Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

She had actually been awake the whole time, but she didn't want to face the moment of parting. At this moment, she quietly stared at the spot where Su Baichen had disappeared, and after a long while, she gently raised her hand and touched her lower abdomen.

"Please come back safely..."

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, but her eyes shone with a resolute yet gentle light.

"You have to be ambitious too, you know?"

In the Douluo Continent, above the sea near Seagod Island, three figures floated silently between the blue waves and flowing clouds.

Poseidon wore a blue dress, the sea breeze gently ruffling her long hair. She gazed into the distance—Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu stood facing each other, not truly locked in a life-or-death struggle, but each exchange of blows caused the energy of heaven and earth to tremble subtly.

Qian Daoliu's sacred sword unleashed a blazing light, like the rising sun; Tang Chen's Haotian Hammer, on the other hand, cast a heavy, mountain-like shadow, seemingly capable of suppressing the entire sea.

The two auras collided repeatedly in mid-air, and ripples of soul power spread outwards, even calming the waves below.

A faint look of contemplation crossed Poseidon's eyes.

"Qian Daoliu has the aura of divine blessing on him, similar to mine. He is ultimately a person favored by the gods."

“And Tang Chen…” Her gaze fell on the figure wielding the hammer.

"His soul power is pure and profound, entirely acquired through his own arduous cultivation, and his application of that power is exquisite and subtle. Perhaps only such a person truly has the chance... to touch the throne of a god."

She sighed softly, as if admiring, yet also feeling a sense of resignation.

In the air, Tang Chen's calm voice rang out:

"Old swindler, let's stop here."

"Absolutely impossible." Before Qian Daoliu finished speaking, the sword light intensified by three times.

Tang Chen shook his head, but a resolute look flashed in his eyes.

The next moment, all five of his spirit rings shattered one after another—the power of the exploding rings surged into his body like a tidal wave, and the Clear Sky Hammer swelled up against the wind, as if bearing the weight of mountains and oceans, and crashed down towards Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu's pupils contracted slightly. This hammer blow was no ordinary soul skill to parry. To defend against it, one would have to mobilize the power of an angel... but that would defeat the purpose of the contest.

His fingertips trembled slightly, and he hesitated—

Suddenly, ripples spread silently across the space in front of him.

A door appeared out of nowhere.

Chapter 190 You and Your Hammer Fly Together

The sea breeze howled, and the waves surged.

The door that appeared out of nowhere opened silently, and a figure stepped out.

The newcomer was dressed in simple white clothes, had a young face, and was frowning as he looked around somewhat blankly.

"What the hell? Where did I get this done?"

The first thing he saw was the blond man with six wings on his back and a holy sword in front of him, and he casually asked, "Friend, where is this?"

Before he could finish speaking, a terrifying pressure, like Mount Tai pressing down, came from behind him—Tang Chen's Great Sumeru Hammer, which had gathered the power of five soul rings, crashed down like a meteor, and he had no time to retract it!

"Ok?"

The man in white—Su Baichen—seemed to sense something, but without turning his head, he only slightly raised his eyebrows.

The next instant, a translucent shield, as thin as a cicada's wing and shimmering with a strange luster, silently appeared, enveloping him and Qian Daoliu, who was standing close by.

boom--!!!

The Haotian Hammer slammed solidly into the protective shield, the deafening roar seemingly causing the entire sea to freeze in place.

The violent soul force shockwave swept in all directions like a tangible tsunami, creating a huge crater in the sea below, with waves soaring into the sky.

However, that seemingly fragile protective shield did not even show the slightest tremor, let alone cracks.

In the distance, Poseidon's blue eyes narrowed sharply. She saw it clearly: Tang Chen's attack was enough to seriously injure and defeat an ordinary peerless Douluo, yet it was casually blocked by this person who suddenly appeared.

Who is this person?! When did such a being appear in this world? There wasn't even a trace of soul power fluctuation on that protective barrier...

Qian Daoliu's shock intensified. He was inside the protective barrier and should have been the first to bear the aftershocks of the explosion, yet he hadn't felt even a ripple of soul power.

The devastating storm outside and the tranquility inside the enclosure seemed like two completely isolated worlds.

[Not only did he easily block Tang Chen's exploding ring attack, but he also completely isolated the dissipated energy... Such control is unheard of!]

At this moment, the one most affected was Tang Chen himself.

The force of the impact had cracked the webs between his thumb and forefinger, and blood was dripping down the hammer handle. His arms were so numb and tingly that he almost lost all feeling in them.

He stared intently at the unmoving protective barrier, then looked at the slightly puzzled young face within it, and a feeling of utter absurdity surged through him.

【This...how is this possible?!】

Su Baichen slowly turned his head to look at the huge Haotian Hammer still pressed against the protective barrier, a hint of impatience on his face: "What the hell? Where did this hammer come from?"

Having said that, he didn't even make any extra movements, simply raising his right hand casually and waving it lightly to his side and behind him as if swatting away mosquitoes—

There was no radiance of soul power, nor a powerful burst of energy.

But Tang Chen felt an overwhelming force, impossible to resist and incomprehensible, arise out of nowhere and act on him and the Clear Sky Hammer.

Before he could even utter a cry of alarm, he was struck head-on by an ancient giant elephant, turning into a blurry streak of light along with his hammer, instantly disappearing into the distant horizon, leaving only a long white trail of waves across the sea.

Su Baichen acted as if he had only done something insignificant, and looked back at the dumbfounded Qian Daoliu, his tone still calm: "Friend, where is this?"

