The instant the arc's starting point merged with its endpoint, a crimson-gold ring of light materialized around Qian Renxue's body. Within that ring, crimson-gold radiance surged forth like a sun descending from the heavens, appearing behind her back.
"An—gel—Do—main—." Qian Renxue raised the Angel Sacred Sword high above her head. She would not give
The sky instantly turned entirely gold, with only the blazing crimson-gold disc behind Qian Renxue—like the sun itself—remaining vividly distinct. Even the true sunlight was blocked out in this moment. Heaven and earth seemed completely filled with golden radiance, and even the distant sea was cast in gold. To Tang San, it felt as though he had returned to the sacred place where he had first received his divine power.
Suddenly, the scene in the sky shifted. Under the holy golden glow, Qian Renxue's body transformed in an instant—one became two, two became four. In the blink of an eye, countless copies of Qian Renxue appeared across the sky, each one holding the Angel Sacred Sword raised high overhead, each backed by a crimson-gold disc illuminating the earth. And every single disc was aimed directly at Tang San.
Tang San felt his body suddenly grow as heavy as a million jin. Even with his god-level strength, the pressure left him struggling to breathe.
"Great Sun, Angel, Myriad Suns Surmounting Heaven!" The countless Qian Renxues shouted in unison. The soundwaves rolled across the sky, and the ground around Tang San cracked apart inch by inch under their force. Within the range of the crimson sun's radiance, the very land was slowly sinking.
Tang San tilted his head skyward, then closed his eyes. The
The Sea God Trident rose slowly, and the wave-like blue light gradually coalesced around it as its center. The diamond-shaped gem at the center of the Sea God Helmet atop Tang San's head suddenly blazed to life. With his body as the epicenter, azure ripples expanded outward in an instant. The sky was golden, but in that very moment, the earth turned entirely blue—and even the seawater, which had been painted gold by the golden light, restored its original color.
"A—Sea—God—Do—main—."
A faint blue mist rose quietly from the endless azure. The once-turbulent sea suddenly became eerily calm. A colossal phantom of the Sea God slowly materialized behind Tang San, and all ten of his Soul Rings blazed with dazzling brilliance.
In that moment, Tang San's body suddenly became ethereal, yet his divine sense grew incredibly solid. Qian Renxue had already locked onto his body through the supreme art of the Angel God—Myriad Suns Surmounting Heaven—but now she suddenly discovered that Tang San's form had become elusive and indistinct. He was clearly standing there, yet he felt utterly unreal.
Myriad Suns Surmounting Heaven ultimately had a limited range, but the blue radiance emanating from Tang San ignited the entire ocean. Azure energy surged upward from the sea surface, and the purest water-element energy within the depths erupted with thunderous force—as if an entirely separate ocean had been peeled away from the original. Under the guidance of Tang San's divine sense, which surpassed Qian Renxue's in sheer solidity, it transformed into boundless, sky-high tidal waves that swept in from the sea.
"Azure Waves, Sea God, Boundless Blue." A deep voice escaped Tang San's lips. His voice carried no apparent offensive force, yet in that moment, it became the catalyst for the ocean's power to erupt.
Myriad Suns Surmounting Heaven detonated at almost the exact same time. The crimson sun behind every Qian Renxue transformed into a massive crimson-gold meteor plummeting from the sky, hurtling toward Tang San. And precisely at that moment, the azure tide formed by the entire ocean surged forward to meet them.
Fire met water. Crimson sun met azure waves. Solar True Fire faced Lunar True Water. The Angel God faced the Sea God. Two diametrically opposed yet equally lofty energies collided in an instant, and the final outcome would be decided by their absolute power alone. In this clash, neither Tang San nor Qian Renxue had the slightest chance of trickery—they could only drive every ounce of power they could muster into the collision.
Crimson gold and boundless azure. The thunderous roar of their clash made the entire Soul Land tremble. The nearest city lay roughly three hundred li away, and every resident clearly witnessed that spectacular display on the horizon.
The earth quaked as though the world were about to end. Citizens in the city fell into utter panic.
The crimson sun ultimately failed to evaporate all the azure waves. The endless blue radiance silently devoured the countless crimson-gold meteors.
Qian Renxue, her face frozen in disbelief, was swept high into the sky by the azure light. What she felt, however, was endless warmth. Cradled within those warm and gentle azure waves, a sense of weariness and drowsiness crept over her. It felt as though drifting off to sleep within them would be the most blissful thing in the world.
Qian Renxue bit down hard on the tip of her tongue. Crimson-gold light erupted violently from the Angel God Armor, and she fought through the exhaustion, rocketing skyward in an instant. She broke free of the azure embrace at last, transforming into a streak of light that shot into the high sky. But her divine power and divine sense had plunged dramatically during that azure onslaught—and it had happened without her even noticing. Only after escaping its grasp did she truly realize the extent of her loss.
The sky remained golden—the golden Angel Domain. The earth remained blue—the blue Sea God Domain.
Neither of these two god-level beings could destroy the other's domain with their own. They could only use them to amplify their divine techniques. Having been pressed into an overwhelming disadvantage, Tang San had turned the tide. He not only shattered Qian Renxue's supreme art but had also silently dissipated a portion of her Angel God power. Though it caused no real damage, there was no question that in this collision, Tang San had gained an overwhelming advantage.
Why had this happened? Qian Renxue launched no further attacks, allowing the Six Angel Wings behind her to absorb the radiance of the Angel Domain overhead and rapidly restore her divine power. She could not understand it. They were gods of the same level—so why had her supreme art, unleashed from a position of total advantage, failed to match Tang San? Was it simply because he had the ocean at his back?
