Just as the Tian Dou Empire's army surged from their encampments, preparing to fight the Martial Soul Empire's forces to the death,
After defeating
The sudden manifestation of Tang San's
Watching Tang San and the other six return,
His cry instantly roused the Tian Dou Empire's soldiers, who had been dazed by Tang San's sudden appearance. They might have been confused by the Sea God's divine armor Tang San wore, but the Sea God's Trident in his hand could not be faked. As they watched Tang San raise the Trident high, his entire body blazing with a radiance far more dazzling than before, the overwhelming aura released by the magnificent divine armor set their eyes alight with fervent passion. They might not understand why their Emperor addressed the Blue Hao King as the Sea God, but they believed with absolute certainty that under the Blue Hao King's leadership, they would crush the Martial Soul Empire.
By shouting "long live," Xue Beng had placed Tang San on equal footing with himself — perhaps even above him. This was, strictly speaking, improper, but Tang San's arrival was a harbinger of salvation once more. With him there, the Tian Dou Empire's million-strong army had its backbone. With him there, this battle was no longer a suicide charge, but a golden opportunity to annihilate the enemy.
The Great Master's excitement surpassed even Tang Hao's. Tang San was the one he had nurtured with his own hands; he had imparted all of his knowledge to Tang San. Now, watching his disciple finally break through the hundred-level barrier and appear in midair radiating immense divine power, the Great Master was overcome with a torrent of emotions. Deep in his heart, he cried out frantically: Father, Grandfather — if only you were still alive. I,
Despite standing on a battlefield, tears of agitation streamed down the Great Master's eyes. He had been waiting for this day his entire life. And when it finally arrived — arriving no less at such a pivotal moment — he could no longer contain the excitement within him. His life had been, one could say, an extraordinarily tragic one, and reaching this point had been no easy feat. Now, gazing upon the god-tier Tang San, every last ounce of bitterness and sorrow in the Great Master's heart dissolved into nothing. Raising Tang San as his disciple was the proudest achievement of his life.
"The Sea — God — lives — forever —, the Blue — Hao — King — lives — forever —." The Tang Family Army, led by the Hall Masters of the Strength, Agility, Defense, and Medicine Halls, was the first to follow Xue Beng's cry. The shout of Phoenix surged forth like a collapsing mountain or a crashing tsunami, sweeping through the entire Tian Dou Empire army. That unparalleled, terrifying momentum caused the expressions of the six Grand Stewards atop Jialing Pass's walls to change simultaneously.
Before this battle had even begun, the disparity in morale between the two sides was already vast as heaven and earth. Even peak-level powerhouses like them felt a chill at the heart when facing such a situation. After all, human strength had its limits — even a Titled Douluo would not dare claim they could stand against a million-strong army. At most, they could retreat unscathed. But this was war. Jialing Pass was the Martial Soul Empire's most critical stronghold — how could they possibly retreat? Originally, the six Grand Stewards had been filled with confidence by Qian Renxue's return and had been preparing to welcome victory. But today, what they saw was not merely the Tian Dou Empire's million-strong army in high spirits — they also saw Tang San soaring through the air, his entire body radiating an aura that made them tremble.
A single month had passed, and the feeling Tang San gave the Gold Crocodile Douluo was entirely different. A month ago, when facing Tang San, the Gold Crocodile Douluo had felt at most surprise — he still hadn't understood how
But today, seeing Tang San again after a month, the Gold Crocodile Douluo's feeling had turned to sheer horror. Tang San gave him a sensation of being utterly unfathomable — just like Qian Renxue beside him, his boundless, immense aura enveloped the Tian Dou Empire's million-strong army like the finishing stroke on a painting of a dragon. And with his appearance, the morale of the entire Tian Dou Empire army had ascended to an entirely new level. By sheer momentum alone, Jialing Pass seemed to be teetering on the verge of collapse.
"Miss, he—" the Gold Crocodile Douluo asked hesitantly.
Qian Renxue's expression had already returned to calm. Though in her heart she had long known that she would inevitably encounter Tang San on this battlefield, now that Tang San truly stood on the opposite side, her heart still could not settle.
"You're not mistaken. Tang San has also completed his divine inheritance. The reason I arrived late was that I had been hunting him down the entire time. Unfortunately, I failed — I ultimately let him complete the inheritance. What he inherited is the Sea God's power. Second Grand Stewards, relay my order: withdraw our troops back into the city and seal the gates. At the same time, summon all of the Empire's Soul Masters to the battlements and hold Jialing Pass at all costs. Not a single Tian Dou soldier is to set foot past our walls."
Before the Second Grand Steward could speak, the Third Grand Steward blurted out, "Miss, withdrawing at a time like this is inadvisable, surely. Our army's morale is already low — to flee before the fight even begins, how are we supposed to fight this battle?"
Qian Renxue let out a cold snort. The Third Grand Steward felt his heart clench as though seized by an invisible hand, and he grunted, staggering back two steps. His face had gone pale.
"If we don't withdraw, do you have some brilliant alternative? Facing a million-strong army, do any of you Grand Stewards believe you can lead our forces — less than a sixth of their numbers — to hold them off on an open battlefield? Our only chance lies in fortifying Jialing Pass. With Tang San present, the offense and defense on the battlefield will depend entirely on your own strength."
The Second Grand Steward, the Gold Crocodile Douluo, took a deep steadying breath. "What Miss says is correct. We can only rely on the strength of Jialing Pass's fortifications to withstand the charge of the Tian Dou Empire's million-strong army. Before they close in, we withdraw immediately, raise the drawbridge, and pour everything into defense. Miss — please rest assured and go deal with Tang San. Leave this to us. The ultimate outcome of the battle rests on your shoulders."
