Qian Renxue's face was grim, as though it could drip water. She had never imagined that hunting down Tang San would prove this difficult. If the last time in Star Dou Forest she hadn't used her full power, then this time she had unleashed the full extent of her god-level strength—even employing the auxiliary skills that came with the Angel Set—yet she still hadn't managed to kill Tang San.
However, Qian Renxue had clearly sensed that after the Sea God's Trident had blocked her attack, its own spiritual resonance had faded. The Sea God's divine consciousness could temporarily unleash the Sea God's power, but this was not without cost. Under these circumstances, he absolutely could not withstand another attack from her.
Yet, gazing at the boundless ocean before her, Qian Renxue felt a wave of powerlessness wash over her. A god's power was also limited. Just as Tang San had once said, in Soul Land, a god referred to a human who had reached a certain level of power—or rather, the most powerful human Soul Masters, those who had broken through level one hundred to reach another realm.
In a domain that did not belong to her, even Qian Renxue's god-level strength was not omnipotent. At the very least, once her divine consciousness entered the ocean, it was greatly constrained. The deeper the seawater, the greater the resistance—it was far less sensitive than in the air. She knew full well that finding Tang San again, given his Sea God-blessed abilities, would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied the emotions within her heart. Recalling the earlier battle underground, Qian Renxue couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The Sea God manifested by the divine consciousness had been right. Although she had become the Angel God, she had not reached godhood step by step through her own cultivation. Many stages had been simplified thanks to her grandfather's assistance. She had fully comprehended the spirit of the Angel God, but she had not yet mastered all the powers of the Angel God. Otherwise, how could there have been so many pauses and delays when she used her skills, giving Tang San an opening to exploit?
Gazing out over the endless sea, Qian Renxue's heart gradually calmed. Like Tang San, she was a once-in-a-generation genius. It was just that these past days of watching Tang San escape using various tricks had unsettled her composure. Now that there was no more chance of catching and killing Tang San, her heart had actually grown still. She knew very well that if she couldn't erase the sense of failure from her failed pursuit of Tang San, her cultivation would be severely affected.
As her mood gradually settled, the divine consciousness belonging to the Angel God slowly swirled around Qian Renxue's body. Under the sunlight, the Angel Divine Armor blazed with resplendent brilliance.
"Tang San, since you have embarked on the path of the Sea God's succession, then I believe that with your intelligence and talent, you will surely succeed in becoming the Sea God. Before, I had hoped to destroy you before that happened. It was because I still couldn't erase the shock you once gave me. But not anymore. I will wait right here for you. So what if you become the Sea God? After you do, let us have a proper contest and see whether your Sea God is more formidable, or I, the Angel God, am the stronger one. Tang San—I will be waiting for you."
Golden ripples, carrying Qian Renxue's voice, poured into the seawater. Although she couldn't detect Tang San—who was protected by the Sea Sovereign's Shield—with her divine consciousness, at this moment, with this exhalation and utterance, she used her powerful divine consciousness to send the vibrations of her voice into the sea. They carried a full thousand li outward. As long as Tang San hadn't left this range, he would definitely hear her voice.
After finishing these words, Qian Renxue simply sat down cross-legged on the beach. Her eyes no longer held any trace of agitation, anxiety, or any other emotion. Everything had returned to serenity—just as she had been when she first met Tang San after becoming a god, and even calmer than at that time. What was calm was not merely her heart, but also her soul.
By voluntarily giving up the pursuit of Tang San and telling herself through her own words to face the man who would become the Sea God, she had successfully erased the sense of failure within her heart. At the same time, through that unyielding conviction, she had finally elevated her mindset—long confined to that of a human Soul Master—to the true level of a god. The Angel God's power flowed through her unimpeded, without the slightest hesitation. It could be said that if Tang San had encountered Qian Renxue in this state from the very beginning, he would not have had the slightest chance of survival. Qian Renxue could also be said to have truly entered the world of gods with Tang San's help, becoming the Angel God once and for all.
She decided to wait for Tang San here rather than return to the battlefield at the Spirit Empire. Being able to set aside the gains and losses of the battlefield fully demonstrated her own level of attainment. Here, what she needed to do was quiet her mind, synthesize everything she had gained since becoming a god, and truly manifest the power of a god.
