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Yang Xiong gripped the Asura Demon Sword, sitting in place and breathing heavily. He paid no heed to the blood flowing from his wounds, instead devouring Oscar's Super Recovery Sausages with great urgency.
Beside him, Ning Rongrong quickly raised her Nine-Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda to provide auxiliary support to Yang Xiong.
The injuries he sustained in this battle against Qian Renxue were severe. Countless bones in his body were shattered, his soul bone armor was riddled with cracks, and he had lost more than half of his blood. If it weren't for Yang Xiong's lifelong physical training, which had made his body infinitely stronger countless times over, he likely wouldn't have been able to endure until the end.
At this moment, a voice echoed in Yang Xiong's mind.
"Yang Xiong, the Seventh Trial of the Asura Nine Trials—'A mortal challenges a god and achieves victory.' Trial complete. Reward: 20% increase in Asura Affinity. Total affinity now at 90%."
Only then did Yang Xiong breathe a sigh of relief. Among all his trials, this one was undoubtedly the most difficult—far harder and far more perilous than defeating the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
Although the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was also close to the million-year level, it still fell short of true million-year divine beast-level. Moreover, it lacked divine artifacts like Qian Renxue's Angel God inheritance. If the Angel God Qian Renxue were to fight the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, it would likely be an effortless victory.
This time, Yang Xiong had staked everything on this battle. Not only had he shattered all nine of his soul rings, but he had also utilized the heavenly tribulation lightning. The slightest misstep could have led to his demise.
Especially that final sword strike—the third technique of the Asura God's inherited sword art, Asura Pierces the Sun. It was a desperate, all-or-nothing attack that disregarded life and death.
With the help of Ning Rongrong and Oscar, Yang Xiong's injuries healed rapidly. Combined with the rapid spinning of his dual soul cores, the visible wounds on his body closed quickly, and his depleted soul power began to recover as well.
Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and Yang Wudi stood guard around Yang Xiong. They knew this was his weakest moment—if anything unexpected were to happen, it would spell disaster.
After a full hour, Yang Xiong finally opened his eyes: "Rongrong, Teacher Sword Douluo, Teacher Bone Douluo, I'm fine now. Don't worry too much."
Ning Rongrong let out a sigh of relief: "Little Bear, your condition earlier was truly terrifying. I've never seen anyone injured so severely."
Yang Xiong chuckled: "Perhaps my body is a bit special. My recovery ability is much stronger than others. Don't worry—I'll be fully recovered soon."
Even though Yang Xiong said this, everyone from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Body Sect remained by his side, quietly waiting for him to recuperate.
Yang Xiong asked: "Master, what's the situation outside?"
Ning Fengzhi shook his head: "The situation is dire. Emperor Xue Ye has passed away, and Marshal Ge Long has been killed by Qian Renxue. Now, both the army and the soul master corps of the Tian Dou Empire are in disarray. If not for the strength and foundation of our three sects, everything would have already collapsed."
Yang Xiong remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Now, the only remaining member of the Tian Dou Imperial Family is Princess Xue Ke. Where is Princess Xue Ke?"
A bitter smile appeared on Ning Fengzhi's face: "Princess Xue Ke is still in Tian Dou City. After the Tian Dou Palace incident years ago, Emperor Xue Ye began grooming Princess Xue Ke. Unfortunately, she has always been educated in noble circles and prefers music over politics. She has little understanding of power and imperial duties."
"This time, when Emperor Xue Ye personally went to war, he left Princess Xue Ke in charge of Tian Dou City as part of her training. Now that Emperor Xue Ye has fallen, Princess Xue Ke is rushing to the frontlines—but it's uncertain whether she'll arrive in time."
Yang Xiong sighed: "Now that the Tian Dou Imperial Family has only her left, there's no one else who can handle this massive responsibility. Only she can stabilize the situation."
Yang Xiong glanced around and noticed that the members of the Hao Tian Sect were nowhere to be seen.
"Master, where are Tang Xiao and the others?"
Ning Fengzhi replied helplessly: "The Hao Tian Sect suffered heavy losses in this war. Tang Hao has perished, and Elder Tang Lie has also fallen. They're currently handling their affairs and planning to bury Tang Hao and Tang Lie in the ancestral grounds of the Hao Tian Sect. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing war, they can't leave just yet."
Ning Fengzhi seemed to recall something: "By the way, Xiao Xiong, what was the outcome of your battle with Qian Renxue? How badly is Qian Renxue injured, and how long will it take her to recover?"
After some thought, Yang Xiong replied: "In terms of strength, Qian Renxue and I are evenly matched. My physical attributes and soul bones give me an advantage, but Qian Renxue is a true Level 100 powerhouse. Her body has fully transformed into a divine form, and her recovery ability is no weaker than mine—in fact, it might even be better."
"This time, I used every trick at my disposal and barely managed to secure victory. Qian Renxue's injuries are slightly worse than mine, but given her divine nature, she'll likely recover faster than me."
