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What a joke!
Xu Huang cursed inwardly. He says he hasn't read it, yet he can name it? Even if he hasn't read the book, he must have heard of it, right? This guy clearly didn't take him seriously at all.
"Let's go, the battlefield isn't here."
Tang San rose into the air, walking on nothingness, flying toward a place far from the continent.
Gritting his teeth, Xu Huang used the power of the Divine Throne of Eternity and Creation to follow closely behind, flying after Tang San.
Flying?
Xu Huang didn't have that ability on his own.
"I never expected the God of Divine Punishment to choose Tang San." Hidden in the shadows, Luo Qiu trembled when he saw the Haotian Hammer and sensed its destructive aura. "Unbelievable... but only someone this powerful could control the mighty Austin Griffin."
More than a hundred miles away from the shore, Tang San stopped. Surrounded by the vast sea, he turned and spoke to Xu Huang, who stood in midair as well. "I thought you might try to ambush me from behind."
"Hmph, I'm not as despicable as you think," Xu Huang retorted disdainfully.
"Really? Or is it that you simply can't?" Tang San rested the Haotian Hammer on his shoulder, a playful smile on his face. "The one who holds the Divine Throne of Eternity and Creation must be virtuous, far nobler than me."
"But let me remind you of something."
"You are not the Creator God. Trying to suppress your darker nature and live up to the Creator's standards isn't a good idea. If that darkness erupts one day, it could be far more dangerous than divine punishment."
Tang San had once harbored ambitions for the Divine Throne of Eternity and Creation, but after hearing more details from Luo Qiu, his interest had waned.
After all, he wasn't some paragon of virtue, and earning the throne's approval would be difficult. He'd have to defeat its weapon spirit and soul to forcibly seize control.
That would require a deep understanding of the power of creation—a process that might take more time than simply crafting his own similar soul-imbued throne.
Once his life reached the same level as the vast universe itself, any throne he created would be imbued with his essence, becoming a super divine weapon, perhaps even surpassing one.
With this realization, Tang San felt more at peace.
"To gain power, you must pay a price. No one is exempt," Xu Huang said resolutely, stating a plain truth. "Some pay in sweat, some in emotion, others in freedom. No one gets something for nothing. Even I had to endure much hardship before becoming Emperor of the Sun and Moon Empire."
"Of all the reincarnated travelers I've met, you're the easiest to deal with," Tang San remarked, stating his own truth. "The lofty Creator God may look down on all life as ants, but that doesn't mean He can ignore them."
"Enough talk. Let's fight!"
Xu Huang gripped his Sun Shield in one hand and controlled his Moon Blade with the other, no longer interested in conversation. After all, the moon had already risen over the ocean.
Any more talk, and it would be morning.
"Your journey through worlds ends with me!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, the Moon Blade spun toward Tang San's face at such speed that it seemed to slice through the air itself.
Tilt of the head. Twist of the body.
Tang San evaded the strike with minimal movement, watching as the blade sliced through the sea, raising a spray of water tens of meters high. He sighed, "Sharp... reminds me of the Moon Wheel from Legend of the Sword and the Fairy."
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Huang charged toward him, left arm braced behind the Sun Shield, aiming a fierce blow at his face.
Boom!
Tang San flicked his left hand, and the Haotian Hammer collided with the shield in a thunderous clash. The impact sent Xu Huang flying nearly a hundred meters before he managed to stop.
The sheer power of the Haotian Hammer shocked Xu Huang.
His Sun Shield vibrated, his left arm trembled, and after just one strike, he was at a disadvantage.
Despite neither of them using their full strength, Xu Huang, an eighty-second level Spirit Douluo, was being overpowered by a seventy-ninth level Spirit Saint!
How did he cultivate this way?
Or was it that Austin Griffin's reinforcement of Tang San's Haotian Hammer was just that absurd?
Xu Huang's eyes narrowed as he stared at Tang San, unwilling to make the next move.
"What's wrong?" Tang San smirked, tilting his head slightly as the silver Moon Blade flew past his ear and returned to Xu Huang's side, orbiting him. "Did you really think such a small trick could split my head in two?"
Tang San's primordial spirit allowed him to perceive all energy and material changes within a thousand-mile radius, though he rarely kept it active.
After all, most of that information was irrelevant clutter, and processing it would be a headache, even for his soul and mind.
The primary function of [Heaven's Dao] wasn't to handle such trivial data.
Xu Huang didn't reply. Dark purple scales appeared on his body, and dragon horns sprouted from his head, releasing an aura of destruction.
