"Alright, go now. Complete the God of Death's Eighth Trial and accept the final assessment!" Xiao Bai's voice disappeared.
Zhu Ziyang looked up. The god-locking pillars on both sides of the seventieth step flew out and, without any surprise, landed in his hands. With his God Position affinity reaching eighty percent, his steps immediately ascended to higher steps: seventy-one, seventy-two, seventy-three… up to the eightieth step.
He stopped. On both sides of the eightieth step, the two god-locking pillars displayed the same content.
"God Position Affinity: Eighty Percent
God of Death's Eighth Trial: As the inheritor of the God of Death, it is essential to subdue a believer of the Death law. The Beast King of the other continent, the Underworld Enchantress, known as the Demon Empress, a Spirit born from the scythe of the dead, subduing her will be your final external trial before inheriting the God Position!
Assessment Content: Subdue the Underworld Enchantress and make her the Soul Spirit of your first Spirit.
Assessment Requirement: Time limit not to exceed one year.
Assessment Reward: Unknown."
How to put it? Zhu Ziyang was actually mentally prepared for the God of Death's Eighth Trial. He had also long known the true identity of the so-called God Position assessment officer, Xiao Bai. It seemed everyone was getting impatient!
With unknown feelings in his heart, but overall inexplicably excited, Zhu Ziyang left the God Position inheritance ground and returned to the Devil Emperor Palace.
When he returned to the Devil Emperor Palace, Jiang Nannan and Zhang Lexuan had also just finished dealing with their assessment rewards. Seeing Zhu Ziyang return, they immediately gathered around him. Jiang Nannan asked, "Brother, how was it? What was the reward for the God of Death's Seventh Trial? And what's the content of the God of Death's Eighth Trial?"
"Haha, my reward can't compare to yours. Besides God Position affinity, I only got two pillars. As for the God of Death's Eighth Trial, it's very simple; we can complete it after we leave the Devil Emperor Palace," Zhu Ziyang said with a laugh. "But what about you two? How were your rewards? And what about your new assessments?"
"Oh!" Jiang Nannan immediately said excitedly, "My Taiyin Sixth Trial rewarded me with ten percent God Position affinity and a three-thousand-year increase to all my spirit ring lifespans."
As she spoke, the girl released her spirit rings. Her original seven spirit rings, two purple, four black, and one red, had now become six black and one red. The three thousand years added by the sixth trial, combined with the years from previous trials, turned Jiang Nannan's first and second spirit rings into black spirit rings. This showed how abundant the power of faith for the goddess of taiyin was.
Zhu Ziyang was genuinely envious.
"My reward was a one-level spirit power increase and a five-hundred-year increase to all my spirit ring lifespans," Zhang Lexuan also said, a gentle smile on her face.
After receiving the reward for the sixth trial, Zhang Lexuan's spirit ring colors didn't change much, still two purple, five black, and two red. However, her spirit power had increased to level 93. It had only been half a year since Zhang Lexuan became a Titled Douluo; increasing one level in half a year would surely make other Titled Douluos envious to the point of jealousy if they knew.
"Sigh! I really envy Nannan and Sister Lexuan!" Qian Lingyi's pretty face showed deep envy and a faint hint of worry. She felt that the gap between herself and others was growing, and this gap would only widen, which inevitably caused the girl some anxiety.
Zhu Ziyang didn't notice Qian Lingyi's unease and continued to ask, "Then what about your seventh trials? What are their contents?"
"My seventh trial requires me to return to the Douluo Continent to complete it. It's to help the Silver Moon Spirit Fish clan find a new habitat," Zhang Lexuan said first.
"Ah! Then why does my seventh trial require me to subdue the Silver Moon Spirit Fish King?" Jiang Nannan immediately asked with a bitter face upon hearing Zhang Lexuan's words.
"That's the difference between a God-level assessment and a Red-level assessment, you silly girl!" Zhang Lexuan said, helplessly pinching Jiang Nannan's small nose.
"So, both of your assessments require you to return to the Douluo Continent to complete, right?" Zhu Ziyang said thoughtfully. "I understand. Then we can't stay on the Martial Soul Continent for long. Let's go. Once I complete the God of Death's Eighth Trial, we'll immediately return to the Douluo Continent!"
"Mhm!" The three girls nodded in unison.
"Oh, by the way, Brother, what's your God of Death's Eighth Trial?" Qian Lingyi hid her sense of urgency and asked with a smile.
