Afterglow of Sea God Island, Trampled Faith

The exit of the Hell Road was blindingly white.

When Tang San rushed out of that curtain of light, dragging a body that was shattered and spasming from extreme overexertion, he was not greeted by the air of freedom he had imagined, but by biting cold winds and an endless expanse of deep blue ocean.

This was the edge of Sea God Island, and also the "execution ground" Yu Tianyu had chosen for him.

"Cough... cough-cough!"

Tang San collapsed powerlessly onto the beach, dark red blood flowing from the corners of his mouth to stain the pristine white sand. His soul power was completely drained, and his mental strength had nearly shattered under the torture of the illusions within the Hell Road.

Less than ten meters in front of him, Yu Tianyu stood with his hands behind his back. The sea breeze ruffled his short, deep purple hair, yet it could not stir the heavy, abyss-like pressure radiating from his body.

Beside Yu Tianyu, Xiao Wu stood silently. Her expression was vacant, her once-lively eyes now veiled in a gray haze, and the golden collar around her neck refracted a heartbreaking, cold light under the sun.

"Xiao... Xiao Wu..." Tang San struggled to reach out, his fingertips clawing at the sand as he tried to crawl in her direction.

Yu Tianyu turned his head, cast a disdainful glance at the "cripple" on the ground, and then revealed a cruel smile: "Third Brother, the scenery of the Hell Road wasn't bad, was it? It's a pity you don't seem to realize that the finish line you ran toward with all your might is actually just another stage I built for you."

As he spoke, he slowly raised his right hand.

In an instant, a terrifying crimson magic power condensed in his palm; it was the destructive aura unique to Dragon Slayer Magic.

"Didn't you always want to save her? Didn't you pride yourself on being her protector?" Yu Tianyu's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the sound of the crashing waves, yet it was also exceptionally malicious. "Then, open your eyes wide and look clearly. Watch how the sacred, untouchable purity you hold in your heart collapses."

Yu Tianyu's hand slowly caressed Xiao Wu's long hair.

Xiao Wu's body instinctively flinched, but under the dual constraints of the collar and the mental suggestion, she did not resist. Instead, as if accepting her fate, she slowly lowered her head and let out a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum: "Master..."

Master.

These two words were like a thousand arrows piercing his heart, instantly shattering the last shred of Tang San's dignity.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Tang San let out a beast-like wail. He didn't know where the strength came from, but he actually stood up against Yu Tianyu's pressure. The Eight Spider Lances on his back had long been broken and mangled, yet they forcibly extended now out of sheer rage, their tips even carrying shards of splintered bone.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!"

Tang San had gone mad.

He no longer calculated the consumption of his soul power, no longer considered tactical maneuvers, and he even abandoned all techniques of the Tang Sect hidden weapons. He was like a completely desperate, rabid dog, swinging his blood-stained fists as he stumbled toward Yu Tianyu.

However, the chasm of strength could never be bridged by anger alone.

"Get lost."

Yu Tianyu didn't even look at him, simply waving his hand casually.

A scorching wave of fire erupted from the ground, slamming directly into Tang San's chest. Accompanied by a dense series of bone-cracking sounds, Tang San flew backward like a tattered rag doll, crashing heavily into the reefs by the sea and kicking up a sky full of blood mist.

"Third Brother!"

A flicker of struggling clarity flashed in Xiao Wu's eyes. She subconsciously wanted to step forward, but was jerked back violently by the collar around her neck.

"Hiss--"

It was the agony of having her soul power instantly drained. She fell to her knees, face deathly pale, clutching her throat as she gasped for air.

Yu Tianyu looked down at her, his tone cold and devoid of any emotion: "Don't forget your status, little rabbit. You are just a pet I keep now, and pets do not need unnecessary emotions."

He turned back to look at Tang San, who was struggling to crawl from the pile of rocks.

"Not dead yet? You're truly stubborn."

Yu Tianyu paced over to Tang San and looked down at him from above. At this moment, Tang San no longer had the strength to stand. One of his eyes was matted shut with blood, and he could only stare fixedly at Yu Tianyu through the other.

In that gaze, beyond hatred, there was a chilling hint of madness.

"You... you will never... obtain... her heart..." Tang San spat out these words intermittently, a bizarre smile appearing on his blood-stained face. "She... will always... be my... Xiao Wu..."

"Is that so?"

Yu Tianyu's eyes turned icy.

He suddenly reached out, grabbed Tang San by the hair, and slammed his head hard against the reef.

"How long do you think your cheap, so-called 'love' can sustain you?" Yu Tianyu sneered. "In this world, only absolute power is real. The Blue Silver Emperor bloodline you pride yourself on, the Twin Martial Souls you think so highly of—in my eyes, they are nothing more than toys for amusement."

As he spoke, he turned his head and let out a long whistle toward the depths of Sea God Island.

"Bo Saixi! Since you've been watching for so long, why haven't you shown yourself?!"

Wrapped in soul power, his voice spread across the entire Sea God Island like a thunderclap.

A moment later.

A stream of azure light descended from the sky and landed on the beach.

The person who arrived was an extremely elegant woman holding the Sea God Trident, her entire body radiating the sacred, untouchable aura of the Sea God. The High Priest, Bo Saixi.

Her eyes held a deep sense of shock and gravity.

"Who are you? Why have you intruded upon Sea God Island with this aura of sinful slaughter?" Bo Saixi's voice was calm but carried an unquestionable majesty.

Yu Tianyu glanced at her sideways and tossed the half-dead Tang San aside, as if discarding a piece of useless trash.

"Who I am is not important." Yu Tianyu clapped his hands, his demeanor composed. "What matters is that I have brought you a 'successor' to the Sea God. Look, his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline flows with exactly what you self-proclaimed servants of the gods crave the most."

Bo Saixi's gaze swept over Tang San on the ground, her brows locked in a deep frown.

She had indeed sensed it; there was a power within this youth that resonated with Sea God Island, a thrumming from the depths of his bloodline. But his current state...

"He has been blinded by the slaughter, his soul long since shattered," Bo Saixi sighed. "Such a person cannot pass the Sea God Nine Trials."

"Who said I wanted him to pass the trial?"

Yu Tianyu suddenly laughed, the sound filled with malice and arrogance.

"I want you to watch with your own eyes as the only hope you've waited a century for is reduced to trash, bit by bit, at my hands."

Before the words had even faded, the dragon wings behind Yu Tianyu snapped open.

Unlike the crimson from before, this time, his wings were burning with dark purple dragon-slaying flames—the Black Dragon Fire that used souls as fuel!

"Bo Saixi, you are the spokesperson for the Sea God. Then, let me see if your god... can save his chosen one in this sealed mortal realm!"

Yu Tianyu's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

Bo Saixi's expression shifted violently. She slammed the Sea God Trident down, and ten thousand acres of seawater surged into the sky, forming a massive water curtain in an attempt to block him.

But Yu Tianyu's attack was not aimed at Bo Saixi at all.

His target was the Sea God Platform, the symbol of the Sea God's authority!

"Fire Dragon's—Blazing Flame!"

A colossal ball of dark purple fire was hurled from Yu Tianyu's hand. It tore through the air, emitting a piercing, explosive screech. Wherever the fireball passed, even the sacred aura of Sea God Island was forcibly ignited and consumed.

"No! Stop!" Bo Saixi cried out in alarm.

Rumble!!!

An earth-shattering explosion erupted, and the entire Sea God Island shook violently.

The Sea God Platform—that sacred structure which carried countless prayers and served as the starting point for the Sea God trials—had a corner directly collapsed by Yu Tianyu's full-force strike!

The miracle was damaged, and the faith was crumbling.

The Spirit Masters on Sea God Island let out terrified wails; they could feel that the gentle, sacred power which had always shrouded them was now fluctuating violently.

Above the ruins, Yu Tianyu hovered in mid-air, looking like a god judging all living things.

"Look, Bo Saixi," Yu Tianyu pointed at the terrified Sea God believers below, mocking, "your god is silent."

He slowly descended in front of Tang San.

At this moment, Tang San was completely catatonic due to the collapse of the miracle. His final hope had been to come to Sea God Island to seek the legendary inheritance for his revenge, but now, the very starting point of that inheritance had been destroyed by Yu Tianyu with a casual flick of his hand.

"Faith is the cheapest thing in this world."

Yu Tianyu reached out, his fingertip pressing against Tang San's forehead.

"Brother San, I will spare your life. I will let you stay here and watch as I dismantle Sea God Island step by step, and how I trample your father, your teacher, and your Shrek into the dust."

He turned back to look at Bo Saixi, who was on the verge of a blind rage, and the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardians rushing in from all directions.

"No need to rush into action."

Yu Tianyu pulled the dazed Xiao Wu into his arms, his dragon wings flapping gently as he slowly ascended.

"The game has only just reached its climax. Bo Saixi, I will give you time to pray to your god. But I guarantee that the next time I step foot on this land, this Sea God Island... will become the first altar on my path to slaughtering dragons."

With that wicked, playful smile on his face, Yu Tianyu vanished into the vast sea.

He left behind only the youth on the beach, once called a hope, who let out a silent, broken sob before the collapsed altar.

A few days later.

Soul Land, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

Inside the council hall, the atmosphere was solemn.

Yu Yuanzhen sat at the head of the table, looking at his son—who had completely shed his youthful naivety and now exuded an aura that made even him feel a tremor of fear—with eyes full of complex emotions.

"Tianyu, the commotion you caused in Slaughter City this time... was too great. Bibi Dong from Spirit Hall has already issued an inquiry," Yu Yuanzhen said in a deep voice, though his tone carried an unconcealable pride.

"An inquiry?"

Yu Tianyu sat in a side chair, swirling a glass of scarlet wine in his hand.

"Let her ask. If she wants to die, I can grant her wish at any time."

Yu Tianyu took a sip of wine and said calmly, "Father, the expansion of the sect can begin. Within three years, I want the banner of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon to be planted in every corner of Soul Land."

"Including... Spirit Hall?" Yu Yuanzhen's pupils constricted.

"Including Spirit Hall, and including Sea God Island."

Yu Tianyu stood up and walked to the window, looking at the distant sky.

"This continent has been silent for too long. The so-called Upper Three Sects, the so-called two great empires, and even the so-called gods are nothing but decaying dust."

He reached out his hand, as if to grasp the entire world in his palm.

"I am going to build a... Dragon Kingdom that belongs only to me."

In the shadows behind him, Xiao Wu knelt silently, like an exquisite statue, devoid of any further sound.

At the same time.

Spirit City, Pope Palace.

Bibi Dong violently crushed the gemstone Scepter in her hand, her expression as gloomy as stagnant water.

"Yu Tianyu... you actually dared to destroy my Slaughter City..."

Her eyes flickered with frantic killing intent. She had originally thought Yu Tianyu was merely a pawn she could utilize, but she never expected this pawn to have grown to a level capable of overturning the entire chessboard.

"Where is Hu Liena?" she asked in a cold voice.

"The Saintess... she..." the scout kneeling on the ground replied tremblingly, "she seems to have completely defected to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. Some have seen her entering and leaving Yu Tianyu's palace in private many times, and..."

"And what?!"

"And... her eyes are filled with adoration for that man... it is as if, as if a believer is facing a true god."

Bibi Dong took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She knew that an unprecedented storm was about to sweep across the entire Soul Land.

And at the heart of that storm, the youth named Yu Tianyu was grinning as he used those Dragon Slayer Claw to personally tear apart the trajectory known as "fate."

Meanwhile, on a distant seashore.

Tang San had turned into a crazed beggar.

Every day, he sat beside the pile of ruins destroyed by Yu Tianyu, muttering incessantly to the sea: "Xiao Wu... save me... Third Brother was wrong... Xiao Wu..."

His spirit power had long since regressed to below level ten, and his former Killing God Domain had become an eternal nightmare in the depths of his soul. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Yu Tianyu's mocking smile and those cold, frost-like Dragon Slayer Eyes.

In this era where powerful experts emerged in droves, the name Tang San was gradually being forgotten by the people.

Replacing it was the shadow looming over the hearts of all Spirit Master—the Dragon Slayer Douluo, Yu Tianyu.

The script of the story had been completely rewritten.

Tang San thought that hard work could turn the tables.

But he forgot that when the opponent is an unreasonable "transmigrator" and "Dragon Slayer Mage," from the moment he was born, he was destined to be the... sacrifice at this grand ritual.

Yu Tianyu stood atop a high tower, listening to the faint sounds of wailing coming from afar, and slowly raised the wine glass in his hand.

"Third Brother, this play... has only just begun."