Undead Scourge

At this moment, several blood-colored figures arrived one after another at the side of Zhang Huanyun.

Blood Gods, assemble.

Except for...

"Where is Little Eight?" Zhang Huanyun frowned.

"She went to retrieve Luo Yang; she should be here any moment..." Before Blood One could finish his sentence, a silver-white figure shot over like a sharp arrow, landing steadily beside the group.

It was Blood Eight.

"Where is that child, Luo Yang?" Zhang Huanyun asked.

"In his room, perfectly safe," Blood Eight replied quickly.

Zhang Huanyun nodded slightly.

Luo Yang's parents had both died for the country; he absolutely could not allow any further accidents to befall the child.

He turned to the other Blood Gods and said solemnly, "The scale of this tide is abnormal; you have all felt it."

The Blood Gods wore grave expressions.

Blood One stared into the depths of the passage, his brows locked tight. "Even an Abyss King has appeared... I fear there is a problem with the seal."

Ordinary Abyss creatures were not to be feared; the legion's reserves were sufficient to sustain months of consumption.

But the appearance of an Abyss King, even if it was only the lowest-ranked Six-Claw Demon Emperor, meant that the level of this tide was entirely different. No one knew what else might emerge later.

It was even highly likely that other, stronger Abyss Kings would appear.

And Soul Tools like soul-guided rays and soul-guided shells did not pose much of a threat to such powerhouses.

"Should we request reinforcements from the Federation? Have the Spirit Pagoda or the War God Temple send people," Blood Two suggested.

"A request has already been sent, but it will take the War God Temple at least ten days to arrive," Zhang Huanyun said in a deep voice. "The most critical issue now is that we don't know what exactly went wrong with the seal. Even if the people from the War God Temple arrive, they will only be able to exhaust themselves against these Abyss creatures."

Blood One pondered for a moment. "In that case, let us first deal with this Six-Claw Demon Emperor before us, then investigate the seal."

"Brother One, I will go with you," Blood Eight suddenly spoke up.

"Good."

Blood One said no more; his Four-Word Battle Armor instantly covered his body, transforming into a streak of blood-red light as he lunged straight at the Six-Claw Demon Emperor!

With his strength as a Limit Douluo, combined with his Four-Word Battle Armor, it was not difficult to take down an Abyss King at the Super Douluo level.

With Blood Eight going along, it provided an extra layer of support.

Wherever the two passed, the Abyss creatures melted away like snow, turning into energy that returned to the Abyss.

The Six-Claw Demon Emperor faced them like a formidable enemy, yet it was still slain by the two of them working in tandem within a few moves, bursting into a stream of pure dark energy that retreated into the depths of the passage.

Following the fall of the King, the offensive of the Abyss creatures slowed significantly.

Blood Eight let out a soft sigh of relief.

An Abyss King... nothing more than this.

However, the next second.

A cold, bone-chilling tremor crawled up her spine without warning.

"Little Eight, watch out--!!!"

Blood One's roar and the startled cries of the other Blood Gods exploded almost simultaneously!

Blood Eight froze for a split second.

Danger? Where?

She hadn't sensed anything at all.

Until a touch of icy coldness came from her chest.

She slowly looked down.

A hole the size of a bowl had pierced through her chest at some unknown moment.

When?!

Blood gushed out, and she fell backward, dazed and uncomprehending.

Before her vision went completely dark, she finally saw the figure standing behind her.

It was a woman.

A woman so beautiful it was suffocating.

Her entire body was covered in pitch-black leather, two black wings unfurled behind her back, and her long hair drifted behind her head like a disk.

Her face was stunningly beautiful, but her eyes were as cold as the ice at the very bottom of the Abyss.

She lifted her hand gently, her fingertips still lingering with a wisp of silver-white soul power light—the final trace of Blood Eight's heart beating.

The Ninth Abyss King, Master of the Black Empress Clan.

Black Empress.

"Humans..." Black Empress parted her red lips, her voice icy, "are always so fragile."

Aunt Eight wanted to laugh, but instead spat out a mouthful of blood.

She took one last look toward the base in the distance, her eyes flashing with complex emotions: guilt, regret, and a hint of relief.

Then, she closed her eyes forever.

"Aunt Eight--!!!"

The roars of the Blood God echoed across the battlefield. They all surged forward like madmen, only to be held back firmly by Zhang Huanyun.

"Calm down! That is Black Empress! At the very least, it is a demigod-level projection!" Zhang Huanyun was furious as well, but he had to remain rational, "Do you want to throw your lives away?!"

Black Empress's gaze swept over the group, finally landing on the corpse of Aunt Eight, a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

"Sadness? Anger? I quite enjoy watching you humans display such emotions."

She raised her hand, and the black hair behind her head suddenly expanded, transforming into a black hole that swallowed all light.

A terrifying suction force erupted, tearing even the alloy ground apart. Rubble, debris, and even scattered soul power were being frantically sucked into it!

This was the innate talent of the Black Empress Clan.

Black Devour Domain! Devour, convert, and strengthen oneself!

"Form a formation! Defend!" Zhang Huanyun roared. His martial soul, Bright Mirror, suddenly unfolded, the mirror surface refracting a scorching light in an attempt to resist the erosion of the darkness.

The other Blood God also released their soul power simultaneously to contend with her.

But a mocking curve tugged at the corner of Black Empress's mouth.

She was only a projection, possessing less than fifty percent of her true body's strength. Yet, even so, it was enough to crush these humans.

The domain expanded further, and the darkness began to consume the blood-colored light.

One Blood God let out a muffled groan, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth; his soul power was being forcibly extracted!

