Chapter 294
Better Broken Jade Than Intact Tile
(TL by Bagelson)
Within that overbearing state, Tang San had completely forgotten about pain. He only constantly condensed all his energy in aggression. At this moment, whether the energy of Seagod’s Light, mental strength, Mysterious Heaven Skill inner strength, the aura of the Eight Spider Lances, the breath of the Clear Sky Hammer, they were no longer separate, all fused together. Tang San clearly felt that all his energy was inside the Clear Sky Hammer. The Clear Sky Hammer using Great Sumeru Hammer.
The three Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors’ energy finally recondensed after being scattered by the strike. But, it no longer had the impact from before, only gathering there like it was intimidated by Tang San’s overflowing aggressiveness, and no longer dared attack.
You’re not coming? Fine, then I will.
The violent energy was brought into yet another imposing forward charge by Tang San’s mental strength, the enormous energy hammer smashed straight at the surrounding energy.
Boomboomboomboomboom—— A series of sounds inaudible to the outside world exploded within Tang San. With each strike, that cloud of energy condensed from the three Fifteen Ton Ant Emperor brothers’ energy was smashed to compress a bit, and the pulverized energy was directly swallowed by the Clear Sky Hammer formed from all of Tang San’s energy and forcefully assimilated. It basically didn’t have a speck of a chance to struggle.
Even Tang San himself didn’t know how many times he bombarded it. In the end, that ball of scarce remaining energy actually took the initiative to come forward, directly accepting being fused into Tang San’s frightening energy. But Tang San felt as if he hadn’t fully compressed himself.
Tang San didn’t know if his father had ever used this method to absorb spirit rings, but that kind of joyous feeling was even more carefree than adding spirit rings to spirits.
Without a target, the aggressive state gradually faded. Now Tang San noticed that the meridians in his body had become a mess, smashed beyond recognition, violent pain attacking him. But he clenched his teeth and endured, without letting his consciousness go. At this moment, his father’s words came to his mind. Always with straight back, until death.
There were specks of golden light all over Tang San now, the blood that had sprayed out when he suffered the earlier strike. As he opened his eyes his vision was hazy, making it difficult to see the surroundings clearly. Using his own body as battleground caused him enormous damage. If he hadn’t already reached the demigod realm, he might have already breathed his last.
He hazily looked at the Seagod Trident stabbed into the ground next to him. In the violent strike before, along with his body suffering the shock, he had lost his grip on the Seagod Trident.
Tang San slowly raised his right arm, as heavy as if cast from lead. But he still gritted his teeth and endured, stretching bit by bit towards the Seagod Trident. His willpower had undergone another leap in strength from the previous battle within him. It might be said that the battle within him was much more dangerous than facing the three Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors. It wasn’t even inferior to when he faced the Dark Devilgod Tiger. But he had endured, and surpassed yet another gap.
His right arm finally reached the Seagod Trident, his pale hand fiercely grabbing the rough haft. The chill spread through his whole body via his palm, that refreshing feeling shaking Tang San’s mind. With a sharp exertion, the violent pain seemed to tear his body apart, but Tang San relied on that force and pulled himself upright.
As he pulled himself over to the Seagod Trident, the first thing he did was straighten his back. It was a simple motion, and it made him spit out another several mouthfuls of blood, but inside he was much happier. Sitting down crosslegged, he clenched his teeth to resist the pain all over, just holding onto a bit of clarito to start cultivating.
Tang San unhesitatingly poured all the remaining energy within him towards his right leg, drawing out the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone’s restoring ability. Right now he discovered that all the six spirit bones within him had all become scorching hot. The scalding feeling helped him alleviate some of the pain.
Traces of golden blue radiance climbed from his right leg, quickly enveloping his entire body like a large golden blue web. The powerful healing ability began to take effect, and Tang San’s messy and shattered meridians all recovered with astonishing speed.
