Tang Hao let out a roar, lunging upward from the ground.
Under the dual effects of Oscar's sausages and Ning Rongrong's divine light, his injuries healed at a rate visible to the naked eye. His tattered robes were completely shredded by the violent surge of divine power, revealing a bronzed, robust physique that looked as if it were cast from steel.
An aura several times more terrifying than his previous peak erupted from him with a boom. If Tang Hao had been a volcano on the verge of eruption before, he was now a star on the brink of going supernova.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Tang Hao barked the word three times. Feeling the unprecedented, explosive power overflowing within his body, a raging spirit of battle and fury ignited once more in his fierce eyes.
"Rongrong, Little Ao, well done. Now, I shall crush them."
Rallying their strength, Tang Hao and Ah Yin—whose power had now surged into the realm of First-Class Gods—launched a fierce assault on Wang Qiuer and Zhang Lexuan once again. In an instant, the momentum of the battle was completely reversed.
"Blue Silver Domain: Boundless Nature."
Ah Yin gave a soft cry. Behind her, countless Blue Silver Emperor vines shimmering with a nine-colored halo surged into the sky, blotting out the sun. They transformed into a limitless ocean of vines that swept toward Zhang Lexuan. Each vine was like a giant python—not only incredibly tough but also carrying powerful effects of life-drain and divine power imprisonment.
Zhang Lexuan's expression shifted. She immediately channeled her Lunar divine power, and the Bow of Artemis flared with light. She fired several cold lunar-essence arrows in an attempt to freeze and sever the vines.
However, this time, her lunar power seemed to have met its nemesis. The vines, bolstered by the nine-colored divine light, possessed an immense resistance to her lunar power. The lunar arrows struck them only to leave thin patches of white frost, which were quickly dispelled by the vast vitality coursing within the vines.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Lexuan was completely submerged by the endless tide of vines, trapped in a bitter struggle of passive defense. Although she could barely maintain a lunar shield to keep the vines from touching her, her divine power was draining several times faster than before.
She was, after all, a newly ascended deity. In terms of divine power application and combat experience, she could not compare to an established powerhouse like Ah Yin, who had weathered countless storms. With Ah Yin's strength forcibly elevated to the level of a First-Class God, this gap was magnified infinitely.
On the other side, the battle between Tang Hao and Wang Qiuer was even more direct and explosive.
"Great Sumeru Hammer!"
Tang Hao roared as the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand erupted with black light. Nine illusory soul ring shadows actually manifested around him, only to be detonated in rapid succession in a single instant. This had been his strongest technique before attaining godhood; now, fueled by the divine power of a First-Class God, its might was beyond comparison.
Each ring's explosion doubled the power of the Clear Sky Hammer. After the nine rings shattered, the black giant hammer had condensed a pure, destructive force capable of collapsing the very space around it.
"Break for me!"
Tang Hao swung the hammer. There were no tricks, just the pinnacle of raw power.
Wang Qiuer's expression turned solemn. She could feel that the terrifying power contained in this strike exceeded what she could easily handle. She likewise pushed her Sea God divine power to the limit. The Golden Dragon Spear let out a high-pitched draconic cry as she merged with the weapon, transforming into a golden divine dragon to meet the black giant hammer.
"BOOM—!!!!"
It was another earth-shaking collision. But this time, the result was entirely different.
The moment the golden dragon made contact with the black hammer, it let out a wail of sorrow. The horrific force vibrating from the tip of the spear sent a violent shock through Wang Qiuer's divine body, causing her to uncontrollably cough up a mouthful of golden divine blood. She was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut, the Golden Dragon Spear nearly slipping from her grasp.
She had lost in a contest of pure strength.
Wang Qiuer and Zhang Lexuan had, in the end, broken through to the God-level only recently. Although they had the boost of their divine seats and a solid foundation laid by the Chaos Qi bestowed by Lu Jingming, their experience in divine combat was nearly zero. Facing veteran powerhouses like Tang Hao and Ah Yin—especially once the opponents' strength was forcibly raised to the same or higher level—their disadvantage became immediately apparent. They possessed great divine power and artifacts, but they could not utilize every shred of that power to its absolute limit like their opponents could.
