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Qian Renxue moved first. Her six wings flapped, and her body instantly appeared right in front of Tang San. The Angelic Sacred Sword slashed down. The golden sword light looked like divine punishment, cutting straight through the Rakshasa Death Qi.
Tang San's eyes shrank. He raised the Rakshasa Demonic Scythe sideways to block the attack.
A loud clang echoed across the area as the Divine Artifacts hit each other. Golden Holy Light and green Rakshasa flames exploded at the same time, cracking the ground open. All the grass and trees outside the city were crushed into dust by the powerful energy wave.
The force of the strike pushed Tang San back more than one hundred feet. His face grew even paler. Qian Renxue was already a complete Angel God, while he was only a successor who had not finished the Ninth Trial of the Rakshasa. If he did not have the Rakshasa Demonic Scythe in his hand, that single strike would have hurt him very badly.
Qian Renxue clearly saw his weak state and said, "You are not a god yet."
Tang San sneered and replied, "So what? Even if I can't kill you right now, I can still drag you down with me. Come out, Undead Legion!"
Dark mist rolled across the ground as seventeen Undead Titled Douluo charged forward together. Right at the front were the undead forms of Tang Xiao and the Five Elders of the Clear Sky Sect. Six dark Clear Sky Hammers were raised into the air at the same time, putting scary pressure on Qian Renxue.
The undead Tang Xiao stepped forward and swung the Clear Sky Hammer down with a loud boom.
Qian Renxue looked at them coldly and said, "As the Clear Sky Sect Master, you cannot even rest in peace after death. Tang San, you are truly disgusting."
She raised her left hand, and her Angel Holy Light turned into a large golden hand. The golden hand crashed into the Clear Sky Hammer with a loud boom, pushing the undead Tang Xiao backward. But right then, the undead Five Elders of the Clear Sky Sect attacked her from five different sides.
Five Clear Sky Hammers locked down the air around her. At the same time, the undead Bibi Dong used her Twin Spider Emperor Spirit, sending black and purple spider silk straight toward Qian Renxue's wings. The undead Ghost Douluo slid into the shadows, while the sharp death petals of the undead Chrysanthemum Douluo flew in from all directions.
The undead Ma Hongjun spread his dark fire wings, sending nether Phoenix flames down from the sky. The three strong undead forms of Dai Mubai, Zhao Wuji, and Tai Long charged straight at her. With seventeen undead surrounding her at once, even Qian Renxue had to stop chasing Tang San.
"Angelic Domain! World Purification!"
The golden domain spread out fast. Everywhere the Holy Light touched, the dark Rakshasa Death Qi melted away. The undead Tai Long was the fastest to charge, so it took the main hit. The death power on its body burned in the holy fire, making it scream in pain.
Qian Renxue swung her sword, sending out a wide wave of golden light that cut the undead Tai Long right in half. Right after that, she waved her left hand. The holy fire turned into a golden spear that went straight through the chest of the undead Zhao Wuji. The undead Dai Mubai jumped at her, but Qian Renxue kicked him away easily.
However, a moment later, the cut body of the undead Tai Long put itself back together inside the dark mist. The hole in the chest of the undead Zhao Wuji was also fixed by the Rakshasa Death Qi. The undead Dai Mubai got up from the ground and ran at her again.
Qian Renxue frowned slightly as she thought, These immortal puppets are back again.
Tang San stood in the distance. The wound on his chest hurt a little, but he still laughed meanly and said, "What is wrong? Does the Angel God find this troublesome too? They do not feel fear, they do not feel pain, and they will never betray me. Qian Renxue, can you really kill them all?"
Qian Renxue did not answer him. She raised her hand and swung her sword, burning all the death flower blades of the undead Chrysanthemum Douluo into nothing. Then she turned around and pushed her palm out, forcing the undead Bibi Dong back. When she saw Bibi Dong's blank face, the golden light in Qian Renxue's eyes shook slightly.
"Mother..."
She already knew the truth about her past. She knew her father, Qian Xunji, had died by Bibi Dong's hands, and she knew their relationship had been broken forever. But seeing Bibi Dong turned into a mindless undead and used like a simple tool by Tang San still made deep anger rise inside her heart.
She glared at Tang San and said, "Tang San, you do not even let the dead rest!"
Tang San answered coldly, "She was the Rakshasa successor from the start. Now that she has returned to the Rakshasa, there is nothing wrong with it."
Qian Renxue's eyes turned icy as she said, "What she owes me can only be settled by me. It is not your place to turn her into a puppet!"
As soon as she finished speaking, her six wings opened completely. Her Angel Divine Force rushed out like a huge wave.
"Angel God Skill! Holy Radiance Judgment!"
A massive pillar of golden light fell from the sky, covering a large area of the undead. The four undead forms of Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, Tai Long, and Qin Ming were crushed right on the spot. Their gray undead origins were exposed under the Holy Light, screaming loudly in pain.
