"Three years. Not too long, not too short. Dragon Valley is full of dragon-type spirit beasts; there should be some 100,000‑year beasts here."
"If I can add spirit rings to the Reincarnation Eye ahead of time, then when I leave I'll at least be at Douluo level. If there aren't any Limit Douluo to stop me, what can the entire Douluo Continent do?"
Ignaz thought this through and liked the idea. True, 100,000‑year spirit beasts were rare outside, and in the Star Dou Forest they tended to cluster together under the guard of a half‑god Silver Dragon King.
If he went after those, several 100,000‑year beasts attacking together would be a severe threat even for him.
It made more sense to hunt the 100,000‑year beasts inside Dragon Valley one by one.
Even if he couldn't find seven of them, he could still hunt some 80,000–90,000‑year beasts to become spirit rings for his second martial soul.
Later, after absorbing enough life‑and‑death energy, he could upgrade those rings into 100,000‑year rings.
Ignaz didn't worry about adding rings to a twin martial soul too early. His second martial soul, the Reincarnation Eye, and the Blood Thunder Battle Spear shared similarities, so the five‑soul clash wouldn't happen.
And if too much ring energy overflowed after adding seven rings, the Reincarnation Eye's passive could handle it.
In short, adding rings to the second martial soul was feasible, and he wanted to see what domineering effects the Reincarnation Eye would gain.
With that in mind, Ignaz rose, glanced once at the Death Valley where the bloody scene had vanished, then slipped into the valley.
He followed the fissure downward into the "underground" world of rolling hills, abundant life, and countless spirit beasts.
Using the map, he scouted for suitable 100,000‑year spirit beasts. Ideally they would match the Reincarnation Eye's attribute, but if the Dragon Tomb lacked matches he would settle for the standard elemental attributes—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, rain, thunder, and so on.
After all, the Reincarnation Eye was his secondary martial soul, not his frequent weapon. As long as it could absorb and decompose life‑and‑death energy, he'd be satisfied.
At the same time, the crimson pillar of light that had erupted into the sky sent ripples through the Dragon Tomb.
That meant the 140,000‑year Garuda—an extremely ferocious beast that specialized in hunting dragons—was likely dead. Whatever replaced it would probably be another 100,000‑year spirit beast.
The ten original 100,000‑year beasts scattered across the Dragon Tomb heard the news but remained indifferent. Their main concern was defending their own territories from other beasts' intrusions.
As for the possible arrival of hunting humans, they paid it no mind. None of those humans could be their match. Even a Titled Douluo who came here would be no real threat to a dragon‑blooded beast of this caliber. Dragon‑blooded spirit beasts were simply overwhelmingly strong, especially the 100,000‑year ones.
…
Time passed, and Ignaz explored the Dragon Tomb at ease. With his power surge, the Reincarnation Eye, and the Flexbone Rabbit spirit bone, no spirit beast here could stop him.
He collected many spirit bones during his search. The lowest quality he found started at five thousand years, and he was particularly pleased to obtain seven bones dropped by flying beasts. No doubt their spirit skills would grant flight.
Beyond the bones, Ignaz completed the Dragon Valley map. The Dragon Valley secret realm—especially its underground portion—was topographically complex, with roughly ten distinct terrain types corresponding to the ten fallen Dragon Kings of the Celestial Realm.
The Celestial Realm had been created by the Dragon God, who had ten children serving as the ten Dragon Kings. Each Dragon King was ambitious and competed for the Dragon God's throne. For some unknown reason, the Dragon God died without naming a successor.
All ten Dragon Kings perished, leaving only the Golden Dragon King's bloodline as a remnant. The Celestial Realm's five great god kings sealed that remnant.
Although the ten terrain types in the Dragon Tomb represented the ten Dragon Kings' fall, the Dragon Kings' bones weren't entirely preserved.
Much of their bones were transformed into energy that sustained the Dragon Tomb secret realm, leaving only a few fragments surviving.
He also found some extremely powerful spirit beasts that dominated each terrain, ruling them as kings. After a year of exploration, Ignaz discovered thirteen 100,000‑year spirit beasts in Dragon Valley.
If this number were on the Douluo Continent, it would be apocalyptic. Among them were two purebred dragons with true dragon bloodlines—the Thunder Tyrant Dragons—nearly invincible in this secret realm.
They were the few 100,000‑year beasts Ignaz judged worth hunting.
But there was no rush. He planned to proceed step by step: first add the first metal attribute spirit ring to the Reincarnation Eye, then take the next steps.
Meanwhile, on the Douluo Continent, two men in black robes were speeding along the road from the Heavenly Dou Empire toward the western part of the Xingluo Empire.
"Father, that domain skill you showed me earlier is the final goal you wanted me to obtain in some strange place?" Tang San asked.
His Blue Silver Grass had evolved into Blue Silver Emperor and his appearance had drastically changed. He was taller and more handsome, and his thoughts had become deeper.
"That's right. The place is called the City of Slaughter, a land filled with blood and hatred. Your aim is to enter the City of Slaughter and earn the recognition of the Killing God Domain."
"How to obtain it you'll learn after you enter."
Soon they reached a village near the City of Slaughter. The moment they stepped into a small tavern, around thirty fallen men awaited them, eyes full of hatred.
"We can't let outsiders into the City of Slaughter. Let's take him down."
Without hesitation, the thirty fallen opened their spirit rings. All were Spirit King level. They charged at Tang San and his companion.
Tang San unleashed his Fourth Spirit Skill, the Blue Silver Piercing Array, killing the six Spirit Kings at the front. But the remaining Spirit Kings didn't retreat. Instead they charged on, reckless and unflinching.