Ma Xiaotao gripped the Fire God Sword, feeling her body lighten as the surrounding sluggishness vanished completely. Without time to check her condition, she charged straight at Niu Tian with the sword.
Niu Tian was momentarily stunned by Ma Xiaotao's Fire God Sword, and in that brief second—less than a heartbeat—Zhu Ziyang seized the opportunity. The World-Purifying Life-Reaping Scythe swung mercilessly toward Niu Tian's right shoulder, intent on severing it entirely.
"Ah!" Niu Tian let out a scream, retreating several steps before glaring at Zhu Ziyang with shock and fury.
"What a pity!" Zhu Ziyang sighed, shaking his head. His strike hadn't achieved the desired effect—only leaving a long gash across Niu Tian's right shoulder and chest, failing to amputate the arm. Truly regrettable.
"Fire God Slash!"
Before Niu Tian could react, a delicate shout rang out. He turned to see Ma Xiaotao wielding the Fire God Sword with both hands, slashing down at him.
No—more accurately, the Fire God Sword was dragging Ma Xiaotao as it attacked Niu Tian. The sword seemed to possess its own will, launching the assault independently. Though Ma Xiaotao held it with both hands, she was little more than an attachment, contributing minimally.
The Fire God Sword radiated scorching divine might. Blazing flames erupted from the blade, instantly piercing Niu Tian's abdomen.
Niu Tian stared in horror at the sword impaling him, his face full of fear and rage. A powerful aura suddenly burst from his body, blasting Ma Xiaotao and the Fire God Sword embedded in his abdomen hundreds of meters away.
The Fire God Sword flew from Ma Xiaotao's grasp. She was hurled back, crashing hard into the ground. The sword spun countless times in the air before embedding itself firmly beside her, its glow dimmed, its sharpness greatly reduced—no longer exuding its previous domineering might.
Ma Xiaotao's face was deathly pale, blood trickling from her mouth. Undoubtedly, Niu Tian's outburst had caused her significant internal injuries.
Yet Niu Tian's condition was equally dire. His pierced abdomen was charred black, exposing internal organs. Flames still burned at the wound, persistent and unquenchable like maggots on bone. His face was as pale as Ma Xiaotao's, and his aura plummeted after the explosion, losing its former dominance and strength.
Most crucially, the Fire God Sword seemed to have shattered his god-level boundary. Though Niu Tian still felt terrifying to Zhu Ziyang, it was no longer the overwhelming abyss of facing a true god. The chasm between them had been severed by the Fire God Sword. At this moment, they stood on the same level—god and mortal no more!
For Zhu Ziyang, this was the best news possible. It meant his World-Purifying Life-Reaping Scythe's fifth soul skill could now affect Niu Tian!
Without hesitation, Zhu Ziyang raised the scythe. The fifth soul ring blazed brightly, and two gray streams of energy materialized, locking onto both him and Niu Tian.
Niu Tian noticed the gray energy enveloping him and felt an ominous premonition. He immediately unleashed cyan lightning to disperse it.
Seeing this, Zhu Ziyang felt a surge of relief and triumph. Fortunately, he had been one step ahead. While casting the fifth soul skill, he had drawn upon the Sacred Law Demiplane's power, elevating the death energy sustaining the skill to the level of death laws. Though not a true divine skill, its effects now rivaled one, adding an extra layer of assurance.
In the end, Niu Tian failed to escape the binding of Zhu Ziyang's fifth soul skill, the Life-Reaping Execution Platform. Together, they were pulled into the Death God's tribunal for judging the guilty.
"Kid, what is this place?" Niu Tian scanned the unfamiliar surroundings, sensing the murderous aura permeating the space. Fear and panic crept into his heart, but he maintained a tough front, demanding harshly.
"The Life-Reaping Execution Platform—the Death God's place for executing the guilty," Zhu Ziyang replied calmly, unusually patient with a man about to die.
"Judge the guilty?" Niu Tian froze, then erupted in rage. "Nonsense! A mere inheritor of the Evil God dares to judge a God Realm divine official? I'll kill you!"
Roaring, he tried to mobilize his soul power. Instantly, his face turned ashen, his eyes filled with terror and chaos. He couldn't sense his soul power, his soul rings, or even his bloodline. He had become an ordinary person with nothing!
"No— impossible!" Niu Tian refused to accept it, attempting again and again to summon his energy, but every effort sank like a stone into the sea, producing no ripple.
"Time to go," Zhu Ziyang said coldly, holding the World-Purifying Life-Reaping Scythe as he slowly approached.
The scythe swung down. Niu Tian instinctively raised an arm to block. The blade sliced into his flesh, blood gushing forth. Yet he ignored the pain, realizing in shock that though his soul power was gone, his divine beast physique remained. With his god-beast strength and body alone, he could still kill this vile boy!
Excited, Niu Tian prepared to act, but Zhu Ziyang gave him no chance. With a thought, he lightly stomped his left leg. A sharp, thick ice spike erupted from the ground, angled perfectly to pierce Niu Tian's thigh. His face twisted in agony, but before he could cry out, another spike burst forth, impaling his other thigh.
Then, several more ice spikes shot from the earth, turning Niu Tian into a human pincushion!
Octagonal Mysterious Ice Left Leg Bone Soul Skill: Octagonal Omnidirectional Spikes!
"Farewell," Zhu Ziyang said. Seeing Niu Tian still clinging to a thread of life, he thrust the World-Purifying Life-Reaping Scythe forward without hesitation. The blade's tip plunged into Niu Tian's heart, then tore through his back.
"!" Niu Tian's expression was horrific—filled with terror, hatred, unwillingness, and regret. Though his life had ended, his eyes remained wide open, staring in death.
"Heh," Zhu Ziyang chuckled after killing him. Gray energy flashed, and he and Niu Tian's corpse were expelled from the Life-Reaping Execution Platform, returning to the Douluo world.
"Ziyang!" Ma Xiaotao rushed over, relieved to see him unharmed. Spotting Niu Tian's corpse, she spat in disgust before saying, "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Mm," Zhu Ziyang replied with a relaxed smile. "This is thanks to your help, Sister Xiaotao. By the way, your arms…"
He looked concernedly at Ma Xiaotao's arms, only to be shocked—they were perfectly intact. If not for her missing sleeves proving it had happened, he might have thought it was an illusion.
"Hehe, I didn't expect it either," Ma Xiaotao laughed infectiously. "Remember the white flames on my shoulders? They actually have the power to regenerate flesh and bone. That's how my arms healed so quickly!"
"Is that so?" Zhu Ziyang said, surprised but smiling. "That's good."
As they spoke, the four soul spirits—Snow, Ice, Frost, and Dew—and the five otherworldly powerhouses gathered around. Their gazes lingered on Niu Tian's corpse, and under their watch, it began to change.
Cyan light flickered over the body. The next moment, the human corpse vanished, replaced by a massive dragon corpse—Niu Tian's Heavenly Cyan Dragon true form. But unlike its former majestic state, it now radiated gray, lifeless death.
Yet this wasn't the most important part. Crucially, a golden ring of light emerged from the dragon's corpse. Everyone present instantly understood its origin and purpose.
A soul ring! A golden soul ring! A god-level soul ring!
"Ziyang!" Ma Xiaotao stared at the golden soul ring in ecstatic joy, too thrilled to question why Niu Tian had produced one.
"Mm! I see it!" Zhu Ziyang was equally elated. The moment he saw the golden soul ring, he knew exactly how to use it.
Heavenly Frost White Dragon King, ninth soul ring—here it comes!
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"The novel is already finished on Patreon."
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