The exit of Hell Road. Blinding white light.
When Tang San dragged his battered, spasming body out of the light curtain, drained by overexertion, he was greeted not by the free air he had imagined, but by a bone-chilling wind and an endless expanse of deep blue sea.
This was the edge of Sea God Island—and the "execution ground" Yu Tianyu had chosen for him.
"Cough... cough, cough!"
Tang San collapsed helplessly onto the beach. Dark red blood ran from the corner of his mouth, staining the fine white sand. His Soul Power was completely depleted, and the torment of the illusions on Hell Road had nearly shattered his mind.
Less than ten meters away, Yu Tianyu stood with his hands behind his back. The sea breeze ruffled his short, deep-purple hair, but it could not stir the abyssal weight of his oppressive presence.
Beside Yu Tianyu stood Xiao Wu, perfectly still. Her expression was blank. A gray haze clouded her once-lively eyes, and the golden collar around her neck reflected a heart-wrenchingly cold glint in the sunlight.
"Xiao... Xiao Wu..." Tang San struggled to reach out, his fingertips scraping the sand as he tried to crawl toward her.
Yu Tianyu turned and glanced contemptuously at the "wretch" on the ground, then gave a cruel smile. "Third Brother, the scenery on Hell Road was nice, wasn't it? Too bad you still haven't realized that the finish line you fought so hard to reach is just another stage I've built for you."
As he spoke, he slowly raised his right hand.
In an instant, terrifying crimson magic gathered in his palm—the unmistakable aura of destruction that belonged to Dragon Slayer Magic.
"Didn't you always want to save her? Didn't you claim to be her protector?" Yu Tianyu's voice rang clearly over the crashing waves, all the more vicious for it. "Then open your eyes and watch. See how the sacred, pure, untouchable goddess you worship comes crashing down."
Yu Tianyu slowly ran his hand through Xiao Wu's hair.
Xiao Wu's body shrank back instinctively, but under the combined restraint of the collar and the mental suggestion, she didn't resist. Instead, as if she had accepted her fate, she slowly lowered her head and murmured so faintly it was barely audible, "Master..."
Master.
Those two words pierced Tang San like a thousand arrows, shattering the last shred of his dignity.
"AAAAAAAH!!!"
Tang San let out a beastlike wail. Somehow, he found the strength to stand beneath Yu Tianyu's oppressive aura. The Eight Spider Lances on his back were already badly damaged, but now they sprang out with his fury, splintered bone fragments jutting from their tips.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!"
Tang San had gone mad.
He no longer cared about his Soul Power, considered tactics, or even bothered with the techniques of the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons. Like a dog driven to utter despair, he charged at Yu Tianyu on unsteady feet, swinging his bloodied fists.
But no amount of rage could bridge the gulf in their power.
"Get lost."
Yu Tianyu didn't even look at him. He simply waved a hand.
A wave of searing flames erupted from the ground and slammed into Tang San's chest. Amid a series of sharp cracks, Tang San flew backward like a discarded rag and crashed into the reefs by the shore, spraying blood into the air.
"Third Brother!"
A flicker of clarity and struggle passed through Xiao Wu's eyes. She instinctively tried to step forward, but the collar around her neck suddenly tightened.
"Gah—"
Pain shot through her as her Soul Power was instantly drained. Her face turned deathly pale, and she fell to her knees, clutching her neck and gasping for breath.
Yu Tianyu looked down at her, his voice devoid of warmth. "Don't forget your place, little rabbit. You're just a pet I keep now, and pets don't need unnecessary feelings."
He turned back to Tang San, who was struggling to move among the rubble.
"Still alive? You're stubborn, I'll give you that."
Yu Tianyu strolled over to Tang San and looked down at him. Tang San no longer had the strength to stand. One eye was blinded by blood, and with the other, he stared fixedly at Yu Tianyu.
Along with the hatred in that gaze was a madness that made one's blood run cold.
"You... you'll never... win her heart..." Tang San managed to force out the words. His blood-smeared face twisted into a strange smile. "She... will always... be mine... Xiao Wu..."
"Is that so?"
