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Tang San remained calm and composed. "Why should I trust you? How do I know you're not pretending to lower my guard, only to have people from the Spirit Hall ambush me once I leave the Slaughter City?"
"I, Hu Liena, swear on my life that every word I just said is true. If I lied, may my spirit shatter and I die," Hu Liena said resolutely, raising her hand without hesitation.
Hearing this, Tang San finally believed her. After all, in this world, swearing on one's life still held considerable weight.
Hu Liena extended her hand and said solemnly, "I hope you can believe that I came here to train so I wouldn't let my teacher down. I want to grow stronger and become a Pope like her, so that the Spirit Hall no longer follows the path of darkness under evil leadership."
"Alright, I believe your sincerity. We can work together," Tang San replied.
He also extended his hand, ready to clasp Hu Liena's delicate fingers, but just as their hands were about to touch, she spun away and avoided him. With a teasing smile, she said, "After all I said just now, you finally agreed to cooperate—but I still don't even know your name."
"Tang Yin. Yin, as in the 'Silver' of Blue Silver Coin." Tang San quickly avoided saying "Blue Silver Grass" to prevent Hu Liena from suspecting his true identity. He was all too aware of what he had done to Hu Liena's teacher.
"Tang Yin… Do you know Tang San?" Hu Liena asked, her voice laced with deep resentment.
"Why do you ask?" Tang San's heart skipped a beat, and his hand subtly moved under his sleeve.
Hu Liena responded, "I have some unfinished business with Tang San."
"That's unfortunate. Tang San has already perished at the hands of the Spirit Hall. Being the son of the Clear Sky Douluo and a dual-spirit genius, there's no way the Spirit Hall would have let him live. His blood debt… now falls upon me." Tang San answered indifferently.
Consider yourself lucky—otherwise, I would've made you suffer a fate worse than death!
Hu Liena muttered to herself, then went on to inform Tang San of the dangers of the Hell Road. After receiving the antidote he gave her, she left.
Once the gates closed, Tang San used his Blue Silver Domain to confirm that Hu Liena had truly gone. A cold smile appeared on his face. "Just because you're from a different faction, you think I'll let you go? Ridiculous. You're as foolish as Bibi Dong. Every last person in the Spirit Hall—none of you will be spared by me, Tang San!"
Eventually, both Tang San and Hu Liena completed their one-hundredth match in the Slaughter Arena. The new King of Slaughter, not wanting to offend Qian Renxue, allowed Hu Liena to take on the Hell Road challenge. As for Tang San, he was feared due to the infamous reputation of the Clear Sky Sect's Killing God, Tang Hao. The King of Slaughter had no idea that Tang Hao was long dead.
The gates to the Hell Road opened, and Tang San and Hu Liena fell in together. After enduring countless trials, they finally emerged.
In the Divine Realm, Qian Renxue, who was sitting cross-legged in the God of Asura's temple attempting to master the divine power of the Evil God King, suddenly opened her eyes as she sensed two people successfully pass through the Slaughter City.
"They made it out?"
Qian Renxue stared at the scene—Hu Liena wearing a tank top and hot pants, tightly bound to Tang San with Blue Silver Grass, their bodies in close physical contact. The sight stung her eyes. As she sensed Tang San's spirit power, she muttered, "That guy Tang San sure grows slowly. Let me help you speed things up."
After acquiring the Killing God Domain, Tang San's spirit power had risen by two levels. As for Hu Liena… who even cared?
Outside the Slaughter City, Tang San and Hu Liena slowly regained consciousness.
"I don't hold any power in the Spirit Hall. I came here alone, and no one will be picking me up either," Hu Liena said to reassure Tang San. Then she added, "Tang Yin, the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire are stockpiling troops for war. Our Spirit Hall is secretly supporting the Star Luo Empire. Are you planning to head there next? Star Luo is already stronger than Heaven Dou. With our help, the fall of Heaven Dou is inevitable.
"If you assist Star Luo in crushing Heaven Dou, you'll gain merit, rise in rank, and be in a better position to support me in becoming the next Pope."
