In that domineering berserk state, Tang San had completely forgotten about pain. All that remained was continuously channeling every ounce of his energy into that overwhelming aura. At this moment, whether it was the Sea God's Light energy, his spiritual power, the internal force of his Mysterious Heaven Skill, the aura of his Eight Spider Lances, or the aura of his Clear Sky Hammer — all had become indistinguishable from one another, merging completely into a unified whole. Tang San clearly felt that his entire strength had become a single Clear Sky Hammer forged within his body — and one that wielded the Great Zenith Hammer technique at that.
The energy of the three Thousand-Zoom Ant Emperor brothers finally re-coalesced from its scattered state, but it had already lost its previous momentum. It simply hovered there, seemingly cowed by Tang San's heaven-fearing domineering aura, too afraid to launch another assault.
You won't come? Fine. Then I'll come to you.
Under Tang San's spiritual control, the ferocious energy surged forward once more with unstoppable momentum. The enormous hammer of energy smashed directly down onto the mass of soul ring power.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom — continuous explosions that no outsider could hear detonated within Tang San's body. With every strike, the combined soul ring energy of the three Ant Emperor brothers was compressed further. The shattered fragments were immediately devoured and forcibly assimilated by Tang San's all-encompassing energy hammer, leaving it not even a sliver of a chance to resist.
Even Tang San himself lost count of how many strikes he delivered. In the end, the dwindling remnant of soul ring energy actually surged forward on its own, willingly merging itself into Tang San's terrifying energy. Yet Tang San still felt a lingering sense of wanting more.
Absorbing a soul ring in this manner — Tang San didn't know whether his father had ever attempted it, but the exhilarating sensation was even more satisfying than simply adding a Soul Ring to his Martial Soul.
With no target left to attack, the berserk state gradually faded. Only now did Tang San become aware that the meridians within his body were in shambles — some scrambled, some shattered. Searing pain crashed over him, but he clenched his teeth and endured, refusing to let himself lose consciousness. At that moment, his father's words surfaced in his mind: always stand tall, even unto death.
At this point, faint flecks of pale gold surrounded Tang San's body — blood that had sprayed from him during the earlier internal impacts. When he opened his eyes, his vision was a blur, making it nearly impossible to see his surroundings. Using his own body as a battlefield had inflicted devastating damage. Had his body not already reached a demigod's level of resilience, he would surely have perished.
Through the haze, he could just make out the Sea God's Trident planted beside him. During his frenzied assault, the vibrations of his body had long since caused his grip on the trident to loosen.
Tang San slowly raised his right arm. His limbs felt as if they were filled with lead, impossibly heavy, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself onward, reaching bit by bit toward the Sea God's Trident. His willpower had undergone yet another leap from the internal battle just waged. One could say that the fight within his body had been far more perilous than his actual confrontation with the three Thousand-Zoom Ant Emperors — perhaps even no less dangerous than facing the Evil Spirit Tiger. But he had endured. It felt as though he had crossed yet another chasm.
His right hand finally reached the Sea God's Trident. His pale fingers closed around the thick shaft of the weapon, and a chill spread from his palm throughout his entire body. That feeling of seamless, water-and-milk unity invigorated his spirit. With a sudden surge of effort, pain tore through him as if his entire body were being ripped apart, yet Tang San used nothing but the strength of his right arm to haul himself upright.
Once he had pulled himself to the Sea God's Trident, the first thing he did was straighten his spine. Even that simple motion caused him to cough up several mouthfuls of fresh blood. But his body felt considerably more comfortable afterward. He sat cross-legged, clenching his teeth against the omnipresent agony, and forced a thread of clarity to remain in his mind as he began to cultivate.
Without hesitation, Tang San channeled all the remaining energy within his body into his right leg, triggering the restorative ability of his Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone. At that moment, he noticed that all six of his soul bones had become searingly hot — the scorching sensation actually helped ease some of his pain.