Twin martial souls couldn't be used simultaneously—
Meaning they couldn't activate abilities from both at once, not that they couldn't appear together. After all, twin martial souls awakened together. Only those with strong control could suppress one from being visible to others.
The issue with cultivating twin martial souls lay in the differences between their attributes and the way they required soul power to circulate.
Take Bibi Dong, for instance. She could switch between her two martial souls freely because she had invented a twin-soul meditation technique that allowed her to transition between soul power attributes and circulation paths seamlessly.
Xu Huang likely hadn't thought that far ahead and certainly didn't have any advanced meditation technique (at least not compared to Bibi Dong's unrefined version). Instead, he relied on the Divine Throne of Eternity and Creation to force his two martial souls into harmony.
A Pay-to-Win Player with Cheat Abilities!
After activating his Purple Radiance Heaven-Destruction Dragon martial soul, Xu Huang's spirit power level didn't increase, but his combat strength reached that of an eighty-fifth-level Spirit Douluo.
"Sun and Moon True Form!"
As the seventh spirit ring of his Sun and Moon Wheel lit up, Xu Huang's Sun Shield and Moon Blade floated above his head, transforming into a golden sun and a silver crescent moon.
The rotating lights of gold and silver covered the surrounding area for several miles, reflecting the sea in these two colors.
This was a domain-type skill! Yet, Tang San was neither shocked nor fazed; instead, he curiously observed the domain, noticing that the sunlight and moonlight within it were slowly being absorbed by his Blue Silver Emperor. It seemed that Xu Huang didn't know that Tang San's martial soul could absorb solar and lunar energy, which was definitely a boost for him.
"How do you like my domain?" Xu Huang asked confidently.
Within this Sun and Moon Domain, he gained a 100% boost to all attributes, with a 200% boost to his Moon Blade's attack and Sun Shield's defense. But that was just the base increase. The real strength of the domain lay in his ability to control time!
The sun and moon alternated, time flowed—completely at his command!
"It's nothing special."
Tang San shrugged, yawning, then raised his Haotian Hammer toward Xu Huang and uttered a single word: "Break."
Black lightning erupted from the hammer, spreading like thousands of electric serpents, striking the entire Sun and Moon Domain. Cracks appeared around them, then the domain shattered, dissolving into countless gold and silver stardust that scattered across the ocean illuminated by the full moon.
No matter how strong the domain, when faced with Austin Griffin's inherent power of destruction, it could be broken through sheer force. And the destruction attribute of Xu Huang's Purple Radiance Heaven-Destruction Dragon martial soul was like child's play before the God of Divine Punishment.
In his Heaven-Destruction Dragon-possessed state, Xu Huang's body began to tremble instinctively. The extreme power of destruction made his heart shudder in fear.
Fortunately, with Easton King, the Holy Dragon, and the Eternal Angel advising him in his ear, he managed to stabilize his emotions, retracting the Purple Radiance Heaven-Destruction Dragon martial soul.
"As expected of the God of Divine Punishment. My second martial soul's enhancement pales in comparison to the suppression your Haotian Hammer brings," Xu Huang remarked. As he spoke, thirteen radiant eternal stars appeared around him, transforming into a brilliant set of Eternal Armor that covered his body. In his hand, an Eternal Sword materialized.
"So you're finally getting serious." Tang San sensed the surge of divine power erupting from Xu Huang's body, as well as the oppressive force weighing on his mind, and smiled.
Four black, three red—seven spirit rings appeared behind Tang San, merging into one in an instant. They floated in midair, forming a sacred blue-gold radiance. The Blue Silver Emperor True Body Armor completed its fusion in moments, radiating the energy of life and creation, standing in stark opposition to Xu Huang's power.
The two forces clashed invisibly, and since both held the power of creation, it was inevitable that one would have to emerge victorious.
"This power… has already surpassed the hundredth level!" Xu Huang frowned, shocked by Tang San's overwhelming ability. To think that his martial soul armor could transform like this... Was this the version of martial soul true body armor from the comics?
Was this enhancement not a bit too exaggerated?
"Spirit power doesn't have to be weaker than divine power. It's all about efficiency," Tang San explained, seemingly noticing Xu Huang's shock. Then, the Haotian Hammer in his hand cracked and shattered, the fragments transforming into armor plates that fused with his Blue Silver Emperor True Body Armor, staining it with a dark purple hue.
In Tang San's left hand, a purple-black war hammer appeared, more extravagant than the original Haotian Hammer. Its face bore a purple-gray gem, and along the sides of the hammerhead were seven intricately carved dragon heads, with an eighth faintly visible.
Austin Griffin could transform into a greatsword, but after residing in the Haotian Hammer for so long, it had grown fond of the hammer's raw destructive power, adapting its sword form to resemble the Haotian Hammer instead.
