Xu Yang landed a punch on the lightning, and a terrifying force split through it, tearing apart most of it. The remaining lightning, however, coiled around him as he had expected.
But Xu Yang merely shook his body, dispelling the paralysis caused by the lightning. Then, he transformed into a sharp arrow, charging straight at Yu Tianheng.
"This feels so damn good! Just as I thought, Soul Power has excellent resistance to lightning as an energy source!"
A surge of satisfaction rushed through Xu Yang's heart.
His previous move had been quite risky, but his first two Soul Skills weren't suitable for direct combat. He feared that using his split Soul to attack would melt Yu Tianheng entirely, so he opted to resist the lightning with Soul Power instead.
As for dodging, he had considered it, but rejected the idea. The lightning was just too fast. Even if he could react, his body wouldn't be fast enough to keep up. It was better to take it head-on with Soul Power.
Fortunately, the result was just as Xu Yang had anticipated. The converted Sun Soul Power had far greater resistance to lightning than ordinary Soul Power. Additionally, the Secret Skill activated by his First Soul Skill, Morning Light, had dispelled the paralysis completely after Soul Power simply circulated through his body.
All of this happened in an instant, and Xu Yang hadn't expected Yu Tianheng to be momentarily stunned by it.
However, he wouldn't waste such a great opportunity. As soon as the paralysis disappeared, he condensed Soul Power beneath his feet and rushed straight towards Yu Tianheng, determined to seize control of the fight.
Yu Tianheng, the most talented disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, regained his composure quickly. His gaze hardened as he no longer underestimated Xu Yang. With a roar, he swung his two dragon claws to meet him.
"Too bad!" Xu Yang thought, his movements not stopping. He condensed Soul Power into his limbs and met Yu Tianheng head-on.
Fist met claw. The force he had imagined didn't arrive; instead, both seemed evenly matched. Only then did Xu Yang realize that his physique was comparable to Yu Tianheng's, even with the Spirit Possession.
"This can't be!?" Yu Tianheng's face was full of disbelief. A Weapon Soul Master and a Beast Soul Master in direct combat, and he wasn't at a disadvantage?
He couldn't accept this.
Gathering more Soul Power into his hands, Yu Tianheng's lightning dragon claws grew larger. With a swift motion, he used his other claw to strike at Xu Yang's abdomen.
However, Xu Yang was even faster in mobilizing Soul Power. His mastery of Essence, Qi, and Spirit allowed him to notice Yu Tianheng's change in his lightning claws. His left hand, previously empty, shifted from a fist to an open palm and struck out with force.
Bang!
The lightning dragon claw collided with his palm, and Yu Tianheng felt a domineering Hidden Strength surge into his claw. In an instant, the claw shattered into over a dozen tiny fragments of Hidden Strength, exploding outward.
Zzzt!
Blue-purple electric sparks flickered, and the lightning dragon claw created by Yu Tianheng's First Soul Skill instantly shattered, its form dissolving into small arcs of electricity that dispersed into the air.
"So powerful! He actually destroyed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's lightning claw with Hidden Strength. Even I can't do that!" Wallace, who had been watching intently, couldn't sit still any longer. It was easy for any Soul Master with a bit of power to unleash Hidden Strength, but using it to disintegrate an opponent's Soul Skill was another matter.
That Soul Skill had been inherited for generations by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and in terms of stability, it was practically flawless. Yet Xu Yang had broken it apart with a single strike. His control over Hidden Strength and Soul Power was evidently at a level of mastery where he could manipulate them freely.
"Impossible! I don't believe it!" Yu Tianheng shouted, his voice filled with rage.
"Second Soul Skill: Thunderbolt!" Yu Tianheng roared to the sky, instantly activating his Second Soul Skill. The numerous electric snakes circling around him grew larger, transforming into lightning arrows that shot out in every direction. It was a wide-ranging, indiscriminate attack.
Xu Yang, caught off guard, was struck by several electric snakes. Instantly, he felt the lightning coursing through his body, paralyzing him and making movement difficult.
Then, a fist, shaped from the dragon claw, appeared before his eyes.
Boom!
Xu Yang barely managed to shift his body, taking the blow to his chest. He was sent flying back over ten meters before stabilizing himself. A streak of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The blow had caused Xu Yang significant internal injury.
"First Soul Skill: Morning Light!" Xu Yang murmured softly. The Sun Spirit behind his head rose into the air, shining golden light upon him. At the same time, he activated his healing Secret Skill. With both effects combined, the injuries he had sustained were healed almost instantly.
"Your Soul Skills are used up; now it's my turn!" Xu Yang declared confidently.
"Second Soul Skill: Split!" The purple Soul Ring on his body lit up, and the Sun Spirit hovering above him began to split. In the blink of an eye, four additional Sun Spirits appeared. Though smaller than the central Sun, they should not be underestimated.
"Go!" Xu Yang pointed, and the newly created four Sun Spirits shot toward Yu Tianheng, surrounding him from all sides.
"Sun Fire Line!" Xu Yang's face grew serious. The four Sun Spirits fired four straight beams of fire at Yu Tianheng, targeting him from every angle. He kept his full focus on controlling them, not to attack Yu Tianheng directly, but to suppress the power of the fire lines. Without this control, the flames would be too much for Yu Tianheng to handle, potentially burning him to death.
The Sun Fire Line was a technique Xu Yang had developed after absorbing the Second Soul Ring. He utilized the Sun Spirit's ability to generate fire, condensing the flames into a focused beam that greatly increased both speed and power.
"Damn it! I can't dodge!" Yu Tianheng's face turned grim.
"Is it the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's Distraction Control?" he realized.
Yu Tianheng's expression darkened further. If all four Fire Lines had been launched at once, he could have tried to evade them in a burst of speed. But now, each Fire Line was launched one by one, targeting every possible escape route, leaving him with nowhere to run.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Fire Lines struck Yu Tianheng. As soon as they made contact, the flames exploded, sending Yu Tianheng flying. He tumbled through the air, performing a quadruple flip before landing heavily at Wallace's feet. His clothes were burned to tatters, and the charred flesh on his body emitted a faint smell.
"That was close. I almost roasted Yu Tianheng completely. In a battle between low-level Soul Masters, when Soul Power is insufficient, the Ultimate Attributes dominate!" Xu Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead, his heart filled with relief. If he had been a moment too late, Yu Tianheng would have been incinerated by the Sun Fire. That would have sparked an eternal feud between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.