Ten years of time, gone in the blink of an eye.
For the common beings of the Douluo Continent, these ten years were a decade of continued prosperity under the Federation, with martial way and Soul Tool Technology changing with each passing day. However, for certain individuals walking in the shadows or being toyed with by the hand of fate, it was a decade that completely overturned the trajectory of their lives.
In the first two years, Yu Xiaogang was like a drowning man who had found a straw, throwing himself frantically into the bizarre divine skill bestowed by the Asura God King: "Malicious Feedback."
Like a hyena that could not see the light, he wandered the dark corners of Martial Soul City and its surrounding major cities, greedily absorbing the insignificant negative emotions—jealousy, resentment, and anxiety—that sprouted in the hearts of commoners, down-and-out soul masters, and even thugs.
These scattered evil thoughts, like a trickle, flowed into his dried-up meridians and were refined into pure yet chilling soul power. His cultivation level soared at an abnormal speed. In just two short years, he broke through bottlenecks one after another, climbing all the way from a newly-minted Soul Elder to the realm of a Soul Ancestor!
Accompanying the surge in soul power, his martial soul, Three-Pound Cannon, also underwent terrifying changes. The original chubby and cute form had long since vanished, replaced by a ferocious beast shadow shrouded in dark red baleful energy, its body lean and tough, fangs exposed, and eyes filled with vicious cruelty.
Most notably, two short yet incredibly sharp dark red bony protrusions grew on its head, resembling unformed dragon horns, emitting a heart-palpitating aura of ferocity. At this moment, Three-Pound Cannon was less like a mutated pig and more like a fierce beast that had crawled out of hell!
As for soul rings, the Asura divine sense did not leave him entirely to his own devices. He casually taught Yu Xiaogang several sinister and bizarre tricks for ambushing, poisoning, and utilizing environmental traps, and bestowed upon him a solidified soul skill called "Asura Slash."
This "Asura Slash" required no soul ring and consumed a massive amount of soul power, but it could unleash a sharp, peerless blood-colored blade of light, with power sufficient to instantly kill an ordinary Soul King. Relying on these means, Yu Xiaogang was able to sneak into the edge of the Soul Beast Forest alone to hunt suitable thousand-year soul beasts and obtain his third and fourth soul rings.
However, the wanton absorption of evil thoughts and the abnormal soaring of his cultivation level eventually attracted the attention of certain powerhouses within Martial Soul City.
In particular, the Federation Law Enforcement Department was not lacking in those with keen perception. A soul power fluctuation, faint yet filled with an evil and fallen aura, appeared and disappeared within the city, raising their vigilance.
One day, while Yu Xiaogang was deep in a slum, fully absorbing the intense resentment generated by several thugs over an uneven split of loot, he suddenly perceived—through the unique sense provided by "Malicious Feedback"—several powerful auras carrying cold killing intent and disgust, rapidly closing in from different directions! The strongest among them had actually reached the level of a Soul Emperor!
"Not good! I've been discovered!" Yu Xiaogang was scared out of his wits; no longer caring about cultivation, he fled in a panic. Like a frightened bird, he ran for his life, relying on his familiarity with the city's alleys.
But the Federation law enforcement officers were well-trained and coordinated, and they soon cornered him in an abandoned workshop. Leading them was a cold-faced Soul Emperor captain, followed by three Soul King team members.
When the light illuminated Yu Xiaogang's face, several of the law enforcement officers frowned. The person before them had hair that was mostly gray, a withered face with deep wrinkles, and eyes that were turbid and filled with an indelible, poisonous resentment; his entire body exuded a decaying aura of someone nearing death, mixed with chilling soul power.
This appearance, clearly that of a villain, combined with that extremely uncomfortable evil aura, almost confirmed his "fallen" conduct of "practicing evil arts and overdrawing his life force"!
"Fallen One! Surrender!" the Soul Emperor captain shouted sternly, his eyes filled with cold killing intent. The Federation's crackdown on Evil Soul Masters and fallen soul masters had always been severe, especially for someone so bold as to lurk in Martial Soul City for so long—they were to be executed on the spot!
