Tang San had guessed that Bo Saixi's change was related to his great-grandfather Tang Chen, but he never could have imagined that the truth would be like this…
Bo Saixi spoke softly, her voice laced with ancient sorrow. "However, there is one thing you got wrong. It wasn't that Tang Chen didn't understand my feelings. When he came here and we met again, all of that no longer mattered. Over a hundred years — we had both lived in this world for more than a century. What was there left to hold on to? The pity is that although his arrival brought me joy, it also brought me deeper grief. None of it was his fault. It was me — I was too proud back then. I never told him clearly, never even hinted at my feelings for him. All the blame lies with me…"
Bo Saixi's emotions began to spiral out of control. Although she remained seated without moving, her body trembled ever so slightly, and her right hand gripped her golden scepter so tightly that it creaked against the floor.
"Elder, what… what happened to you? Where is my great-grandfather?"
Bo Saixi gazed at Tang San with unfocused eyes. "Do you know, you look very much like him when he was young — except that he was far more flamboyant than you, not nearly as reserved. Of course, that had to do with his strength as well. By his thirties, he was already a powerhouse of his generation. Among his peers, no one could compare. That was precisely why, even knowing he already had a family, I couldn't help but fall in love with him. Tang Chen, oh Tang Chen — you really are the bane of my life. Even at the very end, you refused to let me go."
"What?" Tang San was shocked by Bo Saixi's words and shot to his feet, staring at her with wide, horrified eyes.
Bo Saixi's voice dropped lower. "Yes. Tang Chen has already passed on — gone forever. He understood my feelings, and he came searching for me. But all he showed me was his final farewell. Three days — he gave me only three days before he left me. After that, I aged a thousand years in a single day, and I became what you see now."
"No, that's impossible!" Tang San blurted out agitatedly. "Elder Bo Saixi, my great-grandfather had already attained a half-god's body! How could he just… just die like that? You must be mistaken. You must be!"
Though Tang San had only met his great-grandfather once, the old man held an exalted position in his heart. Even someone like his father, Tang Hao, spoke of Great-Grandfather Tang Chen with the utmost reverence. Moreover, Great-Grandfather Tang Chen had already begun accepting the legacy of the Shura God, having become a half-god in his own right. This trip to Seagod Island wasn't only for Tang San to inherit the Seagod's divinity — he had also come to invite his great-grandfather out. With Great-Grandfather leading the way, combined with his own power, the situation on the continent would naturally be within their control. Now, hearing Bo Saixi's heartbroken words, he simply couldn't believe it was true. Someone with his great-grandfather's strength — how could he have just died without explanation?
Bo Saixi looked up at Tang San. "Child, sit down. I asked you to come in alone precisely so I could explain this to you. It was also your great-grandfather's dying wish."
Tang San sat back down on the ground, his heart heavy with confusion and a suffocating sense of grief, his eyes fixed on Bo Saixi with undisguised bewilderment.
Bo Saixi continued in a calm yet heartbroken voice. "Back then, your great-grandfather and Qian Daoliu left Seagod Island together after hearing my conditions. Qian Daoliu is like me — he is a guardian of a god, protecting the Six-Winged Angel God. He could never truly become a god himself. So naturally, he chose to give up. But your great-grandfather did not. Apart from his feelings for me, his pride wouldn't let him return before he had fulfilled his promise to me. After enduring untold hardships, what he found was the nightmare of his remaining years. He must have told you — in the Slaughter City, he discovered the legacy of the Shura God. But it was also there that he lost his mind, became the host of the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King, and turned into the Slaughter King of the Slaughter City."
Tang San nodded silently. Though his time with his great-grandfather had been brief, the old man had indeed described this to him.
"Tang Chen lived in the Slaughter City for so many years. Although he finally broke free and regained his consciousness with the help of your Seagod Trident, his body had long since been completely corroded. The Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King's poison had already eaten through his body. Despite possessing such tremendous power, his body could no longer support that energy. When he was still the Slaughter King, things were somewhat manageable — the energy within him wasn't yet too immense, and with the Bat King controlling his body, he could still sustain his life. But once he regained his sanity, his own power plus a portion of the Shura God's inheritance force surged into him, and that massive energy immediately caused his body to collapse. He held on with everything he had, forcing himself to travel here, to see me one last time…"
Tang San stared at Bo Saixi in stunned silence, murmuring, "It was me… I was the one who killed my great-grandfather…"
Bo Saixi gave a bitter smile. "Silly child, don't say such things. Even in death, he was better off than being used as a host by that Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King. Besides, you gave him back his dignity. Your great-grandfather was proud of you even in his final moments. When Tang Chen arrived here, his body was already on the verge of collapse. I tried everything I could to keep him going, but it wasn't enough. He had wanted to wait for your return, to see with his own eyes that his descendant could inherit a god's divinity and wield divine power. But he couldn't hold on any longer. The Shura God's energy was far too overbearing — how could his broken body possibly withstand it?"
