The Aftermath of Slaughter City
Tang Chen stood in the courtyard, took a deep breath of the sea breeze, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.
He was able to come back to life thanks to his great-grandson.
Looking at Tang Chen's face, which had regained its youth, Bo Saixi's tears welled up again, but this time they were tears of joy.
Tang Chen reached out and grasped Bo Saixi's hand, his voice gentle. "I'm sorry to have worried you."
Bo Saixi laughed through her tears and nodded vigorously.
On the other side, after defeating the King of Slaughter, on the way back to Spirit City, Bibi Dong arranged for Ju Gui and the other two to help Zhang San and Hu Liena obtain their Sixth Soul Ring.
With the help of two Titled Douluos, Zhang San and Hu Liena quickly found a suitable Sixth Soul Ring.
At this time, Zhang San had just turned twenty and had Soul Power level of sixty-one. Hu Liena was twenty-five and had Soul Power level of sixty-three.
Although one cannot cultivate Soul Power in the Slaughter City, one can kill opponents through the Hell Slaughter Arena and absorb a portion of their Soul Power.
After three years of training in the Slaughter City, and with the addition of their newly acquired Sixth Soul Ring, the two have respectively increased their levels by seven and six.
Although their Soul Power increased "not much," both of them obtained the Divine Slaughter's Domain, which greatly enhanced their combat power.
The four had just returned to Spirit City when they went to the Pope's Palace to report to Bibi Dong.
Pope's Palace, the light was bright and solemn, Bibi Dong sat on the Pope throne.
Below the jade steps, Zhang San, Hu Liena, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo stood in a row, their heads slightly bowed.
Bibi Dong's gaze swept over the four people in turn, finally landing on Zhang San. She asked softly, "Xiao San, why did you destroy the Slaughter City?"
Zhang San raised his head and calmly met Bibi Dong's gaze.
"Teacher, the Slaughter City is full of evil people. Shouldn't such a place be destroyed?"
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly, then slowly stood up, stepped down from her throne, and approached Zhang San.
She was half a head taller than Zhang San.
"Childish."
Bibi Dong stared intently at Zhang San, her voice turning cold and sharp.
"Doesn't the Spirit Hall know that the area is full of sinners? Does the absence of prisons mean there are no criminals?"
Zhang San's lips moved, but he didn't know how to respond.
Bibi Dong continued, "The Slaughter City a prison for the most vicious criminals, fugitives, and Fallen Soul Masters on the entire continent. Without the restraint of the Slaughter City, those Fallen Soul Masters would roam freely across the continent, wreaking havoc. Tell me, how many more people would die then?"
Zhang San's eyes flickered, and he slowly lowered his head.
Unbeknownst to him, there had always been a tacit understanding between the Spirit Hall and the Slaughter City.
The Spirit Hall drove the most heinous criminals, fugitives, and Fallen Soul Masters to the Slaughter City, where they were made to kill each other, using evil to control evil.
Bibi Dong looked at his downcast eyes and softened her tone slightly. "I understand your sense of justice. But you need to get rid of that self-righteous habit. This world isn't black and white; sometimes, the dirtiest methods can maintain the greatest stability."
She turned around, walked back to the throne, and sat down. "You don't need to worry about this for now. I will send someone to handle the aftermath of the Slaughter City."
"Next, you must focus on mastering the Divine Slaughter's Domain. I'm giving you a year to restrain your killing intent and truly integrate the Divine Slaughter's Domain with your bodies, allowing you to control it at will. Otherwise, that killing intent will continue to affect your minds."
Zhang San and Hu Liena bowed simultaneously. "Your disciple understands."
Bibi Dong nodded slightly, the coldness in her eyes softening somewhat. "Alright, go down. Let's hurry."
The four bowed simultaneously, then turned and walked out of the hall.
After the four disappeared from the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes.
"It's not entirely without its advantages; at least now we can legitimately send Soul Master legion to the duchy near the City of Slaughter City."
