Sunset Forest, Blood Valley.
"The ground here is terrifyingly red."
Ning Rongrong cautiously scanned the surrounding terrain, her heartbeat quickening slightly.
An hour ago, she and Ning Rongrong had agreed to Ye Tian's request.
They came here to draw the attention of the evil soul masters.
"Senior sister, I know the history of Blood Valley," a chubby little boy dressed in luxurious clothes said excitedly as he appeared before Ning Rongrong.
"Oh? Tell me about it," Ning Rongrong replied with a faint smile.
The little chubby boy was named Chen Zhou, a student of Shrek Academy with the nickname "Chubby Chen."
Chen Zhou's martial soul was the rare "Extreme Wood," a talent seen only once in centuries.
Because of this, he was selected as a special trainee by Shrek Academy.
Though young, he had been quite flirtatious along the way.
But to Ning Rongrong, Chen Zhou's behavior was nothing more than that of an overly energetic little kid.
She wasn't the least bit interested.
However, Chen Zhou was extremely excited at the moment.
The chance to show off in front of Ning Rongrong was something he had been longing for.
He immediately puffed out his chest, clasped his hands behind his back, and said in a scholarly tone, "According to the official records of the Heaven Dou Empire, 'Sunset Forest: Geography Volume,' Blood Valley was once the site of a battle that determined the fate of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"Back then, the barbarians from the north of the Heaven Dou Empire marched south with 200,000 troops, directly threatening the capital."
"The Heaven Dou Emperor had to personally lead the expedition to resist the barbarians."
"That battle involved over 500,000 soldiers from both sides, and the fighting was so brutal that even the nearby rivers were blocked by corpses."
"Fortunately, the soldiers of the Heaven Dou Empire fought fearlessly and successfully repelled the barbarians. Otherwise, the Heaven Dou Empire as we know it wouldn't exist today."
"It was also because of the blood spilled in that battle that this place was permanently stained red."
At this point, Chen Zhou smiled mysteriously. "The most outstanding contributor in that battle was a young man named Chen Hu."
"Chen Hu was also the first king of the Kingdom of Häagen-Dazs, one of the four vassal kingdoms of the Heaven Dou Empire!"
"Chen Hu... So, you're a royal descendant of Häagen-Dazs?" Ning Rongrong sensed something.
"Haha, I didn't expect you to figure it out, Senior Sister," the chubby Chen Zhou said proudly, puffing out his chest even more.
"That's right. I am actually the second prince of the Kingdom of Häagen-Dazs."
"No wonder you know so much about Blood Valley," Ning Rongrong said, realizing it was the place where his ancestors had risen to power.
Hearing Chen Zhou's words, Ning Rongrong, who was standing nearby with her arms crossed, gave him a dismissive glance.
"Rongrong, don't listen to this little chubby's nonsense. Häagen-Dazs has been a kingdom for nearly a thousand years. Blood from a thousand years ago couldn't possibly remain until now."
"The soil here is just rich in iron ore, which is why it appears red."
"Nonsense! It must be the gods, moved by the tragedy of that battle, who turned this place permanently red!" The chubby boy's face flushed with anger as he puffed out his chest.
"Little Chubby, you should study more. Maybe then Senior Sister Ning might like you," Zhu Zhuqing mocked mercilessly.
This little chubby Chen would say anything to impress Ning Rongrong.
"Everyone, quiet. We've reached the evil soul masters' camp," Ning Rongrong hushed them.
They all looked up.
Sure enough.
A few green tents used for guard duty appeared in the thorny grass ahead.
If they hadn't looked carefully, they would have missed them entirely.
Zhu Zhuqing's purple eyes fixed on the evil soul masters standing guard in front of the tents as she crouched low.
Sharp white blades slowly extended from her hands.
"Before they notice us, I'll take them out."
"Don't," Ning Rongrong grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's arm to stop her.
"Zhuqing, are you really this naive?"
"Ye Tian asked us to draw their attention, not to eliminate the outer guards."
"We just need to do our job. There's no need to take unnecessary risks."
"Evil soul masters aren't just Ye Tian's enemies—they're ours too," Zhu Zhuqing reminded her.
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong sighed helplessly and pointed behind them.
"Zhuqing, look at the people behind us. They're all prodigies from Shrek Academy."
"Ye Tian doesn't care about protecting them because he has no emotional attachment to them."