Tang San's face changed. He immediately used his power to turn on the Rakshasa altar. A dark purple phantom of the altar appeared behind him, pulling the broken undead origins back by force.
Qian Renxue noticed this and narrowed her eyes. "So that is how it works. Their real core is hidden inside your altar."
Tang San snorted coldly and said, "So what if you know? You still cannot break it."
Qian Renxue replied calmly, "Then let us try."
Her body vanished from the spot. Tang San's eyes widened in surprise. In the very next second, Qian Renxue appeared right above his head. Her Angelic Sacred Sword burned with pure golden god power, slashing straight at the dark altar phantom behind him.
Tang San panicked for a moment. The Rakshasa altar was his main rely on right now. If the altar was destroyed, his Undead Legion would never be able to come back to life again.
He yelled out quickly, "Stop her!"
The undead Tang Xiao and the undead Five Elders jumped up into the air together. Six Clear Sky Hammers slammed toward Qian Renxue at the same time. The force of the Clear Sky Hammer was very strong. Even without any thoughts, the undead Tang Xiao hit with dangerous destructive power under the control of the Rakshasa power. If Qian Renxue kept swinging her sword at the altar, she would have to take the hits from all six hammers at once.
However, she did not step back. She shouted, "Get out of my way!"
She swung her Angelic Sacred Sword in a wide arc. The golden sword light knocked the five undead elders flying back into the air. The undead Tang Xiao tried to block the strike, but the holy light burned deep cracks into its body. Still, their attack gave Tang San a tiny moment of time to move.
Tang San used that brief moment to jump back. He sliced the air with his Rakshasa Demonic Scythe to open a small space crack, creating distance between them.
Qian Renxue missed her main target, only breaking a small corner of the altar phantom. Tang San's face went pale, and a little blood came out of his mouth. Since the altar was damaged, he felt the painful backlash too, but he started laughing again anyway.
"Qian Renxue, you are indeed much stronger than ordinary humans," Tang San said with a laugh. "It is a pity that you care too much about useless things. You are afraid of hurting the common people in the city, and you are afraid of breaking the land you just took over. But I am not afraid of anything!"
Saying that, Tang San raised his Rakshasa Demonic Scythe high into the air. Dark purple Death Qi suddenly burst out above Suotuo City, spreading toward the streets inside. He was trying to push his Rakshasa Domain directly into the city to kill the people.
Qian Renxue's face changed when she saw this. She quickly turned around and expanded her Angelic Domain to block the dark evil smoke from reaching the citizens.
Tang San took this chance to run away with his Undead Legion.
He called out from a distance, "Qian Renxue, today is only the beginning! If you try to attack a city, I will kill everyone in your rear towns. If you want to unite the continent, I will turn the land into a dead graveyard. I want to see how many people you can actually save!"
Qian Renxue was filled with killing intent as she shouted back, "You will not get away!"
She flapped her wings to chase him down, but Tang San suddenly blew up a portion of the dead souls he had gathered earlier. A huge cloud of dark purple smoke exploded outside Suotuo City, rushing toward the walls like a dirty wave.
Qian Renxue had no choice but to stop her pursuit. She used her Angel Holy Light to clean up the dark smoke and protect the people inside Suotuo City.
Tang San used that short moment to tear open a space rift. Before stepping inside, he looked back at Qian Renxue with a strange, twisted smile.
"Next time we meet, I will make you watch as your holy light fails to save anyone."
The space rift closed, and Tang San disappeared along with his undead army.
Qian Renxue stood in the quiet field, slowly folding her golden wings back. Because she had arrived in time, the defenders and people of Suotuo City did not turn into another dead zone. But she did not feel happy about this small victory.
She knew Tang San was still out there, and he had found a very annoying way to fight her. He was avoiding a fair fight, choosing instead to attack her back supply lines, slaughter towns, and force her to stop and save people every single time.
Qian Renxue gripped her sword tightly and said softly, "Tang San, you cannot run away forever."
Just then, a soft green-gold light shone brightly on the far horizon. It was not the dark Rakshasa smoke, nor was it her own golden holy light. It was the gentle energy of life itself.
Qian Renxue looked up toward that distant light, her golden eyes narrowing slightly as she whispered, "Tang Chen..."
Half an hour later, the area outside Heaven Dou City remained quiet and tense.
Even after Qian Renxue left, the Spirit Empire army did not retreat at all. Gold Crocodile Douluo stayed to command the troops, while several strong elders from the Hall of Worship guarded different sides of the battlefield, trapping Heaven Dou City completely so no one could leave.
The Spirit Empire army stood in neat, strong rows. The heavy armor troops looked like an iron wall on the ground, while the Spirit Master legions hovered in the air above. All the heavy siege engines were pointed straight at the city gates.
