Qian Renxue's body appeared in midair, slowly descending, her expression turning ugly. Of course, it wasn't because of the damage dealt by Tang San's Purple Extreme Divine Light. Though Tang San's spiritual power was formidable, the gap in their realms was far too great—the Purple Extreme Divine Light could never wound Qian Renxue's divine consciousness.
But it was precisely because of this that Qian Renxue was furious. She was clearly a god, yet in the process of fighting Tang San, she felt a sense of having power with nowhere to unleash it. She simply couldn't bring her full strength to bear, and her domain had been broken by Tang San just like that. This was, after all, the first time she had deployed her god-tier domain! No matter how you looked at it, this was not a good start.
When Tang San had entered the Angel Domain, he had closed his eyes—not because he felt sight was useless in a god-tier domain, but clearly because he had been charging his Purple Extreme Divine Light!
"You'd already prepared to use that spiritual power attack against me, hadn't you?" Qian Renxue landed thirty meters in front of Tang San, her voice cold. At this moment, Tang San was like a naked lamb, posing absolutely no threat to her. And the incense only had its last ember remaining. Of course, under Qian Renxue's divine consciousness, she knew exactly when it would extinguish. She still had two final questions to ask Tang San.
Tang San nodded, looking at Qian Renxue with a hint of contempt. "That's right. I'd been preparing to use the Purple Extreme Divine Light against you from the start. In my view, you would never let me fully execute the Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique. If I could stack all eighty-one hammer strikes, there was a strong chance I could break through your Angel Domain with the power from detonating my Soul Rings and the assistance of the Killing God Domain. You made two mistakes. First, you didn't attack me with your true body the moment you released your domain—that was my most vulnerable moment. Second, and even I didn't expect this—as a god, your reaction was so slow that you only realized what I was doing with the Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique when I was nearly finished. So, I broke through your domain. Though I couldn't wound you, for me, that was already enough."
Qian Renxue laughed—a laugh born of extreme anger. "Good, good, Tang San, you truly are a genius. But I no longer intend to recruit you. I've realized that I truly don't have the ability to control you. So now I must kill you, to ensure your cleverness can never be used against me again. The incense hasn't burned out, and our bet hasn't reached its time yet—killing you now wouldn't count as breaking my word."
As she spoke, she slowly raised her right hand. Blinding golden flames instantly condensed into an Angel Sword. With a single casual wave from Qian Renxue, Tang San before her would vanish from this world.
"Wait a moment," Tang San suddenly spoke.
"Do you have some last words? The incense is almost out—you have thirty seconds to deliver your final words. Your intelligence and strength compel even my respect, so I'll grant you this chance." Qian Renxue held the sword formed from divine power, walking slowly toward Tang San, one step at a time. Her pace was deliberate, but in thirty seconds she would certainly reach him and deliver that decisive strike.
"Thirty seconds? Then thank you. Actually, I just want to tell you that I'm not without the ability to fight back. You've forgotten—I still have one more Soul Ring. I'd like to make another bet with you. With just the power of this last Soul Ring, I can break through that Angel Defense of yours."
"A joke. You think I'd fall for your tricks again? Stop trying to stall for time. Fine—you have twenty seconds left. If you can break through my defense, perhaps you'll manage to last until the original bet's deadline. Come then—show me what attack you have left that can penetrate my Angel Defense. Even a god would need a divine artifact to break through my defenses." Qian Renxue was now consumed by fury. The reason she hadn't attacked immediately was that in these final moments, having completely seized control, she wanted to reclaim a measure of dignity at Tang San's expense. If Tang San failed to break her defense and was cut down by her sword, the flaw in her heart would diminish greatly. She could channel this rage to kill Tang San once and for all, leaving no future trouble. And so, as she spoke, that golden egg-like shell she had manifested before descended once more, wrapping tightly around her entire body.
Tang San nodded earnestly. "Then be careful."
Blue-gold light surged as Tang San released his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul once again. Just as Qian Renxue had anticipated—yes, Tang San did have one final attack left. When he had detonated his Blue Silver Emperor's eighth Soul Ring, he had been gravely wounded by the Angel Sacred Sword, so he hadn't detonated the ninth. After that, he had relied on the Clear Sky Hammer's power. Now, what Tang San employed was the Blue Silver Emperor's remaining ninth Soul Ring.
But so what if he detonated it? The power of the Blue Silver Emperor's ring detonation was far inferior to the Clear Sky Hammer's. How could Qian Renxue believe that Tang San, gravely injured with almost no Soul Power remaining, could possibly break through her formidable defense?