"After Tang Chen arrived here, during the last three days of his life, he talked to me nonstop, as if he wanted to pour out every word that had gone unspoken for all those years. He said so much, and as we talked together, the three days passed before I knew it."
Large tears streamed down Bo Saixi's face. Her body had stopped trembling, and she sat there as though she had gone numb. Every time she recalled Tang Chen's death, the pain was so sharp she couldn't breathe. What she didn't say was that after Tang Chen passed away in her arms with a smile on his face, she had held his body without sleep, without food, without moving — for an entire seven days. After those seven days, she had become what she was now.
"Elder, please accept my condolences. I never imagined that after meeting my great-grandfather just once, we would be separated by life and death forever." Bo Saixi's grief could not possibly be faked. Having just returned to the island only to hear such devastating news dealt Tang San an enormous blow. Even with his exceptional mental fortitude, it was difficult to accept — after all, the one who had died was his great-grandfather.
After a long while, Bo Saixi finally managed to compose herself, the grief on her face gradually fading, replaced by a gentle, warm smile. "Alright, let's not dwell on these sad matters anymore. Growing old, we all must die. That is the law of nature. Unless one becomes a god, there is no possibility of transcending it. Your great-grandfather endured much suffering in the Slaughter City, but he also lived past a hundred and lived an extraordinarily remarkable life. His life was not lived in vain. Everything he left behind will bring eternal glory to your Clear Sky School. The hardships he endured were all because of me. In the next life, I will serve him well."
"The only regret your great-grandfather had before he passed was that he couldn't see you become a god and inherit the Seagod's divinity. Tang San, if you truly respect him, you must fulfill his dying wish. Also, before he died, he left something for you. Keep it safe — consider it a memento."
As she spoke, Bo Saixi flipped her wrist and gestured toward the side of the Seagod Temple. A crimson light blazed to life in an instant, flashing once, and then it appeared between Bo Saixi and Tang San.
It was a blood-red greatsword over two meters long — the very same sword that Tang Chen had once used to block Tang San's Seagod Trident and send him flying.
The slender yet broad blade was covered in dark-gold demonic runes, and the entirely blood-red sword radiated an intensely sharp aura of slaughter. Even a powerhouse of Bo Saixi's caliber couldn't help but frown when facing the aura emanating from this demonic blade — its influence was undeniable.
But when Tang San laid eyes on the sword, he froze completely.
Tang San felt none of what Bo Saixi had experienced. He felt not the slightest effect from the demonic sword's killing intent upon his body. On the contrary, the moment he looked at the longsword, an intense impulse surged within him. His left hand rose involuntarily, and on his palm, identical crimson demonic runes appeared, the cold energy running all the way up to his shoulder. The demonic sword and Tang San seemed to resonate in perfect harmony.
In that instant, the enormous question that had lingered in Tang San's mind finally clicked into place. He finally understood what that blood-red energy was — the energy that had helped him slay the Deep Sea Demon Whale King and had played a vital role when he absorbed the whale's Soul Ring.
That's right — it was the evolution of his Killing God Domain. When his Killing God Domain had reached its peak and undergone its transformation, it was no longer mere Killing God Domain power. It was one and the same as the Shura God's power that his great-grandfather had inherited!
Yes! If not for that, how could the blood-red energy steeped in killing intent have been able to stand on equal footing with his Seagod power for a time? If it hadn't also reached god-tier strength, how could his Seagod power have struggled so fiercely against it? And how could the Deep Sea Demon Whale King have been completely suppressed? The Shura God — he actually possessed a portion of the Shura God's power as well? What on earth was going on?
Reason prevailed, and Tang San made the wisest choice. He snapped his right hand up and seized his left hand, preventing it from reaching for the demonic sword. Deep in his heart, Tang San had already sensed that if he were to grasp that sword now, the Shura God's power — currently suppressed entirely by his Seagod power — could resurge. When that happened, his body would once again become a battleground between the two forces.
That was no trivial matter. Last time under the sea, there had been the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's Soul Ring energy for them to absorb. But now there was nothing. If they truly clashed inside his body, he would be the one to suffer. As the saying goes, bite off more than you can chew and you won't taste a thing. Tang San absolutely did not dare imagine that he could inherit the power of two gods at the same time — that would be nothing short of a fool's dream.
Perhaps the Shura God was even more powerful than the Seagod he was about to inherit. But the Shura God's power was so overbearing that even his great-grandfather, despite all those years, had been unable to absorb it — and had ultimately died because of it. That alone spoke volumes about how tyrannical the Shura God's force truly was. The Seagod's power was comparatively much gentler, and Tang San's inheritance of the Seagod's divinity had been a step-by-step process — he had already passed the first eight of the Nine Seagod Trials, with only the last one remaining. Despite the damage to the Seagod Trident, Tang San would still choose it as his inheritor's god. That was beyond question.
