Half a month later, in the East Palace of Heaven Dou Imperial City.
"Papa…" The two–year–old child was already able to call out. Yang Yunhai smiled warmly and scooped the child up into his arms.
After a short while, a reluctant look appeared on his face. He turned toward Dugu Bo and the two others. "Grandpa, Teacher, Uncle, I may need to make a trip soon."
"Where to?" Dugu Bo asked.
"The Devil's Triangle." Yang Yunhai sighed. "That place is filled with thunder, perfect for helping me absorb the whale glue and strengthen my body in the shortest time possible."
As he spoke, he explained the process of how Dugu Yan and the others had completed the Sea God's third trial, the Whale–Shark Battle, and how they had obtained whale glue.
He added, "And by enhancing my body's strength, the age of my fourth soul ring can finally break past the 100,000–year mark."
"Then go," Dugu Bo said. "The children are close to me, and with me looking after them, there shouldn't be a problem."
"I'll spend a few more days with them first," Yang Yunhai replied before turning back. "Teacher, Uncle, this time you don't need to follow me. Stay here and help me look after the children. If anything comes up, you can come find me. With my current strength, I can already walk the continent alone."
"If everything goes as expected, I'll come out again only after breaking through rank 90."
The two exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. "Alright."
Five days later, at night, after purchasing all necessary supplies, Yang Yunhai set off. He rose into the night sky and streaked toward the western coast of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Many days later, ignoring the thunderclouds, he descended onto the island where he had once discovered the Thunder Hell Prison Vine.
"Hmm?" In his vision, the once charred roots of the Thunder Hell Prison Vine now had tender green shoots sprouting, faint arcs of lightning flickering around them.
As if sensing his presence, the arcs suddenly flared and released a finger–thick bolt of lightning at him.
Yang Yunhai ignored it, landed steadily, and strode closer.
"Rebirth from destruction… perhaps, this is fate." He sighed, then sat down beside it.
"Little one, from today onward, you'll cultivate together with me. The lightning attribute bloodline within me comes from you—naturally, I must give something back."
As he murmured, he released his bloodline aura. The tiny sprout's arcs of lightning froze for an instant before transmitting a warm, intimate emotion.
Yang Yunhai smiled, raised his head toward the sky, and golden light flashed in his eyes. Instantly, the thunderclouds above gathered and churned.
Without delay, he drew a block of 10,000–year whale glue from his soul tool, chewed, and swallowed.
"Martial Soul Avatar!" Golden light burst from his body, transforming him into a colossal ancient tree over ten meters tall that stood proudly in the valley.
Boom! Boom!
Lightning cascaded down. Golden branches and leaves crackled with thunder, arcs sizzling as they split the earth.
Zzzt! Zzzt!
The current coursed into the young Thunder Hell Prison Vine, causing its body of lightning to brighten. Along with it, strands of life energy seeped in.
A wave of joyous emotion flowed back to him.
Yang Yunhai smiled again, closed his eyes, and quietly began to cultivate.
—
The following year, in March, in a room within Slaughter City.
"Phew… rank 69." Tang San exhaled, opening his eyes from meditation. He retracted the Eight Spider Lances, which had now completely turned blood–red.
Beneath his bed lay a heap of corpses, dried up and bloodless.
"If not for the need to avoid suspicion from the Slaughter King and Hu Liena, I could've advanced even faster." He clenched his fists, thoughts flashing coldly.
In this city reeking of killing, where people died every day, hunting one or two fallen soul masters at night drew no attention at all.
'Slipping through the cracks here couldn't be easier.'
"Hu Liena should be leaving soon." He turned to gaze out the window.
A few days later, in the Hell Arena of Slaughter City—
"Ahhhh!" Screams echoed endlessly.
"The Hundred Victories truly is strange…" Listening to the screams, Tang San frowned deeply.
During the past two years, he had investigated the history of those who had once achieved a hundred victories in the Hell Arena. He had discovered one thing: whenever a hundred–victory battle was held, none of the audience members ever left alive. Suspicion brewed in his heart.