"You want to catch me? Dream on!" Yu Xiaogang roared, a look of madness flashing in his eyes as he raised his hand to unleash an "Asura Slash"! The blood-red blade of light tore through the air with a shrill whistle, slashing directly at one of the Soul Kings!
The Soul King's complexion changed; sensing the terrifying lethality contained within the blade of light, he hurriedly dodged, but was still grazed by the edge. His protective soul power shattered instantly, a deep, bone-visible wound was carved into his chest, and he flew backward with a scream!
"Careful! This wretch is strange!" The Soul Emperor captain was both shocked and angry, not expecting the opponent to have such a powerful attack soul skill. He hurriedly moved to rescue him while commanding the other two Soul Kings: "Form a formation! Fight steadily and wear him down! Don't engage in a head-on clash!"
Having suffered a loss, the law enforcement officers immediately changed their tactics. The three formed a battle formation, fighting from a distance with soul skills and harassment, no longer giving Yu Xiaogang a chance to clash head-on. The Soul Emperor captain provided support from the periphery, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
At this point, Yu Xiaogang's disadvantage was fully exposed. Although "Asura Slash" was powerful, its soul power consumption was staggering; with his Soul Ancestor cultivation, unleashing it three or four times at full power was his limit, and it required a brief recovery period.
Furthermore, his close-quarters combat ability, movement techniques, and defense were all at the bottom of his tier, relying entirely on a fierce aura and deceitful tricks. Under the law enforcement officers' steady war of attrition, he was soon stretched thin, sustaining several wounds, and his aura grew increasingly withered.
"It's over..." Despair welled up in Yu Xiaogang's heart. He felt his life force slipping away rapidly; if this continued, he would either be killed or die of exhaustion!
Just as he was about to be struck in the back by a heavy punch from a Soul King, at the moment of life and death—
Hum!
An invisible, intangible, yet vast and terrifying will descended quietly! The Soul Emperor captain and the three Soul Kings, who were about to launch a fatal blow, froze in their tracks, their eyes instantly becoming vacant and hollow, as if their souls had been extracted. They remained in their attacking postures, standing stiffly in place like four statues.
Yu Xiaogang was still shaken, looking around in a daze. The next moment, he felt the space around him distort, and with a blur before his eyes, he was already in a completely unfamiliar, dim world filled with the scent of blood and slaughter—the City of Slaughter!
"Trash!" A cold, indifferent voice echoed directly in the depths of his soul; it was the Asura divine sense. "You couldn't even handle a few ants, and now I have to clean up your mess myself!"
Yu Xiaogang trembled all over, hurriedly kneeling and kowtowing: "Thank you, Your Majesty the God King, for saving my life! This junior is incompetent! This junior deserves to die!"
"Hmph! If it weren't for the fact that you are still useful, would I care whether you live or die?" The Asura divine sense was filled with disgust. "Remember, you are now 'Fallen Soul Master Yu Xiaogang,' captured by the law enforcement team and sentenced to the City of Slaughter according to the law.
This is your new identity, and your final trial ground! If you can survive here and break through to the Soul Sage realm, I might give you another chance. If you die here, then that is your fate!"
As the voice faded, the Asura divine sense vanished. The four controlled law enforcement officers also regained their senses. They looked blankly at the empty, abandoned workshop, their memories containing only the false fragment of having "captured the fallen soul master and thrown him into the City of Slaughter," before departing in confusion.
Yu Xiaogang slumped onto the cold ground of the City of Slaughter, his heart still pounding. But soon, the fear of death was replaced by the relief of having survived.
Upon first entering the City of Slaughter, Yu Xiaogang was stunned by the scene before him. The sky was a permanent blood-red, the air was filled with an inseparable stench of blood and madness, and fighting and looting could be seen everywhere on the streets, with beast-like ferocity flashing in everyone's eyes. He trembled with fear.
