You're Not Worthy

Soon, after letting out one last faint cry, it collapsed onto the narrow path, drew its final breath, and died.

Seeing the golden-red orb about to fall into the blood pool below, Li Pu immediately leaped forward and caught it before it could drop. If it had fallen in, that would have been a huge loss.

Li Pu held the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's inner core in his hands, absolutely delighted.

"Weren't you afraid it was poisonous?"

Bibi Dong hurried over, anxiously warning him.

"It'll be fine. And without its body controlling it, it can't explode anymore." Li Pu smiled with relief.

Even so, Bibi Dong was still worried. She continued,

"Do you know what that snake is?"

Li Pu asked in confusion, "You don't know?"

Bibi Dong shook her head. "I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about Soul Beasts, but this snake isn't recorded in Spirit Hall's records. I don't recognize it."

Li Pu smiled casually. "Then I know even less. I only know about this orb because there's a Spirit Master with a snake-type Martial Soul in Slaughter City. He has an inner core he cultivated himself that can accelerate cultivation. I think this orb is that snake's inner core, probably the equivalent of its own Soul Ring."

After all, the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent wasn't classified as a Soul Beast. It might have been brought back from somewhere else by the Asura God, or perhaps it had been born here and was cut off from the Soul Master system of the outside world. It was just like those bats earlier: after they died, they hadn't produced Soul Rings.

Over the years, Li Pu had also discovered another very unusual thing about Slaughter City: apparently, it was possible to keep leveling up without Soul Rings. He had discovered this after breaking through level twenty. In a way, he had wasted his First Soul Ring for nothing.

This also explained Slaughter City's population. Even ordinary people who entered could have their bodies gradually transformed, allowing them to become Spirit Masters, though they couldn't obtain Soul Rings.

Otherwise, Slaughter City wouldn't have enough Spirit Masters to spare, let alone be able to nurture a powerful God of Slaughter.

Bibi Dong looked at the dead Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent. She could clearly sense that it had lost its life, yet no Soul Ring had appeared.

To her, it was indeed a very unusual Soul Beast.

"If this is equivalent to a Soul Ring, how do you absorb it?" Bibi Dong asked, full of curiosity.

"I don't know. We'll find out when I absorb it. Maybe I'll be able to absorb enough years' worth of a Soul Ring from it, with some left over." Li Pu smiled.

"That doesn't seem very likely!"

Bibi Dong shook her head, unconvinced.

"We'll find out when we get out. Mainly, I can't bear to leave the snake's corpse behind." Li Pu stared at the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's body.

Storage space in a Storage Soul Tool was generally limited to just a few cubic meters.

But larger ones did exist.

He had spent so many years in Slaughter City that he had managed to trade for a Storage Soul Tool with a hundred cubic meters of space. It was more than enough to fit this ten-meter-long snake.

When Bibi Dong saw Li Pu put the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent into his Storage Soul Tool, she thought nothing of it.

On Douluo Continent, when Spirit Masters hunted Soul Beasts, they didn't just take their Soul Rings and Soul Bones. They wouldn't pass up a single valuable part of the creature.

Besides, even the most poisonous snakes were treasures from head to tail. Their gallbladders in particular were potent tonics that could not only increase strength but also nourish yin and invigorate yang.

Divine Realm.

The Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King and the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent had both been killed in quick succession.

As the true master of Slaughter City and the one who had established its place of inheritance, the Asura God took notice.

He couldn't understand how anyone could have killed the guardian beasts on Hell Road. Slaughter City didn't allow Soul Skills, and even if you had Soul Bones, how many could you possibly have?

Once they were killed, future Spirit Masters challenging Hell Road wouldn't face the same trial, so he would have to arrange new guardians.

Of course, if the beasts had really been killed, then this person's strength must have been more than qualified to inherit a godhood. They could serve as a god's successor, and the guardian beasts no longer mattered.

But at this point, his chosen successor hadn't even been born yet. Who was this formidable?

"So there are Martial Souls like that? No wonder!"

When he had established Slaughter City, he had never imagined someone as unusual as Li Pu would appear, someone who could maximize his strength so perfectly.

"But you did have a bit of an advantage. You're still quite young, after all. If you were a few years older, you could probably cross Hell Road all by yourself."

"Your talent is quite good, and you're qualified to inherit my godhood."

"But the last trial won't be easy. Even if you pass, this godhood won't belong to you!"

After all, his godhood was meant for his own son. He couldn't possibly give it to anyone else.

Still, it wasn't entirely impossible. As one of his subordinate gods, God of Slaughter Supros belonged to his power system. That godhood would be enough.

And so, he paid them little more mind. He didn't care that the woman beside Li Pu was Bibi Dong, the villainous boss he had chosen.

After putting away the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent, the two continued onward.

The temperature kept rising, and the dark-red liquid flowing through the depths on either side gradually came into clearer view.

As they pressed on, the scorching heat they endured grew stronger.

The air seemed to contain a peculiar, evil force. The oppressive feeling deep within them grew more pronounced, and the killing intent within them was released with even less restraint.

They understood that this might be the final trial.

Fortunately, during all these years in Slaughter City, they had also trained their minds. They could keep their composure and face the evil force that threatened to sway them with ease.

Even so, the heat outside seemed to be the source that stirred the killing aura within them.

They were also gradually realizing that this Hell Road wasn't just a test of whether they had enough strength. They had to cross it in as little time as possible, or they would inevitably be devoured by the terrifying evil aura within.

Li Pu understood why Bibi Dong had gone mad in the original story. She had probably stayed here too long, and with the Rakshasa God's influence, she had gradually lost her reason.

The two sprang into the air and sped forward. The air grew noticeably hotter, and their vision became increasingly blurred.

In the depths on either side of the narrow path, dark-red blood churned and flowed, radiating the heat of magma. The scorching air made their clothes give off a faint burnt smell.

Even so, they stayed clearheaded.

After nearly half an hour, they finally saw the exit—a field of white light, like hope shining in the darkness.

But there was no path ahead.

Across this stretch of a thousand meters, bubbles roiled in the blood below. The evil aura within was palpable, and no ordinary Spirit Master could come into contact with it.

"Looks like this is the final stretch."

"It doesn't look all that difficult!"