Tang Chen's Reluctance to Accept Defeat

"Thank you for your kindness, Your His Majesty Clear Sky."

Ling Yi looked up and met Tang Chen's gaze. Seeing Tang Chen's amiable expression, he politely replied in a gentle voice, "Ling Yi really didn't bring Senior Chen Xin and Erlang with him this time..."

Upon hearing the name "Erlang," Tang Chen's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't seem to care much about Chen Xin, who was Titled Douluo.

"But it's alright," Ling Yi continued, a humble smile appearing on his face. He added, "The overall atmosphere of the Douluo Continent is quite peaceful these days, and I rarely encounter any danger when Ling Yi 'm out and about."

"When I travel across the mainland, most of my friends are still willing to give me, the city lord of Lingyun City, some face."

"For people I don't know well, I can also reason with them..."

Earlier it was mentioned that the overall atmosphere of the Douluo Continent was peaceful. Tang Chen neither agreed nor disagreed, as he had not traveled on the continent for several decades and therefore declined to comment.

Later, when Ling Yi said that he was quite famous in the Douluo Continent and that people would give him face wherever he went, Tang Chen began to shake his head in his heart and labeled Ling Yi as 'naive'.

When the words "reasoning" appeared, Tang Chen quietly changed the label of "naive" to "stupid".

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Ling Yi changed the subject, saying leisurely, "If the other party is unwilling to listen to my reasoning, then I, Ling, also know a little bit of martial arts, and I'm sure I can protect myself."

Tang Chen: "..."

Tang Zhen: "..."

Tang Xiao: "..."

To be honest, Ling Yi's last sentence completely surprised the three members of the Tang Family, young, middle-aged, and old. It also made Tang Chen's words of advice, which he was about to say, stuck in his throat, unable to come up or down, making him extremely uncomfortable.

At the same time, Tang Zhen and Tang Xiao also remembered once again that the "Farmer's Three Forms" which had spread to every village in the Douluo Continent, the "Basic Body Tempering Technique" which had been collected by every force in the Douluo Continent, and the first and advanced versions of "Beast Martial Soul: Xingyi Fist Form" were all created by the seemingly refined and gentle young man in front of them!

There's no way around it; Ling Yi's appearance is just too deceptive. He always presents himself as a "theoretical researcher," a "prodigy-level Healing System Soul Master," and other figures who are not good at fighting, making it hard for people to associate the term "combat power" with him.

If Ling Yi were like the three men from the Tang Family, with a resolute face, a strong and powerful physique, and broad shoulders and thick arms, the contrast in their hearts would probably not be so great.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward. Just as Ling Yi was smiling at Tang Chen, Tang Xiao, who was the weakest but relatively quick-witted, immediately coughed lightly and tried to smooth things over with a smile, "Yes, yes, if Master Ling hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. Master Ling is the spiritual leader of the ' Body Sect,' who is revered by everyone on the continent today—"

"Body Sect?"

After Tang Xiao's interruption, Tang Chen casually put away his prepared remarks and, following his grandson's lead, changed the subject, subtly revealing a hint of curiosity on his face as he asked, "What kind of sect is this?"

"Grandpa," Tang Xiao said, trying to flatter him. He first glanced at Ling Yi, who had a humble smile on his face, and then explained to his grandfather, "This ' Body Sect ' is not a real sect. Rather, it is a group of people on the Douluo Continent who do not fight with Martial Soul, Soul Ring, or Soul Skill. Instead, they hone their physical bodies and refine their combat skills, thus possessing combat power no weaker than that of Soul Master."

"The ' Body Sect,' as the name suggests, focuses on one's own physical body. Many Soul Master ' Martial Soul are not suitable for combat and can only follow Support System path. Therefore, the ' Body Sect's' mission is to provide them with a second path besides the Martial Soul path..."

Upon hearing Tang Xiao's words, Tang Zhen remained unfazed. On one hand, he already knew these things, and on the other hand, the so-called "Body Sect" on the Douluo Continent was nothing more than a disorganized mess, lacking any truly formidable combat power. It was not worth his attention as the sect leader of the number one sect in the world, "Heaven-Shaking Douluo."

However, Tang Chen thought differently.

There was no way around it; Wu Wudi had left such a deep impression on him!

His fighting skills were in no way inferior to his, his physique was terrifyingly strong, and his divine skill that amplified his own power allowed Wu Wudi to defeat him, the "Wudi on Land," with just his fists, and in a way that was utterly devastating!

Think about it, Wu Wudi's fighting style is really too similar to the "Body Sect" that his eldest grandson Tang Xiao mentioned!

"The ' Body Sect ' that hones one's skills and refines combat techniques?" Tang Chen murmured to himself, suddenly feeling an urge to go out and see the Douluo Continent as it is now.

"Pity..."

Tang Chen slightly turned his head, looking out the window, so that the three people inside the room would not notice the gloom in his eyes.

