The Rakshasa God Position, perhaps it is merely a stepping stone, or... a container?
Yu Yuanchen, possessing memories of his past life, had many speculations: "Unity of Good and Evil? Using the evil and cruelty of Rakshasa as a foundation to carry the slaughter of Asura? After all, Asura represents orderly judgment and slaughter, while Rakshasa represents chaotic, evil slaughter. The two seem opposed, but in reality, they both originate from the two poles of the law of 'slaughter'. If one could harmonize Yin and Yang and unite the positive and negative, the power would indeed be immeasurable."
"No, even if Asura and Rakshasa were fused, they would still never escape the trap of slaughter. Even if they became one, it would only be a significant improvement, but it shouldn't be enough to touch the level of a Supreme God King. Right, the Golden Dragon Bloodline on Tang San..."
Thinking of this, a flash of realization crossed Yu Yuanchen's eyes, but it immediately transformed into absolute calmness and a sense of control.
"It seems he has also set his sights on the legacy of the Dragon God. That makes sense; otherwise, given the foundation of the original Tang San, how could he have stood against Destruction so soon after becoming a god? It turns out it might have been Asura acting on his behalf. What a scheme, but unfortunately..."
Asura could calculate everything, but he could never have calculated that Yu Yuanchen was someone with a God's-eye view, and by comparing the original story, he had actually guessed a portion of his schemes.
Yu Yuanchen sneered in his heart, "You are far away in the God Realm, observing only through Divine Sense. How could you possibly detect the methods I, an existence of the same level, have been subtly planting for years?"
Yu Yuanchen's Divine Sense swept slightly through the depths of his own Divine Spark, where there were a few Chaos Light Points, imperceptible yet subtly connected to Tang San's bloodline and soul origin.
These were the contingency plans he had quietly laid out, utilizing the inclusiveness and concealment of his own Primordial Star Law, combined with his deep understanding of Tang San's bloodline.
These plans usually showed no signs and were indistinguishable from Tang San himself; they would only be triggered under specific conditions or when he actively activated them. The effects, naturally, went without saying.
"If you only treat Tang San as a pawn to charge into battle, I will assume I was overthinking it. In any case, with Tang San's current strength, he cannot stir up any major waves; at worst, I can just slaughter him in the name of eradicating the Fallen Ones. But if Tang San is truly a chess piece that allows you to advance further..." A cold light flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes and vanished, "Then you are in for a huge loss."
He closed his eyes again, his mind sinking into a deeper deduction of his own laws, no longer paying much attention to Tang San's transformation.
"The piece has been placed, and the play is gradually heating up. Let this Tang San jump around for a few more days. When the timing is right," Yu Yuanchen's mind settled completely, and the aura of chaos, as if from the beginning of the universe, flowed slowly around his body.
At the end of the Hell Road, the blood pool surged, and the evil Rakshasa divine power poured into Tang San's body like a head-on infusion.
When he opened his eyes again, the dark red evil light in the depths of his pupils had solidified into substance. The killing intent and aura of corruption permeating his body seemed to make the surrounding air thick and filthy.
On the back of his hand, the dark purple Rakshasa Spirit Trial mark emitted an ominous glow, like an eternal curse, and also like a key to the pinnacle of power.
"Rakshasa Spirit Trial First Trial, obtain the Rakshasa Domain, completed. Reward: Rakshasa God affinity increased by five percent, one God-Bestowed Soul Ring."
A cold divine thought echoed in his mind. A pure, flawless golden orb of light, emitting soft yet vast energy, appeared out of thin air and hovered in front of Tang San. It was precisely a God-Bestowed Soul Ring!
A trace of greed flashed in Tang San's eyes, and he did not hesitate to activate and absorb it. The process was smooth and natural, encountering almost no bottlenecks.
When the soul ring completely merged into his Man Faced Demon Spider martial soul, turning into a Deep Black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, his Soul Power Level also broke through, reaching Level 65! The feeling of being filled with power slightly diluted the emptiness and violence in his heart, but it also made him crave even greater power.
"Rakshasa Spirit Trial Second Trial, Blood Pool Body Tempering. Return to the end of the Hell Road in the City of Slaughter, draw upon the power of the blood pool to temper the physical body and bloodline, remove impurities gained from devouring, and solidify the foundation. Time limit: one year."
Becoming a god has basic standards, and in Tang San's current state, he could not meet them.
The new trial content arrived. A cold arc curled at the corner of Tang San's mouth. Return to that devil's den? It was exactly what he wanted! The "nutrients" there were far from exhausted, and his current strength was not yet enough.
