Chapter 1173: Divine Technique Returns! Unpredictable Storm! |
Tang San drew in a deep breath, cupped his fist in respect, and said, "Your Majesty, your attack power has indeed touched the absolute ceiling of this plane. You are truly worthy of being the mightiest of the Empyrean Dominion."
The Undying Demon Emperor said in a low voice, "Is that shield…"
"It is, yes. But its real name is the Black Tortoise Shield. Your Majesty, do you know the legend of the Four Divine Beasts?"
A trace of confusion flickered in the Undying Demon Emperor's eyes. Tang San immediately understood that this plane had no such legend. He proceeded to explain: "It's a law of nature, in a sense. Basically, there should be a tortoise bloodline of the same tier as the bloodlines of dragons and phoenixes. But for some reason, no such bloodline exists in this plane. For that reason, the power instead accumulated and condensed into a Solitary, the Dark Turtle Demon Emperor. When it died, it gave rise to this shield. It has two perfectly fused attributes, earth and water. Earth excels at defense, water restrains fire. Do you understand now, Your Majesty?"[1]
The Undying Demon Emperor narrowed his eyes. "So you think that just with this divine artifact, you can defeat me?"
Tang San smiled lightly. "I wouldn't dare. Your Majesty's true strength has surely not been shown yet. I must still ask for your guidance."
The Undying Demon Emperor spoke no more. He simply raised his right hand to point at the void.
Instantly, the massive fire phoenix above opened its talons. What it had been clutching—a great parasol tree—fell downward.
The tree instantly transformed. Phoenix feather patterns blazed across its bark. Its crystal-red trunk glowed like ruby; its branches and leaves fused into one, and it slowly elongated into a beak-like spearhead. By the time it fell into the Undying Demon Emperor's grasp, it had become a Parasol Spear.
Tang San and Xiao Wu were startled, and below, the other Emperors gasped aloud. As it turned out, none of them had ever witnessed such a thing.
The Parasol Tree Nymph Emperor had transformed into a weapon in the Undying Demon Emperor's hand—an Emperor wielding another Emperor as a weapon!
The Sunborne Nymph Emperor's eyes grew grave. She understood: this was likely the Empyrean Dominion's hidden trump card, prepared to face her and the Earthshade Nymph Emperor. In other words, if war truly erupted, the Parasol Tree Nymph Emperor would stand with the Empyrean Dominion. And should the Undying Demon Emperor stand against them with the Parasol Spear in hand, could the two of them even prevail? The outcome was uncertain.
With the spear in hand, the Undying Demon Emperor's aura surged violently, once more hitting what everyone perceived as the glass ceiling of power on this plane. Yet no suppressive force descended from the plane's will. Instead, it allowed him to climb higher and higher.
Even he was astonished. The planar ruler was actually letting him ascend!
Tang San alone understood why. There were two reasons. First, multiple Emperors had already fallen. Their deaths had left unused a tremendous amount of energy, leaving room for a new power to grow. Second, the will of this plane would rather see Tang San slain here than trust his promises. Tang San was an outsider god; he'd pledged an oath, but could such oaths truly bind him? Better to gamble on his death.
Sensing the Undying Demon Emperor's soaring might, Tang San's face grew solemn. He sighed. "Your Majesty… This is unwise."
The Undying Demon Emperor sneered. "What is wisdom, and what is folly? Block my spear first, and then you may speak of wisdom."
With that, he thrust the Parasol Spear toward Tang San and Xiao Wu. Radiance flared; fierce spear-intent made the space quake and countless phoenix cries echoed across the heavens.
Tang San glanced at Xiao Wu with regret in his eyes. She only smiled sweetly, like a gentle wife, telling him without words that she would support him in everything.
This man had abandoned his life for her, looked for her across the cosmos, reincarnated, and found her in this world. All to be with her. What higher proof of devotion could there be? Two lifetimes, two pursuits, one reunion. At this moment, there was no one but him in her eyes; everything else was negligible.
Tang San lifted the Sea God's Trident and the Vast Sea Shroud gleamed brighter, resisting the phoenix's dreadful pressure.
The Undying Demon Emperor spread his blazing wings and launched forward. Divine bird and divine spear became one, streaking down like a comet from beyond heaven.
Tang San released Xiao Wu's hand.
Slowly, he spun the trident. A golden ring of light bloomed in the air, followed by another, and another…
The first ring struck the phoenix, but it was shattered by the explosive spear intent.
Tang San's trident spun again, then again. Left and right, golden rings rippled outward in endless succession. The sky filled with circles upon circles of radiant gold.
Behind him, a colossal golden phantom appeared, looming.
If the Tenebrous Demon Emperor had still lived, he would have recognized it instantly, for it was this very technique that had once forced him into submission, ensuring Mei Gongzi's survival and subsequent appointment as city lord.
Tang San was unleashing one of the Sea God's mightiest divine techniques. A technique revered even among gods, dreaded even by God Kings: Unpredictable Storm.
The Undying Demon Emperor was exultant. With the Parasol Spear in hand, he felt himself break through the plane's limitations; for the first time in his long life, he touched the realm beyond the peak of Emperorhood!
His strike carried the will and power to annihilate all.
But as the golden rings layered upon him, he suddenly felt as though he was mired in a swamp. Each ring bound him tighter, slowing him more. His overwhelming might dulled; his body and spirit were dragged into stillness.
What… What is this?
His instincts were not wrong: He had become a true god, the same level of personhood Tang San now held. The plane allowed it for a brief moment, hoping that he would kill Tang San.
But for Tang San, this was not new. In his past life, he had wielded power far beyond this—the power of a God King. Moreover, although the Parasol Spear was a supreme weapon of this plane, it completely paled in comparison with Tang San's transcendent divine weapon, the Sea God's Trident.
So although they technically stood at the same level, the Undying Demon Emperor was a novice tasting godhood for the first time, while Tang San was not only a veteran of countless divine-level battles, but also had a better weapon and knowledge of supreme techniques.
Unpredictable Storm, in Tang San's divine realm, was hailed as the ultimate control technique. With it, Tang San had subdued countless foes on his path to the throne of Supreme God King.
1. This dialogue has been altered to reflect the description in 972 and is not an accurate rendition of the raws. It seems that the author indeed retconned the plot so that a Dark Turtle Demon Emperor never existed, but taking into account the overall storyline, there is no point in doing that. For this reason, we have decided to keep the original idea in 972 and change this chapter and the previous one accordingly. ☜