They couldn't hold on much longer...

Just at this moment of despair--

"Aunt Eight!!!"

A youthful cry pierced through the roar of the battlefield.

Everyone froze in unison.

Black Empress also tilted her head slightly.

A small figure was seen, having somehow broken through the blockade, running toward the corpse of Aunt Eight!

Luo Yang.

How was he here?!

Didn't Aunt Eight say she had locked him in his room!

The hearts of all the Blood God nearly stopped.

Black Empress was right beside the body of Aunt Eight, yet Luo Yang charged forward as if he didn't see her--

This was practically suicide!

"Come back--!"

Blood One, who was closest, saw his expression change drastically. A simple, ancient greatsword emerged behind him, instantly splitting into several sword shadows that swept toward Luo Yang!

They had watched that child grow up; they could not let anything happen to him!

At the same time, Zhang Huanyun used all his strength, his martial soul Bright Mirror shining brilliantly, causing the light previously swallowed by the darkness to brighten once more.

Black Empress sneered.

She understood now; this youth was of vital importance to these humans.

Since that was the case, he must die today!

An ant that hadn't even awakened its martial soul was something she could extinguish with a wave of her hand.

The darkness condensed, transforming into a twisted spear.

The tip of the spear was aimed at Luo Yang.

"Die!"

The Dark Spear shot out.

Time seemed to slow down in this moment.

Blood One's sword was still three meters away from Black Empress.

The attacks of the other Blood God were still halfway there.

The Dark Spear had already crossed half the distance.

Luo Yang was still running; he didn't even look at the lethal spear, his eyes fixed solely on Aunt Eight.

Five meters.

Three meters.

One meter!!

"Luo Yang---!!!"

Blood One's roar was heart-wrenching.

The Blood God members closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight.

The corner of Black Empress's mouth had already curled into a cruel arc; what she loved most was watching humans reveal pain and despair due to the tragic death of their loved ones.

However.

The smile froze on her face.

Just as the tip of the Dark Spear was about to touch Luo Yang, an anomaly occurred!

As Luo Yang ran, his body suddenly lit up.

In that instant, countless golden specks of light emerged from thin air, like Fire Fly in a summer night, swarming densely into his body.

With every step he took, a layer of pale frost condensed on the ground beneath his feet—not ice or snow, but some kind of... bone-like crystal.

The Dark Spear stopped abruptly just an inch away from Luo Yang.

No, it didn't just stop.

It was trembling.

As if it had encountered a natural predator.

The smile on Black Empress's face vanished for the first time; she narrowed her eyes, staring fixedly at Luo Yang.

"What is this..."

Before she could finish her sentence.

"BOOM---!!!"

An invisible shockwave exploded outward with Luo Yang at its center!

It wasn't a fluctuation of soul power, but the release of some kind of... status. It was like a subject meeting a monarch, a mortal meeting a god, the abyss meeting—

Its creator.

The Dark Spear shattered into pieces, turning into nothingness.

Immediately following, a roar like crashing waves erupted from within Luo Yang's body, and an invisible yet suffocating aura of death swept out!

"This is... an autonomous Martial Soul awakening?!"

Zhang Huanyun's eyes widened in disbelief.

Everyone stood frozen on the spot.

Even those abyss creatures felt an instinctive fear at this moment, becoming restless and agitated.

Black Empress's eyes were filled with shock and uncertainty.

She actually felt a trace of an aura from a human child that made her heart palpitate; even though it was very faint, it made her feel more uneasy than when facing the Abyss Holy Monarch.

What kind of Martial Soul is this?!

Under everyone's gaze, Luo Yang finally ran to Blood Eight's side, knelt halfway, and reached out a hand, wanting to touch that face which had already lost its warmth.

But his fingers stopped in mid-air.

Because the changes in his body were still continuing.

Pale bone armor emerged from beneath his skin, covering his entire body piece by piece, forming a ferocious and majestic suit of armor. Dark golden patterns flowed across the armor, wriggling slowly as if they were alive.

His eyes had turned a pure, blood-red.

And behind him, the phantom of a sword slowly condensed.

It was a dark red longsword with a slender blade and a crossguard shaped like interlocking bones; it had no physical form, appearing as if it were condensed from the wails of countless departed souls.

Its mere existence caused the surrounding temperature to plummet, and a faint scent of blood permeated the air.

The moment the sword appeared, Black Empress's expression changed completely, and for the first time, her eyes revealed... fear.

Zhang Huanyun's mouth hung open, unable to speak for a long time.

The hand with which Blood One held his sword was trembling.

All the Blood God members, all the warriors, stood frozen on the spot.

They looked at that small figure covered in bone armor, looked at the dark red longsword behind him that seemed capable of severing life and death, and looked at the majesty reflected in his blood-red eyes—a majesty that even the abyss had to retreat from.

"Autonomous awakening... God-level Martial Soul..."

Zhang Huanyun's voice was dry.

He had seen too many geniuses and had witnessed the birth of top-tier Martial Souls. But the scene before him had completely exceeded the scope of his understanding.

No awakening ceremony, no soul power guidance; an autonomous Martial Soul awakening triggered by extreme emotional stimulation—this in itself was already a legend.

And the awakened martial soul could actually make the King of the Abyss feel fear?!

This could no longer be described as "genius."

This was...

A monster.

Blood One took a deep breath and slowly exhaled four words:

"Born Supreme."

Some people are born at the finish line.

But at this moment, Luo Yang was standing upon the ruins of that finish line, gripping the Sword of Kingship, crowned as—

The Undead Heavenly Monarch!