Since he couldn't figure it out, Xu Yang decided not to dwell on it. Whether the Deathgod Domain attached itself to his martial soul or his soul bone, as long as it functioned as an innate ability, that was all that mattered.
He couldn't wait to try it out.
With a single thought, the white markings on his Sun Sacred Blade trembled slightly. A surge of blinding white light rippled out, quietly spreading from the blade. In the blink of an eye, the white light vanished, but an invisible aura covered a hundred-meter radius. Within that range, everything seemed frozen in time.
Tiny insects, though physically unharmed, were motionless as if frozen to death.
Deathgod Domain.
So this is the Deathgod Domain?!
Everything he had endured over the past two years—endless slaughter, countless brushes with death—hadn't been in vain. He had finally obtained the power he sought.
But what Xu Yang truly wanted to shout was—
"I finally made it out alive!"
Soul power surged to his throat as his voice echoed like a roar across the entire forest. Invisible soundwaves rippled out in all directions, startling birds into flight and driving wild beasts to flee deep into the woods.
The sound didn't fade for a full five minutes.
After venting his pent-up emotions, Xu Yang felt fully at ease. He looked down at the small animals that had unfortunately been killed by his uncontrolled killing intent and muttered an apology. Then, without the slightest guilt, he went right back to testing the Deathgod Domain.
Through experimentation, he confirmed a key detail: the Deathgod Domain used him as the medium, not his martial soul or soul bone. The white markings on the Sun Sacred Blade were simply a manifestation. Even without summoning the blade, the domain could still be unleashed—and with no loss in power.
The only thing he hadn't been able to test was how well the domain suppressed opponents—but even so, he was more than satisfied with its power. Now it was time to find a safe place to absorb the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's inner core and acquire his fifth soul ring.
After surveying his surroundings, Xu Yang casually picked a direction and strolled through the forest. Having finally escaped the suffocating gloom of Slaughter City, he intended to soak in the beauty of nature and adjust his mental state.
Not long after, Xu Yang discovered a cave. He killed the original inhabitant and claimed the space for himself. Then, he took out the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's inner core and studied it for a moment before swallowing it in one gulp.
Immediately, fiery orange flames erupted around him. The sheer heat melted his crude Grade 1 soul tool armor into molten iron, which slid down his body and dripped onto the ground. His Sun Martial Soul hovered behind his head, accompanied by four glowing soul rings: yellow, purple, black, black. The powerful force of the sun surged into his body.
The Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's fire energy was fierce, explosive, and incredibly destructive—but before the fusion of Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light, the fire force was simply overpowered. After a brief struggle, it was obediently refined and converted into Xu Yang's soul power.
However, this core contained over 60,000 years of cultivation. The sheer volume of energy was too much to control all at once. Excess firepower overflowed, damaging his meridians and cells.
Xu Yang grimaced in pain, his skin turning lobster red as if he'd been boiled alive.
"First Soul Skill: Morning Light!"
A warm golden radiance from the sun above him enveloped his body. He split off part of his soul power to activate a secret healing technique, simultaneously restoring the internal injuries and long-term hidden damage accumulated during two years of slaughter in Slaughter City.
This became a brutal cycle: the core's fire energy ravaged his body, and the Sun Martial Soul healed it.
The agony was indescribable. Several times he nearly lost consciousness, but the iron will he had forged over the years kept him going.
He had survived the Hell Road—this pain was nothing.
And the benefits were just as extraordinary. With each round of destruction and regeneration, his meridians and cells grew stronger and tougher, able to endure even overclocked soul power circulation without damage.
The Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's core gradually lost strength, while the Sun Martial Soul, having refined a massive amount of fire essence, grew stronger by the second. At last, a fifth soul ring appeared below Xu Yang—a black ring, deep and bottomless.
At first, it appeared illusory, yet over time, it solidified completely. Its depth of color exceeded even his previous soul rings. Meanwhile, Xu Yang's soul power surged to a new peak—over twice as strong as before.
"Level 58?! I actually reached Soul Power Rank 58?!"
He had originally hoped to reach Rank 56 at best. Rank 58 was beyond all expectations. It proved that the soul power he had absorbed over two years in Slaughter City wasn't small at all. Combined with the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's core, the progress he made was immense.
Xu Yang nearly burst into tears. For two years, he had felt no tangible growth in his soul power. Now, after one breakthrough, the results were overwhelming.
And it made sense.
In the Hell Arena, he had fought one hundred battles, killing nine opponents each time. That was 900 evil soul masters, most at the Soul Emperor level. Ten percent of their total soul power, extracted and refined, was equivalent to five or six full-fledged Titled Douluo.
Even though much of that energy had gone into tempering his body and spirit, what remained was still astonishing. The Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's inner core, holding 60,000 years of cultivation, had only amplified the gains.
Thanks to all that, Xu Yang had leapt eight whole levels, and could already feel himself nearing Rank 59—just one step from becoming a Soul Emperor himself.
But even more valuable than the soul power… were the fifth soul skill and the Sun Domain that came with the inner core.