Blood-red fog that obstructed both spirit and mind coiled beneath the arena. Tang Yin rose to his feet, Hu Leina secured in his arms, and carefully observed the surroundings.
He scanned the Hell Road ahead, the air thick with the stench of blood and rot. A cavernous tunnel loomed before them—crimson red and stretching endlessly.
Tang Yin remained quiet, but he could feel it—his Spirit Brain martial soul was working in overdrive, shielding his mind from the spiritual interference that pressed in around them like a suffocating shroud.
In his arms, Hu Leina stirred awake. Blinking, she looked dazed as she stood up on her own, gently touching her forehead with a grimace.
"My heinous spirit is invigorating,"
Both of them looked down from the crimson platform they stood on and saw the vast, blood-red sea below. Tang Yin narrowed his eyes and spoke calmly.
"It's a sea of Bloody Mary... No—it's the cemetery of countless losers, buried over a thousand years. Hmm!?"
Tang Yin glanced sideways at Hu Leina. Her Spirit aura shimmered faintly—not from fear, but from the overwhelming spiritual pressure in this place. He immediately released his Blue Silver Domain, spreading a gentle yet firm layer of spiritual support around them.
"Are you alright?" he asked, brows furrowed in concern.
"With you by my side, I'm just relieved I don't have to face this hellish place alone." Hu Leina offered him a gentle, reassuring smile, trying to ease the worry in his eyes.
Tang Yin gave a small nod and handed her a dark pellet, one he had crafted combining the Breaking Clan's techniques and Tang Sect's medicinal knowledge about poisons.
"Take this," he instructed. "It'll protect you from the poisonous gas coming off the Bloody Mary below—at least for a while."
She took it without hesitation, trusting Tang Yin completely, and swallowed it in one smooth, tempting motion—making him gulp without meaning to.
Tang Yin shook off his stray thoughts, giving himself a light slap to snap back to focus. Now wasn't the time for dreamlike distractions.
With that, they turned toward the tunnel ahead.
The walls pulsed like living flesh. Every step forward felt like they were walking into the belly of some collosal monstrous beast.
Together, they stepped forward and officially began the Hell Road Trial. As they walked along the narrow path, Tang Yin noticed their path was subtly sloping downwards.
They were descending steadily—already at least hundred meters lower than when they started an hour ago.
The air thickened oppressively, each breath like inhaling fire. Waves of blistering heat surged upward from below, as if they were descending into the heart of a living furnace.
Hu Leina began to sweat profusely. Her calm breathing quickened, skin flushed, and beads of moisture traced down her temple.
Without realizing it, she started unfastening parts of her armor and loosening her outer garments to cool down—completely unaware of how tempting she looked in the process.
Tang Yin felt his thoughts slip.
He quickly looked away, forcing himself to focus. With a sharp breath, he raised his hand and summoned a Blue Silver Armor—a fire-resistant, high-mobility protective suit he had developed during the Tournament.
It wrapped around Hu Leina in shimmering layers, sleek and breathable, instantly shielding her from the unbearable heat—and more importantly, from his traitorous thoughts.
"Thank god I made this skill in advance," he muttered inwardly, exhaling in relief. "If I hadn't, I might've… taken her right here in this cursed place. Bah control yourself." He spat.
Soon, they came across scattered bones and crumbling skeletons littering the path—grim reminders of those who had failed before them
Suddenly, they were surrounded by a swarm of blood-sucking crimson bats. The air filled with high-pitched screeches and the flutter of thousands of wings.
Tang Yin's eyes narrowed. With numbers like this, trying to fight them head-on was just a waste of time. Without hesitation, he grabbed Hu Leina's hand and pulled her close.
"Hold on," he muttered releasing Spirit Body. Tang Yin's lean frame swelled into a muscular build, blue runes forming across his body.
Before she could respond, he crouched and let her hop onto his back. Then he shot forward like a blur, using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track—his movement so fast and erratic that even a Contra would struggle to match it.
Wind roared past them as they tore down the narrow path. Hu Leina's soft arms tightened around his shoulders, her cheek brushing against his muscular back.
"Wow! So fast! Tang Yin, you're really fast!" she said brightly enjoying the piggy ride.
His eye twitched. "Why does that sound like an insult?" he thought grimly. "What man wants to be told he's fast? Definitely not me."
The swarm gave chase, but Tang Yin's erratic speed left them in the dust—until a massive, three-headed bat swooped down ahead, blocking their path with a piercing screech echoing throughout the tunnel.
"Shrill—!"
Tang Yin clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch. Annoying thing. But once you know its weakness, it's easy enough to handle," he muttered, recalling what he'd remembered about the creature.
Without hesitation, Tang yin gently dropped Hu Leina to her feet and launched himself at the beast, fist cocked back.
The giant bat flapped wildly, trying to gain distance. Tang Yin misstepped—only to twist mid-air, plant a foot on one of the rocky pillars, and hurl himself forward like a cannonball.
His arms tightened, muscles started coiling with power, and before the creature could react, he slammed his glowing fist straight into two of its heads. With a twist, he followed up with a spinning kick that crushed the third.
The monstrous bat crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, its three gnarly heads shattered beyond recovery.
He landed lightly and returned to Hu Leina, brushing nonexistent dust from his shoulder who looked up at him, eyes sparkling. "Wow… it finished so fast. You're really fast Tang yin."
Tang Yin's eye twitched.
Was she doing this on purpose?
