Even on the distant main battlefield, events were one-sidedly unfolding. Chu Shanhe and Elder Yuan Hua, working in concert, completely cornered the near-death Tang Chen with the power of the Thunder God's twin maces.
Each time the Thunder God's mace clashed with the Asura Demon Sword, the cracks in Tang Chen's already-collapsing body—and soul—spread and deepened. The thick red fissures that webbed his skin grew wider and faster, visible to the naked eye. Strands snapped, and his flesh, like plaster with its adhesive failing, broke off in small flakes, revealing the strange-colored tissue beneath. Every time Tang Chen swung his sword with all his might, the sound of shattering bones echoed from his body and dark red blood sprayed everywhere—a truly tragic sight.
Meanwhile, the battle between Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi was reaching its climax. The completed Angelic Sword had overwhelming superiority over Bo Saixi's trident, which was now inherently damaged at its core.
Bo Saixi's once graceful and beautiful face twisted in terrible agony. The dazzling holy light of the blade had cleanly sliced off half her left ear and cheek. Instead of spraying blood, the wounds were cauterized black by the angels' holy flames. The pain and grotesque disfigurement left her breath ragged, every move sluggish. She was barely able to withstand Qian Daoliu's relentless assault; her defeat, a certainty now just waiting to occur.
From afar, Chen Yi watched the scene unfold and gained a deeper understanding: this heaven-shaking war, involving multiple factions, unrivaled Douluos, and divine artifacts, was finally drawing to an end.
Sure enough, it all ended in an instant.
Seizing an opening while Tang Chen was caught off guard, Chu Shanhe's eyes gleamed. He gathered all the golden-purple lightning from the Thunder God Mace to the limit, striking a desperate Tang Chen's hastily-raised Asura Demon Sword with a mighty blow.
"BOOM!"
An unprecedented explosion erupted. Tang Chen, pushed far beyond his limits by the combined might of the Thunder God and Chu Shanhe's overwhelming bloodline, could not withstand the impact. The Asura Demon Sword trembled violently in his grip, shedding a bloody light with a wrenching scream—it was knocked from his hand!
Without the artifact's support, the murderous energy inside Tang Chen—barely keeping his body together—immediately spun out of control.
"Pfft—!"
Blood gushed from his mouth like a fountain, mixed with chunks of shredded viscera. He crashed to the ground like a torn sack, smashing another crater into the already blood-soaked earth.
At the same time, Qian Daoliu launched a final, fatal assault. The Angelic Sword, shining brighter than ever before, transformed in his hand into a beam of golden light—so condensed and intense, it was as if it sucked in all the light of the world. In a single stab, it pierced Bo Saixi's failing defense instantly.
"Ahhh!"
The golden light beam bored through Bo Saixi's right chest, leaving a gaping, bowl-sized hole with charred edges. Bo Saixi shrieked shrilly; her dimly glowing trident slipped from her grasp, clattering to the ground. She plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily beside Tang Chen, raising a cloud of dust as her breath faded to a whisper.
The two peerless Douluos—Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Clan, and Bo Saixi Douluo of Seagod Island—were now completely helpless.
Witnessing this, Chen Yi finally let out a sigh of relief. With these two key threats resolved, they could now focus fully on dealing with the fugitive villains and, as an extra measure, thoroughly cleansing Clear Sky Sect and Seagod Island.
He and Qian Renxue joined Qian Daoliu, Chu Shanhe, and the Grand Elder at their side. The five of them stood together, gazing down at the battered forms of Tang Chen and Bo Saixi, barely alive amongst the ruins.
At this point, Tang Chen and Bo Saixi were unrecognizable—blood-soaked, battered, their former aura as unrivaled Douluos utterly vanished, leaving only despair and resentment in their defeat.
Chen Yi's gaze focused first on Tang Chen. His powerful spiritual energy delicately probed Tang Chen's damaged body, especially the deepest recesses of his soul. After a moment, Chen Yi slowly exhaled, satisfaction filling his eyes.
"Fortunately, it's... not completely dead."
Despite Tang Chen having suffered brutal damage, the soul of the blood-red Nine-Headed Bat King had not fully faded. Instead, it was lurking in the depths of the rift between Tang Chen's body and soul.
Chen Yi turned to the Grand Elder beside him. The Elder's eyes were hopeful. Chen Yi nodded slightly:
"Grand Elder, there's no problem with Tang Chen's body. The rest is up to you."
A faint excitement and agitation surfaced on the usually-composed Grand Elder's face. His eyes sparkled as he nodded solemnly.
As the only soul master in the Douluo Continent in ten thousand years to reach the realm of the Divine Origin, the Grand Elder's power should have leaped dramatically. However, because his ninth spirit ring was so ordinary, he was severely limited in breaking through higher realms.
