Chapter 152: Breaking the Hell Road
Yang Xiong walked along the Hell Road for several kilometers, and a buzzing sound began to fill the air.
The further he went, the louder and more chaotic the sound became.
Yang Xiong drew a longsword from his soul tool and gradually slowed down his pace.
At that moment, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, and then countless blood-red eyes appeared throughout the space, looking extremely eerie.
Using his Purple Extreme Demon Eyes, Yang Xiong saw that there were countless blood-red bats, both on the walls and below the Hell Road. Each bat had crimson eyes, and it was unclear if it was due to the influence of the Killing City, but every bat seemed to emit a faint murderous aura.
The bats seemed to sense Yang Xiong's gaze and all of them suddenly took flight, slowly beginning to surround him.
Yang Xiong's heart sank, and he increased his pace, especially as he swung his longsword, driving the bats back.
However, these bats seemed to have some intelligence. They stopped at a certain distance, almost like hunters waiting to capture prey.
Suddenly, a loud boom was heard, and countless bats rapidly flew towards Yang Xiong, their claws looking razor-sharp.
Yang Xiong became a bit tense. Each bat was extremely fast and agile, and they seemed to be poisonous—definitely not weaker than ordinary century-old soul beasts.
Moreover, the number of bats was overwhelming, likely in the thousands. In the narrow Hell Road, Yang Xiong's movements were severely restricted.
Yang Xiong did not act recklessly. Given the bats' speed, long-range attacks would be difficult, especially since his ranged attack abilities were relatively weak.
As the bats neared, Yang Xiong released a terrifying sword aura from his longsword. This blood-red sword aura directly shredded dozens of the approaching bats into pieces.
The bats seemed to be in immense pain and all emitted a strange, high-pitched screech. This unique sound wave from the bats was a form of remote attack and interference. Without a long-range soul skill, Yang Xiong was left feeling extremely passive.
Although his martial soul was strong in close combat, facing such a large number of bats, Yang Xiong found it more convenient to wield a sword.
As Yang Xiong swung his longsword faster and faster, it seemed as if he were breaking free from the bats' encirclement. Every time he released sword energy, the tearing sound of the sword helped disrupt the bats' sonic attacks.
The bats, seemingly unwilling to relent, started attacking Yang Xiong from all directions, not sparing even his back or feet. It appeared they had formed some sort of formation, showing that these bats had a degree of intelligence.
Yang Xiong's longsword moved rapidly, guarding his entire body.
The bats seemed very intelligent, as they stopped attacking directly and instead appeared to be trying to wear Yang Xiong down. This display of intelligence even made Yang Xiong twitch at the corner of his mouth.
However, Yang Xiong's resolve hardened. Since they wouldn't attack, he decided to move on.
He swung his longsword and quickly advanced, clearing the path cleanly, increasing his speed to its maximum.
Just then, a huge figure appeared ahead.
This massive bat was over four meters long, blocking the Hell Road. Its claws were over a meter long, looking extremely sharp. When it spread its wings, they extended over ten meters.
The bat's entire body was dark golden in color, and it had three heads—this was the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King.
The two sides seemed to be in a standoff. Yang Xiong slashed out with his longsword, attempting to sever the bat king's wings.
But the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King reacted quickly, dodging Yang Xiong's attack by flapping its wings. At the same time, it emitted a unique sound wave that caused a sharp pain in Yang Xiong's head, even with his current spiritual power.
Seizing the opportunity, the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King charged at Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiong, who was still experiencing some headache, suddenly became cold-faced. He struck with his left fist, and his fist collided with the bat king's claws. Both Yang Xiong and the bat king were pushed back several meters.
In terms of raw power, the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King seemed to have reached the level of a ten-thousand-year soul beast, but in terms of strength and speed, it still lagged behind Yang Xiong to some extent.
The Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King seemed to have some intelligence. It emitted a loud screech, and countless blood-red bats started surrounding Yang Xiong. Its sharp claws slashed at the road beneath, instantly shattering the ground.
Yang Xiong's heart sank. The Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King appeared to want to destroy the Hell Road, perhaps realizing it wasn't strong enough to pass through on its own.
At that moment, Yang Xiong vanished from sight, suddenly appearing beside the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King. With both hands gripping his longsword, he launched a fierce strike.
The Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King responded by swinging its claws to counterattack.
However, Yang Xiong's strike was incredibly brutal, almost all of his strength concentrated in this one move. His longsword released countless sword energies, which formed a gigantic word of "Kill" in the air, using the Seven Kill Sword technique.
Though the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King was strong, facing Yang Xiong's full-powered attack, its body was immediately sliced into several pieces and it was killed on the spot.
As the surrounding bats saw their king fall, they went into a frenzy, attacking Yang Xiong with all their might.
But Yang Xiong was not to be underestimated. His longsword moved with incredible speed, creating a massive barrier of sword energy. Any bat that came too close was immediately sliced to pieces.
Within moments, most of the bats had been killed by Yang Xiong, and only a few had managed to flee.
Yang Xiong then carefully examined the body of the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King. It was indeed unlike that of a typical soul beast; there were no soul rings, and its blood was completely different.
After a moment of thought, Yang Xiong continued on his way. The road ahead was still dangerous, and he had no time to dwell on this for too long.
