[Tang Chen successfully passed the Eighth Trial of the Asura God Trial.] [Asura Divine Power tempered his entire body.] [He forged a divine body.] [Although Tang Chen had yet to inherit the Asura God's position, he already possessed a portion of god-level power.] [Unless a god appeared, Tang Chen was invincible on the Douluo Continent.]
The barrage of comments filling the sky paused for a moment.
Then an even denser tide of words occupied the entire sky.
[A divine body?] [He forged a divine body before even becoming a god?] [Unless a god appeared, he was invincible on the Douluo Continent!] [No wonder Tang Chen was called the strongest of the three great Peerless Douluos!] [Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi both had the blessing of divine power, but Tang Chen reached this point through his own strength!] [He really was the most legendary of the three great Peerless Douluos!] [Just one final trial, and he could inherit the Asura God's position!]
Before the Clear Sky Sect's mountain gates.
The seventh elder stepped forward in excitement.
"A divine body!"
"Lord Tang Chen already reached the final step before becoming a god!"
The second elder watched the Sky Screen, his eyes filled with reverence.
"Unless a god appeared, he was invincible on the continent."
"This was the Clear Sky Sect's true Invincible on Land!"
Yet Tang Xiao showed no hint of a smile.
The Eighth Trial had already been completed.
But in the end, his grandfather had neither become a god nor returned to the Clear Sky Sect.
The problem had to lie in the Ninth Trial.
Sea God Island.
Bo Saixi's gaze wavered.
She knew Tang Chen had the potential to become a god.
But she had never expected that Tang Chen had already passed the Eighth Trial of the Asura God Trial.
Just one step further, and he could become the true Asura God.
Bo Saixi looked at Tang Chen in the image.
"You already made it this far."
"Why didn't you come back for me?"
She had waited for decades.
Even if Tang Chen had failed to become a god, her feelings had never changed.
But the scene on the Sky Screen gave her little time to think.
Deep within the Asura God Temple.
Tang Chen stood before the blood-red longsword.
He only had to draw the Asura Demon Sword to formally begin the Ninth Trial.
Dark-red divine power swirled around him.
The divine body he had already forged was strong enough to withstand the Asura Demon Sword's power.
Tang Chen reached out and grasped the hilt.
At that very moment.
A purple-black aura hidden deep within the Asura God Temple suddenly appeared.
That power bypassed the Asura Divine Power and invaded Tang Chen's Sea of Consciousness directly.
Tang Chen's movement stopped.
The purple-black aura spread rapidly, forming a hideous face.
Golden words appeared on the Sky Screen.
[The Asura God and the Rakshasa God both governed slaughter.] [The two divine positions were hostile to one another.] [The Rakshasa God had left a means of interference in the Asura God's inheritance grounds.] [When Tang Chen began the Ninth Trial, he fell victim to a sneak attack from Rakshasa Divine Power.]
Tang Chen's Sea of Consciousness descended into chaos.
Asura Divine Power and Rakshasa Divine Power collided head-on within him.
Although he had already forged a divine body, he could not suppress both kinds of divine power at the critical moment of the divine trial.
The Nine-Headed Bat King, hidden within Slaughter City, also lunged at Tang Chen at that moment.
Its nine heads merged into his body one after another.
Tang Chen tried to muster Asura Divine Power to fight back, but Rakshasa Divine Power kept eroding his consciousness.
The blood-red temple in the image shattered with a thunderous crash.
The Asura Demon Sword in Tang Chen's hand fell back onto the altar.
The Ninth Trial ended in failure.
His eyes gradually turned scarlet.
Pale markings crawled across his skin.
A pair of enormous blood-red bat wings even unfurled behind him.
[Tang Chen failed the Asura God's Ninth Trial.] [The Nine-Headed Bat King seized the opportunity to parasitize Tang Chen's divine body.] [Tang Chen lost his senses most of the time, and his physical body was controlled by the Nine-Headed Bat King.] [He remained in Slaughter City and became the King of Slaughter.]
The Douluo Continent fell utterly silent.
Several breaths later, the barrage of comments erupted.
