Xiao Wu stayed dazed for a few seconds before she finally snapped back to reality.
Hearing Shui Bing'er's question, she grinned playfully.
Her Martial Soul manifested, and her God of Slaughter Domain unfolded.
The killing intent was dense, but only slightly stronger than Shui Bing'er's.
Everyone felt a pang of disappointment.
But then—
The killing aura within her God of Slaughter Domain condensed, and locked onto Tang Lan completely.
"Slaughter Assault?" Tang Lan's eyes brightened. "Xiao Wu, did your God of Slaughter Domain evolve?"
Xiao Wu nodded in confirmation.
"Once I lock onto a target, my attack speed increases by 100%, and my attack power increases by 30%!"
It had the same effect as Tang Lan's.
Everyone erupted in excitement!
"Xiao Wu-jie, how did you do it?!"
"To think you could absorb that much Slaughter Energy… truly worthy of being Xiao Wu-jie!"
"I knew it! If anyone could do it, it would be Xiao Wu!"
"What exactly happens when the God of Slaughter Domain evolves?"
As everyone chattered excitedly,
Xiao Wu patiently answered each question—
All while secretly observing Tang Lan.
She noticed that he was just standing there smiling, completely unaffected.
Her face fell immediately.
"Brother, why aren't you reacting at all?"
Hearing this—
Everyone finally realized something.
"Now that you mention it… when I activated my God of Slaughter Domain, the Sect Master didn't seem affected at all?" Oscar muttered.
"Isn't the God of Slaughter Domain supposed to directly weaken attributes proportionally?"
"So it wasn't just me? I thought I was just too weak to have an effect…"
Faced with everyone's confusion,
Tang Lan chose the simplest way to explain it.
—He activated his Slaughter Domain.
A dense, blood-red aura descended, instantly suppressing everyone.
Their God of Slaughter Domains were forcefully compressed to a radius of half a meter.
And more than that—
"Huh? My spirit abilities aren't working again?" Ning Rongrong exclaimed.
"I can still sense mine, but using them feels ridiculously difficult. The energy cost has increased more than tenfold!" Shui Bing'er frowned.
"So this is the Sect Master's God of Slaughter Domain?" Oscar marveled.
"Feels exactly like being back in the City of Slaughter," Dai Mubai remarked.
"Is this even the same as the God of Slaughter Domain?" Zhu Zhuqing questioned.
Compared to everyone's shock,
Xiao Wu was the only one calmly analyzing the situation.
She condensed her God of Slaughter Domain, shaping it into an invisible blade,
And forcefully slashed through the restrictions, regaining access to her spirit abilities.
Tang Lan noticed immediately.
He was a little surprised.
—So an evolved God of Slaughter Domain can actually override the Slaughter Domain's anti-magic effect?
"Xiao Wu, try using your spirit abilities and see how they perform," Tang Lan instructed.
Xiao Wu nodded and began testing each one.
Third Spirit Ability: Teleportation!
—Distance reduced to within 2 meters.
Fourth Spirit Ability: Invincible Golden Body!
—Duration shortened to half a second.
Fifth Spirit Ability: Void!
—Duration also halved.
This result satisfied Tang Lan.
"So, it can resist the anti-magic field, but spirit abilities are still weakened.
This is balanced."
"Alright, everyone's gains are solid." Tang Lan finally said. "We've been away from home for too long—it's time we returned."
The moment he said this—
Everyone's eyes lit up!
"We're finally going back?!"
"Let's go!"
"I can't wait anymore!"
"I've been dying for some of Gou Qi's cooking!"
"Charge—!"
One by one, they queued up to receive Seagod's Soul Seal and were stored in Tang Lan's spatial ring.
But Tang Lan did not leave immediately.
Instead—
[System Notification]
"Asura God's Third Trial—Assist Grand Priest Tang Chen in Rebuilding the City of Slaughter!"
"Completed!"
"Reward: Asura God-King Affinity +5%"
"Asura God's Fourth Trial—Train at Least Five Gods of Slaughter!"
"Overachieved by 160%!"
"Reward: Asura God-King Affinity +8%"
Not bad.
With this, he had already completed three of the nine Asura God Trials.
