His name is Tang Chen, a legendary Soul Master who has been missing from the Soul Master World of the Douluo Continent for many years.
He holds many titles: the penultimate sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, the most powerful Clear Sky Douluo in the history of the Clear Sky Sect, one of the "Two Peaks" of the Soul Master World alongside Qian Daoliu, the invincible on the ground, and so on. But none of these are the most important; what truly matters is that he is the successor of the Shura God, one of the Five God Kings of the God Realm. His current cultivation is at rank ninety-nine.
Through the fragments of information regarding Tang San left behind in the Sea God Pavilion, Yun Ming knew that this man had only left to pursue godhood and was not dead, but he never expected to run into him on the Dou Ling Continent! Could it be that his disappearance was simply because he went to the wrong continent, developed amnesia, and couldn't find his way home?
No one answered Yun Ming's doubts, and it didn't matter anyway. What mattered was that he vaguely felt the situation was once again heading toward an unknowable direction.
On the other side, the Blood Spirit Emperor looked at the giant hammer in Tang Chen's hand and those somewhat overpowered Soul Rings, feeling a bit dazed. Although he knew the other party was definitely much stronger than him when he was being suppressed without the man even using his Martial Soul, he never imagined he would also be a Tool Soul Master. Was the gap between him and a true peak powerhouse really this vast?!
Tang Chen ignored the shock he had brought upon everyone. He raised the dark gold giant hammer in his hand and said to the Blood Spirit Emperor with a solemn expression.
"Come! Let me see you off on your final journey."
Hearing Tang Chen's words, the Blood Spirit Emperor composed his mind, closed his eyes slightly, and exhaled a breath of turbid air. When he opened his eyes again, the sadness, resentment, unwillingness, and other negative emotions that had been hidden in the depths of his eyes had all vanished, leaving only a calm acceptance of his impending death and a hint of excitement. In this final moment of life and death, he let go of all other distractions, his mind filled only with the desire to experience what might be the strongest power of a Heaven's Chosen at their peak.
"Good! But you had better use your full strength, otherwise, if I manage to drag you down with me, that would be quite amusing!"
Tang Chen grinned and replied.
"You ignorant old fool. But in exchange for letting me have a good fight, I grant you your final wish!"
The Blood Spirit Emperor said no more and began to prepare his final strike. The blood-silver flames on his body, which had dimmed to the extreme, began to rise again, growing increasingly magnificent, and his aura expanded to its limit. He had ignited his Life Fire; for this move, he didn't just want Tang Chen to go all out—he himself wanted to explore his own limits as well.
"Haa--"
Accompanied by the old man's roar, the Blood Qi fire behind him climbed to its peak. The silver-white light within the blood fire seemed to have accumulated to its limit, and after a strange fluctuation, a dazzling golden light condensed. In an instant, his momentum surged, barely crossing into the limit level.
In the final moment of his life, the Blood Spirit Emperor finally unearthed the greatest potential of his Martial Soul, barely entering the realm of Golden Awakening.
At this moment, the Blood Spirit Emperor felt as if he were omnipotent; so this was their limit. He was now even more expectant of his final attack.
The Blood Spirit Emperor stared straight at Tang Chen, and his final two Soul Rings lit up in unison. A blood-colored Dharma Image, a thousand meters tall and identical to himself, appeared above his head.
The moment the Dharma Image appeared, the Blood Shadow King and the others felt the Blood Qi within their bodies churning violently, as if trying to burst out. This chain reaction was far more intense than before, and their faces turned as red as dates. They had no choice but to sit cross-legged in the Void and mobilize their Soul Power to suppress their Blood Qi. Yun Ming was also affected; although his Soul Core suppressed the riot within his body after only a moment, the fact that he was affected at all was enough to trigger his Blood Soul Core. The Blood Spirit Emperor's final outburst was clearly very powerful.
The Dharma Image roared, and the overwhelming Blood Qi began to converge toward its right palm. An aura of the annihilation of all things erupted, as if something terrifying had been birthed in his palm.
