Fight to the Death

The Slaughter King panted as he continued fighting the Zombie Ice Bear King, pondering his previous state.

With that last strike, based on his experience, even if he could not directly destroy the Zombie Ice Bear King, he should have cleaved it in two and rendered it incapable of attacking. Could it have been because of that golden light from the boy's vertical eye?!

"A hundred-thousand-year spiritual-attribute soul beast skull bone truly is extraordinary!"

Tangible determination burned in Tang Chen's eyes. Combined with the soul skill that had just reflected his soul attack, he easily reached this conclusion. Only soul bones produced by hundred-thousand-year soul beasts could possess two soul skills at once.

Even if he did not use this hundred-thousand-year soul bone himself, he could leave it to the sect and make it part of its foundation.

Together with that defensive soul bone capable of resisting his pressure, there could be nothing better.

While Er Bai kept the Slaughter King entangled, Huo Yuhao circulated the Dragon God Heart Formula with all his strength, devouring the origin of life within the surrounding Bloody Mary.

He replenished the life force, spiritual power, and soul power he had expended earlier. Killing intent surged within Huo Yuhao. Even if he had to summon an undead army and exhaust all his life force, he would kill the Slaughter King today.

And right then!

The surrounding space and time seemed to freeze. Even the Bloody Mary stirred up by Er Bai stopped churning.

A voice rang out in both their minds at once.

"Kill the person before you within three breaths. Reward: pass the eighth trial of the Asura God Examination; complete restoration of the physical body."

"Kill the current inheritor of the Asura God position within three breaths. Reward: the Asura God inheritance will be opened."

When Tang Chen heard that the reward for the divine trial was the restoration of his body, his resolve grew even stronger. He would not need to switch bodies and could regain his peak condition. He had to complete the divine trial, return alive, see Poseisi, and fulfill his promise to her.

Huo Yuhao, however, did not consider anything else. This was what he had searched and waited so long for!

Their gazes met in an instant. Each saw the resolve to fight to the death in the other's eyes. The killing intent around them both erupted to its peak, and even the red mist permeating the area seemed to stop flowing!

With a time limit in place, neither needed to speak. Both immediately unleashed their most powerful killing moves.

The nine soul rings around Tang Chen blazed brilliantly, rapidly merging into one. He directly drained all the remaining Asura divine power from his body, pointing the Asura Demon Sword at the boy and vowing to kill him in a single strike.

Huo Yuhao dismissed the Necromantic Disaster Staff and grabbed the Ghost Sculpture in his hand. Closing his eyes, the final moments when Snow Woman and Liya had faded away flashed through his mind. Without hesitation, he stripped away part of his divine soul. Golden fragments of divine soul flew forth, brushing past the blade of the Ghost Sculpture and transforming into divine fire.

"Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, Great Sumeru Hammer, Ring Explosion!"

"Burning divine fire, Heart Sword, Ghost Sculpture clashes!"

The Wintermind Sword of Hao Dong's Three Absolutes from long ago was now the Heart Sword.

All power gathered at a single point, colored by ultimate spiritual will. As bloody tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, the Ghost Sculpture flew from his hand.

The enormous shadow of the Asura sword collided with the Ghost Sculpture wreathed in golden divine fire.

The small blade flickering with golden divine fire looked powerless, yet after the divine fire offset part of the Asura divine power, it pierced through the sword light without slowing, then pierced through the Slaughter King's chest once more.

The spatial confinement was released the instant they attacked.

Er Bai had been watching Huo Yuhao's movements at all times. Seeing his grandpa about to be struck by the sword light, he immediately pounced forward.

He used his body to block the sword. The massive sword light pierced straight through his entire lower abdomen. Countless toxins from his corpse blood mixed into the Bloody Mary below, and Er Bai released his soul power, using only his own attribute to temporarily freeze the portion contaminated by his corpse poison.

His eyes remained fixed on his grandpa in his palm.

Huo Yuhao lay sprawled in Er Bai's palm, utterly drained. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, blood continuously gushing from his mouth. With his divine soul damaged, his sea of consciousness was nearly collapsing, yet the existence of Qiu'er's soul bone still tenaciously held it together.

Tang Chen lay on the ground, clutching his ruptured chest as he felt his life force gradually fading away, his soul scorched and scattered by that golden fire.

That last strike had directly annihilated the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King with its divine flames, and only then had his thoughts completely returned to normal.

Memories replayed in his mind, scene after scene from the moment he first encountered the boy.

He was not someone who could not accept defeat, but he was not merely Tang Chen. He was also the sect master of the Clear Sky Sect. He could not leave behind such a calamity.

The boy's killing intent was not solely because of the inheritance of the god position. The greatest reason was his Clear Sky Hammer.

He had spent years in the City of Slaughter, so it naturally could not be because of himself. It had to be related to someone else from the Clear Sky Sect.

At only twelve years old, he could move through the City of Slaughter like a fish through water and even gain the Asura God's recognition. Yes, recognition.

When Tang Chen obtained his divine trial, he had already been a level 99 Ultimate Douluo. Yet this boy was merely a Soul Master without even a single soul ring. Without possessing the Slaughter God Domain, he had still drawn the Asura God's attention. His temperament and fortune were both exceptional!

He could not allow him to keep growing.

With great difficulty, he took out his Clear Sky Sect token—a small golden hammer. Using the last of his strength, he pressed an inconspicuous mark into its handle with his fingernail.

"Help me... give this... to Poseisi... Tell her... Tang Chen has broken... his promise." Tang Chen raised his hand, but before he could finish speaking, it fell limply.

Huo Yuhao leaned against Er Bai's palm, his eyes closed, never saying a word.

Only when that cold male voice rang out beside his ear again did he react.

"Previous inheritor of the Asura God position killed. Complete. Reward: Asura God Examination activated."

Only then did Huo Yuhao barely open his eyes to look. Tang Chen was dead beyond all doubt.

At the same time, Huo Yuhao once again felt an aura lock onto him.

Everything happened too quickly. Neither Huo Yuhao nor Er Bai could react. Or rather, even if he could have reacted, the majesty of a god would not have allowed him to make any move.

Tang Chen's corpse instantly crumbled apart. Blood-colored energy drifted out and rapidly condensed into a massive blood-red sword—the Asura Demon Sword.

In the blink of an eye, the Asura Demon Sword flew before Huo Yuhao, its tip aimed directly at the center of his brow!

Just as the sword tip was about to pierce his brow, the vertical eye there opened on its own. A bolt of silver lightning struck out, instantly knocking the Asura Demon Sword downward by several inches.

Huo Yuhao's sea of consciousness churned again, and he was nearly unable to endure it before fainting.

The Asura Demon Sword seemed extremely enraged. It trembled twice, hesitated for a moment, then pointed its tip toward Huo Yuhao's chest. Yet a gray-gold scale emerged over Huo Yuhao's heart, its devouring power seeming to say, Come on, hurry up and come over!

In the end, the Asura Demon Sword seemed to make up its mind and resolutely stabbed into Huo Yuhao's lower dantian.

The enormous Asura Demon Sword slowly melted away like magma.

As if taking revenge, violent and powerful energy forcibly entered his body, making his flesh swell. Huo Yuhao felt that if he had not cultivated the Dragon God Heart Formula over the past two years and greatly strengthened his body, he might have exploded on the spot.

Of course, judging by his current condition, he was not far from exploding anyway.