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Outside the Hell Arena
Hu Liena felt a chilling cold emanating from within.
Shivering involuntarily, she stepped back to put some distance between herself and the source of the chill.
"What's happening inside? How can it be so cold?"
Hu Liena began to realize that Ning Tianchen's warning wasn't baseless.
The interior of the Hell Arena was vast, yet the cold still seeped out. One could only imagine how frigid its source must be.
Moments later, an ear-piercing wail echoed throughout the Hell Arena. Hu Liena quickly retreated further to avoid being caught in its wake.
Passing degenerates paused to watch, while others scattered in fear.
Only after the anomaly within the Hell Arena subsided did the degenerates dare approach again.
Without wasting time, Hu Liena rushed inside first.
During Ning Tianchen's hundredth match, countless degenerates had entered the Hell Arena to witness the birth of a hundred-win champion.
Now, stepping inside, there wasn't a single soul left.
On the spectator stands of the Hell Arena, faint traces of blood and crushed bones were visible.
Hu Liena was certain that no one had left the Hell Arena earlier. The fate of these spectators was self-evident.
Of course, Ning Tianchen was nowhere to be found either.
Hu Liena murmured softly, "Could he already be on the Hell Road?"
As she left the Hell Arena, her mind was elsewhere.
In her heart, Ning Tianchen's image gradually occupied a significant place.
At the Soul Master Tournament, Ning Tianchen displayed immense strength. In the Slaughter City, he completed a hundred victories long before her.
Such an outstanding person—wasn't he the ideal "white moonlight" she had always waited for?
Not long after, news spread throughout the Hell Arena about the sudden disappearance of the Sword Asura and countless degenerates.
Many sought answers from the Slaughter King, but he wasn't someone they could meet just by asking.
Moreover, even without the Slaughter King' explanation, the Hell Arena continued to operate as usual. These desperate degenerates would still fight on the arena for survival.
---
Time passed, unknowable.
Ning Tianchen awoke in an unfamiliar place, rubbing his forehead. The throbbing pain in his head made him feel disoriented.
Slowly rising to his feet, he found himself standing on a circular platform.
Compared to the cold and gloom of the Slaughter City, this place was scorching hot. Rivers of molten magma flowed beneath the ground, illuminating and warming the area.
But this wasn't ordinary magma—it was boiling blood.
It seemed to contain all the accumulated blood of the Slaughter City over the years.
Falling into it would mean becoming part of the blood pool.
Looking up, he saw a seemingly endless corridor stretching into the distance.
This was the Hell Road.
"The toxins in the air are growing more concentrated. Add to that the poison of Bloody Mary, and it's unlikely anyone could survive for long."
Without further thought, Ning Tianchen moved forward.
Not far along, he noticed skeletal remains lining the sides of the corridor.
Reaching the Hell Road meant these individuals had once achieved a hundred victories in the Hell Arena.
For such strong individuals to perish here proved the Slaughter King' words true—the dangers of the Hell Road were indeed not to be underestimated.
He lightly touched his soul tool, and a crystal vial appeared in his hand.
Inside were six antidote pills and one Clear Mind Pill.
The purpose of the antidote pills was self-explanatory—to detoxify. The Clear Mind Pill, when consumed, would rapidly calm the mind, functioning similarly to a sedative.
The ingredients for the Clear Mind Pill were extremely rare and difficult to obtain. Dugu Bo had given him only one. He couldn't afford to use it unless absolutely necessary.
After taking an antidote pill, Ning Tianchen's condition improved significantly.
The Seven Kill Sword materialized in his hand as he pressed onward, his gaze constantly scanning his surroundings.
After all, the dangers of the Hell Road weren't limited to toxins; ancient beasts also lurked here.
---
After walking for a long time, Ning Tianchen rested on a relatively spacious stretch of road.
His Winged Sword external soul bone allowed him to fly over collapsed sections of the path, avoiding accidents thus far.
However, flying in the air made him an obvious target, leaving him vulnerable to attacks. Therefore, he only dared to make short, rapid flights.
While resting, he touched his soul tool.
To prevent mishaps, he didn't retrieve the Snow Kiss Swan.
If he followed the actions of Tang San from the original timeline, then no one after him would be able to obtain the Killing God Domain. Everyone trapped in the Slaughter City would die.