The Seagod Trident brand on his forehead lit up, and the Seagod Trident held firmly in Tang San’s hand slowly began to glow, the dazzlingly beautiful golden pattern conforming with Tang San’s golden blue light. The energy of the Seagod also glowed into Tang San, joining together with the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone’s healing ability to accelerate Tang San’s impressive recovery speed one step further.
As the extreme pain faded bit by bit, it was actually also a kind of pleasure. Tang San felt this thrill right now. Especially as his inner eye saw the messy meridians began to return to their original places, the broken channels quickly growing back. Even some organs that had shifted out of place returned. That feeling was like rebirth. Each meridian was unimpeded, and drew the energy within him to automatically circulate and instantly strengthen severalfold. Freely circulating his meridians, the originally quite powerful energy gathered further, bit by bit.
Along with his power rising bit by bit, Tang San breathed, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill’s mist began to appear once again. But this time, the mist had changed color. The original white had become golden. This admittedly involved the golden blue light all over him, as well as the radiance of the Seagod Trident, but the mist released from within Tang San also wasn’t pure white anymore, but rather emanated a faint radiance. At the same time Tang San discovered that, at the same time as his meridians recovered, his spirit power was quickly strengthening. Moreover, his meridians, muscles and bones, and internal organs were growing a deeper golden.
This was the effect of absorbing three spirit rings, and equally because he had finally gotten the Clear Sky Hammer’s complete approval. His body and spirit’s cohesion made his body evolve yet again. Even though he still hadn’t accepted the Seagod’s inheritance, twin spirits and six spirit bones alone brought him closer and closer to the level of divinity. At least the strength of his body was already moving in that direction.
But Bibi Dong, equally with twin spirits, hadn’t experienced such circumstances. This was related to the two immortal herbs he ate back then as well as the ice and fire body refining. The foundation he built back then was still in evidence. Further adding the divine tool Tang San was holding, there was a large gap between Tang San and Bibi Dong in physique, despite equally having twin spirits. Otherwise, how could Tang San have contended with Bibi Dong?
The gold gradually turned more pure, from inside to outside. But it also disappeared as suddenly as it appeared, dithering between faint golden color and true gold. After all, Tang San still hadn’t truly stepped into divinity. Completely refining his body to that stage was impossible. If he really could, it would instead cause trouble. Because his level and cultivation wasn’t there yet, if his body reached divinity first, it would on the contraru block the two from rising.
Time passed second by second. Tang San’s presence was growing more and more enormous. That near divine presence made everything nearby ripple with a kind of peculiar feeling. This was the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest, and all spirit beasts knew that here lived the strongest spirit beasts. None dared approach lightly. And with the presence Tang San emanated right now, the spirit beasts within a hundred li even trembled, unconsciously moving away.
This wasn’t the effect of Tang San’s previous fight with the three Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors, but rather from when he began to fuse together the intense strikes of the three spirit rings within him.
Even Tang San himself had no idea that, as he attacked the three spirit rings’ energy within him with all his strength, each collision made a golden energy wave rush from his body. The golden energy wave had no attack power in itself, it was only a release of aura, but that was yet the release of the aura of absolute power. One might ask, with Tang San’s strength as well as the aggressive state at that time, how many spirit beasts could stay fearless? It was a terrifying wave containing both a trace of the Eight Spider Lances god level presence as well as the true divinity of the Seagod Trident. This was also an important reason why basically no spirit beasts came here to cause a disturbance from when Tang San started absorbing the spirit rings until now.
Three spirit rings in one go, it might be unprecedented in the entire spirit master world, and let alone absorbing three at once. Everything Tang San did now was a first. All manner of circumstances had actually allowed him to succeed. Two spirits, seventeen spirit rings strengthening his body, had made his strength evolve once again.
As his body gradually finished healing under the effect of the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone’s Wildfire Burns Unending, Spring Winds Blow New Life ability, Tang San discovered to his surprise that his spirit power had risen a large chunk. Even though he still hadn’t broken through rank ninety six, swallowing the energy of the Man Faced Demon Spider, and then the three ninety thousand year Fifteen Ton Ant Emperor’s plus their spirit ring, his spirit power had also leapt up, only a hair fine line remaining from rank ninety five to breaking throughto rank ninety six.
