Xiao Wu burst out laughing. "Why would I worry? I'm not worried at all. Even if Qian Renxue is also a god now, you already had a Twin Martial Soul before you ascended, and she still couldn't kill you back then. How could she possibly beat you now that you've become the Sea God? I've never once worried that you'd lose to her. I just need to keep an eye on you — I can't let you get charmed by her. Hmph, I remember, in her memories, she even did things with you..."
At this point, Xiao Wu's lovely face flushed red. Tang San chuckled softly. "Did things with me? What things?"
Xiao Wu gave his chest a light punch. "Brother, you're terrible. I'm not saying it. That kind of thing is too embarrassing."
Tang San laughed. "Don't worry. Didn't I say it during the inheritance? I'm saving my first time for my Xiao Wu. Naturally, that sort of embarrassing business can only be done with my Xiao Wu. Don't you agree?"
To Tang San's surprise, although Xiao Wu's face was as red as a ripe apple, she actually gave him a solemn nod. She looked absolutely adorable. Even Tang San's iron-willed divine consciousness couldn't withstand the tidal wave of love surging through his heart, and he pressed a firm kiss against her cheek.
Qian Renxue floated silently in midair. The Angel God's Armor on her body had completely transformed into a crimson-gold hue — the pure power of the True Solar Fire. From afar, she had already spotted that blue-gold shooting star. The creatures of the sea would merely prostrate themselves upon seeing that blue-gold radiance, unable to make out anything within. But as a fellow god, Qian Renxue could see clearly: within that shroud of blue-gold light, Tang San had lowered his head to kiss the face of the girl in his arms.
An unprecedented feeling rose from the depths of Qian Renxue's heart. That feeling had a name: jealousy.
Her right hand clenched tightly around the Angel Sacred Sword. The nervousness Qian Renxue had felt about the impending divine battle was now entirely consumed by the fury born of jealousy.
A piercing cry erupted from Qian Renxue's lips. The True Solar Fire she had gathered around her body — the energy that had already saturated the Angel God's Armor — detonated outward in an instant. The Angel Sacred Sword pointed straight at Tang San as her divine consciousness erupted in a single burst. The entire ocean surface was immediately whipped into a tempestuous upheaval.
Having kissed Xiao Wu, Tang San also sensed the enormous threat emanating from Qian Renxue. He let out a cold snort and swept his right hand forward, collecting Xiao Wu into his Ruyi Treasure Purse. This was the safest arrangement — with the double protection of the Ruyi Treasure Purse and his Sea God's power, even if Qian Renxue was extraordinarily strong, she could never harm Xiao Wu. Of course, through their divine consciousness link, Xiao Wu — even from within the Ruyi Treasure Purse — could clearly observe the entire battle, watching from Tang San's own perspective.
Tang San's right hand swept across his forehead, and the Sea God's Trident materialized in his grasp out of thin air. Intense blue-gold radiance erupted outward, and his Sea God's divine consciousness surged back like a violent tide, forcefully driving Qian Renxue's divine consciousness beyond the boundaries of the ocean. As the Sea God, he was the guardian of the sea — Tang San would absolutely not permit Qian Renxue's divine consciousness to harm any creature within its depths.
Qian Renxue's eyes narrowed. Her body, floating in midair, retreated rapidly. Rather than competing with Tang San in a contest of divine consciousness, she chose to avoid the brunt and strike at the gaps, shooting backward ten thousand meters in a flash.
She had her reasons for this. Fighting the Sea God over the ocean was undoubtedly to her extreme disadvantage. Over these past days, Qian Renxue had not only been cultivating the various divine skills of the Angel God — she had also carefully reviewed every past battle she'd had with Tang San, searching for why she, despite possessing strength far surpassing his, had never managed to kill him. In that careful recollection, she discovered that Tang San was far too adept at leveraging every condition that favored him. Whether it was his exploitation of the forest during their battle in the Star Dou Great Forest, or his later use of the terrain, those were the keys to his escape from her pursuit. In this regard, she fell far short of him — she had merely relied on overwhelming force for brute assaults, lacking greatly in her utilization of advantageous conditions, timing, and terrain.
In terms of age, Qian Renxue was considerably older than Tang San. Yet in terms of actual combat experience, she found that she was far inferior to him. That Tang San could defeat stronger opponents was indeed inseparable from his Twin Martial Soul and his own formidable strength — but more crucially, it was his ability to merge his intellect with every exploitable factor, generating combat capability that far exceeded his raw power. As a result, even after she had ascended to godhood, he had still managed to wound her grievously, nearly killing her with his ultimate technique — Guan Yin's Tears.