Doing so would indeed extinguish Tang San's hopes of becoming stronger.
But for the Douluo Continent, it would leave evil soul masters with nowhere to go, driving them to madness. Ultimately, it would be the common people who paid the price.
Realizing this, Ning Tianchen abandoned this reckless idea.
So what if Tang San possessed the Killing God Domain? It didn't make him invincible. Ning Tianchen was confident that with his future strength, he could defeat or even kill Tang San.
Putting these thoughts aside, he calculated the food he had left.
He was the only person on the entire Hell Road, surrounded by seas of magma with no sources of food.
Before setting out, he had stored some food in his soul tool—enough to last about a month.
This amount of food was far from sufficient.
After all, the Slaughter City had countless entrances, but only one exit, hidden deep in the mountains.
Ning Tianchen didn't know where the God of Slaughter resided, so he had no clue about the exit's location.
To avoid living off raw meat and blood in the wilderness, he had to ration his food carefully.
After resting, he resumed his journey.
Not far ahead, a blood-red cloud appeared.
This wasn't the outside world, so weather changes were impossible. That blood cloud…
"It's the bat swarm!" Ning Tianchen tensed, preparing for battle.
The Hell Road sloped downward continuously, and the surrounding temperature had risen significantly. The killing intent within Ning Tianchen grew increasingly difficult to suppress.
With a swing of his sword, a surge of overwhelming sword qi erupted, slicing through the blood cloud.
A piercing, shrill cry rang out as the blood cloud split open, and countless red dots slowly descended, falling into the magma below.
The bat swarm swooped down, but Ning Tianchen suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
"Damn it, the killing intent is acting up now."
If left unchecked, the rampant killing intent would cause him to lose his sanity instantly. But how could he suppress it during combat?
In the original timeline, Tang San absorbed the Spirit Skull Bone and relied on his Purple Extreme Demon Eye to maintain mental stability.
However, Ning Tianchen lacked a head soul bone and had to rely solely on his willpower to suppress the killing intent.
Fortunately, under the influence of the killing intent, the power of the Seven Kill Sword's sword qi increased several-fold, allowing him to slay multiple bats with a single strike.
This was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
"Dragon Sword Guardian!"
The Seven Kill Sword planted itself in front of him, its blade splitting into thousands of spiritual swords, forming a barrier to block the bat swarm's attacks.
His first and second soul skills had been transformed into self-created techniques, but his third soul skill hadn't been trained enough to break free of its soul ring constraints. Moreover, within the Slaughter City, he couldn't use any soul ring abilities.
Thus, he couldn't manipulate the thousand blades to attack the bat swarm.
Gripping the sword hilt tightly, veins bulged on his forehead as he panted heavily.
"The sword qi barrier can hold for a while longer, but I need to stabilize my mind quickly."
Grabbing the antidote pills, Ning Tianchen swallowed three at once.
As for the Clear Mind Pill, he hesitated briefly and decided against using it.
The bat swarm was one of the simpler trials of the Hell Road. The most important trial—the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent—was still ahead.
The Clear Mind Pill had to be saved for the final moment.
"Calm down, calm down," Ning Tianchen repeatedly reminded himself.
Sword Chen Xin had once said that he encountered a similar situation while tempering his killing intent.
Killing intent wasn't a burden for the Seven Kill Sword—it was a "great nourishment." Therefore, instead of resisting it, he should actively channel it into his martial soul.
However, the killing intent obtained within the Slaughter City, like soul power, replenished itself after consumption, almost endlessly.
Given the current situation, the amount of killing intent in Ning Tianchen's body had far exceeded the limits of what his martial soul could bear. Transferring the excess killing intent to his martial soul could only temporarily suppress it, not solve the root problem. Attempting this recklessly, without controlling the release rate, would only cause the killing intent to erupt prematurely.
After only two seconds of thought, Ning Tianchen steeled his resolve.
"Not controlling the killing intent means death, but controlling it offers a sliver of hope. I'll risk it—there might still be a way out."
Clenching his teeth, he attempted to slowly release the killing intent within him.
The instant the killing intent emerged, it was captured by the Seven Kill Sword.
