After Yang Wudi left, Yun Ming sensed the unkind gaze cast upon him and changed his expression at light speed to admit his mistake.
"Lily, I was wrong. I shouldn't have described the massage in such an ambiguous way."
"I won't dare do it again next time."
Ya Li asked in return.
"Really?"
"Not (really, I'll dare to do it again next time)," Yun Ming thought, sweating profusely, nearly letting the truth slip.
Having been a married couple for decades, how could Ya Li not know what Yun Ming was thinking? However, aside from silently canceling Yun Ming's evening companionship rights for the next week, she could only roll her eyes at him in the end.
Yun Ming did not know that because of his momentary playfulness, he would lose his right to enter the inner sanctum for the next week; otherwise, he would surely have regretted it deeply. Seeing that Ya Li did not seem to intend to pursue the matter further, he hurriedly changed the subject.
"Lily, look, my injuries are almost healed, and after taking the Life Essence Pill, my body's blood and energy have become much stronger. I can go out now, right?"
It wasn't that he couldn't sit still and was desperate to go out and roam. Yun Ming was quite experienced at being a homebody. The main reason was that after his body recovered, he needed to resolve the issues with the Spirit Rings caused by the destruction of his first three rings. Otherwise, his subsequent Soul Power cultivation speed would be hindered by a bottleneck, greatly affecting his efficiency. Previously, his body wasn't in a suitable state to re-add Spirit Rings, but now that he was mostly recovered, it was time to solve this problem.
Ya Li also knew Yun Ming's situation, but she felt that Yun Ming didn't need to rush, and she was afraid he might get injured a second time, so she advised him.
"Brother Ming, are you really sure your body is fine now? Why don't you rest for a while longer!"
Possessing a Soul Core, Yun Ming's cultivation speed before reaching the Title Douluo realm was simply beyond the understanding of ordinary people; there was no need to rush at all.
Yun Ming stepped forward, held Ya Li's small hand, and said softly.
"I'm really fine, and there's no risk this time. Trust me."
Afterward, under Yun Ming's repeated assurances, Ya Li reluctantly agreed. After informing the clan, Yun Ming left the Clan Land together with Ya Li.
More than ten days later, in the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.
A team of armored Knights dragged three fierce Soul Beasts of different species—some large cats, others spiders—but all possessing a uniform, ferocious aura, to the side of a stream. The middle-aged man in golden armor, who appeared to be the captain, said to the young man and woman by the stream.
"Saintess, Young Master Yun, these are the three Space Element ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts found according to your requirements. They should still be usable."
The man and woman by the stream were naturally Ya Li and Yun Ming, who had come out to solve the Spirit Ring problem. Because Ya Li had directly led a team to help, Yun Ming could use ready-made ones this time.
Ya Li glanced at the Soul Beasts and then said to the man in golden armor.
"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Wang. These Soul Beasts are very suitable."
Yun Ming also returned the gesture to express his gratitude.
The person Ya Li called 'Uncle Wang' was the eldest son of Subduing Demon Douluo, Wang Heng, a peak Soul Douluo. This time, Ya Li had gone to the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall Holy Temple to mobilize personnel to help find Soul Beasts, and since this man happened to be in Heaven Dou on business and heard it was to help Yun Ming, he had volunteered to assist.
Wang Heng waved his hand and said with a smile.
"As long as they are useful, hurry up and absorb the Spirit Rings! We will stand guard."
Although he didn't quite understand why Yun Ming was absorbing three Spirit Rings at once, the man was a ruthless expert who could instruct his father on cultivation; he certainly wasn't stupid, so he just needed to obey orders and do his job.
The rest was simple: Yun Ming just had to absorb the Spirit Rings.
With the Evil King and the others not yet awakened and unable to provide him with extra Spirit Rings, Yun Ming had initially planned to find some Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts to fill the gap. However, when he sorted through the information in his mind regarding the Soul Beasts of this era, he was shocked to find that the last pure Space Element Soul Beast he knew of in this era was only his old brother from his previous life.
Space Element Soul Beasts were already rare, and the category was somewhat special. They were either born with the space attribute or were Beast-level powerhouses who comprehended it later in life. The hundred-thousand-year stage happened to be a gap, which was quite awkward and difficult to find.
With the precedent of Ao Tian, his last old brother likely hadn't recovered his memories either. Moreover, that person was too strong and had too stubborn a personality; he could only be beaten into submission, which wasn't something Yun Ming could handle right now, so he had to give up.
