Chapter 108: Three Years in the Blink of an Eye, the gate of hell
Time flies, springs go and autumns come. In the blink of an eye, three years have quietly passed since the Seven Clans Selection that shook the continent.
Three years might be just a snap of the fingers for the long lives of Soul Masters, but during these three years, the entire Spirit Master's world of the Douluo Continent has undergone profound changes due to the spread of the Soul Core Method.
The Soul core condensation method taught publicly by Yu Yuanchen, Qian Daoliu, and Tang Chen was like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up layers of ripples. From laying the Foundation by condensing a Soul Power vortex at the Soul Saint level, to using it to complete Soul Power liquefaction and stabilize the Foundation at the Soul Douluo level, and finally to the complete system of condensing a true Soul core at the Titled Douluo level, it pointed out a more solid path to the heavens for countless Soul Masters.
On the continent, the strength of Soul Masters at the Soul Saint level and above generally saw a small but tangible improvement. Their Soul Power became more refined, recovery speed increased, and endurance enhanced, which gradually showed advantages in hunting Soul Beasts, Sect sparring, and even border conflicts.
There were even rumors that several veteran Soul Douluos who had been stuck at the Peak of Rank 89 for many years actually succeeded in condensing a Soul core prototype through great perseverance and exquisite control of Soul Power. Taking advantage of the Opportunity when the world's Origin Qi poured into their bodies during the Breakthrough, they stepped into the long-dreamed-of Realm of Titled Douluo in one go! Although the specific identities were kept secret, the circulation of such information undoubtedly further stimulated the enthusiasm of Soul Masters to Cultivate the Soul Core Method.
Of course, the threshold for the Soul Core Method is not low, with strict requirements for Soul Power control and spatial perception; it's not something everyone can achieve. But its existence itself is like a lighthouse, illuminating the path forward for many. The overall strength of the Spirit Master's world is quietly improving at a steady pace.
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, Back Mountain Forbidden Land.
Yu Yuanchen sat cross-legged on a Lightning-Attracting Platform. There were no Soul Power fluctuations around him, and his Aura was restrained to the extreme. He had been in seclusion for over a year, and his cultivation remained at the Peak of Rank 98, showing no rush to break through the Bottleneck of a Rank 99 Limit Douluo.
At his level, simple accumulation of Soul Power was no longer the key; the comprehension of Laws, the refinement of his own path, and the exploration of the essence of power were more important. He focused most of his energy on perfecting his own "Martial Dao" system and exploring the "Ultimate Form Soul Core" that belonged uniquely to him.
The Thunder Saint Dragon Spirit had perfectly fused with him, the "Human-Dragon Unity" Realm was stable, and the Martial Soul True Body possession state was being used with increasing proficiency. But he could feel that the potential of the Soul core was far from being fully tapped. At Rank 90, he had fused Ultimate Lightning with his own Soul Power, blood qi, and Spiritual Power to directly condense an advanced Soul core. Its potential was extraordinary and still needed to be explored.
Now, to advance toward Rank 99, he needed to make the Soul core undergo another essential transformation, making it completely the carrier of his "Dao," which was even more difficult. This required Opportunity and Epiphany; it could not be rushed.
However, these three years of quiet cultivation were not without gain. His Spiritual Power became deeper and more refined on the basis of the Spirit Domain Realm, and he successfully constructed his own "Mental Domain," which would possess unpredictable power once deployed.
Clear Sky Sect, Fire Casting Hall.
The clanging sounds of blacksmithing were incessant, and the air was steaming. Tang Chen was bare-chested, his bronze muscles bulging. He wasn't swinging that massive Clear Sky Hammer; instead, he held a uniquely shaped forging hammer, focusing all his attention on hammering a red-hot metal ingot.
He wasn't forging an ordinary weapon but was tempering a peculiar metal ingot. Under the repeated hammering of his Clear Sky Hammer, which contained Soul Power and unique force-exerting techniques, the metal actually emitted faint energy fluctuations, and its texture was undergoing a strange change.
After the Soul Core Method spread, he did not slacken in his own cultivation, and his cultivation had steadily risen to Rank 97. However, he also devoted a lot of energy to "forging." After discussing with Yu Yuanchen and Qian Daoliu, he became increasingly convinced of the possibility of achieving godhood through "forging."
In these three years, besides cultivating, most of his mind was devoted to this "New Forging Method." Combining the characteristics of the Clear Sky Hammer, his own control over power, and the endurance brought by the Soul core, he tried to integrate Soul Power into the forging process at a special frequency. He actually succeeded in making the metal undergo a kind of "activation," making its hardness and energy conductivity far exceed ordinary metals! This was undoubtedly a brand-new path! He named it the "Hundred Refinement Essence Gold Technique."
However, compared to Yu Yuanchen, who was focused on cultivation, and Tang Chen, who was obsessed with forging, the experience of another Prodigy, Qian Daoliu, over these three years was much more convoluted.
The Angel God Trials were by no means easy.
