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"Spirit Bone Fusion Technique—Asura Blood Armor!"
Suddenly, crimson armor materialized on Li Luochen's body, radiating a blood-red barrier.
Boom—
A thunderous explosion echoed as a crimson Hao Tian Hammer was sent flying like a meteor into the distance.
Tang Chen was struck by an immense counterforce that tore open his already fractured hands. His already deteriorating body worsened further.
Tang Chen, who had previously appeared middle-aged, began rapidly aging. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a strong middle-aged man into a frail old man of seventy-eight.
Though his frame remained sturdy, there was an unmistakable hunch in his posture. That single blow had drained nearly all of his remaining life force.
The fact that he could still stand was a testament to his sheer willpower.
On Li Luochen's side, however, there was no visible change. The Asura Blood Armor was Li Luochen's ultimate defensive technique, bordering on divine skill.
When attempting to absorb the Golden Dragon Torso Bone, the Asura God had given Li Luochen special treatment, ensuring the spirit bone fused perfectly and unlocked the Spirit Bone Fusion Technique. This allowed him to refine it more easily into the Asura Divine Armor during his divine trial.
The Asura God felt that Li Luochen's natural abilities were exceptional. Such talent deserved proper cultivation. Thus, Li Luochen's path to godhood had been carefully paved by the Asura God.
The Asura God wasn't just focused on running away anymore—he wanted his successor to inherit his position flawlessly. Though Tang San's compatibility with the Asura God's powers wasn't high (he was essentially forced into the role), the Asura God believed Tang San's mastery of the Sea God's powers likely surpassed his use of the Asura God's powers.
(A/N: Tang San's compatibility with the Asura God isn't particularly high—it was rushed. I believe Tang San's mastery of the Sea God's powers is stronger than his use of the Asura God's powers.)
In the massive crater, a lone stone pillar stood tall. As the smoke cleared, a figure clad in crimson armor came into view.
Li Luochen stood there, unscathed, while everything around him bore the scars of Tang Chen's Hao Tian Hammer's residual shockwave.
It had to be said—Tang Chen's strength was indeed formidable. However, it was fleeting. After one strike, he was already spent.
After all, the cost of exploding spirit rings was steep. Each detonation required three days of recovery, during which time the user was at their weakest.
Li Luochen looked at the now-hunched Tang Chen and raised his staff without hesitation.
"You've hit me twice with your hammer. Now it's my turn—take this!"
Li Luochen delivered a powerful downward strike aimed directly at Tang Chen's forehead.
Ignoring his battered body, Tang Chen summoned back his Hao Tian Hammer, transforming it into the Asura Sword to block the attack!
Clang—
The already-split flesh of Tang Chen's palms split even further. His arms went limp, unable to hold the Asura Sword. The deterioration of his body left him capable of only brief bursts of peak performance.
Moreover, he realized that even his most powerful attacks had been effortlessly countered by this young man. Even at his peak, he would have only prolonged the inevitable.
Li Luochen glanced at the now-weakened Tang Chen before turning his gaze skyward, activating the final ability of the Killing God Domain: "Manifestation of the Asura God."
"Asura God, may I request that you restore Tang Chen to his prime? This fight has become rather dull."
Li Luochen's words reached the Asura God directly.
...
Divine Realm, Asura God Palace
Today, the Asura God hadn't gone to cultivate with the Demon God but instead devoted his full attention to watching how Li Luochen would complete his divine trial.
After all, this was his chosen successor—he needed to ensure everything went smoothly. As for Tang Chen... the Asura God had always found him lacking. Thus, when Tang Chen fell and was parasitized by the Crimson Nine-Headed Bat King, the Asura God hadn't intervened.
If Tang Chen couldn't endure such trials, especially at his age, then there was no real need to pass down the divine trial to him.
By now, Li Luochen had already incapacitated Tang Chen when he suddenly spoke:
"Asura God, may I request that you restore Tang Chen to his prime? This fight has become rather dull."
The Asura God stroked his chin and muttered, "This brat—give him an inch, and he takes a mile. He wants a more interesting fight? Fine, I'll grant it!"
Cough cough. The Asura God cleared his throat, his cold, sharp voice descending upon the City of Slaughter.
"No. Proceed with the trial immediately!"
The Asura God's voice descended, a divine miracle manifesting. Many citizens of the City of Slaughter knelt in worship.
And with that, the Asura God's proclamation sealed Tang Chen's fate.
"Hmph, the Lord is quite eager, isn't he? Did you hear that, Tang Chen? The Asura God has sentenced you to death. However, seeing you in this pitiful state, I can't help but feel a shred of pity.
My big stick doesn't harm the elderly or weak. Look at you now—who would believe you were once the mighty and robust Hao Tian Douluo?
Don't you have an appointment with Bo Saixi? Why don't you go see her?"
Upon hearing Li Luochen's words, Tang Chen's dim eyes brightened slightly. He ignored the mockery and focused solely on the mention of Bo Saixi.
Dragging his battered and broken body, Tang Chen began limping toward the outskirts of the City of Slaughter.
He hadn't taken more than a few steps when he suddenly felt as though something had pierced his heart. Tang Chen spun around in shock.
In Li Luochen's hand floated a slender, crimson rod, about a foot long and half an inch thick.
Before Tang Chen could react, Li Luochen directed the crimson rod straight toward his forehead!
Whoosh!
A hole appeared in Tang Chen's forehead. Shock and rage filled his face as he glared at Li Luochen.
"My apologies," Li Luochen said coldly. "While my big stick doesn't harm the elderly or weak, my little stick specializes in it. Farewell."
Li Luochen's words were as icy as the reaper's scythe. Tang Chen's body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Li Luochen walked over to Tang Chen's corpse and discovered a spirit bone embedded in his right arm. The spirit bone was entirely crimson and emitted a strong, bloody aura.
"This must be the spirit bone of the Crimson Nine-Headed Bat King. After being parasitized for so many years, Tang Chen's body had become partially beast-like. Moreover, the bat wasn't purified by sacred light but instead expelled from his body, transforming into something akin to a divine-bestowed spirit ring. This spirit bone is likely a byproduct of years of parasitism."
Li Luochen collected the spirit bone and searched Tang Chen's body for anything else of value. He removed any storage-type soul tools he found, planning to examine them later. Perhaps there were more spirit bones hidden within.
As for Tang Chen's other spirit bones—there were none. Limit Douluos no longer dropped spirit bones. At the pinnacle of soul mastery, they fully absorbed their spirit bones into their bodies.
Even killing them wouldn't guarantee a drop unless they were a Limit Douluo who hadn't fully absorbed their spirit bones, in which case they might leave one behind after death.
But someone like Tang Chen, preparing to challenge the divine trial and break through to level 100, would undoubtedly have fully absorbed his spirit bones to further strengthen himself.
Thus, aside from the Crimson Nine-Headed Bat King's right arm bone, Tang Chen's body yielded no other spirit bones.
[Prerequisite conditions completed. Divine trial candidate Li Luochen, commence the Nine Trials of the Asura God!]
A cold, sharp voice suddenly echoed in Li Luochen's mind. A blood-red sword insignia emerged on his forehead.
Candidate of the Asura God's divine trial—Li Luochen.
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