Recently, Chen Yi discussed a daring idea with him: The Grand Elder's ninth spirit ring, born from a 90,000-year-old Soul-Eating Bat, was high quality—but the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King lurking within Tang Chen was even more extraordinary, its power cultivated for over 200,000 years. The origin and potential of this soul and its spirit ring were supreme.
If Chen Yi could use the initial Thunder God power he mastered to aid in the spirit ring replacement, then, considering the Grand Elder's solid foundation, a breakthrough to Level 98 was all but guaranteed. There was even a strong chance to seize this opportunity and reach the fabled Level 99—Limit Douluo.
That chance was--right before their eyes.
The Grand Elder took a deep breath, forcibly calming his emotions, and stepped forward to stand over the barely alive Tang Chen—a hero whose name had once soared across the continent, now at the end of life's journey. There was no pity in the Elder's eyes. He slowly raised the Thunder God's cudgel—now temporarily in his possession—golden-purple lightning crackling along its surface with a low growl.
This time, he would use both Tang Chen's life and the unique soul beast within his own body to blaze a path towards paramount mastery!
But just as the Grand Elder was about to bring the thunder cudgel down, delivering the final blow to Tang Chen and taking the essence of the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King...
Suddenly, a change occurred.
"BZZ—"
Not far off, the golden trident that had fallen askew into the ground—its light dimmed—suddenly began trembling violently, as though summoned by some Supreme power.
A sense of grandeur older and more vast than ever before burst forth from the trident, as if the sleeping lord of the seas were waking.
The weapon trembled, then floated on its own, radiating an unprecedented azure divine light that seemed to dye the sky itself in the color of the ocean.
Brilliant blue-gold rays shot forth into the sky, instantly blowing back Qian Daoliu, Chu Shanhe, and everyone nearby. Even those who wielded divine relics could not withstand the sudden, overwhelming divine force, retreating again and again under its might.
Simultaneously, an artifact sealed by Chen Yi deep within his Soul Tool—the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud—also began to tremble violently, as if summoned from the same source.
In a flash, it broke through the layers of seals Chen Yi had imposed. As a streak of azure light, it shot from his waist, soaring straight toward the now-flaming Seagod's Trident.
"Is... is that Sea God himself?!"
Chen Yi's pupils shrank, alarm bells ringing in his mind. To activate the seal to such a degree—and recall it with such force—this was something even Bo Saixi or the trident itself could not have managed.
There was only one possibility: the true will of the Seagod from the god realm was crossing the boundaries of worlds to directly interfere in the lower realm!
Chen Yi responded instantly, his expression extremely grave. Without hesitation, he activated his own bloodline to its fullest, drawing once more on the power of Thunder God.
From his palm, purple-gold lightning erupted, transforming into a dazzling lightning hand that grabbed the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud as it streaked toward the trident.
"Stop right there!"
Chen Yi barked low, using Thunder God's divine power and his own formidable spiritual force to subdue the restless will of the Seagod.
"BOOM—!"
Two utterly different divine energies collided atop the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud—the ship that bore relics—clashing in a fierce struggle.
A thunderous roar exploded above Spirit City, dwarfing every previous battle in intensity. Invisible divine waves rippled out, and the space, so recently calmed, was again violently shaken.
Qian Daoliu, Chu Shanhe, the Grand Elder, and the others nearby all grew grim at the sight.
They could clearly sense: the divine might unleashed by the Seagod's Trident and the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was utterly beyond the limits of what any human could control—even with a divine relic. This was the true and terrible will of the ocean—a force no ordinary human could master, remote-controlled only by the gods themselves.
"The Seagod... to think he'd intervene directly?!"
Qian Daoliu's eyes burned with murderous intent. The Seagod's hand in the previous fall of their founder could never be forgiven. Now, with the Seagod openly meddling in the lower realm, old hatreds surged anew in his heart.
Grand Elder and Chu Shanhe tensed, faces wary as if confronting a truly dreadful adversary.
A god descending to earth? Even the briefest sliver of divine will was something no mortal, not even a Douluo, could hope to withstand.
Down below, Bo Saixi's face—half gone from the Angelic Sword—lit up at the trident's bizarre response and the overwhelming divine force she so intimately recognized. Suddenly, a spark ignited in her dim gaze. She summoned her last strength and cried out:
"Lord Seagod! Eternal and undying master! Your devoted servant Bo Saixi offers deepest reverence to your divine power!"
…
Divine Realm, Borderlands.
The true form of the Seagod was currently striving mightily to gather divine power, trying to resonate remotely with the Seagod's Trident and Heart in the lower realm, seeking to recall them.
Nearby regions, swept up by the surging torrent of godly power, looked on in anxiety as terrible battles of the gods raged.
