Amidst the splattering blood, a faint white barrier rose around Yu Tianming, isolating him from the red mist and the filthy blood of the fallen soul masters.
Unnoticed, grooves had formed in the floor of the spectator stands. The blood left behind by the fallen soul masters slowly flowed into these channels, cascading down the tiers toward the center of the Slaughter Arena. Beneath Dugu Yan's feet, it pooled into the shape of a massive blood-red bat emblem.
Once the blood fully gathered, the emblem suddenly lit up, and a red beam shot skyward, engulfing Dugu Yan in its glow.
As the crimson light faded, Dugu Yan's figure vanished from the center of the Hell Arena, leaving only the King of Slaughter and Yu Tianming behind, surrounded by severed limbs and broken corpses.
The King of Slaughter stood cloaked in a massive, high-collared scarlet cape. His hair and eyes were a deep blood-red, making him appear like a phantom of gore from afar.
"The ninth Slaughter God of the City of Slaughter—the Undying Demon Dragon. It's been a long time," the King of Slaughter looked up toward Yu Tianming at the end of the stands. His sharp, hoarse voice echoed through the empty arena. "I heard you've been searching for me all over the city. What is it you want? Or did you come here to die?"
His voice had barely finished echoing when the King of Slaughter's blood-red silhouette suddenly appeared before Yu Tianming, eyes behind the bat-shaped mask gleaming with murderous intent.
Despite facing this terrifying, vampiric figure, Yu Tianming remained reclined in his seat, calm and nonchalant—he even let out a small laugh.
The King of Slaughter bent forward slowly, his pallid face approaching, bringing with it a sickly-sweet, bloody scent.
Tang Chen sneered. "Heh heh heh... You really don't take the great King of Slaughter seriously, do you? You think you can defeat me?"
With the spectator seats and arena floor forming a seamless whole, Yu Tianming had little room to maneuver while seated. But just as the King of Slaughter's crimson cloak filled his vision, Yu Tianming chuckled and replied, "Tang Chen—no, Nine-Headed Bat King—where did you get your confidence? To defeat you, I only need one soul skill. I hope you can make this fun."
Yu Tianming's figure instantly appeared at the King of Slaughter's rear. Before the latter could react, a powerful whip kick struck his side with crushing force.
In the next instant, the King of Slaughter's body bent sharply like a V and was blasted away like a cannonball. He bounced off multiple stone seats, shattering them, before crashing into the edge of the arena in a cloud of dust.
"Good. Very good. You've succeeded in angering the great King of Slaughter."
From within the dust, the King of Slaughter stepped out. His scarlet cloak and mask had vanished, revealing large bat-like wings and a pale, middle-aged face. On his forehead was a strange, sword-shaped scarlet rune.
As if reacting to his presence, the scattered limbs of fallen soul masters dissolved into thick red mist, which surged into the King of Slaughter's body.
Yu Tianming remained where he was, arms crossed, silently watching the King's aura rise.
Once all the mist had been absorbed, the King's power peaked. His eyes narrowed as he let out a crazed laugh. "Hahaha! Demon Dragon, your arrogance will be your downfall."
He flapped his wings and transformed into a streak of red light, instantly reaching Yu Tianming. His domain of slaughter engulfed Yu Tianming, while his sharp, claw-like fingers thrust toward his abdomen.
But in the next moment, the King of Slaughter
recoiled in horror. "You… what soul skill did you use? Why can't I touch you?!"
Yu Tianming shook his head and smiled,
"I told you—I'd only use one soul skill against you. It's called Commanding Realm to Return to Origin."
As his six black, two red, and one golden soul rings appeared, the last golden ring glowed brilliantly. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King, before reaching godhood at its death, had granted him two soul skills. Though fewer than the Skydream Iceworm's four, they were leagues above in strength.
Commanding Realm to Return to Origin—one of the million-year soul skills—granted Yu Tianming control over space. Unlike Dugu Yan's space-jump ability, which tore through dimensions, his power allowed him to mold space like clay—stretching, compressing, sealing, and slicing at will.
The King of Slaughter had struck at an infinitely expanding void. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't touch Yu Tianming. When he retreated, he realized he'd never moved from the same spot.
Seeing this ghostly phenomenon, the Nine-Headed Bat King's limited mind faltered, and a flicker of fear rose in his heart.
Yu Tianming looked down at his palm.
'Is the drawback of this move the soul power drain? Or did I stretch the space too far? The consumption is greater than all my other skills combined.'