She murmured to herself, "And I also obtained an Asura Demon Sword; perhaps I can gain even greater opportunities through that divine artifact in the future."
Thinking of this, Bibi Dong's lips curled up slightly.
Meanwhile, in the Worship Hall not far from the Pope's Palace, another line of tradition is being carried out silently and steadfastly.
Unlike the solemn and austere Pope's Palace, the entire main hall of the Worship Hall is bathed in an eternal golden halo.
Deep within the main hall, Qian Renxue sat cross-legged on a high platform, her eyes slightly closed, her body enveloped in a layer of pale golden light.
Her long, golden hair cascaded down her shoulders and spread to the ground behind her, the strands shimmering gently in the light.
There was a deeper tranquility in her eyes than a year ago.
In just over a year, she has completed the First Trial the Angel Nine Trials.
The First Trial involves passing through double the Angel's Light and receiving a baptism of Angel Holy Light twice as strong as usual before Angel God Statue.
The Angel Holy Light is warm and pure, but for the examinee, each irradiation reshapes her body and will.
After completing the First Trial, she received a God-Given Soul Ring according to the rules of the Angel Nine Trials.
Qian Renxue absorbed the God-Given Soul Ring on the spot and successfully upgraded Soul Ring to the 100,000-year level.
Eighth Soul Skill, Army Breaker.
Once activated, it condenses into countless pure Angel Holy Swords, launching attacks on the enemy from all directions, each containing terrifying power.
After completing the First Trial and absorbing the Eighth Soul Ring, Qian Renxue's Soul Power also successfully increased to level eighty-seven.
A level 87 Soul Douluo at the age of 29—such talent and strength are rare even in the history of the entire continent.
At this moment, Qian Renxue had already begun the Second Trial of the Angel Nine Trials.
Compared to the Angel Nine Trials, the Sea God’s Nine Trials are relatively more flexible in terms of time, with most of the tests not having a clear time limit.
Moreover, the examiner is her own grandfather. If Qian Daoliu goes easy on her, Qian Renxue's progress in the Divine Examination can be even faster, but that would make her foundation unstable.
Qian Daoliu stood below the high platform, quietly watching his granddaughter.
In just over a year, Qian Renxue's progress was even faster than he had anticipated.
Qian Daoliu sometimes wondered if, had he not sent Qian Renxue to infiltrate Heaven Dou City back then, and instead allowed her to cultivate peacefully in the Worship Hall from a young age, perhaps her achievements would have been even greater.
But on second thought, perhaps it was precisely the disguise and forbearance she endured in Heaven Dou City over those years that made her character more resilient and mature.
In fact, Qian Daoliu may have been mistaken. What made Qian Renxue mature was not her lurking, but Tang San's silent hard work!
The setting sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, bathing the entire city in a golden-red hue.
Qian Renxue's gaze passed over the Pope's Palace and looked towards the distant west.
That's the direction of Sea God Island.
Tang San has been gone for a long time.
Qian Renxue sometimes wondered, what is he doing right now? How is his Divine Examination progressing? Is he injured?
Whenever she thought of Tang San, her ears would turn slightly red, and memories of those shameless days she spent with him would involuntarily surface in her mind: the secret chamber of the Crown Prince's Residence, the dragon bed in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, and the large communal sleeping quarters in the Blue Hao Prince's Residence's residence—those moments when he held her in his arms and they felt each other's heartbeats.
Her fingers unconsciously gripped the edge of the windowsill, and a deep longing flashed in her golden eyes.
Qian Renxue often muttered to herself: Sometimes I really envy Yan Yan and the others, who can always stay by his side, go through those trials with him, and rest in his arms when they are tired.
Once we've each finished what we needed to do, we'll never be apart again.
Third Brother, wait for me!
However, Qian Renxue never mentioned these thoughts to anyone, including her grandfather Qian Daoliu.
The sun continued to sink, and a breeze blew from afar, gently ruffling Qian Renxue's long, golden hair.