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*****
He wanted to kill.
Unless he detonated his spirit rings to unleash the full power of the Grand Xu Mi Hammer, he wouldn't be able to. But right now, that was impossible. His outward strength masked an internally frail body—far too weak to endure the backlash of detonating his rings.
The act of detonation inflicted harm on the user before it could harm the enemy. Only by withstanding the backlash could one wield this devastating power.
If Tang Chen attempted it now, he would be the first to die.
Don't be fooled by the fact that he had just defeated Qian Daoliu—his victory was due to the overwhelming might of the Asura God's power. Originally, this power was meant to extend his life by ten more years.
But in that brief yet brutal clash, Tang Chen had burned through at least three or four of those years. That meant he now had only six to seven years left to complete the ninth trial of the Asura God's inheritance.
Without hesitation, he retracted the Clear Sky Hammer and the Asura Sword, his voice laced with cold menace:
"Qian Daoliu, I won't kill you today. But from now on, wherever the Clear Sky Clan exists, your Spirit Hall will stay as far away as possible. Otherwise—there will be no mercy."
With that, Tang Chen descended, retrieving Tang Hao's body—a corpse that, despite the passage of time, had not rotted due to special preservation techniques.
Sigh…
Tang Chen's eyes were filled with sorrow as he murmured softly:
"Hao'er… in the end, I returned too late. If I had come back sooner, you wouldn't have ended up like this. Today, Grandpa is taking you home. A blood debt must be repaid in blood. If only I were the true Asura God… then today, I would have killed Qian Daoliu and made their Angelic Order pay the price."
Carrying Tang Hao's body, Tang Chen transformed into a streak of blood-red light and disappeared toward the north.
The moment he departed, all traces of the ominous blood light vanished with him. Once more, the holy radiance of the Angel God shone upon the land—yet, it no longer felt warm.
Qian Daoliu looked as though he had aged decades in an instant.
He was, after all, a Rank 99 Peerless Douluo. The injuries on his body were not fatal, and he still had the strength to continue fighting.
But inside—his heart was dead.
He was merely a servant of the gods, not a divine inheritor. Because of that, he had been unable to fully wield the power of the Angel God—bringing shame upon his deity.
"Tang Chen!"
Never before had Qian Daoliu harbored such deep, murderous intent toward him. He wanted nothing more than to grind Tang Chen's bones to dust, to utterly annihilate his soul.
He could not do it himself. But… he had a granddaughter.
A glimmer of hope reignited in Qian Daoliu's heart.
Turning to Bibi Dong, he commanded, "Bibi Dong, Tang Chen has now grown beyond even my ability to handle. He is a divine inheritor and can wield a portion of a god's power. Whether you seek to unify the continent or have other ambitions, you absolutely cannot ignore him. As for the aftermath of today's events, I leave everything to you. Elder Snake Spear, Elder Porcupinefish—see to it that the fallen are given a proper burial."
With that, Qian Daoliu led the six remaining Elders back to Douluo Palace.
From now on, his sole mission was to ensure that his granddaughter ascended to godhood.
Bibi Dong withdrew her martial soul.
In truth, she despised appearing in her fully transformed state—it was too hideous, ruining her perfect image.
Today had been a complete humiliation.
Tang Chen, alone, had suppressed the entire Spirit Empire. They had lost not just two Titled Douluo but also their reputation and dignity.
A sense of urgency surged within Bibi Dong's heart. A divine inheritor of the Asura God had emerged. If she did not ascend soon, she might never get the chance.
Without wasting a moment, she swiftly gathered Demon Bear and Ghost Leopard, located the severely injured Yue Guan and Gui Mei, and oversaw the collection of Snake Spear and Porcupinefish's remains. At the same time, she moved to calm the countless Spirit Hall soul masters who had been shaken by the battle.
This was a devastating blow to their morale. The once seemingly invincible Spirit Empire had turned out to be so fragile.
It seemed impossible for them to recover quickly. Bibi Dong, however, didn't have the luxury of dwelling on it. After a long day, she returned to the Papal Hall.
She called for Hu Liena and instructed:
"Nana, you saw the situation today. Tang Chen is powerful and undefeatable. In the time to come, I must heal my injuries and go into seclusion to cultivate. I cannot allow such humiliation to happen a second or third time."