High-level battles could be decided in an instant.
Noticing Yu Tianming distracted, the King of Slaughter lunged again, red energy concentrating at his fingertips.
"Is this all you've got?"
Yu Tianming sighed and teleported behind him, a divine glow enveloping his palm as he gently struck the King's back.
The King froze, horror etched on his face. He stumbled forward a few meters before collapsing to his knees at the edge of the arena. His wings turned to ash, pale face flushed red, and crimson hair faded to black. Only the sword-shaped rune on his forehead retained its red hue.
To Yu Tianming, the real change was in his aura—the evil within his killing intent had vanished. His power began rising rapidly.
As his aura stabilized, the man stood and looked down at Yu Tianming. Though he still appeared middle-aged, he was now far more handsome. Gone was the dark and erratic air—replaced by overwhelming pride. His long black hair fluttered without wind, and he radiated an unshakable presence.
'Has Tang Chen finally awakened?' Yu Tianming smiled and casually launched a spatial blade toward him.
Tang Chen didn't dodge. Instead, a massive crimson hammer formed in his hands from condensed killing intent. It soon morphed into a two-meter-long scarlet greatsword.
Gripping the sword with both hands, he stepped forward instead of back. Channeling his entire aura into the weapon, he cleaved downward, shattering the space blade and dispersing it into the void.
Yu Tianming clapped. "Not bad. So this is the true power of the King of Slaughter."
Under the Bat King's possession, Tang Chen's power had been capped around level 95. Now freed and empowered by passing the Asura God's eight trials, he'd returned to a demi-god state—his true strength far beyond even the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Without Yu Tianming, he'd be unrivaled on the continent.
Ignoring Yu Tianming's words, Tang Chen suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. But tears of blood flowed from his eyes.
"Who am I? Who am I?! Hahaha!"
"Did I win? Or lose? None of it matters anymore. Was I wrong? Or right? Decades have passed like a dream, yet I've borne such sins. Asura… what a fitting name. I still failed your test. It's not about right or wrong. Maybe it was just fate."
His madness shook the air. Blood-red light leaked from his sword.
After a long while, his rage quieted. The blood tears stopped, and his gaze sharpened once more.
He looked toward Yu Tianming and spoke in a deep, heavy voice, "Such pure divine power… yet only in the nineties. Who are you? A nameless minor god? Or a newly chosen divine heir?"
Yu Tianming simply stood, silently watching, his aura never relaxing.
"This world truly has no shortage of heroes." After a long silence, Tang Chen sighed. "A god at ninety-some levels, haha… The thing I've chased my whole life, you've already claimed. Heroes are as numerous as fish in the river…"
Before he finished, Tang Chen appeared in front of Yu Tianming, laughing wildly as he slashed down with the Asura God Sword. "Then let me see what power this 'god' of yours truly holds!"
Yu Tianming smiled faintly and waved his hand. Dozens of space blades flew out as he teleported behind Tang Chen, launching a heavy kick from above like a crashing axe.
Tang Chen didn't dodge. His aura surged again, and the sword in his hands doubled in size, his face flushed unnaturally red.
"Watch this!"
The red greatsword, like a cloak of wind, spun violently. The force pushed Yu Tianming's kick back and shattered the incoming space blades.
Tang Chen didn't stop spinning. He drew a perfect arc with the sword and brought it crashing down on Yu Tianming.
"Commanding Realm to Return to Origin."
Though Yu Tianming hadn't moved, in Tang Chen's perception, the distance between them had stretched again—no matter what he did, he couldn't land a blow.
Tang Chen's face shifted, and he swung again with even greater force—but still couldn't hit his target.
"A space-type ability?" Though his strikes missed, a smirk crept onto Tang Chen's lips. He poured all his aura into the sword and kept spinning, striking again and again.
Yu Tianming realized the sword's weight had suddenly increased, and the spinning energy pressed against the extended space, drastically raising his soul power consumption.
'So this is what a true genius of Douluo is like? To create so many of the Clear Sky Clan's secret arts singlehandedly… Tang Chen truly is on another level. His combat instinct far surpasses Tang San's.'
With that, Yu Tianming cancelled the space extension and instantly teleported across the arena.
"Kid, your talent's good, but you're still too young."
Tang Chen's voice suddenly rang in his ears. He'd crossed the arena in a flash and swung his giant sword down from above.
By now, the scarlet sword had grown dozens of times larger—like a mountain crashing from the heavens.
(End of Chapter)
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