Tang Chen sensed the pressure radiating from the Blood God Dharma Image, and his body couldn't stop trembling. Excitement—he was even more excited! This move from the Blood Spirit Emperor was even more powerful than his previous punches.
"Well done!"
As he spoke, Tang Chen raised the massive Clear Sky Hammer above his head. Earth-shattering blood-colored killing intent and an endless, massive amount of Soul Power began to condense toward the Clear Sky Hammer. The enormous dark gold hammer head expanded against the wind, and a terrifying aura that seemed to crush the firmament erupted.
Two storms of Soul Power scoured the heavens, quickly climbing to their peak. When they reached their most frenzied state, all sound in the air ceased, and the two attacks rapidly crossed space and time to collide head-on.
Covering the Sky with One Hand!
Serious Hammer Strike!
Crack--
Boom--
Before the palm carrying the Blood Spirit Emperor's ultimate power and Tang Chen's Serious Hammer Strike even collided, the plane space in front of the two attacks fractured slightly from the pressure of their power. When they finally collided, Yun Ming heard a loud noise that felt as if it would pierce his eardrums, accompanied by an unprecedented blood-colored shockwave.
Facing the aftermath, Yun Ming and the Saint Spirit Old Man were fine. The active protection of their two Soul Cores and the radiance of the Sun and Moon Together flowing between them formed a barrier, blocking all the shockwaves heading toward him. The Saint Spirit Old Man, being behind Yun Ming, was also protected. However, the Blood Shadow King and the Netherworld King were in trouble; they faced it head-on and were sent flying like meteors, no one knowing where they ended up.
Blood-colored Soul Power light and shockwaves obscured everything. Seeing a collision of this magnitude, the Saint Spirit Old Man felt his throat go dry while also feeling exceptionally curious about the outcome between the two.
Yun Ming did not think about the outcome; it was obvious. He felt a bit of regret that the Blood Spirit Emperor had been born on the wrong continent. If he could have received the more profound Soul Master knowledge from the Douluo Continent, he might have had a chance to bring the legend of the Body Sect into the world early.
A long time later, the Soul Power storms and the shockwave aftermath in the air dissipated. A blood-haired man with a bare upper body, holding a giant hammer, reappeared before Yun Ming and his companion. As for the Blood Spirit Emperor, he was gone; after unleashing that palm, his life force had been completely extinguished.
Seeing Tang Chen reveal himself, the Saint Spirit Old Man took the initiative to offer his congratulations.
"Senior's divine skills are peerless; this old man is in awe!"
Hearing this, Tang Chen carried his giant hammer and replied casually.
"That's right, I am invincible in this world!"
Hearing this, the Saint Spirit Old Man glanced at Yun Ming, not daring to respond, yet not daring to let Tang Chen's words fall flat, so he could only carefully play along.
"Senior is amazing, Senior is amazing."
"Alright, I'm leaving."
Tang Chen didn't care about the hidden thoughts in his words. Now that he had kept his word, it was time for him to depart.
Seeing Tang Chen actually turn around to leave, Yun Ming felt puzzled. Could it really end so simply today? But just as this thought appeared, Tang Chen, who had turned around, stopped in his tracks. A strange thumping sensation came from his heart, and his entire body stood frozen in place.
Thump... thump... thump...
"Saint Spirit, fall back!"
The three strange heartbeats triggered a frantic alarm in Yun Ming's danger perception. It was a phenomenon that hadn't even occurred when facing the Fallen God earlier. This sense of crisis, which made him feel as if he were suffocating, caused him to subconsciously summon the Atlas Divine Spear and order his subordinate to retreat.
The Saint Spirit Old Man didn't know the reason, but seeing Yun Ming's intense reaction, he didn't dare to ask and hurriedly flew into the distance. However, he had only flown a few hundred meters when he saw white streams of light rising from below, followed by a sudden, icy killing intent erupting from behind him. He didn't know how to describe the power of this killing intent; he only felt as if he were in purgatory, his soul seemingly enduring the pain of ten thousand blades. His entire body's Soul Power was in chaos, and he began to fall freely, but fortunately, a silver light array appeared and sent him away.
