Nine Nether Domain

Returning to his quarters, Mo Li sat by the pond once more. He had just prepared to begin his cultivation when he heard Liu Erlong's voice.

"I'm back."

He turned his head in surprise. "Sister Erlong, why are you back so soon?"

He had barely arrived home; the grass beneath him hadn't even warmed up yet.

Liu Erlong walked over to Mo Li's side. Her mind had been preoccupied with Mo Li's questions, so she had simply set her work aside.

"The academy's affairs can wait. Tell me about your situation first."

"Oh."

"It's like this: I discovered that my martial soul seems capable of manifesting something... special."

"What is it?" Liu Erlong asked, puzzled. "Show me."

Mo Li nodded. With a thought, he released the domain inherent to his martial soul.

Ever since he had awakened his martial soul, he had sensed the existence of his own domain, but he hadn't displayed it immediately; he had needed a suitable time and reason.

A ring of deep, black ripples suddenly expanded from his center, instantly covering a radius of several dozen meters!

Within the domain, black flames ignited silently. Wisps of pitch-black soul power surged upward, and the soul power in the air was instantly ignited, causing the very air to distort slightly.

Watching this scene, Liu Erlong's eyes widened, and she stood frozen on the spot.

"It's actually... an innate domain," she murmured, speechless.

A domain—what a powerful ability! As a Soul Saint, she had a profound understanding of this.

She had already witnessed the power of Mo Li's martial soul that morning, but as this pitch-black domain manifested clearly before her eyes, she realized she had still vastly underestimated his talent.

Liu Erlong's breathing grew rapid of its own accord, and her heart churned with turbulent waves. She took a deep breath to suppress her agitation and said in a low voice:

"Good, very good!"

"Little Li, your talent is truly formidable. I can say it is the strongest I have ever seen."

"The power you are wielding is called a domain. Only the most top-tier martial souls and talents have the possibility of awakening an innate domain when they first awaken their martial soul!"

"An innate domain?"

Mo Li feigned ignorance.

Seeing this, Liu Erlong couldn't help but smile.

It made sense; how would a child know what a domain was, or understand the power it held?

Even as a Soul Saint, her own insights into domains were limited, and Soul Masters who could reach the realm of a domain were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Let alone an innate domain—she had never even heard of such a thing.

Watching Mo Li's bewildered expression, she patiently explained the basic knowledge of domains to him, and Mo Li naturally absorbed it quickly.

After finishing her explanation, Liu Erlong looked up at the lingering heat in the air, pondered for a moment, and said:

"Use your domain on me. I want to see exactly what effects it has."

Mo Li hesitated for a moment. "Then, Sister Erlong, please be careful."

"Put your heart at ease and use your full strength."

Liu Erlong waved her hand, her expression quite composed.

She was joking; she was a level 72 Soul Saint. Even if she stood still without using any soul skills, her protective soul power alone would be enough to withstand Mo Li, even with his domain.

And so...

"Why are you burning my clothes, you brat!"

Liu Erlong gritted her teeth, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger, her eyes looking as if they were about to spit fire.

On the other side, Mo Li gave an awkward smile. Since Liu Erlong had told him to attack with full strength, he had naturally followed her instructions.

Fully exerting his domain consumed a massive amount of mental energy. Even with Mo Li's current mental strength, which rivaled that of a Soul Grandmaster, he could only maintain it for a few minutes.

During that time, although Mo Li had been constantly using his domain to attack Liu Erlong, he still hadn't been able to break through her protective soul power.

After all, the gap between them was clear; the difference between a quasi-Soul Master and a Soul Saint was still immense.

Just as Mo Li was struggling and on the verge of giving up, a surge of potent soul power suddenly flowed from the domain. He was startled at first, then realized the source of this power was Liu Erlong's own protective aura. In other words, his domain could devour others' soul power for his own use!

Mo Li cast a strange look at Liu Erlong, who was still maintaining her protective aura, and then channeled this stolen power to brew his next round of attacks.

Liu Erlong, assuming Mo Li was about to give up—as it was already rare for a Soul Master to maintain a domain for so long—simply withdrew her protective soul power and walked toward him. At that exact moment, Mo Li, fully focused on controlling the feedback from his domain, unleashed his prepared attack.

Both of them froze.