If Yun Ming wanted Beast-level Spirit Rings, he wouldn't consider anyone other than Di Tian, Xiong Jun, and Bi Ji. Besides, he couldn't beat them right now, so there was no choice but to settle for using some Soul Beasts over fifty thousand years old instead.
Yun Ming summoned the Atlas Divine Spear and thrust it out. The large cat Soul Beast closest to him twitched twice and died instantly.
With the Soul Beast dead and the Spirit Ring appearing, Yun Ming sat cross-legged on the ground and began to absorb it.
Just like his previous experiences absorbing Spirit Rings—the ring entering his body, the energy impacting him, suppressing the energy, and so on—this time, absorbing the ring made him discover something else.
"This is..."
Sensing the anomaly, Yun Ming couldn't help but frown. Ya Li, who was waiting quietly outside, saw this and subconsciously began to feel nervous. This shouldn't be happening! With Yun Ming's current strength, a fifty-thousand-year Spirit Ring shouldn't be a burden to him. Could something else have gone wrong?
Fortunately, Ya Li's imagination did not come to pass. Yun Ming's subsequent Spirit Ring absorption was very stable, with no other special phenomena appearing until finally, a pitch-black Spirit Ring manifested and circled around Yun Ming, moving up and down without any further issues.
After absorbing the Spirit Ring, Yun Ming woke up, and Ya Li immediately pounced on him, checking him all over. Seeing Ya Li like this, Yun Ming didn't understand why and whispered a tease in her ear.
"In public, there's no need to be so impatient, it looks bad!"
However, Ya Li clearly had no time to mess around with Yun Ming and asked anxiously.
"Brother Ming, how are you? You didn't get hurt again, did you?!"
She wanted to check the situation inside Yun Ming's body, but as soon as her Soul Power entered, it was shattered by Yun Ming's two Soul Cores. Unable to gather any information, she could only ask.
Looking at Ya Li's expression, which looked like she was about to cry from anxiety, and seeing her inputting Soul Power into his body, Yun Ming realized something. It was likely that some other information had inadvertently leaked out during the previous situation, causing Ya Li to be so nervous, so he hurriedly explained.
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm not hurt. Check again."
After saying this, Yun Ming extended his arm, suppressed the protective instinct of his two Soul Cores, and allowed Ya Li to investigate.
This time, Ya Li sensed the situation inside Yun Ming's body. After confirming he was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling her previous emotional display, she slapped her palm against Yun Ming's chest and said loudly, pouting.
"Yun Ming, you scared me again!"
Hearing Ya Li call him by his full name, Yun Ming hurriedly explained.
"Don't be angry, this time I just discovered something interesting, there's no danger."
After Yun Ming told Ya Li about his discovery and coaxed her for a moment, Ya Li gradually regained her composure.
Afterward, they spent another two hours dealing with the remaining two Soul Beasts. Once they had finished absorbing the Spirit Rings, the group exited the Star Dou Great Forest together.
Upon leaving the Star Dou Great Forest and entering Soul Hunting Town, Yun Ming and Ya Li briefly discussed their subsequent plans. Now that Yun Ming's injuries were healed, there was no need for him to remain in the Clan Land any longer; it was time to consider their next steps. Finally, by combining this with the historical developments of later generations, they discovered a perfect opportunity to seize power in the future that aligned exactly with their needs, making now the perfect time to prepare.
Ya Li decided to return to Martial Soul Hall to plot their grand scheme, and Yun Ming, acting as both her bodyguard and a person under surveillance, naturally had to accompany her.
Following this, Yun Ming joined Ya Li in winning over the neutral factions within Martial Soul Hall and those opposed to Bibi Dong. They developed influence outside the Hall, performed good deeds to accumulate merit and gather prestige among the common people, and cultivated in silence.
During this time, although Bibi Dong could no longer ignore Ya Li as her influence grew, and she began to cause them trouble from time to time, they were already at a high level of status. Furthermore, with powerful experts guarding them at all times, it was difficult for her to strike. As long as things did not reach the point of a final, desperate struggle where all pretenses were dropped, these minor issues were inconsequential and caused no real losses to the pair.
The two continued this course of action for another two years.
Two years later, Slaughter City, Hell Slaughter Arena.
Boom—
A man dressed in black robes, wearing a mask and wielding a heavy hammer, looked at the pile of shattered corpses and mangled flesh at his feet. He raised his giant hammer high, releasing the terrifying, bloody aura of slaughter from his entire body without reservation.
The nearly tangible killing intent formed a massive vortex in the air. Around the vast arena, the multitude of Fallen Ones watching were rendered deathly silent by the immense killing intent he released, but they soon erupted into thunderous cheers.