Therefore, after this period of careful reflection, Qian Renxue had not only refined her divine skill application to near perfection but had also dramatically improved her combat experience. Against other opponents, perhaps pure strength alone could overwhelm them effortlessly. But against an opponent as ferocious as a lion and as cunning as a fox like Tang San, she needed comprehensive improvement. Especially this time — the Tang San she faced had already reached the divine level as well. Defeating him would be all the more difficult. For Qian Renxue now, her sole advantage was that she had ascended to godhood a period of time before Tang San, giving her a deeper understanding of divine-level power.
Thus, before the battle had even begun, Qian Renxue had already done everything possible to set the battlefield in the skies — advantageous to her — rather than over the ocean where the completed Sea God inheritance gave Tang San every edge.
Watching Qian Renxue's rapid retreat, a faint smile appeared on Tang San's face. So she really had gotten smarter. But did she truly believe that without the ocean surface beneath him, he couldn't draw upon the ocean's power? In this world, the ocean covered four-fifths of the total area. As the Sea God, he could draw upon the ocean's power from any corner of the continent — just as she could harness the sun's power from anywhere.
Tang San did not pursue. He held the blue-gold Sea God's Trident horizontally at his side, gazing at his opponent ten thousand meters away, and offered a slight smile. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Seeing that Tang San hadn't chased after her, Qian Renxue grew even more convinced that his combat power was at its peak over the ocean. Her divine consciousness stirred faintly, and a pale golden light blanketed the sky.
This was a color Tang San could not have perceived before — only by reaching the same level could one sense another's divine consciousness. If a third divine-level expert were present now, they would see that across the ten-thousand-meter sky, one half was a reddish pale gold while the other was a faint blue-gold. Tang San's and Qian Renxue's divine consciousness domains were distinctly divided, each claiming its own half.
"Tang San, congratulations on becoming the Sea God." Qian Renxue looked at Tang San, who held the Sea God's Trident and wore a blue-gold robe, and realized with a start that her heartbeat had quickened. Tang San still carried his original air of elegance, but it was now overlaid with a sacred quality and a depth even she could not penetrate. Depth — that was one of a man's greatest forms of attraction, because it spoke to inner substance. Appearance was by no means the only weapon with which a man could captivate a woman; for some, inner substance mattered far more. And Tang San as the Sea God possessed both in abundance. With the flaw already present in her heart, Qian Renxue was naturally drawn to him — even as mortal enemies, she could not help it.
"You're welcome. I believe I now have the strength to face you head-on. Thank you for your mercy in the past — I believe I understand the reason behind it. If I win today, I will likewise spare your life and give you a chance. Repaying a debt of kindness."
"You understand?" Qian Renxue was visibly shaken. Even her divine heart trembled, and in an instant her mind flashed back to that intoxicating scene during the Angel God's inheritance. A faint dampness even stirred between her legs. Looking at Tang San, she felt her resolve waver.
However, she quickly regained her composure and spoke in a deep voice. "Tang San, are you trying to shake my divine heart?"
Tang San smiled faintly. "If I am the flaw within your heart, then even if I say nothing, that flaw will always exist. Even if our strength were equal, under these circumstances you could never defeat me. Give it up, Miss Qian Renxue. If you're willing to find a secluded place to live in hiding and never involve yourself with the Spirit Empire again, I can let you go. After all, there is no true enmity between us."
Back when Qian Renxue had been embedded within the Tian Dou Empire for so many years, the harm and damage she had caused were all inflicted upon the Empire's interests — there had been no direct conflict with Tang San himself. It was nothing like the blood-deep grudge he bore against Bibi Dong. Moreover, Qian Renxue had more than once demonstrated a warrior's honor and had never stooped to anything so dishonorable as a sneak attack, earning Tang San's favorable impression. It was for this reason that he made this offer.
Qian Renxue gave a cold snort. "Tang San, if you're trying to shake my convictions, I advise you to stop dreaming. That's right — in terms of combat experience, you are indeed more experienced. But do you think I'll fall for the same trick again? You've now ascended to godhood as well, so let us fight with everything we have, drawing upon our respective divine powers. Even if you are the flaw in my heart, once I kill you in your divine state, that flaw will cease to exist."
Tang San sighed. He offered no further explanation — it would be redundant now. Only power could prove everything. A crystalline blue light kindled from the blue Sea God's brand on his forehead. Behind him, the Sea God's Eight Wings unfurled in a sweeping arc. In the next instant, dazzling blue-gold radiance burst outward and rapidly fused with his body. Amid a series of resonant, explosive cracks, segment after segment of resplendent blue-gold armor materialized upon him. The Sea God's Armor was displayed before Qian Renxue in all its overwhelming magnificence.