"However, Master, you can rest assured. Given Qian Renxue's personality, she won't take advantage of others' weakness. Even if she attacks again, I should be able to hold my ground."
As Yang Xiong said, after both he and Qian Renxue gave their all, their injuries were roughly equal. Yang Xiong relied on his unwavering willpower and physical endurance to gain a slight edge.
Moreover, during the final exchange, when both unleashed their ultimate moves, Qian Renxue transformed into a massive sun. However, within that sun, there was a trace of black energy—her greatest vulnerability.
Yang Xiong seized this opening and delivered the decisive blow to defeat Qian Renxue.
According to Yang Xiong's estimation, this flaw likely stemmed from interference by the Rakshasa God during Qian Renxue's Angel Nine Trials, preventing her from achieving the perfection of the first-generation Angel God.
Thus, even though Qian Renxue wielded the faith of the Angel Clan, she still fell to Yang Xiong.
However, this battle would likely make Qian Renxue aware of her own shortcomings and the flaws in her divine inheritance. She would probably seek to address them as soon as possible.
If they were to meet again in the future, Qian Renxue would likely become even stronger.
Of course, at the final moment of this battle, both Yang Xiong and Qian Renxue held back somewhat. If Yang Xiong hadn't spared her by holding back three-tenths of his final sword strike, it could have pierced through Qian Renxue's head. The Asura Demon Sword could have directly obliterated her divine soul—even a god might not survive such an attack.
Similarly, Qian Renxue showed restraint in her final moments. Otherwise, with the Angel God's death throes counterattack, Yang Xiong's injuries would have been several times more severe.
If Yang Xiong had insisted on killing Qian Renxue, the result would likely have been one dead and one crippled. Yang Xiong would have been gravely wounded, requiring years to fully recover.
This reminded Yang Xiong of the Asura God's earlier words: each subsequent trial wasn't about capability but about his choices.
The Asura God had also specifically mentioned that the Angel Clan was crucial to both the soul master world and the god realm. Perhaps he had foreseen this scenario and deliberately left an opening for Qian Renxue—and for himself.
Otherwise, upon completing the seventh trial, he wouldn't have been rewarded with a full 20% increase in Asura Affinity—a reward far exceeding those of other trials.
After hearing Yang Xiong's explanation, a hint of confusion appeared in Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
"Xiao Xiong, what should we do now? The war has reached this point. Whether it's the three sects, the Tian Dou Empire, or even the Spirit Empire, all sides have suffered heavy losses. This has turned into a pure war of attrition. If the fighting continues, all factions will exhaust their foundations, and then our two sects will be in serious trouble."
Yang Xiong smiled: "Master, it's not just us who don't want to fight anymore. The Spirit Empire probably doesn't want to continue either. Even the Star Luo Empire, which hasn't broken through the Heavenly Gate, likely wants to stop fighting."
Ning Fengzhi was startled: "At this stage, is it still possible for us to withdraw?"
Yang Xiong shook his head: "It's not about whether we want to or not. We're merely supporting the Tian Dou Imperial Family. The root of this war lies between the Tian Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire versus the Spirit Empire—it's about their desire to seize each other's territories. The specifics can be negotiated later by Princess Xue Ke, Bibi Dong, and the Star Luo Emperor."
"Besides, the Hao Tian Sect has suffered heavy losses. Though they're eager for revenge, the sect no longer has the strength to sustain further conflict. They've already lost two Title Douluo—Tang San has fled, and even if they mobilized their entire sect, they couldn't stand up to the Spirit Empire."
"On the contrary, if the fighting continues, it will deplete the Hao Tian Sect's foundation, leaving them with nothing. Their situation could become even more dire than it was in the past."
As Yang Xiong predicted, by this stage of the war, both sides had lost a significant portion of their strength. The Hao Tian Sect, Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and Body Sect had lost at least half of their soul masters. Among them, the Hao Tian Sect had sent fewer soul masters initially, resulting in the lowest number of ordinary soul master casualties among the three sects.
Initially, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had dispatched 2,000 soul masters to the frontlines, the Body Sect sent 1,000, and the Hao Tian Sect sent 500.
However, the Hao Tian Sect had sent six Title Douluo, the Body Sect sent four, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect sent their sect leader along with Sword and Bone Douluo.
But the Hao Tian Sect had lost two Title Douluo—a loss far more devastating than the 250 soul masters they had lost.
How could Tang Xiao, usually so composed, allow his sect to continue suffering losses? If Qian Renxue continued her onslaught, the Hao Tian Sect would be left with nothing.
After all, among the three sects, the Hao Tian Sect harbored the deepest hatred for the Spirit Empire, and Qian Renxue despised the Hao Tian Sect the most.
After hearing Yang Xiong's words, Ning Fengzhi fell into deep thought and said nothing further.
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