But soon, the "Malicious Feedback" technique within his body began to run automatically, sensing the vast, sea-like, and incredibly pure evil thoughts and slaughter aura surrounding him! The evil thoughts here were purer and more violent than the chaotic negative emotions of the outside world! To him, it was a paradise for cultivation!
What surprised him even more was that although the City of Slaughter prohibited the use of soul skills, his "Asura Slash," which originated from Asura divine power, was not restricted! This meant he was not a lamb waiting for the slaughter here!
Fear was quickly replaced by greed. Yu Xiaogang began to take root in the City of Slaughter. Relying on the power of "Asura Slash," he cautiously hunted the weak, snatched Bloody Mary, and barely managed to survive in the cruel environment.
Gradually, he became accustomed to the laws here, and the dark desires suppressed in his heart were completely released. He began to enjoy the pleasure brought by slaughter, becoming addicted to nourishing his own power with the pain and fear of others. He became more cruel and cunning than many of the Fallen Ones.
He did not know that he was able to cultivate relatively "peacefully" here only because the Asura God King had secretly issued an order to the contemporary King of Slaughter (a level 96 Super Douluo who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood) to "take care" of him slightly, preventing him from being killed too early by true powerhouses. The Asura God King needed this "culture dish" to grow smoothly until the "fruit was ripe."
Over eight years, nourished by the endless evil thoughts and blood of the City of Slaughter, Yu Xiaogang's cultivation soared at an abnormal speed, actually breaking through all the way to the Soul Sage realm.
The price was that his Life Origin was almost completely burned away; despite being less than forty years old, he was already as aged as an eighty-year-old man, his entire body exuding a decaying aura, his eyes turbid and mad.
And that thin thread of Golden Sacred Dragon Bloodline within his body, under the secret guidance of the Asura divine power and the stimulation of evil thoughts, had miraculously grown and condensed, forming a bloodline crystal the size of a dragon's eye, emitting a faint golden-red halo, deep within his heart.
But it was also at this moment that the Asura God King arrived.
Without warning, a dark red divine sense, condensed to the extreme, acted like the sharpest scalpel, easily slicing open Yu Xiaogang's chest and precisely extracting the bloodline crystal containing the pure dragon origin!
"No... my power... Your Majesty the God King! Why?!" Yu Xiaogang let out a shrill, miserable scream, feeling the core of his life being forcibly dug out! His decaying body, which had been supported by evil thoughts and evil arts, collapsed instantly.
His soul power dissipated like a broken dam, his meridians snapped, and his martial soul, Three-Pound Cannon, wailed once before dissolving into points of light. From a Soul Sage, he was instantly beaten back to his original form, becoming a dying cripple who was not even as good as an ordinary person!
"The waste has been utilized; your mission is over." The Asura divine sense coldly pronounced, casually tossing Yu Xiaogang like trash into the core forbidden area of the City of Slaughter—the blood pool of the Hell Road!
That blood pool, which had gathered the essence of the blood of those who had fallen in the City of Slaughter over countless years, contained monstrous resentment and chaotic energy.
Yu Xiaogang's broken body fell into it and was instantly submerged by the viscous dark red blood. The pool water boiled, crazily eroding and decomposing his flesh, extracting the very last trace of the aura that shared the same origin as the bloodline crystal.
Asura God King did not even bother to cast a second glance; his goal had been achieved. This "Golden Sacred Dragon Bloodline Crystal," forged from the pure bloodline of the Yu Family, nourished by evil thoughts for eight years, and steeped in the bloody aura of the City of Slaughter, was the generous gift he had prepared for his future "successor"—a perfect vessel capable of bearing a portion of the Asura divine power.
As for the discarded husk of Yu Xiaogang, serving as the "womb" for the crystal, its final value lay in being cast into the Blood Pool. Using his remaining bloodline as a conduit, it would combine with the energy of the Blood Pool to perform a "bestowal."
City of Slaughter, Slaughter Divine Palace.
The current King of Slaughter, a man shrouded in black robes and radiating a dense, bloody stench, was kneeling respectfully on the ground. He had originally been nothing more than a level 96 Super Douluo who had clawed his way to the top through slaughter, but at this moment, he felt a terrifying pressure emanating from the depths of his soul.