Yu Tianyu's eyes turned icy.
He suddenly grabbed Tang San by the hair and slammed his head hard against the reef.
"You think that cheap thing you call 'love' can keep you going for long?" Yu Tianyu sneered. "In this world, only absolute power is real. The Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline you're so proud of, those Twin Martial Souls you think make you special— to me, they're nothing but toys for my amusement."
As he spoke, he turned toward the depths of Sea God Island and let out a long, piercing cry.
"Bo Saixi! You've been watching long enough. Are you still not going to show yourself?!"
His voice, carried by Soul Power, swept across the entire island like a thunderclap.
A moment later.
A streak of blue light descended from the sky and landed on the beach.
The newcomer was an exceptionally elegant woman, holding the Sea God Trident and radiating the sacred, inviolable aura of the Sea God. She was the High Priestess, Bo Saixi.
Her eyes held deep shock and solemnity.
"Who are you? Why have you brought such a tainted aura of slaughter to Sea God Island?" Bo Saixi's voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority.
Yu Tianyu glanced sideways at her and tossed the half-dead Tang San aside as casually as if he were discarding useless trash.
"Who I am doesn't matter." Yu Tianyu dusted off his hands, completely at ease. "What matters is that I've brought you a 'successor' of the Sea God. Look, his Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline carries precisely what you self-proclaimed servants of the gods desire most."
Bo Saixi's gaze swept over Tang San on the ground, and her brow furrowed.
She could feel it. There was a power in the boy that resonated with Sea God Island, a stirring deep within his bloodline. But in his current state...
"His mind has been blinded by slaughter, and his soul is already broken," Bo Saixi said with a sigh. "Someone like him cannot pass the Sea God Nine Trials."
"Who said I wanted him to pass the trials?"
Yu Tianyu suddenly laughed, his laughter full of wickedness and arrogance.
"I want you to watch as the only hope you've waited a hundred years for becomes nothing but a cripple, bit by bit, at my hands."
Before the words had left his mouth, the dragon wings behind Yu Tianyu suddenly spread wide.
This time, instead of the crimson flames from before, dark-purple Dragon Slayer flames blazed across his wings—the Black Dragon Fire, fueled by souls!
"Bo Saixi, you're the Sea God's representative. So let's see if your god can save his chosen one here in this sealed mortal realm!"
Yu Tianyu vanished from where he stood.
Bo Saixi's expression changed drastically. She planted the Sea God Trident into the ground, and a vast mass of seawater surged skyward, forming an enormous wall to block him.
But Yu Tianyu wasn't targeting Bo Saixi at all.
His target was the Sea God Platform, the symbol of the Sea God's authority!
"Fire Dragon's—Blazing Flame!"
Yu Tianyu hurled an enormous black-purple fireball from his hand. It tore through the air with a shrill roar. Everywhere it passed, even the sacred aura of Sea God Island was forcibly ignited and devoured.
"No! Stop!" Bo Saixi cried out.
BOOM!!!
A world-shaking explosion rang out, and the entire island trembled violently.
The Sea God Platform—the sacred structure that bore the faith of countless people and served as the starting point of the Sea God Trial—had a whole section blown away by Yu Tianyu's full-force attack!
The divine monument was damaged, and faith crumbled.
The Spirit Masters across Sea God Island cried out in terror. The gentle, sacred power that had always enveloped them now surged wildly.
Above the ruins, Yu Tianyu hovered in midair like a god passing judgment on all living things.
"Look, Bo Saixi." Yu Tianyu pointed at the terrified Sea God worshippers below and jeered, "Your god is silent."
He slowly descended in front of Tang San.
The destruction of the divine monument had left Tang San utterly dazed. He had come to Sea God Island to seek the legendary inheritance and take his revenge. But now, before his very eyes, Yu Tianyu had casually destroyed the very starting point of that inheritance.
"Faith is the cheapest thing in this world."
Yu Tianyu reached out and touched Tang San's forehead with his fingertip.
"Third Brother, I'll spare your life. I'll let you stay here and watch as I dismantle Sea God Island piece by piece, and trample your father, your teacher, and Shrek underfoot."
