Chapter 169: Departure, the Inner Core, and the Special Slaughter God Domain
"Alright, let's go down before Yan gets impulsive and swallows the inner core." Han Li turned to look at Dugu Bo, smiling as he called out.
"Inner core? You mean that golden red bead just now? Is it similar to the poison pills I refined before?" Dugu Bo glanced at Dugu Yan's direction, descending while asking curiously.
"Similar, but different from your poison pills. The inner core contains the essence of its entire being. Didn't you notice that none of the beasts we've killed here have produced soul rings?" Han Li landed in front of Dugu Yan and took the inner core from her hands, noticing her slight reluctance.
"Let me borrow this for now. I'll give it back to you later."
Han Li observed her expression before extending the core toward Dugu Bo.
"Try sensing it. See if your martial soul reacts."
Dugu Bo hesitated for a moment before bringing his martial soul energy closer to the inner core. The next second, his eyes widened in shock.
"Its essence is this potent? I can feel my martial soul being suppressed! But when it was alive, I didn't notice anything."
"It's likely superior in nature. As for the rest, I'm not entirely sure. After all, it's a beast from an ancient myth. Let me study it first, and I'll let you know what I find."
Han Li was well aware that this wasn't the prehistoric he once knew; it was likely a creature from another world. But even so, it was undeniably stronger than the heavily restricted soul beasts of the Douluo Continent.
As Shui Bing'er and Qiu'er approached, Han Li continued his explanation.
"This is a Ten Headed Fiery Sun Serpent, an ancient mythical beast. Highly venomous, its adult form can exceed ten meters in length, possessing the most potent fire based poison among serpents. Once it reaches ten thousand years of cultivation, it forms an inner core, hidden within its nine heads. When the core emerges, the heavens and earth tremble. Those who obtain its inner core will command the fear of all serpents, standing as the supreme sovereign of their kind."
"The supreme among serpents... Supreme... Supreme is good!"
Dugu Bo muttered to himself, his expression brightening.
Looking at Dugu Yan, he grinned widely. With this, I'll never have to worry about her future! She'll definitely surpass me someday.
"Can this make my martial soul undergo another transformation?"
Dugu Yan poked at the golden red inner core, a smile creeping onto her face.
"It can. It might even replace one of your soul rings, and if you're lucky, it could become your lifebound soul ring."
"However, let me study it first. I'll return it to you once we're out."
Han Li played with the inner core in his hand for a moment before storing it away.
"Oh..."
Dugu Yan pouted slightly but nodded obediently. Despite her instincts urging her to keep it, she trusted Han Li's judgment.
Seeing this, Han Li chuckled and playfully pinched her nose.
"This concerns our future strength. Give me three no, five days, and I'll return it to you."
Dugu Bo, listening nearby, narrowed his eyes in thought. He seemed to have guessed Han Li's intentions.
"Alright, let's get moving. I'm starting to miss blue skies and white clouds."
At his words, the others felt a surge of excitement. It wasn't just Han Li; they all longed to see the sun again. The year round murky sky of the City of Slaughter, along with its oppressive blue purple haze, was enough to make anyone miserable.
Han Li checked on everyone's condition before retrieving three Dragon Herb Leaves from his storage wristband and handing one to each of the three girls.
"Keep this in your mouths to speed up soul power recovery. For the rest of the journey, don't stop running the Blood Fiend Art. If anything feels off, speak up immediately. No hesitation, understood?"
"Old man, if you sense someone slipping, use your purification ability on them."
His expression grew more serious as he issued his instructions.
"Got it." / "Understood."
The group nodded. They knew they were approaching the final phase of their trial.
"Good. Let's go."
This time, Han Li didn't take the lead. Instead, he chose to walk at the back, ensuring that if anyone faltered, his domain could serve as a last line of defense.
He hoped they could endure the final stretch on their own.
Otherwise, even if they obtained the Slaughter God Domain, it would be hollow useless against true opponents.
As they continued forward, the heat intensified. The dark red liquid flowing in the depths of the abyss became clearer, no longer just a distant shimmer but a fully visible, roiling current.
Fortunately, none of them were weak. Aside from Qiu'er, the others all had martial souls with elemental resistances that helped against the environment. And with the Dragon Herb Leaves replenishing their soul power, even Qiu'er had no trouble maintaining her soul power barrier.
But as they walked, they noticed something.
The killing intent and negative emotions in the air here were far stronger than those in the City of Slaughter itself.
The oppressive heat seemed to agitate their minds, making them restless. Killing intent surged uncontrollably within them, subtly interfering with their focus.
"Stay sharp. Slow your pace. Treat this as training. Don't worry about safety use this chance to hone your spiritual power. Once we leave, we won't get another opportunity like this."
Han Li's voice rang in their ears, jolting them back to clarity.
The faint red mist surrounding their bodies gradually stabilized again.
Just like that, what should have been a passage they rushed through instead became a makeshift training ground under Han Li's direction.
As they neared the Blood Pool, now less than fifty meters beneath their feet, Han Li realized even he was beginning to feel its influence.
