Qian Renxue's divine sense scanning had forced Tang San to halt at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest. He lay flat on the ground, brow furrowed deep in thought.
With his current strength, maintaining the Blue Silver Domain and the Vast Ocean Shield for an extended period was no issue. Under normal circumstances, Tang San could have simply played a waiting game with Qian Renxue, seeing who would lose patience first. But he knew that if this continued, he would be the first to crack.
The war at the front lines—Qian Renxue didn't have to worry about it, but could he afford not to? His parents and his teacher were all there. If anything went wrong, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Leading the Shrek Seven Devils away from the Tian Dou Empire's military camp had already been a gamble. The Spirit Empire's army garrisoned at Jialing Pass boasted six Titled Douluo above the ninety-fifth rank, plus five or six more ordinary Titled Douluo. That force alone was formidable enough. Once Bibi Dong recovered her combat power, the main body of the Tian Dou Empire's army could be annihilated at any moment. Under these circumstances, Tang San had no choice but to achieve the Sea God's status as quickly as possible and rush back to the front to stabilize the situation and claim victory.
Qian Renxue, on the other hand, had no such worries—she could afford to wait as long as she pleased. It seemed her divine sense scans were not weakening with time but growing stronger by the hour. That told him she had likely just recently attained god-level power and hadn't fully mastered all the divine techniques yet—otherwise, his sneak attack might never have succeeded. In his current state, he stood no chance against her in open combat. Even the Sea God's Trident had fallen into her hands. For him, simply escaping this place wasn't enough—he needed to reclaim the Sea God's Trident before he could travel to Sea God Island and become the Sea God. But wresting something from a god-level powerhouse? That would likely be harder than all seven of his Sea God's Trials combined. And the most agonizing part was that he didn't have a year—the sooner, the better.
Stay calm. He had to stay calm at a time like this. Facing such a dire situation, Tang San lay peacefully among the soft Blue Silver Grass on the ground, telling himself over and over that he must remain composed. It had been a long time since he'd found himself at such a comprehensive disadvantage. But the more desperate the situation, the more it ignited his fighting spirit. He firmly believed that even gods were not omnipotent. His opponent was powerful, yes, but there would always be an opening.
As his mind gradually settled, Tang San reorganized his thoughts. Qian Renxue's appearance had shocked him greatly, but what astonished him most wasn't that she had reached god-level—it was why she hadn't killed him, or at least captured him, while he was in that extremely vulnerable state absorbing a Soul Ring. In that condition, facing a god-level opponent like her, he had virtually no capacity to resist. Yet not only had she refrained, she had even expressed a desire to help him. Was it merely because she was supremely confident in her god-level power? No, it couldn't be that simple. He had always been on the opposing side of Spirit Hall. As the daughter of Spirit Hall's previous Pope, her own father had died at the hands of his father—she should have been doing everything in her power to kill him! Hadn't Spirit Hall always been ruthless in achieving its goals?
Moreover, Qian Renxue's sudden ascension to god-level was truly mind-boggling. The last time he had seen her, she had only been around the seventieth rank. In a mere six years, she had broken through to god-level. One could say her luck and her experiences had surpassed even his own. That left only one possibility: after leaving Tian Dou City, she had done the same thing he did with Sea God Island—begun the process of inheriting the God of Angels' divine throne. By that logic, the God of Angels' divine seat must have always resided within Spirit Hall.
He recalled the Angelic Set that the Great Master had once mentioned. It was very likely a divine artifact, similar to his Sea God's Trident.
Through his conversation with Qian Renxue, Tang San had also uncovered another problem: the extremely tense relationship between her and Bibi Dong. Was it because Bibi Dong had inherited the Papal throne instead of her, the direct lineage bearer of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul? In theory, with Grand Preceptor Qian Daoliu's strength, placing his granddaughter on the Papal throne shouldn't have been difficult. So why hadn't he done so? This meant there was definitely something wrong between Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong. Now that Qian Renxue had become the God of Angels, she and Bibi Dong would inevitably clash over power within the Spirit Empire.
