Despite having fought Qian Renxue in battle after battle, this was the first time Tang San truly felt the crisis of death. A Soul Master's instincts were already far sharper than those of an ordinary person, let alone someone of Tang San's caliber. Even the Sea God's Trident in his hand trembled from the threat bearing down on him from behind — one could only imagine how terrifying that incoming attack must be.
Three thousand meters of distance were crossed in an instant. Tang San felt everything around him transform into a blazing crimson-gold, as though the entire earth had ignited in a single moment.
This was underground — fifteen hundred meters deep! The shock in Tang San's heart was beyond description. For the first time, he truly felt how terrifying divine-level power could be.
His body curled inward rapidly as he simultaneously detonated the eighth ring of the Blue Silver Emperor, releasing the vast energy it contained and drawing it entirely inward. In the next instant, Tang San felt searing heat crashing in from every direction. The horrifying temperature made it feel as though his body was about to melt.
His Soul Power inside him boiled over. The energy gained from detonating his rings surged upward as well, fusing with his own power. Detonating all eight rings at once had been a desperate gamble, but there was no doubt that under these circumstances, he had reached the absolute peak of what he was capable of.
All of that energy flooded into the Sea God's Trident. The dark trident revealed its might as the Sea God's divine artifact — its entire surface shrouded in a layer of blue-gold. Brilliant blue light erupted from the Sea God's Heart embedded at the center of the trident's blade. The raging ocean waves Tang San had released merged completely with it. Rings of blue radiance rippled around his body, forcibly shielding him from the horrifying Solar True Fire beyond.
Though the blue waves were being continuously evaporated, the Sea God's Trident kept erupting with fresh power. No matter how overwhelming the Solar True Fire might be, it could not penetrate even an inch into Tang San's body.
But then, at that very moment, the earth before Tang San's eyes suddenly split apart. He felt the ground vanish beneath him — the surrounding soil and rock had disappeared. An enormous void had opened up fifteen hundred meters underground.
Without question, this was carved out by the Solar True Fire. Though the cavern could only persist for a fleeting instant, Tang San caught sight of Qian Renxue clad in her Angel Divine Armor, blazing like a crimson-gold meteor wreathed in phantom light as she hurtled toward him in the blink of an eye. The Angel Sacred Sword pointed forward in her hand. The Solar True Fire combined with her Angelic divine power had transformed her body itself into a sharpened divine blade.
There was no other choice. Qian Renxue's speed was simply too fast. All Tang San could do was act on pure instinct — he raised the Sea God's Trident to shield himself and simultaneously activated his Gravity Control skill on the shaft, transforming the trident's weight into a staggering one million and eighty thousand jin. As his body plummeted downward under that crushing weight, he met head-on the killing blow Qian Renxue had unleashed.
Ding—
The Angel Sacred Sword descended from above and struck squarely against the tip of the Sea God's Trident's main blade. Tang San's entire body convulsed violently as though struck by lightning. In the next instant, energy blindingly bright in intermingled blue and red erupted outward like a volcanic detonation.
The earth that had been split open by the earlier blast — the soil and rock above were already plummeting downward — was then caught in the shockwave from the collision of the two divine artifacts. Every falling boulder and shard of earth disintegrated in the crimson-blue conflagration, unable to so much as approach Tang San and Qian Renxue.
The scorching Angel Sacred Sword hovered less than a foot above Tang San's head. Only the Sea God's Trident held it back. Once again, Tang San found himself face to face with Qian Renxue at close range. Her eyes, already reddened, burned with piercing killing intent. The terrifying Solar True Fire was relentlessly devouring the protective energy around his body.
Both of their bodies plummeted to the very bottom of the cavern. Tang San's legs sank directly into the solid rock beneath him.
The Angel Sacred Sword pressed down, inch by inch. Tang San's Sea God's Trident, weighing a full one million and eighty thousand jin, was no longer able to withstand the explosive force she was exerting. He could only watch helplessly as the searing divine blade inched closer and closer toward him.
In this moment, Tang San's mind had gone blank. The energy from detonating his rings had indeed allowed him to withstand Qian Renxue's earlier burst of power, but that energy was the most rapidly consumed. Under the crushing, immeasurable pressure, Tang San could feel with perfect clarity that his body had been completely locked by Qian Renxue's divine-level power. There was no longer any possibility of escape.
Three encounters with Qian Renxue, three great battles — Tang San had exhaustively leveraged every advantage he possessed to hold her off. But now, every trump card he had played was spent. Against an opponent clad head to toe in divine armor, even his doubled Soul Power was utterly useless. He could only stare as the Angel Sacred Sword bore down toward his skull.
