In Slaughter City, on the Hell Road, after Yang Xiong leaped into the river of blood, the entire City of Slaughter seemed to fall into an eerie calm. The collapse of the Hell Road had ceased, and even the river of blood appeared unnervingly tranquil.
At this moment, a hand suddenly emerged from the edge of the river of blood. The hand was completely blood-red, covered in strange patterns, exuding an overwhelming sense of terror.
This hand gripped the wall with incredible force, and despite the wall's hardness, five deep holes were gouged out by its grasp.
Soon after, another hand emerged from the river of blood, also gripping the stone wall.
As these two hands clung to the wall and began climbing, a blood-red figure emerged from the river.
The person's entire body had turned crimson, covered in bizarre patterns that extended even to their hair, which had become blood-red. Their eyes glowed with an eerie red hue.
This person was Yang Xiong. He didn't know how long he had been submerged in the river of blood, but through sheer willpower and survival instinct, he endured the torment of the blood river and eventually climbed out using his physical instincts.
Now, Yang Xiong resembled a primordial beast, his hands gripping the stone wall as he slowly advanced toward the light gate.
When he crossed the light gate, it felt as though he had been thrust into a vortex. Even his willpower seemed to dissipate in an instant, and he fell unconscious once again.
In the divine realm, within a massive blood-red palace, a colossal throne stood at the center. On it sat a blood-red giant.
The giant's blood-red eyes gazed at the scene displayed on a table before him. In the scene, a blood-red figure was seen climbing desperately, as if breaking through some kind of limit.
A rare smile appeared on the giant's face: "This is quite interesting. I never expected such a martial soul to exist in this world, nor did I expect someone to use my leftover river of blood to break through. This young man has guts—and what's more, he succeeded."
"Unfortunately, he's still too insignificant now. If he can truly grow stronger, perhaps he might surprise me one day."
…
When Yang Xiong regained consciousness once more, he found himself in a lush forest filled with vibrant life. The atmosphere brimmed with vitality, offering a sense of immense relief.
Yang Xiong felt as though he had narrowly escaped death. The pain in the river of blood had been excruciating—his body and soul seemed on the verge of melting. Thankfully, he had persevered, and his absorption of the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor soul bone and the Xuanming Armor external soul bone had saved him from certain doom.
However, Yang Xiong vaguely recalled seeing a massive palace and a blood-red figure just before crawling out of the Hell Road.
In that fleeting moment, his soul had nearly shattered, as if a mortal faced a deity.
Moreover, Yang Xiong sensed that his martial soul might have formed some faint connection with the colossal deity-like figure.
He examined his body carefully and noticed no apparent changes, except that his once jet-black hair had turned blood-red.
Yang Xiong found it strange that he was now completely naked—his clothes must have been melted away by the river of blood. However, his soul tools remained undamaged, indicating that the river of blood was far from ordinary.
Yang Xiong quickly donned a fresh set of clothes, relieved that no one had witnessed his naked state.
When he summoned his martial soul again, his entire body turned blood-red, covered in white patterns.
Yang Xiong was ecstatic. Only after summoning his martial soul did he fully realize the changes in both his spirit and body.
He could clearly feel a dramatic increase in his strength, speed, attack power, and defense. Compared to the silver-level awakening after his ice and fire tempering, this new level was far superior, increasing his abilities by roughly threefold.
Yang Xiong was overjoyed. His risky gamble had paid off—his Body Martial Soul had finally achieved golden-level awakening.
At this moment, Yang Xiong felt confident. From now on, his innate talent would not be inferior to anyone else's. His martial soul could rival true divine martial souls, perhaps even surpassing them in strength and practicality.
Yang Xiong carefully observed the white patterns covering his body. A surge of white light burst forth, enveloping his surroundings. Beneath its glow, all forms of life trembled—plants, birds, beasts, insects, and fish—all seemed suppressed in an instant.
This was the materialization of killing intent, forming a domain.
This was the Killing God Domain—a result of Yang Xiong's two years of training in Slaughter City and his triumph over the Hell Road.
Under the influence of this domain, Yang Xiong's strength increased by twenty percent, while his enemies' abilities were suppressed by ten percent.
What set Yang Xiong apart from other Killing Gods was his Body Martial Soul's exceptional growth potential. As his soul power grew, the domain's enhancement for him and suppression of his enemies would only intensify.
Upon closer inspection of his Killing God Domain, Yang Xiong noticed something unusual. Normally, whether it was Hu Liena or Tang San, their Killing God Domains manifested as white bat-like patterns attached to their martial souls.
However, Yang Xiong's domain was different—it covered his entire body in white patterns, and there seemed to be some underlying transformation occurring.
Yang Xiong suddenly realized something, and his heart surged with excitement.
For others, this might simply be a talent-based domain. But for his Body Martial Soul, the Killing God Domain seemed to merge completely with his martial soul, becoming an integral part of his being. If this was true, then when he reached the Soul Sage level and unleashed his True Body, the Killing God Domain would grow even stronger, possibly evolving further.