Qian Daoliu snapped back to his senses, forcibly suppressing the raging storm in his heart. He sheathed the Angelic Holy Sword, and the six wings on his back slightly retracted. With the demeanor one would show to a senior powerhouse, he solemnly and swiftly replied, "This is the waters near Seagod Island. I am Qian Daoliu from the Spirit Hall. I was unaware of your arrival, senior. I apologize for not welcoming you properly."

"Seagod Island? Thousand Paths?" Su Baichen stroked his chin, a look of realization flashing in his eyes. Then he looked in the direction where Tang Chen had disappeared, his tone somewhat strange.

"That guy who just hit me with a hammer...could it be Tang Chen?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a long roar, suppressed to the extreme yet full of defiance and anger, suddenly came from the distant horizon!

A dark red streak of light shot back through the air at an even faster speed than it had gone; it was Tang Chen!

At this moment, his hair and beard stood on end, his eyes were bloodshot, and the four remaining spirit rings around him—including the bright red 100,000-year spirit ring—exploded all at once!

An unimaginably powerful surge of soul energy rushed into his body, causing his muscles to bulge and even fine beads of blood to seep from his skin. His aura surged, becoming several times more terrifying than when he exploded the Five Rings!

Nine rings explode simultaneously! This is the most decisive and domineering desperate method in the ultimate technique of the Great Sumeru Hammer!

"This is an insult to me! Defeat me!!!"

Tang Chen's roar shook the heavens. He poured all his pride, resentment, and especially the shame and anger of being thwarted in front of Poseidon into this hammer blow.

The Haotian Hammer seemed to transform into a black hole that devoured light, carrying a destructive will that could shatter mountains and cut off rivers, and once again smashed down towards Su Baichen!

The power of this hammer blow was so great that it was almost at the limit of mortals, and even made Poseidon and Qian Daoliu, who were watching from the sidelines, feel a sense of unease, wondering if they could withstand it head-on.

Su Baichen didn't even move.

He only had a slight thought.

The energy of heaven and earth within a radius of several miles seemed to have heard the supreme command, and suddenly boiled and converged!

Clouds, water vapor, wind, and even light condensed behind him in an instant, transforming into a gigantic, semi-transparent hand that blotted out the sky.

This giant hand was incredibly detailed, with clear palm lines, like the five fingers of a god reaching into the mortal realm. It casually and lightly waved its hand at Tang Chen, who was charging towards it—

Like chasing away a noisy moth.

"boom!"

A muffled thud.

With overwhelming momentum and having burned all his spirit rings to deliver a peak strike, Tang Chen, along with the Clear Sky Hammer that contained his life's cultivation and will, once again transformed into a shooting star in the sky at an even faster speed and along a straighter trajectory, disappearing beneath the vast sea.

This time, not even the waves splashed very high.

"Boring." Su Baichen curled his lips, his tone devoid of emotion, as if he had just brushed the dust off his shoulder.

Dead silence.

Even the sea breeze seemed to have stopped flowing.

Poseidon and Qian Daoliu exchanged a glance, both seeing the undisguised shock and solemnity in each other's eyes.

[Tang Chen, whose nine rings exploded simultaneously, possessed a power that vaguely touched the threshold of godhood... yet he was still so easily sent flying?]

[Without using his martial spirit, or even revealing any elemental soul power... he merely mobilized the power of heaven and earth, yet he crushed mortals with ease!]

This person's abilities have already surpassed the realm of a peerless Douluo... Could he be some unknown god? But why does he possess not a trace of divine inheritance?

After a brief silence, Qian Daoliu was the first to suppress all his emotions.

He retracted his six wings completely, stepped forward, and bowed to Su Baichen in the capacity of the Grand Elder of the Spirit Hall and the spokesperson of the Angel God in the human world, performing an extremely solemn and even respectful salute.

"Senior's divine might is truly awe-inspiring. May I ask what important matter brings you here this time? If there is anything the Spirit Hall can do to help, Qian Daoliu is willing to offer his humble assistance."

At the same time, Poseidon also stepped into the void and gracefully arrived from a distance, landing in front of Su Baichen.

She returned the greeting gracefully, her posture elegant and respectful, her azure eyes filled with inquiry and solemnity: "Poseidon, the High Priest of Poseidon Island, greets Senior. Senior, Poseidon Island has not been able to welcome you from afar, please forgive us."

Chapter 191 The Calculating Soul Emperor!

Both were among the world's most outstanding figures, and were also representatives of the gods on earth, possessing insight and judgment far exceeding that of ordinary people.

The methods Su Baichen displayed were beyond the explanation of "human power." Regardless of whether he held a divine position, his very existence deserved to be treated as if he were facing a god-level powerhouse.

"Uh..." Su Baichen looked at the two figures who were once powerful figures in the Douluo Continent, and were so respectful to him. He rubbed his temples helplessly.

“I said… I’m really not a god. I’m just a lost, um… traveler, yes, just a traveler.”

Upon hearing this, Poseidon and Qian Daoliu exchanged glances again, then nodded slightly in unison, their tone even more sincere: "Yes, we understand (you are right)."

Su Baichen: "..."

Looking at their sincere expressions that seemed to say "whatever you say is right" and "we all understand, they're just playing around and don't want to reveal their identities," he was speechless for a moment and too lazy to explain any further.

"Never mind, never mind." He waved his hand and asked directly, "Just tell me which direction to go to Douluo Continent, I'm in a hurry."

Qian Daoliu immediately turned to the side and pointed to the southwest, where the sea and sky met and the outline of the land could be vaguely seen: "Senior, about three thousand miles southwest from here, you can reach the west coast of the Tian Dou Empire of Douluo Continent. If you don't mind, I can guide you."

"no need."

Having received the direction, Su Baichen said no more. He simply raised his hand, his five fingers like hooks, and gently drew a line in the air before him—

"His!"