"But as their seniors, our top priority is to keep them safe."
"There's no end to killing evil soul masters, but if these juniors die, they're gone forever."
"Don't take Ye Tian's orders too seriously." Ning Rongrong patted Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder and pursed her lips. "You're going to be an empress someday. You need to learn to be flexible."
"You're becoming more and more like Sect Leader Ning," Zhu Zhuqing said after a moment of silence.
Ning Rongrong forced a smile, unsure whether Zhu Zhuqing was complimenting or criticizing her.
But it didn't matter.
Because she really had changed.
She had become more selfish.
Sometimes, Ning Rongrong wondered if this was what growing up meant.
...
Deep within Blood Valley.
Hiding behind a rock, Ye Tian was deeply shocked as he gazed at the seven-story-tall altar.
"Damn, is this the altar for godly inheritance?"
"I don't remember even Sea God Island having something this grand."
"It does," Bo Saixi said solemnly.
"Sea God Island's altar is beneath the Sea God Temple."
"It's just that no one has been able to use it in the past century."
"Because no one has ever passed the Sea God's Nine Trials."
Bo Saixi gave Ye Tian a regretful look. She wanted to say that Ye Tian had been the one with the highest chance of reaching the Sea God's altar.
But now, he wasn't even a godhood inheritor anymore.
There was no point in saying anything.
"The aura of slaughter here is much stronger than outside the valley," Bo Saixi frowned.
"And it's mixed with death energy," Ye Tian added.
"You can sense that?" Bo Saixi was surprised.
As an ordinary person, it was understandable if Ye Tian could perceive the slaughter aura.
But sensing death energy was almost unbelievable.
Even she, a Super Douluo, hadn't noticed it.
Ye Tian chuckled. "Don't forget, I'm a doctor."
"I'm very familiar with death energy—the kind of power that corrupts life."
Then, his expression turned serious. "It seems this altar isn't just a place for the God of Slaughter's inheritance."
"Hmm?" Bo Saixi sounded puzzled.
"The Rakshasa God might also be involved," Ye Tian said darkly.
Hearing this, Bo Saixi understood.
She had long heard rumors that the Rakshasa God had secretly used divine power to infiltrate Slaughter City.
"The God of Slaughter governs killing, hence the slaughter aura."
"But the Rakshasa God represents death and evil. Only it could produce death energy."
Bo Saixi calmed herself and narrowed her eyes. "So, we're up against two gods?"
"I'd like to see what happens when you offend a god."
"Sister Bo is truly domineering," Ye Tian gave her a thumbs-up.
"Then I'll join you in destroying this divine altar and see how the gods punish us."
"What, you're joining in too?" Bo Saixi couldn't help but laugh.
It wasn't that she looked down on Ye Tian, but with his current strength, he couldn't possibly damage the altar.
"Sister, that's not fair," Ye Tian said as he took off a ring from his left ring finger and held it up to Bo Saixi. "What's inside this could destroy two altars!"
"What could possibly have that much power?" Bo Saixi was intrigued. She studied Ye Tian's eyes—he didn't seem to be lying.
"Haha, you'll find out soon enough," Ye Tian didn't bother explaining. Once the thing inside the ring exploded, Bo Saixi would understand its power.
This was actually Ye Tian's real plan to deal with the evil soul masters in one fell swoop.
Bo Saixi was strong, but even she couldn't fight alone against so many.
"Alright, I'll wait to be impressed," Bo Saixi smiled faintly before leaping onto a boulder. "Stay hidden. I'm about to start wrecking things."
Hearing this, Ye Tian remained calm and said with a relaxed smile,
"Someone like me, with my level of strength, wouldn't even attract attention in a crowd. Go ahead, don't worry."
"That's true… but still, be careful," Bo Saixi warned before finally leaving, soaring toward the altar.
She opened with a major attack.
Her surging soul power transformed into a tidal wave.
It roared forward, instantly collapsing one corner of the altar.
"Listen up, I am Bo Saixi, the Sea God Douluo! Your doom has come!"
Bo Saixi's icy voice echoed throughout the valley.
It immediately drew the attention of countless evil soul masters working nearby.
The crowd fell silent at first, then erupted into loud discussions.
"Bo Saixi? Who's that?"
"Hah, a mere Title Douluo dares to cause trouble here!"
"Do they think we evil soul masters are pushovers?"
