"In thirty seconds, kill without mercy!"
The White Tiger Sect members knew something was wrong, but they had no choice but to charge forward.
Their soul power, vitality, and spiritual energy were rapidly drained.
These energies were then condensed into "Life Soul Hearts," combined with soul seeds, and implanted back into their own bodies—
Turning them into Tang Lan's puppets.
Tang Lan dispersed the Ancient Tree of Life and the Forbidden Zone of Life.
Then, in a loud and clear voice, he said:
"Now, you may return to the White Tiger Sect, gather all the sect's wealth, and then report to the Tang Sect."
Most people were utterly stunned by his words!
Some even looked at Tang Lan as if he were some kind of "Great Saint Mother."
—He's still too young, not ruthless enough!
But the very next second—
"AH—!"
"HISS—!"
"UGH—!"
A total of 314 people—
All clutched their chests, either kneeling, collapsing, or writhing on the ground.
Not a single one could remain standing.
This agony lasted for thirty seconds before Tang Lan finally ceased the torment. Then, in a calm tone, he stated:
"In three months, the Life Soul Heart will self-destruct."
"Within these three months, you may attempt any method to remove it—or fulfill your final wishes."
"After three months, I will personally remove the detonation countdown for the top 100 individuals who bring the most wealth to the Tang Sect."
"Starting now, the competition begins."
The faces of the White Tiger Sect members turned incredibly grim!
314 people, yet only 100 spots?
Wasn't this forcing them into internal strife?
And even if they won, they'd be stripped of most of their assets, reduced to nothing more than Tang Lan's dogs.
How could they possibly accept this?
Some hesitated, thinking about negotiating a better deal—
But before they could act, a portion of the group had already bolted for the exit.
With the White Tiger Sect's three Soul Douluo powerhouses dead and its core forces defected—
Wouldn't they be fools not to hurry back and plunder everything?
Seeing this, the rest of them immediately abandoned any thoughts of bargaining—
One by one, they rushed out of the Star Dou Spirit Transmission Tower as if their lives depended on it.
None of them wanted to be left behind.
Watching this unfold, Niu Gao couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration.
As expected of the Sect Master! Without shedding a single drop of blood, he had maximized his interests.
And he was certain—
Even those 100 "lucky survivors" of the White Tiger Sect wouldn't have peaceful days ahead.
"DONG! DONG! DONG!"
Heavy footsteps thundered in the distance.
Then, Zhao Wuji came charging through the main gate—riding on a Vigorous Vajra Bear! He waved excitedly from afar.
That Vigorous Vajra Bear—
Its arms were severed at the roots, its eyes gouged out, and even its left ear was incomplete.
No wonder it agreed to become Zhao Wuji's soul spirit.
"Sect Master!"
"I brought Xiong Da back!"
Perfect timing.
The life force Tang Lan had just absorbed had completely filled his Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone.
He gave a few final instructions.
"Don't let news of my return spread."
"We still need about two more months before we can temporarily extract ourselves from that side."
"At that time, the grudge between the Tang Sect and Spirit Hall will be settled—at the Elite Tournament."
"As for the Spirit Transmission TC City I mentioned, draft a preliminary plan and request funding from Zhao Wuji."
Niu Gao memorized everything and nodded in acknowledgment.
Tang Lan then activated Blood Escape with Zhao Wuji and the Vigorous Vajra Bear—disappearing beyond the horizon.
As Niu Gao withdrew his gaze, he suddenly realized something—
—What rank is the Sect Master at now?!
How is he killing Soul Douluo like slaughtering chickens?!
Previously, while Tang Lan had demonstrated Title Douluo-level combat power, it required him to detonate soul rings to achieve it.
But this time—he just stood there.
He didn't even activate his soul rings!
And—
What was that thunder-infused longsword all about?
Extreme North, Outer Region.
Following the guidance of the Soul Seed, Tang Lan located the Divine Wind Ark.
He released Da Ming, Zhao Wuji, and the Vigorous Vajra Bear.
