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Li Luochen entered the world within the Asura Demonic Sword. The surrounding environment was similar to the City of Slaughter but much quieter.
A white-haired man stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
The Asura God was tall and slender, exuding an icy aura formed from condensed killing intent. His entire body was wrapped in dark red demonic patterns, surrounded by a crimson glow. He wore armor adorned with dark red runes and possessed blood-red eyes.
"Lord Asura God?"
Li Luochen asked tentatively.
"Hmm." The Asura God's cold voice sent tremors through the surrounding space. "Begin."
As soon as the Asura God spoke, a blood-red giant sword—the Asura Demonic Sword—appeared before Li Luochen. The Asura God held an identical Asura Demon Sword in his hands.
The moment Li Luochen picked up the Asura Demonic Sword, the Asura God instantly appeared behind him. Li Luochen felt his head spin.
Then he saw his own back—his head had been severed. With just one strike, the Asura God had defeated Li Luochen, who was at the Limit Douluo level.
Five seconds after Li Luochen's decapitation, his body restored itself.
Upon regaining consciousness, Li Luochen touched his neck and found no wounds. There was nothing wrong with his body.
"In this space, you cannot die. Real combat is the only way to test true strength. However, my power far exceeds yours, making it impossible for you to withstand me.
The projection of me here is at the quasi-god level. My mastery of swordsmanship and strength far surpasses that of a First-Class Deity.
You must defeat me here! Only by defeating my projection will you pass the trial. Come."
The Asura God's voice echoed again, this time explaining the rules of this space. Since Li Luochen couldn't die here, he could focus entirely on the battle.
"Uh, alright. For a moment there, I thought I was really dead. That feeling of death was so real."
Li Luochen wiped away the nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
"Naturally. Aside from your inability to die, everything else is real. Though you won't die, there will still be consequences. The pain here is twice as intense as in the real world.
Thus, the trials ahead won't be easy."
"Fine. Bring it on. I adapt quickly, and my life is tougher than a cockroach's!"
Li Luochen began a long journey of training, guided by a deity in the art of swordsmanship—an excellent sparring partner.
(A/N: Li Luochen is temporarily offline. The next chapters will follow the timelines of Dugu Yan, Qian Renxue, and other heroines, as well as Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, and others.)
...
Star Luo Empire, Longxing City
A ragged middle-aged man fled desperately. If a soul master with strong mental power were nearby, they would notice that although this man's strength wasn't impressive, his blood-saturated aura was incredibly dense.
It rivaled even the fallen ones of the City of Slaughter. This man was none other than Yu Xiaogang, who had been devouring lives across the Star Luo Empire.
Yu Xiaogang had barely broken through to the Soul Sovereign rank, but this breakthrough came with significant drawbacks. His soul power had been stuck at Level 39, unable to advance further.
The bottleneck was too strong, and no matter how many lives he devoured, he couldn't break through. This made Yu Xiaogang increasingly violent and unstable.
He recklessly hunted other soul masters to devour their essence. In his desperate quest for a breakthrough, he even targeted civilians.
He had already massacred two villages. This act enraged the Spirit Hall, prompting Bibi Dong to dispatch several Title Douluos to hunt down and eliminate this fallen soul master!
Leading the mission were the Overlord Dragon Douluo, Ghost Leopard Douluo, Spirit Kite Douluo, and Demon Bear Douluo.
They brought with them an elite force of Soul Sages or higher, sweeping into the Star Luo Empire. The empire could only seethe in silence, powerless to intervene.
During one such hunt, Yu Xiaogang was discovered by the Spirit Hall. Using his fart-based soul skill, he managed to escape, but he was relentlessly pursued, and his soul power was nearly depleted.
"Damn Spirit Hall! How dare you chase me? If I had the strength of a Title Douluo, I'd slaughter all of you and make you part of me!"
Yu Xiaogang snarled, his eyes blood-red.
"Oh? Is that so? Do you think your Level 39 soul power or your theories can save you, Master Yu Xiaogang?"
Suddenly, an elderly man with white hair and a white beard appeared above Yu Xiaogang.
"O-O-O-Overlord Dragon Douluo?! What are you doing here?" Yu Xiaogang was shocked. He knew this man well—the one who had personally defeated his father.
"Hmph. I never expected Yu Yuanzhen to have a son like you. I wonder what he'd think? Enough talk. Die."
The Overlord Dragon Douluo, Long Zhentian, extended a hand, which transformed into a pitch-black dragon claw. Immense soul power surged into the claw.
"W-Wait! Let's talk this over. I'm with your sect…"
Before he could finish, the massive dragon claw slammed down, obliterating Yu Xiaogang completely. From that moment on, Yu Xiaogang ceased to exist in the world.
"Mission complete. Hmm?"
Just as Long Zhentian was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a change in his martial soul. His Overlord Dragon Demon martial soul had undergone a transformation.
Moments ago, when Long Zhentian used his Overlord Dragon Demon martial soul to kill Yu Xiaogang, Luo Sanpao (Yu Xiaogang's corrupted Dark Holy Dragon martial soul) had also been injured. Due to Yu Xiaogang's corruption, Luo Sanpao had transformed into a Dark Holy Dragon martial soul, but Yu Xiaogang's incompetence meant he couldn't fully utilize its power.
Unwilling to perish alongside such a weak host, Luo Sanpao detached itself from Yu Xiaogang's body upon his death, offering itself as nourishment to the Overlord Dragon Demon.
After consuming Luo Sanpao, the Overlord Dragon Demon stabilized its Dark Holy Dragon bloodline and began evolving into a true Dark Holy Dragon martial soul.
"What a pleasant surprise. Who would've thought Yu Xiaogang could give me such a gift? Hahahaha!"
Long Zhentian laughed heartily and left.
Not only had his martial soul evolved into a true Dark Holy Dragon martial soul, but his soul power had also increased by one level, reaching Level 97.
He had now entered the ranks of the continent's top-tier powerhouses.
Though the Overlord Demon Dragon was originally a variant martial soul with only partial Dark and Holy Dragon attributes, it was already considered a top-tier martial soul. But now, as a true Dark and Holy Dragon martial soul, it was a super martial soul.
Long Zhentian was confident that if he had fought Yu Yuanzhen with this Dark Holy Dragon martial soul back then, the battle wouldn't have been so arduous.
One of the continent's cancers had been eradicated.
...
Sea God Island
The Shrek group was attempting to complete their second trial. Under Dugu Yan's release of dragon might, they intimidated the Demon Soul Great White Shark and swiftly broke through the Ring Sea.
This second trial tested their swimming abilities. Before bringing them to Sea God Island, Li Luochen had already trained them in swimming and diving.
This trial was smooth sailing. As long as they didn't face Little Bai Bai, they could pass easily!
Moments later, the Shrek group successfully completed the second trial.
[Black Rank Four Trials, Second Trial: Break through the Ring Sea blockade. Completed. Soul power level increased by one.]
[Black Rank Six Trials, Second Trial: Break through the Ring Sea blockade. Completed. Soul power level increased by one.]
[Top Rank Seven Trials, Second Trial: Break through the Ring Sea blockade. Completed. Soul power level increased by one. All soul ring years increased by 500 years.]
[Top Rank Eight Trials, Second Trial: Break through the Ringing Sea blockade. Completed. Soul power level increased by two. All soul ring years increased by 1,000 years.]
[Sea God Nine Trials, Second Trial: Break through the Ringing Sea blockade. Completed. Reward: 5% Sea God Affinity.]
The members of Shrek Academy heard their trial completion announcements and received their rewards.
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