Watching the primordial beast charge forth with a sword in its jaws,
Tang Lie's pupils shrank sharply.
A chill born from the depths of his soul spread through his body.
He could smell death.
"Raaahhh—!!"
Tang Lie roared like a wild beast.
His Spirit Power surged like a broken dam, pouring out without restraint or cost.
Molten magma surged before him, condensing and solidifying—
forming a wall ten meters thick, seemingly indestructible.
His teeth clenched so hard they nearly shattered.
Blood streamed from the corner of his mouth as he crossed the Clear Sky Hammer before his chest.
All his life,
he had taken pride in being of the Clear Sky.
He believed with all his being—
that beneath this hammer, no enemy could stand.
But before the eyes of the powerful figures racing toward the battlefield,
and all those outside the secret realm watching in horrified awe—
the sword-bearing beast slammed into the molten barrier.
The expected explosion—never came.
The Yazi, like cutting through wet paper,
pierced straight through.
"Impossible!"
Tang Lie's eyes bulged as he swung the Clear Sky Hammer with all his might—
yet the attack couldn't even slow the beast down.
"ROAR——!!"
With an earth-shaking bellow,
the sword-bearing Yazi lunged upon him, its enormous jaws opening to devour him whole.
At the same time,
the sword in its mouth turned into a streak of blood-red light—
slashing directly across Tang Lie's chest!
"Stop!!"
"Seventh Brother!!"
The Second Elder Tang Yue and Fifth Elder Tang Gang, having rushed within a kilometer,
cried out in horror and grief.
BOOM——!
The beast's jaws snapped shut.
And in that instant—
every wound that Tang Lie had inflicted upon Li Zhexian throughout their battle—
erupted simultaneously upon his own body.
Unlike Li Zhexian, he did not possess a Quadform Spirit Meridian Body;
he could not transform injury into strength, nor recover through breakthrough.
The karmic retribution of the Auspicious Beast converted all his attacks—
"Thousand Suns' Annihilation," "Nine Suns Cataclysm: Clear Sky Strike"—
into pure backlash.
Crack—crack—!
Crack—crack—!
His meridians ruptured, bones shattered, flesh melted away!
Tang Lie screamed toward the heavens, vomiting blood in torrents—
which, before touching the ground, sizzled into blackened scabs.
BOOM——!!!
A deafening explosion shook the heavens—
and Tang Lie was obliterated, bursting into a storm of blood mist inside the beast's jaws.
The Clear Sky Hammer—his lifelong pride, his symbol of invincibility—
emitted a mournful hum, its surface cracking apart, before falling dim and lifeless.
Whoooosh——
A foul wind swept through the secret realm.
The moment a Titled Douluo fell, his vast Spirit Power spiraled out of control, dragging his shattered body and blood into the air,
forming a crimson cloud spanning hundreds of miles above the secret realm.
Drip… drip…
Blood rain fell from the heavens—
as though the world itself mourned.
The Seventh Elder of the Clear Sky Clan,
Lie Yang Douluo Tang Lie—
had fallen.
...
Outside the secret realm.
"Li! Zhe! Xian!"
The Third Elder Tang Cang and Fourth Elder Tang Yuan shot to their feet, their bodies trembling, faces twisted in fury.
A tidal surge of Spirit Power rose above their heads,
forcing the watching crowd in the plaza to stumble backward in fear.
"Does Li Zhexian have kin?! Tell me, does he have family?!"
Their eyes were red, reason long gone.
For decades, these elders—members of the Clear Sky Clan's direct line—had lived, fought, and trained side by side.
Though disputes sometimes arose over sect affairs,
it did not change one fact—
their bond was thicker than blood.
"Silence." From atop the throne, Bibi Dong spoke calmly.
"If you wish to fight, do it after leaving the secret realm—
and away from Spirit City."
"What?!"
Tang Cang and Tang Yuan glared at her, breathing hard, faces filled with rage.
"Hm?"
Bibi Dong turned her head slightly, her tone light yet filled with power.
The twelve jade ornaments of her crown swayed in the wind—
revealing her cold purple eyes, devoid of all emotion.
Behind her throne, two enormous Spider Emperor phantoms rose and twisted, spreading until they blotted out the sky.
In an instant, the elders' Spirit Power tides were crushed into nothingness.
Only the two phantoms remained, looming endlessly upward—
as if they filled the heavens and the earth.
A chill ran down their spines.
The fury in Tang Cang and Tang Yuan vanished, replaced by cold sweat.
Even their gazes grew calm again.
"This woman…"
The two elders gritted their teeth and sat down silently—
not daring to meet her eyes again.
"Once Li Zhexian leaves the secret realm,"
"With the Second and Fifth Elders together—"
"We'll tear him to pieces!!!"
"Heh…" Dugu Bo withdrew his gaze, a mocking sneer curling across his weathered face.