"Brothers, grab your weapons! Let's take her down!"
Most of the evil soul masters had come from Slaughter City.
They had never heard of Bo Saixi.
Nor did they know who the Sea God Douluo was.
To them, they were soon to be followers of a god.
They feared neither life nor death.
Even if the Angel Douluo Qian Daoliu of the Spirit Hall were here, they'd fight without hesitation!
"For the God of Slaughter! For our king!"
"Brothers, charge!"
The moment Bo Saixi revealed her identity,
Several martial soul avatars materialized in the sky above the valley.
Watching this, Ye Tian smirked and swallowed a pill, mimicking the aura of death and slaughter.
He slowly blended into the crowd of evil soul masters. At a glance, there were at least a thousand of them.
Ye Tian's lips curled into a cold smile. "Heaven favors the virtuous. Sending you all off together means you'll have company on the road."
Once among them, Ye Tian pretended to panic. "Brothers, what's happening?"
"A Title Douluo is attacking us," an evil soul master nearby glanced at Ye Tian, confirmed his evil aura, and explained impatiently. "A weakling like you, barely past level 10, should go hide somewhere!"
"Or you'll die without even knowing how!"
Another thin, dark-eyed evil soul master nearby grinned confidently.
"Hide? Why hide?"
"Our king is here!"
"He's a 99th-ranked Transcendent Douluo!"
"That female Title Douluo is walking right into her death!"
The King of Slaughter.
Ye Tian silently noted.
That would be Tang Chen.
"But didn't he suffer heavy injuries recently?"
"Rumor has it that his martial soul was even stolen by that old bastard Ye Tian," another evil soul master asked.
Ye Tian's face darkened. Since when was he an "old bastard"?
Damn it. He'd make sure to send this guy off first.
The dark-eyed evil soul master continued with a sinister smile.
"That was just because Ye Tian ambushed him!"
"His Majesty is a messenger of the gods!"
"Even if his martial soul is stolen, or even if he dies, the great god will revive him!"
As soon as he finished speaking,
A hoarse voice echoed through the valley.
"Bo Saixi, is it really you?"
Then, A burly figure appeared in the sky.
Ye Tian looked up and recognized Tang Chen, whom he had encountered in Star Dou Forest half a year ago.
But at a glance, Ye Tian noticed something off.
Tang Chen's entire body was shrouded in dark energy.
The death aura around him was overwhelming.
Even from half a mile away, Ye Tian could feel it.
"This isn't Tang Chen," Ye Tian realized immediately.
To be precise, the current Tang Chen had been possessed.
Knowing the original plot, Ye Tian was aware that Tang Chen's body also hosted a Lich King.
When Tang Chen was still strong, the Lich King could only influence his mind, not take over his body.
But now, the situation had reversed.
Ye Tian could only see a faint trace of Tang Chen's consciousness in his eyes.
This meant the Lich King's will was dominant.
Hearing the familiar voice, Bo Saixi also leaped into the air.
Facing the familiar face, her expression was complicated.
"I wish I hadn't met you here."
Bo Saixi slowly drew her staff from her storage space.
"I… I…"
Hearing Bo Saixi's words, Tang Chen's eyes flickered with panic, but it vanished instantly. His face twisted into a snarl as he screamed, "This is all your fault!"
"It's all because of you!"
"And NOW, you dare destroy my altar?! Die! DIE!"
Tang Chen suddenly raised a finger.
With that motion,The sky darkened with thunderclouds.
Lightning crackled.
Four black pillars wreathed in death energy rose from the valley, surrounding Bo Saixi.
The pillars swirled like tornadoes, rushing toward her.
BOOM!
The solidified black pillars slammed into Bo Saixi.
"Boundless Storm!"
Bo Saixi's expression remained cold as she took a step forward.
Raising her staff high,
She effortlessly suppressed the four black pillars with a single move.
"You've changed, Tang Chen."
Bo Saixi's voice was icy as she stood in the sky.
"For the sake of godhood, you unleashed a beast tide without regard for the millions of lives in Heaven Dou City!"
"Aren't you afraid the souls of the dead will come for revenge?"
Tang Chen ignored her question.
His eyes were dark as he glared at her.
"Who are YOU to judge me?!"
"DIE!"
As he roared, A massive martial soul avatar materialized behind him—A nine-headed bat!
(End of Chapter)