"You are the Saintess I've officially appointed, and the sole heir to the position of Empress. From now on, you will take my place and handle the matters of the Spirit Empire with the Elders. Do not disturb me unless it's absolutely necessary."
Hu Liena, who had initially hesitated to accept, lowered her head with determination after seeing the blood stains on Bibi Dong's clothes.
"Master, I will do my best. I won't allow unimportant matters to disturb you!"
Bibi Dong smiled with satisfaction. Despite the disastrous events of the day, her disciple had not let her down.
She decided to leave the matters of the Spirit Empire in Hu Liena's hands for now. Her next task was to add the eighth and ninth soul rings to her second martial soul. She had always wanted to find a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast but had never completed the ring addition.
Now, with no time to hunt for such a beast, she chose two spider kings over fifty thousand years old as substitutes. The greatest flaw in her Rakshasa inheritance was the lack of a guide to lead her on the path to godhood.
With this thought, a sharp glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes, and she contemplated:
"Then I'll use a grand blood sacrifice to open the path to Rakshasa Godhood. The Seven Major Sects—it's your turn to play your part."
Unlike the Angel God or Sea God, who had guides to help them, such as Qian Daoliu or Poseidon, both Rank 99 Peerless Douluos, who could easily begin their path to godhood with a simple offering, Bibi Dong's Rakshasa inheritance did not have such advantages. After more than twenty years, she still hadn't ascended to godhood.
Tang Chen's arrival had accelerated things. Qian Daoliu wanted to speed up his granddaughter's ascension, and Bibi Dong wanted the same for herself. The pace of events had drastically shifted from the original story.
Speaking of Tang Chen, after carrying Tang Hao's body, he found his way to Heaven Dou City and headed straight for the palace, bursting in without hesitation.
---
Heaven Dou City, Imperial Palace!
A large group of Elders, guest elders, and soul masters from the Clear Sky Clan and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect gathered, surrounding Tang Chen.
Finally, Tang Chen turned around, sweeping his gaze across the crowd and settling on the Second Elder of the Clear Sky Clan. He spoke coldly:
"Xiao Yi, take the disciples of the Clear Sky Clan and come with me. The Spirit Hall's threat has turned you all into lapdogs of the royal family. It's a disgrace to the Clear Sky Clan."
"I visited Spirit City, casually killed two Titled Douluos, and gave Qian Daoliu that old scoundrel a beating. The Spirit Hall won't dare to provoke the Clear Sky Clan again. I've brought back Hao'er's body, yet you are all so weak. My disciples were killed, and their corpses desecrated, and you did nothing to retaliate."
Tang Chen's tone was filled with scorn.
Hearing this, the Second Elder, Tang Yi, was struck dumb. After a few moments of disbelief, he finally burst into tears, laughing with emotion as he said:
"Ancestor Tang Chen, you've returned! This is wonderful! I'll take all the disciples back to the mountains right away!"
Chen Xin, Gu Rong, and Ning Fengzhi, still reeling from the immense shock, had witnessed Tang Chen's return after decades of absence. He had slain two Titled Douluos, defeated the strongest member of Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu—these events were enough to shake anyone to the core.
But then, their expressions darkened. The Clear Sky Clan's people were leaving, and they were left isolated, facing the full might of the Spirit Empire.
This return from Tang Chen might have done more harm than good. Didn't he realize that the Spirit Empire now had its eyes set on unifying the continent?
Ultimately, the disciples of the Clear Sky Clan left. Tang Chen believed that he was on the brink of becoming a god. He no longer paid attention to Spirit Hall or the Spirit Empire. His focus was on consolidating the Clear Sky Clan's strength and finding the mysterious powerful beings he sought.
When Emperor Xue Ye learned of these events, his face turned pale with rage. He had always treated the Clear Sky Clan well, but now they had turned their backs on him. Their betrayal was as sudden as it was unforgivable.
"Clear Sky Clan, Tang Chen... you... you..."
Xue Ye's roar echoed as he stumbled backward, his health already fragile. This latest blow, coupled with his anger, caused his heart to fail. He felt his head grow heavy, his chest tight as if his heart was about to burst.
The people around rushed forward, only to realize in shock that Xue Ye had already stopped breathing.
Xue Ye was dead...
(End of Chapter)