For this reason, he had not gone to spectate Hu Liena's hundredth battle.
"Could it be that entering the so–called Hell Road requires sacrificial offerings from the audience?" he speculated.
"No matter what, Hu Liena has already left. Now I can safely begin my own hundred–battle challenge."
With that thought, he turned and departed.
Meanwhile, Hu Liena had already stepped onto the Hell Road.
She reached the cliff's edge and looked down at the boiling magma. Her brows furrowed. After a brief thought, she strapped on her flying soul tool, drew her soul tool pistol, and cautiously stepped onto the narrow path, gradually picking up speed.
"The mist here interferes with spiritual power!" She soon sensed the abnormality.
Quickly, she took out the Bloody Mary antidote gifted by Bibi Dong and tucked it into her mouth. At the same time, she activated her soul bone skill, rousing her spiritual power to resist the corrosion.
Moving forward, she was soon beset by a swarm of bats.
Bang!
She raised her pistol and fired a charged shot, but the swarm evaded with ease.
"Echolocation, huh?" Hu Liena frowned. With a thought, a fox tail extended rapidly from her back, growing to five meters long, its fur standing stiff like steel needles.
From afar, it resembled a spiked mace.
With her wings flapping, she soared upward, refusing to engage, flying straight ahead.
Wham!
As she neared the swarm, her tail lashed out, sweeping a wide path through the bats.
Screech!
A dark–gold three–headed bat appeared in her vision, shrieking shrilly, rallying the swarm.
"The leader… judging from its aura, less than 30,000 years." Hu Liena analyzed. 'If I were still a Soul King, I'd never sense it. But now, as a Soul Emperor—having absorbed beyond my rank and possessing a wisdom–type soul bone—I can perceive opponents of similar strength clearly enough.'
She wasted no time. Wings spread, she charged. Her fox tail whipped fiercely.
After watching Yang Yunhai fight countless battles, she had begun to pay attention to developing her own abilities. In Slaughter City, where cultivation was slow, researching her martial soul and soul bone powers, then testing them in combat, had become her chosen path of progress.
"Fox Tail Needles!"
Soul power surged. The tail's steel–like hairs shot forth like a rain of needles.
Puff, puff, puff!
The dark–gold three–headed bat king folded its wings to shield itself. Its bones were tough, but the thin membranes were fragile. Soon, they were riddled with holes.
Bang!
A shot rang out. The energy bullet pierced through a hole in its wing and struck one of its eyes.
Screech!
The bat king shuddered violently in pain.
Hu Liena swept past overhead, her tail whipping again. Wham! It slammed the bat down, tearing its wing further. Bang, bang, bang! Shots followed in quick succession, blinding its remaining eyes.
Without hesitation, she fled.
Screech!
The bat king spasmed and plummeted, crashing onto the narrow path below.
With its command gone, the bat swarm descended into chaos.
Up ahead, Hu Liena had already flown far.
Not long after, crunching noises rose below—rocks grinding. Looking down, she saw a massive serpent.
'Good, it can't fly.' Relief flooded her as she soared higher.
She fired down in harassment as she passed, and within moments, she had left it behind.
After some time, no more enemies appeared. Choosing to conserve soul power, Hu Liena landed and continued running on foot.
Eventually, she reached the end. Boiling magma surged below, but a glow shone high ahead.
Her skin flushed red, her breath ragged. She shook her head fiercely.
'I can't last much longer. I need to hurry!'
She swallowed hard, channeling soul power into her flying soul tool. With a push of her feet, she shot upward toward the glow, her brow gem shining faintly pink as she forced back the corrosion. In midair, she staggered, nearly falling.
But at last, she crashed onto solid ground, stumbled forward through the portal, and collapsed to her knees.
The world spun, then darkness claimed her.
'Thank goodness for the flying soul tool…'
That was her last thought before fainting.
(End of Chapter)
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