Tang San was blasted backward hundreds of meters, his whole body shaking from the impact. His hands went numb, and his long blue hair was a tangled mess.
His proudest skill, the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, was impossible to use against such overwhelming strength.
To Snow Empress, watching from high above the clouds, the scene was a wonderful spectacle.
Snow Empress folded her arms, looking perfectly at ease.
"So this is the son of the so-called Clear Sky Douluo?"
"He's been beaten like a stray dog."
Shui Bing'er stood nearby, watching the once-arrogant Blue Haowang struggle to defend himself below. She couldn't help feeling thoroughly vindicated.
The last time they met at the gates of Skywater City, those people had been so brazen.
Now they looked all the more pathetic.
Just as Qian Renxue was about to press her advantage and deal Tang San a serious blow,
the Golden Ranking List in the sky changed once again.
The radiance of the reward for Qian Renxue's eighth-place ranking gradually faded. Then a line of even more dazzling text slowly appeared.
[Seventh Place: Seagod Trident.]
[Holder: Tang San.]
The moment those words appeared, the noisy battlefield fell silent.
A deathly silence.
Everyone stared blankly up at the sky.
The people from Shrek Academy were especially stunned. Their mouths hung open, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads.
Dai Mubai rubbed his eyes and stammered,
"S-Seventh?"
"How did Xiao San's divine weapon only rank seventh?"
Oscar was just as baffled.
"But it's Lord Sea God's weapon! A true god's divine weapon!"
"Are there really six things in this world even more powerful than a divine weapon belonging to the Sea God?"
In the center of the battlefield, Tang San felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
He stared at the line of text, his expression shifting through every emotion.
First came shock, then confusion, and finally intense humiliation.
How could it be only seventh?
Qian Renxue's Angel Sacred Sword had ranked eighth. He had thought his Trident would at least make the top three, if not take first place!
And yet it ranked only one place higher?
It was a slap in the face!
The sense of superiority he'd only just gained was shattered in an instant.
"Impossible!"
Tang San jerked his head up and pointed at the Golden Ranking List in the sky, shouting,
"There must be something wrong with this ranking!"
"The Seagod Trident was bestowed by the Sea God himself. It weighs a hundred and eight thousand catties and can command the sea. How can it be judged as merely seventh?"
"This lousy list must be some trick Neuvillette came up with to confuse everyone!"
He was truly panicking.
Not just because of his low ranking, but because the humiliating disparity had been laid bare for everyone to see.
However,
the Golden Ranking List in the sky seemed to have understood his doubts.
It offered no explanation.
Instead, a roar that shook heaven and earth answered Tang San.
"RUMBLE!!!"
The sky, clear just moments before, suddenly filled with dark clouds.
A force of thunder imbued with the aura of destruction gathered wildly within them.
It was punishment for showing disrespect to the Heavenly Dao.
The Nine Heavens Lightning Tribulation!
Qian Renxue, standing opposite Tang San, paled.
She could clearly feel the terrifying pressure contained in that lightning. It was a power even she wouldn't dare touch lightly.
"Madman."
Qian Renxue cursed. Her wings beat sharply, and she shot away in a streak of light, retreating a thousand meters in an instant.
She was afraid this fool who didn't know his place would drag her down with him.
Tang San hadn't yet realized what was happening.
A thick bolt of purple-gold lightning came crashing down on him.
"CRACKLE!"
There was no suspense.
Tang San didn't even have time to scream before the lightning swallowed him whole.
His blue robes instantly turned to ash, and his hair stood on end, still smoking.
He writhed in the lightning like a piece of meat being roasted.
The soldiers fighting below stared in shock.
So this was what happened when you questioned the Heavenly Ranking?
That was brutal.
High above the clouds, Snow Empress couldn't help bursting into laughter.
"Serves him right."
"Who gave him the nerve to challenge the Heavenly Dao?"
The lightning punishment lasted a full ten seconds.
Only after Tang San had been seared black and crispy and was foaming at the mouth did the lightning reluctantly fade away.
But then,
the Golden Ranking List shone once more.
This was the reward for seventh place.
Even after being struck by lightning, he was still entitled to his reward.
[Reward Issued: Holder's Soul Power increased by one level.]
[Divine Weapon Enhancement: All attributes of the Seagod Trident increased by thirty percent. The power of its attached skill, "Sea God's Light," doubled.]
[Special Reward: External Soul Bone, Eight Spider Lances, evolved to a hundred-thousand-year quality.]
As the beam of reward light enveloped him, a remarkable vitality suddenly burst from Tang San, who had been lying there like a piece of charcoal.
His injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
More importantly, the bottleneck in his Soul Power shattered with a thunderous crack.
Ninety-ninth-level peak... breakthrough!
Level one hundred!
Tang San's eyes snapped open, and two beams of divine light shot out.
Ignoring his wretched appearance, he felt the vast, ocean-like power within him and was overwhelmed with joy.
Level one hundred!
Had he actually become a god?
No, not yet.
He hadn't inherited a divine position; his Soul Power had merely reached level one hundred.
But even so, it meant a great deal to him.
According to the requirements of the Sea God's nine trials, the final step required Bo Saixi to sacrifice her life to open the path to godhood for him.
Tang San was willing to do anything for power, but deep down, he had still felt some guilt about it.
Now, the system had taken care of that step for him!
He could become a god without Bo Saixi's sacrifice!
Meanwhile, the Eight Spider Lances on his back were transforming as well, turning blood-red and giving off a nauseating aura of blood and deadly poison.
A hundred-thousand-year External Soul Bone!
Tang San straightened up and gripped the enhanced Seagod Trident.
The feeling of having everything under his control had returned.
Compared to the tangible benefits, his earlier humiliation no longer seemed so important.
He glanced at Qian Renxue in the distance. His eyes flashed with wariness, but there was more disdain than anything else.
There was no point in continuing to fight now.
His top priority was to hurry back to Sea God Island, complete the final inheritance ritual, and truly claim the Sea God's divine position.
Once he did, who in the world could stand against him?
And then there was Xiao Wu.
Once he became a god, he would go to Skywater City. That Neuvillette would be as good as dead!
"Retreat!"
Tang San made his decision at once, without the slightest hesitation.
He didn't even spare another glance at the battle for Jialing Pass. He led the people from Shrek Academy straight toward the rear.
On top of the city wall,
Bibi Dong gripped her scepter.
Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the Seagod Trident in Tang San's hand, and a greedy flame burned deep within them.
Seventh place, and it brought such a reward.
If she could take that Trident for herself...
She considered her options.
What were the odds of successfully seizing it now?
But when she saw Tang San's surging aura, Bibi Dong ultimately restrained herself.
That boy's strength had become difficult to gauge.
Besides, the situation in Skywater City was still unclear. If she fought Tang San now and they both suffered heavy losses, that mysterious Neuvillette would only benefit from it.
Before you continue