Tang Chen's appearance had drawn the attention of the Elemental Gods. Though the seven pillars of the Elements had tried to intervene, they were blocked by the appearance of God Asura.
Their initial disagreement broke into fighting: Asura, executor in the God Realm, wielded fearsome combat strength, but the combined power of the seven Elemental Gods was not to be underestimated.
The aftermath threw the God Realm Council into chaos; other God Kings soon arrived to arbitrate.
It was this chaos that allowed the Seagod, hidden in the background, to attempt to reclaim his sacred relics.
The Seagod's Trident was not only his symbol—it was a supreme divine artifact cultivated for millennia, even carrying the potential to be upgraded into a super-artifact.
If successful, the Seagod's authority and power would soar—he would stand just below the God Kings, a being of highest rank! Such an artifact could never be surrendered.
When the Seagod realized Chen Yi had the Seagod's Heart in his grip and was forcibly suppressing it with Thunder God energy, his anxiety mounted.
By the Seagod's calculations, if the trident truly fell into Chen Yi's hands, not even the intervention of several God Kings could reclaim it easily.
Resolving to act, the Seagod directed an immense surge of divine power through the faint spiritual connection that crossed the boundary, injecting it precisely through the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in the lower realm, reawakening what traces of will Chen Yi had suppressed inside it.
"As long as I don't harm Chen Yi, only reclaim the Trident, even the God Realm Committee can have no complaint!"
Bo Saixi? Who cares about her? If I live, Seagod Island will never want for an unbeatable Douluo again!
…
Back in the lower realm, Chen Yi was still using the Thunder God's cudgel to aid in suppressing the relic, feeling the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud's resistance weakening.
"Thankfully, it's just a disturbance triggered by the resonance of divine power—the Seagod himself is restraining his power, not unleashing it fully."
Chen Yi felt slightly reassured. If he could weather this storm and reinforce the seals, all would be well.
But—his thoughts weren't even finished before—
"BUZZ—!!!"
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in his hand suddenly blazed with a blue-gold light far stronger than before. The formidable mind of the Seagod instantly shattered the layers of seals Chen Yi had painstakingly constructed.
Chen Yi groaned, his arm shaking violently—his palm splitting open. The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud took advantage and broke free from the lightning grip.
"Swoosh!"
The sapphire light streaked—too fast for the naked eye—straight for the trident shining in the air.
Moments later, within the trident's radiant divine light, a tall figure began to coalesce—a phantom figure clad in resplendent blue-gold divine armor. It was none other than the lingering will of the Seagod whom Chen Yi had kept suppressed for so long!
The instant this phantom appeared, Qian Daoliu's eyes reddened, his murderous intent bursting forth like a tangible force.
Chen Yi's face became incomparably grave, his gaze fixed on the Seagod's phantom. He hadn't expected the Seagod to interfere so crudely in the lower realm; not even the seven Elemental Gods would dare this.
What is the God Realm Committee doing?!
Bo Saixi herself, upon seeing the awe-inspiring form, trembled with excitement. Struggling upright, she bowed her head, murmuring:
"Greetings... Lord Seagod, greetings... your humble believer..."
But—the Seagod's vengeful gaze did not fall on her for even an instant. The eyes of divine radiance, shaped of holy light but filled with fury at his insult, fixed instantly on Chen Yi.
That's him!
It was this boy who had used unknown divine power to seal me. If I do not punish him, how will my prestige as Lord of the Seas be maintained? What will the gods think of me in the Divine Realm?!
The Seagod's phantom stretched his hand—instantly, the trident, free of restraint, flew back into his palm.
At the same instant, the just-liberated Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud transformed into a blue beam and merged with the body of the trident.
"BOOM, CLANG!"
The fully restored trident radiated a sacred light so bright it made heaven and earth pale. Its divine pressure completely outstripped the incomplete trident wielded by Bo Saixi before—and faintly even surpassed the Angelic Sword in Qian Daoliu's grasp.
Next moment, the Seagod's phantom gripped the perfect trident—without a moment's hesitation, he pointed it directly at Chen Yi, unleashing an aura intent on annihilation as he stabbed fiercely forward!
At the same time, an icy, commanding voice resonated in everyone's hearts:
"Those who blaspheme against a god will be executed!"
Qian Daoliu was shocked—he never thought the Seagod could be so ruthless, not just blocking them but seeking to kill Chen Yi as well.
The Grand Elder and Chu Shanhe were dumbstruck. The god himself had intervened to kill Chen Yi—how could anyone hope to resist?
Even the Seagod in the Divine Realm, prepared to reclaim the trident, was struck with horror the instant he sensed his own remnant will move.
"What are you doing?!"