This was also the benefit of twin spirits. After ordinary title Douluo reached rank ninety, they could only rely on painstaking cultivation, how could they do like Tang San and rely on absorbing formidable spirit beast spirit rings to increase their spirit power? The Clear Sky Hammer’s nine spirit rings could become a powerful support to help Tang San increase his spirit power. The advantage of twin spirits truly appeared now. Bibi Dong being able to cultivate to rank ninety nine at such an age had a considerable relationship with this.
The external energy gradually gathered, fusing with his body. The scorching heat from the six spirit bones gradually disappeared, leaving Tang San with a feeling of complete comprehension. His mental strength could precisely control the path of each trace of spirit power within him.
Breathing deeply, Tang San slowly opened his eyes. With a thought, he floated up above the ground. He didn’t use any spirit power, just a thought induced the changes, as if he could completely break free of the shackles of gravity.
He slowly unfolded his legs to stand on the ground. At this moment, Tang San couldn’t help raising the Seagod Trident, facing upwards and giving a long howl. The clear and melodious cry grew more and more impassioned along with the surging energy within him. That kind of unabashed aggressiveness shook the Star Dou Great Forest.
Almost rank ninety seven. He was definitely more assured in facing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Sensing the even more agreeable energy waves between him and the Seagod Trident, Tang San found it difficult to conceal his excitement. Ever since he cultivated the Great Sumeru Hammer, his character had shown minute changes, and his past calm contained a bit of unruly wildness. If before he was more like his mother Ah Yin, then now his character was more in line with his father. Steady and domineering.
“All absorbed?”
As Tang San’s howl gradually stopped and he was immersed in excited joy, without warning, a voice came from next to him like a scoop of ice cold water.
Feeling a shiver down his spine, Tang San’s first reaction was a sudden retreat. Slashing horizontally with the Seagod Trident, he sent a golden ring of light in the direction of the voice.
The sudden shock this voice gave him really was too large. In fact, even when wrestling those three energies inside him, he was always spreading out his mental strength, sensing all the surroundings. Even in his aggressive state he couldn’t possibly ignore what went on around him. He wouldn’t place himself in danger. But from start to finish, he had never sensed any strong lifeform besides him and the three Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors. But, this voice still appeared so suddenly.
Without a doubt, the owner of this voice had mental strength above Tang San’s and definitely not by just a little. Otherwise, how could he possibly have calmly hidden from Tang San’s comprehensive scanning? Among the powers Tang San knew, even Bibi Dong didn’t have that strength! With his strength at his present level, even were Seagod Douluo Bo Saixi or his grandfather here, Tang San would still have been confident in finding some clues to their presence.
In a moment of crisis, Tang San’s brain would frequently grow more sober. He instantly calmed down from the excitement and joy, swiftly analysing the source of the voice. Three possibilities for avoiding his mental strength probe appeared practically instantly in his mind.
The first possibility was that the owner of this voice possessed a stealth ability like his Vast Sea Barrier, and moreover one that was immune to mental strength probes. And the second possibility was that he had met a pure agility type Title Douluo, equivalent to Bai Chenxiang’s Needle-Tailed Swift cultivated above rank ninety, relying on incomparable speed to escape his mental strength. None of these two possibilities was frightening to Tang San. But what he feared the most was the third possibility. That the owner of this voice completely suppressed him in spirit power, then he could naturally appear next to him without being discovered. And such an enemy was definitely a mortal threat.
“Don’t worry, if I wanted to kill you, I could’ve done so a hundred times over already.”
The calm voice resounded once again. This time Tang Sa noticed it was a woman’s voice. Along with the voice, a person stepped out of the trees only ten meters away from Tang San.
