The waves beat against the reefs of Sea God Island as they always had, but their sound was no longer a holy hymn. It was more like the lament of some ancient deity.
Tang San curled up beneath the stone steps that had once marked the First Trial of the Sea God Trial. The steps, once etched with divine patterns and glowing with azure light, were now nothing but a pile of rubble. His clothes were tattered, and the exposed skin beneath them was covered in dark red scabs mixed with sand and salt.
"Xiao Wu... Xiao Wu, run..."
He mumbled unconsciously, blood continually seeping from his cracked lips. In his sea of consciousness, the once vibrant Blue Silver Emperor had withered until only a charred black root remained. The Clear Sky Hammer he had once been so proud of had shattered into countless iron fragments, each one stabbing at his soul.
This was the punishment Yu Tianyu had left him—not death, but a despair more cruel than death.
Heaven Dou City was now wrapped in an eerie silence.
The Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, once the seat of power, was surrounded by knights clad in heavy dragon-scale armor. They were not the imperial Heaven Dou Guards, but soldiers from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yet the lightning crests on their armor had been covered with flowing patterns of dark purple flame.
They were the Dragon Slayer Legion.
In the main hall, Emperor Xue Ye sat trembling on the Dragon Throne, defeat written across his aged face. Below him, in place of the civil and military officials, sat a young man on the railing of the steps.
Yu Tianyu toyed with the golden crown that symbolized Heaven Dou's imperial authority, then casually tossed it to the ground like a piece of trash.
"Your Majesty, the wheels of the era have been turning for too long. They need to stop and rest." Yu Tianyu turned his head. There was no killing intent in his deep-purple dragon eyes, only the indifference of someone looking down on ants.
"You... What exactly do you want?" Emperor Xue Ye rasped. "I've already agreed to transfer Dugu Bo's territory to you and open the imperial treasury..."
"What I want isn't any of those worldly possessions."
Yu Tianyu rose to his feet and stepped on the golden crown. The frame twisted out of shape under the power of Dragon Slayer.
"I want the whole sky."
A graceful figure emerged slowly from the shadows behind him. Hu Liena wore a tight purple-black leather skirt. The charm once in her eyes had given way to fervent obedience. She held a jade tray bearing several crystals that radiated a rich vitality.
"Master, the remaining forces of Spirit Hall have been brought under our control." Hu Liena knelt on one knee in reverence. "Before fleeing, Bibi Dong destroyed the Elder Hall, but we intercepted most of the Spirit Bones and resources."
"Bibi Dong..." Yu Tianyu sneered. "Does she really think she can escape by hiding in the Rakshasa Secret Realm? On this continent, a dragon has the keenest sense of smell."
He walked to the entrance of the main hall and gazed at the vast city beneath the setting sun.
"Send the Dragon Slayer Legion into the city. Any Spirit Master who dares resist will have their Soul Power crippled and be sent to the mines. This world no longer needs so many 'free' pawns."
"Yes!" Hu Liena lowered her head, her eyes full of adoration.
At the heart of the Star Dou Forest lay Life Lake.
Ripples spread across its surface as a massive shadow moved beneath the water.
"That human carrying the aura of a True Dragon... grows stronger by the day." A voice like distant thunder rang out from deep in the forest.
"His power doesn't come from a Martial Soul. It comes from an 'authority' we've never seen before." The enormous head of the Sky Azure Bull Python rose above the water, its eyes filled with dread.
Beside it, the Titan Giant Ape shifted uneasily, its body as massive as a mountain. It could feel every living thing in the forest trembling. The fear came from deep within their blood—the instinct of prey confronted by an apex predator.
"He took Xiao Wu." The Titan Giant Ape roared, shaking the leaves.
"Silence, Er Ming!" the Sky Azure Bull Python snapped. "Go rescue her? You wouldn't even make it out of the forest before his dark purple flames reduced you to ashes. Even that old woman on Sea God Island couldn't stop him. If we went, we'd just be handing over two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings."
Just then, a rift suddenly split open in the void.
A streak of dark red lightning tore through the sky and crashed down beside the lake.
When the dust settled, a disheveled man stood before the two Soul Beasts. He was covered in blood, the six wings on his back tattered, and the madness on his once-refined face unmistakable.
Qian Xunji? No, he had been dead for many years.
This was Qian Daoliu, who, after being defeated by Yu Tianyu, had forcibly opened a divine inheritance through a secret art.
"Help me..." Qian Daoliu's voice was old and desperate. "He... he's hunting the gods! He's devouring the divinity of the angels!"
Behind him, a streak of dark golden fire flashed across the sky.
Yu Tianyu appeared as if he had crossed through space itself, a long sword of condensed dark-red magic power in his hand.
"Old man, you ran pretty fast."
