External Soul Bone, Dark Gold Bat Wings!

Slaughter City, at the entrance to the Hell Slaughter Arena.

A young man wearing a hood blocked Xia Mu's path. He swept his gaze over Xia Mu, who wore a bamboo hat, and spoke in a low voice.

"Are you Dugu Qiubai?"

"The famed Sword Demon of Slaughter City?"

Xia Mu stopped and sized up the newcomer.

After a moment, he said, "Before asking someone else's name, shouldn't you announce your own first?"

"What? You hide your face, yet you don't even dare reveal your own name?"

The man paused, then said, "I am Hammer King Tang Ritian. I arrived in Slaughter City not long ago!"

"I heard of the Sword Demon's great reputation and came specifically to challenge you!"

Tang Hao was a battle maniac. The moment he arrived in Slaughter City, he sought out the increasingly famous Xia Mu.

"Hammer King Tang Ritian?"

"What a boastful name!"

Upon hearing that name, Xia Mu immediately realized that this man was Tang Hao, one of the Clear Sky Twin Stars.

Tang Hao had only just turned twenty-seven. His Soul Power was at rank sixty-two, making him a low-ranking Soul Emperor.

Tang Hao had come to Slaughter City for two reasons: to find Tang Chen, who had gone missing in Slaughter City, and to obtain the legendary Divine Slaughter's Domain!

"I never fight nobodies!"

"If you want to fight me, wait until you've achieved a hundred consecutive victories and successfully cleared Hell Road. Then come challenge me—it won't be too late!"

Xia Mu spoke bluntly, not taking Tang Hao seriously in the slightest. He was nothing more than a brute.

Not only was he hot-tempered, but he also loved causing trouble!

"You're courting death!"

"Clear Sky Nine Absolutes—Character-Piercing Technique!"

Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer and unleashed the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, swinging the hammer down at Xia Mu.

"Dugu Nine Swords—Spear-Breaking Form!"

Xia Mu struck in return. The Light-Hiding Sword released its sword intent and attacked before Tang Hao could react, completely interrupting Tang Hao's charging motion.

"What a fast sword!"

"Clear Sky Nine Absolutes—Character-Sealing Technique!"

Tang Hao raised the Clear Sky Hammer, circulated his Soul Power, and placed the hammer before himself, intending to defend.

"How is this possible?"

Tang Hao watched helplessly as the Light-Hiding Sword ignored the Character-Sealing Technique's defense and pierced straight through his lung!

"Among all martial arts, nothing is unbreakable; only speed cannot be broken. Your Self-Created Soul Skill is far from fully mastered."

"Consider this a small lesson from me. Next time, you won't be so lucky!"

Xia Mu's voice rang out. His figure gradually blurred, and soon he had entered the Hell Slaughter Arena.

"How many heroes are there beneath the heavens?"

One sword—just one sword—and Tang Hao's lung had been pierced, leaving him severely injured.

"The Clear Sky Hammer?"

"Nothing special!"

"To put it plainly, the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes is merely a Self-Created Soul Skill known for its strength. It has its own strengths and weaknesses. In terms of intricacy, it cannot even compare to the Seven Kill Sword Technique!"

"Among the Clear Sky Sect's inheritances, only the Great Sumeru Hammer is worthy of my regard. The rest are mediocre!"

Xia Mu and Tang Hao had erupted into a fierce conflict the first time they met, and Xia Mu ultimately came out on top.

That was because Xia Mu's Martial Soul was extraordinarily unique!

The Light-Hiding Sword could gather and disperse at will, ignoring physical defenses and perfectly complementing the Dugu Nine Swords' all-offense, no-defense style!

Tang Hao had relied too heavily on the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes and neglected defense, ultimately allowing the Light-Hiding Sword to pierce through his chest.

Inside the Hell Slaughter Arena.

Xia Mu wielded the Light-Hiding Sword and slaughtered the fallen Soul Masters on the stage one by one, easily achieving a hundred consecutive victories.

"Sword Demon!"

"Would you be willing to become a guest elder of Slaughter City?"