Tang San shook his head. "No, I must aid the Heaven Dou Empire. After the Clear Sky Sect was annihilated, I understood—only with enough power can one change the tide of fate. I need to help Heaven Dou grow stronger, delay the unification of the continent, and buy myself more time to grow."
Hu Liena nodded. "I understand. Be careful. Once the war begins, if people from the Spirit Hall see your Clear Sky Hammer spirit, they'll attack you without mercy."
After their conversation, Hu Liena tried to steal a kiss, but Tang San pushed her away. The two then parted ways.
Tang San made his way to the Heaven Dou Empire's capital, Heaven Dou City. There, he planned to promote his Tang Sect hidden weapons as lethal tools of war. If he could establish the Tang Sect as the foundation for bringing down the Spirit Hall, all the better.
Hu Liena wiped away her tears after Tang San's rejection, her eyes turning toward Spirit City. With unwavering determination, she declared, "Teacher, just a few more years—please wait a few more years. I, your disciple, will not fail your expectations. I will become the Pope of the Spirit Hall!"
After a month of travel, Tang San revealed his identity as a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect and arrived at the Heaven Dou Palace to request an audience with Emperor Xue Ye.
Xue Ye asked, "Minister Tang, the destruction of the Clear Sky Sect is truly a tragedy. You claim to possess a powerful weapon that could help our Heaven Dou Empire resist the Spirit Hall. What is it?"
"Your Majesty, please look—this is the Zhuge Divine Crossbow."
As he spoke, Tang San took out the Zhuge Divine Crossbow and raised it to demonstrate. With the sharp sound of clicking mechanisms, sixteen bolts shot out like shadows, piercing straight into the ground. Even the Spirit Douluo present couldn't clearly see the bolts, but there were already sixteen small holes on the floor made of specially reinforced material.
Emperor Xue Ye couldn't help but ask, "What is the effective killing range of this weapon?"
Tang San replied, "Within fifty meters, it can guarantee maximum lethality. It's capable of killing Spirit Masters below the Spirit King level. The farther the distance, the more the power decreases."
Taking a deep breath, Emperor Xue Ye's eyes revealed undisguised excitement. "Excellent. This weapon is very promising. It will be useful for military operations. What's the cost?"
Tang San smiled slightly. "Not expensive—only one hundred and fifty gold spirit coins each."
Hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye's facial muscles twitched. One hundred and fifty, and you say that's not expensive?
Marshal Ge Long stepped forward and said, "Tang Yin, you're not a military man, so you don't understand. Warfare is divided into offense and defense. The attack range of this Zhuge Divine Crossbow is comparable to archers and soldiers throwing spears. As for defending a city, we rely on throwing stones or pouring boiling oil. Due to ladders, the targets are usually fixed. This weapon is useless in defense and only marginally useful in offense."
"On top of that, it's extremely expensive. If we spend this much on these crossbows, it will severely cut into our military budget for armor, warships, and spears. In short, this Zhuge Divine Crossbow is ineffective for defense and barely passable for offense. It's not worth the cost."
Tang San was stunned. He truly had no experience in warfare and had never considered that the supposedly foolproof Zhuge Divine Crossbow would be deemed useless in practical battle.
His hidden weapons had already been exposed to Qian Renxue, so offering the blueprints for the Zhuge Divine Crossbow was the last bottom line he was willing to cross.
In the end, to earn their support and take his revenge, Tang San presented the Tang Sect's three greatest hidden weapons: the Peacock Plume, the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle, and the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus. Only then did he finally move Emperor Xue Ye.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! With these three hidden weapons, our Heaven Dou Empire's army will be like a tiger with wings. We can cut down the commander of the Star Luo Empire and end this war at its root!"
Emperor Xue Ye said excitedly, "Minister Tang, what reward would you like?"
Tang San was about to request cultivation resources and gold spirit coins for travel expenses—he planned to head to Sea God Island for training. But suddenly, a sea-blue beam of light shot down from the sky and entered the palace.
"That's the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud! How did it end up here—and it's floating in midair!" Emperor Xue Ye stood up in excitement.
In the next moment, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud shot directly into Tang San's forehead.
(End of Chapter)