Yun Ming hadn't expected the other party's sudden outburst to be so violent; he had almost been unable to withstand it himself.
In his haste, Yun Ming's Fifth Soul Ring appeared and lit up, generating a three-colored Barrier to withstand this pressure that did not belong to the Human World, while simultaneously sending his subordinate away.
"You blocked it? Not bad!"
Sensing the fluctuations behind him, 'Tang Chen' turned around and commented with a hint of praise. However, although the voice was still Tang Chen's, compared to his previous wildness and dominance, it was now filled with majesty and aloofness.
Yun Ming looked at the figure in front of him, whose expression and tone had changed drastically, and felt a heavy heart.
"I wonder, which deity are you? What business brings you down to the lower realm to seek out this junior?"
He actually knew who was currently possessing Tang Chen; it was none other than the Shura God, the previous owner of the other godhood that Tang San would hold in later generations! He just couldn't say it out loud.
Shura was not surprised that Yun Ming could tell he wasn't the original person; the other party had met gods before and knew the difference between gods and mortals.
"I am Shura, and I have come specifically for you," the Shura God stated bluntly.
Yun Ming: "This junior does not understand. I ask that the senior Shura God please clarify."
"'Senior'? You are quite confident, believing you can step into the realm of gods in the future!" Hearing Yun Ming's form of address, Shura responded aloud.
Yun Ming did not refute him, tacitly accepting his statement.
"It is just a pity that your idea of becoming a god through faith is likely to fall through," the Shura God said faintly.
Yun Ming: "!!!"
His face was full of question marks. What did that mean? The God Realm existed, and there were new lands of faith; why couldn't he become a god through faith? Although Yun Ming hadn't planned on taking that path, Shura's words made his heart skip a beat. Could there be some issue with the power of faith that he didn't know about—a hidden catastrophe?!!
"I ask that senior please enlighten me."
Shura did not beat around the bush and told him the reason directly.
"The godhoods in the God Realm are saturated. For the time being, apart from Godhood Succession, there is no other way to become a god."
This was a new field Yun Ming had never touched upon. He hadn't expected the God Realm to have a concept of saturation, but fortunately, there was nothing wrong with the power of faith, which made Yun Ming heave a sigh of relief. Moreover, since it involved godhood, he seemed to understand the reason why the other party had come to find him. As expected, the Shura God soon revealed his true intentions.
"Therefore, I see that you are a talent worth molding. I cannot bear to see such a pearl covered in dust, so I have come specifically to give you an opportunity."
Shura's reason wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't entirely false either, because this was a foreseeable future for the God Realm, and it was right before them. The main reason he had urgently descended to the lower realm was that he discovered that after Yun Ming arrived on this Blood Spirit Continent, he had started playing with the power of faith.
This was not a good sign. If Yun Ming really relied on local faith to cobble together a new godhood—just like him, Poseidon, and that dead woman Rakshasa—and did so before the God Realm was completely saturated, what would happen to his position as a God King? Yun Ming didn't have a second Martial Soul to squeeze into a godhood slot. Was he supposed to continue sitting in prison in the God Realm? No, absolutely not!
Therefore, he had no choice but to change his plan, bring Tang Chen over, and steer Yun Ming back onto the correct path. Originally, he had intended to wait for Yun Ming to return to the Douluo Continent before letting Tang Chen deliver himself to his door.
Hearing that the other party had come looking for him, Yun Ming didn't feel any disbelief or sense of honor. His teacher in his previous life had also been sought out by several big shots before he made his own choice. For someone as outstanding as him, wasn't it normal to encounter such things?
After a brief moment of self-importance, Yun Ming's thoughts drifted elsewhere. He could understand the other party's behavior, but a god delivering himself to his door made him feel like it was suddenly much less prestigious! He preferred the kind of unattainable goal he had to struggle and scheme to reach—that was the kind he yearned for.
The Shura God was clear-sighted; he felt offended, and although he had no evidence, the person offending him was likely the human in front of him. It was just a bit uncalled for! He had come to offer an opportunity, so why was the other party looking down on him?
"Many thanks for senior's good intentions."
