I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! Douluo: Seven Kill Shock the World
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After hearing Yang Xiong's words, the Thunder Hell Prison Vine was immediately shocked, its eyes revealing a hint of fear.
Evidently, given the effortless power of Yang Xiong's earlier strike, killing it would be as easy as swatting a fly.
The Thunder Hell Prison Vine had endured countless trials to reach its current level and age—it certainly didn't want to perish so easily.
"Esteemed Master, it's not that I refuse to tell you, but rather that I cannot. To pass through my guardianship and reach the deepest part of the Thunder Gorge, one must possess not only absolute strength but also an affinity for the purest lightning attribute. Otherwise, no matter how powerful you are, you will turn to ashes."
Yang Xiong chuckled: "Interesting. It seems you've been cooperating with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Otherwise, this Thunder Gorge wouldn't have become such a prime cultivation site, and the clan wouldn't have concealed your existence. Am I right?"
The Thunder Hell Prison Vine thought for a moment before replying: "It's not exactly cooperation. Back then, an elder from their clan helped me out, and their lightning attribute happens to align with mine. Thus, we assist each other."
"Moreover, I've never killed any humans. If you know about our kind's habits, you should understand that we prefer remote places far from human interference. Due to our unique lightning properties, we can only survive in desolate, uninhabited areas."
"Otherwise, if we were disturbed during cultivation, it wouldn't just endanger our lives—it could even cause widespread disasters."
Yang Xiong sighed helplessly: "It seems you're are quite fascinating. Hiding deep within the Thunder Gorge makes it nearly impossible for outsiders to intervene. Moreover, by absorbing the gorge's vast reserves of lightning to form a thunder pool, you inadvertently aid the cultivation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Both sides benefit."
"But none of that interests me. I only want to know what lies in the depths of the Thunder Gorge. I feel inexplicably drawn to whatever is there."
Yang Xiong had visited this place once before, but at the time, his strength was relatively weak, and he wasn't a match for the Thunder Hell Prison Vine, so he had given up.
The ground surrounding the Thunder Gorge was pitch black, resembling the Raging Wave Despair of the Sea God Island. However, the two environments were formed in completely different ways.
The Raging Wave Despair was created by the continuous pounding and compression of rocks by the Sea God's power, eventually forming its unique environment.
In contrast, the Thunder Gorge's pitch-black stones were likely forged through countless strikes and tempering by lightning.
As one ventured deeper, the intensity of the lightning increased. The air was saturated with endless thunder elements and destructive energy, making it impossible for ordinary soul masters to reach the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's location.
For the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, however, the Thunder Gorge was a treasure trove for cultivation—a natural simulated environment. Under the tempering of lightning, their bodies became stronger, and their secret dragon transformation techniques were likely honed here as well.
At this moment, the Thunder Hell Prison Vine suddenly grew extremely serious: "Esteemed Master, I am not exaggerating. Any soul master without the purest lightning attribute who ventures into the depths of the Thunder Gorge will turn to dust—even your realm's top Title Douluo are no exception."
Yang Xiong didn't dwell on this. He instantly summoned his martial soul, the Asura, and a massive blood-red figure appeared around his body. Blood-red lightning soon surrounded the figure, its power seemingly even more terrifying than the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's.
This was the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning Yang Xiong wielded. Compared to the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's azure lightning, the crimson Heavenly Tribulation Lightning seemed to crush it entirely.
The Thunder Hell Prison Vine was astonished: "Heavenly Tribulation Lightning? How is this possible?"
Yang Xiong smiled: "I didn't expect you to recognize my lightning as coming from the Heavenly Tribulation. This isn't something a hundred-thousand-year soul beast like you should comprehend."
"With this Heavenly Tribulation Lightning, do I now qualify to enter the depths of the Thunder Gorge?"
The Thunder Hell Prison Vine let out a ferocious roar, its entire body surging with lightning imbued with immense power, as if doomsday were approaching.
Then, all the lightning rapidly converged, and the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's massive form gradually transformed, eventually taking the shape of an extremely tall middle-aged man.
This man stood over two and a half meters tall, with a towering and muscular physique. Faint traces of lightning flickered across his body, and his aura exuded explosive strength. Judging by his presence, he had reached the level of a human ninety-eight-rank Title Douluo.
Yang Xiong was startled. He hadn't expected the Thunder Hell Prison Vine to be capable of transforming into human form. Titans like the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python lacked this ability, though beings like the Demon Soul Great White Shark Xiao Bai and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King possessed it.
For a soul beast to transform freely into human form, it either had to be a two hundred-thousand-year-old ferocious beast or possess abilities granted by a deity—there was no other way.
The Thunder Hell Prison Vine before him clearly didn't radiate the aura of a ferocious beast, yet it could assume human form. Evidently, there was more to its story.
