Chapter 357 - Grand Finale (Part 2)

Chapter 357 - Grand Finale (Part 2)

The aura of light that encompassed everything gradually faded, replaced by a thick, bloody atmosphere of slaughter.

Tang San...

Darkened!

"You all... are courting death!" Tang San lowered his head, his once-blue eyes now gradually turning crimson, and a cold killing intent surged from within him.

"Oh? Then come and kill me!" The God of Destruction turned around, slapped his rear provocatively, and taunted, "Do you think you have the strength? Do you think you can kill me?!"

"I gave you a chance, but you're useless, you little punk!"

"Hahahaha..."

The God of Destruction laughed maniacally, almost as if he'd opened a portal to his own imagination. That laughter wasn't necessarily like a villain, but it was eerily similar to the cackling of a villain from the Hall of Spirits.

The strangest thing was, despite the God of Destruction's laughter being more villainous, compared to Tang San's bloodthirsty appearance, he suddenly looked like the good guy again. It was a strange shift.

Tang San's behavior was odd, and Du Qianjue instantly became more vigilant. Perhaps it was all the villain novels he'd read in his past life, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the main characters in these novels always had some desperate trump card.

Maybe... Tang San had one too?

After all, he'd never used the power of the Asura God before. Now that he suddenly was, even if it was because he'd reached his limit and fallen into darkness, what if he had some hidden ace up his sleeve?

If Tang San really did unleash some kind of hidden power, Du Qianjue would have to try using the power of creation and destruction to counter it, even if it meant forcibly merging the two.

While Du Qianjue was contemplating whether he should go all out if Tang San did the same, Tang San's next words completely threw him off.

"Xiao Wu, I'm sorry, but this time I may have to trouble you again," Tang San said softly.

Wait, why "again"?

"Brother San..." Xiao Wu looked at Tang San, her eyes full of tears, her lips tightly pressed together, but a sense of relief appeared in her gaze.

She glanced longingly at Tang Wutong, standing coldly beside Du Qianjue, before flames began to burn around her. These flames were the same blood-red color as Tang San's killing intent.

As the scabbard for the Asura Sword, if Xiao Wu sacrificed herself, it would allow Tang San to fully activate the power of the Asura God. Combined with his own strength, he could surpass the power of the original Asura God—at least for a short time.

Though the time would be brief, Tang San believed it was enough.

After all, the name of the Asura God was legendary, the one who had once split the Dragon God in two with a single sword. Tang San had complete faith in this power, and he longed to surpass it.

Poor Tang San had no idea that the Asura God had only managed to cut the Dragon God because the Dragon God hadn't resisted.

Sigh...

"Brother San... if there's a next life..." Xiao Wu looked at Tang San, her eyes suddenly growing cold as she continued her thought in her mind:

'I swear I'll kill you!'

But Tang San didn't notice. At that moment, he was completely focused, his eyes filled with killing intent as he stared at Du Qianjue and the God of Destruction.

"...Is that all?" Du Qianjue and the God of Destruction exchanged glances, their faces filled with confusion.

We thought you were going to unleash some hidden power, but you just pulled off this dramatic stunt?

Was this really "Revive, my love" version two?

As the blood-red flames burned, Xiao Wu's body gradually turned translucent, and a sword-shaped shadow began to form around her.

She seemed to be... turning into the Asura Sword.

Or rather, she intended to sacrifice herself to the Asura Sword, allowing it to release even greater power.

The method of blood sacrifice!

"Bring the sword!" Tang San shouted, extending his hand toward Xiao Wu. The power of the Asura God surged from his hand, trying to seize the Asura Sword that Xiao Wu was becoming.

But...

Just then, another hand, moving even faster, pierced through the sword-shaped shadow and plunged into Xiao Wu's back, pulling out her heart, marked with a sword-shaped pattern.

In an instant, Xiao Wu perished. Her soul was extinguished, and her body shattered along with the sword-shaped shadow, dissolving into countless points of light.

Thud!

Tang San vomited a massive amount of blood into the sky, the power of the Asura God within him becoming chaotic. His rapidly increasing energy plummeted, and within moments, he was hanging on the edge of death.

"Who!!! Who did this?!"

Tang San frantically looked around, his face twisted in rage, resembling a demon.

And then...

He saw Ma Hongjun, holding Xiao Wu's heart.

Yes, it was Ma Hongjun...

Ma Hongjun casually tossed Xiao Wu's heart into the air, caught it, then looked up at Tang San and grinned maniacally.

"Hahaha... Hahahahahahaha!"

Smack!

Blood splattered everywhere as Ma Hongjun crushed Xiao Wu's heart in his hand!

Blood sprayed across Ma Hongjun's face, slowly dripping down his crazed expression. His teeth shone coldly through the mess.

Thud!

Tang San vomited blood once again, and his connection to the Asura God's power plummeted. His strength, barely at the level of a God King, now threatened to fall below even that.

This is the difference!

Even after passing on his godly position, the God of Destruction still retained his incredible strength, and in some ways, he was even more powerful, free from the limitations of his former role and able to continue growing.

