Dugu Yan unleashed Scarlet Rot of her own accord. After spreading through Slaughter City, its power seemed close to some critical threshold. On Hell Road, it was even more in its element.
The Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King and the Blood Bats filling the sky had their flesh and bones dissolved by Scarlet Rot. They tumbled crookedly into the Blood Tide beneath Hell Road.
As Dugu Yan advanced, the Blood Tide's composition underwent an irreversible change.
This had to be the core that sustained Slaughter City.
Beneath Hell Road lay magma and the Blood Tide, both infused with all kinds of energy.
Now there was Scarlet Rot, too.
Its power had overtaken the rest and seized complete control.
The entire Blood Tide shifted with Dugu Yan's progress. Starting from the beginning of Hell Road, it piled higher and gathered in ever greater volume.
By the time she reached Hell Road's second obstacle at an easy stroll, the Blood Tide was less than ten meters below the path.
The thick stench of sulfur and blood surged up from below. Dugu Yan frowned slightly and held her breath for a moment.
A strange creature occupied Hell Road's second obstacle: the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent.
Though it was a snake, it was innately suffused with pure yang.
Its Snake Core would have been enough to transform Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix into a Ten-Headed Fire Phoenix.
But the serpent was not much use to Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan gradually let herself breathe again, reluctantly adjusting to the strange odor rising from Hell Road's Blood Tide.
She looked at the enormous serpent before her. A ripple passed through her heart, then quickly faded.
Her Martial Soul had completely merged with her body. Not a trace of its serpentine form remained.
Dugu Yan was