After leaving Spirit City, Qian Daoliu officially began his god trial journey. The first few trials were not difficult for him, as he now had a Peak Rank 97 Soul Power and possessed the Angel Martial Soul.
The first trial, "Breaking Through the Sky," required him to endure thin air and intense pressure at an altitude of 30,000 meters to absorb the Holy Light energy of the sun within a one-year time limit. This was because the Angel God Position was attuned to the sun, laying a Foundation for his future. The reward was a 5% increase in God Position Affinity.
The second trial, "Angel Holy Light Baptism," involved enduring Holy Light Body Tempering in front of the Angel God Statue in the Hall of Offerings. It tested physical endurance, and he passed it easily, taking less than a day. The reward was a 5% increase in God Position Affinity.
But the third trial, "Exorcising Demons and Punishing Evil," truly stuck him.
Assessment content: Independently kill twenty Fallen Spirit Masters at the Soul Saint level or above, or Evil Spirit Beasts with over ten thousand years of cultivation. Time limit: Two years.
From the perspective of his strength, it seemed very simple, but in reality, it was extremely tricky!
The reason was simple: Spirit Hall had governed the continent's order for thousands of years and had always spared no effort in striking down Fallen Spirit Masters and Evil Spirit Beasts. Under Spirit Hall's continuous high-pressure purging, overt and organized Fallen Spirit Master forces on the continent had long since vanished. Most Evil Spirit Beasts were attacked and killed by other Soul Beast groups in their infancy. Even if one managed to grow up and show its face, it would likely be killed by stronger high-level Soul Beasts or besieged by people from Spirit Hall who caught wind of it.
Occasionally, there were those who slipped through the net, but all were hidden extremely deep, their movements secretive, and they rarely dared to show their faces. Fallen Spirit Masters at the Soul Saint level? They were absolutely the rarest of the rare. Evil Spirit Beasts over ten thousand years old? Not only were they extremely rare, but they also hid deeper than the last.
Although Qian Daoliu was the Young Lord of Spirit Hall and had convenient access to resources, he felt an immense headache facing these targets with extremely low "stock." He couldn't possibly go to a place like Slaughter City to "pick up people" just to complete the task, could he? In his heart, the god trial was a sacred test, a tempering of his own will and ability. If he used such a "cheating" method, it would undoubtedly be somewhat bad. However, he wasn't a pedantic person either; he secretly decided to look for them himself first, and if he still didn't have enough at the end, he would go to Slaughter City. After all, this wasn't his fault; the process might not be important, but the attitude must be correct.
Thus, he began a year-and-a-half-long search that was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Relying on Spirit Hall's vast intelligence network and his own keen perception of evil Auras, he traveled through many remote and dangerous places on the continent.
Hard work paid off, and he actually managed to pull out seven "big fish" hidden extremely deep—seven Fallen Spirit Masters with strengths ranging from Soul Saint to Soul Douluo. These guys either practiced evil arts or hid after committing heinous crimes. Each was exceptionally cunning, but in the face of Qian Daoliu's absolute strength, they ultimately could not escape the fate of being purified by Holy Flame.
"Damn Spirit Hall! Damn Angel Soul Masters! We've hidden in such a godforsaken place, and you still won't let us go!" This was the most common wail of those Fallen Spirit Masters before they died. They probably couldn't understand even in death why a Rank 97 Seraphim Super Douluo would personally travel across the continent to hunt down "small characters" like them.
After dealing with the seven Fallen Spirit Masters, he was still thirteen targets short. Qian Daoliu turned his gaze toward Evil Spirit Beasts. Compared to cunning humans, the tracks of Evil Spirit Beasts were relatively easier to find, but still extremely limited. He spent another year delving into various uninhabited ancient forests, dark swamps, and desolate Gobi deserts. Relying on the sensing of his Angel Martial Soul, he painstakingly found three Evil Spirit Beasts over ten thousand years old and killed them. If they could speak, they would surely curse like the Fallen Spirit Masters.
At this point, only half a year remained of the three-year time limit. And his task was still ten targets short!
In desperation, Qian Daoliu finally cast his gaze toward that place he was most reluctant to choose—Slaughter City. Although he was unwilling, the god trial time limit was approaching, and he could not fail. He hoped the God Ancestor wouldn't blame him; it wasn't that the descendant wasn't working hard, but that his descendant was working too hard.
On this day, Qian Daoliu passed through a rolling mountain range—the Savage Beast Hills. There were many Soul Beasts here, but their cultivation was generally not high, with the highest being no more than a thousand years. Usually, few powerful experts set foot here.
Looking at the somewhat familiar scene before him, a slight ripple appeared in Qian Daoliu's cold heart. He remembered many years ago, when he, Yu Yuanchen, and Tang Chen had not yet become famous, they had traveled together here for experience and fought against a beast tide. At that time, although their strength was low, they were passionate and their friendship was sincere.
