Qian Daoliu looked at him.
"What if you lose?"
"The Clear Sky Sect will seal its gates from then on and no longer compete with Spirit Hall for the continent's Soul Masters."
Qian Daoliu fell silent for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"Agreed."
The next moment, the Clear Sky Hammer swelled against the wind.
The Six-Winged Angel held the Holy Sword as golden divine fire swept across the deserted island.
The two Peerless Douluos struck at the same time.
Waves a hundred zhang high surged across the sea.
At the center of the deserted island, great stretches of rock shattered one after another.
Tang Chen unleashed the Great Sumeru Hammer, channeling the power of all nine Soul Rings into the Clear Sky Hammer.
Drawing on angel divine power, Qian Daoliu's six wings blazed with dazzling golden light at once.
The Clear Sky Hammer and the Angel Holy Sword collided again and again.
The two fought from the deserted island into the sky, then from the sky down to the sea.
The final blow fell.
The Angel Holy Sword flew from Qian Daoliu's grasp.
Qian Daoliu retreated several hundred zhang before regaining his footing.
Tang Chen also retreated a hundred zhang.
He gripped the Clear Sky Hammer, his aura fluctuating, yet he remained standing on the sea.
In this battle, Tang Chen had won by a narrow margin.
Qian Daoliu recalled the Angel Holy Sword.
"I lost."
"From this day forward, as long as I live, no one belonging to Spirit Hall will set foot in the Clear Sky Sect."
Tang Chen nodded.
The two Peerless Douluos thus made their wager.
Outside the Sky Screen, the scrolling comments briefly paused.
Then countless golden words streamed past one after another.
[There was a secret like this?]
[So Spirit Hall never entered the Clear Sky Sect all these years because of Qian Daoliu's promise back then!]
[Before Tang Chen left, he even left this safeguard for the Clear Sky Sect!]
[No wonder he could lead the Clear Sky Sect to become the foremost of the Upper Three Sects!]
[Qian Daoliu is an honorable man, too. Even though Tang Chen has been missing for years, he still keeps his word!]
[Later, Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect clashed constantly, yet the Worship Hall never directly razed the Clear Sky Sect. So this was why!]
[Both of them lived up to the name of Peerless Douluo!]
[But Tang Chen was clearly stronger than Qian Daoliu, so why is he only ranked ninth?]
[Where exactly did he go after leaving Sea God Island?]
[Could something have gone wrong while he was seeking the path to godhood?]
Across the Douluo Continent, countless people looked toward the Sky Screen again.
Bibi Dong also raised the Rakshasa Demon Halberd and stared at Tang Chen's name.
Tang Chen possessed such strength and had once defeated Qian Daoliu in a head-on battle.
Yet he still ranked only ninth on the Powerhouse Ranking.
Everyone wanted to know.
What exactly had this Peerless Douluo, Invincible on Land, experienced afterward?
On the Sky Screen.
The scene outside Sea God Island slowly faded.
Tang Chen left the deserted island alone, crossed the boundless sea, and began searching for the path to godhood.
Lines of scrolling comments swept past from both sides of the sky.
[Where did Tang Chen go afterward?]
[Since he's still alive, why hasn't he returned to the Clear Sky Sect for so many years?]
[Bo Saixi has stayed on Sea God Island waiting for him all this time, too.]
[Could something have gone wrong on the path to godhood?]
[I have a feeling the answer is about to appear.]
Sea God Island.
Bo Saixi stood before Sea God Hall.
The sea breeze stirred her long red dress, and her long blue hair fell behind her waist.
She paid no attention to the discussions around her.
Her eyes remained fixed on Tang Chen within the Sky Screen.
After Tang Chen left Sea God Island, she had wondered countless times where exactly he had gone.
Now, the Heavenly Dao Ranking was finally about to reveal everything.
Bo Saixi rested her slender hand on her scepter.
"Tang Chen, what exactly happened to you?"
The Clear Sky Sect.
Tang Xiao and the elders stood before the sect gates.
The joy on their faces had already faded.
There had to be a reason Tang Chen had not returned for so many years.
The Seventh Elder looked up at the Sky Screen.
"Lord Tang Chen must have encountered trouble."
The Second Elder said gravely, "With Lord Tang Chen's strength, what in this world could possibly trap him?"
