The aura of the Sea God remained as detestable as ever.
Primarily, the moment this phantom of the Sea God coalesced, Xu Yuan sensed an intense malice. This wasn't the malice of anger but rather one of disgust and hatred.
Clearly, even the future Tang San seemed to have inherited some memories from the altered timeline of the present.
What Xu Yuan didn't know was that far away, within a chaotic black hole of distorted spacetime, Tang San—currently at a critical juncture in a great battle—experienced a fleeting moment of confusion.
Even a brief lapse during a crucial battle could shift the tide.
Behind Tang San, Huo Yuhao and others were alarmed, unsure why Tang San, who usually had impeccable timing, had missed such a golden opportunity.
On the opposing side, Tang San's enemies seized the chance instantly.
First came faint, ethereal notes of a zither, seemingly emerging from unknown crevices in space. They lingered in Tang San's ears, amplifying his momentary distraction into a full second of disorientation.
Next, light elements converged on one side while dark elements gathered on the other. Twin sword energies—one of light, one of darkness—slashed out simultaneously from both flanks, targeting Tang San.
An arrow pierced through space, weaving between the two sword energies. It combined with the light and dark sword qi, forming a lethal fusion attack.
Facing this deadly crisis, Tang San's expression shifted.
Under the intense pressure, he instinctively swung his right hand—but failed to grasp the Sea God Trident.
His Sea God Trident wasn't by his side. Not only was it absent from him, but it also wasn't in the possession of his son, Tang Wulin—it was being held by Xu Yuan!
With no other choice, Tang San summoned the divine power of the Sea God, rapidly conjuring layer upon layer of waves before him to weaken the incoming attacks.
However, this was destined to be ineffective.
After all, his opponents were God King-level experts, and these were their ultimate techniques—not something simple waves could mitigate.
One after another, the mighty Blue Silver Emperor vines surged forth, merging into the waves and bolstering their ability to weaken the assault.
But that wasn't the end. Behind him, the Eight Spider Lances grew wildly, enveloping him in a protective cocoon.
That still wasn't all. Tang San unleashed a power he had never cultivated before.
His eyes turned into an endless, profound purple, with ripples of violet energy converging at his brow. A third eye opened there, releasing a blinding beam of light in an instant.
This beam pierced through space, momentarily stunning the opposing God Kings.
However, all the attacks still descended upon Tang San.
Layer after layer of waves infused with the Blue Silver Emperor's power were shattered. Then the Eight Spider Lances crumbled in an instant.
Finally, Tang San's body, wrapped in divine energy, was overwhelmed by the combined assault.
Thanks to the impact of his final Heaven's Eye attack, the other God Kings did not immediately follow up with additional damage.
Three massive sword wounds appeared on Tang San's body. Light and dark elements clung to him like parasites, eroding his flesh and spreading rapidly. Instead of canceling each other out, they clashed at the wound sites, worsening his injuries. An arrow pierced through his chest.
Tang San was gravely wounded in an instant.
Yet, at this moment, Tang San did not display an expression of defeat.
A flicker of confusion passed through his eyes.
After the emergency response subsided, his mind began to replay the events.
"Just now… was that my future?"
Tang San murmured to himself.
"Indeed, the flaws in my cultivation of the Blue Silver Emperor are too severe. That teacher of mine truly laid a 'good' foundation for me."
At this thought, Tang San's heart filled with resentment.
In truth, he had vaguely sensed this himself.
With his natural talent, his Hao Tian Hammer martial soul could ascend to the level of the God King-tier Asura God position. However, his Blue Silver Emperor martial soul could only inherit the Sea God position, which fell short of the God King level. Even then, he felt stretched thin.
Thus, over the twenty thousand years corresponding to the Douluo Continent timeline, he had focused on cultivating the Sea God position, intending to compensate for this deficiency.
However, when the root itself was flawed, any attempt to fix it only made the problem more obvious.
He could elevate the Sea God position to the God King level, but ultimately, it was only because he was borrowing from his identity as the Asura God.
Without the Asura God position, it would have been nearly impossible for him to reach the 150th level.
Without the Asura God position, he wouldn't have become a member of the God Council, nor would he have gained control over the central hub of the God Realm. Without such immense faith power, he couldn't have developed the Sea God position to its current state.
Without the Asura God position as a reference, it might have taken him much longer to comprehend the essence of the God King position.
In short, the key to elevating the Sea God position to the God King level in such a short time lay in the fact that he had inherited another higher-level god position.
Theoretically, if there were another twin-martial soul master inheriting two god positions—one at the God King level and the other at the secondary god level—they might also be able to quickly elevate the secondary god position.
Falan Planet.
Xu Yuan stared at the phantom of the Sea God from the future, his expression impassive.
"Even just a projection of power from a future at the illusory level surpasses the present?"
This was difficult to comprehend.
After all, the power of this phantom might already rival Tang San's true strength.
Could there be another possibility? Perhaps Tang San was originally a Supreme God King, and the key to his ascension as a Supreme God King lay in Falan Planet. This history was irremovable, deliberately altered to prepare for his reincarnated self.
If so, it would explain why Tang San's past life memories corresponded to the many immortal herbs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. A martial arts world recorded information about immortals capable of reversing fate in a fantasy world. Every effect, even the methods of harvesting and consumption, was meticulously detailed.
Moreover, Xiao Wu, though not a true Asura God, was still somewhat divine. Yet she fell ill and died out of concern for her son?
Therefore, if that was the case, the Sea God phantom before him wasn't a projection of future Tang San's power but rather originated from—
The past!
"The past Tang San left behind a contingency plan for himself."
Having unraveled this logic, Xu Yuan felt a surge of anticipation.
This was Tang San's contingency. If Xu Yuan resolved this power, would it mean that Tang San's return to supremacy would rely solely on himself?
"I never expected that Tang San was actually the reincarnation of a Supreme God King." Xu Yuan looked at the Sea God phantom and tested it with words.
Sure enough, the Sea God phantom showed some fluctuations.
This was merely the residual power left by Tang San's true past self, akin to how Old Tang was a fragment of Tang San's consciousness, with limited cognitive ability. Naturally, it hadn't immediately restrained its own power.
"So, how do you know about the enmity between me and Tang San?"
Xu Yuan hadn't forgotten the intense malice he initially sensed. It wasn't just the anger of fortune being disturbed; it was undoubtedly the malice of knowing the grudge between Xu Yuan and Tang San.
"Did you manage to contact your current self?"
Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes, posing the question while a spear of chaotic color materialized in his hand.
The spear emerged from nothingness, exuding an incredibly dense aura of spirituality the moment it appeared.
Jue instinctively resisted being held, but upon sensing a familiar presence, he restrained himself, allowing the wielder to swing him and beginning to cooperate.
However, just as the cooperation started, Jue fell out of sync with him.
He realized that in just a few short years, he could no longer perfectly adapt to Xu Yuan's current state.
I'm finished!
Xu Yuan had cultivated an entirely new power.
In just a few short years, the times had changed.
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