Ordinary soul masters could only fully unleash their talent-based domains at the Soul Sage level. Yet for Yang Xiong, his killing intent and domain had already fused with his martial soul—or even his body. This meant his Killing God Domain would likely grow more easily.
In the original storyline, Qian Renxue's Angelic Domain was also a talent-based domain. When she unleashed her True Body, the domain's power nearly doubled, reaching its true form.
Yang Xiong felt that he now shared similarities with Qian Renxue. If his Body Martial Soul unleashed its True Body, his Killing God Domain would undoubtedly become even more formidable.
All of this was thanks to the Gold-level awakening of his Body Martial Soul. The domain was not only attached to his martial soul but also to his very body.
Yang Xiong suddenly noticed an important detail: activating his Killing God Domain consumed very little soul power, almost as if it were an innate attribute of his martial soul.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but laugh aloud. After this physical tempering, especially following his martial soul's reawakening, his soul power had reached level fifty-eight. Moreover, he felt his strength had increased significantly, likely due to consistently absorbing strength-oriented soul rings.
His mental strength had also grown substantially, likely reaching the peak of the third stage of the Purple Extreme Demon Eye—the Mustard Seed Realm.
Yang Xiong named his martial soul the Asura Body. After this tempering, his muscles appeared leaner, yet each muscle and every cell had become much stronger.
…
After organizing the changes in his body, Yang Xiong prepared to leave.
At this moment, Yang Xiong felt an intense rage boiling within him. The killing intent surging inside him threatened to erupt at any moment. He needed to find a place quickly to regain full control over his killing aura.
Yang Xiong changed into a set of black clothing and began traveling through the forest, moving during the night and hiding during the day to return to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as quickly as possible.
During the day, Yang Xiong usually dug a hole to hide in. The sunlight was too harsh; after spending so much time in the dark conditions of Slaughter City, his eyes and body struggled to adapt.
Moreover, encountering people during the day was risky. Given Yang Xiong's current state, he was prone to anger, and his overwhelming killing intent made him appear more like a wild beast than a human.
Whenever Yang Xiong felt close to losing control, he submerged his entire body in water.
However, even when he bathed in streams or rivers, the surface of the water would rapidly turn blood-red.
After two years in Slaughter City, his nerves had been stretched taut, and his body was saturated with killing intent. This aura had seeped into his blood and soul, making even his gaze radiate with murderous intent.
More than ten days later, Yang Xiong finally returned to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
The sect members were shocked at Yang Xiong's appearance. Though Yang Xiong had always been low-key, he typically gave off a righteous and masculine impression.
Now, however, he was clad entirely in black robes, even his head covered, emanating a terrifying aura that made him look anything but a good person.
Yang Xiong didn't say much. Suppressing his killing intent as best he could, he presented a token: "I am Yang Xiong. Take me to see the sect leader immediately."
The guards, recognizing Yang Xiong's token and appearance, wasted no time escorting him to Ning Fengzhi's office.
When Yang Xiong arrived, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and Ning Rongrong were all present.
Ning Fengzhi greeted him with joy: "Little Xiong, you've finally returned from Slaughter City."
Yang Xiong nodded, though his face betrayed a hint of pain and ferocity—he had been forcibly suppressing his killing intent recently.
Ning Rongrong, overjoyed, rushed to hug him: "Little Bear, you're finally back! Don't ever sneak off like that again!"
Sword Douluo shouted urgently: "Rongrong, be careful! Don't approach Little Xiong right now—he's extremely dangerous."
Sword Douluo swiftly stepped in front of Ning Rongrong, his expression serious: "Little Xiong, your killing intent is overwhelming. You've just returned from Slaughter City and haven't yet gained control over it. It's best not to come into contact with others."
Yang Xiong nodded: "Teacher Sword, I feel like my body is about to explode. I need to find an absolutely quiet and safe place immediately, or I fear I might lose control and harm others."
Sword Douluo agreed: "Don't worry—I'm here. Try not to suppress your killing intent. Only then can I study how to control it."
Relieved by these words, Yang Xiong stopped forcibly restraining his killing intent.
In an instant, Yang Xiong's body turned blood-red, and a terrifying white light erupted from him, shaking the entire room.
Sword Douluo roared, unleashing a chilling azure aura that resembled an unsheathed sword—his Seven Kill Domain.
The room was instantly filled with the clash of their domains, the two forces colliding in midair.
Bone Douluo and Ning Fengzhi were startled: "Killing God Domain!"
Sword Douluo raised two fingers and gently tapped Yang Xiong's forehead. Yang Xiong felt as though his soul had been pierced by a sword. His killing intent was instantly suppressed, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
When the pressure from both of them subsided, Yang Xiong collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat, his strength and soul power seemingly drained.
Ning Fengzhi quickly summoned the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda: "Eight Treasures True Body!"
The colossal pagoda emitted multiple rays of light that poured into Yang Xiong's body. Under its amplification, Yang Xiong felt his body and soul power recovering at an astonishing rate.
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