Seeing Wang Qiuer heavily wounded by a single strike and Zhang Lexuan trapped by endless vines in a precarious state, it seemed the battle was decided.
However, at that moment...
An ethereal, beautiful song that seemed not to belong to the mortal realm echoed leisurely above the battlefield filled with violent energy. The song had no lyrics; it was merely a melodious, haunting tune. It was not filled with an aggressive intent to buff like Ning Rongrong's nine-colored light; instead, it was like a gentle spring breeze or a ray of warm sunlight, silently brushing past the hearts of everyone present.
The moment the song began, Zhang Lexuan, struggling against the vines, and Wang Qiuer, who had just stabilized herself with a ragged breath, felt a simultaneous jolt through their bodies. They felt the divine power within them—which had become chaotic and difficult to control due to the intense combat—suddenly start to become harmonious, orderly, and fluid under the song's soothing influence, much like harp strings finding a master tuner.
The clumsiness and waste in energy application caused by their lack of experience were forcibly corrected in this instant by an invisible force. Wang Qiuer felt her connection with the Golden Dragon Spear become clearer than ever before; she could even hear the spear soul's joyful fluttering. Zhang Lexuan also felt her control over lunar power jump up a level, as if the divine runes on the Bow of Artemis had become brighter.
This was an attunement known as "Harmony." It did not directly add to your strength; instead, it allowed your existing power to achieve an efficiency of 120% or even 200%.
A figure quietly appeared beside Lu Jingming, who was watching the battle with composed interest. She wore a pure white formal gown, her silver-purple hair flowing like a galaxy, and a holy, gentle smile on her face. It was Robin. She did not look at the battlefield; she only focused on Lu Jingming, singing softly as if everything else in the world was merely a backdrop for her performance for her beloved.
Under the enhancement of Robin's Song of Harmony, the auras of Wang Qiuer and Zhang Lexuan surged once again in an incredible manner.
"Lunar Judgment: Silencing Radiance!"
Zhang Lexuan gave a sharp cry. She drew the Bow of Artemis to its limit, and an arrow that was no longer moon-white, but a profound, abyss-like black, condensed into form. There was no light upon the arrow, only an absolute silence that seemed to swallow all light.
She fired. The black arrow merged silently into the void. In the next moment, at the center of Ah Yin's ocean of vines, a black moon appeared out of thin air and exploded violently. A halo of deathly black light spread out. Everywhere the halo touched, the Blue Silver Emperor vines—bolstered by nine-colored light and once incredibly tough—instantly lost all vitality. They turned into ancient, weathered wood and silently dissolved into drifting ash. Ah Yin's domain was forcibly cleared of a massive void by this single arrow.
On the other side, under the attunement of the song, Wang Qiuer instantly entered a profound state of unity with her spear. She watched Tang Hao swinging the Clear Sky Hammer at her again, her eyes becoming incredibly calm and focused.
"The aimless waves, the drifting torrential tide... I have transcended them all."
She whispered softly. The Golden Dragon Spear no longer met the blow with brute force; instead, it traced an incredibly profound arc.
"Vast Sea Convergence."
The tip of the spear struck a minuscule, negligible node on the side of the Clear Sky Hammer with an unbelievable angle. The horrific power capable of shattering mountain ranges, upon making contact with the spear tip, acted like a flood finding a spillway. It was involuntarily guided along the direction of the spear, smashing violently into the empty ground to the side.
"BOOM—!!!"
Another bottomless crater was smashed into the earth. Tang Hao himself, due to the excessive force of his swing and the sudden redirection of his momentum, suffered a divine power imbalance. His body stumbled, revealing a massive opening.
Wang Qiuer seized the chance. Her spear lunged like a dragon, piercing through Tang Hao's shoulder blade. The violent Sea God divine power erupted, pinning him ruthlessly to the ground.
The situation had reversed once more—and for the final time. This time, it was a crushing, overwhelming suppression with no suspense left.
"How is this possible?! How can there be someone whose support ability exceeds Rongrong's?!"
