As Yang Xiong had anticipated, his body was undergoing an extremely strange transformation. The soul bones in his limbs seemed to have undergone countless refinements, fully fusing with the Heavenly Tribulation Lightning and gradually merging into his body.
However, even as the blood-red lightning enveloped Yang Xiong's torso and head, these two areas seemed to form independent domains, naturally resisting external forces.
The head, in particular, appeared peculiar—half of it was already shrouded in blood-red lightning, and part of his spiritual sea had been invaded by the Thunder Kirin.
But no matter how powerful the Thunder Kirin was, he could do nothing to Yang Xiong's torso. Even when he repeatedly injected blood-red lightning into Yang Xiong's chest, the energy quickly dissipated as if it had never existed.
In Yang Xiong's mental world, he and Qian Renxue seemed to still be locked in a standoff.
At this moment, Yang Xiong suddenly sneered: "Thunder Kirin, your inheritance trial was cleverly designed. Ordinary people might pass one test, but they would fail to simultaneously overcome the seven emotions and six desires. You seem to have targeted something I feared long ago—but did you know? I resolved that issue long ago. All your efforts are in vain."
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth: "Yang Xiong, I don't know what nonsense you're spouting. How can you be so shameless? Are you not afraid that we'll both perish together?"
Yang Xiong glanced at Ning Fengzhi and Sword and Bone Douluo, his eyes radiating an overwhelmingly fierce aura.
"Those who dare invade the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect shall be killed without mercy!"
A terrifying sword beam instantly shot toward the sky, charging directly at the invading forces.
With Yang Xiong's sudden eruption, the war erupted in full force, and both sides began attacking their enemies.
This was an extremely brutal battle. Countless lives were lost on both sides—even Yang Xiong's parents perished in the fighting, and both Sword and Bone Douluo fell as well.
By the time the war reached its final stages, the battlefield had become a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Only Yang Xiong, Ning Rongrong, and Qian Renxue remained standing atop the endless pile of bodies.
All of Yang Xiong's family, friends, and enemies had fallen in this battle. Even Qian Renxue stood before him, coughing up blood.
Qian Renxue now appeared utterly frenzied: "Yang Xiong, this is the outcome you wanted. I could clearly sense your extreme joy, your fear, your sorrow, and all the other emotions—the seven emotions and six desires. So you've failed; you didn't pass the trial of the seven emotions and six desires."
"In the end, you're just a mortal. You couldn't achieve the unshakable resolve of a god or rid yourself of your inner greed."
Yang Xiong remained silent, his longsword steadily pointed at Qian Renxue.
Beside him, Ning Rongrong's figure became grotesquely twisted: "Qian Renxue, why did you do this, you madwoman? I'll kill you—I'll avenge my father and grandfather!"
But before Ning Rongrong could finish speaking, the longsword in Yang Xiong's hand had already pierced through her body, leaving only confusion in her eyes.
"Why?"
A single tear slid down Yang Xiong's face—a tear of blood, filled with infinite resolve.
"Qian Renxue was just a facade. You are the true Thunder Kirin. Only you could truly control my heart of love and make me succumb."
"As expected from the trial of the seven emotions and six desires—it almost made me fall. Unfortunately, you don't understand Ning Rongrong, nor do you comprehend the bond between her and me."
With this strike, the sky seemed to fill with endless red light, and the entire world was dyed crimson, resembling an Asura hell.
All the corpses gradually turned to ash, and even Qian Renxue began to dissolve into dust, leaving only Yang Xiong alone in this world.
Ning Rongrong's body began to transform, eventually taking the form of a man enveloped in blood-red lightning. His eyes were filled with astonishment and anger.
Before Yang Xiong could react, the entire world began to collapse piece by piece, and he returned to the original lightning pool.
At this moment, Yang Xiong quickly assessed the changes in his body. He was indeed undergoing the trial of the seven emotions and six desires, and the divine ascension trial was already more than halfway complete. Had he made the slightest mistake earlier, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
Opposite him now stood an extremely tall man—the human form of the Thunder Kirin.
The Thunder Kirin spat out a mouthful of blood: "Yang Xiong, you truly live up to my expectations. I never imagined you could pass the trial of the seven emotions and six desires so easily. It seems I underestimated you."
Yang Xiong sneered: "To ascend to godhood, a soul master must evolve their body into a divine body, their soul into a divine soul, and even their spiritual sea undergoes changes. This is the most vulnerable moment for a soul master."
"You likely intended for me to succumb during the trial of the seven emotions and six desires so you could seize my body. Unfortunately, you miscalculated."
The Thunder Kirin let out a thunderous laugh: "Hahaha! It seems not only I miscalculated—even the Asura God did. You know the content of the divine ascension trial, which means you know far more than I imagined. Perhaps you've been scheming against the entire world, the entire divine realm."