As he ventured deeper into the Hell Road, the temperature around him began to rise. Suddenly, he heard a hissing sound ahead.
Yang Xiong knew that the greatest enemy of the Hell Road was about to appear.
Sure enough, a massive snake began to coil through the Hell Road. Its eyes were blood-red, and it emitted an intense heat. The snake was likely over ten meters long, and there were nine lumps on its head. This was the Ten-Headed Sun Snake.
The Ten-Headed Sun Snake also noticed Yang Xiong, and it let out an eerie screech. The nine lumps on its head began to glow, making the creature appear incredibly menacing.
Yang Xiong pressed forward without hesitation. With a powerful slash, he sent a sword energy directly at the Ten-Headed Sun Snake's head.
However, the Ten-Headed Sun Snake was far too powerful. Its enormous tail swung towards Yang Xiong and knocked his sword energy off course.
The tail then continued its attack, slamming into Yang Xiong's longsword. The sword shattered immediately, and Yang Xiong was sent flying several meters. If it hadn't been for his quick reflexes, he would have likely fallen off the Hell Road.
At that moment, Yang Xiong's expression turned grim. This Ten-Headed Sun Snake was stronger than he had imagined, and no wonder it was considered one of the most difficult trials on the Hell Road.
Originally, Yang Xiong had estimated that this Ten-Headed Sun Snake was only about thirty thousand years old, or else Tang San in the original story wouldn't have been able to defeat it.
But now, he realized he had seriously underestimated the Ten-Headed Sun Snake's strength.
After all, the snake's inner core had been transformed into Ma Hongjun's soul ring, and even Ma Hongjun had almost failed to absorb it without the help of Tang San and Ning Rongrong.
Normally, a Soul Saint could only absorb a soul ring below fifty thousand years, and based on the current situation, this Ten-Headed Sun Snake was likely over fifty thousand years old—or possibly even stronger.
Especially considering that soul skills couldn't be used in the Killing City, and in such a narrow Hell Road, it would be even more difficult to defeat the snake.
Yang Xiong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, threw away his broken sword, and smiled faintly.
"Very well. I'll see just how strong you are, and how much I've improved over the years."
A vast killing aura emanated from Yang Xiong's body, his Xuanming Armor covered him, and his Ice and Fire Dragon Claws extended.
The Ten-Headed Sun Snake was incredibly fast, and it spat a fiery stream of flames from its mouth. The fire was incredibly powerful, likely equivalent to a ten-thousand-year soul skill.
But Yang Xiong's reaction was lightning fast. He leaped into the air, dodging the flames with ease.
The Hell Road was narrow, and the Ten-Headed Sun Snake seemed to have anticipated this. It swung its massive tail again, aiming to strike Yang Xiong.
But after dodging the flames, Yang Xiong's right claw reached out with all his strength, landing a solid grip on the Ten-Headed Sun Snake's tail.
Despite the snake's formidable defense, the Ice and Fire Dragon Claws were more than enough to break through. These claws could shatter defenses at the Soul Douluo level, and their age had already surpassed thirty thousand years.
Before the Ten-Headed Sun Snake could react, Yang Xiong swiftly ran up its body, and before it could do anything, he slammed his claws into its body.
The Ten-Headed Sun Snake screamed in agony, but this only made it fiercer. It swung its head toward Yang Xiong, seemingly trying to knock him off the Hell Road.
But Yang Xiong's steps were as swift as the Bagua, darting along the Hell Road. With a flash of his body, he grabbed the Ten-Headed Sun Snake's head with both hands, delivering a powerful blow.
The Ten-Headed Sun Snake screeched again as its entire body thrashed violently, shaking the Hell Road as if it were about to collapse.
But even though it was hit on the head, the nine lumps on its head began to glow with intense light. The previously damaged head seemed to regenerate, as if the snake now had ten heads.
Yang Xiong snorted coldly. "Looks like you have a long life. But I wonder if after I crush all your heads, you'll still be able to recover."
The Ten-Headed Sun Snake seemed to be enraged. It surged forward like a dragon emerging from the sea, its enormous head aiming to bite Yang Xiong, surrounded by a powerful flame.
Yang Xiong's face twisted into a smirk. He summoned a massive spiral ball over a meter long, swirling with various colors: golden for metal, brown for earth, and deep blue for lightning. The ball crackled like thunder, full of explosive power.
At this point, the Ten-Headed Sun Snake had no way out. It had been attacking desperately, especially after feeling insulted.
Yang Xiong charged at the Ten-Headed Sun Snake with the spiral ball. The giant snake's head seemed to show a hint of fear as it realized the power of the spiral ball.
But Yang Xiong wouldn't give it any chance. He instantly teleported above the Ten-Headed Sun Snake's head and slammed the spiral ball into it.
Despite the Ten-Headed Sun Snake's endless flames, the spiral ball shattered its head in an instant, turning it to pieces.
The force of the battle seemed to shake the entire Hell Road, and it felt as though it could collapse at any moment.
Yang Xiong didn't hesitate. He quickly cut open the Ten-Headed Sun Snake's belly, retrieved a fire-red inner core, and then swiftly left.
(END CHAPTER)
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