Shrouded in the chilling blue formation of the Grand Martial team, Tang San felt the cold biting into his blood, the chill radiating from his wounds—and worse, the scornful, mocking stares encircling him.
"Useless! You're all useless!!"
He screamed inwardly, his furious gaze flicking to the still forms of Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing—uncertain if they were alive or dead—and to the two headless corpses of his Clear Sky brethren.
"Not even a single moment's delay! Foolish, useless lot!"
But reality had driven him into a desperate corner. He forced himself upright, looking at the murder in the eyes of Jiang Hongfei and the others, then glancing at the indifferent Qian Renxue and Chen Yi high atop the stands.
"You… you're openly murdering competitors on the field! This is a flagrant violation of tournament regulations. Is the Spirit Hall just going to stand by and do nothing?!"
His only answer was Dugu Yan's cold laughter and utter indifference. Tilting her head as if contemplating an idiot, she regarded Tang San, her tone light and bantering but her words icy sharp.
"Oh, Tang San the genius, what are you babbling about? Do you want Grand Martial Academy to stop now?"
She pointed at Ma Hongjun's and the Clear Sky sect corpses, then at the gravely wounded Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Isn't the fault all theirs, for refusing to surrender and even daring to fight back?"
The sword knows no mercy, and neither do soul skills. This is a battle of life and death—injuries and deaths are unavoidable.
Tang San fell silent, face ghostly pale, his chest heaving violently. He wanted to argue, but Qian Renxue's voice resounded from above:
"The match continues."
She offered no explanation—only her order, which was both the verdict and silent approval.
"Wait! I—"
Tang San begged for a way out, desperate for any loophole. But the Grand Martial team members were already impatient for battle.
"Why waste words on him! Attack!"
Jiang Hongfei's eyes flashed as he shouted.
Shui Bing'er, Jiang Hongfei, Huang Bin, Yang Bojun, Dugu Yan, and Xue Wu all sprang into action almost simultaneously. Soul powers flared, killing intent surged, and a dazzling array of soul skills converged on Tang San like a storm—no intent to leave him even a single breath. They meant to kill him here and now, sparing no one.
Never had the shadow of death pressed so closely upon Tang San.
Despair and terror finally filled his eyes. Pouring what remained of his soul power into one last effort, blue vines flared fiercely around him, condensing the Clear Sky Hammer as well…
At this critical moment, an immense and terrifying aura descended atop the plaza without warning, instantly stifling every fluctuation of soul power in the field. Even Jiang Hongfei's attack vanished midair.
Almost at the very same moment, the otherwise idle Chen Yi vanished like a specter and reappeared before the five members of the Grand Martial team.
Buzz!
Space around Tang San distorted, and two new figures materialized before him, guarding him protectively.
One, a tall and elegant woman, was none other than the High Priestess of Sea God Island—Seagod Douluo, Bo Saixi.
The other—a tall and burly man with a resolute face and a pained but furious brow—was Tang Xiao.
"Who… who are these people? To interfere so brazenly in the finals?"
"The woman with that scepter—her aura is scarier than the Dawn Douluo from this morning!"
"That's Tang Xiao! The Clear Sky Sect master! He's here, truly here!"
The crowd erupted into cheers and gasps.
To openly intervene in a Spirit Hall-sponsored final—whatever else, the boldness alone was shocking!
Ignoring the commotion, Bo Saixi gave Tang San a complex look before turning her gaze to Chen Yi and Qian Renxue.
"I'll be taking him away."
Her voice was as clear and beautiful as the sound of waves.
Qian Renxue's golden pupils were glacial as she coolly met Bo Saixi's gaze.
"Seagod Douluo Bo Saixi!"
"By what right do you disrupt a match I host and violate its order?"
"Seagod Douluo?"
"Who's Bo Saixi?"
"What a name!"
Bo Saixi frowned, brimming with displeasure.
"Since you know my name, how can you behave with such poor manners?"
"Qian Daoliu is a gentleman of your generation. Did he not teach you the basics of courtesy?"
Qian Renxue only laughed, not angry.
"Whether I'm polite has nothing to do with you, nor with Sea God Island! This is Spirit Hall, not your domain. Here, we obey our rules!"
Bo Saixi's eyes frosted over. As the High Priestess of Sea God Island, she was an object of supreme veneration. To be so publicly rebuked by someone she considered her junior enraged her further.
At that instant, Chen Yi spoke calmly:
"Bo Saixi, Tang San—perhaps this is not simply about losing a tournament match. You cannot take him."
Bo Saixi turned her gaze to the Nameless God's successor, Chen Yi.
"What do you mean?"
Chen Yi did not answer directly, instead turning to the grim-faced Tang Xiao, a cold smile on his lips.
"Ask him about that."
After a moment's pause, Chen Yi suddenly raised his voice, making it echo throughout the vast plaza.
"Throughout history, all those who fell into darkness have been condemned!"
His words boomed like thunder:
"Fallen—he's a fallen one?!"
"Tang San… is a fallen?!"
"No wonder! How else could someone with twin martial spirits advance so fast? He must've chosen the evil path!"
The crowd exploded. Among Douluo Continent's soul masters, the label fallen was an absolute taboo, guaranteed to draw the enmity of the entire world if confirmed.
Tang Xiao's face contorted as his heart thundered wildly.
"How do you know that?! The Clear Sky Sect's greatest secret… Did the Five Elders…? No—impossible!"