Was this death? Every last reserve of potential in Tang San's body had been unleashed, yet it still wasn't enough to hold back the Angel Sacred Sword. He knew with certainty that once the detonated-ring energy he had channeled into the Sea God's Trident was exhausted, this battle would truly be over. Before this Angel Sacred Sword empowered by the Solar True Fire, he feared not even his bones would remain.
Lord Sea God, I've disappointed you. Xiao Wu, I can never be with you again.
What he did not know was that at this very moment, Qian Renxue's own heart was being torn apart by an equally agonizing struggle. The Angel Sacred Sword pressed downward, step by step. Tang San was on the verge of dying at her hand — and yet she felt not the slightest trace of excitement or satisfaction. Feeling the resistance of the Sea God's Trident weaken moment by moment, watching the light of despair and defiance flickering in Tang San's eyes, the deepest place in her heart was being pierced by a terrible, searing pain. Unbidden, the image of that first time — when she had broken through the final trial of the Angelic inheritance — surged back to memory: Tang San's graceful silhouette, and that near-frantic union, all playing on repeat across her mind. The power emanating from the Angel Sacred Sword in her hand weakened in tandem.
Reason told Qian Renxue that her judgment was sound. After inheriting the divine mantle of the Angel God, Tang San had become the greatest flaw within her heart. He had to be killed immediately. No one else knew this secret. If she killed him, yes, the wound in her soul would deepen — but no one would be able to exploit it either.
But emotion told her she could not kill this man. If she did, she would regret it for the rest of her life. That soul-crushing remorse would gnaw at her heart forever, denying her any peace. Even with divine-level power, she would never know happiness or joy again. Only if this man was alive could she find some small anchor in her heart, some small relief from the pain. Even though everything between them had unfolded within the illusory fantasy of the Angelic realm — he was still her first man.
This inner conflict meant that the divine power emanating from the Angel Sacred Sword in her hand was not wholly resolute. Otherwise, given Tang San's current state, the sword would have already descended and destroyed him.
But Qian Renxue had always been a sharp mind. Though she struggled between emotion and reason, reason was gradually gaining the upper hand. She knew with perfect clarity that if she did not kill Tang San, in the near future he would become the most terrifying opponent not only to her, but to the entire Spirit Empire. Qian Renxue was nearly certain — if she allowed him to ascend to godhood as well, she would not be his match. He was already this difficult to deal with; a god-level Tang San would be the very definition of invincibility.
At last, the look in Qian Renxue's eyes grew sharp and decisive. Reason forcibly subdued the emotional coloring within her. Everything she had came from her grandfather. Making the Spirit Empire flourish had been his dying wish. Even if it meant a lifetime of anguish, she would not let him down.
Tang San sensed her killing intent. In that instant, he widened his eyes. Right now, even if he wanted to switch his Martial Soul to the Clear Sky Hammer, it was impossible. Under the opponent's complete suppression, he had not the slightest room to fight back.
Was death about to descend? In that moment, the despair and defiance in Tang San's eyes gradually faded, replaced by an extraordinary calm. If the outcome was already decided, what good was despair? He gazed at Qian Renxue with tranquil stillness. The blue-gold light across his body slowly dimmed. The Angel Sacred Sword, blazing with crimson-gold radiance, suddenly met no further resistance and plummeted straight toward Tang San's head. And at that very moment, Tang San's hand, which had pulled back, thrust the Sea God's Trident outward once more. The energy he had just retracted erupted all at once, the main blade driving straight toward Qian Renxue's chest.
Sensing his intent, eight words Tang San had once spoken flashed through Qian Renxue's mind: Better a broken jade than an intact tile. Even at the very end, he had not given up the slightest bit. Even in death, he would bite back with a final strike.
The Sea God's Trident might not surpass the Guan Yin's Tears in penetrating power, but it was a true divine artifact. Wounds inflicted by a divine artifact were not so easily healed. Yet Qian Renxue felt not the slightest concern. The trident thrust by Tang San only solidified the killing resolve in her heart. The trident might be divine, but how much power did Tang San still possess? Clad in the Angel Sacred Armor, she had no need to worry that this thrust could breach her defenses — let alone wound her.
But just as Tang San seemed on the verge of annihilation at Qian Renxue's hands, a long, resonant sigh suddenly echoed from the depths of her soul. In the next heartbeat, she felt her entire body seized by an irresistible force — a vast, boundless wave of energy surged outward and flung her body backward.
Qian Renxue was not the only one stunned — Tang San was equally dazed. Between the two of them, a golden phantom figure roughly three meters tall materialized in midair. And the Sea God's Trident was now in its hand.