The "Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King" not only took advantage of the Rakshasa God's divine thoughts corrupting his soul, but also further dragged his consciousness towards depravity and darkness, and even used his body to usurp the position of Slaughter King the "Slaughter City".

Logically speaking, Tang Chen should have died after failing the Eighth Trial God Trial the Asura God.

Either his soul completely succumbs, his body is completely possessed by the "Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King," and the spiritual imprint belonging to Tang Chen dissipates.

Or, as in the original timeline, external stimuli could revive Tang Chen's consciousness, causing him to destroy the consciousness of the "Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King" and regain control of his already battered body, watching helplessly as it gradually decays.

If you're lucky, your soul might transform into a divine soul and be taken in as a servant by the Asura God to continue existing.

However, the current situation is different from the original timeline. Twenty years earlier, Tang Chen was awakened by the Angel Holy Light drawn by Qian Daoliu.

Although he failed the Eighth Trial of the Asura God 'God Trial, the "Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King" did not penetrate his body as deeply, nor did it cause the terrifying toxin damage brought by the "Snow-Colored Swan Kiss". As a result, his body has not yet reached the point of exhaustion as it was in the original timeline.

Originally, what awaited Tang Chen was the punishment for failing the God Trial, which was to have his Life taken away by the power of the Asura God.

This is the cruelty of the Asura God 'God Trial: either succeed or die!

But now that Tang Chen has become the Slaughter King in the "Slaughter City," in a sense, he is roughly equivalent to the Grand Worship or High Priest of Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi.

He failed the succession test and ended up as one of the heirs' employees?

To be honest, even the Asura God hadn't expected this situation. He was now torn between giving Tang Chen another chance, adhering to the principle that "rules are rules" and eliminating Tang Chen impartially, or simply letting things slide and allowing Tang Chen to continue serving as the Slaughter King in the "Slaughter City."

Tang Chen was unaware of the Asura God's dilemma. He only knew that he was currently bound by his identity Slaughter King and could only stay in this small town, which was influenced by the divine domain of the "Slaughter City," waiting for the final judgment that might come at any time.

Whether it was the instinctive thirst for Life or the promise he had made, Tang Chen did not want to die.

If Tang Chen didn't want to die, aside from the Asura God's leniency, the Weiyi method he could think of was to break free of his shackles and become a god before the judgment arrived!

This doesn't mean that becoming a god would allow one to rebel against a supreme god like the Asura God. Rather, Tang Chen would be more valuable after becoming a god compared to a "cannon fodder" still struggling in the mortal world.

All of the above was told to Tang Chen by Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu didn't know much about the levels and realms after reaching the hundredth level of godhood, but he certainly knew more than Tang Chen, a "grassroots" person.

At least Qian Daoliu knew that the gods who had just broken through to level 100 were only the lowest-ranking officials. Above them were Third-Class Deity, Second-Level Deity, First-Level God known as chief gods, and the legendary God King who ruled the Divine Realm!

Qian Daoliu's ancestor, the "Angel of Light" Cecilia, was a First-Level God- level deity!

The Sea God worshipped on ' Sea God Island ', the Asura God behind ' Slaughter City ', and the Rakshasa God who caused trouble for the Asura God 'God Trial are all First-Level God- level deities!

Thinking of how he had been tricked by the Rakshasa God, which led to his failure in the God Trial, Tang Chen's eyes revealed intense resentment and murderous intent.

But soon, this resentment and murderous intent transformed into a deep sense of unwillingness and helplessness.

If Tang Chen hadn't been unilaterally crushed by Wu Wudi, with his spirit, he would definitely have thought about facing Rakshasa God one day, and even if he died, he would make Rakshasa God pay the price!

However, the reality was that before he could even face the Rakshasa God, Wu Wudi, a martial artist from the Rakshasa Cult whom he had never heard of before, easily defeated him.

Judging from Wu Wudi's nonchalant attitude that day, Tang Chen knew that even if he used the strongest ultimate move of the Great Sumeru Hammer - Simultaneous Detonation of Nine Rings, he would still be unable to defeat his opponent.

My desperate struggle is nothing more than a few hardships to the other side?

There is nothing more tragic than this!

Of course, with the mental fortitude that Tang Chen had honed through over a hundred years of undefeated battles, he wouldn't be so easily defeated by a single setback that he would lose his spirit and become despondent.

Reason told Tang Chen that his top priority was to survive the punishment for failing the Asura God's God Trial before he could consider how to further improve his strength.

Only when his strength catches up with the level of First-Level God, or even just Second-Level Deity, will Tang Chen dare to challenge the Rakshasa God!

Having risen from the bottom to the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent, Tang Chen knew very well that One-Ring Soul Master challenging Two-Ring Grand Soul Master, or even Three-Ring Soul Elder, was commendable in terms of courage and fighting spirit.