In the ocean, the rapidly advancing Spirit Large White Sharks suddenly paused. Although the seawater only trembled slightly within those special ripples, in that instant the minds of all marine creatures within a thousand li fell into a brief blankness. A clear voice transmitted into their minds.
This voice, of course, was also heard by the Shrek Seven Devils inside the Sea Sovereign's Shield. All six besides Tang San couldn't help but change color at the same time, looking at Tang San in horror, their eyes filled with disbelief.
It should be noted that among them, even Xiao Wu—the weakest—possessed Soul Saint-level strength, having cultivated from a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, and was widely knowledgeable. Yet they had never imagined that someone could transmit her voice through seawater. And the shock of that moment nearly made their souls tremble. Only now did they finally understand why Tang San had been so desperate earlier and had hurriedly led them in diving into the sea. What manner of existence was this voice's owner?
At this moment, under the full-speed acceleration of the Spirit Large White Sharks, though not much time had passed, the Shrek Seven Devils had already been carried dozens of li through the water. Relying on the protection of the Sea Sovereign's Shield along with the cover of the seawater, Tang San was certain that even with Qian Renxue's heaven-reaching, earth-penetrating abilities, finding him would be impossible. His mind finally relaxed a fraction at this moment. However, when he looked at the hollow cavity of the Sea God's Trident where the Sea God's Heart had been lost, his brows couldn't help but furrow tightly.
Ma Hongjun wanted to ask a question, but Dai Mubai stopped him with a look. Ma Hongjun immediately came to his senses. None of them pressed Tang San with questions. After so many years as brothers, they naturally knew that if Tang San wanted to say something, he would say it. There was no use rushing him.
Xiao Wu stood beside Tang San, her observations the most careful. She clearly saw that Tang San's right hand gripping the Sea God's Trident had turned ashen white, the knuckles protruding—clearly from excessive force. The transmitted voice had evidently given him a severe shock.
Xiao Wu silently wrapped her small hands around Tang San's clenched fist. Feeling the warmth and softness of Xiao Wu's palms, Tang San turned to look at her, sighed, and said, "Over these past days, more than once I felt I would never see any of you again. Even today, if a miracle hadn't appeared, I'm afraid you wouldn't even have been able to find my body."
Tang San finally spoke, and the others couldn't hold back their questions. Dai Mubai frowned and said, "Is it the owner of this voice? How did she do it? How can sound travel through the ocean like that? Could her strength possibly exceed Bibi Dong's? But Bibi Dong should already be at level ninety-eight or ninety-nine. Someone even more powerful—at most it could only be in terms of Martial Souls. There couldn't possibly be an enemy with a threefold Martial Soul, could there? Even if there were, with your current strength plus the Sea God's Trident, you shouldn't have had to flee so desperately!"
Tang San gave a bitter smile. He knew that his companions would never think in that direction. Though they were guessing at Qian Renxue's strength, they could never have imagined what level she truly was.
"You all know this person. Last time, in the Tian Dou Empire, she nearly took control of the imperial family—and the entire empire along with them. Her father was the previous Pope, who died from the injuries my father inflicted. Her grandfather is Spirit Hall's current Grand Sacrifice, the peak Title Douluo—Qian Daoliu."
Oscar said, "You mean Qian Renxue? She was the one who chased you into this state? Did she come together with her grandfather?" If it was Qian Daoliu who had been chasing Tang San, they could have understood.
Tang San silently shook his head. "If it were Qian Daoliu, I would have at least a thirty percent chance of protecting myself and a seventy percent chance of escaping his pursuit. But facing Qian Renxue, I didn't even have a ten percent chance. This time, it was entirely due to a moment of desperate courage, combined with skillful use of my abilities and a great deal of luck, that I could meet you all again. Because Qian Renxue is no longer human."
Ma Hongjun blurted out instinctively, "Not human? If not human, then what? Is she also a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast?"
Ma Hongjun's reactions were slow, but that didn't mean the others couldn't catch on. The cleverest among them, Oscar, had already dropped his jaw wide open. Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, preventing herself from crying out in shock. Xiao Wu, who had been gently holding Tang San's hands, now clung tightly to his arm, her eyes filled with horror—as if she feared she would lose Tang San at any moment.
Dai Mubai was the most composed, but even he couldn't help but cry out, "You... you mean..."