"Asura King—"
"Asura King—"
"..."
They were chanting the name 'Asura King', a title carved out by the man in the arena, and a symbol of the Grim Reaper. In this regard, his status in their hearts was exactly the same as that of the Hell Envoy, the victor of the previous match.
Everyone believed that the Asura King was the most terrifying existence because none of his opponents had ever been left with an intact corpse. Whether dead or alive, the Asura King habitually crushed the skulls of every enemy to ensure his victory.
This man was naturally Tang San, who had left the Star Dou Great Forest to follow in his father's footsteps. At this moment, just like in the original timeline, he had spent two years completing ninety-nine percent of the plot in Slaughter City and had just achieved his one-hundredth victory in the Hell Slaughter Arena.
Just as Tang San was basking in the cheers of the scum around him, the person he most wanted to see in this Slaughter City appeared.
"Congratulations, young Asura King." A low, sharp voice suddenly came from all directions. The killing intent released by Tang San was forced back in an instant, suppressed back into his body, causing Tang San's face to turn deathly pale.
The atmosphere inside the Hell Slaughter Arena reached its peak, for a blood-red figure was descending from the sky.
"Slaughter King, Slaughter King, Slaughter King..."
The shouting made the Fallen Ones hoarse, yet they showed no signs of stopping.
Tang San felt a chill in his heart as he gazed at the scarlet figure in mid-air.
It was a tall man, entirely wrapped in a massive scarlet cloak.
With a pale complexion and a pair of completely blood-red eyes, his body descended slowly from the air, seemingly unaffected by gravity.
Standing in the Void, a symbol of a Titled Douluo—this was something he had witnessed from his father and uncle. He could be certain that this Slaughter King descending from the sky was definitely a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse.
Hovering five meters above the ground, the Slaughter King stopped his descent and looked down at Tang San, his low yet sharp voice ringing out once more.
"Bring forth the Hell Envoy."
The gate on the other side of the Hell Slaughter Arena opened, and a young woman whose eyes were already half-bloodshot, her aura clearly uneven due to her own killing intent, walked out slowly. Only when her gaze landed on Tang San did her aura stabilize slightly.
This person was naturally the last of the three beauties of Martial Soul Hall, the future Saintess of the Martial Soul Empire, Huliena.
Although she had not been defeated by Tang San due to Yun Ming's interference, her defeat at the hands of the Empire Team had still wounded her deeply, so she had come to Slaughter City, where she encountered Tang San just as in the original timeline.
The Slaughter King's gaze fell upon the spectator stands of the Hell Slaughter Arena.
"I am very pleased to witness the birth of two powerful fighters in the arena today. The hundred-win streak, which has not appeared for decades, has been displayed by two young people. With your powerful strength and terrifying killing intent, you have made them tremble, have you not? My subjects."
"Yes—"
"Yes—"
"Yes—"
The Slaughter King seemed to possess a unique charm that caused all the Fallen Ones to develop a near-fanatical worship upon seeing him.
From him, Tang San could smell a faint, sweet, and fishy scent, a fragrance that was somewhat intoxicating. Unfortunately, for him and Huliena, this influence was not very significant.
The Slaughter King lowered his head and looked at Tang San and Huliena.
"Asura King, Hell Envoy."
"Thank you for letting me feel the existence of passion once again."
"One hundred wins, very good. To commend your achievements, I have decided to grant you the title of Slaughter God as an exception. From this day forward, you may enter and leave Slaughter City at will. Furthermore, you are cordially invited to serve as Guest Elders of Slaughter City, under my direct command."
The fact that they did not have to traverse the Hell Road—a development completely different from the intelligence they had previously gathered—undoubtedly caught both of them off guard. However, both were quick-witted; they exchanged a single glance and immediately understood the Slaughter King's intentions.
Traversing the Hell Road was undoubtedly extremely dangerous, but behind that danger lay the immense temptation of the Slaughter God's Domain. The Slaughter King before them clearly did not want them to obtain the Slaughter God's Domain. But since that was their goal in coming here, they would naturally not give up. Both of them directly expressed their refusal.
After the Slaughter King issued a warning and threat regarding Huliena's refusal, there was no further action, but for Tang San, who lacked a backer to stand up for him, this time was clearly not as fortunate.
To this, the Slaughter King stated directly.
"What a pity. You have made a choice that is not exactly wise."
Before the two could reply, rings of pale red light were suddenly released from the Slaughter King's body.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader