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*****
A deafening explosion echoed through the skies. Before Qian Renhan, a massive crater over a hundred meters in diameter opened up. It was as if the very plane of the Douluo Star had been wounded. The surrounding space trembled, rapidly condensing to seal the gaping void.
"This move is best used sparingly," Qian Renhan remarked. "Otherwise, it could shorten Douluo Star's lifespan. With the soul rings of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King and his mate supporting me, my Shura Sword martial soul has probably reached the peak of the quasi-divine weapon level."
He was commenting on the technique he had just unleashed—Shura Demonic Whale Sky-Cleaving Slash—a terrifying fusion of the space-rending sword aura of the Shura Sword and the Devouring ability inherited from the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. On a planet like Douluo Star, where spatial limits were relatively low, it was a flesh-tearing attack of devastating consequence.
Moments later, space had fully mended. Tang Chen's figure had vanished completely. In the void where he once stood, seven soul bones now floated, each glowing with a blood-red hue. There were six in the standard soul master configuration and one external soul bone in the form of wings, along with a 100,000-year soul ring and the Shura Demonic Sword—a super divine weapon.
"Ding—Shura Seventh Trial completed: Defeat the fully conscious Shura High Priest Tang Chen. Reward: +15% Shura Affinity, choice between one free soul ring exchange or upgrading a soul ring by 50,000 years."
"Shura Eighth Trial: Collect all nine soul rings for the Shura Demonic Sword within one year."
"Collect nine soul rings for the Shura Demonic Sword within a year? Master really wants to retire early, huh?" Qian Renhan shook his head and looked at the place where Tang Chen had perished. "He sure dropped a lot of loot."
Qian Renhan absorbed the Shura divine power from Tang Chen's six soul bones, returning them to a normal state before storing them in his soul tool. He then picked up the external wing soul bone.
"These are bat wings. That 100,000-year soul ring and these wings must've come from the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King that was inside Tang Chen."
Qian Renhan smiled slightly. He happened to be missing one pair of wings from the five sets on his back—this external soul bone was a perfect fit.
"And this 100,000-year soul ring… Bat-type, blood-sucking. It's the most compatible soul ring for the Shura Sword."
Qian Renhan sat cross-legged and began absorbing the 100,000-year soul ring, fusing it with the Shura Demonic Sword.
Deep in the mountains, two excited voices suddenly rang out.
"It lit! It lit! We've got fire!" x2
After drilling wood for two and a half hours, Qian Daoliu's hands were covered in blisters. But he had finally produced a spark. Carefully, he transferred it to a piece of tinder and blew gently. A small flame came to life.
Both Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi were overwhelmed with excitement. They hurriedly added twigs and kindling to fuel the growing fire. Now that they had fire, they could cook their food and avoid illnesses from eating raw meat.
Qian Daoliu gave a stern warning: "Bo Saixi, the weather in the deep mountains changes constantly. If it rains and you're alone in the cave, remember to bring the fire inside. But don't let the flame get too big—it could deplete the cave's oxygen and make it hard to breathe."
Clenching his blistered hands, Qian Daoliu had mixed feelings. After so many years, he, the great Qian Daoliu, was once again experiencing pain—ironically, caused by mere twigs.
"I got it, I got it. Hurry up, Qian Daoliu, start grilling! I haven't eaten in two days." Bo Saixi stared at the giant spicy snake (which looked like a huge chili stick) Qian Daoliu had hunted and gutted, her eyes full of hunger.
If she were still the High Priestess of the Sea God, Bo Saixi would've been revolted just looking at that spicy snake—she wouldn't have had the slightest appetite. But now, with hunger gnawing at her stomach, even this looked like a gourmet feast.
Qian Daoliu, who had been tense the entire time, finally relaxed. With boiling water to drink, a shelter, fire, and food, he could finally begin living properly here.
After filling their stomachs, Qian Daoliu looked up at Bo Saixi. Her hair was now cut short, but her beauty remained as striking as ever. He couldn't help but be mesmerized by her appearance.
Bo Saixi noticed Qian Daoliu's unusual expression and instinctively took a step back, tightening her clothing around herself. Her voice trembled as she said, "Qian Daoliu, you know the promise I made. The one I love has always been Tang Chen. Don't do anything rash. Even if you succeed, all you'll be left with is a corpse."
Hearing her words, Qian Daoliu sighed and nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."
---
In a medium-sized Soul Beast forest, a man in plain clothing was hunting soul beasts. That man was none other than Tang San.
"Human-Faced Demon Spider... an evil soul beast like this deserves death."
Tang San fired the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, striking the creature's vital point. The 5,000-year-old Human-Faced Demon Spider collapsed and died.
A week passed, and Tang San's cultivation had broken through yet another level.
"Why is it... whenever hatred or bloodlust surges in my heart, my cultivation skyrockets afterward? Is this the doing of the Xuan Tian Technique?"
Tang San sat beside the demon spider's corpse, meditating to recover his soul power. He couldn't understand why the more intense his hatred and killing intent, the faster his cultivation progressed.
"Yet even with this kind of cultivation boost, my foundation isn't the least bit unstable. At this rate, I'll soon reach Rank 50 and awaken the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul."
"I should sell the valuable parts of this Human-Faced Demon Spider to earn money to forge more Tang Sect hidden weapons. Father said the Slaughter City is unimaginably dangerous—I need to be well-armed to protect myself."
Once fully recovered, Tang San stood up, pulled out his willow leaf blade, and began dissecting the spider's body.
---
Meanwhile, Qian Renhan had just finished absorbing the 100,000-year soul ring from the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King and was now absorbing the external soul bone. Behind him, five pairs of pitch-black wings spread out. Four of them were already covered in layers of black-gold armor.
As the absorption process ended, a crimson light flared behind him. The first pair of wings transformed into a deep red, followed closely by the remaining four pairs. The previously pitch-black wings had now become five pairs of dark red wings.
"This is... assimilation!" Qian Renhan stood up, feeling the tremendous power radiating from the wings behind him. He exclaimed in awe, "Now I don't even need to reveal the Shura Sword—just these wings alone will make me look like the embodiment of death."
He glanced at the Shura Sword martial soul planted beside him—his super divine weapon, the Shura Demonic Sword. After a moment of thought, he used his soul power to compress and mold it into a scabbard, then strapped it to his back.
Having passed the Shura Seventh Trial, Qian Renhan could now freely draw the super divine weapon. However, perhaps due to a restriction placed by the Shura God, he was still unable to wield it effectively.
Standing over two meters tall, and with the Shura Demonic Sword measuring nearly the same, Qian Renhan looked somewhat awkward with such a massive weapon strapped to his back—especially when not flying. Even in the air, it seemed disproportionate, the sword longer than his legs.
"It's time... to hunt the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North: the Snow Empress, the Ice Empress, and the Titan Snow Demon King. My soul ring replacement reward should come in handy."
Turning into a blood-red streak of light, Qian Renhan shot off toward the Extreme North. His speed was so overwhelming that the space in his path tore open like a piece of cloth.
(End of Chapter)