Clear Sky Neutrality · Asura Separation

After leaving the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and traveling north for most of the day, as darkness fell, Nan Feng found a crooked tree by the roadside to rest.

Old Huai Tree yawned inside the tower.

"Twenty li ahead is the territory of the Clear Sky Sect. How do you plan to get there? Go straight up the mountain or deliver a letter first?"

Nan Feng took a bite of dry rations and chewed for a long time without making a sound.

The Tower Spirit Space contains the manuscript list given to it by Yu Tianheng, which still hasn't been crossed out for the Elephant Armor Sect. That old man Huyan Bao has recently gotten involved with the Holy Dragon Sect again, and this matter can't be delayed.

But with the Clear Sky Sect standing in his way, he couldn't get around it.

"Let's go straight there." Nan Feng swallowed his dry rations. "I know Tang Hao doesn't submit to anyone. But I need to meet with Tang San."

Old Huai clicked his tongue.

"Tang San's rejection of the divine position is getting more and more serious. Tang Hao brought him to see you now, probably hoping you can help take a look."

At noon the next day, Nan Feng arrived at the gate of the Clear Sky Sect.

What is called the mountain gate is actually just a three-zhang-tall blue stone tablet at the foot of Clear Sky Peak. The two large characters "Haotian" are engraved on it, with the strokes as rough as if they were cleaved by an axe.

Two people stood in front of the monument, one old and one young.

Tang Hao was still the same as before. Gray robe, messy hair, and a pair of worn-out straw sandals with exposed toes, he looked no different from a mountain hunter.

Tang San stood beside him, dressed in an indigo outfit, his back ramrod straight. His face was noticeably paler than when they last met at Jialing Pass, but his eyes were still bright.

"Nan Feng."

Tang Hao clasped his hands in a fist salute, without any further formalities.

"Let's talk when we get into the mountains."

Nan Feng followed the father and son up the mountain.

Clear Sky Peak is very steep. Stone steps are carved into the cliff, with a rock wall on one side and a deep valley on the other, and mist swirling at your feet.

Tang San walked ahead. Nan Feng noticed that his right leg would pause every time he took a step, as if his knee couldn't muster any strength.

Old Huai lowered his voice inside the tower.

"The repulsion between the two divine powers has already begun to affect the body. The Sea God Divine Power goes through the right path, while the Asura Divine Power goes through the left path, and the two meridians are fighting each other. If this continues, half of the body will collapse first."

Nan Feng didn't reply.

Upon reaching the mountaintop and entering the stone hall of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Hao dismissed everyone, leaving only himself, his son, and Nan Feng.

The stone hall was not large. Several old hammers hung on the wall, and in the middle was a rough wooden table with a pot of cold tea on it.

Tang Hao poured Nan Feng a bowl and got straight to the point.

"The Clear Sky Sect will not submit to anyone. I said this in Heaven Dou City, and I'll say it again today; this is still our stance."

"I know." Nan Feng picked up the bowl and took a sip.

"But you saved my wife's remnant soul; the Clear Sky Sect will remember this kindness."

Tang Hao put the teapot back.

"I brought my Little San to see you today not for the alliance, but for him."

Tang Hao turned his head and glanced at Tang San.

Tang San sat to the side without saying a word. Only when his father called on him did he raise his right hand and place it on the table.

Nan Feng looked down. There were three golden lines on Tang San's right hand, as thin as hair, extending from the base of his fingers toward his wrist, like cracks.

The Old Huai paused for a moment inside the tower.

"The manifestation of divine rejection. Going further down, it enters the meridians."

Tang San withdrew his hand and clenched his fist.

"The divine attributes of the Sea God and the Asura God are mutually repelling each other. This has become increasingly serious since the battle of Jialing Pass, causing his Soul Power to drop from the God Level to the peak of the Titled Douluo."

"Even my Soul Power has started to drop recently, by half a level every day."

His voice was flat, Nan Feng could tell there was tension beneath it.

"I went to the Goddess of Life, and she said there was no precedent for this kind of dual-divine rejection, and there was nothing she could do."

Nan Feng scanned Tang San with his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light.

Within Tang San's Soul Power structure, two orbs of divine light each occupy one side. One is sea blue, and the other is blood red, separated by an extremely narrow gap.

The gap was still widening. With each increase in width, Tang San's Soul Power dropped a little.

Old Huai's voice deepened.

"This is a battle between divine entities. The Sea God and the Asura God inherently have conflicting attributes, and when they both reside within one person's soul, this happens over time."

"The Goddess of Life can't help because this is a matter of divine status. She can only heal injuries at the level of Soul Power."

"Can it be cured?" Tang San asked.

The Nan Feng remained silent for a few moments.

"Yes, but it's only a temporary solution, not a cure."

"I can use my Immortal Power to temporarily weld the seam between your two divine cores, slowing down the repulsion."