"Old Zhao, start raising its cultivation age. Anything below 110,000 years is fine."
"Got it!"
Zhao Wuji, full of joy, immediately got to work.
Tang San then excitedly scurried over, rubbing his hands together with anticipation.
"Brother! How are you back so soon?"
"Did you find something good?"
Tang Lan gave him a speechless look.
To others, his journey seemed long and arduous, but in reality, it had only taken half a day—
—Most of which was spent chatting with Ah Yin.
What was Tang San even expecting?
But faced with his little brother's eager anticipation, how could he—as an elder brother—possibly disappoint him?
Tang Lan immediately announced,
"I found a special location where we can claim a domain for free."
"I plan to clear it in ten days."
"If you want one, you can come with me."
Tang San had only asked casually—
He never expected a real answer.
And not just any answer, but a domain—a treasure so rare it was practically unheard of!
—He had been jealous of Tang Lan's numerous domains for a long time!
As for the difficulty?
If Tang Lan only needed ten days to clear it—
Then even if he was slower, a month should be enough, right?
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Tang San immediately responded, "Brother, you have to take me! I've wanted a domain for ages!"
Tang Lan readily agreed.
In fact, he was looking forward to it.
He was certain that when Tang Hao saw Tang San in the Slaughter City—
His father would be thrilled and would probably stay longer just to 'train' Tang San properly!
And right now, Tang San was only at the four-ring Soul Ancestor stage—without any top-tier hidden weapons to protect himself.
His most broken ability, the 100,000-year soul ring, would also be disabled in that place.
Winning 100 battles to obtain the Deathgod Domain using firearms and hidden weapons wasn't impossible—
But there was a big problem.
The assessment deadline was only two months away.
Even when Tang Hao personally trained Tang San and he entered Slaughter City as a five-ring Soul King,
It still took him two years to clear it.
But now, with just two months?
Unless he wanted his head blown off, he'd have to beg Tang Lan to take him out.
At that point, Tang Lan could just make up an excuse—
"You got blacklisted. The moment you return, you'll be hunted down."
—Tang San would never get the Deathgod Domain in this lifetime.
Tang Lan wondered—was this considered 'stealing' his opportunity?
But even if it wasn't, getting to torture Tang San a bit was always a win.
He grinned from ear to ear.
Tang San saw his brother smiling and grinned just as widely in response.
His silly excitement made Tang Lan laugh even harder.
Later that day, Tang Lan called over Zhu Zhuqing, Shui Bing'er, and Shui Yue'er to accompany him.
Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes at him, exuding charm.
Shui Bing'er, trying to act composed, wrapped her arm around Tang Lan's.
As for Shui Yue'er—
"T-Three of us? Together?" Shui Yue'er stammered, blushing. "How about we wait until we get back?"
"Oh? Are you sure?" Tang Lan raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll just take Zhuqing and Bing'er. You stay behind."
Shui Yue'er panicked on the spot!
—Wasn't this just isolating her?!
"I'll go! I'll go, okay?!"
With that, Tang Lan took the three girls and flew deeper into the Extreme North.
Watching them leave, Zhao Wuji and the others had only one thought—
—In this freezing, snowy landscape… a man and three women…
The Sect Master truly knew how to enjoy life.
After flying for several kilometers, Tang Lan stopped and said casually,
"This is the spot. Set up a tent."
Once the three women were busy setting up camp,
Tang Lan touched the Seagod's Mark on his forehead and whispered,
"No peeking~"
Then, he used Vast Sea Soul Seal to temporarily imprison the Seagod's Mark.
Without wasting time, he immediately unsealed the God of Destruction's Mark on his right hand.
A notification instantly appeared—
「100,000-Year Soul Ring Acquired! God of Destruction's First Trial Overachieved!」
「Reward: 20% God of Destruction Affinity!」
「God of Destruction's Second Trial Activated—Attach a 100,000-Year Second Soul Ring to the Thunderflame Clear Sky Hammer!」
Tang Lan smirked.
As expected—the God of Destruction's Nine Trials were just about adding nine 100,000-year soul rings.
