At this moment, the voice of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King echoed in Yang Xiong's mind, filled with evident concern.
"Yang Xiong, though your body can barely withstand a battle against a god, your endurance cannot compare to that of a divine being. If this fight drags on, even with your dual soul cores, you will absolutely not be a match for Qian Renxue."
"Moreover, your energy consumption so far has been far greater than hers. Unless something unexpected happens, you will likely lose this battle."
Yang Xiong clenched his teeth and let out a furious roar: "I will never surrender! Even if I die, I will fight to the very end!"
At this moment, Yang Xiong's gaze was fixed intently on the blood-red lightning within his spiritual sea. This lightning originated from heavenly tribulation—it might be the key to truly defeating a god.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King exclaimed in alarm: "What are you thinking? Though you can use this heavenly tribulation lightning, it is indiscriminately destructive—it could reduce even you to ashes beneath its fury."
Yang Xiong roared back: "Since it resides within my spiritual sea, it belongs to me! I don't care about heavenly tribulation or any so-called rules. Anything that consumes my power must obey me—or I'd rather destroy it entirely."
In an instant, the blood-red lightning in Yang Xiong's spiritual sea began to gather densely. All the crimson lightning enveloped the golden giant, causing it to writhe in immense pain while still letting out a defiant roar toward the heavens.
Qian Renxue seemed to sense the change in Yang Xiong: "Yang Xiong, what are you doing? Considering you didn't attack me while I was unconscious last time, would you like me to spare your life and give you another chance to challenge me?"
Yang Xiong roared furiously: "I, Yang Xiong, have always pursued the epitome of strength—I will never accept mercy from anyone!"
As Yang Xiong's words faded, blood-red lightning surged around his body. This lightning seemed to emanate from the endless abyss or the very fabric of heaven and earth, as if it had the power to annihilate all creation.
Even with Yang Xiong's formidable physique, the appearance of the blood-red lightning caused his entire body to spasm. His muscles turned black under the electric shocks, and even his hair stood on end.
Furthermore, as the crimson lightning appeared, the entire world seemed to tremble in an instant. The previously clear sky now became overcast with dark clouds, and countless bolts of lightning descended upon the earth, resembling the arrival of doomsday.
A hint of apprehension crossed Qian Renxue's face: "Yang Xiong, what are you doing? Are you trying to throw your life away?"
"What exactly are these blood-red lights? They feel somewhat like your second martial soul, yet it seems you can't fully control them."
Yang Xiong unleashed a massive claw strike at Qian Renxue, which transformed into a colossal hand gripping blood-red lightning, resembling the descent of a thunder god.
"Qian Renxue, even though you are a god, today I, Yang Xiong, will defeat you!"
Qian Renxue's expression turned deadly serious as she faced Yang Xiong's full-force attack. She sensed an immense threat from the crimson lightning, as if confronting the very laws of heaven and earth—an attack even a god couldn't evade.
Qian Renxue's ninth soul ring flashed, and an endless golden light erupted across the heavens. A massive angel descended from the sky, holding something in its hands as if capable of dissolving the entire world.
This was Qian Renxue's ninth soul skill, Angel's Descent, a hundred-thousand-year soul skill used beneath her True Body form.
The collision between the blood-red lightning and the golden light seemed like a clash of two fundamental rules. The surrounding space instantly collapsed into nothingness.
After just one collision, both Yang Xiong and Qian Renxue were forced back hundreds of meters. This exchange ended in a stalemate.
Yang Xiong spat out a mouthful of blood. This time, the damage came not only from the impact but also from the destruction the heavenly tribulation inflicted on his own body.
Since acquiring the heavenly tribulation lightning, Yang Xiong had always hesitated to touch it due to its terrifying power.
But now, in this battle against a true god, without the aid of the heavenly tribulation lightning, defeating Qian Renxue would be impossible.
Qian Renxue also coughed up blood, her eyes burning with defiance: "How intriguing, Yang Xiong. You are the strongest soul master I've ever encountered—capable of wounding me. Now, let me show you the true gap between us."
In an instant, a golden longsword appeared in Qian Renxue's hand—the Angel God's inheritance, the Holy Angel Sword.
The Holy Angel Sword radiated boundless light. Beneath the sky, the once-overcast clouds now blazed with radiant brilliance. Under the sunlight, the sword gleamed like a fiery flame.
Without hesitation, Yang Xiong drew the Asura Demon Sword.
To everyone's surprise, after the Asura Demon Sword was unsheathed, the blood-red heavenly tribulation lightning surged along the blade, quickly enveloping the entire sword.