The remaining ones shouldn't be a problem.
Becoming the Asura God-King was within reach!
Tang Lan activated Blood Escape Technique, shooting northward.
He first stopped above the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
In the next instant—
A blinding sword light shot into the sky.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stepped onto his sword, stopping ten meters away from Tang Lan.
The moment he recognized Tang Lan, his guarded expression softened.
He chuckled—
"Ah, it's you, Xiao Lan.
I haven't seen you in a year, but even I'm starting to feel threatened by your growth. Looks like you've improved a lot!"
—A greeting, and an acknowledgment.
Chen Xin's strong reaction was understandable.
As an old-school Titled Douluo and the pillar of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, his vigilance was top-notch.
"Sword Uncle, you flatter me." Tang Lan smiled. "It's been almost a year since we last met. I specifically brought Rongrong back first, so she could reunite with her family."
With a casual wave of his hand,
He released Ning Rongrong from his storage ring, lifting the Seagod's Soul Seal from her.
Chen Xin quickly stepped forward, catching Ning Rongrong onto his sword, carefully inspecting her.
Ning Rongrong blinked her eyes open.
The moment she saw Chen Xin, she instinctively lunged forward.
"Sword Grandpa!"
"Rongrong missed you so much!"
Chen Xin, clearly pleased, hugged her tightly, his eyes narrowing into joyful slits.
"Ah!"
"Grandpa missed his little princess too."
"Let Grandpa take a good look at you—did you lose weight?"
Seeing them chatting happily,
Tang Lan didn't interrupt.
He simply turned into a streak of blood light, soaring toward Heaven Dou City.
From behind, Ning Rongrong lifted her head, gazing toward the fading blood light.
The excitement of returning home… had somewhat cooled.
Because in Tang Lan's eyes, she still belonged to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Even now—she still wasn't a true core member of his circle.
Though he had planted the Life Soul Seed in her, it didn't place any restrictions on her.
Freedom also meant distance.
Chen Xin immediately understood her thoughts at a glance.
He let out a deep sigh.
"Rongrong, some things… if you can't attain them, you must learn to let go."
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath.
For now, she set aside her emotions, put on a smile, and pulled on Chen Xin's arm.
"Sword Grandpa, I've reached level 50!"
Chen Xin's eyes widened in shock.
"Level 50 already?!"
When Ning Rongrong left, how high was her level?
—This growth was way too fast!
But having already witnessed the effects of immortal herbs before, and given his trust in Tang Lan,
He didn't suspect that she had used any evil methods.
"Rongrong, come tell Grandpa all about what you've been through this past year."
"No rush!" Ning Rongrong grinned. "I want to see Dad and Bone Grandpa first—let's talk about it together!"
"Alright, alright! Then let's go find Fengzhi and the others."
Chen Xin controlled the Seven Kill Sword, descending slowly.
Behind him—
Ning Rongrong stared toward Heaven Dou City, her eyes filled with unwillingness and determination.
Heaven Dou City, Tang Sect.
After a whole year.
The Tang Sect, which occupied a corner of Heaven Dou City, had more than doubled in size.
As soon as Tang Lan released Xiao Wu and the others,
Zhao Wuji came over beaming, his face full of pride.
"Sect Master, over the past year, the Tang Sect's development—"
Tang Lan waved a hand, cutting off his report.
"I trust you with the Sect's affairs."
"There's no need to update me on the minor details."
"How about the tasks I assigned you?"
Zhao Wuji fell silent for a moment.
—You trust me?
—More like you just don't want to manage anything yourself!
But he had to admit…
Being given so much authority felt really damn good.
"Of course, everything was handled flawlessly!"
Zhao Wuji responded confidently—
"The remnants of the White Tiger Clan were fully absorbed three days ago.
They brought a wealth of gold, herbs, and artifacts into the sect."
"We were just waiting for your return to lift the Life Soul Seed's countdown."
"As for the children we've been training, all of them have developed Qi perception—
But most lean toward practicing 'Lingbo Weibu.' Only about ten percent have talent for 'Jiuyang Divine Skill.'"
"The Tang Sect Academies have been established across various locations.
With your approval, we can begin enrollment and teaching immediately!"
(End of Chapter.)