He turned to Bo Saixi, who was on the verge of fury, and the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardians rushing in from every direction.
"Don't rush to fight."
Yu Tianyu put an arm around the dazed Xiao Wu. His dragon wings beat gently as he rose slowly into the air.
"The game is only just reaching its climax. Bo Saixi, I'll give you time to pray to your god. But I promise that the next time I set foot on this land, Sea God Island will become the first altar on my path to slaying dragons."
With a smile full of cruel amusement, Yu Tianyu vanished over the vast sea.
All that remained on the beach was the boy who had once been called their hope, weeping soundlessly and brokenly before the ruined altar.
A few days later.
Douluo Continent, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
The council hall was solemn.
Yu Yuanzhen sat at the head of the hall, looking at the son before him. The boy had shed all his youthful awkwardness, and the aura he emanated was enough to make even Yu Yuanzhen's heart tremble. His eyes held a complicated look.
"Tianyu, you made too much of a scene in Slaughter City this time. The Spirit Hall has already issued a formal inquiry. Bibi Dong..." Yu Yuanzhen said gravely, though his voice betrayed an unmistakable pride.
"A formal inquiry?"
Yu Tianyu sat in a chair to the side, swirling a glass of crimson wine in his hand.
"Let her ask. If she wants to die, I can grant her wish anytime."
Yu Tianyu took a sip and said calmly, "Father, it's time to start expanding the clan. Within three years, I want the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon banner flying in every corner of Douluo Continent."
"Including... the Spirit Hall?" Yu Yuanzhen's pupils contracted.
"The Spirit Hall, and Sea God Island too."
Yu Tianyu stood and walked to the window, looking toward the distant sky.
"This continent has been stagnant for far too long. The so-called Upper Three Sects, the so-called two empires, even the so-called gods—they're all nothing but rotting dust."
He stretched out a hand, as if he meant to grasp the entire world in his palm.
"I'll build a Dragon Kingdom that belongs to me alone."
In the shadows behind him, Xiao Wu knelt in silence, like an exquisite statue, without a sound.
At the same time.
Spirit City, Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong crushed the gemstone scepter in her hand, her face dark as a stormy sea.
"Yu Tianyu... you actually dared to destroy my Slaughter City..."
A frenzied murderous intent burned in her eyes. She had thought Yu Tianyu was merely a pawn she could use, but she had never expected that the pawn would grow powerful enough to overturn the entire board.
"What about Hu Liena?" she asked coldly.
"Your Holiness... she..." The spy kneeling on the floor answered in a trembling voice. "It seems she's completely sided with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. People have seen her secretly visiting Yu Tianyu's residence many times, and..."
"And what?!"
"And... her eyes are filled with admiration for that man... as if she were a believer standing before a true god."
Bibi Dong took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She knew an unprecedented storm was about to sweep across Douluo Continent.
And at its center, the boy named Yu Tianyu was grinning as he used his Dragon Slayer Claws to tear apart the path called "fate" with his own hands.
Far away, by the sea.
Tang San had become a deranged beggar.
Every day, he sat beside the ruins Yu Tianyu had destroyed, muttering to the sea, "Xiao Wu... save me... Third Brother was wrong... Xiao Wu..."
His Soul Power had long since fallen below level ten. The Divine Slaughter's Domain he once possessed had become an eternal nightmare deep within his soul. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw Yu Tianyu's mocking smile and his Dragon Slayer Eyes, cold as frost.
In this age of powerful Spirit Masters, people were gradually forgetting the name Tang San.
In its place came a shadow that loomed over the hearts of all Spirit Masters—Dragon Slayer Douluo, Yu Tianyu.
The story's script had been rewritten completely.
Tang San had thought hard work would let him turn things around.
But he had forgotten that when his opponent was an unreasonable "transmigrator" and "Dragon Slayer Mage," he had been destined from birth to become a... sacrifice in this grand ritual.
Standing atop a high tower, Yu Tianyu listened to the distant, faint sound of weeping and slowly raised his wineglass.
"Third Brother, the show... has only just begun."
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