The Clear Sky Clan's habit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong—
he had witnessed it once again.
...
The onlookers, seeing the two Clear Sky Elders cowed into silence by Her Holiness the Pope, finally dared to whisper among themselves:
"Li Zhexian… he killed a Titled Douluo! And a Clear Sky Titled Douluo at that!"
"His strength truly matches the Title—who dares question it now?"
"The Douluo Record shall add a new name. What shall Zhexian's Title be?"
"Spirit Calendar Year 684…" The Spirit Master hurriedly dipped his brush in ink, trembling with excitement:
"Within the secret realm, Lord Jianjiu, with sword in hand, slew the Clear Sky Sect's Lie Yang Douluo.
Their battle raged until heaven dimmed and sun and moon lost their light…"
"From this point on, the world anticipates Zhexian's revered title..."
...
Two banners floated above a pool of blood.
Li Zhexian's figure flickered as he caught them midair.
Each bore a single word—"Blood" and "Iron."
"The Clear Sky Clan's Command Banner isn't among them…"
"These must be spoils Tang Lie seized from other sects,"
he thought silently.
Then—suddenly—two voices roared from above, filled with murderous fury:
"DIE!!"
The Second Elder Tang Yue and Fifth Elder Tang Gang lunged at once,
their twin Clear Sky Hammers crashing down like collapsing mountains.
At that instant—
Zheng——! Zheng——!
Two sharp sword cries rang out simultaneously.
Chen Xin, clad in white, and Feng Bailong, in gray robes, flashed forward to stand before Li Zhexian.
Their swords blazed with killing light as they met the twin hammers head-on.
CLANG——!!!
A deafening explosion of metal on metal rang through the air.
Ripples of pure force erupted outward, tearing apart the blood cloud that hung over a hundred miles!
Even the Spirit Douluos and weaker experts watching from the forest's edge were thrown back, blood spilling from their ears and noses.
Tang Yue and Tang Gang were blasted backward, spinning through the air before slamming to the ground, staggering dozens of meters before steadying themselves.
Chen Xin and Feng Bailong stepped back to Li Zhexian's side, scanning the young man from head to toe.
"Zhexian / Young Friend Zhexian, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Li Zhexian smiled faintly.
"My thanks to the two seniors for your aid."
"Chen Xin, Feng Bailong…" The two Clear Sky Elders advanced, teeth grinding,
their eyes locking onto the approaching figure of Ning Fengzhi.
"Sect Master Ning!" Tang Yue spat.
"Does the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan intend to make itself the enemy of the Clear Sky Clan?!"
Ning Fengzhi's brows furrowed slightly as he glanced at Li Zhexian,
confirming the youth's condition before replying calmly:
"Elders, what do you mean by this?"
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect seeks no enmity with any power."
With that,
he raised his palm.
A seven-tiered Glazed Pagoda appeared, spinning slowly above his hand.
"Seven Treasures, Glazed and Bright—"
Seven radiant rings of amplification burst forth, surging into Chen Xin, Feng Bailong, and Li Zhexian.
In an instant, all three of their auras soared, stirring the clouds and winds themselves.
Tang Yue and Tang Gang's expressions turned stormy and ashen.
Then—
From the east, a dragon's roar resounded!
A bone dragon spread its wings and flew forth.
From the north, a bolt of lightning tore open the heavens—
an imposing elder strode along the thunder, hands clasped behind his back.
As the two Clear Sky Elders looked upon the five great powerhouses standing protectively behind the bloodstained youth in white—
their faces darkened until it seemed black water might drip from their skin.
Li Zhexian's Qinglian Sword trembled softly in his hand.
He opened his mouth to speak—
when suddenly—
RUMBLE——!!!!
The ground beneath them shook violently.
Everyone turned as one, gazing toward the ancient, ruined city that had long lain silent.
"What's that…?"
Above the city, countless radiant lights streaked across the sky like shooting stars.
Every kind of precious treasure known to the world shimmered within that glow.
"The legendary Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow! With just one piece, I could ascend to Titled Realm!"
"That's Thousand-Year Dragon Ginseng! It could save my dying daughter!"
The hidden sect powerhouses lurking along the forest's edge could no longer suppress their greed—
one after another, they rushed toward the ancient city, like maddened beasts.
Li Zhexian had thought—
his elders and seniors might resist such temptation.
But when he turned to look—
his heart froze.
Chen Xin, clad in white, stepped upon the Seven Kill Sword, flying straight toward the city—without a single glance back.
And in those calm, deep eyes that once reflected no emotion—
there now flickered not the light of treasure,
but the image of a woman who had died in his arms over a decade ago.
He could almost hear her laughter again—
"The proud heir of the Seven Kill Sword…
and you've never even tasted candied hawthorn?"
...
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!