Swish, swish, swish—
After laughing, Su Mo began to use the power of time and space, flashing continuously around the Life-and-Death Arena, launching attacks at Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing from every direction.
Tang San was forced to intercept Su Mo's attacks over and over, constantly expending his own divine power.
Yet, despite being protected by Tang San, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing felt no sense of safety at all.
They knew all too well that once Tang San's divine sense ran out, death would be waiting for them.
This wasn't like before, when Tang San could block Qian Renxue's attacks and they could still escape.
In the Life-and-Death Arena, there was nowhere to run. All they could do was wait for death.
Or hope that Tang San could defeat his opponent.
But that was impossible—both sides were gods, and Tang San was only a wisp of divine sense.
"I didn't expect us to fall so soon!"
"I was hoping to become gods together with you, then go to the God Realm to find Tang San and the others."
Dai Mubai gave Zhu Zhuqing a bitter smile.
He truly felt unwilling. Both of them had reached Title Douluo before turning forty, and with Tang San's promise, they had a real chance of passing the god trials and becoming gods.
But now, all of that was just a fantasy, because they had no future left.
"If we can't get out, then let's fight him to the end!"
Zhu Zhuqing was also deeply unwilling, but she remained fierce.
If there was no way out, they'd go all in against Su Mo.
"Alright, then let's fight him to the end!"
"At least in this lifetime, we got to fight a god—we won't have any regrets!"
Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's words, Dai Mubai's eyes lit up. He clenched his teeth and said fiercely.
"Nether White Tiger!"
"Roar—!"
With the resolve to fight to the death, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing unleashed their Spirit Fusion technique once more. Accompanied by a roar, the Nether White Tiger appeared in the arena.
"Idiots!"
"Still not a big enough target for me?"
Su Mo sneered coldly as the Nether White Tiger appeared.
Now, it would be even harder for Tang San to protect them.
"Tang San, stop protecting us. We're not getting out of here today. We'll work with you and fight him to the end!"
Dai Mubai said to Tang San.
"Boss Dai, Zhuqing, you…"
Hearing Dai Mubai's words, Tang San's expression changed.
He hadn't given up on Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, yet they'd already given up on themselves before he had.
Tang San fell silent for a moment.
He knew that Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing understood all too well that there was no escape today, which was why they'd resolved to fight to the bitter end.
In the end, it was because his strength was lacking—he couldn't protect Dai Mubai and the others.
If he were strong enough, even with just a wisp of divine sense, he could have destroyed Su Mo.
"…Fine, then let's fight him together!"
"I'll fight to the end with you with this wisp of divine sense!"
Tang San finally spoke with resolve.
"Haha, good!"
"Let's fight to the end!"
Dai Mubai burst out laughing.
Roar—
The Nether White Tiger then charged at Su Mo alongside Tang San.
Swish, swish, swish—
Su Mo remained calm, teleporting around as he attacked them relentlessly with the Soul-Hunting Spear and divine power.
To avoid revealing his true identity, Su Mo didn't use some of his spirit abilities.
For example, the abilities gained from absorbing Da Ming and Er Ming's spirit rings—if he used them, Tang San would surely notice and figure out the truth.
Because he was voluntarily limiting his own skills in this battle, Su Mo couldn't kill Dai Mubai and the others right away.
Although Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing told Tang San not to protect them, Tang San still couldn't just watch them die before his eyes. He kept trying to protect them as best as he could.
At the very least, he wanted this wisp of divine sense to vanish before they died, so he could be at peace.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
As the battle raged on, the wounds on the Nether White Tiger multiplied, its aura growing weaker and weaker, and Tang San's divine sense also faded, becoming more and more fragile.
"Su Mo, if anything happens to them, I will never let you go!"
"I promise you!"
At the very end, as his strength was spent, Tang San launched his last attack while still uttering a final threat to Su Mo.
"Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Boom—
As Tang San unleashed his final move, his divine sense finally began to dissipate.
"Tang San!"
"Third Brother!"
Seeing Tang San's figure fade away, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing both cried out in grief.