Threads of blue-gold luminescence crept upward from his right leg, rapidly spreading across Tang San's entire body, as though he were wrapped in a web of blue-gold light. The powerful regenerative ability took effect. The chaotic meridians, the shattered channels — all began to recover at a staggering pace.
The trident-shaped imprint on his forehead flared to life. The Sea God's Trident gripped in his hand gradually began to glow as well. Brilliant golden patterns resonated in harmony with the blue-gold radiance enveloping Tang San. The Sea God's energy flowed into his body and fused with the restorative power of the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, further accelerating his body's recovery.
As the excruciating pain receded drop by drop, it brought with it a kind of bliss. Tang San experienced this sensation keenly. With his spiritual sense turned inward, he watched as disordered meridians slid back into their proper positions and shattered channels regrew at remarkable speed. Even some displaced organs returned to where they belonged. The feeling was akin to being reborn. Every time a meridian cleared, energy within his body would automatically rush through it, instantly multiplying several times over. Flowing through unobstructed channels, his already formidable power was gathering and condensing bit by bit.
As his cultivation rose incrementally, wisps of mist began to form again with each of Tang San's breaths — the mist of his Mysterious Heaven Skill. But this time, the mist had changed color, shifting from its original white to gold. Part of this was due to the blue-gold radiance on his body and the gleam of the Sea God's Trident, but the mist he exhaled was no longer purely white either — it now carried a faint golden tinge. At the same time, Tang San noticed that as his meridians recovered, his Soul Power was rapidly growing, and the golden hue of his meridians, bones, and internal organs had deepened considerably.
This was partly the effect of having absorbed three Soul Rings, but it was also because he had finally earned the complete recognition of his Clear Sky Hammer. The harmony between himself and his Martial Soul had triggered another evolution of his body. Although he had yet to undergo the Sea God's inheritance, his Twin Martial Soul and six soul bones had brought him ever closer to the divine level — at the very least, his physical constitution was developing in that direction.
And yet Bibi Dong, who also possessed a Twin Martial Soul, had not experienced any such transformation. This had much to do with the two spirit herbs Tang San had consumed years ago and the effects of tempering his body with ice and fire. The foundation he had laid back then was only now fully manifesting, and combined with the Sea God's Trident — a true divine artifact — the gap in physical power between Tang San and Bibi Dong, both Twin Martial Soul wielders, had become quite significant. Otherwise, how could Tang San possibly hope to stand against Bibi Dong?
The faint gold that suffused him from the inside out gradually deepened to pure gold, though it flickered in and out, wavering between pale gold and true gold. After all, Tang San's true cultivation had not yet reached the divine realm, and it was impossible to elevate his body completely to that level ahead of time. If that were to happen, it would actually cause trouble for him — if his body reached the divine level while his realm and cultivation lagged behind, it would actually hinder further progress in those areas.
Seconds ticked by, one after another. The aura Tang San exuded grew increasingly vast. That presence — close to divinity — sent a peculiar tremor through everything around him. This was, after all, the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest. Every Soul Beast here knew that the most powerful of their kind made their home in this place, and none dared approach lightly. Now, the aura radiating from Tang San's body caused every Soul Beast within a hundred-li radius to feel an involuntary shudder from within, prompting them to migrate outward of their own accord.
This was not a byproduct of his earlier battle with the three Thousand-Zoom Ant Emperors, but rather a result that had begun when he launched his frenzied internal assault on the combined energy of the three Soul Rings.
Even Tang San himself didn't know that every time he had attacked the merged soul ring energy with his full might, each violent collision had sent a ring of golden shockwaves rippling outward from his body. The golden waves themselves held no offensive power — they were merely releases of aura. But they were the aura of an overwhelmingly powerful being. How many Soul Beasts could withstand such a presence, given Tang San's strength and the berserk state he was in? Those fluctuations were laced with traces of the Eight Spider Lances' divine-level aura and the true divine artifact aura of the Sea God's Trident. This was precisely why, from the moment Tang San had begun absorbing the Soul Rings until now, no Soul Beast had been able to come anywhere near him to interrupt the process.