Inside the city walls, the Heaven Dou guards were very worried. Even though Qian Renxue was gone for now, no one dared to drop their guard. They knew the siege was far from over.
More importantly, Dugu Bo, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and Yang Wudi had all been knocked back by Qian Renxue's single palm strike earlier. Even though they survived the hit, they were all badly hurt.
On the high city wall, Dugu Bo leaned against a broken stone wall with a pale face and blood on his chin.
Ning Fengzhi sat on a simple wooden chair nearby. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda floated above his hand, but its bright colors looked much dimmer than usual.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin held his Seven Kill Sword tightly, though small cracks were still visible along the blade. Bone Douluo Gu Rong had trouble keeping his energy stable, and the shadowy image of the Bone Dragon behind him looked like it might disappear at any second.
Yang Wudi pushed his Soul Breaking Spear deep into the stone wall to support himself. He breathed heavily, his face dark and tired.
Xue Beng stood a short distance away, looking at the distant sky with a pale face. He was waiting for someone who seemed almost impossible to arrive in time. He was waiting for Tang Chen. In their current state, no one in Heaven Dou City could stop Qian Renxue if she returned. If Tang Chen did not come back soon, the city would fall sooner or later.
Suddenly, Dugu Bo raised his head, his green eyes widening in surprise. "He is here!"
Ning Fengzhi looked confused and asked, "Who is here?"
Dugu Bo did not need to answer. A moment later, everyone on the wall felt a giant wave of life energy coming from the distant sky at an amazing speed.
That energy was different from the bright holy power of the Angel God or the cold dark energy of the Rakshasa. It felt warm, thick, and vast, like a massive ocean or the deep earth.
A bright beam of blue-gold light tore through the heavy clouds, flying straight across the sky. The dark storm clouds above Heaven Dou City were pushed open by that single beam of light.
Countless soldiers looked up in surprise. High in the air, a young man was walking through the sky. His blue hair moved in the wind, and his long robes fluttered gracefully. His right hand held the heavy, ancient Sea God Trident. Behind his back, nine Spirit Rings flashed with strong pressure, especially the golden ones that looked like rings belonging to a real god.
"Tang Chen!" Dugu Bo yelled out with wild joy in his eyes.
Ning Fengzhi forced himself to stand up from his chair, the worry on his face finally melting away a little. "He came back!"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin held his Seven Kill Sword with a small look of relief in his eyes. "He is not late after all."
Bone Douluo laughed in a low voice and said, "If he took any longer, us old guys would not have lasted much longer."
Yang Wudi looked up at the figure in the sky, his tense shoulders finally relaxing. "That kid... his strength has grown even stronger again."
Xue Beng was so happy he almost lost his calm, shouting, "Tang Chen! It is really Tang Chen who came back!"
The lost confidence of the Heaven Dou soldiers seemed to light up again the moment they saw Tang Chen appear in the sky. They did not know if Tang Chen could really defeat Qian Renxue, but they knew they were no longer fighting all by themselves.
However, the Spirit Empire troops outside the city gates looked worried. Gold Crocodile Douluo raised his head, his old face turning very serious.
"Tang Chen..."
He knew who Tang Chen was. This young man was no longer just a strong Spirit Master. In a way, he was even harder to handle than Tang San. While Tang San had turned into a dark evil demon hated by everyone, Tang Chen walked the path of Life and the Sea God. He possessed great strength, and many people were willing to trust and follow him.
What worried Gold Crocodile Douluo even more was that Tang Chen's energy felt much stronger than before.
Looking at the trident in his hand, Gold Crocodile Douluo thought, Is that the Sea God Trident?
Even though he had never seen the real artifact before, the pressure coming from the ocean and the god position was unmistakable. Tang Chen had already pulled out the Sea God Trident, which meant he was only one small step away from becoming the real Sea God.
Gold Crocodile Douluo's heart sank. Qian Renxue was not here right now. If Tang Chen was allowed to walk into Heaven Dou City safely, their whole siege would become completely pointless.
"Stop him!" Gold Crocodile Douluo yelled out loudly. "Do not let him enter the city!"
As soon as he gave the order, several strong elders from the Hall of Worship jumped up into the sky together. Azure Luan Douluo turned into a blue light, his Azure Luan Spirit opening behind him as he flew toward Tang Chen at high speed.
Lion Douluo let out a loud roar, creating a big golden lion shadow that shook the air. Light Feather Douluo pulled back his icy bow, aiming cold light arrows straight at Tang Chen.
Thousand Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo jumped up at the same time, swinging their Coiling Dragon Rod and Demon Subduing Rod from both sides with scary force.
Gold Crocodile Douluo used his Martial Soul True Body directly. A giant shadow of the Golden Crocodile King appeared behind his back, its golden scales shining brightly as nine Spirit Rings lit up together.
With so many strong Titled Douluo attacking at once, their combined power was enough to make any major sect on the continent shake in fear.