Qian Renxue exchanged a glance with the Gold Crocodile Douluo, and both silently sighed. She understood his meaning perfectly. On a battlefield, whichever side had an additional god-tier powerhouse would see the outcome shift instantly — even a wounded god could turn the tide in the blink of an eye. But defeating Tang San herself? That would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Annihilation for both sides would probably be the best result she could hope for.
She would not, of course, voice these thoughts aloud. The Martial Soul Empire's already fragile morale could not withstand yet another blow.
She rose into the air, and a dazzling golden light erupted violently from her body. Accompanied by the expansion of her divine sense, it covered half the sky in what seemed like the span of a single heartbeat. Six resplendent golden wings unfurled from her back as she issued a powerful cry: "Qian — Ren — Xue — is — here."
Those five simple words, shouted from Qian Renxue's lips, carried a completely different weight. Every syllable was imbued with her surging Angel divine power, and with those five words alone she forced down the jubilant roar of the Tian Dou Empire's million-strong army.
A wondrous spectacle appeared before Jialing Pass. The sky was split in two — one half golden, the other a clear, luminous azure. The two colors of light each claimed their own dominion.
The aura of a god was simply too overwhelming. Within Jialing Pass, bathed in Qian Renxue's Angel divine power, the defending soldiers — whose morale had just been shaken — felt a surge of renewed confidence as that warm, golden radiance washed over them. A feeling arose in their hearts, as though the Jialing Pass they guarded was an invincible fortress forged of iron and copper that could never be breached. The waves of warmth within the Angel divine power rekindled their innate will to fight, and their blood began to simmer. Even as a hundred and fifty thousand troops below rapidly retreated into the city, it did nothing to dampen their climbing morale.
On the other side, a blue aura blazed from Tang San's body. Under the Sea God's divine power, the soldiers of the Tian Dou Empire felt as though they were a towering wave amid a raging ocean — the walls of Jialing Pass in the distance were nothing more than crumbling ruins, utterly incapable of blocking their overwhelming surge.
The Angel's divine power made the Martial Soul Empire's defenders' spiritual aura as unyielding as the mightiest shield.
The Sea God's divine power made the Tian Dou Empire's army's spiritual aura as sharp as the keenest spear.
Before the battle had even truly begun, as the strongest champions on each side, Tang San and Qian Renxue had already begun to influence the entire battlefield. Only god-tier domain power could expand one's reach so vastly through divine sense alone, and only this god-tier strength could truly serve as the commanding force of an army.
Boom. Boom. Boom. The Tian Dou Empire's army advanced step by step. With each stride forward, the blue luminescence in the sky pushed ahead by an equal measure, maintaining its position directly above the army, shielding their advance.
The golden light in the sky was forced to contract under the pressure of the blue radiance.
In midair, Qian Renxue's body trembled faintly as she stared at Tang San in the distance, bathed in blue light, her gaze sharp as a blade. She knew that over these past few days, Tang San's control over his Sea God power had advanced yet another step. With abilities that had already surpassed her own before godhood — and now, having inherited a divine throne, with both of them at the god tier — Tang San held a steady advantage over her. Despite Qian Renxue pushing herself to her absolute limits, she still could not stop Tang San's domain from pressing toward her, or halt his army's relentless advance. In this situation, unless she was willing to retreat, the range of her Angel domain would only continue to shrink.
Ordinary soldiers could not read the subtleties of divine power. The golden light emanating from the Jialing Pass side certainly shocked the Tian Dou Empire's soldiers, but on their own side, the blue light Tang San released was no weaker. They couldn't decipher divine power, but they could read the balance of strength — watching Tang San's blue light continuously compress the opponent's golden light backward while the enemy could do nothing about it. It was obvious that Tang San had the upper hand. Under these circumstances, the Tian Dou Empire's morale surged ever higher, the cries of "Sea God" and "Blue Hao King" ringing out without cease.
In ancient times, the Sea God had ascended to divinity through the faith of ocean creatures. What Tang San was receiving now, while not as vast as the faith of all the sea's creatures, was nonetheless the nearly fanatical devotion of a million-strong army. As the Sea God, with this sea of faith washing over him, his divine sense became more powerful than ever before. As the two forces drew ever closer, the pressure was reaching the point where even Qian Renxue felt she could barely breathe.
The resplendent Angel divine armor faced the deep azure Sea God divine armor. Tang San and Qian Renxue had long since become the focal point of this entire war. Under the crushing pressure Tang San brought, Qian Renxue could finally hold back no longer — she drew the Angel Holy Sword. The sword rose high, pointed obliquely toward the blazing sun, and her entire being erupted with divine power. A beam of crimson-golden light shone down upon her from the direction of the sun, and that blinding radiance momentarily slowed the Tian Dou Empire's advance. Tang San's Sea God domain halted its advance as well, the pressure it faced having multiplied several times over.
But at the corner of Tang San's lips, a faint smile appeared. In a clash of divine senses and domains, whichever side struck first was the one that acknowledged its own inferiority. Being completely on the offensive would only let the seed of failure take root and sprout in Qian Renxue's heart.
On the way back, Tang San had already thoroughly considered every possible tactic Qian Renxue might employ in their next battle, and had prepared countermeasures for each. Mutual destruction — was that truly so easy to achieve?
As if by prior agreement, the instant Qian Renxue's entire body was enveloped in the Sun's True Fire, transforming to a crimson-gold hue, Tang San raised the Sea God's Trident. Blue and gold — both colors of light retracted simultaneously into their respective wielders' bodies, then surged skyward as two intense halos of radiance. Tang San and Qian Renxue shot upward into the sky.