At this moment, the Seven Kill Sword resembled a black hole devouring everything, continuously absorbing the killing intent. Meanwhile, its blade was enveloped in a mist of killing intent.
His turbulent mind gradually calmed. Ning Tianchen swiftly drew the Seven Kill Sword and swung it forcefully.
The Seven Kill Sword traced a semicircle in front of him, unleashing a vast sword momentum resembling a crescent moon, cutting through every obstacle in his path.
The bat swarm emitted piercing cries once more. This single strike reduced their numbers by nearly one-fifth.
Seeing an opening in the encirclement, Ning Tianchen didn't hesitate. Wings of light formed behind him as he shot out of the swarm.
While breaking through, he continued to unleash sword qi at the bat swarm, inflicting heavy losses.
---
Beneath a waterfall at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest
Tang San, relying on a fragile wooden hammer, flawlessly executed eighty-one consecutive strikes.
When the final strike landed, even the fragile wood managed to "cut through" the waterfall's flow.
Watching this scene, Tang San exclaimed joyfully, "Father, I've done it!"
Tang Hao leaned nearby, nodding slightly in acknowledgment. At the same time, he touched the soul tool at his waist.
For safety's sake, Ah Yin's soul bone remained stored in his soul tool.
He was contemplating whether to give the soul bone to Tang San now.
Next, he planned to send Tang San to the Slaughter City for training. If Tang San were to perish there, the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor soul bone would be lost forever.
(A/N: Don't think Tang Hao is a fool. There's no safer place to hide something than in a Title Douluo's soul tool. Especially the hundred-thousand-year soul bone of his late wife—Tang Hao would definitely keep it with him at all times.)
"Father, what are you thinking about?"
Only when Tang San approached did Tang Hao snap out of his thoughts.
"It's nothing. Let's go—I'll take you to a special place. If you can make it out alive, I'll tell you everything you want to know. Including our relationship with the Hao Tian Sect."
Tang San was deeply shaken.
He knew that the Chaotic Wind Splitting Hammer Technique was merely an introductory technique for the Hao Tian Hammer. Mastering it wasn't anything extraordinary. Yet, even so, Tang Hao still hadn't told him everything about the past.
What kind of place could hold such significance that Tang Hao believed surviving it would mean Tang San had gained enough strength?
He felt both fear and anticipation.
Afraid that he might not complete the upcoming trial, yet unwilling to miss any opportunity to grow stronger.
"Father, what kind of place is it that makes you treat it so seriously?"
Tang Hao couldn't help but recall the glorious days he spent in the Slaughter City.
In a daze, he seemed to see his grandfather and the once-mighty Hao Tian Sect in its prime.
Lost in thought for a long time, Tang San stood quietly by his side, patiently waiting for an answer.
After about a few minutes, Tang Hao finally spoke. "That place is indeed very special. Let's go—I'll explain everything on the way. However, the danger level there is extremely high, with a mortality rate close to one hundred percent."
"So high?" Tang San was shocked.
A place like this could indeed be described as ten deaths and no survival.
Could his father really want him to go to his death?
The answer was no.
Tang San believed that if his father said this, it meant he was confident Tang San could survive. A place this dangerous surely wouldn't offer small rewards.
"Father, what should I do? Do I need to prepare anything in advance?"
"No need. Let's set off now."
---
Hell Road
After breaking through earlier, Ning Tianchen's overwhelming killing intent had intimidated the remaining bat swarm.
After shaking off his pursuers, he remained vigilant against a potential ambush from the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King.
Fortunately, his luck seemed decent. He had been walking for a long time without encountering the creature.
This trial had been completely avoided.
Unknowingly, he had reached the final stretch of the Hell Road.
Time held no meaning in the Slaughter City, and Ning Tianchen had lost track of how long he'd been there.
But judging by the consumption of food, roughly five days had passed since entering the Hell Road.
As he walked, Ning Tianchen suddenly stopped.
His gaze became exceptionally alert, and he cautiously retreated several dozen meters.
Ahead of him, a dark red giant snake coiled around the passageway.
"The Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent."
The serpent flicked its tongue, accompanied by a hissing sound, as its massive body began to slowly slither forward.
On the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent's head and back were nine protrusions, each resembling a bright red mushroom, with what appeared to be blood flowing inside. Its abdomen was especially bloated, rising high above the narrow path, while its length exceeded ten meters.