But he regained his composure, shouting harshly:
"Chen Yi, stop slandering us! What fallen one?! Tang San's talent only threatens your rank, that's all. You can always find an excuse if you want to condemn someone!"
Even Bo Saixi frowned at Chen Yi.
"I've reached my own conclusion on this matter."
To Sea God Island, the issue was only about devotion to the sea god; there were no such things as fallen ones.
"Your own conclusion?"
Chen Yi smirked coldly.
"Even you, Bo Saixi, cannot decide this alone."
"As a level-99 Ultimate Douluo, your spiritual power should have reached the domain state—you can manifest spirit and replay memory scenes, yes?"
Bo Saixi's eyes narrowed, spiritual pressure manifesting—a show of power to call up and project highly realistic memories, impossible to fake, a hallmark of the highest Ultimate Douluo.
Why was Chen Yi bringing this up?
"What are you getting at?"
She felt an ominous premonition growing.
Chen Yi said nothing more, shutting his eyes. A powerful burst of spiritual power radiated from him like an invisible storm.
Overhead, a gigantic water-like screen unfurled, projecting an incredibly detailed memory:
It was the scene of Tang San in Suotuo City, devouring the Clear Sky Sect's five elders—absorbing their flesh, blood, and soul power. The old men's terror and despair, the madness and ferocity in Tang San's eyes, the ugly movements, the nauseating flux of evil energy—all were captured down to the smallest detail.
Retching!
Many spectators with weak spiritual power vomited on the spot.
"It's true! He ate them! He devoured his own elders!"
"Such evil… That's what being a 'fallen' looks like!"
"No wonder his power grew so fast—using such vile means!"
"Clear Sky Sect! Tang Xiao! What do you say to this?!"
The evidence was irrefutable; spirit manifestations could not be faked.
Fallen ones were considered a cancer among soul masters and had to be wiped out. Anyone had the right to kill Tang San.
Tang Xiao swayed, face deathly pale, eyes wide in disbelief as he looked back at Tang San, who was trembling in panic.
"Why…what is this scene?!"
Bo Saixi's brows knotted, a layer of icy intent coating her beautiful face as understanding dawned: so that was the source of the dark energy from Tang San that even she found intolerable.
Devouring living humans, one's own elders—such acts were beyond basic human decency, beyond even the standards of Sea God Island.
Chen Yi fixed Bo Saixi with a cold stare:
"See? The evidence is absolute! Tang San is fallen—everyone has the right to kill him!"
"High Priestess of Sea God Island, if you shelter him today, you defy the justice and order of the continent. You'll stand against all soul masters of the world!"
A dilemma gripped Bo Saixi. Her reason told her Tang San was unforgivable, the sea god would never accept a successor so wicked—yet the sea god's commandments could not be taken lightly. Being forced by a junior in public only deepened her humiliation.
Taking a deep breath, she raised her sapphire scepter, voice steely but dignified.
"As I said, I will judge this myself. Whether Tang San is fallen, and what punishment he deserves, shall be left to the Sea God. It is not for any mortal to decide!"
She refused to be forced.
Chen Yi smirked:
"Decision, hmm? I doubt even you can decide this time."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even as his voice faded, three immense auras slammed into the plaza, ones that could rival even Bo Saixi.
Light flickered; three figures appeared, standing before Chen Yi and Qian Renxue and facing Bo Saixi from afar.
At the left, serene and clad in plain white, was none other than the Grand Elder of the Body Sect—Wisdom Brain Douluo Yuan Hua.
To the right, a tall, commanding man—none other than the new Ultimate Douluo, Chu Shanhe.
At the center, golden-haired, golden-eyed, with a proud, perfect face and a faint phantom of six angel wings, stood Qian Daoliu—the Angel Douluo, the Spirit Hall Elder.
Three supreme experts gathered!
"Qian Daoliu!"
Bo Saixi narrowed her eyes, staring at her old rival.
"Chu Shanhe… Yuan Hua…"
She recognized both. According to her information, Chu Shanhe was only level 98, but his aura now clearly surpassed that—deep and weighty, even stronger than when he first reached Ultimate rank. Yuan Hua's aura was so vague and profound it felt almost like a fog.
Struggling to control her emotions, Bo Saixi demanded,
"Qian Daoliu, do you intend to fight me? Have you really thought this through?"
Qian Daoliu said nothing, but soul power surged within him, the hint of killing intent growing in his still eyes.
The Grand Elder broke the tense silence with a quiet chuckle, his gaze mild as he addressed Bo Saixi, voice calm as if in casual conversation:
"Bo Saixi, you misunderstand. We didn't come here solely to target you today."
Bo Saixi allowed herself a small breath of relief. With her scepter and trident in hand, she could defend herself, but protecting Tang San before these three? Impossible.
As long as they weren't specifically targeting her, there was still room to maneuver.
Before she could fully calm herself, however, the Grand Elder's friendly smile faded. His gaze turned cold, focusing far into the distance.
"But… him!"
Everyone on the plaza, including Bo Saixi, Tang Xiao, Tang San, and tens of thousands of spectators, followed his gaze to the distant horizon.
There, a streak of gray light shot toward Spirit City at astonishing speed.
Within breaths, it arrived overhead, fading to reveal a muscular, upright figure floating in midair, his frigid stare sweeping the plaza before settling at the center.
The instant his face appeared, Bo Saixi trembled, her beautiful blue eyes widening, her red lips parting—
The name she'd waited so long to hear, never believing she'd see again in her lifetime, slipped out in shock and disbelief:
"Tang… Tang Chen?!"