Absorbing three Soul Rings at once might be a first in the entire history of Soul Masters, let alone absorbing them simultaneously. Everything Tang San was doing now could be said to be pioneering a new path for the Soul Master world. Under the aid of various conditions, he had actually succeeded. The enhancement to his body from two Martial Souls and seventeen Soul Rings had caused his strength to evolve once more.
As his body gradually repaired under the effect of the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone's Wildfire Never Dies, Revives with the Spring Breeze skill, Tang San was delighted to find that his Soul Power had increased significantly, though he still hadn't broken through to rank ninety-six. But after devouring the Man-Faced Demon Spider's energy earlier, followed by swallowing the energy of three hundred-thousand-year rank Thousand Jun Ant Emperors and their Soul Rings, his Soul Power had also undergone a qualitative leap, putting him just a hair's breadth away from breaking through from rank ninety-five to ninety-six.
This was also one of the benefits brought by having a Twin Martial Soul. An ordinary Titled Douluo, after reaching rank ninety, could only rely on painstaking personal cultivation. How could they increase their Soul Power like Tang San by absorbing powerful Soul Beast Soul Rings? The nine powerful Soul Rings of his second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, had all become powerful supports for boosting Tang San's Soul Power. The advantage of a Twin Martial Soul truly manifested itself only now. Bibi Dong being able to cultivate to rank ninety-nine at such a young age was also largely related to this aspect.
The external energy gradually gathered, merging with his own. The scorching sensation from the six Soul Bones gradually subsided, and his entire body gave Tang San a feeling of complete unobstructed flow. His mental power could now precisely control the flow of every strand of Soul Power within his body.
Taking a deep breath, Tang San slowly opened his eyes. With a thought, his entire body floated up from the ground. He hadn't used any Soul Power; it was simply his will prompting his body to change, as if he could now completely overcome the hindrance of the earth's gravity.
Standing steadily on the ground, Tang San couldn't help but raise the Sea God's Trident in his hands high, letting out a long howl to the sky. The clear, resonant howl became increasingly fervent as the energy within his body surged. That domineering aura, as if no one could rival him, shook the entire Star Dou Great Forest.
Almost at rank ninety-six, he would definitely be more confident when facing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Feeling the Sea God's Trident resonate even more harmoniously with his own Sea God energy fluctuations, the excitement on Tang San's face was hard to conceal. Since cultivating the Grandmaster's Amplitude Hammer, his personality had undergone subtle changes, adding a touch of wild abandon to his previous calm and reserved nature. If the old him was more like his mother, Ah Yin, then the current him was shifting in personality towards his father—calm and domineering.
"Have you finished absorbing everything?" Just as Tang San's howl was fading and he was immersed in excited joy, without any warning, a faint voice spoke from beside him, like a bucket of ice water being poured over his head.
A shiver ran down his spine. Tang San's first reaction was to explosively retreat, the Sea God's Trident sweeping horizontally, drawing a golden halo in the direction of the voice.
The sudden voice had given him far too great a shock. One had to know, even while battling those three energies within his body, he had constantly released his mental power, sensing everything around him. Even in a state of berserk dominance, he couldn't possibly ignore his surroundings. He would never put himself in a dangerous position. Yet, from beginning to end, he had sensed no other powerful life forms besides himself and the three Thousand Jun Ant Emperors. But this voice had appeared just so abruptly.
Without a doubt, the owner of this voice possessed mental power far exceeding his own, and the gap was certainly not small. Otherwise, how could they have calmly concealed themselves without being detected during Tang San's comprehensive mental exploration? Among the powerhouses Tang San knew, even Bibi Dong didn't possess such an ability! Having reached his current level of strength, even if it were Titled Douluo Poseidon Bo Saixi or his own grandfather present, Tang San was confident he could find traces of their existence through mental detection.