Regardless, the first question still tormented Tang San the most—he couldn't fathom why Qian Renxue harbored no hostility toward him. After all, her years of deep infiltration within the Tian Dou Empire's royal family, more than a decade of painstaking effort, had all been undone because of him. What on earth did this woman want?
These mysteries plunged Tang San into a brief bout of confusion, though it didn't last long. For him, the most important thing right now was how to leave this place safely—and to find a way to reclaim his Sea God's Trident.
Tang San did not regret using Gone Forever to attack Qian Renxue earlier. Without that move, he wouldn't have had any chance to break free. Although he now possessed seventeen Soul Rings, the Soul Skills generated by those seventeen rings were insufficient to stop Qian Renxue. Unless he truly became a god and infused every one of his Soul Skills with divine essence, using those abilities would be pointless.
Under tremendous pressure, Tang San's mind began racing at full speed. He had to leave this place as quickly as possible, reunite with his companions, and inherit the Sea God's divine throne. Qian Renxue's ascension to godhood had made him crave the divine inheritance even more. It wasn't just a desire for power—it was the fact that he needed the ability to protect his family and friends. He needed the strength to counterbalance the Spirit Empire.
A day passed quickly.
Qian Renxue continued releasing wave after wave of her divine sense, and she discovered that this uninterrupted probing brought considerable benefits to herself as well. Having just become a god, the continuous release of divine sense deepened her understanding of her divine power. That feeling of being able to control everything was growing stronger by the moment.
A flash of golden light—Qian Renxue opened her eyes, a playful smile curving at the corner of her lips. "What's this? Can't resist coming out? This time, let's see where you run."
With a shimmer of light and shadow, her body vanished into thin air, and she took the Sea God's Trident driven into the ground along with her.
A thousand meters in an instant—wherever her divine sense reached, her body followed. Qian Renxue wasn't really flying; more accurately, she was teleporting continuously. Her speed actually exceeded the range of her own divine sense by a considerable margin. In her mind, no obstacle existed at all. Throughout the entire day, her divine sense had shrouded the Star Dou Great Forest. Every Soul Beast, regardless of rank, had cowered in trembling, not daring to so much as breathe loudly—let alone disturb her.
Soon, she spotted her target. But what puzzled her was that Tang San stood right where he was, waiting for her arrival, as if he had anticipated this all along with no intention of fleeing. There was even a faint smile on his face—elegant and composed.
Golden light flickered, and Qian Renxue stopped ten meters in front of Tang San, fixing him with her gaze, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. "Tell me—what gave you this confidence? You hardly look like a cornered dog."
"Did you think I was a cornered dog?" Tang San countered.
Qian Renxue smiled faintly. "Of course not. Among all the men I've ever met, you're the most remarkable—besides Grandfather, that is. Perhaps one day you'll even surpass him. I'm simply curious—why did you stop hiding? As long as you stayed within this forest, finding you would have been extraordinarily difficult for me. Managing to hide from a god well enough that she can't locate you—that's something to be proud of. I originally thought our game of cat and mouse would last much longer. In my memory, you're not the type to lose your composure."
Tang San smiled mildly. "You flatter me, Miss Qian Renxue. I came out because I wanted to make a bet with you."
Qian Renxue raised the Sea God's Trident in her hand. "This divine weapon of yours really is heavy." Her slightly teasing gaze seemed to say, the only divine weapon you could rely on has already fallen into my hands—what right do you still have to negotiate?
Tang San glanced at the dark Sea God's Trident and silently sighed in his heart. Old partner, I've let you suffer an injustice.
"That's right. You can capture me now—I'm no match for you at all. You're right that there's an insurmountable gulf between humans and gods. However, all you can get is my body, or my corpse—not my heart. Didn't you say you wanted me to submit to you?"
Qian Renxue was taken aback. "Life is what I desire, and righteousness is what I desire too—but when the two cannot be had together, I would forsake life and choose righteousness. I remember those words of yours quite clearly. What? You've changed your mind so quickly?" A faint trace of disappointment flickered in her eyes.
