And Slaughter City.
That sinful place hidden beneath Fallen City was a land of inheritance left behind by the God of Asura.
A trip through Hell Road would grant one Divine Slaughter's Domain.
Once Divine Slaughter's Domain was unleashed, the strength of all enemies within its range would be suppressed, while one's own combat power would be greatly enhanced.
Domain-type abilities like this were rare treasures throughout the entire Douluo Continent.
Oh, and there was also that Nine-Headed Sun Serpent on Hell Road.
The inner core within its body was a supreme fire-element treasure. For Nezha, who would possess the Fire-Tipped Spear and Wind Fire Wheels in the future, it was practically a supplement tailor-made for him.
With these things, Nezha did not dare imagine how fast his cultivation progress would be.
However, it was still too early to think about such things.
The most urgent task was to obtain his first Soul Ring first.
Elsewhere, outside the Star Dou Forest, at the nearest Spirit Hall branch.
This branch stood at the edge of a small town. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary stone building, but its interior was another world entirely.
The marble floor was polished as smooth as a mirror, angel reliefs emblematic of Spirit Hall adorned the walls, and several soul lamps emitted a gentle glow.
The atmosphere in the branch's reception hall was solemn to the extreme.
Bibi Dong sat upright upon the throne at its center.
She wore a magnificent papal robe and a jeweled crown. Her breathtaking face bore not the slightest expression, while her violet eyes calmly watched those below.
The current Pope of Spirit Hall.
The youngest Title Douluo on the Douluo Continent.
The owner of Twin Martial Souls.
The combination of these three identities gave her a pressure powerful enough to make ordinary soul masters struggle even to breathe.
Two men stood at her side.
The man on the left wore a robe embroidered with golden chrysanthemum patterns. His features were feminine, and a faint, ambiguous smile rested at the corner of his lips.
Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan.
The man on the right was shrouded in a loose black robe. His face could not be seen; only two dim green glints could vaguely be made out beneath his hood.
His figure flickered in and out of sight, as though he might melt into the shadows at any moment.
Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei.
Spirit Hall's two great Title Douluo stood quietly beside Bibi Dong, neither saying a word.
Before them, the master of the Star Dou Forest branch stood with his head respectfully lowered.
"Speak." Bibi Dong's voice was cold and clear.
"How is the situation?"
The branch master hurriedly raised his head and respectfully reported, "Reporting to Your Holiness, I have conducted several months of surveillance and investigation into several soul masters suspected of being Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts that underwent Transformation. We now have a definite target."
Bibi Dong gave a slight nod, signaling for him to continue.
In fact, ever since the matter involving Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect and Ah Yin, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor, had been exposed several years ago, the balance of the entire Douluo Continent had undergone subtle changes.
Ah Yin, the Blue Silver Emperor.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had undergone Transformation.
In the end, she had Sacrificed herself to Tang Hao, becoming his Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
Once word of this spread, nearly all the top powers realized one thing: Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts could transform into humans and cultivate anew.
And after transforming, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's strength would plummet, leaving it far less terrifying than before its Transformation.
Even so, killing a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast could still yield a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
For any Title Douluo, these were temptations impossible to resist.
Thus, nearly every major power began secretly searching for beings suspected of being transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
Spirit Hall was naturally no exception.
Bibi Dong possessed Twin Martial Souls, and her second Martial Soul, the Death Spider Emperor, had yet to obtain all of its Soul Rings.
She had no interest whatsoever in ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings. What she wanted were Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings.
For this reason, Spirit Hall had dispatched large numbers of soul masters to major soul beast gathering grounds such as the Star Dou Forest, Sunset Forest, and the Far North, secretly searching for traces of transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
And as the foremost of the Douluo Continent's three great soul beast gathering grounds, the Star Dou Forest was naturally the highest priority.
The moment definite information emerged from the Star Dou Forest, Bibi Dong immediately came in person with Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
The branch master organized his thoughts and continued his report. "This person lives deep within the Star Dou Forest and rarely interacts with humans. I personally tracked her several times and discovered that she had entered and left human towns on the forest's outskirts on several occasions, purchasing only daily necessities and books."
"More importantly..." The branch master lowered his voice. "I once risked following her deep into the inner region of the Star Dou Forest and discovered that her residence lies at the edge of the core region. Aside from soul masters at the level of a Title Douluo, it is impossible for anyone to live there long-term. Only high-level soul beasts or... transformed soul beasts would dare live there."
Bibi Dong's brows twitched slightly.
Seeing this, the branch master hurriedly added, "Furthermore, I specifically applied for a Soul Tool unique to Spirit City that can distinguish the identities of soul beasts. When I approached her, the Soul Tool did indeed display an abnormal reaction."
This Soul Tool, capable of distinguishing soul beasts from humans, had been acquired by Spirit Hall from an ancient ruin. In the past, no one had paid it any attention.
After all, what was difficult about telling humans and soul beasts apart?
But after the emergence of Ah Yin, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had undergone Transformation, the importance of this Soul Tool had risen dramatically within Spirit Hall.
Therefore, special permission from Spirit City was required to use it.
After saying this, the branch master took out a palm-sized circular Soul Tool from his robes and presented it with both hands.
Chrysanthemum Douluo reached out and took it, examined it, then nodded toward Bibi Dong.
At last, an unmistakable glimmer of joy flashed through Bibi Dong's cold, beautiful eyes.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had undergone Transformation.
Her second Martial Soul was finally about to obtain its first Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
"Very good." Bibi Dong's voice remained cold, but her tone was noticeably gentler than before.
"If this intelligence proves true, when we return, I will take special notice of your name during the next personnel transfer to Spirit City."
At these words, the branch master's spirits soared, and an excited flush rose to his face.
A personnel transfer to Spirit City!
That was the promotion opportunity every branch master dreamed of!
He immediately bent low, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "Thank you, Your Holiness!"
Bibi Dong no longer looked at him. Instead, she turned to Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo beside her.
"To avoid unforeseen complications, arrange the operation as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo bowed and answered in unison.
Bibi Dong rose from the throne and slowly walked to the window.
Beyond the window lay the boundless green sea of trees that was the Star Dou Forest.
Her gaze seemed to pierce through layer upon layer of dense woodland, falling upon the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast hidden deep within the forest.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had undergone Transformation...
This time, she would not fail like that useless Qian Xunji.
Before you continue