Tang San's expression became one of solemn devotion. Qian Renxue was fifteen meters away; fifteen seconds remained. One step per second, one meter per second—this brief distance felt like Death beckoning to him. Qian Renxue was utterly confident that in the final instant before the incense burned out, she would slay Tang San.
BOOM—just as Qian Renxue had predicted, Tang San shattered the last Soul Ring of his two Martial Souls. The ninth Soul Ring of the Skyblue Bullpython detonated, channeling all that blue-gold radiance back into Tang San's own body. At the same time, Tang San swallowed a golden mote of light—Oscar's seventh Soul Skill, the Firm Golden Fly. Only now did he reveal this hidden trump card. Had any of the Shrek Seven Devils, who knew Tang San well, been present, they would have understood that the attack Tang San was about to unleash was likely the most powerful strike in his entire arsenal. Unfortunately, Qian Renxue was unfamiliar with Tang San's life and habits, and she absolutely did not believe he could stir up any more trouble.
His right hand shot up before him, detonating the last Soul Ring, and at last Tang San had the power for one final strike.
With a splurt, Tang San spat out a mouthful of blood. The excessive exertion aggravated his injuries, but his right hand swept through the blood in a single fluid motion. Something wondrous occurred—the faint golden hue in the blood quietly retreated, leaving in Tang San's hand nothing more than a small, transparent droplet. And Tang San's right hand had now turned completely jade-like in color.
Do not underestimate this seemingly simple wave of the hand. If not for the Crane Control Dragon Catch trained to its absolute peak, if not for the Mysterious Jade Hand cultivated to its ultimate limit, he would never have been able to extract the water element from his blood with a mere flick, condensing it into a droplet held in his palm.
Tang San's gaze became even more fervent, more devoted. In that instant, Qian Renxue suddenly felt that Tang San's entire being had transformed into a single hand—and clutched within that hand was nothing but that one droplet. Utterly ordinary, nothing more than a bead of water.
The blue-gold radiance abruptly contracted. In this moment, Tang San actually withdrew his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul. In its place, surging white mist erupted from his body, coalescing into three enormous white clouds that hovered above his head. With a sweep of his right hand, using that single droplet as a catalyst, all the mist in that instant violently compressed, shrinking entirely into that one droplet and turning it a crystalline milky white.
Though Tang San's transformation was bizarre, Qian Renxue felt only greater certainty in her heart. Tang San had even retracted his Martial Soul—what waves could he possibly make now? At this point, she was only ten meters from Tang San. He could already feel the searing heat of the golden flames on the Angel Sword—a heat perceived not by the body, but by the very soul.
Yet Tang San seemed not to see Qian Renxue at all, his devout eyes fixed upon his own hand—that hand, entirely jade-like in color, and that milky-white droplet.
"You should feel honored, for this is the first time I have used this ability since arriving in this world."
He closed his eyes. This time, Tang San truly shut them. In the next instant, his entire being seemed to sink into a field of pure white. Even Qian Renxue couldn’t perceive how he moved. That single white droplet had already vanished silently into his right hand.
"Guan. Yin. Has. Tears."
Qian Renxue’s advancing footsteps halted. The expression on her face froze. Her eyes widened, her entire look stiffening, her foot still poised mid-step forward. Yet that final step never landed. The look of utter disbelief on her face was hard to imagine appearing on that of a god. But the expression now on Qian Renxue’s face was exactly that.
Tang San’s body swayed. Only by relying entirely on the support of his Eight Spider Lances could he stabilize himself and keep from falling. There wasn’t a trace of color left in his face, but in his eyes shone a light of pride and victory.
The incense burned out. That duration of one stick of time had finally ended. With its extinction, the Angel’s Sword forged from divine power in Qian Renxue’s right hand also dissipated, turning into motes of starlight before vanishing completely.
Slowly, she lowered her head, filled with disbelief, to look at her own chest. On that incredibly hard, golden eggshell that had withstood Tang San’s full-power strike from the Clear Sky Hammer during his soul ring detonation state, there was now a small hole. A seemingly insignificant little hole. Not even a single crack had formed around it.
And on her palace gown, an identically sized hole had been torn open. Its location was precisely over her heart. At her back, in the same position, another such small hole had been pierced. The two were completely connected straight through. Even behind the golden eggshell, the same small hole had appeared.
