Qian Daoliu vs. Tang Chen! A clash of Peerless Douluos!

An elder nodded.

"Lord Tang Chen's strength was never as simple as merely being level ninety-nine."

"The Golden Ranking will surely reveal more information."

Everyone turned their eyes back to the sky.

They wanted to know what Tang Chen had experienced.

They also wanted to know what had left this Clear Sky Douluo in ninth place.

Slaughter City.

Inside a gloomy palace.

The King of Slaughter sat upon his throne.

He raised his scarlet eyes toward the Golden Ranking in midair.

The name Tang Chen came into view.

His body suddenly stiffened.

A surge of agonizing pain came from the depths of his soul.

The King of Slaughter raised a hand to his forehead.

Scarlet energy churned relentlessly through the hall.

"Tang Chen..."

The name reached his ears.

Memories that had lain dormant for years began to awaken, little by little.

Sea God Island.

The Clear Sky Sect.

And that figure standing by the sea.

Her long golden hair drifted in the wind, her blue eyes always gazing into the distance.

Bo Saixi.

Tang Chen's hand slowly clenched.

A tearing pain surged from deep within his head.

He rose from his throne, his body bending slightly.

"I am not the King of Slaughter."

"I am Tang Chen!"

As his words rang out.

Blood-red energy abruptly erupted from his body.

The walls surrounding the hall shook continuously.

A glimmer of clarity appeared in those scarlet eyes.

Tang Chen raised his head and looked at the Golden Ranking.

His gaze lingered on his own name, his expression gradually filling with shock.

"The Golden Ranking..."

"It actually restored my awareness?"

Tang Chen could no longer remember how long he had been trapped in Slaughter City.

Throughout those countless years, he had remained under the control of the slaughter will.

His body belonged to him, but his soul had been suppressed by another force.

Now, simply because the Golden Ranking had revealed his name, he had actually remembered who he was.

Such power lay beyond Tang Chen's understanding.

He gazed at the sky, anticipation growing in his eyes.

"If the Golden Ranking can restore my awareness, perhaps it can also help me escape this place."

Tang Chen lifted his gaze higher.

"Let's see how the Golden Ranking judges me."

High in the sky.

Tang Chen's name suddenly blazed with dazzling golden light.

Images slowly unfolded, one after another.

Within the images.

A tall, imposing man stood before the gates of the Clear Sky Sect.

He wore plain robes and held a heavy Clear Sky Hammer.

The man's face was resolute, his eyes calm.

The Clear Sky Hammer descended.

The earth trembled with it.

Soul rings rose from beneath his feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.

Nine soul rings encircled his body.

Every swing of his hammer carried the power to crush mountains.

That was Tang Chen in his youth.

He had risen through the ranks of the sect's disciples.

Through his own talent and strength, he had advanced step by step into the realm of Titled Douluo.

Without a powerful legacy.

Without help from a deity.

With a single Clear Sky Hammer, Tang Chen had defeated one formidable opponent after another.

Golden text then appeared in the sky.

[Tang Chen, the strongest sect master in the history of the Clear Sky Sect.]

[Through his own strength, he led the Clear Sky Sect to become the greatest sect in the world.]

[The Clear Sky Hammer thus came to be hailed as the world's greatest tool martial soul.]

The instant the text appeared.

The Douluo Continent fell briefly silent.

The next moment.

Comments rapidly appeared across the sky.

"The greatest sect in the world?"

"Tang Chen actually brought the Clear Sky Sect to the top himself?"

"He changed an entire sect's standing through his strength alone? That's incredible!"

"No wonder the Clear Sky Hammer is called the world's greatest tool martial soul!"

"If Tang Chen was so powerful, why is he only ranked ninth?"

Countless soul masters looked up at the images.

Tang Chen stood alone atop a mountain.

Behind him was the Clear Sky Sect, steadily growing stronger.

Powerful auras rose from within the sect, one after another.

The fame of the Clear Sky Hammer spread across the continent.

The balance among the three great sects also changed during that period.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Yu Yuanzhen watched the sky with a complicated expression.

"Back then, the three great sects weren't far apart in strength."

"But after Tang Chen appeared, the Clear Sky Sect completely surpassed the other two."

An elder could not help asking:

"Clan leader, did Tang Chen truly make the Clear Sky Sect the greatest sect in the world through his personal strength alone?"

Yu Yuanzhen nodded.

"Tang Chen didn't rely on the Clear Sky Sect's resources."

"He alone forged the Clear Sky Sect's formidable reputation through battle."

Watching that towering figure, Yu Yuanzhen said slowly:

"He truly was the strongest sect master the Clear Sky Sect ever had."

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood behind Ning Fengzhi.

As he watched Tang Chen in the images, respect appeared in his eyes.

"When my father was still alive, he once said something."

Ning Fengzhi turned around.

"What did he say?"

Chen Xin gripped his sword's hilt, his gaze never leaving the sky.

"Tang Chen is the strongest man on the Douluo Continent."

Ning Fengzhi's expression grew solemn.

Even Sword Douluo's father had offered such praise, showing just how imposing Tang Chen had been in those days.

Bone Douluo Gu Rong was silent for a moment.

"If someone like him only ranks ninth, just how powerful are those above him?"

Chen Xin did not answer.

His gaze remained fixed on Tang Chen.

The images on the Golden Ranking continued.

The Clear Sky Sect.

Tang Xiao and the elders watched the figure in the sky, their faces filled with pride.

That was their ancestor.

He was also the symbol of the Clear Sky Sect's greatest glory.

"Our ancestor dominated the continent back then. That was how the Clear Sky Sect secured its place as the greatest sect in the world."

"How could Lord Tang Chen's strength place him only ninth?"

"The Golden Ranking must not have shown his full story yet."

Their smiles gradually faded.

They knew Tang Chen's true strength went far beyond what the images had shown.

Since the Golden Ranking had placed Tang Chen ninth, there had to be another reason still to come.

Just then.

The scene in the images changed again.

Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu stood side by side on the coast.

Both men gazed at the distant sea.

A massive ship cut through the wind and waves, sailing toward the vast open waters.

Text slowly appeared in the sky.

[Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu set out to sea together.]

[The two journeyed to Sea God Island to train.]

Within the images.

Clear Sky Hammer in hand, Tang Chen set foot on Sea God Island alone.

Waves churned beneath his feet.

A powerful sea soul beast surged out of the depths.

Tang Chen swung the Clear Sky Hammer.

A ponderous hammer projection descended from the sky.

The sea exploded in an instant.

The enormous sea soul beast was blasted back by a single strike.

Elsewhere.

Qian Daoliu also displayed his formidable strength.

Golden angelic light illuminated the sea.

As the two trained throughout their journey, their strength continued to rise.

At last.

Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu returned from Sea God Island.

Both their auras had reached level ninety-nine.

The images on the Golden Ranking changed again.

In a stretch of wilderness.

Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu stood facing each other.

The Clear Sky Hammer and the Angel Holy Sword appeared in their hands at the same time.

The next instant—

The two figures charged at each other.

The Clear Sky Hammer fell.

The Angel Holy Sword slashed out.

Their violent clash engulfed the entire wilderness in overwhelming power.

Tang Chen stepped forward.

With a force that seemed to crush heaven and earth, the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand shattered the golden sword light.

Qian Daoliu staggered back several steps.

Tang Chen's hammer stopped just short of his chest.

The outcome was decided.

Words appeared across the sky.

[Tang Chen sparred with Qian Daoliu.]

[Tang Chen won.]

[Qian Daoliu promised that Spirit Hall would not enter the Clear Sky Sect's territory unprovoked.]