In the distance, Oscar watched this inconceivable scene, his eyes nearly popping out of his head in shock. He could not understand it. Ning Rongrong's Nine-Colored Goddess was recognized by the Divine Realm as the ceiling for the Support System, with a buffing effect that was domineering and direct. But this girl who had suddenly appeared to sing—her method of support was unheard of and unseen. It wasn't simple power stacking; it was a higher-level optimization and harmony of the very concept of "combat."
Ning Rongrong herself turned deathly pale. The moment Robin's song began, she felt an unprecedented suppression from a certain power. Her nine-colored divine power injected into Tang Hao and Ah Yin was becoming difficult to circulate, as if being forcibly interfered with by an invisible force, losing its harmony. The divine power link between her and her allies began to fluctuate with instability. Under the influence of the opponent's song, her support ability was drastically diminished.
Ning Rongrong even had an incredibly absurd yet terrifyingly real sensation: if the girl singing opposite them were a bit stronger, or if her song were more focused, her proud Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda might lose all its support capabilities entirely, unable to buff anyone. The opponent was not only supporting Zhang Lexuan and Wang Qiuer but also had enough energy left to interfere with and suppress her, the enemy support.
This... this was no longer a question of whose support ability was stronger or weaker. This was a dimensional strike.
Under the enhancement of Robin's song—which was like heavenly music imbued with the power of Harmony—the entire battlefield's situation underwent a fundamental shift. Wang Qiuer and Zhang Lexuan, these two newly ascended gods, now seemed to reach an unprecedented, perfect resonance with their artifacts and the laws of their divine seats. Every circulation of divine power was perfectly timed, every angle of attack was exquisite, and every shred of strength achieved an effect that transcended its own limits. The clumsiness and openings that had appeared due to their lack of experience were completely smoothed over by Robin's attunement.
"How... my buffs... are being suppressed?"
Ning Rongrong's face was as white as paper. She could clearly feel that her nine-colored divine power link with Tang Hao and Ah Yin was being disrupted by an invisible, higher-level power of harmony. That power did not forcibly cut her link; rather, it "persuaded" the divine power she was buffing to stop being so obedient.
As one side waxed and the other waned, Tang Hao and Ah Yin—who had been forcibly raised to the threshold of First-Class Gods—began to see their strength drop unstable.
"Uncle Hao, Aunt Yin!"
Ning Rongrong anxiously channeled her divine power, trying to stabilize her support, but the song—all-pervasive like spring rain—rendered her efforts largely futile.
On the battlefield, Wang Qiuer and Zhang Lexuan seized the opportunity to strike their faltering foes. The Golden Dragon Spear in Wang Qiuer's hand was like a bolt of golden lightning, instantly breaking through all of Tang Hao's defenses. The spear tip slammed heavily into his chest.
"Puff—!"
Tang Hao was struck as if by a thunderbolt. The divine power shield on his chest shattered like paper, and his sternum—tougher than divine iron—let out a sickening cracking sound. He was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing into the ground and plowing a deep trench hundreds of meters long. Divine blood sprayed incessantly, and his aura instantly withered to the extreme.
On the other side, Zhang Lexuan had also completely taken control of the battle. Her figure fluttered among the drifting snow like an immortal. Every time the Bow of Artemis was drawn, several arrows containing the power of silencing lunar-radiance were fired. These arrows traced beautiful arcs in the air, sealing off all of Ah Yin's escape routes from every direction.
Ah Yin was forced into a corner, able only to retract all her Blue Silver Emperor vines to construct layer upon layer of defense around herself. But under the erosion of the lunar power that could freeze the soul and silence vitality, her vine defenses were withering and decaying at a visible speed. Finally, with Zhang Lexuan's final strike, an arrow that was entirely black—as if it could swallow all light—silently pierced through Ah Yin's final defense and accurately transfixed her shoulder.
The black silencing divine power erupted. Ah Yin let out a muffled groan as half of her body was instantly frozen by the cold lunar power. Her divine power circulation came to a complete standstill, and she fell powerlessly from the sky.
Defeated.
Under Robin's inconceivable support, Tang Hao and Ah Yin—the two veterans forcibly raised to the threshold of First-Class Gods—were defeated cleanly and decisively.
Looking at Tang Hao and Ah Yin collapsed on the ground, Ning Rongrong's eyes filled with desperation.