The middle-aged man bowed slightly: "Esteemed Master, my name is Lei Tian. Since you hail from the divine realm and wield the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning, you naturally qualify to enter the depths of the Thunder Gorge."
Yang Xiong nodded: "My name is Yang Xiong. Though I'm not from the divine realm, I am an inheritor of a god's legacy."
Lei Tian looked puzzled: "That shouldn't be possible. Human soul masters may possess divine power, but they're usually ninety-nine-rank Limit Douluo, and their mastery of divine power is extremely limited. They can't wield it as freely as you do, nor can their martial souls evolve into divine souls."
Yang Xiong replied: "There's no fundamental difference between humans and gods. So-called deities are merely evolved human soul masters. My martial soul is unique—it's my own body. Through countless breakthroughs and tempering with divine power, I've reached my current state. Don't think too much about it."
"I'm curious, though—why do you know so much about deities and divine power? Could it be that you also come from the divine realm?"
Lei Tian quickly asked: "Master, have you encountered other soul beasts from the divine realm?"
Yang Xiong nodded: "I once met a black dragon in the Great Star Forest. His name was Di Tian, and he was incredibly powerful, with extraordinary physical prowess. He likely hails from the divine realm."
Lei Tian was shocked: "How is this possible? Why would the Black Dragon King Di Tian be on the Douluo Continent? Didn't the dragon race already go extinct?"
Yang Xiong's expression shifted slightly: "So you really are from the divine realm. No wonder the Thunder Hell Prison Vine could surpass the hundred-thousand-year limit. Only the abundant divine power of the divine realm could nurture you."
"And you know Di Tian. Your origins are clearly not simple. Or perhaps your appearance on the Douluo Continent was orchestrated by someone else?"
A bitter smile appeared on Lei Tian's face: "You know more than I imagined. Though I hail from the divine realm, compared to the Black Dragon King Di Tian, I'm far too ordinary, far too weak."
"I don't know much myself. When we reach the depths of the Thunder Gorge, you'll naturally learn everything. You wield the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning—you must be the person I've been waiting for."
Yang Xiong was now thoroughly puzzled. The original storyline hadn't mentioned a hundred-thousand-year Thunder Hell Prison Vine or any lightning-related deities.
As someone from Earth, he was an unpredictable variable in this world. Yet, the Douluo Continent felt far more mysterious than he had anticipated.
Without further resistance from the Thunder Hell Prison Vine, Yang Xiong followed the lightning deeper into the Thunder Gorge.
The deeper he went, the denser the lightning became, resembling a thunder pool or even a heavenly tribulation. The entire Thunder Gorge seemed to roar with energy.
With Yang Xiong's current physical condition, the lightning posed no threat to him. Even a true heavenly tribulation couldn't harm him.
Amidst the flashing lightning, his Heavenly Tribulation Lightning seemed superior to the Thunder Gorge's natural lightning, suppressing all surrounding elemental energy.
When they reached the deepest part, the scene before Yang Xiong filled him with awe and terror.
It was a massive crater, over two hundred meters in length and width, covered in blood-red lightning. The lightning seemed to resonate faintly with Yang Xiong's Heavenly Tribulation Lightning, as if they shared the same origin.
Yang Xiong finally understood Lei Tian's earlier words. This place harbored Heavenly Tribulation Lightning—no wonder Lei Tian said even Limit Douluo couldn't trespass here.
Lei Tian solemnly bowed to the blood-red thunder pool, his expression filled with reverence: "Master, I've brought the person you've been waiting for. He must be the one you seek."
Before Yang Xiong could react, the thunder pool emitted a terrifying roar. All the blood-red lightning converged, forming a colossal qilin-like figure. In an instant, it seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth.
Even Yang Xiong, with his immense strength, felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him. His soul felt crushed, as if facing a true deity. Not even Qian Renxue had exerted such pressure on him—only the Sea God and the Asura God had emanated such an aura.
Yang Xiong gritted his teeth against the pressure: "Thunder Qilin—how is this possible!"
From Yang Xiong's knowledge, all soul beasts on the Douluo Continent had bloodline rankings. Among them, the dragon and phoenix races held the noblest bloodlines and the greatest strength.
Unfortunately, whether dragons or phoenixes, the continent hadn't seen pure-blooded soul beasts for a long time. Beings like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the Fire Dragon, or even Ma Hongjun's Fire Phoenix only possessed traces of top-tier soul beast bloodlines.
However, the qilin race's bloodline was no less prestigious than that of dragons or phoenixes. Yang Xiong had only glimpsed brief mentions of them in ancient texts.
Though the Thunder Qilin before him was only a shadow, it commanded the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning. This was no longer a mere soul beast—it was at least a deity-level being.
If this Thunder Qilin truly hailed from the divine realm, its strength likely surpassed even the Sea God's and might rival the Asura God.
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