But for a mere Three-Ring Soul Elder to provoke Titled Douluo is no different from courting death. This is not courage, but foolishness that has lost its mind!

For Titled Douluo, crushing a Three-Ring Soul Elder is no different than crushing an ant. And the ant wouldn't even have a chance to bite back.

Tang Chen's emotional fluctuations inadvertently affected Tang Zhen and Tang Xiao in the room. The father and son, who were unaware that their father/grandfather might not live much longer, were wondering why the old man had changed from his former domineering manner to become sentimental.

Ling Yi, on the other hand, only needed a little thought to roughly guess the awkward situation Tang Chen was facing.

Ling Yi couldn't guess how the Asura God would handle Tang Chen's situation.

After all, whether in this life or the previous one, Ling Yi had no understanding of the Asura God who existed in the background.

Without understanding the other person's personality, habits, preferences, and other thought processes, even Ling Yi would be unable to create a psychological profile of them.

However, it's not a big problem. Anyway, Ling Yi doesn't have any intention of fighting with the other party right now, and the other party usually won't care too much about Ling Yi, who is a Healing System Soul Master.

For thousands of years, the Douluo Continent has never been unified, and Ling Yi has no intention of changing this situation in the short term. Therefore, he would never confront the Asura God, who is now the God Realm Enforcer.

As for whether Tang Chen lives or dies, and whether his death will affect Tang San's future inheritance of the Asura God Godhood as the "protagonist of destiny," Ling Yi doesn't care much.

It's just a bit of a pity that someone as gifted as Tang Chen, a tool for others, can't continuously provide himself with sparks of wisdom; it's such a waste.

"Hehe, please excuse my poor attempt to impress City Lord Ling."

Tang Chen composed himself, turned to look at Ling Yi again, and said with a self-deprecating smile, "It's really that Xiao'er's description of the ' Body Sect ' fighting style that reminded me of a powerful expert with astonishing strength."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing Tang Chen's words, Ling Yi raised his eyebrows at the opportune moment, his face showing just the right amount of surprise. "A powerful individual who can be recognized by His Majesty Clear Sky must be extraordinary—"

Beside him, Tang Xiao suddenly pictured a figure clad in ferocious black armor in his mind when Tang Chen mentioned the powerful figure.

He remembered clearly that when he first came to this restricted town and met his grandfather Tang Chen, the grandfather asked him about the details of how he and his younger brother Tang Hao were brutally beaten by a man named "Wu Wudi".

As expected, Tang Chen stared intently at Ling Yi and slowly uttered three words: "Invincible in martial arts."

As he spoke, Tang Chen observed Ling Yi's expression and eyes, then asked, "I wonder if City Lord Ling has ever heard of this name?"

"Wu Wudi?" Ling Yi's expression shifted slightly, as if surprised by the name. He said with some astonishment, "To name oneself ' Wudi '? This person has quite the audacity!"

Tang Chen gave Ling Yi a deep look, and his aged voice slowly rang out. "For the Douluo Continent, the title of ' Wudi ' is truly well-deserved!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Zhen and his son Tang Xiao, who were standing nearby, began to lose their composure.

No, Dad/Grandpa, you didn't mention this to us before!

According to the old man, Wu Wudi's strength is even greater than his own?!

Previously, Tang Chen had only asked the two brothers Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, about their encounter with Wu Wudi, without mentioning that he himself had been thoroughly defeated by Wu Wudi. Now, upon suddenly hearing such a statement that clearly implied weakness, the father and son, who had always regarded Tang Chen as their greatest strength, felt as if their faith had collapsed.

Tang Chen ignored the emotional turmoil of his son and eldest grandson, continuing to look directly into Ling Yi's eyes and ask, "I once heard Xiao'er mention that the guard named Erlang beside City Lord Ling once caught Tang Hao's ' Great Sumeru Hammer ' with his bare hands?"

"I suppose this Erlang is also a super prodigy who follows the ' Body Sect ' path?"

"Although Hao'er is a bit slow-witted, the quality of his ' Clear Sky Hammer ' is no less than mine. Coupled with my Tang Family's ' Great Sumeru Hammer,' this Erlang was able to catch it barehanded and do so with such ease. He is truly remarkable!"

As for the prevailing belief in the Douluo Continent that Erlang used the "Armor of Divine Sealing" he wore to unleash a soul guidance skill similar to the Soul Skill "Invincible Golden Body," thus catching the "Clear Sky Hammer" without injury, Tang Chen didn't really believe it.

Faced with Tang Chen's almost blatant probing, Ling Yi remained calm, nodded slightly, and said, "In terms of physical strength, Ling Yi 'm not exaggerating, but there are really very few people in the Douluo Continent who can surpass him."

"It was through Erlang that Ling Yi gained a deeper understanding of the Way of Body Tempering."

"So, this Erlang has his own lineage?" Tang Chen asked eagerly, a glint in his eyes.