Chapter 305: Senior Tang Chen, Farewell on Your Journey
Time passed for a few hours. All throughout the Clear Sky Clan's mountains, several hundred new earthen graves had been erected one by one. Wooden markers stood atop these graves, but most bore no names, since the majority of corpses were blasted so badly that it was impossible to tell who was who.
"Wind has no form, but leaves do. Without wind, fallen leaves cannot rise; without leaves, the wind loses its support. The so-called Grand Sumeru Hammer is to fuse all of one's spirit rings as one, pouring them all into the Clear Sky Hammer, turning them into the purest power. Spirit rings, for the Grand Sumeru Hammer, are like wind to the leaves."
"Xiaotian, Xiaohu, this is our Clear Sky Clan's highest art, the essence of the Grand Sumeru Hammer—have you memorized it?"
In a still-intact building among the ruins of the Clear Sky Clan, Tang Chen instructed Tang Tian and Tang Hu—currently the clan's last direct-line disciples—in the Grand Sumeru Hammer's cultivation formula.
Tang Tian and Tang Hu responded in unison, "We remember it well, Grand Elder."
"Cultivating the Grand Sumeru Hammer demands extraordinary talent and a deep foundation, at least four spirit bones of ten-thousand-year quality or higher. Otherwise, if you fail to master it, the technique will backfire and inflict severe internal injuries, forever capping your cultivation at rank 95. The same happened to Zhen."
Tang Tian and Tang Hu were perfectly aware of the late Old Clan Master Tang Zhen's ailments. He'd been plagued by illness in old age, wasting away so badly he could scarcely drink wine. It was hard to believe he was once a rank 95 Title Douluo. Meanwhile, the Second Elder—of the same generation but weaker than Tang Zhen—remained in excellent health, able to eat and drink as he pleased. Such a harsh contrast underscored just how fearsome the backlash for failing to cultivate the Grand Sumeru Hammer could be.
"I'll entrust you both to Qian Xunji shortly. Once you reach Spirit Hall, train diligently and bear children. Once you gain enough strength, rebuild the Clear Sky Clan."
"Yes, Grand Elder!" the two answered.
According to the clan's rules, the Grand Sumeru Hammer was normally passed down a single line, but Tang Chen now gave it to both Tang Tian and Tang Hu—evidence of his anxiety that the art might be lost forever. Apart from the added Sea God inheritance that Tang Tian and Tang Hu each possessed, their aptitudes were roughly on par with Tang Zhen's. If he taught it to only one, that disciple might die or suffer backlash before fully learning, leaving no chance to pass the technique on, thus consigning it to oblivion.
Tang Chen then took out a storage-type soul tool. "Inside here is what remains of the clan's resources—our stockpile of spirit bones. I can survive a few days longer. Once I settle my last affairs, absorb them at once."
"Also, those three bones Qian Xunji seized from Hao's body—one day, the clan's descendants must reclaim them. Anything belonging to the Clear Sky Clan must stay ours!"
Before leaving, Tang Chen discovered only one left of three heirloom bones. He asked, learning that Qian Xunji had severed Tang Hao's limbs in a battle years before, taking three bones. The old man was infuriated. In his view, had Tang Hao not been crippled, he could have reached rank 97 by now, strong enough to protect the clan—and none of this would have happened. The Shura God's inheritance would have gone to Tang Hao.
What a hateful Spirit Hall. What a hateful Qian Xunji!
But no matter now. In his twilight years, Tang Chen had to rely on Spirit Hall if he was to secure the clan's last surviving bloodline and ensure they had resources left to someday revive. All debts would rest upon the shoulders of the next generation.
Having finished his instructions, Tang Tian and Tang Hu exited the building's main hall, where Qian Xunji, Qian Renchuan, Tang Yuehua, plus the final hundred or so survivors of the Clear Sky Clan, along with the Speed and Breaking Clans, all stood waiting.
Shortly after, Tang Chen arrived in the clan's audience hall. Even though his body was crumbling and he was the direct perpetrator of the clan's destruction, when he appeared, the surviving Clear Sky disciples made no disturbance. After all, Tang Chen's prestige in the clan remained supreme, and as a rank 99 Douluo known as one of the "Twin Peaks of the Soul Master Realm," who would dare speak out—even harboring resentment?
Scanning the crowd, Tang Chen's eyes showed guilt. He declared, "The Clear Sky Clan is in ruins, and I share inescapable blame. I am no longer fit to serve as the clan's Great Elder."
With a flick of his hand, a small golden hammer appeared, which he tossed to Qian Xunji.
"From this day forward, Qian Xunji is the Clear Sky Clan's Great Elder, authorized to dismiss our clan master and reassign the clan elders. Everything about the Clear Sky Clan is left to his decisions."
"We greet the Grand Elder!" cried Tang Tian and Tang Hu. They heeded Tang Chen's warning. Since they needed Spirit Hall's help, Qian Xunji—the next Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall—would serve as Great Elder. If they no longer required Spirit Hall, they could cast them aside with a single kick. The man didn't even possess a Clear Sky Hammer—what qualified him for Great Elder? The golden mini hammer he now held could be replaced in the future if the clan revived.
Behind them, the Clear Sky disciples followed Tang Tian and Tang Hu's lead in saluting.
Tang Chen warmly grasped Qian Xunji's hand, sounding emotional: "Xunji… I entrust the Clear Sky Clan to you."
Qian Xunji wore a look of absolute sincerity. "Rest assured, Senior Tang Chen. I shall look after them well."
Tang Chen bade everyone else leave, keeping Qian Renchuan with him alone.
Gazing upon the blood-red sword mark on Qian Renchuan's forehead—matching his own—Tang Chen set aside his reluctance. The Shura Demon Sword he'd gained through the Shura God's trials would eventually belong to Qian Renchuan anyway. He had precious little time to live, so offering the sword voluntarily was a chance to form goodwill, granting the clan a shot at rebuilding and stalling for time.
"Child, do you know what that mark on our foreheads truly is?"
Qian Renchuan nodded: "I do. It signifies the inheritance of a god."
"You and I are both inheritors of the Shura God, yet I have already failed." Tang Chen's laugh was tinged with sorrow. Crimson light flickered, and the two-meter Shura Demon Sword appeared in his hand.
"Take it, child. May you inherit the Shura God's seat."
Qian Renchuan stepped forward. Each movement was flawlessly practiced and natural, exuding a calm aura that seemed so refined—courtesy of Tang Yuehua's guidance. Watching the enormous blood sword, he felt the sword mark on his brow blazing hot.
"Thank you for your gift, Senior Tang Chen," Qian Renchuan said with a suitably measured smile, yet the next moment, his tone changed dramatically. "But as for the Shura God's seat—I'd rather earn it by my own strength!"
Before he finished speaking, Qian Renchuan's eyes turned purple-gold. He locked eyes with Tang Chen, activating Mysterious Jade Hand. His right arm blurred in a half-turn motion, flicking three silent black glints at Tang Chen. They pierced the old man's protective soul power, running straight through his shoulder.
"Senior Tang Chen, farewell on your journey," he murmured.
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