"I wonder how Brother Yuanchen and that fellow Tang Chen are doing now." A very faint smile, which even he didn't notice, unconsciously curled at the corner of Qian Daoliu's mouth. He shook his head, dispelling this bit of nostalgia. The path to godhood is accompanied by loneliness; for now, completing the task was the priority.
Just as he was about to leave and continue toward Slaughter City, a commotion suddenly came from deep within the hills. A small-scale beast tide surged out, with about several hundred low-level Soul Beasts of ten or a hundred years old fleeing in panic, as if they had been frightened by something.
For the current Qian Daoliu, such a beast tide could be extinguished with a wave of his hand. He casually raised his hand, and a streak of Sword Qi swept through, killing dozens of Soul Beasts at the very front. The remaining Soul Beasts fled in all directions in terror.
However, just as he was about to leave, his brow suddenly furrowed!
Not right!
He keenly felt that the residual blood qi and Soul Power on the corpses of the Soul Beasts he had killed were draining toward a certain direction deep in the hills at an extremely subtle and slow speed! If he didn't possess the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul and his perception of energy flow—especially negative energy—hadn't reached the extreme, he probably wouldn't have noticed at all!
This way of absorbing power was cold, filthy, and carried a nauseating evil Aura. It was by no means comparable to the normal consumption of Soul Beasts! It was more like... a conscious plundering!
"Something's fishy!" Qian Daoliu's eyes narrowed, and he instantly withdrew all his Aura, slightly altering his Aura fluctuations to blend in more with the surrounding environment. He wanted to see what kind of thing dared to perform such ghostly tricks in broad daylight!
His figure was like a faint golden stream of light, silently diving deep into the Savage Beast Hills, tracing back to the source of that imperceptible evil Aura.
The deeper he went, the heavier the sense of evil and death in the air became. The surrounding vegetation began to become sparse and withered, as if its vitality had been drained. Occasionally, he could see the shriveled corpses of Soul Beasts, dying miserably, their essence seemingly sucked dry. Even the ground became increasingly cracked and barren as Qian Daoliu went deeper.
Qian Daoliu's heart gradually sank. This was definitely not something an ordinary Evil Spirit Beast could do! It didn't even resemble the methods of any Soul Beast or Fallen Spirit Master he knew!
Finally, after passing through a dense, inseparable black mist with a sulfurous scent, the sight before him made even someone as knowledgeable and strong-willed as Qian Daoliu instantly contract his pupils, gasp, and feel his blood almost freeze!
In a valley basin ahead, the ground was cracked, revealing dark red rocks below that looked like coagulated blood. In the center of the basin, space was extremely distorted, forming an irregular vortex about ten zhang in diameter! At the edge of the vortex, dark energy thick as ink rolled, and countless distorted, pained, and resentful Soul shadows struggled and wailed within it!
In the center of the vortex, a giant phantom of a portal condensed from countless skeletons and dark energy was vaguely visible! The portal was only opened by a tiny crack, but the Aura leaking from it was filled with the purest, most ancient evil, chaos, and destructive will! It was as if it connected to the nine levels of Hell!
Wisps of dark red energy were seeping out from the crack in the portal, like tentacles, greedily absorbing all Life and energy around them! The blood qi of those Soul Beasts had been sucked away by these things!
What shocked Qian Daoliu even more was that this portal phantom seemed... to be gradually becoming solid at a slow but steady speed! It was as if some terrifying existence was trying to forcibly descend into this world from the other side of the gate!
"This is... a Plane Channel? The gate of hell?!" Qian Daoliu whispered in shock, his golden eyes filled with unprecedented shock and gravity!
As the successor of the Angel God, his perception of evil Auras far exceeded that of ordinary people, and he could feel a terrifying pressure from a higher-level plane from this portal that made even his Soul tremble! This was definitely not an evil that could be produced locally on the Douluo Continent! This was... an invasion from another plane!
Just as his mind was reeling, the blood-colored vortex in the crack suddenly accelerated its rotation! The stone gate phantom shook violently, and a condensed dark red beam of light, like a venomous snake, suddenly shot out from the crack, heading straight for where Qian Daoliu was hidden! At the same time, a surge of evil will filled with tyranny, slaughter, and chaos rushed toward him like a tide, trying to erode his mind!
"I've been discovered!" Alarm bells rang in Qian Daoliu's heart! Without time to think, the Soul core in his body operated frantically, and the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul instantly possessed him! Radiant Holy Light erupted, dispersing the gray mist around him!
"Angel's Protection!"
A Holy Light shield protected his entire body, colliding fiercely with that dark red light beam!
Boom!
Holy Light and evil energy collided intensely, making a piercing sizzling sound. Qian Daoliu snorted coldly, his figure retreating several steps before neutralizing that impact, his expression slightly grave.
The power contained in that light beam was extremely condensed and eerie. If it weren't for the Angel divine force naturally restraining evil, he might have been injured just now! The strength of the fellow who launched that attack was probably not inferior to a Limit Douluo.