"Considering your meritorious service in guarding this realm, I grant you a stroke of fortune," the indifferent voice of the Asura God King resonated. Immediately, the extracted power—containing the final Life Essence of Yu Xiaogang and the origin of the Blood Pool—transformed into a dark red torrent and surged into the body of the King of Slaughter!
"Aaaah--!" The King of Slaughter let out a roar of pain and ecstasy. His body trembled violently as his cultivation level skyrocketed at an unprecedented speed! Level 97, level 98, level 99! In the end, he was forcibly pushed to the level of a Titled Douluo! Although his foundation was unstable and future progress would be difficult, his current power was undeniably that of a level 99 powerhouse.
At the same time, a faint connection, originating from the same source as that bloodline crystal, was forged within his body. This would serve as the shackles and the bond for his future allegiance to that "successor."
"Thank you, God King, for your grace!" The King of Slaughter kowtowed in excitement. He did not know that he was merely a pawn being used; instead, he felt deep gratitude toward the Asura God King who had bestowed this power upon him.
The Divine Sense of the Asura God King swept indifferently over this puppet, who was intoxicated by power, his heart remaining completely calm.
Fallen Ones were merely tools; once used, they could be discarded at any time. In the eyes of the Asura God King, Fallen Ones were collectively seen as base. Although he would utilize them and they would worship him, the Asura God King felt only disdain and contempt for them. Therefore, he felt no psychological burden in draining them of every ounce of their utility while using them.
His gaze had already shifted toward the Douluo Continent, to a second-rate family named Tuoba. This family possessed the White Armored Earth Dragon Martial Soul and had once held a grudge against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Their bloodline contained a faint trace of the Dragon Bloodline, making it the most suitable incubator for that "reincarnated" divine sense...
Meanwhile, in Purple Blazing Dragon City, at the Governor's Mansion.
The atmosphere was completely different from the grim and cruel nature of the City of Slaughter; it was filled with tension and anticipation.
Outside the delivery room, Yu Yunting paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan, his handsome face etched with anxiety. This newly ascended Evil-Breaking Thunder God was sweating, his heart pounding like a drum, all because his wife was in labor.
Yu Yuanchen stood quietly to the side, watching his son's behavior with a gentle smile, as if seeing his younger self. He patted Yu Yunting on the shoulder and comforted him, "Calm down. Zhi Lan is inside, and Xue'er's constitution is extraordinary; she will be fine."
Yu Yunting took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions, but his tightly clenched fists betrayed his nervousness: "Father, I know... but..."
Just then—
"Waa--!"
A clear, vibrant baby cry, like the light of dawn, suddenly erupted from the delivery room, piercing the silence of the night!
The moment the cry rang out, Yu Yuanchen's brows twitched imperceptibly. His Divine Sense, which had reached the God King Level, clearly perceived an extremely subtle fluctuation carrying a trace of familiar Asura aura. Like a pebble dropped into water, it rippled in a corner of the distant continent before vanishing rapidly, as if it had never existed.
"Asura... you move quickly," Yu Yuanchen thought to himself, a profound curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Next, let us see whose game of chess is superior."
His gaze returned to the delivery room, his eyes filled with anticipation and gentleness for the new life. The continuation of his family and the hope for the future were far more worthy of his care than the petty schemes of the God Realm.
"It's born! It's born! It's a young master! Both mother and child are safe!" The midwife's joyful voice came from inside the room.
Upon hearing this, Yu Yunting rushed to the door of the delivery room, a look of wild joy blooming on his face!
Yu Yuanchen nodded with a smile and stepped forward slowly. A new life represented a new beginning and signaled that the storms of the future would be even more magnificent. But no matter what, protecting his family and guarding this warmth remained his unchanging belief.
Outside the window, the stars twinkled, and the night was gentle. Yet, the undercurrents of the Douluo Continent had quietly accelerated their flow on this very night.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan