"However, out of respect for Lady Bibi Dong, I will briefly explain the difference between you and me. My current peak combat power is infinitely close to that of a semi-divine being.
If I were to use the Asura God's power combined with the Great Sumeru Hammer, I could temporarily possess combat power that surpasses most semi-divine beings.
As for the fundamental issue in our previous battle, it lay in your final attack. If the Angel God you worship had accepted your plea, the power of your final strike could have rivaled the one I unleashed with the Asura God's power and the Great Sumeru Hammer.
At the time, I did not communicate with the Asura God to make a plea, so the amount of divine power I could use was far less than what you could have used if your plea to the Angel God had been accepted. This is why I said our final attacks were comparable in power!
However, in the end, it was a pity that the Angel God you worship did not accept your plea. As a result, you only unleashed about 40% of the power of that strike, which is why you were so thoroughly defeated by me. I don't know what caused this, but it is the truth.
Even if you had successfully made your plea and unleashed your strongest attack, you still would not have been my match!
If I were to go all out, detonate all nine of my soul rings, and combine that with the Asura God's power, the power of that strike would be comparable to a divine attack. At that point, the one who would lose would still be you!
Alright, I've said all I needed to say. You can ponder it yourself. I need to return to the Clear Sky Sect to oversee its re-emergence."
After saying this, the Slaughter King turned and left, heading back to the Clear Sky Sect.
Originally, he hadn't planned to explain anything, but out of respect for Lady Bibi Dong and their shared connection to the Spirit Hall, he decided to make things clear.
The Slaughter King left, but Qian Daoliu remained in place, his expression dazed. Eventually, tears began to flow from his aged eyes, and soon, he was weeping openly.
He wasn't crying because he had lost to Tang Chen, but because he had devoted his entire life to worshipping the Angel God, only to realize today that he had never received her blessing.
Qian Daoliu had always believed that his strongest attacks in the past had been empowered by divine power.
When he had fought against Bo Saixi, another divine messenger, he had always assumed that her superior talent allowed her to wield divine power more effectively than he could.
But today, after witnessing the Slaughter King's strongest attack and hearing his explanation, Qian Daoliu finally understood the true extent of the gap between them.
No wonder Bo Saixi had been able to defeat both him and Tang Chen on the sea.
The true power of successfully communicating with a deity and receiving their blessing was terrifying and unstoppable!
If he had been able to wield such complete divine power in the past, perhaps he could have defeated Tang Chen long ago!
"Angel God, what have I done wrong? Have you abandoned your faithful servant?"
After returning to the Angel God's temple, Qian Daoliu knelt on the ground, his expression desolate as he looked up at the statue of the Angel God with despair and confusion.
At this moment, Qian Daoliu was like a child who had made a mistake, helpless and lost.
What Qian Daoliu would never know, even in death, was that it wasn't that the Angel God wasn't responding to him—it was that the Angel God was already dead.
How could a dead god respond to her faithful servant?
"..."
In stark contrast to Qian Daoliu's despair and confusion, the news of Tang Chen's easy victory over Qian Daoliu quickly spread across the continent.
Following this news, the Clear Sky Sect officially announced that they would re-emerge at the beginning of the next month!
The entire continent was shocked. Tang Chen had easily defeated Qian Daoliu, the strongest member of the Spirit Hall.
This was like dropping a nuclear bomb in the world of soul masters.
Qian Daoliu, a 99th-ranked Title Douluo, had defended the Spirit Hall's prestige for over a century with his sheer strength.
But now, he had been easily defeated by Tang Chen.
Rumors and speculation began to spread across the continent: Could the Clear Sky Sect become the next Spirit Hall?
Upon hearing this news, the subordinate clans of the former Clear Sky Sect—the Defense Clan, the Attack Clan, and the Agility Clan—reluctantly decided to return to the Clear Sky Sect under Tang Chen's intimidation.
They knew the Clear Sky Sect's domineering and ferocious nature. With only Tang Xiao around, they could still rely on their seniority to resist. But with the addition of Ancestor Tang Chen, they had no choice but to submit.
However, this time, they had agreed among themselves that they would only contribute their strength and would no longer sacrifice their lives as they had in the past.
The same was true for the smaller families.
After all, once bitten, twice shy. Not everyone was as blindly loyal as Tai Tan.
As time passed, Tang Chen's defeat of Qian Daoliu and the Clear Sky Sect's re-emergence had become an unstoppable force.
Upon hearing this news, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan immediately began gathering and organizing the profits they had earned from the Moon Pavilion during this period.
They planned to return everything on the day of the Clear Sky Sect's re-emergence ceremony.
With Xiao Yu still in seclusion within the Dragon Valley, Yu Yuanzhen had no confidence to provoke Tang Chen.
These material possessions could be reclaimed from the Clear Sky Sect once Xiao Yu returned!
Ning Fengzhi shared the same sentiment.
If Tang Xiao could withstand the pressure to make concessions, they could also endure the pressure to give up some of their gains.
However, Liu Erlong was not so accommodating.
The profits from the Moon Pavilion belonged to her man. How could she simply return them?
Thus, Liu Erlong outright refused to comply with the demand to return the profits.
Fearing Tang Chen's 99th-ranked power, Yu Luoming was terrified and rushed to the Blue Tyrant Academy, pleading with Liu Erlong to hand over the profits.
Under the pressure of Tang Chen's overwhelming strength, Liu Erlong reluctantly returned the Moon Pavilion's recent profits to Tang Yuehua.
Tang Yuehua temporarily accepted the returned profits from the Blue Tyrant Academy.
Tang Yuehua was in the most awkward position, as she was both Xiao Yu's woman and a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect.
Any loss on either side would deeply trouble her.
Even more tragically, she was powerless to stop these events and could only watch helplessly.
"Yuehua, please hold onto these for us. Once Xiao Yu returns, I will definitely take them back!"
Liu Erlong said to Tang Yuehua, her voice hoarse.
She felt immense guilt for losing what Xiao Yu had entrusted to her.
Tang Yuehua nodded slightly, comforting Liu Erlong.