She wore a long golden palace dress, fitted to her body. It seemed woven from golden thread, without further decoration, simple and elegant. The golden collar guarded her snow white slender neck. A head of long golden hair was draped casually across her back, without being carefully combed, it was a clear contrast with her neat robes.
The golden eyes were calm as water, without the slightest fluctuation. She seemed like an ordinary person, but Tang San could catch a special quality in those golden eyes, a kind of indescribable quality. And on this person’s forehead was a golden Seraphim brand. Even though it was very small, Tang San could still clearly make it out. Skin whiter than snow, a superlative mien, she seemed to be eighteen or nineteen years old.
Her appearance seemed very natural, not at all like her abrupt voice before. As if she was there to start with, and should appear now. That harmonious feeling instead made Tang San feel extremely uncomfortable. What shocked Tang San the most was that she seemed too common. From top to bottom she didn’t emanate a trace of spirit power, just like an ordinary person. But, Tang San carefully observed and immediately discovered that this woman’s legs never touched the ground, and rather walked in midair, ten centimeters above the ground. Like she was walking in the tips of the blue silver grass.
If this wasn’t enough to make Tang San feel deadly threat, then, as he saw this person, and his boundless mental strength completely condensed together and focused, he immediately felt fearful. Because he discovered that his mental strength actually couldn’t target her, he didn’t even sense her existence.
Even if she was just a soul, she should at least have soul energy fluctuations. But, there was nothing. There really was nothing.
Tang San knew this person. Once, he and she had fought for the fate of the Heaven Dou Empire. Tang San was the final victor in that battle, but Tang San knew that, in that fight, this woman actually had the chance to kill him. If she had joined hands with the Title Douluo with her then, the result of the battle might have been different. But she didn’t. She maintained her dignity as a spirit master. Therefore, even as enemies, Tang San still didn’t feel any particular ill will towards this person. Even though she had become a lot younger, by the expression in her eyes, Tang San could be certain he hadn’t mistaken her identity. He just didn’t expect that the woman who once impersonated the Heaven Dou Empire crown prince Xue Qinghe for more than a decade, almost overturning the Heaven Dou Empire, would appear here. He still remembered her name: Qian Renxue.
Amidst his shock and a trace of fear, Tang San was very calm. Panic could never be the way to solve a problem. Only calmly analysing the problem and exploiting ones advantages as far as possible was there a chance to deal with it.
“You’ve been here long?”
Tang San smiled slightly, calmly countering.
Qian Renxue couldn’t keep a trace of appreciation from her eyes for Tang San’s ability to calm down so quickly. She nodded gracefully,
“Yes, I was here when you just faced the three ants and released the domain.”
When he heard this, Tang San couldn’t keep the corner of his mouth from twitching. She came when he released the blue silver domain? What this meant was that she had even been inside the range of his domain, and he still hadn’t discovered her.
When they met last time, Qian Renxue was above rank seventy, and Tang San above rank sixty. At that time Tang San knew that Qian Renxue was equally a genius, a genius not inferior to him. She even possessed the formidable Seraphim spirit, and was also Qian Daoliu’s granddaughter, the daughter of Spirit Hall’s last Supreme Pontiff. But, why couldn’t he see through her now?
“Long time no see. It seems you’ve changed a lot.”
Tang San didn’t stop smiling, just like he was chatting with an ordinary friend.
Qian Renxue sighed,
“Yeah, it really has been such a long time, six years have gone by in a flash. Ordinary people don’t have many six year periods in their lives. I’ve changed a lot, but aren’t you the same? Just now I saw the most miraculous scene in the history of the spirit master world. Maybe even those powers who cultivated to the god level never experienced what you just did.”
“Facing three pure attribute spirit beasts at ninety thousand years at the same time, and winning. That’s not much. Most miraculous is that you actually dared absorb their three spirit rings simultaneously, and succeeded. I really must congratulate you.”
