Sensing the murderous intent hidden in Chen Yi's words, Tang San felt his strength fail him, his legs giving way as he collapsed onto the ground. He struggled to raise his head, and for the first time, the look he gave Chen Yi was filled with deep-seated terror. In that moment, he finally understood—clearly—that the gulf between himself and Chen Yi was more than just an insurmountable divide.
All their formidable power had been utterly shattered, and every trick they'd possessed seemed as feeble as a child's plaything before their opponent.
Their trump cards?
The once-invincible martial arts of the Tang Sect were, from the viewpoint of their adversary, nothing but toys. Not even the mightiest of their skills, the Guanyin's Tears, could arouse a ripple of concern! This total collapse in his perception hit him harder than any physical trauma, leaving him in the deepest despair.
"No…I can't die! I haven't become a god yet! I haven't established the Tang Sect here in the Douluo Continent!"
With a sudden jolt, Tang San stared again at Chen Yi. His bloodshot eyes flickered with the madness of impending death and the very last dregs of hope. In a rasping, high-pitched voice, he shouted:
"Chen Yi, you can't kill me! I… I am the one chosen by the Sea God, the future Sea God!"
"If you dare kill me today, you'll be making an irreconcilable enemy of the Sea God himself. You will never be able to withstand the wrath of the gods!"
Tang Chen was dead. Bo Saixi was dead. He had lost every backer he'd had in the Douluo Continent. Now, the only force he could invoke was that mysterious Sea God, dwelling somewhere in the depths of the divine realm—far beyond this world. The gods were beings of infinite power—no matter how strong Chen Yi might be, could he really defy a true god?
But all of this was met by nothing more than a light, mocking laugh from Chen Yi. That chuckle quickly grew—amplified and resounding through the silent ruins—into a raucous, irrepressible laughter that was piercingly shrill.
Tang San stared at Chen Yi as he laughed aloud. What did he find so funny? He was talking about the gods, the Sea God! What right did this arrogant native have to laugh so derisively at the Supreme God?
Chen Yi's laughter gradually died down. He looked at Tang San again, his expression now completely indifferent.
"The Sea God?" Chen Yi spoke slowly, calmly, but every word stabbed deep into Tang San's heart. "Even if the Sea god himself does not come to me... I will go to him."
He lifted his eyes, his gaze seemingly penetrating the very void, focused on the unknown realm of the deities.
"After killing you, I shall sever his bloodline myself and destroy his faith."
Chen Yi's gaze returned to Tang San, chilling as ice, devoid of any warmth.
At the same time, the pure night sky above the Clear Sky Sect suddenly changed. Thunder boomed from the heavens, dark clouds amassed, swirling visibly fast into a gigantic vortex of lightning.
At the center of the maelstrom, purple-gold bolts of lightning flashed and writhed, crackling with a spine-chilling, destructive aura.
Chen Yi slowly raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers wide and aiming at the furious vortex in the sky.
A roar, ancient as time itself, echoed through the world. Countless bolts of lightning gathered at once, and in a blink, a majestic and ferocious Kirin—formed entirely of blinding lightning—manifested in the sky above Chen Yi.
The Kirin stood atop the thunderclouds, its body wreathed in lightning. Its two eyes, like shrunken thunder-suns, fixed an unblinking stare on Tang San below.
"Well then, Tang San…" Amid the deafening thunder, Chen Yi's voice rang out, clear and resolute, carrying the weight of final judgment. "Let thunder erase you!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Yi's right hand—half-clenched—gently pressed downward in the direction of Tang San.
With an earth-shaking roar, the thunderous Kirin howled, piercing all ears. Its colossal form transformed into a pillar of lightning as thick as heaven and earth, and it plummeted toward Tang San who lay sprawling on the ground.
"No—!!!"
Tang San's last sound was a heart-wrenching scream of despair. The face of the overwhelming Kirin thunder loomed large in his pupils, and within his heart, there was only one desperate thought:
"I am the future Sea God! I haven't achieved godhood yet! I haven't reigned yet! How can I die here at the hands of this native, Chen Yi?!"
But his cry, his fury, was instantly engulfed by the roaring surge of thunder!
Centered on Tang San, the catastrophic lightning ravaged everything within the training grounds. The ground was ploughed up, gravel shattered, the air filled with the stench of burning…
Elsewhere, Tang Yuehua, still holding Tang Xiao's mummified corpse, stared blankly at the destructive lightning, as if stunned. Slowly, she looked up at that dazzling sea of lightning that had devoured her brother, her sect, and every last shred of hope.
There was no hatred or fear in her gaze—only a deadened numbness like death. She quietly closed her eyes and allowed the fierce lightning to swallow her and her brother's remains. Perhaps, in a way, it was a kind of relief.
…
A long time passed.
When the last glimmer of lightning finally faded, the thunderous maelstrom in the night sky gradually faded away, and starlight poured down once more. The practice ground that had once been chaos was now astonishingly clean. No bodies, no bloodstains—everything had vanished without a trace, washed away by thunder's baptism.