However, the ability to remove impurities from his body was a pleasant surprise for Tang San. Although he gained power quickly by practicing evil arts, there were many hidden dangers. While he didn't care about the process as long as he could gain power, being able to reduce those hidden dangers was naturally a good thing.
He stepped onto the Hell Road again and arrived at the blood pool at the end, familiar with the path. This time, he took the initiative to leap into the thick, foul-smelling blood pool. Immediately, a pain as if ten thousand red-hot steel needles were plunging into his bone marrow swept through his entire body.
The blood pool contained not only vast energy but also the resentment and curses of countless Fallen Ones before their deaths, as well as the purest Law Fragments of slaughter. They frantically scoured and tore at Tang San's meridians, flesh, and even his soul!
"Ugh, ah--!" Even with Tang San's willpower, he couldn't help but let out a painful roar. But he gritted his teeth, circulated his Mysterious Heaven Skill, guided his soul power to protect his heart meridians, and frantically absorbed the energy of the blood pool, while forcibly refining and expelling the complex resentment and curses using the method taught by the Rakshasa Spirit Trial.
This was an extremely painful and long process. For most of the year, Tang San was soaked in the blood pool, enduring inhuman torture. His body was torn apart time and time again, and time and time again it was reconstructed and strengthened under the influence of the blood pool's energy and the Rakshasa divine power.
His skin became pale with a strange dark red tint, his muscle lines became more ferocious, his bone density increased significantly, his meridians widened several times over, and his soul power, which had been somewhat unstable due to devouring, was tempered until it was much more solidified.
More importantly, under the combined action of the violent factors originating from the Golden Dragon King bloodline deep within the blood pool and the Rakshasa divine power, his second martial soul underwent an essential evolution, transforming from a Crimson Gold Dragon into a True Golden Dragon.
Although the color of the dragon scales still leaned towards crimson gold due to the long-term immersion in the aura of slaughter, its bloodline origin had sublimated, and its power, defense, and control over elements had all seen a qualitative leap!
When the year was up, Tang San leaped out of the blood pool, feeling the surging, condensed, and pure power within his body, and let out a hearty, long howl towards the sky! The sound waves rolled, causing the Hell Road to tremble slightly. At this moment, although his cultivation was still Level 65, his true combat power was enough to rival an ordinary Soul Douluo!
However, the price of the increase in power was a further distortion of his character. Years of slaughter, devouring, and the erosion of the endless resentment in the blood pool made his eyes become more sinister and cold, as if he were looking at a dead object when he looked at people.
A faint, malicious sneer often hung at the corner of his mouth. His originally handsome appearance had taken on a hint of wickedness and baleful aura due to his long-term immersion in slaughter and evil, giving him an extremely dangerous air.
With the blood pool's ability to remove impurities, Tang San became even more unscrupulous in devouring the Fallen Ones. Over the next ten years, Tang San completely turned into the nightmare of the City of Slaughter.
Under the guidance of the Rakshasa Spirit Trial and the rewards (mainly God-Bestowed Soul Rings), his cultivation improved at an astonishing speed.
At Level 70, he absorbed a God-Bestowed Soul Ring, and relying on his tenacious will and the powerful foundation of the Golden Dragon martial soul, he managed to raise it to the hundred-thousand-year level! He obtained another red soul ring! The Demon Spider Avatar descended, and his strength skyrocketed! His martial soul also evolved into the Man Faced Spider Emperor.
At Level 80, he went through a bitter battle in the Hell Slaughter Arena and killed a hundred-thousand-year soul beast "released" by the King of Slaughter—the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King—obtaining a precious hundred-thousand-year soul ring and a top-quality Right Arm Bone, with his soul power reaching Level 81.
The greatest opportunity occurred when he was at Level 85. A Fierce Beast with a cultivation as high as 400,000 years, which had been sleeping in the depths of the City of Slaughter for many years—the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King—actually took the initiative to find him and requested to sacrifice itself! The condition was to resurrect it after Tang San became a god and grant it eternal life.
This old bat was cunning; it had taken a fancy to Tang San's identity as the successor of the Rakshasa God, intending to seize his body and occupy the magpie's nest at the most vulnerable moment when Tang San inherited the god position and his soul and Divine Spark merged! It was confident that with its 400,000-year spiritual cultivation, it had a chance of success.
