After walking several kilometers along Hell Road, a faint buzzing sound began to echo around.
The farther he went, the louder and more chaotic the noise became.
Yang Xiong drew a longsword from his soul guide, slowing his pace.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent. Then, countless pairs of blood-red eyes appeared in the space around him,an eerie sight.
Using his Purple Demon Eyes, Yang Xiong could see that the walls and the ground beneath Hell Road were crawling with countless blood-red bats. Each bat's eyes glowed scarlet, and perhaps due to the influence of the City of Slaughter, they seemed to exude a faint killing intent.
Sensing Yang Xiong's gaze, the bats all took flight, forming a loose circle as if to surround him.
Yang Xiong's expression turned cold, and he quickened his steps, sweeping his longsword to drive the bats back.
The bats, however, were not entirely mindless. They stopped at a certain distance, like hunters waiting for the right moment to strike.
With a sudden whoosh, countless bats rushed toward him at great speed, their sharp claws glinting menacingly.
Yang Xiong tensed. Each bat was fast, agile, and seemed venomous,certainly no weaker than ordinary hundred-year soul beasts.
Their sheer numbers, possibly in the thousands, made the situation even more dangerous, especially in the narrow confines of Hell Road, where Yang Xiong's movement was restricted.
He didn't attack recklessly. Given the bats' speed, long-range attacks would be difficult, and Yang Xiong's ranged abilities were limited.
When the swarm drew close, Yang Xiong unleashed a slash, sending a blood-red arc of sword qi slicing through dozens of bats, cutting them to pieces.
The remaining bats shrieked in a strange buzzing cry,sonic attacks unique to their kind,interfering with Yang Xiong's focus. Lacking long-range soul skills, he found himself at a disadvantage.
Although his martial soul excelled at close combat, using the sword was more practical against such overwhelming numbers.
He swung his longsword faster and faster, forcing his way forward while occasionally releasing arcs of sword qi that disrupted the bats' sound waves.
But the bats attacked from all directions,front, back, even below,moving in what seemed like a coordinated formation.
Yang Xiong's sword flashed like a shield, guarding every angle.
Seeing that brute force wasn't working, the bats seemed to change tactics, holding back to wear him down. The cunning made Yang Xiong twitch his lips in irritation.
With a decisive thought, he kept slashing and pressed forward, clearing the path at top speed.
Just then, a huge shape blocked the road ahead.
A massive bat over four meters long stood in the way. Its claws, over a meter each, looked razor-sharp, and when it spread its wings, they spanned more than ten meters.
Its entire body was dark-gold in color, and it had three heads,the Dark-Gold Three-Headed Bat King.
Neither side backed down. Yang Xiong struck with a slash aimed to sever its wings.
But the bat king was incredibly fast, dodging at the last instant and unleashing a piercing sonic wave that made Yang Xiong's head ache.
It lunged. Yang Xiong's eyes chilled as he met the attack with a left-handed punch, colliding fist-to-claw. Both were forced back several meters.
From its strength and speed, Yang Xiong judged it to be a ten-thousand-year-level beast, but still slightly inferior to him.
The bat king shrieked, summoning the blood-red bats to attack again, then tore at the ground itself, shattering part of the path,clearly trying to prevent Yang Xiong from passing.
Yang Xiong flashed forward, appearing beside it and delivering a desperate two-handed slash. The bat king met it with both claws.
The strike was vicious and all-out. Countless arcs of sword qi burst forth, forming a massive character for "Kill",the Seven Kill Sword Technique.
Even with its strength, the bat king was torn into pieces and died instantly.
The surrounding bats went mad at the sight, swarming Yang Xiong in desperation.
But Yang Xiong's sword danced faster than ever, the sword qi forming a wall that shredded anything within reach.
Within moments, most bats lay dead, the rest fleeing.
Examining the bat king's body, Yang Xiong noticed it lacked a soul ring and even its blood was different from normal soul beasts.
After a brief thought, he moved on,there was no time to linger.
As he went deeper, the temperature rose. A hissing sound came from ahead.
Yang Xiong knew the greatest threat of Hell Road was about to appear.
Coiled in the path was a giant serpent, eyes glowing red, radiating intense heat. It was over ten meters long, with nine fleshy lumps on its head,this was the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent.
It noticed Yang Xiong and let out a roar, the nine lumps glowing ominously.
Yang Xiong charged forward, sending a slash toward its head.
The serpent's tail whipped out, shattering the sword qi and smashing into Yang Xiong's blade, breaking it instantly. The impact hurled him back several meters, nearly throwing him off the path.
His expression grew serious,this serpent was far stronger than he had anticipated. No wonder it was Hell Road's final trial.
He had assumed it to be about thirty thousand years old, but now realized it was likely over fifty thousand years, perhaps more.
Without soul skills, and on a narrow path, the fight would be even harder.
Wiping blood from his mouth, Yang Xiong tossed aside his broken sword and smiled faintly.
"Fine. Let's see how strong you are,and how much I've improved."
Killing intent surged from him as the Xuanming Armor covered his body and the Ice-Fire Dragon Claws appeared on his hands.
The serpent spat a blazing flame, powerful enough to match a ten-thousand-year soul skill.
Yang Xiong leapt clear, but the serpent's tail lashed again.
Catching it in his dragon claws, Yang Xiong's grip pierced its defenses, tearing into its body.
He dashed along its length, striking deep into its flesh.
The serpent roared and thrashed violently, shaking the entire Hell Road.
Its nine lumps glowed brightly, regenerating its damaged head as if it truly had ten.
Yang Xiong sneered. "Let's see if you can still recover after I smash all ten."
Enraged, the serpent lunged with jaws wide, flames blazing.
In Yang Xiong's hand formed a massive, multicolored Rasengan over a meter wide, swirling with gold, earth-yellow, and electric-blue light,crackling with explosive power.
The serpent froze for a moment in fear, but Yang Xiong teleported above its head and slammed the Rasengan down.
Its head exploded into fragments despite the flames, killing it instantly.
The violent battle shook Hell Road as if it would collapse.
Without hesitation, Yang Xiong sliced open the serpent's belly, retrieved a fiery-red core, and sped away.
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