"But there are only two ways to completely resolve this. One is for you to relinquish one of your divine attributes and retain the other."

He put the bowl down.

"The other issue is that your Soul Power has completely plummeted back to the peak of Titled Douluo, and both of your divine cores have dissipated. You'll need to rebuild them all over again."

Tang San did not speak immediately after hearing this.

The stone hall remained quiet for a long time. Tang Hao didn't urge him, but sat down beside him and drank from his teacup.

"I choose the first one."

Tang San spoke, his voice steady.

"Give up a divine title. The Asura God."

He raised his right hand and looked at the three golden lines.

"I rose to the position of Sea God through my own cultivation, Asura God is inherited. Keep the Sea God."

Nan Feng nodded.

"Okay. But you can't rush to give up your godhood; you can't force it, otherwise your Soul Power will collapse."

"I'll teach you a method for guiding Immortal Power. Every day, you'll channel the Asura God's Divine Power into the Sea God Divinity, gradually fusing them together. It will be completely severable in about six months."

Tang San rolled up his sleeves and had Nan Feng draw lines of Immortal Power guiding his wrist.

He suddenly spoke when he was halfway through drawing.

"Nan Feng, can your path truly reach a place higher than that of God?"

"Able."

Nan Feng didn't look up; her fingers traced the last line on Tang San's wrist.

Tang San was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled. The smile was somewhat bittersweet.

"Then I might have to watch you walk away."

He clenched his fist, and the golden patterns on it flashed briefly before dimming again.

"I've cultivated for so many years, fought so many times, and in the end, I couldn't even keep my divine position intact. You, on the other hand, didn't even walk the path of Divine Dao from the start; you went straight for a path higher than that of a god."

"You're not bad either."

Nan Feng finished the last stroke and stopped.

"You may have lost your divine position, but you still have the Mysterious Heaven Skill, your Hidden Weapon weapon techniques, and your intellect. These things won't disappear just because you've fallen back to the peak of the Titled Douluo level."

Tang San didn't reply.

Tang Hao put down his teacup and suddenly interjected.

"Nan Feng, I heard about what happened at the Tian Heng Armor Sect from the Elephant Armor Sect. I've dealt with Huyan Bao before."

"He came to Clear Sky Peak thirty years ago, before he became an elder, wanting me to help him compete for the position of sect leader, but I ignored him."

"This man is cowardly, but greedy. Take this with you when you go to the Elephant Armor Sect."

Tang Hao pulled out a palm-sized black iron token from his pocket and tossed it over. The front of the token was engraved with the character "Hao," and the back had the hammer pattern of the Clear Sky Hammer.

He wouldn't dare try any tricks on you now that he sees this.

Nan Feng carefully put the token away.

Tang Hao stood up and patted his clothes.

"Alright, that's all. Keep an eye on the Little San's situation. Take my token to the Elephant Armor Sect, just make sure no one gets killed."

He paused again at the palace entrance, and without turning his head, added a sentence.

"The Clear Sky Sect does not submit to anyone. But if you, Nan Feng, ever need help, just send someone to let us know. I can't guarantee I'll send someone, but I guarantee I'll be there."

Nan Feng stood up and finished the bowl of herbal tea.

Tang San stood up beside him, the golden lines on his wrist had faded considerably. He stretched out his right hand towards Nan Feng.

Thanks.

Nan Feng shook hands with him. Tang San's grip was still strong, but Nan Feng could feel that his palm was cold, and the fluctuation of his Soul Power was indeed much weaker than the last time they met.

After descending Clear Sky Peak and heading northeast, the Old Huai spoke from inside the pagoda.

"Tang Hao may be tough, but he knows what he's doing. That token is more valuable than any alliance."

Nan Feng weighed the black iron token in his hand and then put it into the Tower Spirit Space.

"Now that I've finished dealing with the Elephant Armor Sect, I have to head to the Far North. The dark purple hue there is getting increasingly intense."

"Um."

Old Huai was silent for a few moments, then suddenly spoke again.

"Keep a close eye on Tang San. After the dual-godhood repulsion severed the Asura God, his Soul Power will drop even faster for a period of time. He'll only be able to stabilize after that."

Nan Feng tightened his sleeves and took a step northeastward, Shrinking the Ground to an Inch. The Elephant Armor Sect was in the northeast; he had to get there before dark.

The shadow of Clear Sky Peak stretched long in the setting sun behind them. Tang San's voice could be faintly heard from the mountain path.

"Father, if you give the token to someone else, how are you going to explain this to the elders?"

Tang Hao's voice drifted over from afar.

"Explain your ass. He saved your mother."

Nan Feng's lips curled up slightly, and he quickened his pace.

The Old Huai snorted inside the tower.

"This father and son are both incredibly stubborn."

At the edge of the official road, in the leaden-gray sky to the Far North, the dark purple hue deepened once more.