Tang San was shrewd; he sensed its ulterior motives from the flickering spiritual fluctuations of the old bat. But he didn't care! How could he refuse a 400,000-year soul ring and a Head Soul Bone delivered to his door? As for the scheme? Hmph, I wasn't planning on keeping the promise anyway; once my strength is enough, I'll just finish it off.
Thus, he calmly accepted the sacrifice. His Golden Dragon martial soul obtained its third soul ring (400,000 years) and an incredibly precious 400,000-year Head Soul Bone, and his soul power directly increased to Level 88, and the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King should have still retained most of its power.
Ten years of bathing in blood, when Tang San's Rakshasa Spirit Trial also reached the Eighth Trial (filling the vacancies of the soul bones on his body), his cultivation had impressively reached Level 90! He was only one Ninth Soul Ring away from being a true Titled Douluo!
Over the ten years, he also killed countless Fallen Ones and obtained several soul bones from them, but their quality was generally not high, so he only chose to absorb a 60,000-year Blood Demon Dragon Lizard Right Leg Bone. Now, his soul bone configuration was: 100,000-year Soft Bone Rabbit Left Leg Bone (sacrificed by Xiao Wu), 400,000-year Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King Head Soul Bone, 100,000-year Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King Right Arm Bone, and 60,000-year Blood Demon Dragon Lizard Right Leg Bone. He was still missing a Torso Bone and a Left Arm Bone, as well as the Man Faced Spider Emperor's Ninth Soul Ring, and the fourth to ninth soul rings for his Golden Dragon martial soul.
"It's time to leave." Tang San stood in front of the heavy gate of the outer city of the City of Slaughter, looking back at this hell that had buried fifteen years of his youth and conscience. The flames of revenge had never been extinguished; instead, nourished by power, they burned more fiercely and more distortedly.
"Mother... Xiao Wu... wait for me, soon, I will make those enemies pay the price!"
The heavy stone gate slowly opened, and the long-lost sunlight shone in, stinging Tang San's eyes, which had grown accustomed to the darkness. He stepped out and saw the light of day again.
However, the fresh air of the outside world, the warm sunlight, and the faint chirping of birds in the distance made him feel a strong sense of discomfort and irritability.
He was accustomed to the filthy, bloody, and despair-filled atmosphere of the City of Slaughter; this normal, vibrant world instead made him feel hypocritical and glaring.
He subconsciously circulated his soul power, and the bloodthirsty killing intent and corrupt evil aura that had almost solidified around his body spread out, the grass under his feet withered instantly, and the surrounding insects fled in panic.
He immediately realized the danger. The Federation kept a close watch on the City of Slaughter, and his actions there were certainly on record. Once they discovered he had left his "prison," they would inevitably send people to hunt him down. Parading about in this state was undoubtedly seeking his own death. The powerhouses of the Federation would never tolerate the existence of such an "evil heretic."
"Hmph, meddlesome Federation..." A flicker of resentment flashed in Tang San's eyes, but he forced himself to calm down. Revenge required planning and strength; he could not be reckless.
As the successor to the Rakshasa God, he knew how to restrain his killing intent; he simply hadn't bothered to before. He took a deep breath and, following the methods of breath concealment learned during his Rakshasa Spirit Trials, forcibly suppressed the uncomfortable aura surrounding his body.
Although he could not completely eliminate the chilling evil from his bones, at least on the surface, he now appeared to be nothing more than a pale-faced, sinister-eyed man in a black robe, no longer so conspicuous.
He draped a large black cloak over himself to hide his face, identified his direction, and sped toward the Star Dou Great Forest. His top priority was to obtain his Ninth Soul Ring, complete the soul rings for his Golden Dragon Martial Soul, increase his strength, and only then would it be time for revenge.
Entering the vast, boundless Star Dou Great Forest, Tang San was like a fish returning to the sea. He did not rush to find powerful soul beasts, instead setting his sights on the numerous demon spider-type soul beasts. Both his external soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances, and his Man Faced Spider Emperor Martial Soul required the consumption of similar energy to evolve.
Over the next few months, the demon spider populations in the outer and mixed zones of the Star Dou Great Forest suffered a catastrophe. Tang San transformed into the most terrifying hunter, relying on his powerful spiritual power and insidious assassination techniques to specifically target demon spiders over a thousand years old.
The Eight Spider Lances were like the scythe of the Grim Reaper; every time they pierced a target, they would frantically devour the prey's life essence and soul power.
Nourished by a massive amount of homologous energy, his Martial Soul underwent a subtle transformation. The aura it emitted was no longer merely the fierce, violent energy of the Man Faced Spider Emperor, but a more terrifying aura mixed with corruption, curses, and evil—perhaps it could be called the "Fallen Spider Emperor."