Seeing the armor on Tang San's body, Qian Renxue was not particularly surprised. After all, the inherited memories of the Angel God made it clear that every deity possessed their own divine armor. The Angel God had it, and naturally the Sea God did as well — only the origins of each god's armor differed. The Angel God's Armor she had inherited was originally left behind in the mortal realm by the Angel God, making its inheritance considerably easier. What caught her eye more were the wave-patterned cloud motifs adorning the Sea God's Armor, showcasing its unique identity as the equipment of the Sea God. However, what Qian Renxue could not comprehend were the eight wings unfurled behind Tang San.
The wings were roughly the same size as her Angel Wings, but there were two more of them — eight in total. Since when did the Sea God possess wings? All gods could fly, this was without question. But as the sovereign of the skies, the Angel God's flight capabilities were considered among the finest among all deities. The Sea God's forte should have been combat in the water. Yet before her, Tang San's wings outnumbered even hers — a goddess who excelled in aerial combat — by two. How was she supposed to interpret that?
Even more striking to Qian Renxue, making her pupils contract sharply, were the ten Soul Rings slowly materializing around Tang San's body — nine red and one blue. Ten resplendent Soul Rings, dazzling to behold. At least a hundred-thousand-year level each! Qian Renxue felt her breathing grow labored. She understood now that the confidence Tang San had displayed moments ago was no arrogance. Having inherited the Sea God's divinity, he truly possessed overwhelmingly formidable power.
After her initial shock, however, Qian Renxue rapidly calmed herself. The Angel Sacred Sword in her hand rose slowly, its tip aimed at Tang San. Scorching True Solar Fire erupted from her body, forming roaring crimson-gold flames that engulfed her and the Angel God's weapon alike. Ten Soul Rings also emerged from her body. Compared to Tang San's, hers were slightly inferior in quality — but at least in number, they were identical.
The divine-level battle was about to erupt. The Angel God versus the Sea God. Tang San and Qian Renxue had finally arrived at the same starting line. Facing each other, both of their divine powers surged wildly upward.
Indeed, Tang San had only just obtained the Sea God's power. He had barely had time to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Sea God's numerous skills, let alone practice them in actual combat. But one must not forget — Tang San's inheritance process had been fundamentally different from Qian Renxue's. During her Angel inheritance, Qian Renxue had been aided by her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, at every stage of the numerous trials. With his help, she had avoided much trouble. In terms of talent, she did not surpass Tang San, yet she had ascended to the Angel God before him. The role Qian Daoliu had played in that was self-evident.
Tang San's experience was different. During the Sea God's Nine Tests, the Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi had not only refused to help him — she had even harbored murderous intent toward him on multiple occasions, making the entire trial process far more grueling. This was precisely why his Sea God Affinity had surpassed one hundred percent as early as the completion of the Eighth Test.
One had been rapidly elevated under a grandfather's assistance. The other had trudged through every step, enduring untold suffering to earn today's strength. In terms of understanding their respective deities, although Tang San had only just completed his inheritance, his grasp of the Sea God's abilities was far from the shallow familiarity Qian Renxue imagined. One must not forget — before he had even ascended to godhood, he had already learned the first three moves of the Golden Thirteen Trident directly from the Sea God.
Crimson gold and blue-gold stood in vivid contrast against the sky. Their divine consciousness domains pressed against each other — one backed by the ocean as the Sea God, the other beneath the radiant sun as the Angel God. Under mutual pressure, their divine consciousness rose steadily to its peak. Neither had deployed their divine domain. Both were divine-level — whoever activated a domain first could expose a gap for the opponent to exploit. The simplest, most direct form of combat — the one least prone to openings — was an outright frontal assault.
A faint glow flickered. The light in Tang San's eyes grew brighter and brighter. With every flash, the surrounding air rippled like ocean waves. The Sea God's Trident angled toward the sky as though to pierce the sun itself, and the resplendent blue-gold aura caused every wave-patterned cloud motif on his Sea God's Armor to pulse in rhythm. Judging by their divine armor alone, Tang San's Sea God's Armor already surpassed Qian Renxue's Angel God's Armor in splendor.
Qian Renxue moved first. The True Solar Fire she had been accumulating had condensed to such an extreme magnitude that if she didn't release it now, her own body would be unable to bear the strain.
The Angel Sacred Sword pointed at Tang San was thrust high above her head. In a single instant, surging crimson-gold flames roared skyward. A colossal crimson-gold sword shadow appeared above Qian Renxue, rooted in the Angel Sacred Sword and aimed straight at the heavens — yet its edge was locked unerringly upon Tang San's body. In this moment, Qian Renxue's divine consciousness fused completely with the sword strike, her spirit, energy, and intent all ascending to the absolute pinnacle in a single breath.