—Simple, at least for him.
For anyone else, it would be impossible—since they wouldn't even know where to find so many 100,000-year soul beasts.
He didn't bother sealing the mark again—
Since he was about to sacrifice two more soul beasts and complete Trial Two and Three in one go.
Turning around, he saw the three women huddled in the tent, waiting.
Bringing them along was just an excuse to seal the Seagod's Mark—
But now that things had reached this point, how could he possibly let them down?
—Time to go.
Three Days Later
The Ice Snow Empresses and Titan Snow Demon King Ah Tai returned—
Bringing back four 100,000-year soul beasts.
Shui Bing'er was a given—
With her Ice God Bloodline, Ah Tai was already prepared for her.
Snow Empress turned to Ning Rongrong—
And pushed a knee-high penguin toward her.
Snow Empress explained,
"Your martial soul is unique—your first seven soul skills are predetermined."
"That's why I found you a 150,000-year Ice Emperor Penguin."
"The Ice Emperor Penguin is the ruler of ice penguins. It's not strong offensively, but its defense is top-tier. Plus, it's lazy and loves to eat and sleep."
"So even if it becomes your soul spirit, it won't care whether its soul skills can be inherited or not."
At this point—
Snow Empress glanced at Tang Lan.
—Even a million-year-old Thunder Hell Prison Vine couldn't grant Tang Lan a soul skill through a soul ring!
She didn't know why—
But she doubted she'd be able to break that pattern.
Imagine—she, the mighty 690,000-year Snow Empress, was not only offering herself as a sacrifice to a human,
But might not even get to keep her powerful soul skills?!
That thought alone was—
"I'm totally fine with it! Thank you, Snow Empress~"
Ning Rongrong smiled brightly and crouched down to meet the Ice Emperor Penguin's gaze.
"Do you have a name?"
The Ice Emperor Penguin blinked its round, cute eyes, then opened its mouth—
"Gaa-gaa-gaa—"
…
Oh, great.
It couldn't even speak.
Ning Rongrong helplessly turned to Tang Lan for assistance.
Tang Lan established a mental link, allowing the two to communicate more effectively—
Which would also help when forming the equal contract for the soul spirit later.
The Ice Emperor then patted the creature beneath it.
It was a giant snow-white dolphin, nearly ten meters long, with a sharp horn on its forehead.
Ice Emperor explained—
"This is a 120,000-year-old Monohorn Ice Dolphin. In the frozen seas of the Extreme North, even Snow Empress and I can't keep up with its speed."
"Its horn can condense extreme ice power, just a step away from Ultimate Ice."
"Shui Yue'er, as an agility-type soul master, this suits your martial soul perfectly."
Shui Yue'er eagerly nodded in agreement.
A 120,000-year-old beast?!
And it was so compatible with her abilities!
She had never even dared to dream of something like this.
How could she possibly ask for more?
Hugging the Monohorn Ice Dolphin, she hurried off to bond with it.
This left Tang San, suspiciously looking around.
Wait a second… there aren't any more soul beasts.
Where's his 100,000-year beast?
Could it be…
They didn't find one suitable for him?!
At that thought—
Tang San's face darkened, and he turned to Tang Lan, silently begging him to step in.
Tang Lan smiled mysteriously.
How could he possibly neglect his own little brother?
He had specifically instructed them to find something special for Tang San—
"Look at you, acting all delicate and weak." Ice Emperor sneered. "Relax, the one I found for you is a full 150,000 years old."
Tang San's eyes lit up!
He completely ignored the insult—
His mind focused only on the number.
150,000 years?!
"Where is it?!"
"Where's my 150,000-year beast?!"
"Come out and meet your master!"
Ice Emperor casually tossed a storage ring to him.
Tang San's expectations soared even higher.
A soul beast that required a storage ring?!
It must be massive!
A legendary beast, no doubt!
With his heart racing in anticipation, he activated the storage ring—
Releasing the only living thing inside.
The world instantly went dark.
And then—
(TBC)