"You might not believe it," Zhu Ziyang chuckled upon hearing her. "The eighth trial is for me to take the Demon Empress as my Soul Spirit!"
"Ah? That's possible?!" As expected, the three girls all showed surprised expressions upon hearing this, almost shouting in unison.
"Hehe, I didn't expect the eighth trial to be such a coincidence either!" Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, acting as if he had gotten a good deal and was still showing off.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Zhang Lexuan chuckled and patted Zhu Ziyang, saying.
The four left the Devil Emperor Palace and cheerfully returned to the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation. Zhang Weiwei and Beimonstan saw them and immediately came forward, saying in unison, "Master, Senior Rogier encountered a battle."
"South?" Zhu Ziyang paused, then said, "I understand. Beimonstan, go support him."
"Understood!" The Golden Beimonstan, Beimonstan, immediately agreed upon hearing this, then quickly left, rushing towards Rogier's direction.
"You wait for me outside. If there's danger, immediately enter the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation. But once inside, do not move around recklessly!" Zhu Ziyang cautioned the three girls, Jiang Nannan, then quickly walked into the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation.
Inside the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation, the Demon Empress had already resigned herself and stopped struggling. By her side was the Snow Empress.
"Dad, you're back!" The Snow Empress immediately greeted Zhu Ziyang excitedly. Her floating body landed on his shoulder, and she said as if seeking credit, "Xue'er has already convinced her!"
"Is that so?" Zhu Ziyang's eyes lit up. He immediately reached out and rubbed the Snow Empress's small head, praising, "Xue'er is amazing!"
While praising the Snow Empress, Zhu Ziyang approached the Demon Empress. His expression was serious as he said, "Have you decided? Do you want to become my Soul Spirit, or…?"
"Soul Spirit! I want to become your Soul Spirit!" The Demon Empress didn't wait for Zhu Ziyang to finish, immediately replying. Her face showed a rather complex expression, difficult to list all at once, but it was certain that she was largely convinced by Zhu Ziyang.
"Very good! You will be grateful for this decision in the future!" Zhu Ziyang said, overjoyed upon hearing this. "Then, from now on, you only need to follow my command. Leave the rest to me!"
"Mhm!" The Demon Empress lowered her proud head, showing a submissive attitude.
Zhu Ziyang didn't hesitate. He offered a drop of his essence blood, letting it fall onto the Demon Empress's smooth forehead. Immediately after, the Soul Spirit contract echoed for the first time on the Martial Soul Continent. The Demon Empress listened to Zhu Ziyang reciting the Soul Spirit contract, feeling Zhu Ziyang's essence blood surge from her forehead into her body. The lost power returned to her body in an instant, only to be immediately sealed away again.
Black energy transformed into countless threads, weaving into a large cocoon that enveloped Zhu Ziyang and the Demon Empress. Special energy fluctuations surged around the cocoon, and the unique characters of the Soul Spirit contract appeared and disappeared on its surface, along with the Demon Empress's vast and unique energy constantly rising and falling.
Outside the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation, the three girls, Jiang Nannan, watched the great formation nervously and expectantly. They couldn't perceive the scene inside the formation and couldn't trespass, so they could only wait anxiously outside.
Three kilometers away from the Ten Heavenly Stems God Locking Formation, Rogier and Beimonstan were jointly fighting a massive Tyrant Dragon with a huge body and yellow dragon scales. It was the Beast King of Southern Heaven Peak, and also the fourth Beast King of the Mountain Range of the Dead, second only to the Demon Empress. It was called the Earth Tyrant Dragon King, the Dragon Monarch. Its five-hundred-thousand-year cultivation allowed it to easily suppress Rogier, but facing the combined attacks of Rogier and Beimonstan, it was somewhat stretched thin.
However, neither side had the strength to decisively kill the other, so the battle was somewhat stalemated. Yet, a stalemate was a victory for Rogier's side.
Speaking of which, the appearance of the Earth Tyrant Dragon King was just an accident. It had a good relationship with the Three-Headed Golden Lion King, and this trip to Eastern Heaven Peak was just to maintain that relationship, but it unluckily stumbled upon Zhu Ziyang and his group's actions. It was first intimidated by the Demon Empress's pressure, then ambushed by Rogier using shadow power, and finally attacked jointly by Rogier and Beimonstan. Soon, it would be surrounded by even more people, which was truly quite miserable.
But, there was nothing that could be done. Who told it to be so unlucky and run into Zhu Ziyang's party?
Perhaps Zhu Ziyang would think it had no use and, in his great kindness, would let it go.