Mo Li hadn't expected Liu Erlong to suddenly drop her defense, and Liu Erlong hadn't expected Mo Li to still have energy left!

"Boom!"

Of course, with a Soul Saint's physique, she could easily withstand the brunt of Mo Li's attack, but in her haste, Liu Erlong had forgotten to protect her clothing.

The result was that wisps of flame consumed her dress, leading to the awkward situation at hand.

Liu Erlong reached out to pull at the hem of her black dress, which had been half-burned away. The garment, which originally reached her mid-thigh, now barely covered the very top of her legs, leaving a large expanse of snow-white skin exposed.

Though she was furious, she felt even more ashamed. She took a step directly to Mo Li's side and slapped him on the head.

The blow landed solidly, causing Mo Li to hurriedly cover his head in pain as he aggrievedly protested, "Sister Erlong, didn't you tell me to attack with all my might? You said if I couldn't even touch a single hair on you, your cultivation as a Soul Saint would have been for nothing."

He had pushed the power of his domain to its absolute limit earlier, but the gap between them was simply too vast; no matter how he attacked, it had no effect.

If not for the soul power devoured by his domain, combined with Liu Erlong's accidental decision to drop her defenses, he likely wouldn't have even been able to touch the hem of her clothes.

"You still dare to talk back!"

"I never told you to burn my clothes!"

"Well, you didn't say not to..."

Embarrassed and angry, Liu Erlong raised her hand and slapped Mo Li on the head again, deciding to beat him up first regardless of the reason.

After Liu Erlong had changed into a new dress, she finally began to discuss the effects of the domain in earnest.

"I tested it earlier; soul power is suppressed within your domain, but the effect is negligible."

"Well, you are a dignified Soul Saint, after all."

"Shut up." Liu Erlong's face flushed slightly as she gritted her teeth in a threat.

Yet, to Mo Li, such a threat had no effect at all; instead, it only made her appear incredibly adorable.

Seeing Mo Li just smile without saying anything, Liu Erlong let out a soft huff, her expression returning to normal as she continued, "Besides that, all your attacks carry an erosive quality, and the flames within the domain are also quite troublesome."

Hearing Liu Erlong's analysis, Mo Li nodded. The effects of his domain were essentially covered, though Liu Erlong hadn't described one point quite accurately.

His attacks didn't carry an erosive ability, but rather a devouring one. The soul power devoured could be immediately fed back into himself within the domain; it was a case of weakening the enemy while strengthening himself, making it exceptionally difficult to deal with.

"Listen well," Liu Erlong instructed solemnly. "Do not reveal that you possess a domain unless it is an absolute last resort. This will be one of your most powerful trump cards in the future, but it could also be a source of jealousy for others."

"You can give your domain a name."

"A name?"

Mo Li pondered for a moment, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Let's call it the Nine Nether Domain!"

"The Nine Nether Domain, is it?"

Liu Erlong looked thoughtful, then gave a slight nod.

"As long as you like it."

"Sister Erlong, from now on, let me protect you!"

Mo Li patted his chest, his face full of sincerity.

Liu Erlong was stunned for a moment, looking at Mo Li with a mix of amusement and being touched. "You certainly have a big mouth. Just make sure I don't catch you slacking off during training from now on."

"For Sister Erlong, I suppose I can put in the effort."

"Smooth talker."

Listening to Mo Li's slightly childish yet inexplicably firm promise, a soft spot in Liu Erlong's heart was touched. She couldn't help but purse her lips into a smile, her eyes shimmering with a myriad of charms.

If those who knew her temperament from years ago saw her like this, their jaws would likely drop in shock.

Who would have thought that the "Killing Corner" of the once-renowned Golden Iron Triangle of the continent would ever reveal such a gentle and moving expression?

Liu Erlong herself realized that ever since Mo Li had been by her side, her state of mind had become much more peaceful and tranquil than before. Because of certain events in the past, she had been extremely violent and bloodthirsty, a period that had gradually made her cold-blooded and indifferent.

Later, at the urging of friends, she came to Heaven Dou City to open the Blue Tyrant Academy, which allowed her to focus on self-cultivation. The six years spent with Mo Li, in particular, reminded her of the unconstrained and cheerful days she had once experienced while traveling the continent.

She liked this change, and she liked her life as it was now.

In fact, if things could just go on like this forever, that would be just fine...