Tang San nodded. "Yes, she has become a god—the Six-Winged Angel God. If I'm not mistaken, the Angel God's divine throne has always resided in Spirit Hall's Elder Hall, or the Sacrifice Hall, or the Douluo Hall, or something of the sort. Qian Renxue must have inherited the position of the Angel God's divine throne with Qian Daoliu's help. All these years, we've been working hard, but Spirit Hall hasn't been idle either! Truly worthy of being the organization that has controlled the Soul Master world for so many years—they actually succeeded in cultivating a god-level powerhouse."
Ma Hongjun's mouth hung wide open as he said dumbfoundedly, "Th-this can't be right? It's only been a few years! How could that Qian Renxue possibly..."
Oscar said with a bitter face, "Nothing is impossible. Just look at Little San. Little San went from just over level sixty to over level ninety in just a few short years. Spirit Hall's resources run far deeper than ours. Why couldn't they produce a god-level powerhouse? It's just that, if only their god-level powerhouse could have appeared a few months later..."
Ning Rongrong said, "Third Brother, how did your confrontation with Qian Renxue go? Did you..."
Tang San chuckled. "You want to ask why I was able to escape alive from a god's pursuit, don't you? Honestly, luck accounted for at least fifty percent or more this time. My own efforts made up the other fifty. The reason I say luck was half of it is mainly because when I encountered Qian Renxue, she had likely just finished her succession and obtained the divine throne. She still couldn't fully control her god-level power. On top of that, she probably still carried a psychological shadow from our earlier battle at Tian Dou City. I managed to provoke her with words, so she didn't unleash her full strength from the start. This gave me the opening I needed to escape from Star Dou Forest. My other stroke of luck was the Sea God's assistance—otherwise, I still wouldn't have been able to see you all again. The power of a god truly lies beyond what the human realm can imagine. Did you know that Qian Renxue was able to draw upon vast quantities of solar power to attack me? Just that alone nearly made her power inexhaustible. I believed I had created a highly favorable situation for myself, yet I still barely escaped with my life. And even having survived, it cost me the shattering of the Sea God's Heart."
Hearing the word "god," everyone was somewhat dazed. After all, while they had gained some understanding of gods through Tang San's recognition by the Sea God and his acceptance of the Sea God's trials, they had never truly witnessed a god and could not begin to imagine the extent of a god's power.
But they knew Tang San's strength all too well. Ever since returning from Sea God Island, Tang San had repeatedly defeated powerful enemies with his formidable strength. Whether it was earning the recognition of the Clear Sky School, turning the tide on the battlefield, or repeatedly defeating and disrupting the plans of the Spirit Empire's empress, Bibi Dong, he had perfectly demonstrated his genius-level prowess. Even on a battlefield with millions of soldiers, he could become the decisive force that tipped the balance of the war. It could be said that without Tang San, the Tian Dou Empire could never have achieved such magnificent victories. Yet now, when Tang San mentioned the god-level Qian Renxue, his expression held mostly resignation and a sense of having narrowly survived. This showed just how dire the crisis he had faced truly was. The appearance of a god-level powerhouse had undoubtedly disrupted everyone's plans.
Inside the Sea Sovereign's Shield, it was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Tang San watched the changing expressions on his companions' faces. He understood that, just as when he himself had first encountered Qian Renxue, everyone's confidence had been shaken. Moreover, the appearance of a god-level powerhouse had given them all a sense of unease.
Tang San didn't try to console his companions. He began his calm recounting. "It all started when I reached Star Dou Forest. I began adding Soul Rings to my Clear Sky Hammer..."
Tang San recounted in detail everything that had happened on this journey. He spoke with great precision, missing not a single detail. Even his battles with the Soul Beasts, especially the fight against that Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, he described with meticulous thoroughness. He even spoke without reservation about his insights from cultivation, his understanding of the Great Avajana Hammer, and the integration of his Soul Skills.
Starting from the first Soul Beast he hunted, he gradually progressed to how he had simultaneously absorbed three Thousand Pound Ant Kings in a near-rampage state.
"After I completed the entire absorption process, giving the Clear Sky Hammer a total of eight Soul Rings, I didn't even have time to look at or feel the effects of my new Soul Rings before I saw Qian Renxue. In that single instant, I sensed something was wrong. Because even though my Soul Power had risen to level ninety-five and my spiritual sense had further increased, I had failed to detect her presence at all. Even my Blue Silver Emperor's connection with the Blue Silver Grass hadn't warned me of her approach. At that moment, though I was unwilling to believe it, I had already begun to suspect..."