Tang San said calmly, "Death can be lighter than a feather, or heavier than Mount Tai. Even if I'm going to die, I should die for something of value, shouldn't I? You can choose to capture me, kill me, or take this gamble with me. If you win, I will swear an oath to submit to you. If you lose, I only ask for three days to leave. After three days, you may resume your pursuit—as long as you can subdue me by force, I will still submit to you."
"Oh? In that case, I'm rather interested to hear what this wager of yours is." Qian Renxue understood perfectly well that Tang San was never one to make empty pronouncements, but the words he had spoken earlier had struck a chord in her heart. Capturing him now would indeed only yield his body, not his heart. Such a simple statement might mean nothing to others, but to Qian Renxue—the Goddess of Angels, who regarded Tang San as her greatest vulnerability—it hit her right where it hurt.
Although Tang San didn't know the full extent of what Qian Renxue had done previously, after a full day of careful analysis, he had stepped forward of his own accord. He naturally had considerable confidence that she would agree to his wager.
Tang San said, "My wager is simple. Neither of us uses our divine weapons, and we fight for the duration of one incense stick. If you can capture me within that time, you win. If you can't, then I get a three-day window to leave. Additionally, please return my Sea God's Trident."
"One incense stick? Tang San, are you really that confident? Even without divine weapons, I'm still a god." Qian Renxue had assumed Tang San would propose a wager heavily skewed in his own favor, but she hadn't expected this one to seem so perfectly reasonable—even advantageous to her. With her god-level power, why would she fear a mere human?
In truth, it was precisely this mentality that Tang San had seized upon—exploiting her ingrained conviction that she could never lose to him in battle to stake everything on this gamble. Wasn't he also gambling with his own life as the stake?
"You only need to answer me—do you take the bet, or not?" Tang San's voice turned abruptly cold.
Qian Renxue toyed with the Sea God's Trident in her hand. "Fine, I'll bet. However, I won't be returning this trident to you. What if you win, and then three days from now I catch you again—but you refuse to admit it? I have no interest in claiming your corpse. So the Sea God's Trident will remain in my possession. When you swear your oath of loyalty to me, I'll naturally return it."
All of Tang San's judgments had been correct, and events were unfolding exactly as he had hoped. But Qian Renxue was no fool—she was extraordinarily intelligent as well. Somewhere deep down, she had sensed that Tang San must have some hidden advantage in this wager, and she absolutely refused to return the trident so easily.
Tang San cast one deep, lingering look at his Sea God's Trident, then declared with finality, "Very well. Sooner or later, I will take back my Sea God's Trident from your hands with my own."
A thunderous pulse erupted as blue-gold radiance blazed from Tang San's body like roaring flames. At the same time, he drew a stick of incense from within his robe and pinched it between his fingers.
Qian Renxue casually planted the Sea God's Trident into the ground beside her. This time, she would not be as careless as before. Golden light surged outward as she unleashed her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
Six resplendent golden wings unfurled behind her, and an overwhelming, heaven-filling pressure bore down until even breathing became difficult for Tang San. The terrifying, comprehensive suppression gave him no feeling but utter helplessness.
Rising from Tang San's body were naturally the nine Soul Rings of the Blue Silver Emperor—rings that were nothing short of magnificent. Black, black, black, black, red, black, red, red, red: five Spirit Rings over fifty thousand years old, four over a hundred thousand years. In the entire world of Titled Douluo, there was likely no one who could rival Tang San's Soul Ring configuration.
But when it came to sheer splendor, Tang San's rings were far from matching Qian Renxue's. Rings appeared around her as well—black, black, black, black, black, black, red, red, red. Nine Soul Rings arranged in perfect alignment. Her first seven rings were entirely different from when Tang San had last seen her. Clearly, she couldn't do what Tang San had done—channel the power of her rings into another person, then luckily obtain two Soul Beast spirit rings from hundred-thousand-year beasts to replenish herself. The change in her ring colors must have come from the benefits of inheriting her godhood. Yet even as a fully ascended god, Qian Renxue still fell slightly short of Tang San in this nine-versus-nine comparison of Soul Rings—she had one fewer hundred-thousand-year ring than he did. This spoke volumes about what a genius Tang San truly was: even when measured against a god as a mere human, he could still claim a marginal advantage.