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"It's you!"
Qian Renxue bit her silver teeth, recognizing Anna the instant she appeared. What was even harder for her to accept was that Anna had also ascended to godhood. Although Anna's aura was not yet as formidable as her own—clearly having only recently broken through the hundred-level rank—she was, without a doubt, a true deity.
"Heh, Prince Xue Qinghe, we meet again. I never imagined you were actually a woman! But no matter; our battle from six years ago remains undecided. This is the perfect chance to settle it!"
Anna sneered, her Sea God Trident leveled at Qian Renxue. After completing the Nine Trials of the Sea God, she had learned the full story from Tang Yuehua. Even she hadn't expected that the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire was an impostor, let alone a woman who had successfully usurped the throne.
"So it's you, little enchantress. I didn't expect you to achieve godhood as well!" Qian Renxue let out a light laugh, her grip tightening on the Angelic Saint Sword. She pointed the blade at Anna, a boundless fighting spirit igniting within her.
"The Sea God, is it? Let me see just what kind of power you possess. Divine Skill: Angelic Wings!"
The six wings on Qian Renxue's back unfurled with a brilliant flash. With a sudden whoosh, she lunged toward Anna. Sword intent surged for thirty thousand miles, a single flash of her blade cold enough to chill fourteen provinces.
The sword qi vibrating from the Angelic Saint Sword was so sharp it seemed capable of piercing Anna's throat in a heartbeat. However, Anna was far from defenseless.
"Super Divine Tool: Sea God's Demonic Pupil!"
Hum!
As divine power surged, Anna channeled her energy into her eyes. Throughout her growth and Davis's near-torturous "special training," Anna's external soul bone, the Evil Spirit Eye, had been constantly evolving.
Upon inheriting the Sea God's position and reaching Level 100, the Evil Spirit Eye had completely transformed into the Sea God's Demonic Pupil. Her once-green irises shifted into a deep sea-blue, granting her an extraordinary level of dynamic vision and two powerful new Divine Skills.
Under the gaze of the Sea God's Demonic Pupil, every single movement Qian Renxue made was laid bare before Anna's eyes.
"Come!"
"Divine Skill: Sea God · Vast Boundlessness!"
Anna stared intently at Qian Renxue, her blue eyes emitting intense ripples of divine power. The moment their gazes met, the world before Qian Renxue's eyes underwent a sudden, drastic transformation.
"What?!"
Qian Renxue gasped in shock. Anna was gone; in her place was a vast, raging ocean. Waves towered like mountains, manifesting into countless water dragons that roared as they charged toward her.
"Is this... Space Displacement?"
"No! Impossible! A Sea God wouldn't have such an ability. This happened the moment I looked into her eyes... could it be an illusion?"
Qian Renxue muttered to herself, recalling their fight from six years ago. Even then, Anna had used the external soul bone in her eyes to launch mental attacks. A pupil-based illusion was simply a specialized form of mental assault. Realizing she was trapped within a mental construct woven by Anna, Qian Renxue immediately formulated a counter-plan.
"Third Soul Skill: Holy Light!"
"Divine Skill: Angelic Divine Sense!"
In an instant, Qian Renxue's mental power surged by thirty percent. Utilizing her Angelic Divine Sense, she forcibly shattered Anna's illusion. As the vision faded, she saw the Sea God Trident already thrusting toward her chest.
"Not good!"
Qian Renxue's pupils shrank. She knew the trident was a Super Divine Tool and could not be met with brute force. If she were struck directly, she would be heavily injured even if she survived. She hurriedly raised the Angelic Saint Sword, executing the Angelic Sword Arts passed down to her by Qian Daoliu.
It was said that these sword techniques were self-created soul skills of the previous Angelic God. While they were "soul skills" when used by mortals, when wielded by a true deity, they were indisputably Divine Skills!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the blink of an eye, the Angelic Saint Sword and the Sea God Trident collided repeatedly, sending a series of rhythmic, metallic echoes ringing through the air.
Despite being caught off guard, Qian Renxue relied on her exquisite swordsmanship to hold her own against Anna. The Sea God Trident had the advantage of reach, while the Angelic Saint Sword excelled in close-quarters precision. Both sides pushed their weapons to their absolute limits.
"Davis, Zhuyun, are you alright?"
While Anna and Qian Renxue were locked in combat, Tang Yuehua rushed to the side of Davis and the others. They had already deactivated their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
"I'm fine," Davis said, waving a hand and shaking his head. "Just over-exhausted my soul power."
To resist Qian Renxue's Angelic Fire Dragon Array, all three of them had expended a massive amount of energy. Furthermore, due to the lingering pressure of Qian Renxue's divine power, Davis was currently unable to activate the White Tiger Domain to recover by absorbing the earth's energy.
"Fortunately, you two arrived when you did, or we might have been finished," Davis added with a faint smile, watching Anna fight with a sense of pride.
"It was a close call," Tang Yuehua laughed. "As soon as Anna finished her ascension, we rushed here immediately!"
"Alright, let me get you back inside first." Tang Yuehua supported the three of them as they flew toward the Jincheng Fortress.
"Davis, Zhuyun, is everyone okay?" Seeing them return, Dai Tianxing asked with deep concern.
"Grandfather, I'm fine! But we have to find a way to help Anna. Even though she's a god now, the long journey must have drained some of her divine power. Plus, her actual combat experience is far below Qian Renxue's. If the fight drags on, I'm afraid things might take a turn for the worse."
Hearing this, the expressions of everyone present darkened. They had felt safe seeing Anna fight Qian Renxue to a standstill, but Davis's warning made them realize that the celebration was premature. Anna was their only hope; if she fell, they were doomed.
"Davis, what should we do?" Dai Tianxing asked. He wanted to help, but with his strength, he would be torn to shreds by the mere aftershocks of a battle between gods. As for the cannons on the fortress walls—they were effective against Soul Douluos, but against deities, they were nothing more than toys.
"I have a plan, but I'll need everyone's help. Dong Hui, are you here?"
"I'm here!" Dong Hui immediately stepped forward. Davis took a moment to look over his old classmate from the Star Luo Royal Academy. Years had passed, and Dong Hui had changed significantly.
She had grown more beautiful, possessing a mature, elegant charm and a refined silhouette. If Davis had the "preferences" of a certain historical figure like Cao Cao, he might have made a move on her long ago. Despite being nearly thirty, she remained single, perhaps still waiting for a certain someone.
Her cultivation had not lagged behind either; she was now a Level 72 Support-system Soul Saint.
"Everyone, channel your soul power into Dong Hui. Then, Dong Hui, transfer that energy to the three of us!"
Dong Hui possessed a "Soul Power Conversion" torso bone, which could take soul power of different attributes and refine it into pure, neutral energy. This would allow Davis and his companions to recover their peak strength rapidly.
This was Davis's plan: once they were restored to their prime, they would join the fray to support Anna.
(End of Chapter)