Tang Xiao did not answer.
His gaze remained on his grandfather's figure.
Spirit City.
Bibi Dong stood before the Papal Palace.
The Rakshasa Demon Halberd hovered beside her, its dark purple divine runes flickering constantly.
She had already guessed that Tang Chen's disappearance might be related to a godhood inheritance.
Inside the Worship Hall.
Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back.
Golden Crocodile Douluo and the other worshippers stood behind him.
No one discussed the outcome of Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu's battle anymore.
Now, they only wanted to know why Tang Chen had fallen to ninth on the Powerhouse Ranking.
In a valley somewhere on the Douluo Continent.
Tang Hao wore a tattered black robe, his disheveled hair covering most of his face.
He stood at the edge of a cliff, staring unblinkingly at the Sky Screen.
Tang Chen was a legend of the Clear Sky Sect and the most powerful being in the entire Clear Sky lineage.
Tang Hao had grown up hearing tales of Tang Chen's deeds.
Now that he had learned his grandfather was still alive, he could no longer keep his emotions calm.
Heaven Dou City.
Inside the hotel where the Shrek group was staying.
Ma Hongjun had already forgotten the food on the table.
"Could Tang Chen really have found a way to become a god?"
Oscar looked at him.
"If he had already become a god, there's no way he would rank only ninth."
Dai Mubai nodded.
"Something must have gone wrong afterward."
Tang San stood before the window.
A phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer appeared uncontrollably in his left hand.
Sharing the same martial soul made him care even more about what Tang Chen would experience next.
Yu Xiaogang stared at the Sky Screen without speaking.
Ning Rongrong pressed her slender hand against the front of her clothing.
The Ancient Bronze Small Tower slowly rotated within the mystic yellow radiance.
The room soon fell silent.
Ning Xian watched the Sky Screen calmly.
His expression did not change.
He, too, knew only the broad outline of Tang Chen's later experiences.
Now, the Sky Screen would provide the complete answer.
High in the heavens.
The scene finally changed.
A dark red world appeared before the eyes of all living beings.
Holding the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang Chen stood before a magnificent divine hall.
Countless broken weapons were planted around the divine hall.
Dark red divine light poured from the hall and fell upon Tang Chen.
A blood-colored long sword hovered in the center of the divine hall.
An aura of slaughter powerful enough to alarm even a Peerless Douluo coiled around its blade.
Golden words appeared.
[Tang Chen searched the entire continent and eventually entered Slaughter City.]
[He gained the Asura God's recognition and began the inheritance of the Asura God position.]
[The Asura God, one of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm.]
[Wields authority over judgment and slaughter.]
The entire continent instantly erupted.
[A God King's inheritance!]
[Bibi Dong received the Rakshasa God's inheritance, but Tang Chen actually received the Asura God's inheritance!]
[And the Asura God is one of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm!]
[Tang Chen's godhood inheritance is clearly even more powerful!]
[No wonder he dared swear not to return until he became a god!]
The scenes on the Sky Screen continued to unfold.
Tang Chen passed through one God Trial Grounds after another alone.
The First Trial.
The Second Trial.
The Third Trial.
Every god trial brought mortal danger.
Yet Tang Chen never stopped moving forward.
The Clear Sky Hammer grew stronger through battle after battle.
The aura of slaughter around him also gradually condensed into asura divine power.
Golden words appeared one after another.
[Tang Chen passed the First Trial of the Asura God Trial.]
[Tang Chen passed the Second Trial of the Asura God Trial.]
[Tang Chen passed the Third Trial of the Asura God Trial.]
[Tang Chen passed the Seventh Trial of the Asura God Trial.]
The scene changed again.
Blood-colored divine lightning descended from the heavens.
Tang Chen sat cross-legged in the center of the divine hall.
His flesh constantly shattered within the divine lightning, only to be reshaped by asura divine power.
The Clear Sky Hammer hovered above his head.
Nine Soul Rings encircled him.
With every bolt of divine lightning that fell, the aura within Tang Chen rose another notch.
Only when the final bolt of divine lightning dispersed did Tang Chen open his eyes again.
His body was no longer at the level of a mortal.
The pressure emanating from his flesh alone caused great cracks to appear in the surrounding space.
Before you continue