Hu Liena did not know how much time had passed. When she finally woke from the unrelenting pain, it was like emerging from a long, nightmarish dream.
The icy rain struck her cheeks in a cold rhythm, dragging her thoughts fully back into reality.
She sat there for a moment, dazed, before realizing something—familiar fluctuations of spirit power coursed through her body again. More than that, she could distinctly feel her spirit skills resonating within her blood and bones.
Hu Liena sat up suddenly. She had made it out. She had finally walked out of the Road to Hell.
A faint smile flickered across her beautiful face. If it weren't for the immortal herb, the Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, that Lu Yuan had given her before she entered… surviving this nightmare might have been next to impossible.
Her thoughts flickered to him again.
Lu Yuan.
What happened to him? Ever since the disaster that had erupted in Martial Soul City, there had been no news of him. Not a word.
She had begged him—begged him—not to go to Martial Soul City. And yet, like always, he hadn't listened.
"Ah…"
Hu Liena let out a soft sigh. She couldn't afford to think too much right now. She released her Martial Soul, and a pink halo of charm energy spread from her body. Immediately afterward, pale white lines intertwined and a suffocating killing intent burst outward in all directions.
She blinked, startled, her red lips parting. "…This aura… this is a Domain!?"
Her whole body suddenly froze as the realization sank in. Even more shocking was the second discovery she made in that instant.
She—Hu Liena—had broken through to the Spirit Emperor level!
The peak that had once felt impossibly far away was suddenly hers to stand on. She knew in her heart that all of this was tied, inseparably, to the immortal grass Lu Yuan had given her.
Her heart felt complicated. If she saw him again in the future, how could she even begin to thank him?
"…Forget it. It's better if we don't meet again."
The bitter smile on her lips lingered for a moment. She was a member of the Martial Soul Hall. Lu Yuan, meanwhile… was a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted by the Martial Soul Hall itself. Fate had placed them on opposing sides.
Just as Hu Liena was losing herself in her thoughts, a sharp, slightly nasal voice rang out in the rain.
"Nana!"
Hu Liena's eyes widened slightly. She turned—and there, leaning lazily against a tree while studying his manicured fingernails, was Ju Douluo, Yue Guan. By his side, half-hidden in the shadows, was the elusive Ghost Douluo.
Her heart trembled with excitement. It had been three long years since she had seen them.
"Elder Ju, Elder Ghost!" Hu Liena smiled brightly, bowing her head slightly.
"Nana, congratulations!" Yue Guan's voice drawled in satisfaction. "To see you succeed… I am truly—"
Halfway through his words, Yue Guan froze, his gaze narrowing sharply. His eyes widened.
"Nana… did you… eat the Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum?"
The familiar aura of that herb was unmistakable to him.
"Yes, Elder Ju," Hu Liena nodded matter-of-factly. "If not for that immortal grass, I might never have made it out alive."
Yue Guan's face stiffened. His jaw twitched, his elegant features twisting as if he had bitten into something unbearably sour. His expression almost looked… constipated.
That damned chrysanthemum!
He had dreamed of this herb for countless years, imagined taking it countless times. If only he could have consumed it, even Chen Xin of the Seven Treasures Clan would have had to bow before him in battle!
And yet now—his dream was shattered.
It was this girl who had eaten it instead! Life was truly unfair.
Hu Liena, oblivious to his inner grief, straightened and spoke seriously. "Elders, I have something important to report. In the City of Slaughter… I saw Tang San."
Both Ghost Douluo and Yue Guan froze. Their eyes sharpened instantly.
"Tang San?!" Yue Guan's tone was razor-sharp. "Are you certain?"
Hu Liena hesitated only a brief moment before nodding. "I can't be absolutely sure, but his features, his aura… there are too many similarities. It should be him."
Yue Guan exchanged a look with his shadowy counterpart and then sneered coldly.
"Even if it's a mistake, it doesn't matter. We cannot let this chance slip! Tang Hao's brat… If he truly inherited that damnable Killing God Domain, just like His Holiness the Pope, then he will become a disaster later. We must act immediately!"
The very mention of Tang Hao set Yue Guan's blood boiling. His face twisted with a vicious grin. "Let's return quickly! We will gather reinforcements from the Martial Soul Hall, then come back to hunt that beast down! Argh, just thinking about smashing Tang Hao makes me excited!"
Three days later…
The City of Slaughter.
On the Road to Hell, the oppressive gloom pressed heavily on Tang San's form as he approached the exit.
His blue eyes narrowed as he stopped and withdrew two delicate jade bottles from his Soul Guidance Device.