Suppressing a groan, he ruffled her golden hair in revenge, messing it up until it was a tangled fluffy mess despite her protest.
"Hey—! Stop that!" she whined, trying to swat his hands away, pouting cutely.
Tang Yin smiled, satisfied, as they continued down the narrow, crumbling path. Suddenly, the stone pillars supporting the narrow path began to tremble, sending dust and small stones cascading into the darkness below.
From the depths below, a massive serpent slithered into view—silent, menacing. It wove between the pillars like a living shadow, its predatory eyes locked onto them.
Then, without warning, it lunged—its massive body crashing into the path behind them, shattering their footing.
Tang Yin reacted in a flash grabbing Hu Leina and hurled her toward a more stable ledge ahead. She hit the ground and rolled safely—but when she looked back—
"AAAH! Tang Yin—NO!" she screamed, eyes wide with horror as she watched him plummet into the Crimsy abyss.
Without a second thought, she leapt after him.
Only to be caught mid-fall by a steady force—strong, but gentle.
She blinked.
Tang Yin was hovering in midair beneath her, a faint blue glow surrounding him. His strong arms caught hers effortlessly, his brow slightly furrowed in concentration.
"You—you're flying?" she gasped, her chest heaving in awe and relief.
"Not flying," Tang Yin smirked. "Hovering. It's not that fast but stable enough to save myself."
"You jumped after me. Were you trying to die together, or test my reflexes?" He raised an eyebrow, his grip still firm on her thin waist.
Hu Leina didn't respond. She just stared at him with wide eyes, then pouted. "I thought you were dead, you jerk…Hmph."
He only chuckled, tugging her close with one arm as they slowly drifted toward the nearest stable ledge, the Hydra roaring in frustration.
Tang Yin had been testing her loyalty all along, but after seeing enough, he decided he would never let her worry like that again as he kissed her fondly. "Sorry about that my love."
Hu Leina responded enthusiastically while the serpent crept behind them. Tang Yin, annoyed at being interrupted mid-kiss, decided it was time to make the beast suffer.
"Let me pay you back properly." Tang Yin's arms swelled with power, a wide grin spreading across his face as he sprang toward the beast.
Tang Yin's fists slammed into the serpent's scales with ruthless power. Each strike was brutal and unforgiving, shattering tough hide and cracking bones beneath his blows.
Hu Leina watched on with growing sympathy as Tang yin beat up the beast relentlessly.
The beast howled in pain as he pummeled it mercilessly, relentless and fierce—turning its fiery rage back upon itself with every crushing hit. Ten-Headed Burning Sun Serpent could only be defeated by destroying its nine cysts.
Although the beast struck Tang Yin repeatedly, his energy absorption ability nullified them all, converting every blow into raw kinetic power.
One by one, Tang Yin targeted the glowing sacs, each explosive strike weakening the serpent further—until, pushed to the brink, it violently coughed up its neidan in a desperate attempt to self-destruct.
Seizing the moment, Tang Yin unleashed a barrage of brutal blows, then channeled the last of his stored kinetic energy into a single, devastating strike—driving his fist straight into the neidan and ripping the glowing orb free.
The serpent let out a furious, guttural cry as Tang Yin turned toward it with a satisfied grin—then slammed his fist into the final intact sac, ending the beast's life in one crushing blow.
"Hahaha! Thanks for the neidan. I'll make good use of it." Tang Yin's laughter echoed through the shattered ruins, brimming with power.
But far above, someone watched the scene with grim silence—The Slaughter King.
Afterward, Hu Leina and Tang Yin quickened their pace through the trial grounds, as the oppressive atmosphere continuously eroded both of their spiritual will.
"Tang Yin…I don't think I can last much longer," Hu Leina said through gritted teeth. "My spirit's being crushed... and the Heinous Spirit—it's under constant assault. The deeper we go, the worse it gets. I might even attack you."
"Don't worry," Tang Yin teased, a playful grin tugging at his lips. "Even if you attacked me, I wouldn't mind dying in the hands of such a beautiful, strong, and capable girl."
Still, beneath the joke, he felt the exhaustion creeping in—he was slowly getting tired too.
Repeatedly, Tang Yin relied on his Telepathy to resist the mental obstruction. Using the Blue Silver Domain for Hu Leina and Telekinesis to hover and maintain his footing along the narrow, crumbling path.
Still—through the fatigue—he could sense it.
His Spirit Brain was finally on the verge of breaking through a qualitative transformation.
Up ahead, a golden light flickered at the end of the path, beckoning them forward. Hu Leina was growing more agitated by the second—her Heinous Spirit was surging uncontrollably, feeding off the chaotic aura around them.
Tang Yin glanced at her, then gave a quiet nod. Without hesitation, he hurled her toward the exit. "Go. I'll catch up soon enough."
He stayed behind.
Cross-legged, breathing steady, Tang Yin took out twenty cups of Bloody Mary and downed them all in one go. The effect was instant—murderous thoughts exploded in his mind like wildfire, threatening to consume him.
But his Spirit Brain activated again, defending his mind with unwavering force, keeping the madness at bay. His body trembled restless. His consciousness stretched thin.
And then—crack.
A radiant golden light burst within his spiritual sea, flooding it with clarity and power. The old Blue Silver King resting inside was startled as golden sea surged within the Spiritual sea.
"My King what's this?" He asked in awe.
Tang Yin's Spirit Brain radiated a golden light as it underwent its second Golden awakening. Almost instantly, he sensed the emergence of a new evolved ability—Spiritual Immunity.