Hammer to the flesh—that's the true beauty of violence!
With the attachment of the Purple-Gold Nine Heavens Battle Armor over the Blue Silver Emperor True Body Armor, the powers of destruction and creation balanced perfectly. Life and death attributes rotated within the gemstone at his chest, and Tang San's aura surged skyward, scattering the clouds of the moonlit night, fully exposing his divine strength.
At the same time, individuals across the continent sensed the divine power. In Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu; in the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue); in the Haotian Clan, Tang Chen; and on Sea God Island, Bo Saixi—all turned their gaze toward Tang San and Xu Huang's location.
Qian Daoliu frowned deeply, "A god has appeared?"
Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) pondered, "Is it you, Tang San? As expected, you also seek to surpass mortal limits. But I can sense that your own power hasn't truly reached that level; this must be the result of your Martial Soul True Body Armor, unleashing power beyond level 100… Could the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire really force you to use such strength?"
Tang Chen, who was undergoing his final divine trial, also felt the divine energy. The Asura God overseeing the trial furrowed his brow, sending a trace of divine sense toward the source of the divine power. He was slightly astonished, "Is that kid really not the illegitimate child of destruction and life? To be able to unleash such power at just the Soul Sage level, isn't that a bit too overpowered? The impact on the mortal realm will be immense… But since he hasn't truly reached the god level yet, it's none of my business… Oh well, Tang Chen is doing alright; I'll just expend a bit more divine power and let the new inheritor deal with those 'childlike' supreme gods of life and destruction."
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm, the first to notice was Sea God Poseidon. After all, the battle between Tang San and Xu Huang was taking place so close to his legacy site.
"Holy crap! These two are monsters!" Poseidon exclaimed as he observed the battle through the Sea God Trident, aided by the faith of the sea creatures.
One of them wielded a power similar to creation, with divine-level armor and weapons, which together formed a set of super artifacts.
The other was even more outrageous. Without a single divine artifact, they were able to explode with power beyond that of a god, merely by exploiting the potential of their spirit rings.
That uniquely shaped hammer—it must have become a divine artifact once the wielder's power reached god-level.
"They're both promising inheritors," Poseidon mused. He had his eyes on Tang San, but it was clear that Xu Huang, with his divine armor and sword, was already chosen by another god. How could Poseidon steal someone else's candidate?
As for Tang San not being an ideal fit for his god position… Well, that was no issue. As a god, changing someone's martial soul attributes was no big deal.
After all, the sea could both nurture life, symbolizing creation, and unleash tsunamis that destroyed land, symbolizing destruction.
Their attributes were quite compatible!
But based on the situation, it seemed that even without his Sea God trial, Tang San would break past level 100. If Poseidon personally approached him only to be rejected, that would be awkward.
Wait a minute, didn't Asura say that this guy is supposedly the 'illegitimate child' of destruction and life? And that he refused their inheritance...
In that case, Poseidon decided to hold off for now. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future. Besides, even after Asura passed on his god position, he couldn't leave the Divine Realm immediately until his successor ascended.
A day in the Divine Realm is a century in the mortal world.
This era of the Douluo Continent seemed to be producing many exceptionally talented individuals. Poseidon could search for a successor over the next hundred years. Even if he couldn't find one by then, Asura would probably wait for him, after all. If Asura planned to explore the universe, he'd need a companion, right?
For now, Poseidon decided to enjoy the show.
In the Divine Realm, the gods of Good, Evil, Destruction, and Life also turned their attention to the mortal realm, each sending a trace of divine sense to Douluo Continent to observe the scene over the sea.
"It's your illegitimate child again," Evil joked to Destruction and Life, still remembering Tang San from earlier. This time, however, the two remained silent.
After all, the Goddess of Life had truly recognized Tang San as her godson.
Meanwhile, the God of Good focused on Xu Huang, asking, "That divine armor and sword together—are they a set of super artifacts? Other than us five Divine Kings, do any other gods possess super artifacts?"
Destruction shook his head, "The recently ascended God of Emotions holds seven supreme divine blades, which could potentially form a set of super artifacts in the future. But that's for later."
The Goddess of Life hesitated. "We must investigate where this set of divine artifacts came from, and why this Xu Huang is dueling with Tang San. It seems like a life-and-death battle."
Evil smirked and asked, "You seem particularly concerned about Tang San. Could it be that he's really your son?"
Everyone present knew that Tang San had no direct relation to Life or Destruction, yet Life's attitude seemed off. She appeared impartial but was consistently favoring Tang San.
"Not a biological son," the Goddess of Life replied calmly.