Amidst the scorched training grounds, a dozen or so bones—each glowing with a different light—were scattered. Where Tang San had last lain, a jet-black spirit ring hovered, silent and deep. Beneath that ring, there was a skull wholly deep blue in color.
Staring at the solitary black spirit ring and spirit bone, Xie Xiaoqing slowly stepped forward, letting out a strange chuckle.
"Tsk, this Tang San… he's really interesting. Even with all that mixed blood, even after death he could still drop a soul ring and soul bone. The degree of beastification here almost rivals that of those Wolftakens. Amusing…"
Chen Zhen snorted coldly and stared at the spirit ring with a frosty gaze, his tone full of contempt.
"He really was a monster. Who else but someone inhuman could have their spirit ring explode after death?!"
Hearing Chen Zhen's blunt assessment, both Chen Yi and Xie Xiaoqing chuckled. Xie Xiaoqing threw a teasing glance at Chen Zhen, "If you'd read more about poisons in the Mysterious Treasure Record, you wouldn't have suffered such a big loss."
Chen Zhen blushed, awkwardly rubbing his nose, muttering, "Who'd have thought that damn Sorrowful Crisp Autumn Breeze would be so potent? I was careless, careless…"
After this light banter, the focus returned to the black spirit ring and deep blue spirit bone at the bottom of the pit. Stroking his chin, Xie Xiaoqing commented, "This spirit bone… judging by the energy and attributes, it originated from his mutated Blue Silver Grass martial spirit. It must be around sixty thousand years old. A good haul."
As for the black spirit ring, the three only glanced at it, then ignored it. None of them could use it, nor would they want to. Raising his hand, Chen Yi released a condensed strand of purple-gold lightning—mixed with the power of Thunder God—which struck the black spirit ring with perfect precision.
The instant the light touched the ring, the black ring shuddered violently. Its surface was suddenly writhing with countless distorted phantom faces, letting out silent wails. Finally, with a faint "pfft" sound, the soul ring completely dissipated into a wisp of black smoke, leaving no trace.
Chen Yi immediately used suction from his palm to pull the fragments of Tang San's skull from the ground. Instead of clearing it away right away, he circulated his own spiritual energy, mixing the power of Thunder God and the ultimate thunder, examining the soul bone inside and out seven or eight times.
Once he confirmed everything was perfect, Chen Yi finally dispersed the lightning, weighed the skull in his hand, and gave a satisfied nod.
"Not bad at all. The quality is excellent, and its properties are pure. A fine bone—let's keep it for the sect's most talented young disciples."
At that moment, Xie Xiaoqing interjected, "Its main attribute is life affinity. That girl, Lingling, would be a perfect fit."
Chen Yi immediately shook his head, dismissing the idea.
"Forget it."
Even with all the purification, the knowledge that this soul bone originally belonged to Tang San, and might fuse with his girl, left Chen Yi with an instinctive sense of discomfort and unease. It wasn't as if the sect was so desperate for a soul bone.
"That works too," Xie Xiaoqing nodded with understanding, having only suggested it idly. Meanwhile, Chen Zhen seemed quite content rummaging through the scattered possessions of the Clear Sky Sect disciples, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Not bad! Those guys did a thorough job packing as they fled, but even so, there's still plenty of nice things left. Herbs, ores, gold soul coins… wow! Even a couple of thousand-year-old soul bones! Not bad, not bad. This trip was worth it, perfect for restocking the sect's supply."
Casting an indifferent look toward the burnt-out, lifeless Clear Sky Sect territory—and the ruined sect buildings in the distance—Chen Yi showed no interest.
"Let's go," he said drily. Everything here had ended. The legend of the Clear Sky Sect, along with its last bloodline and their crimes, had finally come to a close tonight.
Hearing this, both Chen Zhen and Xie Xiaoqing set aside what they were doing, quickly packing up the valuables they'd gathered. Without hesitation, the trio turned into three streaks of light, soaring toward Grand Martial City and disappearing into the vast night sky.
Long after Chen Yi and his two companions had left, spies from various forces who'd been lurking on the Clear Sky Sect's border finally mustered enough courage to set foot on the scorched earth. As they saw the gigantic scorched crater in the fields, and sensed the destructive, soul-chilling aura lingering in the air, a shiver ran through everyone's heart.
"The Clear Sky Sect… once the greatest sect in the world, and now… wiped out in an instant?"
After a brief silence, someone spat disdainfully, their voice loaded with fear. "They deserved it! The whole sect rotted from practicing such evil, corrupt arts."
"Tang San was no longer human, not even a beast. He conspired with soul beasts, killed his elders, devoured his fellow disciples—a villain worthy of execution!"
"Exactly! You saw it—he died, and even his soul ring and soul bone were left behind; doesn't that make him just like a soul beast?!"
"If you ask me, the Clear Sky Sect secretly colluded with soul beasts for years, raising monsters bent on wiping out humanity!"
"That's right! This should go public. When the continent learns the truth about the Clear Sky Sect, it will be infamous forever!"
…
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