Yu Tianyu looked at the two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts in the lake, the corner of his mouth curling into a cruel smile.
"Since you're all here, you can become part of the staircase I climb to godhood."
The battle—or rather, the one-sided execution—lasted less than fifteen minutes.
Life Lake turned an eerie shade of purple.
The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape hadn't even managed to use their domains before a technique known as the Dragon Slayer Secret Art tore through their defenses.
Yu Tianyu stood at the center of the lake, one foot on the enormous head of the Sky Azure Bull Python and two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings glowing an enticing red in his hands.
"Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings? To me, they're just the best 'snacks.'"
He didn't attach the Soul Rings to his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. Instead, he crushed them outright. Their violent energy became pure magic power, continually strengthening his body.
A series of bone-cracking sounds suddenly came from his back.
Two wings, four, six... Twelve enormous dark golden dragon wings burst open, blotting out the sunlight over the entire forest.
"Finally... I've made it this far."
Yu Tianyu took a deep breath. He could feel the life force of the entire continent flowing toward him.
He closed his eyes, and his mental power crossed mountains and rivers in an instant.
He saw Bibi Dong barely clinging to life in the underground secret realm of Spirit City, Tang San scavenging for scraps among the ruins of Sea God Island, and Xiao Wu, withering away in her luxurious cage as she waited for his return.
"It's not over yet, Third Brother."
Yu Tianyu opened his eyes, his voice so gentle it was terrifying. "I've prepared one last performance for you."
Several months later, in Heaven Dou City, at the execution platform.
The entire city had been decorated in eerie shades of black and purple.
Countless civilians were forced to kneel along both sides of the streets.
On the platform, two once-arrogant figures were chained to iron pillars.
One was Tang San, disheveled and insane. His fingernails had long since been pulled out. Every day, he was forced to watch images of Xiao Wu being "trained" in various ways. His soul had already shattered into countless pieces; even hearing the word "Yu" made him convulse.
The other was Bibi Dong, the former Pope. Yu Tianyu had forcibly stripped her of the Rakshasa God's divine status, and she was now so weak she could barely stand.
"Everyone."
Clad in a black-and-gold dragon robe, Yu Tianyu strode through the air. With every step, a dark purple fire lotus blossomed beneath his feet.
"The remnants of the old era will be completely swept away today."
He pointed at Tang San and addressed the entire city. "This is the so-called savior you once believed in, a follower of so-called 'truth.' When faced with the strong, he chose to run. When faced with torture, he went mad."
"And I will grant you a new Order."
Yu Tianyu snapped his fingers.
A stunning young woman in a sheer golden gauze dress emerged from backstage, her eyes vacant. It was Xiao Wu.
She walked up to Tang San and, beneath the gaze of the entire crowd, slowly raised a dagger etched with dragon patterns.
"Third Brother... Master said that if I kill you, I'll be free." Xiao Wu's voice was hollow as a deep ravine, yet Tang San heard every word clearly.
Tang San's cloudy eyes contracted sharply. He stared at the young woman before him—the lover he had once sworn to protect with his life.
"Xiao... Xiao Wu..." He strained with all his might to force one last sound from his throat.
"Thud!"
The dagger plunged into flesh.
Xiao Wu didn't hesitate—or rather, after months of mental torment at Yu Tianyu's hands, she no longer had the capacity to hesitate. Like a mechanical doll, she plunged the dagger into Tang San's chest again and again.
Blood splashed across her face and her flimsy dress.
In that moment, Tang San felt no pain, only despair.
A final, utter despair that ground even his soul to dust and left him no chance of reincarnation.
Yu Tianyu stood above them, savoring the scene. He didn't need these people's faith. He only needed their fear.
Fear lasted longer than faith, and it was more real.
"Third Brother, after you die, I'll seal your soul beneath the ruins of Sea God Island and let you listen to the waves lament for all eternity."
Yu Tianyu turned to Bibi Dong.
"As for you... Your Holiness. I'll make you witness how I conquer the Divine Realm in my Dragon Kingdom. After all, a living 'loser' is the greatest tribute to me."
On that day,
a colossal black dragon appeared in the sky. It opened its enormous jaws and swallowed the sun whole.
The entire Douluo Continent sank into an eternal night.
In that darkness, one voice echoed without end.
"Those who follow me will prosper; those who oppose me... will find no way home."
It was a divine decree.
And the proclamation of a Demon God.
Yu Tianyu slowly took his seat on a throne forged from the spines of countless Spirit Masters, with Xiao Wu—now entirely bereft of reason—held in his arms.
He gazed at the entrance to the Divine Realm in the void, the corner of his mouth curling into a cruel smile.
"Next stop, the Divine Realm. Let's hope those so-called gods are more interesting than the bugs on this continent."
Before you continue