"Oh?" Good drew out the sound, understanding human relationships quite well despite being an observer. "So you snuck down to the mortal world and adopted him as your godson?"
The Goddess of Life nodded. "Is there any rule in the Divine Realm prohibiting such a thing?"
Good, appearing serious, replied, "Should we add one now?"
The Goddess of Life nodded again. "Feel free. It won't count for what I've already done."
Good sighed in resignation and shifted his gaze back to Xu Huang. "Let's deal with this later. For now, let's closely observe where that divine armor and sword came from. Which god is so extravagant that their artifacts bear the aura of a Creator God..."
Creator God!
Upon hearing this, Good and the others were stunned for a moment before their expressions turned serious. "A Creator God from another world outside the Divine Realm's jurisdiction?"
Evil chuckled, "Interesting. I can sense the darkness within his heart, like a mire... Is this some kind of twisted game where a Creator God from another world chooses such a successor?"
Destruction also laughed. "If this guy ascends to the Divine Realm, he might directly reach the level of a Creator God. Although a Creator God cannot exist eternally, during their time, they'd definitely outrank all of us."
Destruction's words clearly had the intent of influencing the Supreme Divine Kings—Good and Evil. The thought of someone else becoming their superior made both gods wary.
"We'll see how Tang San fares first. If he falls short, we can step in and seize both the divine armor and sword, then share the Creator's insights among ourselves," Good decided, before asking, "Where's Asura? Has he already passed down his god position and fled?"
Evil briefly scanned with divine sense and responded, "He's still in the transition space between Douluo Continent and the Divine Realm, conducting the inheritance ceremony. By Divine Realm time, it might take three or four more days... His inheritor seems mentally weak. There's over a 50% chance of failure."
"Perfect. When Asura returns, he can bring back that Creator super artifact as well," Good declared decisively.
Evil nodded in agreement. "Exactly. He's the one who went down to the mortal world."
---
Sea God Island.
Among the four people who had sensed the divine power, Bo Saixi was the most shocked. The battle between Tang San and Xu Huang was only 400 miles from Sea God Island.
"A god... has descended!" Bo Saixi stepped out of the Sea God Temple, staring in awe at the brilliant light shooting into the sky. "Could it be that in this era, someone has broken through to godhood by their own power?"
"Incredible! Simply unbelievable!"
"Could it be the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, Tang San?"
Though Sea God Island was distant from the mainland, they were not entirely ignorant of land-based soul masters. After all, they had their own fleets that sailed to the mainland for supplies. In the process, advanced soul tools, such as soul tool photography devices and even films, had made their way to Sea God Island.
Bo Saixi had seen footage from the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament through soul tool recordings and had witnessed Tang San's outstanding performance.
But she hadn't expected Tang San to be this exceptional—he wasn't even twenty years old yet!
However, one thing puzzled Bo Saixi: "But who is his opponent?"
---
In Spirit Hall's Pope Palace, Bibi Dong looked toward the distant city of Xiao Hai. Her spiritual power spread out, pinpointing Tang San's location, ready to cross the vast distance and join the battle, preparing to strike a lethal blow against the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire...
---
At that moment, Tang San, with the power of creation and destruction flowing through him, gave a slight tremor in his arms. The surrounding air shook, sending invisible ripples toward Xu Huang.
Xu Huang's divine armor core gem glowed with a dazzling nine-colored light, resisting the pressure radiating from Tang San.
The clash of their invisible forces caused the surface of the sea to freeze as though it had turned into a dark glass crystal.
From a higher, distant vantage point, one could see two invisible waves colliding, twisting the air and disrupting the airflow, stirring up massive waves outside the area where they stood.
"Break!" Xu Huang shouted, swinging his Eternal Sword, dispelling the collision of auras. He then pointed his sword at Tang San, declaring, "To have reached such power, I acknowledge you. But it's a pity—you lack a divine artifact!"
Although Austin Griffin could armorize, it had no true physical form after merging with Tang San's martial soul. This left it inferior to Xu Huang's Eternal and Creation God Emblem Throne.
"Divine artifact?" Tang San sneered, quietly using his soul force to scan the surroundings. His divine sense detected six god-level presences observing the battle, and his lips curled into a smile.
At least in the eyes of the gods, he, a "native" of Douluo Continent, seemed much more approachable than Xu Huang, who wielded a super artifact from an otherworldly Creator God.
Not to mention, the Goddess of Life was his godmother!
In both the mortal and divine realms, whether you were a commoner or a noble, it all came down to connections and background—
"Can you truly control that divine artifact without being able to communicate with its spirit? Can you unleash its full power?"
(End of Chapter)