"I refuse to let it end like this..."
Cao Longyan had been sent flying and now lay on the ground, blood pouring from his wounds. In an instant, it soaked the earth around him, staining the soil dark red.
The blow from the Scarlet King had pulverized his internal organs. His bones were shattered or broken, and his limbs lay twisted at grotesque angles.
His consciousness was fading. He stared at the sky, his eyelids twitching incessantly.
He wanted to speak, but the blood and fragments of his organs clogging his throat made even the faintest sound impossible. Only a spark of stubbornness remained deep in his eyes, and all he could do was silently repeat the words in his mind.
"Thank you... Xu Chu, Dian Wei..."
If Xu Chu and Dian Wei hadn't stepped forward at the last moment and poured out their Origin Power to bear most of the damage for him, he would already have been reduced to a wisp of dust in the Star Dou forest, his soul scattered beyond recall.
"There's still so much I haven't done. I'm going to become a God King. I can't fall here..."
The roar in his heart shook his soul, but his body had long since stopped obeying him.
At last, Cao Longyan's eyes slowly closed. The aura around him withered away completely, leaving not the slightest trace of life.
As his consciousness blurred, Cao Longyan felt a powerful force tugging at his soul, drawing him slowly into the Hellfire Purgatory inside the fireball in his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a massive dark-red stone gate, a hundred meters tall. Scalding waves of heat surged endlessly through its cracks, rushing straight toward his face.
The heat forced Cao Longyan's eyes into narrow slits. Instinctively, he raised his hands to shield himself from the scorching heat that seared his heart and bones. His steps were heavy but resolute as he slowly approached the gate, one measured step at a time.
By the time he reached the gate, Cao Longyan was panting heavily. The waves of heat blew away and evaporated the sweat pouring from his head.
Just then, a defiant voice, edged with authority, came from beyond the gate, making his eardrums ring.
"Boy, come in!"
Cao Longyan took a deep breath, then planted both hands against the gate and summoned all his strength to push.
The moment he shoved it, the gate seemed to activate a defense mechanism. Flames flared across its dark-red surface, scorching his hands without pause.
Cao Longyan felt the needle-sharp pain in his palms, but he didn't waver. Gritting his teeth, he roared,
"Open!"
Rumble—
The gate swung open with a deafening crash, unleashing a powerful gust.
Before him lay a road of solidified magma, running straight through the center toward the far end of the purgatory.
Boiling magma bubbled on either side, bursting with scalding heat.
Flames surged along the road, and murderous energy filled the air. Countless vengeful spirits howled, their cries steeped in despair and deathly silence as they sent Cao Longyan a summons to die in hell.
That defiant voice echoed in his ears once more.
"Boy, walk to the end of this road."
The burns on Cao Longyan's hands had healed by the time the voice fell silent.
He knew this was their first test of him. He still had to pass their final trial... Wait, could this be why he'd been stuck at level twenty-nine for half a year without making any progress?
Then he had to completely subdue them!
Cao Longyan fixed his gaze on the far end of the road, clenched his fists, and started forward, each step firm and unwavering.
Before long, two enormous figures appeared in front of him.
They were the brothers Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan.
"Cao Longyan, as a descendant of the Cao family, what grand ambition do you hold?"
Cao Longyan grinned, a domineering gleam bursting from his eyes. He already knew his answer, and his words rang out through the entire Hellfire Purgatory, strong and clear.
"I, Cao Longyan, don't merely want to rule this entire continent. I want to become the supreme God King, rule the universe, and reign supreme for all eternity!"
Seeing Cao Longyan's kingly aura on full display, they couldn't help smiling with satisfaction.
He really was little A-Man! No, his ambition was even greater than A-Man's!
They would follow a ruler like him to the end!
"Master, we swear to follow you to the death! Today, we'll help you break through your bottleneck and awaken a new power!"
As their words fell, the power of Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan slowly flowed into Cao Longyan's consciousness, merging with the Fire Dragon King bloodline and Martial God Body within him.
Cao Longyan felt his Soul Power boil in an instant. The bottleneck that had troubled him for half a year was shattered completely!
His peak level-twenty-nine Soul Power surged like floodwaters bursting through a dam, breaking through to level thirty, Soul Elder, and continued to climb at a rapid pace!
Level thirty-one... level thirty-two... level thirty-three...
It continued all the way to the peak of level thirty-seven!
At the same time, a powerful Domain surged from within him. Flames blazed to the heavens, and scorching heat swept through the entire Hellfire Purgatory.
The Flame King Domain had awakened!
"Ah—!"
Cao Longyan let out a long, earth-shaking roar, and his consciousness instantly returned from Hellfire Purgatory to his body.
His body slowly floated into the air, surrounded by crimson-gold Flame King fire. The Ten Halls of Yama Martial Soul appeared in his right hand, and a mighty, scarlet Fire Dragon King took shape above it, coiling around him as its vast draconic might shook the surroundings.
The Soul Power aura of a peak level-thirty-seven Soul Elder burst forth, several times stronger than before.
The powerful aura Cao Longyan released brought the fierce battle outside to a halt, stopping Xuan Zi and Di Tian in their tracks.
Longyan was alive—and he had broken through his bottleneck. His Soul Power was almost at the Soul Ancestor rank. This was wonderful!
Xuan Zi had also withdrawn his Martial Soul Avatar and stopped burning his life force. From the air, he had seen Cao Longyan's battered state after being sent flying. Cao Longyan lay motionless on the ground, and Xuan Zi had thought he was dead.
Guilt and fury had surged through him in an instant. He'd stopped caring about anything else and unleashed his full strength, burning his own life force just to avenge Cao Longyan. He'd even tried to trade his life for Cao Longyan's by taking Di Tian and the others down with him, then giving Cao Longyan his life in return.
Di Tian also looked curiously toward Cao Longyan.
How could a human have an aura like that?!
The Scarlet King, who was nearest, stared at Cao Longyan hovering in the air, his eyes full of shock. At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least he hadn't completely messed things up.
But the next second, he could no longer smile.
The draconic might radiating from the Fire Dragon King around Cao Longyan knocked the Scarlet King flat before he could react. He struggled to muster his own strength and barely managed to stand, keeping the dragon's might from squeezing the breath out of him.
But the shock in his heart didn't diminish in the slightest. If anything, it only grew!
In the core area, Gu Yuena clearly sensed the power erupting from Cao Longyan, along with the awakened Flame King Domain. She abruptly opened her eyes, rose to her feet, and looked toward him, her gaze flashing with keen interest and surprise.
This human boy possessed such heaven-defying potential—and such a pure Fire Dragon King bloodline, along with a powerful Domain.
She immediately sent another message to Di Tian and the Scarlet King.
Then a cool, authoritative voice rang directly inside Cao Longyan's mind.
"Human boy, please come to the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest. I'd like to meet you."
Cao Longyan had just withdrawn his power and was slowly descending to the ground when he shuddered. He could sense the tremendous power contained in that voice and knew its owner was no ordinary Ferocious Beast.
He looked toward the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, uncertainty flickering in his eyes, along with a hint of anticipation.
Could the owner of that voice... be Di Tian?
But before he could think further, Di Tian and Xuan Zi landed beside him.
Di Tian and the Scarlet King exchanged a glance, then turned to Cao Longyan. They bowed slightly and extended a hand in an inviting gesture, their tone respectful but still carrying the majesty of Ferocious Beasts.
"Human, our Lord wishes to see you. Please come with us."
"Fine."
Cao Longyan appeared remarkably calm, his expression placid and unreadable, but a tempest had already risen in the depths of his heart.
The Lord they spoke of... could it be the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena?!
Before you continue