[That's too tragic!] [He had clearly passed the Eighth Trial, only to fall victim to the means the Rakshasa God left behind at the very end!] [Tang Chen was all set to become a god!] [Who could have imagined that another god's trap was hidden in the divine trial grounds?] [The King of Slaughter was actually Tang Chen!] [No wonder Tang Chen hadn't returned to the Clear Sky Sect for decades!] [It wasn't that he didn't want to return-he had lost control of his body!] [A Peerless Douluo who had forged a divine body actually had his mind taken over by the Nine-Headed Bat King!] [Was this why Tang Chen only ranked ninth?]
The Clear Sky Sect.
Not a trace of joy remained before the mountain gates.
Tang Xiao's face turned pale, his hands braced against the stone railing.
The seventh elder stared at the Nine-Headed Bat King's figure, his chest heaving.
"Grandfather has been trapped in Slaughter City all these years."
Tang Xiao slowly raised his head.
"He didn't forget the Clear Sky Sect."
"He simply couldn't come back."
Sea God Island.
Bo Saixi closed her eyes.
Her years of waiting finally had an answer.
Tang Chen had not forgotten her.
He had already reached the final step before godhood, only to fall victim to a sneak attack during the last trial.
Bo Saixi opened her eyes again.
She looked in the direction of Slaughter City.
The aquamarine atop her scepter shone with brilliant light.
Spirit City.
As Bibi Dong watched the Rakshasa Divine Power on the Sky Screen, her expression changed noticeably for the first time.
She had accepted the Rakshasa God's inheritance.
Yet it was precisely the power left behind by the Rakshasa God that had reduced Tang Chen to his current state.
More importantly, deep grudges already existed between Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect.
Once Tang Chen regained his senses and escaped the Nine-Headed Bat King's control, a battle between the two sides was inevitable.
Bibi Dong gripped the Rakshasa Demon Halberd.
Tang Chen had already forged a divine body.
Even after years of erosion by the Nine-Headed Bat King, he remained one of the most terrifying powerhouses beneath the gods.
Now, the Heavenly Dao Ranking would also bestow a reward.
Bibi Dong gazed at Tang Chen's name.
"What will the reward for ninth place be?"
The Angel Temple.
Golden divine light bathed the long stairway.
The statue of the Six-Winged Angel stood at the far end of the great hall, its wings spread behind it as it looked down upon all of Spirit City.
Qian Daoliu stood before the statue.
He watched Tang Chen on the Sky Screen, not looking away for a long time.
Since parting on Sea God Island, the two had never met again.
Qian Daoliu had once thought that Tang Chen might have found a Godhood Inheritance.
He had also considered that Tang Chen might have died on the road to godhood.
The one thing he had never imagined.
Was that this old rival, who had once defeated him, had already passed the Asura God's Eighth Trial and forged a divine body.
Only to fall victim to a sneak attack from Rakshasa Divine Power in the end.
And even have his body taken over by the Nine-Headed Bat King.
"Tang Chen."
Qian Daoliu sighed softly.
"You roamed the continent unchallenged throughout your life, rarely tasting defeat."
"To think your road in pursuit of godhood would be so fraught with upheaval."
Golden Crocodile Douluo stood behind him.
He watched the King of Slaughter on the Sky Screen, his expression grave.
"Tang Chen has already forged a divine body."
"The Nine-Headed Bat King most likely relied on Rakshasa Divine Power as well to suppress his consciousness."
"If the Heavenly Dao's reward can dispel the Rakshasa Divine Power, he may be able to regain control of his body."
Demon Subduing Douluo frowned.
"If he recovers, won't the Clear Sky Sect gain another Peerless Douluo?"
Qian Jun Douluo did not respond.
The news that Tang Chen was alive had already spread throughout the continent.
The Clear Sky Sect had also announced the reopening of its mountain gates.
Although Tang Chen was currently trapped in Slaughter City, he had already made the Powerhouse Ranking.
Once the Heavenly Dao's reward descended, the situation was bound to change.
Qian Daoliu slowly raised his head.
"The matters between Tang Chen and Spirit Hall can wait."
"Whether he can walk out of Slaughter City still depends on this reward."
Before you continue