A thread of crimson-gold blood trickled down from the corner of Qian Renxue’s mouth. Yes, her heart had been pierced. It had been pierced by that tiny, seemingly insignificant milky-white water droplet. The Angelic Defense was broken. Even though it was just that one small hole, it was enough. Qian Renxue slowly raised her head to look at Tang San, her eyes now filled with confusion.
"Guan Yin Has Tears? What… what kind of skill is this? I didn’t sense any aura of a god." Her voice could still sound calm, but the crimson-gold blood at the corner of her mouth flowed ceaselessly. This strike was not enough to take her life. Even though her heart had been pierced, she could still live. For an ordinary person, this would be a fatal wound, but it couldn't kill her. However, there was no doubt that under this strike, Qian Renxue had suffered severe injuries. That is to say, the Angel God had suffered severe injuries.
Tang San sighed. "My power was still insufficient. Otherwise, it shouldn’t have pierced through your heart and come out the other side. It should have exploded inside your heart. In that case, even a god… I’m afraid you would have lost half your life. Guan Yin Has Tears. Guan Yin’s Tears."
"Guan Yin’s Tears? I’ve never heard that name. Is this a self-created soul skill of yours?" Qian Renxue stared blankly at Tang San.
Tang San shook his head. "No, I cannot claim it as my self-created soul skill. I don’t have the ability to create such a miraculous technique. All I can tell you is that this is the Tang Sect’s number one soul skill. The Tang Sect’s number one hidden weapon."
Yes, that water droplet which had pierced through the Angelic Defense and penetrated Qian Renxue’s heart was none other than the Guan Yin’s Tears—forever ranked first in the Hundred Hidden Weapons Manual of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. Even the Bodhisattva Guan Yin would shed tears over it. What a terrifying hidden weapon this was!
Using Guan Yin’s Tears had countless prerequisites. The Mysterious Jade Hand, Crane Control Dragon Catch, and Ghost Shadow Phantom Trail all had to be cultivated to their peak. Furthermore, the Mysterious Heaven Skill had to reach its highest realm, the Triple Unity Summit. There were many other requirements as well. A single strike would drain all of one’s strength. It was a blow condensed of one’s entire being. The mysteries within Guan Yin’s Tears—even Tang San could not fully comprehend them. At most, he knew how to employ the technique, but he did not understand the underlying principle of the Guan Yin’s Tears. This was the Tang Sect’s most powerful hidden weapon, the premier technique far surpassing any other.
It did not require a Martial Soul. Tang San’s final killing move was this Guan Yin’s Tears. The reason he hadn’t been able to use the Blue Silver Emperor’s ninth soul skill earlier wasn’t because he couldn’t, but because he had saved the power from detonating his strongest soul ring for the Guan Yin’s Tears. This was his final gambit. If all his previous efforts failed to stop Qian Renxue, then the Guan Yin’s Tears would be his strike of mutual destruction.
Tang San had succeeded. He had successfully used the Guan Yin’s Tears for the first time. The weakness of his body couldn’t affect the excitement in his heart. It felt just like when he had crafted the first Buddha’s Fury Tang Lotus in his previous world. The feeling in his heart right now was indescribable in words. It seemed as if even if he died in the next moment, it would be worth it. Tang San still remembered clearly that in his previous world, even the Tang Sect Master could, at most, use the second-ranked hidden weapon, the Bodhisattva Heart’s Blood, but no one had ever been able to use the Guan Yin’s Tears. And he had succeeded. Only at this moment could Tang San be absolutely certain that he had truly reached the pinnacle of the Tang Sect.
Who said a human’s skill couldn’t harm a god? Hadn’t the Guan Yin’s Tears accomplished this god-piercing feat? Even without the Golden Beetle boosting its attack power by double, Tang San could be certain that the Guan Yin’s Tears would definitely pierce through Qian Renxue’s Angelic Defense. In the description of the Guan Yin’s Tears, there was only one simple line: [Ignores Defense, Never Misses].
Just eight simple words, yet they fully illustrated what kind of skill the Guan Yin’s Tears was.
Tang San wanted to laugh out loud heartily, but alas, he no longer even had the strength for a hearty laugh.
"The Tang Sect’s number one hidden weapon?" A golden light reappeared on Qian Renxue’s body. The crimson-gold blood flowing from the corner of her mouth stopped. Looking at Tang San, her eyes revealed an extremely complex emotion. Even severely injured, she still possessed absolute, formidable power. Her heart wavered, hesitating whether to break the bet and kill Tang San immediately.