The Eight Spider Lances also became more hideous, their color shifting to dark gold, with ominous purple light flickering along their edges.
While hunting demon spiders, Tang San also searched for soul beasts suitable for his Golden Dragon Martial Soul.
Relying on a powerful perception skill granted by his head soul bone, he avoided the true core forbidden zone of the Star Dou Great Forest (the Rakshasa Spirit Trial mark sent out strong danger warnings), daring only to search the mixed zone and the periphery of the core zone. After more than a month of effort, he finally succeeded in hunting a 70,000-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, an 80,000-year Diamond Baboon, and three 90,000-year Thousand Jun Ant Emperors (the three brothers from the original story, though because Tang San defeated them individually this time, he did not absorb three rings at once, and thus they did not become hundred thousand year soul rings).
These soul beasts were all top-tier strength-type beasts, and their soul rings were quite compatible with the power characteristics of the Golden Dragon Martial Soul.
For the Ninth Soul Ring of his Fallen Spider Emperor Martial Soul, he chose an 180,000-year Death Spider Emperor! This soul beast was extremely cunning and insidious, but because its evil nature made it unwelcome among other soul beasts, and because it had suddenly begun slaughtering other beasts for "unknown reasons" some time ago, it had been driven out of the core zone and was lurking in a poisonous swamp deep within the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.
This was why Tang San chose it; not only was its age sufficiently high, but the Death Spider Emperor's potent poison and death attributes were highly compatible with his Man Faced Spider Emperor Martial Soul, which was mutating toward a "fallen" state. It might even yield an unexpectedly powerful soul skill.
The hunting process was fraught with danger.
The Death Spider Emperor possessed high intelligence. It chose not to fight the peak-condition Tang San head-on, instead utilizing the terrain of the poisonous swamp to launch constant sneak attacks and harassment. Its various bizarre poison-type soul skills and phantom clones kept Tang San busy.
The most dangerous moment occurred when the Death Spider Emperor used its unique breath-concealment soul skill to lurk beneath the silt. While Tang San was entangled with a clone, it struck suddenly, spraying a web of venom containing terrifying laws of death that instantly enveloped him! The venom was not only highly corrosive but could also erode the soul!
At the critical moment, a fierce light flashed in Tang San's eyes, and he finally deployed his hidden trump card! He reached out with his right hand, and a giant scythe—dark purple, hideous in design, and wreathed in the phantoms of countless vengeful spirits—appeared out of thin air: the divine artifact, the Rakshasa Demon Scythe!
As the demon scythe swung, a dark purple blade of light that tore through space flashed, forcibly cleaving through the venomous web containing the laws of death! The terrifying backlash of evil divine power caused the Death Spider Emperor to let out a shrill scream, its spirit suffering damage.
Strike while the iron is hot! Tang San activated his Golden Dragon Martial Soul, unleashing his fourth soul skill, Golden Tear Claw, and combined it with the piercing strikes of his Eight Spider Lances to instantly impale the Death Spider Emperor's skull! The fierce battle finally came to an end.
The process of absorbing this 180,000-year Death Spider Emperor soul ring, along with the left leg bone it produced, was perilous.
The resentment of the Death Spider Emperor before its death was terrifying, constantly battering Tang San's spiritual sea. However, because Tang San had absorbed a 400,000-year head soul bone, his spiritual power was quite formidable, and with the protection of the Rakshasa divine power, he succeeded without any major mishaps.
When he opened his eyes again, vast soul power surged through his body like a tide, directly shattering the bottleneck of level 90 and soaring all the way to the peak of level 93 before slowly coming to a halt!
The continuous absorption of multiple high-age soul rings, especially that of the Death Spider Emperor, brought a massive increase in soul power.
The Death Spider Emperor left leg bone was also successfully fused, granting him a powerful life-saving soul bone skill—Death Spider Shadow. It could create several afterimages containing death toxins to confuse enemies and allow him to instantly switch positions with his main body. It also provided that very breath-concealment skill that had nearly caught him off guard.
Feeling the vast power within his body, Tang San was filled with satisfaction and couldn't help but want to roar at the sky. A Titled Douluo! He, Tang San, had finally stepped into this level!
And he was a Titled Douluo under thirty years of age, possessing twin martial souls, multiple hundred thousand year soul rings and bones, and the burden of a god's trial! He was confident that he could now sweep through powerhouses of the same rank and could even trade blows with a Titled Douluo (of the level of the King of Slaughter)!