Still too weak. Han Li's spiritual power merely rippled, instantly clearing his mind of all distractions as he continued to protect the group.
So far, among the three girls, Qiu'er was performing the best. Perhaps it was because she had already killed many fallen soul masters, or maybe because her thoughts were the purest. Whenever she felt herself being influenced by the killing intent, she would glance back at Han Li, immediately regaining her clarity before continuing forward.
On the other hand, Dugu Yan and Shui Bing'er had each required two purification sessions from Dugu Bo to catch up with Qiu'er's pace.
And so, what was supposed to be a short distance ended up taking the five of them nearly four hours to traverse before they finally reached the edge of the Sea of Blood.
The churning sea before them radiated intense heat and an almost tangible aura of evil, making it feel as though they had arrived in the depths of hell itself.
A thousand meters away, an oval shaped barrier of white light stood silently, awaiting the arrival of the challengers.
Han Li assessed everyone's condition and found that, at this moment, only he and Dugu Bo were still capable of movement.
The three girls standing at the edge of the Sea of Blood could barely maintain their consciousness. Attempting to fly across like before seemed almost impossible.
Still, this was already quite impressive. The fact that they had managed to stay conscious here proved that their spiritual power had improved significantly, far beyond their current realm.
"Let's go, old man. Staying any longer won't make much of a difference for Yan's growth. It's time for us to leave."
Han Li turned to Dugu Bo.
"Yeah."
Dugu Bo glanced at his granddaughter, who was still stubbornly holding on, and a smile flashed across his face. He gave the three girls one final purification before picking up Dugu Yan and flying toward the barrier.
Han Li also scooped up Qiu'er and Shui Bing'er, his green wings flaring as he followed closely behind.
And just like that, what should have been an insurmountable chasm for others was effortlessly crossed by those with the ability to fly.
Standing before the white barrier, Han Li glanced back at the Hell Road, still swirling with blood mist and negative emotions. He exchanged a knowing smile with the others before stepping through the gate.
The moment he crossed the threshold, Han Li felt as though he had entered a strange, mystical world.
Everything around him was an endless void of white, and soon he noticed that the cold emptiness was pressing in on him, trying to invade his body.
At the same time, the killing intent within him was fully activated, undergoing a transformation under the influence of an unknown force, as if trying to assimilate him into the whiteness.
Han Li raised an eyebrow. Really, Shura? You're pushing it a bit.
Rather than resist passively, he directly unleashed his own killing intent to clash with the white force. Each time he tore apart a fragment of the foreign energy, he absorbed it using the Blood Fiend Art, and slowly, the white killing intent began to lose ground.
"Hmph."
A displeased snort echoed through the void, but despite the dissatisfaction, a pure white pattern of killing intent still flew toward him. Han Li watched as the original force surrendered to his control, allowing his blood red killing intent to completely overtake it.
Han Li blinked, then looked down at his palm, beginning to comprehend the markings and rules that now belonged to him.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but once he had fully grasped the transformation, he grinned and arranged the marking into a blood red character "韩" his name. Then, he cupped his hands and gave a respectful bow toward the void.
In the next instant, he felt himself being violently kicked out, forcibly returning to reality.
As he opened his eyes, he found the other four standing in front of him, their expressions filled with concern as they watched him closely.
"Haha, I'm fine. Just took some time to study it."
Han Li smiled and extended his right hand, revealing a unique, personal emblem.
Under their curious gazes, the blood red inscription on his palm began to shift and morph, taking the form of each of them in turn, moving vividly. Meanwhile, his domain unfolded, surrounding him in a crimson aura.
"Is your domain really the same as ours?"
Dugu Bo also activated his own domain. White killing intent shrouded his body, and a small white sword appeared on his forehead. He glanced between his own mark and Han Li's constantly shifting pattern, somewhat unconvinced.
"More or less."
Han Li retracted his domain and brushed off the topic with a laugh. For now, there was no need to shatter their confidence.
The others didn't press the issue. In truth, all they wanted at this moment was to find a place to rest.
Another issue remained though they had all acquired the Slaughter God Domain, and the Blood Fiend Art helped them control it, they had yet to realize just how much killing intent radiated from them.
If they were to walk through the streets now, even a single glance from them could terrify a child into silence.
The reason they hadn't noticed was simple they had been together for so long that they had become desensitized to each other's presence.
"For now, let's rest. According to our agreement, my master and granduncle should be arriving soon."
Han Li murmured, then lifted his right hand toward the sky. A two colored lotus bloomed from his palm, ascending higher and higher into the air.
Not far from their location, in a nearby encampment, Guang Ling sensed the energy fluctuation. Looking up, she spotted the glowing lotus in the sky, and a joyous expression spread across her face.
"Let's go, Qing Luan! Han Li and the others have made it out. Time to pick them up!"
Despite her words, Guang Ling didn't even wait for Qing Luan to stand up before unfolding her radiant wings and soaring toward the lotus.
Qing Luan rose to her feet, shook her head lightly, and transformed into a streak of blue light, quickly following behind.
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