Tang San smiled wryly:
“What’s there to congratulate, don’t tell me you can’t tell that was just an accident? Do you think I wanted to absorb three Fifteen Ton Ant Emperor spirit rings t once? You should say I was courting death.”
Qien Renxue smiled slightly, her smile seemed to possess some special magic, and Tang San couldn’t help being distracted. All the trees around them, the leaves softly swaying, producd rustling sounds.
From the moment Qian Renxue spoke, Tang San’s mental strength had always been released at full strength. Now he was shocked to discover that, within the range he could sense, all the trees were moving in the same way, the leaves swaying at the same time, as if bewitched by Qian Renxue’s smile. And that was just the trees. Besides the blue silver grass nearby him that could sense his presence, all plants expressed their joy in different ways.
“I’ve heard of a smile toppling a city, and a smile toppling a nation. I didn’t expect I would see it today. Only, you’re toppling the Star Dou Great Forest.”
Tang San lamented.
Qian Renxue’s smile grew a bit wider,
“Can I take it that you are praising me?”
Tang San gracefully stroked the Seagod Trident,
“Of course. I’m just stating facts.”
Qian Renxue smiled:
“But you’re also being unduly humble. No? Absorbing three spirit rings at once might have been an accident, but at the time you were fully capable of choosing not to absorb them. BUt you did it, still taking them within you, and even made them completely yours using a method I’ve never seen before, Only, your appearance really was scary, I couldn’t help feeling like helping you a few times. Only, if I did, it might have influenced the results of absorbing the spirit rings, causing more harm than good. And you really did create a miracle before my eyes, absorbing all three at once, commanding them to serve with a heroic disposition. I have no choice but to admire it. If I were you, I wonder if I would have had the courage.
He looked deeply at the woman in front of him, but Tang San still discovered he couldn’t see through her. He revealed a wry smile,
“Miss Qian Renxue, if I’m not mistaken, we should be enemies.”
Qian Renxue sighed faintly,
“In this world, there are no eternal friends, nor any eternal enemies. Besides, even if you and I were enemies, I would still wish to face you at your full strength, and not an opportunistic ambush. Some enemies can equally be respected, no?”
Tang San nodded,
“You’re a true spirit master. If we weren’t on different sides, I really wouldn’t want to fight you. Unfortunately, it can’t be helped.”
This time it was Qian Renxue to force a smile,
“Why must we be enemies?” Yang San, you are the most talented spirit master I’ve ever seen. I noticed just now that you’re already a Title Douluo now. Your spirit power has even broken through rank ninety six. But, how old are you now? Twenty five? Twenty six? Or twenty seven? You’ve already made history in the spirit master world. One might say that, if your were in our Spirit Hall, had the full backing of Spirit Hall, your accomplishments might have been even greater. Nobody can imagine your future. I can be almost certain that, not long from now, you will definitely be able to break through the limits of humanity with your own effort, and truly step into the realm beyond rank one hundred.”
Tang San smiled slightly,
“You want to talk me over? I must admit that your voice is very inspiring.”
Qian Renxue spoke a bit lonely:
“This should be my second time trying to convince you. Last time, you refused me without hesitation, and even attacked me. Even though I don’t understand how you did it, how you defeated me with spirit avatar with your rank sixty something strength, I really did lose. I wholeheartedly accepted my defeat. But, now you’re no longer my opponent. Don’t tell me you will insist on me defeating you before properly listening to what I have to say?”
Tang San smiled. His smile was very casual, containing a noble grace as well as a wild unruliness. Even though his smile couldn’t make the Star Dou Great Forest move the way Qian Renxue could, it still made Qian Renxue a bit black. Six years had passed, and the man in front of her had grown even more charming.
“Miss Qian Renxue, haven’t I always listened conscientiously to you?”
Qian Renxue’s gaze gradually grew serious, the light feeling from before slowly fading. Tang San instantly felt as if the atmosphere between heaven and earth was changing along with her expression, and the previously swaying plants turned still.