When facing crisis, Tang San's mind was often at its clearest. In an instant, he calmed himself from the excitement and joy, rapidly analyzing the source of the voice. Almost in the next instant, he listed three possibilities in his mind for why someone might evade his mental detection.
The first possibility was that the voice's owner possessed a stealth skill similar to his own Tranquility Protective Envelope, and this stealth skill also had the ability to be immune to mental detection. The second possibility was that he had encountered a pure agility-type Titled Douluo—essentially, Bai Chenxiang's Swift swallow Tail Rain swallow Martial Soul cultivated beyond rank ninety, possessing an incomparable speed that gave them a chance to escape his mental detection. If it were either of these first two, they wouldn't be too terrifying for Tang San. But what he feared most was the third possibility. The owner of this voice completely suppressed him in terms of mental power. In that case, they could naturally appear beside him at ease without being detected. Such an enemy would pose a lethal threat.
"Don't be nervous. If I wanted to kill you, you would have died hundreds of times already." The calm voice sounded again. This time, Tang San identified it as a woman's voice. Accompanying the sound, from behind a large tree only ten meters away, a person walked out.
She wore a golden palace-style long dress. The dress was a one-piece, seemingly woven from gold thread, without excessive decorative patterns. The style was simple yet elegant. A high golden collar protected her snow-white and slender neck. Her long golden hair was casually draped behind her, not carefully styled, forming a sharp contrast with her immaculate palace attire.
Her golden eyes were calm as water, without a shred of energy fluctuation, making her look like an ordinary person. Yet, within those golden eyes, Tang San could capture a certain quality, a quality he couldn't even describe. Between her brows, she bore a golden six-winged angel imprint. Though the imprint was small, Tang San's keen eyesight could still see it clearly. Her skin was fair as snow, her features peerlessly beautiful. She appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen years old.
Her appearance seemed very natural, unlike the abruptness when her voice had sounded earlier. It was as if she had always been there and was simply meant to appear at this moment. That sense of harmony actually made Tang San feel extremely uncomfortable and strange. What shocked Tang San most was that she appeared too ordinary. There wasn't a trace of Soul Power fluctuation on her entire body, just like an ordinary person. However, when Tang San observed carefully, he immediately noticed that this woman's feet were not walking on the ground, but walking on air, three inches above the earth, as if treading on the Blue Silver Grass covering the ground.
If these things weren't enough for Tang San to perceive a lethal threat, then when he saw this person, he concentrated all his vast mental power, attempting to lock onto her, and only then did he truly feel fear. He discovered that his mental power simply couldn't lock onto her at all, and he still didn't sense her existence.
Even if she were just a soul, she should have soul energy fluctuations. But there was nothing. Really, absolutely nothing.
Tang San knew this person. Once, he had fought a decisive battle with her over the fate of the Tian Dou Empire. In that battle, Tang San had been the final victor. But Tang San knew that in that battle, this woman before him had actually had the chance to kill him. If she had been willing to join forces with the Titled Douluo beside her, the outcome of that battle might have changed. But she hadn't done that. She had maintained the dignity befitting a Soul Master. Therefore, even though they were enemies, Tang San didn't hold intense dislike for this person. Despite her looking much younger, meeting her gaze, Tang San could still confirm he hadn't mistaken her identity. Only he never could have imagined that this woman, who had impersonated the Tian Dou Empire's Crown Prince Xue Qinghe for over a decade and nearly toppled the entire empire, would suddenly appear here. He still remembered her name: Qian Renxue.
In shock and a trace of fear, Tang San quickly calmed himself. Panic could never be a solution to problems. Only by calmly analyzing the problem and utilizing one's own advantages as much as possible could a solution be possible.
"Have you been here long?" Tang San smiled faintly, asking calmly in return.