Yang Xiong shook his head: "This isn't scheming. Knowing a little more helps one stay safe. You went through all sorts of calculations to target me, but you don't truly understand me. You've only analyzed a few of my battles in the Douluo world—you don't know my true strength."
The Thunder Kirin roared: "You're just an ant. What use is knowing too much? This world respects strength above all else. I am a lofty God King, while you're merely an ordinary Limit Douluo. What can you possibly use to oppose me?"
Yang Xiong sneered: "Frog in a well. I don't know what made you a God King or what qualified you to oversee the divine realm's order. No wonder the Dragon God couldn't tolerate you. With your foolish ambition mismatched to your strength, it's no surprise you ended up in such a miserable state. In terms of strength and temperament, you're far inferior to the Asura God—and even beneath the Sea God."
The Thunder Kirin roared in fury: "How dare you! Though you passed the Trial of the seven emotions and six desires, your torso and head haven't fully evolved—you haven't forged a divine body."
"Besides, this is my world. Even if I fail this time, I'll have countless chances. You'll never leave here—you'll eventually be replaced by me."
Yang Xiong revealed a trace of disdain: "Your world? Did you get something wrong? This is no longer your world—it's mine. I will be the ruler of this world."
The Thunder Kirin retorted: "What nonsense are you spouting? This lightning pool was created by me—no one can escape my control."
Yang Xiong shook his head: "You seem to misunderstand something. Though I haven't completed my inheritance trial, you've already passed the divine seat to me. Even if I haven't ascended to godhood yet, I'll eventually control the Thunder God's divine seat."
The Thunder Kirin was instantly shocked and transformed into a massive figure, desperately lunging toward the Thunder God's Hammer.
But Yang Xiong reacted faster—his left hand had already tightly gripped the Thunder God's Hammer. Especially on Yang Xiong's left hand, a five-colored glow shimmered, forcibly severing the connection between the Thunder God's Hammer and the Thunder Kirin.
No matter how furious the Thunder Kirin was, he was instantly isolated outside the Thunder God's Hammer, unable to take a single step closer.
"How is this possible? The Thunder God's Hammer contains everything about me—it was created from my essence. How can it be controlled by you?"
Yang Xiong smiled: "Thunder Kirin, if I'm correct, after you were defeated by the Dragon God, you poured everything into the Thunder God's Hammer, including your divine seat, your soul bones, and even your final divine soul."
"Unfortunately, your ambition was too great. To possess my body, you were willing to pass the divine seat to me. That's why your soul left the Thunder God's Hammer and desperately sought to merge with my body. Unfortunately, you failed!"
The Thunder Kirin roared in anger: "Impossible! The Thunder God's Hammer is mine—it's one with me. You can't take it away from me!"
As the Thunder Kirin unleashed endless lightning, the Thunder God's Hammer in Yang Xiong's hand trembled violently, as if it were about to fly away at any moment.
But the power emanating from Yang Xiong's left hand wasn't soul power or divine energy—it was the power of Creation that Yang Xiong wielded. This power surpassed that of the Five Great God Kings and was something the Thunder Kirin's residual soul couldn't possibly resist.
Under the influence of this creative power, the connection between the Thunder God's Hammer and the Thunder Kirin was rapidly being worn away.
In an instant, the Thunder Kirin seemed to suffer a heavy blow—his presence began to plummet sharply. Without the Thunder God's Hammer, this residual soul was like water without a source or a tree without roots, unable to replenish its energy or maintain its peak state.
The Thunder Kirin roared in fury: "Even if you control the Thunder God's Hammer, you can't leave here. This place was built using the power of order—no one can break it open."
Yang Xiong sneered: "No wonder the Dragon God looked down on you. Order is just another word for rules. Have you never heard the saying? Rules are meant to be broken. If you can't break existing rules, how can you grow stronger?"
The Thunder Kirin's mind trembled, and he finally muttered: "Rules are meant to be broken? Then why did the Dragon God attack me just because I violated the order?"
Yang Xiong laughed: "It seems you still don't understand why you failed. There's a saying: Destruction precedes Creation. You were simply too reckless, too unintelligent. You only knew how to break the Order but didn't know how to rebuild it. Under the collapse of order, you naturally became the first sinner."
As Yang Xiong's words faded, a five-colored light gradually enveloped the Thunder God's Hammer and then spread across the entire world.
Bathed in the five-colored light, even the Thunder Kirin's furious roars began to weaken, his figure grew increasingly faint, and he eventually vanished completely from this world.
Yang Xiong gazed at the Thunder God's Hammer in his hand and shook his head: "I forgot to tell you—above Order lies Creation. The power of Creation is the foundation of this world and the origin of all order."
"No matter how hard you schemed, in the end, I won. In the end, you were merely paving the way for me!"
With the Thunder Kirin's residual soul completely erased, the Thunder God had truly fallen.
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