Preparing to Journey to Douluo Continent

After breaking through, Shen Lian took out the God-Bestowed Spirit Ring. He planned to use it as his sixth Spirit Ring.

Shen Lian sat cross-legged on the ground, his legs folded into a lotus position. The God-Bestowed Spirit Ring floated above his palm like a pale crescent moon, and within the shifting halo on its surface, a dragon-shaped phantom flickered in and out of sight.

Shen Lian took a deep breath. Dark-purple Soul Power surged from the acupoints across his body like a tide, condensing into a layer of fine scale armor over his skin. At the same time, the sharp blade aura of the Dragon-Slaying Blade Martial Soul materialized, forming a massive blade shadow behind him.

The powers of the two Martial Souls intertwined, forming a mysterious protective barrier.

The instant the God-Bestowed Spirit Ring touched Shen Lian's forehead, violent energy flooded into his meridians like a burst dam, as though it intended to tear his body apart completely.

Shen Lian let out a muffled groan. His face instantly flushed red, veins bulged across his forehead, and cold sweat rolled down like beans.

He clenched his teeth and forcibly circulated his Soul Power, guiding the energy toward his Martial Souls.

The Spirit Ring's glow began to shift violently. Its pure white halo gradually took on a bright yellow hue, like the rising sun, radiating warm and gentle light.

Then, the yellow deepened and turned into a profound purple, as though night had fallen and stars were gleaming.

At last, the purple was swallowed by dense blackness. An ink-black Spirit Ring hovered above Shen Lian's head, its dragon-shaped patterns lifelike, each one flowing with mysterious Divine Power of Destruction.

As the absorption deepened, the Spirit Ring's age steadily rose. Ten thousand years, twenty thousand years, thirty thousand years... When it surpassed fifty thousand years, the entire Inheritance Land shook violently. Ancient and mysterious World-Extinguishing Runes appeared across the vault above, while scorching dark-purple lava seeped from the Basalt Altar on the ground. A pungent sulfurous smell filled the air.

Shen Lian's bones crackled like exploding beans, while the Mark of Destruction on his brow pulsed madly, resonating intensely with the Spirit Ring.

"I can get even stronger!"

Shen Lian roared. The phantom of the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon behind him fully solidified, every scale gleaming with dark-purple light.

Ignoring the agony in his meridians, Shen Lian forcibly guided more energy into the Spirit Ring.

However, when its age reached sixty-three thousand seven hundred years, purple-gold blood began seeping from Shen Lian's seven orifices. Fine cracks appeared in the Dragon-Slaying Blade Martial Soul within his Consciousness Sea, as though it could shatter at any moment.

"Enough!"

With the last of his strength, Shen Lian severed his energy connection to the Spirit Ring.

The ink-black Spirit Ring slowly descended into his Martial Soul, blooming with dazzling radiance in the position of his sixth Spirit Ring.

In an instant, immense power erupted from within him. Rank sixty-one Soul Power burst forth like a volcano, and the powerful shockwave shook loose stones from the passageways of the Inheritance Land. Huang Tian, within his Consciousness Sea, sensed the power and let out a stunned roar.

Shen Lian slowly rose to his feet, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Shen Lian drew the Dragon-Slaying Blade and gave a low shout:

"Sixth Soul Skill: Dragon Flame Heaven-Burning Slash!"

The instant the Dragon-Slaying Blade swung, a blade radiance wrapped in violet-black dragon flames tore through the air, ripping a ten-meter-long flaming rift through the void.

Wherever the blade radiance passed, the air violently steamed and warped. Even the ancient runes on the altar's stone pillars were scorched into depressions.

"This technique merges the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon's origin flames with Divine Power of Destruction. It has already surpassed the scope of ordinary Soul Skills."

Huang Tian's voice echoed through Shen Lian's Consciousness Sea.

Shen Lian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and turned his gaze toward the exit of the Inheritance Land.

He reached out and touched the Storage Soul Tool at his waist. Inside was the jade slip Xu Tianxiang had given him five years ago, detailing the insights of Xu Family powerhouses who had awakened the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon, though Shen Lian had not needed it five years ago.

"Little Scoundrel..."

Shen Lian murmured softly, his fingertips brushing the Mark of Destruction on his brow. A determined gleam flashed through his eyes. "The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well? Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts? They should have a new owner."

Shen Lian had actually wanted to go to Douluo Continent when he was twelve. He feared that he and Little Scoundrel were the same age; if he arrived too late, he would not know how to steal the opportunities first.

However, because of the God Trial, he had suppressed the idea of going to Douluo Continent for three years. Now, he could finally make it happen.

Then Shen Lian prepared to leave the Inheritance Land. The light barrier behind him slammed shut, and the ancient runes shaken loose turned into specks of dim light that scattered through the air.

Shen Lian took a deep breath. Dark-purple Soul Power circulated around him, sweeping away all the exhaustion from five years of arduous cultivation.

He strode through the silent palace corridors. Moonlight cast a mysterious glow over his figure, while the Mark of Destruction at his waist grew faintly warm with every step, as though urging him onto a new journey.

Within the Imperial Study, candlelight flickered.

Xu Tianxiang was frowning in thought over a yellowed ancient map, his aged fingers unconsciously rubbing the mottled writing upon it.

Then he heard familiar footsteps outside. He abruptly raised his head, and the wolf-hair brush in his hand dropped onto the desk with a clatter.

"Xiao Lian!"

Xu Tianxiang hurried forward, his clouded eyes filled with surprise and concern. Yet when he sensed the faint pressure of Destruction around Shen Lian, his steps paused slightly.

Shen Lian dropped to one knee and cupped his fists in salute:

"Grandfather!"

Shen Lian's voice was steady and powerful, though it could not conceal his excitement.

Xu Tianxiang raised his grandson with trembling hands. His gaze lingered for a long while on the Mark of Destruction between Shen Lian's brows, and his voice carried barely restrained excitement:

"Xiao Lian, have you completed the God Trial?"

Shen Lian nodded heavily, light flashing in his eyes. Then he said to Xu Tianxiang:

"Grandfather, the first trial has been completed successfully! But the location of the second trial lies extremely far away, and I must depart at once."

Shen Lian deliberately obscured the exact location, afraid that the elders would try every possible way to stop him if they learned the truth.

The old man's expression immediately turned solemn, and his grip on Shen Lian's arm tightened:

"How far?"

Xu Tianxiang's voice trembled, as though he had already foreseen a long parting.

"Grandfather, it is a mysterious place not even marked on any map."

Shen Lian grasped the old man's callused hand and spoke to him firmly:

"But you need not worry. My strength is no longer what it once was, and I will surely return safely. Once I complete the God Trial, I will immediately return to your side."

Xu Tianxiang remained silent for a long time, his eyes full of reluctance and worry. Yet he also knew that the God Trial concerned the Xu Family's honor and his grandson's future.

Xu Tianxiang let out a long sigh and took an ancient jade pendant from his robes. A lifelike Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon was carved upon it. Then he said to Shen Lian:

"This is a protective jade pendant. It can withstand three attacks from a Title Douluo. Keep it with you, be careful in everything outside, and never act rashly when trouble arises."

Then Shen Lian left the Imperial Palace.