“Tang San, join the Spirit Empire. What the Heaven Dou Empire can give you, the Spirit Empire can match.”
Tang San didn’t seem influenced by the serious feeling in the air, smiling slightly:
“The new Heaven Dou Emperor Xue Beng took me as teacher, naming me Imperial Tutor, placing me on equal footing with him, giving me the title King Lan Hao. You might not know about it.”
What Tag San didn’t expect was that Qian Renxue would actually unhesitatingly say:
“Besides not being able to make you Emperor, I can grant you the rest.”
Tang San was stupefied. Even though he knew Qian Renxue regarded him highly, he didn’t expect she would consider him this important. Astonished, he couldn’t help saying:
“Miss Qian Renxue, the current Spirit Empire empress is Bibi Dong, not you. Bibi Dong hates me to the bone, even if you are the Supreme Pontiff’s daughter, she still might not listen to you.
Hearing the name Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue’s expression instantly sank, her charming face turning ice cold,
“That was before. The instant I left the Elder Palace, the future Spirit Empire, will listen only to my orders.”
Tang San nodded,
“Yes, you really have the strength. Even if Bibi Dong is strong, she still isn’t a god.”
Qian Renxue’s cold expression disappeared, smiling slightly,
“You’ve already noticed?”
Tang San said helplessly:
“You appeared like that, if I didn’t see anything, how could I compliment you before? Even if my spirit power isn’t very high, my mental strength isn’t lower than Bibi Dong. Even I couldn’t see through your presence, then the answer is already clear. The strength of a soul can be examined, but the power of divinity is beyond me. Am I right? Miss God of Angels, Qian Renxue.”
Qian Renxue looked at Tang San, not speaking for a long time. Even though her gaze was calm and gentle, it still gave Tang San a kind of special pressure, directly on the depths of his soul.
After a long time, Qian Renxue sighed:
“It seems I still don’t understand you well enough. I didn’t think you could see so many things. You should have a certain understanding of the god level.”
Tang San smiled,
“I should say I’m the astonished one. I never thought that you would complete the dream of all TItle Douluo in a few years, and the dream of your grandfather Qian Daoliu, rank one hundred god. Originally I thought the one most likely to accomplish it in the Spirit Empire would be Bibi Dong.”
“Her? Is she suited to become god?”
QIan Renxue gave a cold laugh,
“A black hearted woman can become god too? Tang San, I see you’ve also made some progress on this road, that weapon even I can’t see through proves it. It should be a true divine tool. My background is behind yours, I could reach my present stage in six years with grandfather’s full support. BUt you could break through to the Title Douluo level, and make such progress, you have my full admiration. Since you already know I’ve become the God of Angels, then we don’t need to beat around the bush. All the Heaven Dou EMpire can give you is the Heaven Dou Empire’s King Lan Hao. If you agree to joining the Spirit Empire, once I’ve united the Continent, you will be the Continent’s King Lan Hao, a king on equal footing with me.”
Tang San gazed at Qian Renxue, speaking calmly:
“I don’t understand, why do you regard me so important? Just for my potential? Aren’t you afraid that, when I become god too one day, I would judge the Spirit Empire?”
Qian Renxue smiled:
“Are you someone who would go back on promised? If you are, then that can only prove my misjudgement. As for why I regard you so, I’ll only tell you after you agree to joining the Spirit Empire. Now, give me your answer. I believe that with you and me joining hands, nobody on the Continent can compete.”
“Then let’s fight.”
Tang San said indifferently.
Qian Renxue looked stunned, looking uncomprehendingly at Tang San,
“You obviously know I’ve already become a god, and you still choose to fight me?”
“So what if it’s human? So what if it’s god? Don’t tell me you don’t know that some things in this world cannot change? There’s a saying you haven’t heard, I’ll teach it to you now.”
“What?”
Qian Renxue’s face was already unsightly.
Tang San went straight to the point, intoning word by word:
“Better—— Broken—— Jade—— Than—— Intact—— Tile——”