On the other hand, nearly all of Tang San's power came from his godly positions. His original abilities with the Blue Silver Emperor and the Clear Sky Hammer? Long forgotten. If anything happened to his Sea God and Asura God positions, most of his power would vanish!

"Ma Hongjun!!!" Tang San had gone mad. The blood-red killing aura around him was turning black.

"Why? Why?! How dare you betray me? I'll kill you! I'll grind your bones to dust, and burn your soul for millions of years!"

"Betray you? Hahahaha..." Ma Hongjun stuck out his tongue and licked the blood at the corner of his mouth, the madness in his eyes no less intense than Tang San's.

"I told you, if you wouldn't save Xiangxiang, then you can die too!"

"I also want to ask you, why?"

"You could've saved Xiangxiang. One word from you, and she would've been able to come to the God Realm. Why didn't you help? Why!!!"

Facing Tang San's overwhelming pressure, purple-red flames suddenly erupted behind Ma Hongjun. In an instant, the flames formed a massive phoenix, though this phoenix held none of its usual nobility.

Instead, it was filled with hysterical madness.

"Xiangxiang is dead, and not only will you go to join her, your Xiao Wu won't be spared either. Let's all die together!"

"Hahahahaha..."

Before Tang San could clash with Du Qianjue or the God of Destruction, Ma Hongjun rushed forward, unleashing his full power. Having absorbed the resentments of the original Phoenix God from Phoenix Volcano, Ma Hongjun's strength wasn't much weaker than Tang San's, even with the injuries Tang San had suffered.

Half the sky was lit up with purple-red flames, and the mournful, crazed cry of the Evil Fire Phoenix echoed across the heavens and earth.

Dai Mubai and Oscar were completely stunned.

Since the confrontation began, neither had been able to speak. It was as if the gods of the God Realm were watching monkeys perform. They had been debating whether to flee with their wives, and then... Fatty went berserk?!

Dai Mubai and Oscar exchanged a glance, confusion written all over their faces.

"What's happening with Fatty?" Dai Mubai asked, his breath catching.

"Isn't it obvious? Fatty probably learned the truth about what happened back then," Oscar replied bitterly, glancing at Du Qianjue.

"Most likely, it's the work of the God of Chaos. He knows so much about things we had no idea about, so learning about Fatty's past wouldn't have been hard."

Yes, both Dai Mubai and Oscar had known for some time that it wasn't hard for a god to bring people into the God Realm. After all, they hadn't become as emotionally detached as Ma Hongjun, who had been hiding in Phoenix Volcano since coming to the God Realm, avoiding the world.

Even without asking around, they'd managed to learn a few things.

But they couldn't say anything to Ma Hongjun.

If they had told him, with Ma Hongjun's temper, he would've gone after Tang San just like now, and as the ones who told him, they would've been the next on Tang San's list.

After becoming gods, they hadn't even seen through Tang San's true nature. They both understood now just how hypocritical Tang San was.

It wasn't that they didn't want to save their brother; it's just that they didn't want to die.

"You're telling me you both knew something was wrong with Fatty's situation all along?" Ning Rongrong asked, covering her mouth in shock, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

Zhu Zhuqing's expression had similarly cracked, her cold demeanor becoming even more distant.

She...

She remembered that lively girl from before...

How lonely must she have been after Ma Hongjun ascended to the God Realm, left alone on the Douluo Continent...

"Why didn't you tell us?" Zhu Zhuqing asked coldly.

Dai Mubai opened his mouth to speak but hesitated.

Oscar, however, let out a bitter laugh and answered directly, "We couldn't tell you. You two are nothing like us; you're too easy to read. If we'd told you, who knows when you'd have let it slip?"

Boom!

A massive mushroom cloud erupted in the sky, scorching flames and cold killing intent scattering everywhere, cutting off Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong's questioning.

A scarlet streak of light shot out from the cloud and stopped in front of the four of them.

As the light faded, it revealed Tang San, his face cold, clutching Ma Hongjun by the neck.

Ma Hongjun, in the end, couldn't match Tang San. No matter how much power he unleashed, he couldn't reach Tang San's level and was ultimately defeated.

Tang San only needed to squeeze lightly, and Ma Hongjun would die instantly.

Of course, Tang San himself looked rather pitiful at the moment. Ma Hongjun had caused him plenty of trouble, such as burning off nearly all of Tang San's once-white hair after he'd activated his Asura God power.

His godly armor was charred black, and there were holes where the fabric had been scorched away.

But Ma Hongjun looked even worse. His body was covered in bloody gashes from the Asura Sword's energy, and a massive wound nearly split him in half at the waist. He was on the verge of death.

"So... you two knew all along?" Tang San asked coldly, looking at Dai Mubai and Oscar, his killing intent growing stronger.

"And if we did? We didn't say anything, and we didn't do anything to hurt you," Dai Mubai replied firmly, the closeness that once united the Shrek Seven Devils now gone.

It was like they were strangers who once knew each other well.

"Good," Tang San nodded lightly, then began to squeeze, causing Ma Hongjun's neck to crack ominously.

Du Qianjue shifted slightly, glancing toward Ma Hongjun.