Their sadness was for Tang San's vanished divine sense—and for their own fate to come.
"There's no need to be so sad. It's your turn next."
Su Mo glanced at the two indifferently, then slashed down with the Soul-Hunting Spear.
Puff—
The spear pierced through, and the massive form of the Nether White Tiger was run straight through by Su Mo.
Bang—
Without Tang San's protection, they were utterly powerless before Su Mo.
…
God Realm.
"Senior God of War, I'm not lying to you. My brother Dai Mubai is truly gifted—he reached Title Douluo before thirty!"
"With his talent, he'd be a perfect candidate for your inheritance!"
In the God of War Temple, Tang San did his utmost to recommend Dai Mubai to the God of War.
"Really?"
"Achieving Title Douluo before thirty—such talent is indeed impressive."
Hearing Tang San's introduction, the God of War's eyes lit up.
After the Asura God and the Sea God abdicated and left, he too had the idea of leaving this God Realm universe.
He'd held the God of War position for so long, with no real battles—he was utterly bored.
So when he heard Tang San's recommendation, he was immediately interested.
"That's right, Senior. My brother can definitely complete your trials…"
Seeing the God of War interested, Tang San was elated.
"Alright, since the Sea God has spoken, I'll go take a look later!"
The God of War agreed on the spot.
"Yes! Thank you for giving my brother this chance, Senior!"
Tang San immediately expressed his gratitude.
Having settled things with the God of War, Tang San left the God of War Temple.
As for asking the God of War to go easy so Dai Mubai could quickly complete the god trial, Tang San hadn't mentioned it yet.
He wanted to wait until Dai Mubai had earned the God of War's recognition—maybe he wouldn't even need to say anything. As long as the God of War approved of Dai Mubai, he would naturally realize the dangers Dai Mubai and the others faced and would help him pass the god trial.
Tang San started pondering again. 'Boss Dai's settled, but what god position would suit Zhu Zhuqing?'
'Got it—the God of Speed!'
'The God of Speed also seems eager to pass on their position and doesn't want to stay in the God Realm anymore!'
'Zhu Zhuqing is an agility-type soul master, so she matches perfectly with the God of Speed!'
Tang San's eyes quickly lit up, and he turned to head for the God of Speed's temple.
But just as he moved, his body suddenly froze.
Tang San had received the memory feedback from the collapse of his divine sense.
His face, which had been filled with joy just moments before, visibly clouded over, and then his eyes turned bloodshot.
"Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing!"
Tang San called out their names in a hoarse voice, grief saturating every word.
He knew clearly that, after his divine sense dissipated, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had almost no chance of survival.
"Damn it, Su Mo, damn you!"
Tang San clenched his fists in anguish.
He had just convinced the God of War and was waiting for Dai Mubai to become a god too, but now Dai Mubai had met with disaster.
How was he supposed to inherit the God of War position like this?
"Dad, Mom!"
"Teacher, everyone…"
In his grief, Tang San began to worry about his other loved ones in the mortal realm.
He had already been worried enough about just Qian Renxue; now, with Su Mo—who had suddenly become a god from who knows where—he was even less at ease.
Especially since Qian Renxue and Su Mo were working together, and both acted like they didn't take him, the Sea God, seriously at all.
'What should I do?'
Tang San felt a wave of despair—he couldn't think of any good solutions.
Still, he forced himself to calm down, knowing that panicking would solve nothing.
'No matter what, I need to have the God of Food and the Goddess of Nine Colors pass on their god positions to Oscar and Ning Rongrong first!'
'Then Fatty needs to inherit a god position as soon as possible!'
'Fatty's talent is among the best in the group—he's fully qualified to inherit a first-rank god position!'
Tang San still hadn't figured out how to deal with the threats of Qian Renxue and Su Mo, so all he could do for now was focus on strengthening his own people.
'It's a pity that Dad didn't reach Title Douluo before forty, and he wasted so many years…'
Tang San thought of his father, Tang Hao, and finally could only shake his head in regret.
He'd long considered how to help his father become a god.
But Tang Hao's talent was just a little lacking.
