon so many plants in the blink of an eye, Tang Hao's expression shifted. He roared, immediately unleashing his seventh spirit ability—Clear Sky Hammer Avatar—and began swinging his massive hammer wildly.

With the power of a Title Douluo behind each swing, even Ye Yu's sturdy Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree vines were smashed apart on contact.

But that was only the beginning.

Strengthened by the Inkjade Bamboo Shoot and countless life-attribute plant spirit rings, Ye Yu's Martial Soul had evolved repeatedly. Its toughness was unmatched—

And even more terrifying was its regenerative ability and growth speed.

Though Tang Hao shattered the vines as fast as he could, every leaf, blossom, and shard that hit the ground instantly sprouted roots and bloomed with golden light, absorbing nutrients, leyline energy, and sunlight to regenerate with explosive growth.

Thanks to the passive effects of the third spirit ability Tribulation Ascension, anything that wasn't completely obliterated—like the Thunderhowl Infernal Vine that had been struck dead by lightning—could return to life even stronger than before.

The fifth spirit ability from the Undying Laurel, Undying Body, further boosted this regenerative power, allowing even a single petal to reform into a fully grown vine in the blink of an eye.

Soon, Tang Hao's smashing speed couldn't keep up with the rate of regrowth.

And that wasn't the worst of it.

Because of the sixth spirit ability, Devour and Parasitize, fragments of vines that landed on Tang Hao began burrowing into his flesh, leeching away his blood and spirit power.

"Aaaargh!" Tang Hao roared in pain.

He had no choice but to unleash waves of spirit power to forcefully eject the parasites from his body, but even this consumed staggering amounts of energy.

If this dragged on, Tang Hao's spirit power would be drained dry—

And once that happened, the Clear Sky Douluo would be completely helpless.

"Slaughter God Domain—activate!"

"Second Spirit Ability: Iron Bones!"

"Third Spirit Ability: Clear Sky Protection!"

"Eighth Spirit Ability: Mount-Chasing Sunbreaker!"

Realizing the danger, Tang Hao exploded with fury, unleashing his domain and buff-type spirit abilities in quick succession, including the eighth spirit ability that was second only to a ninth—Mount-Chasing Sunbreaker.

His aura surged.

The Clear Sky Hammer in his hands grew even larger and heavier, glowing with ominous light.

Tang Hao tried to take to the sky and charge at Ye Yu, but the forest of vines surrounding him gave him no chance to rise.

Left with no choice, he howled in rage and began smashing his way forward like a berserker, trying to reach Ye Yu through sheer brute force.

With Mount-Chasing Sunbreaker active, the Clear Sky Hammer tore through the vines like paper.

If Tang Hao managed to close the distance—

There was no question that Ye Yu would be at a disadvantage in close combat.

But would Ye Yu ever give him the chance?

As Tang Hao surged forward like an avalanche, Ye Yu calmly triggered his spirit core field, activated his Right Leg Bone's flight ability, and used Thunderstep and Thunder Magnet Body for electromagnetic acceleration and levitation.

With a flicker, Ye Yu appeared a hundred meters away.

No matter how hard Tang Hao howled and smashed through the forest, he simply couldn't catch up.

And escape?

That wasn't an option anymore.

The Blue Silver Spirit Jade Trees had formed an actual forest, their roots and vines sealing off every direction, swaying and pulsing with life energy as they drank from the land and the sun.

Maintaining them cost Ye Yu little spirit power, thanks to their self-sustaining nature.

Meanwhile, Tang Hao was burning through his reserves just to fight off the parasitic vines and smash his way forward.

By the time his spirit power dropped to less than one-fifth, Tang Hao's expression turned grim.

He had to run.

If he didn't escape now, he, the mighty Clear Sky Douluo, would die here today.

Damn it! What the hell is this monster?!

Red-eyed with fury, Tang Hao glared at Ye Yu from across the battlefield, seething with rage and jealousy.

Just a Spirit Ancestor, and yet even a Title Douluo couldn't take him down?

All his life, Tang Hao had taken pride in his talent and strength.

But this fight had completely shattered that pride.

Author's Note:

Some readers were asking how the protagonist could dare to fight Tang Hao. Well, here's the breakdown—he really can fight and run!

Right now, the protagonist doesn't need to fear anyone.

Though plant-type Martial Souls still have trouble against enemies who can phase through or teleport—like Ghost Douluo's Martial Soul Avatar, which ignores physical attacks—

Against brute-force brawlers like Tang Hao?

They're a perfect counter.