During his two long years of slaughter in this city, aside from endless battles in the Killing Fields, he had also devoted himself to studying the strange scarlet plasma that filled the city.
Through his research, he had discovered that this "blood" was no ordinary fluid at all. It was a concentrated amalgamation of the malignant blood, death aura, and resentment of countless fallen souls. A toxic foundation—it was, in essence, the very root of the Slaughter City's existence.
Tang San's grip tightened. With a flick of his fingers, both jade bottles shattered, and two vials of ominous liquid fell into the churning scarlet plasma below.
The plasma swallowed it instantly.
Those two potions had taken him two painstaking years to prepare. He had used dozens of highly refined poisons and combined them into this devastating catalyst.
From this moment on… the City of Slaughter was doomed.
Tang San's lips curved coldly. "Slaughter City… farewell."
Darkness such as this should not exist in the world.
"City of Slaughter, King of Slaughter… I hope you enjoy the gift I've left you."
With that, Tang San turned and began sprinting toward the exit.
But he had barely reached it before the entire underworld shuddered violently behind him. The bloody plasma surged wildly, and the Road to Hell itself began to collapse.
"Boom!!"
The earth trembled. A wave of devastating energy erupted like a furious beast, howling in destruction. Tang San felt an explosion of pain explode against his back before a colossal force flung him violently through the air.
"Xiao San! Xiao San!"
Waiting anxiously outside the cave was Tang Hao. He had already noticed the Martial Soul Hall forces surrounding the area, but his focus was only on one thing: his son's safe return.
And then he saw him—battered, his robes shredded, flesh charred and torn across his back.
Tang Hao's entire body trembled with heartache. His hands tightened so hard on his hammer that the veins bulged. What had his son endured inside?
When Tang Hao had walked the Road to Hell, it had been dangerous, yes—but absolutely nothing like this. Could it be that the difficulty had surged? Had new, more powerful monsters emerged within?
He did not know.
And right now was hardly the time to find out.
Tang Hao lifted Tang San onto his shoulders and prepared to retreat immediately.
But before he could move—
"Tang Hao!"
A shrill voice rang out. Yue Guan descended gracefully from the air, standing atop his shimmering chrysanthemum. On the opposite side, Ghost Douluo's ethereal silhouette emerged from the shadows.
Almost instantly, two more figures appeared—Qianjun Douluo and Jianglong Douluo, the renowned twin titans of the Elder Hall.
And then, with a voice filled with majestic might, a streak of purple and black divine light descended.
Bibi Dong herself landed gracefully, her expression frosty and filled with killing intent.
Tang Hao stiffened.
Five Title Douluo. All here.
And outside, a ring of dozens of powerful Soul Douluo and Spirit Emperors formed a deadly blockade.
This time, the Martial Soul Hall had spared no effort. They had come prepared to end both him and his son once and for all.
Tang Hao laughed grimly. "You people really want to keep me here?"
His voice reverberated with thunderous defiance.
"Then try it!"
With one motion, Tang Hao slung Tang San securely onto his back. The colossal Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his hands, its surface gleaming with dark, blood-red light. He unleashed his Killing God Domain—the sky seemed to split apart as an oppressive aura shattered the atmosphere.
Bibi Dong raised her scepter, aura vast and godlike. "Seize him!"
Tang Hao's eyes burned with determination. He locked his gaze instantly on Yue Guan to the far left. His mind was razor sharp. Even alone, escaping from five Title Douluo was nearly impossible. With Tang San unconscious, their odds were practically zero. But that didn't matter.
He would carve their escape with blood.
"Killing Assault!!"
His Killing God Domain surged forth in a violent wave, crushing down on Yue Guan's position. Tang Hao's speed doubled, his raw power skyrocketing—it was like a storm tearing apart the skies.
"Tang Hao!!" Yue Guan's screams twisted into rage. This bastard—every single time, he went straight for him! Why him again?! Was he really the easiest target?!
"The first spirit ability—Strange Velvet Body Protection!" A golden chrysanthemum shield blossomed around him instantly, petals shimmering.
"The eighth spirit ability—Gate of Holy Light!"
The massive chrysanthemum magnified, and from its heart, a blinding beam of divine radiance erupted toward Tang Hao, splitting the skies into pure white brilliance.
"Rumble!!!"
Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer smashed downward with catastrophic force, tearing the beam apart as if splitting the heavens. His speed never faltered in the slightest as he rampaged straight for Yue Guan like a maddened bull.
Yue Guan's eyes widened in naked terror.
They had five Title Douluo here… and yet this nightmare of a man still dared charge at him head-on! Why him?!
Why always him?!
--
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