Asura Nine Trials

Led by the girl in black, Tang Chen came upon an unusual building.

It was round, or more precisely, an irregular cone. Its base was the widest part, and it narrowed as it rose.

Only when it reached about thirty meters above the ground did it maintain the same diameter, extending upward to fifty meters.

"My lord, this is the heart of Slaughter City: the Hell Slaughter Arena."

The woman in black explained, "Everyone in Slaughter City must enter the Hell Slaughter Arena once a year. Ten people compete each time, and only one survives."

Tang Chen nodded to show he understood.

He handed his number tag to the woman in black. "Go sign me up."

She frowned and said gravely, "My lord, a word of advice. Newcomers to Slaughter City have one day of protection. If you sign up for the Hell Slaughter Arena, you'll forfeit it."

Tang Chen waved a hand. "Say no more. Go do it."

The woman could only take his number tag and register him.

She returned a moment later and handed back the tag.

"My lord, you're registered. My task is complete."

With that, she left Tang Chen and returned to the King of Slaughter's territory.

At the entrance to the Hell Slaughter Arena, a guard told him, "Wait until there are ten of you before going in."

Before long, all ten had gathered.

Tang Chen soon stood in the Hell Slaughter Arena.

His nine opponents were a bizarre assortment, each with a vicious face and an air of blood-soaked menace. Their eyes held the madness and lust for killing peculiar to Slaughter City.

Seeing how young Tang Chen was, the nine lowered their guard.

The moment the signal came, Tang Chen flashed forward and summoned the Clear Sky Hammer. One blow reduced a man to a mist of blood.

The others saw his strength and immediately grew wary.

"Kill him! All together!" The bloody sight left the remaining eight with red eyes and breath like snorting bulls. Brandishing all manner of weapons, they lunged at Tang Chen!

But their attacks did nothing to him.

Tang Chen's expression did not change. He swung the Clear Sky Hammer again, bringing it down on another opponent.

As he wielded the hammer, one enemy after another was smashed into a pulp.

Once he had dealt with them all, Tang Chen left the arena and signed up again...

More than half a year passed like this.

Tang Chen had lost count of how many people he had killed. In the Hell Slaughter Arena or outside it, he had beaten every enemy into a mist of blood.

He had also won sixty-six matches in the Hell Slaughter Arena. Because he so often smashed his opponents into bloody mist with his hammer, the fallen had given him a nickname: Bloody Asura!

By now, Tang Chen brimmed with boundless killing intent, and a trace of scarlet had stained his once-clear eyes.

Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm.

The Asura God Temple.

The Asura God leaned against his divine throne, bored as he looked over his inheritance sites.

As he watched, he grumbled, "Why isn't there a single promising candidate? At this rate, who knows how many ages it'll take to pass on my godhood so I can leave the Divine Realm and seek a chance to break through? If this keeps up, I'll find someone from another world to replace the child of destiny and make myself an heir."

He kept looking until he reached the inheritance site on the Douluo Continent, within Slaughter City.

Sweeping it with his divine sense, the Asura God found Tang Chen standing out in Slaughter City like a crane among chickens.

The Asura God sat upright at once, excitement surging through him.

"Eleven years old, level fifty-five. A body as strong as a Titled Douluo's, and mental power on par with a Soul Douluo's. His Martial Soul is close to divine grade, and he even has Twin Martial Souls, along with a Soul Ring nearly four hundred thousand years old." The more the Asura God saw, the brighter his eyes grew.

With talent like that, he can surely inherit my position as Asura God! Then I'll be free of it and can leave the Divine Realm to venture into the universe!

With that thought, the Asura God issued Tang Chen a Divine Trial.

As Tang Chen cut his way through Slaughter City, a beam of blood-red divine power entered his brow and formed a mark shaped like the Asura Demon Sword.

A vast, commanding voice rang out within Tang Chen's soul space.

"The Asura Nine Trials have descended!"

"Asura Nine Trials, first trial: Obtain the Divine Slaughter's Domain! Reward: Soul Ring age increased by one thousand years, Soul Bone age increased by one thousand years, affinity with the Asura God's position increased by 5%. Time limit: two years!"

That immense blood-red power was the Asura Nine Trials bestowed by the Asura God.

Tang Chen had expected something like this. After all, his talent was unmatched in the world. If he could not become a god, no one could. Even so, the voice in his soul space startled him.

I thought I'd have to obtain the Divine Slaughter's Domain before I could receive the Asura God Trial.

Then Tang Chen could barely hold back a laugh.

This was the best possible era. Aside from Tang Chen, practically no one in it had the potential to become a god (except Ning Zi).

In other words, nearly all his enemies were worthless. His path to godhood would be smooth sailing!

From then on, Tang Chen threw himself into clearing the trials with even greater zeal. He could hardly wait to become a god!

Another half year passed.

Tang Chen had claimed his hundredth victory in the Hell Slaughter Arena.

For some reason, ever since Tang Chen had arrived in Slaughter City, the King of Slaughter had never appeared or tried to recruit him.

The King of Slaughter hasn't tried to recruit me. Could the Asura God have warned him off?

The more Tang Chen thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Only after Tang Chen claimed his hundredth victory did the King of Slaughter appear before him for the first time. He said nothing and simply opened Hell Road.

Red mist poured from the King of Slaughter, and an evil aura rushed straight at Tang Chen.

The red mist spread into the stands. The fallen seated there grew extraordinarily excited, all eager to see Hell Road open.

But they did not know that the day Hell Road opened was the day their lives would end.

As the red glow descended over the viewing stands, the fallen enveloped in mist gradually fell silent. Their eyes turned vacant, one by one.

Soon, the red glow formed an enormous barrier around the entire Hell Slaughter Arena. Agonized screams rose from those who had touched it first.