The Asura Demon Sword's murderous aura surged, and the crimson glow merged seamlessly with the blood-red lightning, becoming one cohesive force.
Golden light clashed with crimson sword qi in the air. In an instant, Yang Xiong and Qian Renxue exchanged countless strikes. Even high in the sky, the sharp sword qi sent chills down the spines of the soul masters on the ground.
It seemed the two had reached a similar level once again, exchanging countless blows without being able to decisively defeat the other.
Suddenly, Qian Renxue roared: "Yang Xiong, though your strength is unparalleled, even reaching unprecedented heights among soul masters, you are destined to fail!"
Yang Xiong sneered: "Are you trying to defeat me with mere words? Show me your true strength!"
Qian Renxue smirked disdainfully: "Yang Xiong, you are not facing me alone—you face the accumulated history of tens of thousands of years of the Spirit Empire, the heritage of my Angel Clan, and the faith of generations of believers who have protected the people."
"Now, you exude the aura of a demon god, while my Angel Clan is sworn to vanquish evil. Next, I will represent the entire world in passing judgment upon you."
Holding the Holy Angel Sword, Qian Renxue seemed to merge with heaven and earth. Golden divine power radiated from the blade, making it appear as one with the cosmos.
Yang Xiong felt as though he was not merely facing a god but the collective faith of all humanity, the devotion of every believer of the Angel God.
He realized that Qian Renxue was wielding the accumulated faith of tens of thousands of years from the Angel Clan, seemingly representing all living beings in judging him.
At this moment, Yang Xiong felt as though he stood on a judgment platform. Around him, visions of his past slaughters and every life he had taken appeared vividly.
"Angel Judgment! Holy Light Demon Slaying!"
The voice resonated like a sacred chant, threatening to shatter his soul into oblivion.
But Yang Xiong's eyes burned with anger, brimming with endless defiance.
"Qian Renxue, you have no right to represent all of humanity, nor do you have the authority to judge me. No one in this world has the right to judge me!"
In an instant, Yang Xiong shattered all nine of his soul rings, channeling every ounce of their energy into his martial soul.
A crimson giant over a thousand meters tall appeared in the sky, wielding blood-red lightning. Beneath the flashing storm of electricity, it seemed as though all existence would vanish—even the sun in the sky appeared ready to be plucked from the heavens.
This was Yang Xiong's ultimate manifestation of the Asura form. He had completely shattered his nine soul rings, pouring all their power into his Asura martial soul and the heavenly tribulation lightning.
Qian Renxue wielded her golden greatsword, unleashing a sky-splitting strike imbued with infinite flames, purest light energy, and the essence of the Angel God's divine power.
But Yang Xiong fought back with everything he had. The crimson giant wielding the lightning-infused sword aimed to pierce the sun itself from the heavens. At this critical moment, Yang Xiong noticed imperfections in the sun—a crack amidst the shadows, accompanied by a trace of black energy. This might be Qian Renxue's greatest weakness.
The golden light and blood-red lightning collided violently. The heavens shattered, and the sky turned crimson as though drenched in blood.
Qian Renxue seemed to suffer grievous injuries—her bones broken in countless places, and a sword wound etched into her forehead.
Blood gushed from her mouth as she plummeted from the sky like a fallen sun.
Yang Xiong wasn't faring much better. His entire body felt as though it would shatter, his clothes soaked in blood. Like a meteor, he fell from the sky.
When Ning Rongrong and the others finally reacted, they all rushed toward the spot where Yang Xiong had fallen.
There lay Yang Xiong, drenched in blood, even his seven orifices bleeding. Yet, his hands still gripped the Asura Demon Sword, supporting his battered body.
His gaze remained fixed on the distant Spirit City, and with great effort, he forced out the words: "I won, Qian Renxue… in the end, I won."
Qian Renxue, supported by Golden Crocodile Douluo and Bibi Dong, leaned on the Holy Angel Sword to hold herself up.
Her injuries were comparable to Yang Xiong's—her golden armor stained red with blood, her eyes reflecting a flicker of regret.
But most striking was the crimson sword wound on her forehead, brimming with an overwhelming aura of slaughter.
In that fleeting moment, even as a god, Qian Renxue had felt the terror of death, as if her life had been in the enemy's hands.
"Yang Xiong, wait for me… I will defeat you someday!"
These words seemed to drain Qian Renxue of all remaining strength as her body slumped backward.
At this crucial moment, Bibi Dong involuntarily caught Qian Renxue. Her eyes were filled with disbelief and inner turmoil.
As for Yang Xiong, he too was barely holding on. Collapsing to the ground, he burst into uncontrollable laughter, seemingly indifferent to his wounds.
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