Even though Tang Hao always appeared formidable, in terms of talent, he was still a bit short.
Almost all the gods who chose successors from the Douluo Continent prioritized youth—one of the main requirements was reaching Title Douluo before the age of forty.
And then there was his mother, the Blue Silver Empress.
When it came to his parents, Tang San actually had other methods to help them become gods, but that would take time—and right now, time was what they lacked most!
'Damn, if only I'd brought my parents to the God Realm back then!'
Tang San was filled with regret.
As a first-rank god, when he ascended to the God Realm, he could have brought two family members along.
But he hadn't wanted his parents to enter the God Realm as mere family members—he wanted them to become gods themselves.
So when Tang San ascended, he didn't take Tang Hao and the Blue Silver Empress with him.
If he'd brought them as family, they'd have almost no chance of ever becoming gods.
Thinking back now, Tang San wished he could slap himself.
He deeply regretted it.
If only he'd brought his parents to the God Realm first.
Then there was Yu Xiaogang—Tang San had also thought about bringing his teacher up to the God Realm.
But since Yu Xiaogang wasn't related to him by blood, he couldn't be brought along as family.
Now, in the God Realm, the only person Tang San could truly feel at ease about was Xiao Wu.
'Don't tell me that, in the end, Xiao Wu will be the only one left by my side?'
The thought sent a jolt of panic through Tang San, making him even more anxious.
'No, I need to go urge the God of Food and the Goddess of Nine Colors right away…'
With that, Tang San's figure flashed as he went off to find the God of Food.
At the same time, Tang San also used his connection with his divine sense to activate the pieces hidden in others, letting them know just how serious things had become.
…
"Xiao San!"
When Yu Xiaogang saw Tang San's figure appear before him, he was delighted.
"Xiao San, is this your divine sense?"
"As expected, even a wisp of your divine sense is far beyond what us mortals can compare with!"
Yu Xiaogang soon realized that the Tang San before him was just a wisp of divine sense, and he laughed as he praised Tang San.
"Teacher!"
"Madam!"
"Something terrible has happened!"
Seeing Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong by his side, Tang San greeted them first, then spoke gravely.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong's faces changed instantly.
"Xiao San, what's happened?"
Putting away his smile, Yu Xiaogang asked Tang San seriously.
He knew that anything that could make Tang San anxious was no small matter.
Thinking of everything that had happened on the Douluo Continent recently, Yu Xiaogang's mind raced, and before Tang San could answer, he guessed, "Xiao San, is this about Qian Renxue?"
"Teacher, you're as sharp as ever!" Tang San praised Yu Xiaogang admiringly, then gave a bitter smile. "That's right—it's about Qian Renxue…"
"Wait!" Yu Xiaogang stopped Tang San from continuing, his wise eyes flashing as he started to speculate. "If something can worry you this much, could it be… Qian Renxue has recovered?"
His expression darkened at the thought.
He wished he was wrong.
But he was very confident in his own deduction—if it concerned Qian Renxue and could make Tang San anxious, it could only mean Qian Renxue had regained her strength.
Otherwise, Tang San wouldn't be worried.
"Qian Renxue has recovered her strength?"
"What do we do? She's planning to rebuild Spirit Hall!"
Liu Erlong, listening by the side, also turned pale when she heard Yu Xiaogang's guess.
No matter what, Qian Renxue was their enemy.
Now that their enemy had regained her divine power, it was only natural for Liu Erlong to be worried.
"Teacher, you guessed right—Qian Renxue has indeed recovered her divine power!"
Facing the two whose faces had changed dramatically, Tang San didn't hide anything. He had come to tell them the truth so they could prepare in advance.
"It's true!"
Hearing Tang San confirm it himself, Yu Xiaogang's heart sank again.
"It was us who let her and Hu Liena go back then. Now that she's regained her divine power, she probably won't seek revenge, right?" Yu Xiaogang hurriedly asked.
"It's useless, Teacher…"
Tang San sighed, then continued:
"And Boss Dai and Zhu Zhuqing—they've probably already been killed!"
… (End of chapter)
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