"Surprising, isn't it?" Tang San opened his eyes and looked up at Qian Renxue in the sky with a gentle smile. He did not launch another attack either.
Qian Renxue stared down at him coldly, lips pressed tight, the Angel God power within her body churning wildly as she prepared for the next strike.
"Actually, there's no need for you to be confused. The reason I can draw upon more power than you isn't because I'm near the ocean. We are both gods—just as you can call upon the power of the sun at any time, under any circumstance, so too can I call upon the power of the ocean whenever I wish. The reason I gained the upper hand in that clash despite being at a disadvantage—that comes down to the absolute gap in our strength. Although you and I are both gods, your divine sense is inferior to mine. And the power one draws from the outside world is determined by divine sense. Since your divine sense is weaker than mine, the solar power you can summon is naturally less than the oceanic power I can command. How could you possibly defeat me?"
"You're talking nonsense. We're both gods—why would my divine sense be inferior to yours?" Qian Renxue glared at him furiously. "If you think you can shake my confidence, you're delusional."
As she spoke, Qian Renxue fixed her gaze intently on Tang San, scrutinizing every detail of his expression, searching for any sign that he was running on fumes. But she was disappointed. Her divine sense could not even lock onto Tang San's body, and the Sea God power he radiated showed not the slightest tremor—it was steady as a boulder, firmly anchored into the earth.
Tang San smiled faintly. "You can't deny it. That's right—we are both gods, but the processes by which we ascended to godhood were vastly different. I dare say that along the way, I endured far more trials than you. And in truth, my spiritual power was already far superior to yours from the start. Both of us became gods, but my inherent advantages naturally showed. Even when I had just become a Titled Douluo, my spiritual power could already rival that of a peak Level 99 Douluo—let alone now. Qian Renxue, you are not my match."
Qian Renxue said nothing more. She forced herself to stop listening to Tang San's voice. Every word he spoke seemed to chip away at her confidence.
The Angel Sacred Sword was raised high once more. Ten thousand rays of golden light descended from the heavens, bathing Qian Renxue. The crimson-gold gradually shifted to pure gold, and the energy fluctuations around her body underwent a qualitative transformation. Upon the Angel God Armor, an additional layer of liquid golden light began to flow. She released a long, piercing cry, gripped the Angel Sacred Sword, and whirled her body around, lunging straight toward Tang San.
Tang San did not wait. With a subtle beat of the Eight Sea God Wings, he was already in midair. The Sea God Trident thrust forward, meeting the descending Qian Renxue head-on. Their bodies flashed past each other in the air, and only after they had swapped positions did a crisp crack of impact echo across the sky.
Tang San's body swayed in the air, steadied only by the Eight Sea God Wings. Having scored her strike, Qian Renxue pressed her advantage without pause. Both hands gripped the hilt of the Angel Sacred Sword as she completed a dazzling midair rotation. The Angel Sacred Sword trailed a chain of golden halos, lunging to entangle and kill Tang San.
Large-scale techniques had proven ineffective against Tang San. Qian Renxue could only attribute it to the ocean being too close. She decided instead to settle this through close-quarters combat.
Suddenly, a speck of blue light shot from Tang San's hand. His magnetic voice echoed beside Qian Renxue's ear: "Guanyin's Tears."
Four simple words, yet in that instant, the Angel Sacred Sword in Qian Renxue's hand became wildly erratic. The golden halos meant to attack instantly retracted, and her body abruptly changed direction mid-spin—her upward surge replaced by a rapid plunge toward the ground. A trace of terror surfaced on her beautiful face.
The impression Guanyin's Tears had left on her was far too deep. Back when Tang San was merely a Titled Douluo, he had used this very strike to shatter her heart. Now, hearing those four words again, the shock was immeasurable. Even though she now wore the Angel God Armor, and Tang San had become the Sea God, the Angel God Armor offered her absolutely no sense of security.
Watching Qian Renxue's panicked expression, a faint smile crossed Tang San's face. The speck of blue light he had launched shattered silently in the air. He swept the Sea God Trident, and ring after ring of azure light rippled before him—the opening stance of Indefinite Storm.
No threat had actually materialized. By the time Qian Renxue's body plummeted close to the ground, she saw the blue light shatter. She froze for an instant, then immediately realized what had happened.
"You deceived me?!"
Tang San smiled. "All's fair in war. Are you really that afraid of my Guanyin's Tears? If so, how could you ever hope to defeat me?" He did not press the attack. Tang San had his own reasons. In this battle today, he had no intention of killing Qian Renxue. As he had said, she had once given him the chance to survive—he owed her that debt. And from the very beginning of this fight, Tang San had spent most of his time on the defensive not because Qian Renxue was too powerful, but because he had deliberately orchestrated it that way. He could not kill Qian Renxue today, but he intended to learn as much as possible about the Angel God's various abilities. The next time they met, he would give her no chance at all. Though Qian Renxue had recognized many of her shortcomings in battle through reflection, her strategic vision and wisdom still fell short of Tang San's. And just as he had said—though they both held godhood of the same rank, their divine sense was no longer on the same level.
Discouragement was a terrifying thing for any fighter in the midst of battle, let alone a god-level one. That very feeling now took root in Qian Renxue's heart. Facing Tang San, as deep and unfathomable as the ocean itself, she felt that no matter how hard she tried, she could never defeat him. She launched no more attacks. Qian Renxue simply stood watching Tang San, her eyes flickering with shifting light, the Angel Sacred Sword swaying gently in her hand. She knew that even if the battle continued today, she could not win. Was she destined never to defeat him? Once he had fully mastered the inherited Sea God techniques, their next encounter would likely leave her with even less of a chance.