Chapter 283: Asura vs. Sea God, Part Two
The gods could understand Ye Wen's unique time based abilities, seeing him as a "chosen one" of the world blessed with an extraordinary innate martial soul. But Tang San, wielding a hammer and vine spirit even as a god how could he command such advanced powers?
In the gods' collective memory, not even Asura himself possessed these abilities. While it wasn't impossible for Tang San to have acquired such a skill from a spirit ring, such extraordinary enhancements would typically require rings from divine beasts those capable of reaching one million years of cultivation.
Without seeing any traces of such spirit rings on Tang San, the gods turned their eyes toward Asura, suspicion lingering in their glances.
Facing the gods' judgmental stares, Asura scoffed. "What are you looking at?"
As the enforcement god, Asura commanded an intimidating presence in the Divine Realm, his years of unrivaled authority causing lesser gods to lower their heads, unwilling to provoke him. Only the Sea God, a top tier deity despite not being a Divine King, dared to speak.
"Destruction, could you help us see what's going on down there? I'm curious," he said casually.
The God of Destruction nodded slightly. While Tang San's spatial barrier had excellent isolation, a Divine King's power could easily penetrate it. With a sweep of his hand, he projected the battle scene between Tang San and Ye Wen onto a massive screen.
The first question of "guilt" and Tang San's accusatory tone instantly put Ye Wen on alert. He scrutinized the domain, wary that it might be like the Angelic Judgment ability he had taught Qian Qian, designed to weaken opponents with guilt.
After careful observation, he relaxed slightly there was no sign of forced judgment here. Still, he responded resolutely.
"What guilt do I carry?" he retorted, voice calm.
Tang San's cold reply came at once: "You incited war between two empires, causing countless innocents to die. You dare claim you're guiltless, Ye Wen?"
Ye Wen scoffed, unperturbed by what he saw as a naive view. "The world's affairs ebb and flow, bound by cycles of division and unification. I'm merely aligning with the natural order, seeking to unite the continent. What fault is there in that? And you, Tang San do you truly care for those civilians you speak of?"
But Tang San's lips curled in a cunning smile, and Ye Wen felt a chill of premonition. His unease was confirmed.
"All this talk of the 'natural order.' Yet, in my view, true mercy for the people lies in maintaining the status quo. If we disagree," Tang San declared, "then we shall let our ideals clash in battle. Suffering without hatred this is the Asura's path, the order I seek. I accept the evil karma of slaughter!"
With those words, Tang San's power surged, his aura intensifying. Ye Wen swore under his breath. The domain's rules had just granted Tang San a power boost, seemingly triggered by their debate. But what had twisted Ye Wen's initial attacks, causing them to miss? The Asura God had indeed prepared meticulously.
Fueled by the domain, Tang San's power rose, elevating him from the pinnacle of a second tier god to the early levels of a first tier god. Watching this, the gods were astonished; the gap between a second and first tier god was substantial, with only a handful of gods achieving the highest rank.
For many low ranking gods, stuck between second and third tiers, the sight of Tang San wielding this ability ignited a greedy hunger they had to find a way to acquire such power.
Asura, one of the Divine Realm's two gods of malevolent intention, derived his power from slaughter. However, it wasn't senseless killing; his path centered on steadfast resolve, cultivating faith from others and ultimately securing his status. Just now, Tang San's question to Ye Wen had tested their clashing ideals, activating the domain's boost.
Facing this empowered Tang San, Ye Wen had no choice but to evade. While the domain appeared confined, its internal space seemed boundless, preventing any real distance from his opponent.
But Ye Wen was cautious; this unfamiliar battleground called for a meticulous approach. As he dodged repeatedly, he began to piece together the reason behind the distortion of his previous attacks.
This domain an expansion of Tang San's Killing God Domain was built to amplify his power and suppress his opponent. Now enclosed, it likely applied additional restrictions, heightening Tang San's strength while adding constraints. Knowing the boost, Ye Wen only needed to figure out the suppression.
To test his theory, he conjured shards of ice and launched them from a distance. Just as he anticipated, Tang San ignored the attack, letting the ice deflect off invisible forces and veer away.
Ye Wen's power remained unaffected, hinting that the suppression might have altered the nature of ranged attacks, possibly nullifying any offensive move from a distance.
What sense did this make? A close combat specialist like Tang San being denied the use of ranged techniques seemed... strange. But then it clicked this domain wasn't crafted by Tang San but by the Asura God himself. Asura, it seemed, had misunderstood one of Tang San's strengths, inadvertently nullifying it.
However, given the Asura God's divine techniques, Tang San wouldn't miss his concealed weaponry or other martial skills. Besides, in the original storyline, Tang San's late game battles relied mainly on Sea God abilities, and his mastery of the Tang Sect arts had required unique opportunities to develop fully. Here, his experience with Tang Sect techniques was limited.
Tang San's attacks grew fiercer, each blow fueled by overwhelming godly energy. Ye Wen suspected the domain might be replenishing his power, as Tang San's sustained onslaught seemed uncharacteristically lavish with divine energy.
For Tang San, Ye Wen's constant evasions were deeply frustrating. Though his eyes tracked Ye Wen's every move, his strikes were always evaded by Ye Wen's agile dodges. Strangely, Ye Wen's movements felt reminiscent of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
The sudden power surge within the domain threw off Tang San's precision, making his attacks sluggish. Now understanding the domain's effects, Ye Wen summoned his Sea God's Trident.
"If it's close combat you want," he said, "I'm ready to deliver."
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