However, joy often leads to sorrow. His rampant hunting in the Star Dou Great Forest during this period, especially the killing of top-tier soul beasts like the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear and the Death Spider Emperor, had long since attracted the attention of the terrifying existences in the forest's core zone.
Just as Tang San finished absorbing the soul ring and bone, and before his aura had fully stabilized, a wild, violent, and terrifying pressure filled with extreme power descended like a mountain! The air in the entire forest seemed to freeze!
"Roar—! Human! How dare you kill my kin! Pay with your life!"
A massive golden figure tore through the firmament and crashed to the ground! It was one of the kings of the Star Dou Great Forest, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear King—Xiong Jun! His ten-zhang-tall body was like a mountain, his dark golden fur shimmering with a metallic sheen, and his pair of sharp claws seemed capable of tearing the heavens apart! He had just sensed the death aura of a 70,000-year-old clansman and followed the trail, running straight into Tang San, who had just completed his breakthrough!
The terrifying pressure of a 500,000-year fierce beast caused Tang San's complexion to change drastically! He instantly judged that this Xiong Jun's strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Super Douluo! Especially that pair of indestructible dark gold claws, which radiated a sharpness that made even him feel a palpitation!
"Just in time! Your soul ring belongs to me!" The somewhat arrogant Tang San felt a flash of greed and madness in his eyes. The Rakshasa Demon Scythe appeared in his hand again, his Golden Dragon Martial Soul manifested, his nine soul rings (yellow, yellow, purple, black, black, black, red, red, red) shone brilliantly, and he took the initiative to meet the beast!
A heaven-shaking battle between a Titled Douluo and a 500,000-year fierce beast erupted instantly!
Tang San used every trick in his arsenal; the Rakshasa Demon Scythe unleashed blades of light that tore through space, the Golden Dragon Martial Soul's offensive skills followed one after another, the Eight Spider Lances struck from unexpected angles, and the Death Spider Emperor left leg bone created afterimages... Although he was on the back foot, his diverse abilities allowed him to fight Xiong Jun to a standstill. Dark purple evil divine power and dark golden terrifying force collided crazily, causing the surrounding towering ancient trees to collapse in swathes and the earth to crack!
"Dark Gold Dreadclaw, Tear the Heavens!" Xiong Jun was enraged and unleashed his ultimate skill. His pair of claws expanded, transforming into hundred-meter giant claws that descended with the terrifying will to tear the sky asunder!
Tang San's pupils contracted. He held the Rakshasa Demon Scythe horizontally in front of him, pushing his soul power and Rakshasa divine power to the limit! "Rakshasa Slash!"
BOOM—!!!
A world-destroying collision! Tang San was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through several small hills before he could barely stabilize his figure. A sweetness rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. On Xiong Jun's dark gold claws, a tiny gap had appeared.
The difference in strength was clear! Although Tang San was strong, he was still at a disadvantage against Xiong Jun, who had a deep foundation and a cultivation level of 500,000 years!
"I cannot keep tangling with him!" Tang San sobered up instantly. This was the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest's core zone; if the fluctuations of the battle attracted other fierce beasts, he would surely die!
"Death Spider Shadow!" Tang San activated his left leg bone skill, instantly creating several lifelike afterimages to interfere with Xiong Jun's vision, while his true body did not hesitate to activate the Soft Bone Rabbit left leg bone skill—Instantaneous Movement! His figure flashed, appearing a thousand meters away, and with another flash, he disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
"Roar! Cunning human! You cannot escape!" Xiong Jun's angry roar shook the mountains and forests, but his massive body was not suited for maneuvering through the jungle, and he was ultimately a step too slow, losing Tang San's trail.
Deep in the dense forest, Tang San clutched his chest, his expression gloomy as he sped away. Although he had escaped with his life, Xiong Jun's appearance was like a bucket of cold water, sobering him from the fanaticism brought on by his sudden surge in strength. A Titled Douluo was still not the pinnacle on this continent! There were still existences in the core zone of the Star Dou Great Forest that triggered warnings from his spirit trial mark, there were those old monsters who lived in seclusion, and there was... the Federation!
"Power... I need even greater power! But before that," Tang San wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes flashing with even more madness and paranoia. "Some debts are due to be repaid."
Although his Golden Dragon Martial Soul still lacked a Ninth Soul Ring, he believed that with his current strength, he had enough to take revenge on the Huyan Family.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan