Chapter 66: Tang Chen vs. Qian Daoliu

The grand gathering soon came to an end, and the various factions began to take their leave one after another. Of course, some chose to stay behind.

Those who stayed weren't driven away by Spirit Hall either.

Among them were Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

Chen Xin, always one to delight in a good spar, had taken quite a liking to Gu Han. As a result, he persuaded Ning Fengzhi to stay a while longer, hoping to exchange insights with this prodigy whose mastery of sword qi bordered on the sublime.

Meanwhile, not all of the Clear Sky Clan had departed either. Tang Chen, in particular, wished to have a bout with Qian Daoliu. After so many years apart, the two naturally saw each other as worthy sparring partners—to test their strength, sharpen their skills, and measure just how far they had come.

The duel was to take place in an uninhabited valley outside Spirit City.

Qian Xunji and the other Worship Elders no longer concealed themselves. A full lineup of Super Douluo, each above Rank 96, escorted Gu Han and Bibi Dong to a nearby mountain peak.

It was a vantage point that provided a clear view of the upcoming clash of titans, while still being at a safe enough distance.

On the other side, Tang Tian and five elders—each at least Soul Douluo or Soul Sage level—stood guard over the three Tang siblings: Tang Xiao, Tang Hao, and Tang Yuehua.

Naturally, Ning Fengzhi was also present, accompanied only by Chen Xin. The rest of his disciples had remained within Spirit City.

When he saw the Clear Sky Clan's lineup, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but feel a twinge of awe and envy. But the moment he turned his gaze to Spirit Hall's side, his lips twitched uncontrollably.

This… wasn't the rumor that Spirit Hall had no more than four Titled Douluo?

What the hell was this?

Four? This was clearly seven, and that wasn't even counting Qian Daoliu or the three Worship Elders who hadn't shown up. That made eleven in total.

What kind of absurd lineup was this?

Chen Xin's expression grew equally grim. The presence these people radiated was so overwhelming that even he couldn't get a read on them. They were almost certainly all above Rank 96.

"Fengzhi," Chen Xin said, voice low and grave, transmitting his words directly to Ning Fengzhi's ears, "Even I can't discern the levels of the Pope and the six around him. I fear they are all Super Douluo, above Rank 96."

He had followed his father in his youth and was well aware that Qian Daoliu was a Rank 99 powerhouse. After all, his own father had perished attempting to challenge him.

But the existence of these other individuals? He had never heard of them.

Now that he was seeing them in person, Chen Xin couldn't help but feel an immense pressure descending upon him.

Upon hearing Chen Xin's words, Ning Fengzhi's last lingering hopes crumbled.

The plan he had been quietly nurturing in his heart—extinguished before it even began.

Perhaps… it was time to rethink his stance on Spirit Hall.

Eleven Titled Douluo. Among them, the Pope, at least seven Rank 96+, and even a Rank 99 Limit Douluo.

This wasn't a threat that could be countered by simply uniting the three upper sects.

Suddenly, forming an alliance with Spirit Hall didn't seem so unreasonable.

Besides, Spirit Hall had deep resources and vast influence—they were unlikely to mistreat a small support-type sect like his.

Gu Han's gaze casually swept toward Ning Fengzhi. Seeing his furrowed brows and contemplative expression, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

Ning Fengzhi was incredibly capable, but at heart, he still thought like a merchant—pragmatic and driven by profit and loss. In the end, self-preservation was a natural instinct.

In the original timeline, it was because Qian Xunji remained unmarried and Spirit Hall deliberately kept their strength concealed that the other factions believed they could balance the power dynamic with a joint alliance.

But now things were different. With Qian Xunji's wedding, every major power had gathered in Spirit City. Though most had already departed, only the Clear Sky Clan and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan remained.

Still, that was enough. Now that Ning Fengzhi had seen Spirit Hall's true lineup, he would undoubtedly reassess the power disparity.

If the gap had been small, perhaps the alliance might still have a chance. But if the gap was too large?

No one would be foolish enough to throw themselves against a mountain. Spirit Hall was a unified force. An alliance, by its very nature, was not.

No one could guarantee when a so-called ally might stab you in the back.

Only now did Ning Fengzhi truly grasp the full extent of Spirit Hall's power. With this kind of elite force, even uniting the entire continent wouldn't necessarily be enough to counter them. The disparity in top-end combat strength was simply too vast.

As for the Clear Sky Clan, they seemed surprisingly calm in the face of Spirit Hall's Worship Elders, as if this wasn't news to them at all.

Which made sense. Given the long-standing relationship between Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu, Gu Han found it hard to believe that Tang Chen wouldn't have informed his clan's elders about Spirit Hall's true power.

That clearly wasn't possible.

With that in mind, Gu Han finally understood why the proud and defiant Clear Sky Clan had chosen to withdraw from the world so abruptly after Tang Chen disappeared, even giving up all their assets and affiliated sects.

At the time, with Tang Chen missing, the only remaining Titled Douluo was Tang Tian—who, bizarrely, had died of anger. Gu Han still couldn't wrap his head around how a Titled Douluo could possibly die of rage.

The clan's strongest left were Tang Xiao, a Soul Douluo, and five elders who might also be Soul Douluo-level. What did they have to go up against Spirit Hall with?

If it had been him, he probably would have made the same choice.

Better to survive first and figure out the rest later. As for their affiliated sects?

Please. They could barely save themselves—who had the energy to worry about others?

That said, Gu Han didn't quite agree with how Spirit Hall had handled things in the original story. If you're going to turn against someone, go all the way.

This half-hearted "hit them a bit and then back off" strategy, giving your enemy time to regroup and strike back, made no sense.

Either don't start a fight, or if you do—don't hesitate. Don't hold back.

BOOM!!

A terrifying surge of soul power erupted. The valley ahead was instantly engulfed in the Angel Domain. The massive form of the Seraphim Spirit hovered in the sky, wings spread wide.

Tang Chen gripped the Clear Sky Hammer, his aura soaring to its peak. His eyes burned with intense battle spirit.

No soul rings appeared beneath his feet—he didn't need any soul skills. To him, soul rings were merely stepping stones used to break through each ten-level bottleneck.

"Come, fight me!"

Tang Chen launched the first strike. His battle cry echoed across the heavens, and the Clear Sky Hammer seemed to come alive in his hands, wielded with unmatched mastery.

"Angelic Sacred Sword!"

Qian Daoliu, facing an equal, didn't dare show the slightest carelessness. He brandished the Angelic Sacred Sword, meeting Tang Chen head-on.

Dodge?

Qian Daoliu scoffed inwardly. You want me to avoid him?

Do you think I'm not a full six-stat monster?

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Golden and purple light clashed in the air as the two unleashed their full power from the very first exchange, seeking to test the limits of their current strength.

The overwhelming waves of soul power shattered the terrain—mountains crumbled, the earth trembled.

Even those watching from afar, including the Rank 98 Golden Crocodile Douluo, felt an immense pressure and instinctively moved the group even further away.

"So this… is a battle between Limit Douluo?"

Chen Xin's expression was grave. Was this the kind of opponent my father once challenged?

Even the aftershocks of the battle filled him with dread. He could only imagine the kind of terrifying pressure his father had once faced.

Originally, this duel hadn't been planned—but Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu were the kind of old friends who only got closer through fighting.

After over a decade apart, now that they finally had the chance, not having a proper brawl just wouldn't sit right.

~~~

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