Two Titled Douluo Fall

The dust settled.

Demon Bear Douluo knelt halfway on the ground, his legs buried deep into the shattered flagstones, with everything below his knees completely swallowed by rubble.

His arms remained in a crossed defensive posture, but the horny layer on his skin had shattered into dust, exposing the charred flesh beneath.

Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, his nostrils, and his ears, dripping onto the ground before him with a faint, rhythmic patter.

His aura had also become incredibly weak.

Ghost Leopard Douluo's face turned deathly pale. He hurried to Demon Bear Douluo's side, crouched down, and placed a hand on his shoulder, attempting to probe his injuries with soul power.

But the moment his soul power touched Demon Bear Douluo's body, it was repelled by a violent, unreasonable force.

The power of destruction was rampaging through Demon Bear Douluo's body, ravaging his meridians, internal organs, and bones; every bolt of lightning was a venomous snake, slithering, tearing, and devouring within him.

"How are you?" Ghost Leopard Douluo's voice was tight.

Demon Bear Douluo's lips trembled twice, emitting a few garbled syllables before he violently coughed up a large mouthful of black blood.

The blood was mixed with fragments of internal organs and hit the ground, emitting a nauseating, scorched stench.

His eyes had lost their focus, his pupils dilated, and his entire being was fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Only one thought remained in Ghost Leopard Douluo's mind: run.

Must run.

Run immediately.

He hoisted Demon Bear Douluo up, draped his arm over his own shoulder, and gritted his teeth, preparing to carry him away.

"Leaving already?"

The voice came from above the pile of corpses—low, hoarse, and carrying a bone-chilling calmness, like a polite greeting from the Grim Reaper before the harvest.

Ghost Leopard Douluo's body stiffened. He turned slowly to look at the child sitting atop the mound of corpses.

Luo Yun remained in the same posture, chin resting on one hand, the Moon Eclipse Sword plunged into the pile of bodies beside him, his scarlet eyes fixed on Ghost Leopard Douluo.

But Ghost Leopard Douluo noticed that the sky behind Luo Yun had changed.

The dark clouds had not dispersed; purple-red lightning still churned within the vortex, as if ready to strike again at any moment.

The final line of defense in Ghost Leopard Douluo's heart collapsed completely.

"Spare... spare my life..."

Luo Yun stood up from the pile of corpses.

He pulled the Moon Eclipse Sword from the mound; the blade was stained with blood, and purple-black lightning danced amidst the crimson, emitting a faint, crackling sound.

He walked down from the pile step by step, his boots making dull thuds as they stepped on the bodies.

He stopped before Ghost Leopard Douluo, standing in front of the Titled Douluo who towered over him by several heads, and looked up at him.

His scarlet eyes were devoid of expression.

Luo Yun spoke, his voice very soft, yet every word felt like a nail driven into Ghost Leopard Douluo's ears.

"When you slaughtered the innocent people of my Frost Ridge City back then, did you ever think of sparing them?"

Ghost Leopard Douluo's lips trembled, unable to utter a word.

"When you spread rumors that the soldiers of my Frost Ridge City were colluding with the soul beasts of the Far North, did you ever think this day would come?"

Ghost Leopard Douluo's legs began to shake, his kneecaps clicking audibly.

"When you dispatched several Titled Douluos to surround my parents and drive them into a dead end..." Luo Yun paused here.

"Did you ever think there would be a day like today?"

Ghost Leopard Douluo opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

Perhaps a plea for mercy, perhaps an explanation, perhaps a curse.

But Luo Yun did not give him the chance.

"In your next life, choose your master wisely."

Luo Yun raised his hand and pointed toward the sky.

High above, the purple-red lightning vortex turned violent once more, the light of the thunder rolling madly within the dark clouds.

Then, two bolts of lightning descended simultaneously.

One struck Ghost Leopard Douluo, and the other struck the already dying Demon Bear Douluo.

Purple-red radiance swallowed everything.

After the lightning dissipated, only two charred craters remained where Ghost Leopard Douluo and Demon Bear Douluo had stood.

Titled Douluos, fallen.

Luo Yun withdrew his finger, turned around, and walked toward the north.

The Moon Eclipse Sword dissolved into points of light in his hand, and the Domain of the God of Slaughter slowly retracted into his body.

The moment Luo Yun stepped out of the ruins of Frost Ridge City, two voices rang out in his mind simultaneously.

"Destruction Nine Trials, fourth trial complete. Reward: Soul Power increased by three levels, one God-given Soul Ring."

"Life Nine Trials, fourth trial complete. Reward: Soul Power increased by three levels, one God-given Soul Ring."

As the voices faded, his soul power began to climb.

Thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two.

A jump of six levels.

Luo Yun clenched his fists, his scarlet eyes devoid of ripples.

Not enough. It was still far from enough.

He found a relatively intact ruin, sat down cross-legged, and drew the two God-given Soul Rings out from his sea of consciousness.

Half an hour later, a pitch-black soul ring appeared at the feet of the Sun Corona Sword.

Purple, purple, black, black.

Another half hour passed, and a pitch-black soul ring appeared at the feet of the Moon Eclipse Sword as well.

Black, black.

Luo Yun stood up, his soul power having reached level forty-eight.

Just as he prepared to leave, two voices sounded in his mind once more.

"Destruction Nine Trials, fifth trial: Journey to the Far North and hunt or conquer one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North. Reward: 20% affinity with the Origin of Destruction. Failure penalty: Erasure."

"Life Nine Trials, fifth trial: Journey to the Far North and hunt or conquer one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North. Reward: 20% affinity with the Source of Life. Failure penalty: Erasure."

Luo Yun froze for a moment.

This time, the Life Nine Trials were no longer a vassal to the Destruction Nine Trials, but an independent, parallel task. This meant he had to deal with two of them.

The Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North? He had read records of them in the library; each had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, and their strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Titled Douluo.

Expecting a six-year-old Soul Ancestor to hunt such existences?

Luo Yun's mouth twitched, and he cursed those two deities in his heart.

Then, he continued walking toward the north.

Douluo God Realm, Tree of Life.

The Life God King sat on a branch, her brows slightly furrowed, her gaze piercing through the sea of clouds to fall upon that azure planet.

The Destruction God King sat beside her, legs crossed, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

"Xiao Zi," the Life God King spoke, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness, "are you intending to groom this child step by step into someone who knows only slaughter?"

"How could that be?" The Destruction God King raised an eyebrow.

"How could it not?" The Life God King turned to look at him. "He is only six years old. You have already made him kill countless people."

The Destruction God King's smile faded slightly, but the curve of his lips remained. "This Seat is counting. Four thousand, seven hundred and thirty-nine people."

The Life God King's brows furrowed even tighter.

The Destruction God King watched her expression and shook his head.

"It won't happen," he said, his tone resolute.

"From the very beginning, he was not meant for slaughter, but for..."

He paused, a complex light flashing in his purple-red pupils.

"Protection."