A resplendent golden light erupted from the trident, radiating waves of exultation. Clearly, in the grasp of this golden specter, it had reclaimed its true power.
"Sea God?" Qian Renxue stared coldly at the golden figure before her. Though they were deep underground where no air existed, that meant nothing to a being of divine stature — even Tang San could temporarily forgo breathing without issue. The cavern itself, its walls compacted and solidified by the energy of their earlier collision, would hold for the time being.
"No. You are not the Sea God. You are at most a lingering thought — a wisp of the Sea God's will left behind in this world." Qian Renxue sneered. She leveled the Angel Sacred Sword before her, spread the six wings behind her back, and circle after circle of golden halos radiated outward from her body.
The golden phantom spoke in a tone that was calm and unhurried. "Correct. This is merely an afterimage I left behind in this mortal plane. Every god who departs this world leaves behind a similar divine thought. However, the Angel God whose mantle you inherited had its divine will called upon by so many people over the ages that it has long since faded. But he—" a subtle gesture toward Tang San, "—was the first successor I chose after I ascended to Sea God and departed this world. I do not believe I could ever find a more exceptional inheritor in the future. Young woman, though you have inherited the mantle of the Angel God, you have not yet truly mastered the Angel God's techniques. And besides, this is no place suited for the Angel God. Your stage should be the sky."
Qian Renxue let out a cold huff. "And what of it? You're nothing more than a wisp of thought. Tang San must die. Do you think you can stop me?"
The Sea God smiled faintly. "Why not try?" As he spoke, he slowly raised the Sea God's Trident. A gentle golden halo rippled outward like water spreading in all directions — not toward Qian Renxue, but behind him, seeping instantly into the surrounding earth and vanishing from sight.
"As the Sea God, one must always remember to draw upon the ocean's power wherever and whenever one can. The sea is our true body, and the source of our strength." These words were clearly intended for Tang San. Tang San had by now caught his breath. Light flickered across his body as he switched his Martial Soul to the Clear Sky Hammer. At last, he had a sliver of power with which to protect himself.
The crimson-gold light flickered through the air. In what seemed like a single heartbeat, Qian Renxue split into nine figures. Light and shadow wove across one another as all nine lunged from different angles in different configurations, the searing Solar True Fire fused with Angelic divine power surging toward the Sea God.
Tang San widened his eyes. This golden phantom had appeared once before — that time, when he had nearly been killed by Bibi Dong. Its appearance had saved his life and also imparted the first three moves of the Golden Thirteen Trident. But back then it had told him that its energy was limited, and that single appearance had nearly drained it entirely.
Now, it was facing a true god. This was nothing more than a projection born from a wisp of divine will — could it really withstand Qian Renxue's attack? Right now, perhaps the rational thing would be to turn and flee. Use the Sea God's Descent to hold off Qian Renxue while he escaped to the sea as quickly as possible.
But Tang San did not do that. His heart overruled his head. He could not simply abandon the Sea God who had descended to save him. Even if this was only a sliver of the Sea God's will, it had come for his sake. If he fled now, even if he survived, Tang San knew he would never be able to forgive himself. Besides, he had sworn an oath — never again would the Sea God's Trident leave his side.
So he stayed. Gripping the Clear Sky Hammer, he stood quietly behind the Sea God, his full attention fixed upon the three-meter-tall golden phantom.
The Sea God's afterimage was golden, yet so insubstantial that its true form could not be made out. But as Qian Renxue launched her attack, it moved as well. The Sea God's Trident seemed to merge with its body as one. In a phantom sweep through the air, golden halos detached from it one by one, silently blooming into existence — nine in total, each one precisely intercepting the path of one of Qian Renxue's nine rushing figures.
The first time Tang San had witnessed the Sea God use the Unfettered Tempest, he had not yet understood this divine technique. But this time was different. Observing with rapt focus, he noticed a multitude of subtleties in the Unfettered Tempest — and recognized the mistakes he himself had made when employing it. Chief among them was his failure to truly merge with the Sea God's Trident. Perhaps that was because he had not yet become the Sea God himself. But that alone was not the sole reason.
In every measurable respect, Qian Renxue's energy fluctuations were far more formidable than those of the Sea God who had descended through divine will alone. And yet when her Solar True Fire-laced attacks crashed into the Unfettered Tempest, all nine strikes simply vanished into thin air.
Nine figures merged back into one. A look of intense astonishment crossed Qian Renxue's eyes. She had felt no resistance whatsoever — yet her attacks seemed to have been neutralized by some peculiar technique that dispersed the energy entirely. Not even the power of the Solar True Fire could destroy the phantom before her.