The first few abilities would already have been divine skills in the eyes of ordinary Soul Masters.
Whether it was reflecting damage, immunity to control, or that clone with one hundred percent of her strength, any one of them would be enough to let a Titled Douluo stand undefeated among their peers.
But to someone like Tang San, who had inherited a god's legacy and had exceptionally high standards, they were impressive, yet not enough to make him despair.
Not until the name of the seventh ability appeared.
"Forbidden..."
The corner of Tang San's eye twitched.
An ability bearing those two words was no joke.
Before anyone could react, the scene on the Sky Screen suddenly changed.
The black void from before was gone.
This time, it showed a boundless deep sea.
The surface was as calm as a vast mirror, reflecting the stars scattered across the sky.
Furina wore her gorgeous blue-and-white dress and tilted top hat. Holding the long sword that shimmered like flowing mercury, the barefoot girl stood upon the sea.
She didn't move.
She merely lifted her skirt and gracefully gave a curtain-call bow.
In the next instant.
Boom—!
The tranquil sea erupted.
Countless tons of seawater surged skyward behind her. Rather than falling back down, they rapidly gathered, compressed, and took shape in the air.
In the blink of an eye.
A colossal phantom, a thousand zhang tall, appeared between heaven and earth.
It looked exactly like Furina, but its entire body was made of the purest deep-blue divine power. A crown rested on its head, and its imposing presence was boundless. In its eyes flowed a divine light that held both compassion and judgment.
Its divine might was like a prison.
That aura was neither the oppressive presence of a Soul Beast nor the pressure of an ordinary deity.
It was the pure embodiment of law, towering above all living beings.
"That is..."
Standing on the terrace of the Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu felt even the Angel Sacred Sword in his hand tremble and ring softly.
He could feel it.
That noble aura was purer and more ancient than even the Angel God's.
On the Sky Screen.
Furina gently swept the long sword in her hand downward.
Her movement was delicate, as if she were conducting a grand opera.
At the same time.
The thousand-zhang-tall phantom of the Water God behind her made the same movement.
At that moment.
Heaven and earth fell silent.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no deafening roar.
Only a thin blue line stretching across heaven and earth, slowly passing through the entire scene.
Where it went, time stood still and space solidified.
Then.
The boundless sea, the sky above it, and even the unknown river of time were all cleanly split in two by that single strike.
The cut was smooth as a mirror, beyond the power of any law to mend.
One strike severed the ages.
This was "Forbidden: Descent of the Hydro God."
It was not mere slaughter. In the name of a god, it delivered a verdict of "severance" upon all things in the world.
The scene slowly faded.
Yet that breathtaking strike remained etched deep in everyone's mind, like a brand.
Then the scene's style changed abruptly.
It was no longer a battle that could destroy heaven and earth. Instead, it turned gentle and warm, with even a hint of heart-fluttering intimacy.
It was a private garden in Skywater City.
The sun shone warmly, and a soft breeze stirred the air.
Furina was no longer wearing her elaborate dress. She had changed into a light, casual gown and sat beside a white round table, holding a delicate teacup.
Sitting across from her was that man—Neuvillette.
Neuvillette held a file and seemed to be dealing with official business.
"Neuvillette."
Furina set down her teacup and rested her chin in her hands, her mismatched eyes brimming with a sly smile.
"Do you think this outfit I'm wearing today suits this sword?"
As she spoke, she lightly tapped it with a finger.
The divine artifact that could sever the ages, Radiance of Still Waters, had now shrunk into an elegant hairpin, which she casually tucked into her silvery-white curls.
Neuvillette set down the file and looked up.
His usually aloof, dignified slit pupils reflected only the girl before him.
He didn't give her a perfunctory answer. Instead, he studied her intently for a moment before speaking softly:
"The sword is honored to be yours."
"Whether it's a divine weapon or a hairpin."
"By your side is where it belongs."
Furina was clearly pleased with that answer, and her face lit up with a smile brighter than the sun.
She stood and spun around, her skirt fluttering.
"Hmph. You know just what to say."
"Hydro Archon is in a good mood today, so I'll lend you this sword to peel an apple."
With that, she really did pull the hairpin free, turn it back into a long sword, and toss it to Neuvillette.
Neuvillette really did catch it.
A Supreme Divine Artifact, ranked second among its kind, was now in his long, strong hand for no greater purpose than peeling an apple for someone beside him.
The scene froze on the moment their eyes met.
Their unspoken understanding, the sweetness and tenderness flowing through the air, made the entire Douluo Continent feel like a different place.
Atop Jialing Pass.
A deathly silence hung over the battlements.
The hand Tang San had wrapped around the Asura Demon Sword trembled slightly.
He looked down at the bloodthirsty, blood-soaked sword in his hand.
Then he remembered Radiance of Still Waters from the scene: elegant and exquisite, capable of severing the ages, yet also able to serve as a decorative hairpin.
A powerful sense of defeat washed over him like a tide.
"So this is... the difference?"
Tang San gritted his teeth, forcing the words out through them.
Asura God was hailed as the Divine Realm's strongest combatant and its enforcer.
The Asura Demon Sword was said to pass judgment on the gods.
Yet before that strike, the Descent of the Hydro God, Tang San felt that the Asura Divine Power he took pride in was like the brute strength of a country bumpkin.
Crude.
Far too crude.
Theirs was art, authority, the direct manifestation of law.
What was his?
Hacking people apart?
Killing?
"I don't believe it!"
Tang San jerked his head up, his eyes bloodshot.
"It must be an illusion!"
"It's just a sword. How could it possibly have the power to destroy heaven and earth? And what's this about using it to peel apples? That's an insult to a divine artifact!"
He tried to use his anger to cover up the fear in his heart.
But deep down, a voice kept echoing:
Was Asura God really still the authority he had always been?
At least from what he had just seen, neither Neuvillette's unfathomable Dragon Rite nor Furina's unreasonable Descent of the Hydro God seemed to be beneath Asura God in status.
If anything... they seemed to surpass him.
The Spirit Hall camp.
Beneath the enormous statue of the Six-Winged Angel, Bibi Dong wore her splendid papal robes and held her scepter, but her face was frighteningly pale.
She had been busily laying out her plans for a full-scale assault on the Heaven Dou Empire.
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