Therefore, he absolutely could not allow the Shura God's power within him to resurge. His great-grandfather's intentions in leaving this sword were good — giving him one more option. Or perhaps, this Shura Demonic Sword was the key to the Shura God's legacy. But right now, he absolutely could not touch this demonic blade. At the very least, he had to complete his inheritance of the Seagod's divinity first. Inheriting a god's power was far too dangerous. He would wait for the right opportunity to investigate the energy within this sword.
In fact, Tang San's guess was at least seventy percent correct. Tang Chen had left this Shura Demonic Sword behind precisely to give Tang San one more option. When he and Tang San had met, he had already recognized that Tang San possessed the Killing God Domain. But what neither Tang Hao, Tang San, nor Hu Liena knew was that the Killing God Domain they possessed was in truth the Shura God's first trial. Only those who had passed this first trial stood any chance of inheriting the Shura God's divine throne. And the demonic sword Tang Chen had left behind represented the fact that he had already passed the vast majority of the Shura God's inheritance power. Any Soul Master who possessed the Killing God Domain had the potential to inherit the Shura God.
The Shura God's inheritance was fundamentally different from the Seagod's, primarily in how they chose their successors. The Seagod's choice of inheritor was absolutely exclusive — once a candidate was selected, the god would work to cultivate them through subtle means until that candidate had accumulated enough strength to complete the inheritance. This was evident from the trace of the Seagod's divine consciousness within the Seagod's Heart that had saved Tang San's life on multiple occasions, as well as from the way it had guided him directly into the Nine Seagod Trials upon his arrival at Seagod Island and taught him the first three moves of the Golden Thirteen Trident.
The Shura God's inheritance, however, was far more dangerous. As the God of Slaughter, the Shura God's requirements for a successor were even more stringent. Even without the Asura God's interference, inheriting the Shura God's power was no easy task. Therefore, when choosing a successor, the Shura God cast a wide net and cultivated them one by one. Anyone who had obtained the Killing God Domain was considered a candidate, and in the end, who would ultimately inherit the Shura God's divine throne would depend on each individual's effort.
There was also one thing Tang San didn't know. Based on the current situation, aside from himself, no one else could possibly inherit the Shura God's throne anymore. The Shura God's rank was a half-tier higher than that of the Seagod, the Asura God, or the Angel God. Though the previous Shura God had long since left this world, the divine consciousness he left behind required no vessel whatsoever. As long as someone cultivated the Killing God Domain to a sufficient degree, causing it to evolve and transform into the Shura God's power, that divine consciousness would take notice.
Previously, when Tang Chen had been awakened under the influence of Tang San's Seagod Light, he had immediately been recognized by the Shura God, which was why he was able to enter the half-god state of the Shura God directly. Another complete inheritance, and he could have claimed the Shura God's divine throne. After all, Tang Chen had already passed the vast majority of the Shura God's trials in his youth.
Unfortunately, Tang Chen's own physical condition no longer allowed him to undergo the inheritance. His broken body could not withstand the massive energy surging within him. After barely making it to Seagod Island, he held on for only three days before departing this world. Before his death, Tang Chen naturally refused to let his power dissipate uselessly into the heavens and earth. So he refined and condensed the Shura God's power he had obtained into this Shura Demonic Sword. He believed that as long as Tang San picked up this sword, there would be a chance to choose the Shura God's inheritance. Moreover, he knew full well that the Shura God's power was even more formidable than the Seagod's.
Why had Tang San been able to suppress the Deep Sea Demon Whale King? It was precisely because his Killing God Domain had evolved into the Shura Domain. The Shura God's aura made even gods tremble. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King, despite being a million-year Soul Beast with extremely powerful strength, was simply too far removed in terms of realm.
The reason no one besides Tang San could currently inherit the Shura God's power was because his Killing God Domain had already received the Shura God's recognition when it evolved into the Shura Domain. With Tang Chen dead, Tang San — who now possessed the Shura Domain — naturally became the Shura God's first-choice successor. Unless he too died, the Shura God's divinity could only be inherited by him. Of course, if Tang San chose not to inherit the Shura God, that would be another matter entirely.
The existence of the Killing God Domain, in a sense, was akin to the Seagod Light and the Seagod's Affinity that Tang San had obtained. As Tang San's strength grew and the Killing God Domain continued to evolve, it was essentially equivalent to Tang San constantly undergoing the Shura God's trials.
When he had faced the million-year Deep Sea Demon Whale King and detonated six Soul Rings simultaneously, the extreme explosive force had stimulated the Killing God Domain attached to the Clear Sky Hammer, triggering a qualitative leap — its evolution into the Shura Domain. And when Tang San had attached the final Soul Ring to his Clear Sky Hammer — the Deep Sea Demon Whale's Soul Ring — it had provided the Killing God Domain's evolution with more than enough energy. That was the process during which the Clear Sky Hammer turned from black to red, truly completing the transformation into the Shura Domain.