Ma Hongjun's dimming eyes gave Du Qianjue a barely noticeable wink.

'Don't... save me...'

"Thank you, God of Chaos… I'm going to find Xiangxiang now. Ten thousand years... it's been so long…"

"I don't want… to make her wait any longer!"

Du Qianjue's body froze. He stood silently in the air, gazing with a sorrowful expression at Ma Hongjun, whose lips were lifted in a faint smile.

Yes, Ma Hongjun must have wanted to die a long time ago.

Maybe…

Maybe when he first parted ways with Bai Chenxiang, he already wished for death.

The former Evil Fire Phoenix…

Now just… a pitiful soul.

"Tang San, do you see?" Du Qianjue suddenly spoke, causing Tang San to turn his head toward him.

"When you were distributing the immortal herbs, you didn't give your teacher Yu Xiaogang the best one. When you ascended to the God Realm, you didn't bring him with you. You failed in your duty as a disciple—this is disloyalty."

"You let your parents attempt to seize control of the Douluo Continent's consciousness. Even without my interference, their human minds couldn't handle the collective will of millions of souls on Douluo. Sooner or later, they'd become mindless living corpses. Pushing your parents toward their deaths—that's unfilial."

"As someone who gathered the faith of the entire Douluo Continent, you should've brought prosperity to it. But instead, you brought more harm, trying to control the lives of the people—this is cruel."

"To your brothers, you've kept secrets. And you even let your brother's wife—your own cousin—die, indifferent as they were torn apart by life and death—this is unjust."

"And these are just a few examples. You used Qian Renxue and Hu Liena's feelings to achieve your goals, exploited Xiao Wu's identity as a soul beast for your own gain, and used your daughter to manipulate the chosen one of Douluo's fate. You didn't hesitate to harm those closest to you."

"With such disloyalty, unfilialness, cruelty, and injustice, don't you think it's karma that you're now abandoned by everyone?"

Disloyalty, unfilialness, cruelty, and injustice!

These eight words struck his heart like hammers.

"But then again," Du Qianjue sneered, "you're from the Tang Sect, a sect of assassins. How could someone like you understand normal human emotions?"

"You know what I mean, Tang San, the outer disciple of the Tang Sect, who stole the sect's techniques!"

Tang San's eyes widened instantly, and the strength in his hand weakened slightly.

In that moment—

Boom!!!

Ma Hongjun self-destructed!

He gathered all his divine power and detonated his godly position!

All he needed was for Tang San to be distracted for just a moment. With even a slight lapse in Tang San's vigilance, Ma Hongjun could use his last ounce of strength to get blood on Tang San!

Of course, this explosion was no small matter. Its power was enough to flay Tang San alive from head to toe.

What a twist! Up to now, Du Qianjue had just been talking without actually fighting, leaving Ma Hongjun, who betrayed Tang San—no, Ma Hongjun, the righteous hero who defected from darkness— as the MVP!

Ma Hongjun's final strike on Tang San surpassed even the attacks of the God of Destruction, earning him the title of best performer on the battlefield!

A mushroom cloud, even larger than before, instantly rose into the sky. A first-level god detonating their divine power along with their godly position? The power was almost on par with a full-strength strike from a God King.

The terrifying shockwave swept out in all directions. Dai Mubai, Oscar, and their wives, who were closest, were severely injured in an instant, knocked back helplessly.

On the other hand, Du Qianjue's side, with three God Kings, easily protected their people and even managed to contain the explosion's power within a confined area.

And then there was Tang San.

Anyone with common sense knows that explosions in a confined space are far more powerful than in an open area. With the explosion's range restricted, its power multiplied…

Du Qianjue and the God of Destruction exchanged glances.

"Weren't we supposed to take Tang San down with overwhelming force?" Du Qianjue sucked in a breath, annoyed.

"Damn it! I was supposed to be the hero here, telling my story, but before I'm even done, I find out the main guy is already almost dead, and I won without lifting a finger?!"

"Ahem… that's not my fault!" the God of Destruction awkwardly coughed, then whistled casually.

Suddenly, the God of Destruction realized something and turned back suspiciously.

"Wait, didn't you personally turn the Phoenix God to our side? If you want to blame someone, blame yourself, not me!"

"…?" The fury on Du Qianjue's face froze instantly.

Was it really me who caused all this?

Wow, I really am the clown!

Du Qianjue's vision darkened, and he almost stomped in frustration.

This wasn't how he had planned to show off!

He was supposed to be the main character, crushing some weakling underfoot and spitting on him! This wasn't in the script at all!

But at least he still had a chance to step on Tang San's face and spit on him.

The mushroom cloud gradually dispersed, revealing the pitiful sight of Tang San lying at the bottom of the crater. His chest rose and fell weakly—alive, but barely.

Seeing that Tang San was on the verge of death, Du Qianjue waved his hand.

"Senior Life God, Bi Ji, come here!"

"The three of us need to work together to save this little worm. He can't just die this easily. Ma Hongjun might be satisfied, but we aren't yet!"

"There are still plenty of people lining up to settle scores with him. He can't die now!"

"Hurry up, hurry up, let's heal him so we can slap him around some more!" (End of chapter)