The blood rain stopped at some unknown time.
The shattered Clear Sky Peak was now just a massive swamp of flesh and blood, stained gold and blue with divine blood, and in the center of the swamp stood a figure covered in blood, wielding a dark red, menacing blade, resembling a demon god emerging from the primordial chaos.
Toji stood there quietly, gazing in the direction where the two divine beasts had vanished, looking at the empty sky. His wild smile had long since disappeared, leaving only a deep calm on his face.
He flicked the remaining glimmers of light off his blade, turned around, and looked at the Clear Sky Fortress, which had long since turned into ruins and was devoid of any life.
"It's a pity that Tang San protected them, preventing them from being completely killed. But it doesn't matter anymore; they'll never be able to descend upon the Douluo Continent again."
A deep voice echoed across the desolate mountaintop. He strode forward, stepping through the viscous mire of divine blood, and left the place.
"Just you wait, Tang San. Soon, I'll ascend to the Divine Realm and drag your damn Godhood down and beat you to a pulp."
Toji raised his head and said with a sense of relief.
His battles with Tai Tan and Niu Tian gave him some insights, as if he had broken through a bottleneck.
The Level 98 has arrived.
Divine Realm, Sea God Temple.
The peaceful tranquility of the past was replaced by a chilling, oppressive atmosphere.
The iridescent, shimmering light seemed to have dimmed somewhat.
Sea God Tang San sat on his throne, his usually gentle and refined face, which seemed to contain endless wisdom and benevolence, now as gloomy as the deep sea before a storm.
His divine sense had just withdrawn from the lower realm and he had clearly witnessed the bloody massacre Clear Sky Peak, a massacre so horrific that even this God King felt a chill run down his spine.
The Titan Giant Ape was blasted through by punches and finally cut in two.
The Sky Azure Bull Python was slowly dismembered, its Life briefly burning out before it reached God Level, only to have its giant claw pierced by a punch and finally sliced open with a knife.
That figure bathed in divine blood, laughing maniacally like a demon; that pure power that Ignore Defense and shatters everything...
Each scene was like the most vicious brand, searing his divine thoughts.
"To become a god through physical means, pure violence, disregarding the rules." Tang San's fingertips dug deeply into the armrests of the throne, his knuckles turning white from the force and making a soft creaking sound.
He whispered, his voice cold and devoid of any warmth.
"What a Heavenly Tyrant! Toji wonderful, truly wonderful!"
He expended his divine power to forcibly lock in the last trace of their essence at the very last moment when Tai Tan and Niu Tian were on the verge of their souls being scattered, and guided them back to the Divine Realm.
At this moment, two extremely faint golden and cyan orbs of light, each containing only a sliver of consciousness, floated in the nurturing array at the center of the temple, like candles flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
Their divine bodies had long since disintegrated in the mortal realm, and this last source of their essence had also suffered severe damage. Without ten thousand years of nurturing and the nourishment of precious divine objects, it would be absolutely impossible for them to recover.
This loss, this humiliation, ignited a raging fire in Tang San's heart.
Clear Sky Sect was the foundation he left behind in the lower realm, Er Ming and Da Ming were his most loyal partners. Now that the sect has been slaughtered and his partners have been crippled, this is not only a slap in the face for him, but also a trampling on his dignity Sea God.
However, as a God King, he cannot directly attack the lower realms; the rules bind him.
Anger needs to be vented, and enemies need to pay the price.
In Tang San's eyes, as deep as an icy pool, a cold light rapidly shifted, instantly locking onto the figure on the Douluo Continent with whom he had the deepest karmic entanglement: Huo Yuhao.
His son-in-law, his chosen successor, is now the perfect pawn.
"After so many years of training, it's finally your turn, Huo Yuhao."
"I refuse to believe that Huo Yuhao, the chosen one of destiny, can't even defeat someone from his own era."
Several years passed quietly on the war-torn continent, like quicksand stained red with blood and fire.
When Toji's figure reappeared before the familiar yet somewhat desolate mountain gate of the Body Sect, his aura was like a dormant volcano, restrained yet containing a terrifyingly powerful force.
Level 98!
That insurmountable chasm between the mortal realm and the pinnacle has been shattered by him with his purest Qi and Blood and fighting spirit.
Only one final, and most difficult, bottleneck remains to reach the legendary Level 99 limit.
Once he reaches Level 99, he will achieve his divine Godhood and ascend to the Divine Realm.
However, he was not greeted with triumphant cheers, but with a heavy sense of oppression.
The atmosphere within the sect was unusually gloomy.
The air was filled with the smell of medicine and a lingering sense of fatigue.
The martial arts arena was quieter than usual, with the disciples silently cultivating, their eyes filled with undisguised worry and a sense of bewilderment after surviving a calamity.
When their gaze fell upon the returning Toji, their excitement was overshadowed by the overwhelming gloom of reality, leaving only a complex gaze carrying a heavy message.
"Young Sect Master..." A core disciple stepped forward, his voice low and hoarse, "You're back."
Toji's sharp gaze swept over familiar yet weary faces, finally settling on the direction of the ancient hall deep within the sect.
Where is the teacher?
"Sect Master..." A flicker of pain crossed the disciple's eyes, "He's recuperating in the meditation room. A few days ago, at the last line of defense of the Heaven Dou Empire, His Majesty Vikes was killed in battle, and Heaven Dou... fell. The Sect Master fought desperately to cover the retreat of the remaining disciples... He was seriously injured, but thankfully his life is not in danger."
Toji's eyes instantly turned deep and unfathomable.
The Heaven Dou... is it dead?
This weak empire ultimately could not withstand the iron torrent of the Sun Moon Empire.
"What about the Dou Ling Empire?" His voice was calm, revealing no emotion.
" Dou Ling's capital was also breached by the Sun Moon Empire's army half a year ago, the emperor died for his country, and the entire nation fell."
The disciple's voice grew even heavier.
"Now... on the entire continent, only the Star Luo Empire remains, struggling to survive."
Toji nodded slightly, not surprised by the result.
With Ju Zi's wrist combined with Kong Deming's Soul Tool power, it's only a matter of time before they sweep away Dou Ling Heaven Dou.
He was more concerned about why Star Luo Empire was able to survive alone.
"How did Star Luo Empire survive? With Dai Hao and Xu Jiawei?" Toji raised an eyebrow.
"No!" The disciple's voice suddenly rose, filled with an indescribable shock and awe, "It was Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao who protected the Star Luo Empire."
The disciple seemed to relive that earth-shattering scene in his eyes:
" The Sun Moon Empire mobilized its entire nation's resources, deploying an army of tens of millions, with a sky-covering array of Level 9 Soul Tool. Furthermore, Grandmaster Kong Deming himself was present, reportedly having broken through to the Level 10 Soul Engineer. Given that scene, we all thought the Star Luo Empire was doomed. But then... Huo Yuhao appeared!"
"He hovered high in the heavens, surrounded by indescribable extreme cold and vast Spiritual Power. With just a clear whistle, the world Ice Seal, and more than 70% of the Sun Moon Empire's proud ocean of Soul Tool was instantly frozen and rendered ineffective."