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The Great Sumeru Hammer collided with the Angelic Sword, and in an instant, it was as if a second sun had risen on the ground. Gazing into the distance, the unprepared Tang Hao was instantly blinded by the bursting radiance, and his entire world plunged into darkness in an instant.

Although the others fared slightly better, they were not much stronger. The healing-type soul master in the group was quickly pulled closer by the others.

As the explosion subsided and the dust dispersed, Tang Chen stood proudly in the massive crater, his chest puffed out. Yet his expression was one of utter shock as he looked up at Qian Daoliu, who hovered mid-air, astonished.

"Qian Daoliu, you dodged? Instead of going head-to-head with me, you tricked my Great Sumeru Hammer using your Spirit Avatar before counterattacking? This is the first time I've encountered such tactics in all these years."

Tang Chen clutched his chest, spat out a mouthful of blood, and staggered back two steps before steadying himself again.

"It's been years; I've made some progress as well," Qian Daoliu replied with a smile, flapping his wings. The long sword formed by his soul skill still glowed brightly, pointing directly at Tang Chen and faintly sealing off his possible moves.

During the earlier exchange, Tang Chen's Great Sumeru Hammer clashed with the Angelic Sword formed by Qian Daoliu's Spirit Avatar. Almost immediately after a brief stalemate, the Angelic Sword shattered with a boom. Qian Daoliu, with his three pairs of wings spread wide, bypassed the explosion of the Great Sumeru Hammer and closed the distance to Tang Chen in an instant, thrusting his sword straight at Tang Chen's heart.

If not for Tang Chen's quick reflexes and ruthless decisiveness, choosing to abandon his control over the Great Sumeru Hammer and use the Clear Sky Hammer to block the attack, his chest might have been pierced through with a gaping hole.

Even so, having deflected the move, Tang Chen was still injured by the soul power contained in Qian Daoliu's sword energy. The sacred flame burned within him, making his internal organs feel as though they were about to be charred to ashes. The soul power in his meridians felt as if it were on the verge of igniting.

If not for the modifications his body had undergone during the God Trials and the residual power of the Asura God within him, this attack would have incapacitated him, depriving him of most of his combat ability.

After decades of absence, Tang Chen had thought he was reborn, believing it would be a simple matter to defeat a former opponent he had bested in the past. Yet to his surprise, he had suffered a major setback at the hands of Qian Daoliu right from the start.

Looking at Qian Daoliu, Tang Chen's gaze held a faint trace of resentment. We agreed to fight head-to-head, didn't we? After clashing for decades, why have you suddenly changed tactics and started using schemes?

In theory, such injuries shouldn't have been significant to a demigod. With a bit of rest and determination, he should have been able to continue fighting as though nothing had happened. Even an ordinary Titled Douluo of unrivaled strength could have maintained full combat power for a short time. But Tang Chen was different.

After decades of erosion from the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat, his body had become riddled with holes, like a sieve. Instead of growing stronger, his physical strength had deteriorated significantly. His body could no longer bear the power within it.

At this point, Tang Chen could be described as a fragile yet deadly glass cannon.

His body was barely held together by the divine power of the Asura God. The cracks in his body hadn't disappeared; they were merely patched over with a thin, paper-like layer. Once this divine power dissipated, Tang Chen would be on the verge of death, if not killed outright.

Qian Daoliu's soul power had intense corrosive and purifying properties. As it rampaged through Tang Chen's body, it slowly extracted the remnants of the Asura God's divine power bit by bit. Even though the purification was slow, it made Tang Chen feel extremely threatened.

Tang Chen no longer wanted to fight. He didn't want to die at the hands of Qian Daoliu, his old rival, only days after reemerging on the Douluo Continent.

What would people say if that happened?

"The invincible legend of the land, after decades of seclusion, reappeared to protect his grandson and battled the High Priest of Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu, only to fall at Qian Daoliu's hands, while Qian Daoliu emerged with only minor injuries."

If word of that got out, wouldn't he be mocked for centuries?

Tang Chen had come out this time to see if there was anyone in his clan with enough talent to inherit the Asura God's trials. He wanted to assist a successor while he was still in decent condition. Even if the successor lacked the talent to become a god, as long as the trials of the Asura God remained in the Clear Sky Clan, the clan could one day rival Spirit Hall. Future generations of the clan might not produce a Titled Douluo of unrivaled strength in every generation, but they could at least guarantee a Level-98 Super Douluo to safeguard the clan's legacy.

Tang Chen believed that if he truly fought Qian Daoliu to the death, he could do so. But dying for this wasn't worth it. He wasn't afraid to fight; he just didn't see the need.

Looking at Qian Daoliu, who wielded the golden sword formed by his soul skill, Tang Chen calmly retracted his Clear Sky Hammer and began to stabilize his condition.

Seeing this, Qian Daoliu could only click his tongue, shake his head, and sigh before withdrawing his martial soul and deciding not to continue the battle.

Tang Chen was exploiting Qian Daoliu's rigid sense of honor. Knowing his rival's character well, he deliberately ended the fight in this way, relying on a gentleman's understanding: I've stopped fighting; you should stop too. After all, we've been rivals for decades. I'm defenseless now—surely you wouldn't attack me, would you?

However, while Qian Daoliu still retained his kind-hearted demeanor, his character had matured significantly over the years. For a moment, as he watched Tang Chen abruptly end the battle and withdraw his martial soul, Qian Daoliu hesitated, pondering whether to seize the opportunity and strike down his old rival with one decisive blow.

Ultimately, Qian Daoliu refrained. Not out of sentimentality, but because his mission took precedence. Otherwise, Tang Chen might have been impaled without even realizing what had happened.

A few minutes later, after expelling most of the holy soul power from his body, Tang Chen looked at Qian Daoliu again, his gaze tinged with nostalgia.

"It's been a long time. I didn't expect you to have changed so much over the years."

"People change," Qian Daoliu replied. "You've changed a lot too. In the decades you've been gone, many speculated that you had died. But as someone involved in that incident back then, I knew you were pursuing the Asura God's trials, walking the path to divinity."

Qian Daoliu's gaze was complex, and even Tang Chen couldn't discern what he was thinking.

"To be honest, I thought you'd succeed."

"Your talent surpasses mine, and your will is more resolute. When we last parted, your level was higher than mine. I truly believed you were the only one of our era who could become a god."

"You thought so highly of me?" Tang Chen chuckled bitterly at the praise, though his heart was filled with pain.

If he hadn't found the God Trials or lacked the qualifications, he could have accepted it. But the problem was, he had found the trials, and he was qualified. He had been so close—just one step away from becoming a god.

That feeling was far more agonizing than any other failure.