Upon closer inspection, its body bore numerous scars. Clearly, every strong individual who had attempted the Hell Road in the past had fought it at the end.
To determine the cultivation years of a snake-type martial soul, most examined its length.
This snake's length suggested a cultivation of at least twenty thousand years.
Unfortunately, there were no records of the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent on the continent, leaving Ning Tianchen unable to gauge its strength.
After absorbing countless souls in the Slaughter City, Ning Tianchen could feel his strength had reached the Soul Emperor level. All he needed was a single soul ring to advance further.
Even with such strength, his chances of defeating the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent weren't great.
The Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent clearly didn't intend to let him leave. It opened its foul-smelling maw and spewed scorching flames.
The flames spread along the corridor, making it nearly impossible to dodge with mere jumps.
Spreading his Winged Sword, Ning Tianchen leapt into the air, hovering to avoid the attack.
Surprise and curiosity flickered in the serpent's eyes, as if it had never encountered a humanoid prey capable of flight.
"The Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent may be a fierce ancient beast, but a snake is still a snake—it cannot compare to a dragon."
Before attacking, Ning Tianchen took out the Clear Mind Pill and placed it in his mouth, choosing not to swallow it immediately.
At the moment, the killing intent within him was stable, and to prolong the pill's effects, he couldn't afford to rush.
With the Azure Dragon sword qi enveloping his blade, he swung down, and an azure dragon surged forth.
His guess was correct—the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent showed hesitation in the face of the azure dragon's might and avoided the attack by quickly wriggling away.
"It's not over yet. Piercing Sword Momentum!"
Focusing the power of the sword on a single point, the sword qi lingered in the air.
A burst of silvery-white sword qi shot out from the tip of his sword, striking the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent directly. The serpent let out a low growl in pain and quickly submerged itself into the blood pool below.
The passageway of the Hell Road sloped downward layer by layer. At the beginning, the blood pool was a thousand meters away, but now it was only a few meters from the corridor.
Ning Tianchen remained vigilant, observing his surroundings.
Hovering in the air made him an easy target—he couldn't afford to be careless.
The Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King hadn't attacked him before, but that didn't mean it wouldn't now. Standing on the corridor was equally risky; one misstep could send him plunging into the blood pool.
Ning Tianchen had no choice but to end the battle quickly.
The next moment, the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent's body erupted from the blood pool, spewing even more intense flames from its mouth.
"It uses fire, so I'll counter it with cold."
Ning Tianchen decisively swallowed the Clear Mind Pill. Before the pill took effect, he continued dodging the attacks.
When the Clear Mind Pill activated, his emotions stabilized remarkably.
At this point, he could unleash his killing intent without restraint.
The dense killing intent swept outward like iron horses trampling across a desolate plain, roaring as it spread.
The surrounding temperature plummeted rapidly.
The Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent was a creature of pure yang energy and hated the cold intensely.
The moment it sensed the chilling aura, its temper flared violently.
It slammed its tail against the blood pool, attempting to extinguish the cold with a column of scorching blood.
However, it underestimated the concentration of killing intent within Ning Tianchen.
The unreserved release of his killing intent was equivalent to activating a God of Slaughter domain. The blood columns froze into icicles the moment they left the pool.
Ning Tianchen swung the Seven Kill Sword, leaving trails of sword qi lingering in the air with every slash.
After four strokes, the incomplete "kill" character sword technique formed.
"Kill!"
With a loud shout, the "kill" character sword technique surged forward like an overwhelming black cloud.
The Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent panicked, releasing its fiery-red core to evade the attack.
"Strike the snake at its vital spot!"
Ning Tianchen didn't waste time. He unleashed the Piercing Sword Momentum again.
This time, the sword qi pierced precisely through the heart of the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent.
Combined with the power of the "kill" character sword technique, the serpent suffered severe injuries.
Without hesitation, Ning Tianchen rushed forward, using his ring soul tool to forcibly extract the core and sever its connection to the serpent.
Without its core, the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent's strength plummeted, leaving it powerless to continue fighting.
Ning Tianchen summoned all his strength, controlling his Winged Sword to fly forward.
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