"Once you agree to become a guest elder of Slaughter City, not only may you enter and leave Slaughter City freely, but you will also be honored as Slaughter City's honorary Slaughter God!"

The King of Slaughter appeared and spoke to Xia Mu.

"Thank you for your kind offer!"

"I ask the King of Slaughter to open Hell Road!"

Xia Mu gently shook his head. What he wanted lay within Hell Road; he would not find it in Slaughter City!

"So be it!"

"Since you insist on going to Hell Road, I will not stop you. I hope everything goes smoothly for you!"

Slaughter City had not opened Hell Road for more than a hundred years. This was the first time in a century!

Thus, the King of Slaughter did not try to stop him.

Over the past several centuries, almost no one had successfully passed through Hell Road. It was a road of no return. Since Xia Mu wished to die, there was no need to stop him.

"My citizens, offer your blood! Under the witness of blood, a new king is about to be born!"

The King of Slaughter—Tang Chen—had only recently been parasitized by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King. During this period, he believed it was better to remain still than act rashly.

In short, he would avoid trouble and lie low for a while.

Boom—

Countless rays of blood burst forth. Every fallen Soul Master present perished, and their blood gathered in one place.

Xia Mu felt his vision blur, and in the next instant, he appeared within a strange space.

"This is Hell Road?"

Sensing the change in his surroundings, Xia Mu hurriedly summoned his Martial Soul. It seemed Soul Skills could be used here.

"This is much the same as described in the original work!"

"Before him was a winding path, and at the end of it lay Hell Road's exit!"

Xia Mu rose and walked forward. Because he carried the Aromatic Silk Beauty, the toxins here could not invade his body.

Moving onward, he soon reached the first trial!

"Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King!"

"After all my efforts, I've finally found you!"

Xia Mu activated his second Soul Skill and completely concealed his presence, like a wandering ghost.

"What a fragrance!"

The Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King awoke from its slumber. Over the past several centuries, it had remained asleep.

It could not be helped. No one had achieved a hundred consecutive victories during those centuries, much less entered Hell Road.

"What is this?"

The Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King flew onto a stone platform, where a strange medicinal herb was growing!

"What a fragrance!"

Driven by instinct, the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King opened its mouth and swallowed the herb in one gulp.

"It finally took the bait!"

"As expected, no soul beast can resist the temptation of spiritual herbs. It is an instinct carved into their bones!"

"But this spiritual herb's effects are anything but ordinary."

The spiritual herb Xia Mu had taken out was called Drunken Dragon Grass. As its name suggested, its effects were exceptionally potent.

Even a true dragon would be drunk for days after consuming it by mistake!

However, this spiritual herb truly benefited soul beasts and could further increase their cultivation age.

"Fall! Fall! Fall!"

From afar, Xia Mu watched the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King collapse drunkenly onto a nearby stone platform.

"The time for the hunt has come!"

Xia Mu rapidly approached. The Light-Hiding Sword slashed out three streams of sword light, killing the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King.

The Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King had its three heads severed while lost in a drunken dream, its life ending there and then.

"A thirty-thousand-year Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King!"

"This is one of the targets of my journey!"

A pitch-black Soul Ring rose from the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King's corpse. Xia Mu sat cross-legged atop the stone platform and began refining the Soul Ring with closed eyes.

Break!

His vast spiritual power instantly shattered the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King's lingering will. The violent Soul Power immediately calmed, transforming into drops of liquid Soul Power.

Half an hour later, Xia Mu opened his eyes!

Boom—

A pair of dark golden bat wings instantly appeared behind Xia Mu. This was the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King's gift—an External Soul Bone: Dark Gold Bat Wings!

The Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King had been born amid Hell Road's foul miasma and raised while bathing in the resentment of countless dead souls. Upon adulthood, its entire body was black, covered in dark golden scales. It possessed three heads and two wings, and its speed was extreme.

The Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King was sinister and cunning, once the nightmare of countless Soul Masters. It was a rare exotic beast with a high chance of producing an exceptional Soul Bone after death!

Yet even Xia Mu had not expected this soul beast to produce a rare External Soul Bone for him!