"That senior came to the lower realm specifically for this, Yun Ming is deeply grateful. For senior to have such vision, you must be one of the top powerhouses in the God Realm."
"Therefore, you surely do not lack successors, so this junior will not join in on the fun."
Considering that the other party had gone out of his way to descend and warn him, Yun Ming still politely expressed his appreciation for being valued, adding a few flowery words before refusing.
"Very well, I am certain this will be the most correct decision you make in your life," Shura instinctively replied to the first half of the flattery, but upon recalling the second half, the god was a bit stunned.
What was the meaning of this? He, Shura, had personally come to the door only to be rejected? Shura's arrogant expression couldn't hold, and he hurriedly asked.
"Human, do you know what you are saying? Do you know what you are rejecting?"
"If you are worried about the strength of the godhood, there is no need."
"The godhood I intend to pass to you is one of the five supreme godhoods of the God Realm. It is a grade stronger than the likes of the Angel God or the Sea God, and its combat power is peerless in the God Realm. It is absolutely your best choice."
Hearing that the Shura godhood was so excellent, Yun Ming was a bit surprised, but it was a pity; he had great confidence in his own path and believed his future would be no worse than a supreme god, so Yun Ming still expressed his stance.
"How amazing! But I still refuse."
Shura's face became somewhat ugly, and he asked one last time.
"The God Realm does not allow the birth of new gods; even if you have extraordinary talent, you cannot break the shackles of the God Realm. Furthermore, my inheritance will not give you a second chance. Think carefully before you answer!"
Hearing the somewhat flustered and angry tone in Shura's voice, Yun Ming felt a bit of regret. He was a good person, what a pity! He would only walk his own path.
"I haven't even tried, so who knows if I can succeed! Therefore, I must still say sorry to senior."
"I refuse!"
Yun Ming's refusal caused Shura's appreciation for talent to be completely overwhelmed by the anger of having his face dragged through the dirt. Even if Yun Ming was a genius, he was only a human, yet he dared to refuse him again and again. Feeling that he had lost all face, he let out a cold snort and left immediately.
As a god, although Shura was not particularly petty, he wasn't so magnanimous that he wouldn't retaliate against a tiny human. However, his appearance had brought about subsequent effects.
Originally, Tang Chen had lost control of his mind because of Bibi Dong, and the souls of the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King and Tang Chen had been entangled within his body. After such a long time, under the interference of the Shura God, they had finally reached a new, mixed equilibrium. It allowed him to exert the power of this demigod body without dying quickly like Tang Chen would have upon returning. But now that the Shura God had descended and completely awakened the divine power within Tang Chen, that balance was shattered!
A sword-shaped blood-red magic pattern on his forehead began to glow, the light shifting from dim to intense, and a layer of crimson radiance emerged on the surface of his body. His originally pale complexion also began to change; the white was gradually replaced by an unhealthy flush, his hair gradually turned from blood-red to black, and the same change appeared in his eyes. From head to toe, the only thing that remained red was the magic pattern on his forehead.
The already formidable aura on his body rose once again, as if it were endless.
Yun Ming sensed the increasingly thick killing intent on him, his mind surging; he knew clearly that this was a sign that Tang Chen was about to recover!
Tang Chen lit up. His eyes were black, an incomparably deep black, and his features seemed to have changed slightly; although he still appeared to be a middle-aged man, he had become much more handsome. Seeing that he had regained his sanity, he was very happy, but when he saw Yun Ming, his happiness came to an abrupt end. He was first a bit confused, but after repeatedly confirming that his senses were indeed correct, a pure, heaven-shaking killing intent erupted from his body.
"Junior, why is there the aura of my sect's Inheritance Skull Bone on you!"
Yun Ming's battle armor helmet was made from the Clear Sky Sect's Inheritance Skull Bone. Although the aura remaining within it had been diluted quite a bit by the battle armor, it was still relatively clear to Tang Chen.
And just like that, he had detected it immediately.
Regarding Tang Chen's sudden attack, although Yun Ming was a bit surprised, he felt no fear and replied calmly.
"Of course, it is because the spirit bone is on me."
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader