Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 451 Divine Craftsman, Devouring Abyssal Creatures

Near the Abyss Passage, the Blood God Legion's base.

The solemn and oppressive atmosphere of the base was suddenly shattered by an unusual phenomenon.

Thick, dark clouds gathered low in the sky, and colorful lightning bolts, like dragons, darted and roared through the clouds, radiating a terrifying power of heaven and earth.

That was no ordinary thundercloud, but an elemental lightning tribulation containing the power of the fundamental laws of the plane!
The center of the lightning tribulation pointed directly to an ordinary soldiers' dormitory.

Inside the dormitory, Bai Yuan was focused, and each strike of the forging hammer in his hand carried a strange rhythm, faintly matching the roar of thunder in the sky.

On the simple forging table in front of him, a piece of metal was radiating an increasingly intense spiritual glow. It was only one step away from being transformed into the legendary Heavenly Forged Metal!
However, the tribulation of heavenly forging is not something to be taken lightly.
The seven-colored lightning contained extreme destructive power. If it were allowed to strike the newly forged metal, even if the metal possessed great spirituality, it would be unable to escape being reduced to ashes. The blacksmith must share some of the lightning tribulation!
"Om-"

Beneath Bai Yuan's feet, the abyss-like Taotie Martial Soul suddenly unleashed its power, and a domain that seemed capable of devouring everything expanded outward from its center—the Devouring Domain!
"Boom!"

The first seven-colored lightning bolt struck down fiercely. However, it did not directly hit the metal. Instead, most of it was captured, torn apart, and decomposed by the invisible devouring domain, turning into pure and violent energy, which was forcibly absorbed by Bai Yuan's martial soul.

Only a small portion, about one-tenth of the lightning power, penetrated the domain and landed precisely on the metal, emitting a "sizzling" sound of tempering. Amidst the destruction, a trace of newborn spirituality was stubbornly being nurtured!
"what happened?"

Startled by this extraordinary phenomenon, Long Yuxue rushed to the dormitory area. Looking at the houses shrouded in seven-colored lightning, her beautiful eyes were filled with shock and confusion.

She could sense the terrifying power contained within the thunder, which was far from ordinary.

Not only her, but also Zhang Huanyun, the legion commander who had just returned to the legion, and Cao Dezhi, the Blood God Camp's Blood One, the two highest leaders of the Blood God Legion, were instantly attracted by this unique fluctuation of heaven and earth.

"This is... the Heavenly Forging Lightning Tribulation!"

Cao Dezhi's eyes flashed with disbelief, "When did the legion produce a master craftsman capable of triggering the Heavenly Forging?!"

His own four-word battle armor's core metal was of the Heaven-Forged level, and he was well aware of its preciousness and the difficulty of forging it.

Zhang Huanyun was equally shocked and immediately ordered, "Investigate! Find out whose dormitory this is right now!"

Soon, the information came back – the dormitory owner was Bai Yuan, a newly promoted second lieutenant!
“Bai Yuan? That level 78 Soul Saint?” Zhang Huanyun and Cao Dezhi exchanged a glance, both seeing the solemnity and doubt in each other’s eyes.

"With the cultivation of a Soul Saint, forcibly triggering the Heavenly Forging Tribulation... I'm afraid the odds are against him."

Zhang Huanyun frowned and whispered to Cao Dezhi, "Old Cao, should we force it to stop? We can't ruin a promising future for the sake of Tianduan."

His four-character battle armor was cultivated through his own hard work, and he knew the hardships involved. He also had great respect for the divine craftsmen who could forge Heavenly Forged Metal.

Cao Dezhi's four-word battle armor was forged from Heavenly Forged Metal, yet he slowly shook his head, his gaze fixed on the constantly falling lightning, which was weakened by the Devouring Domain, and the steady, rhythmic knocking sounds emanating from the dormitory:
“Ordinary Soul Saints would have absolutely no chance. But this Bai Yuan… look, the lightning tribulation hasn’t weakened, and his resistance shows no signs of faltering. He… might really succeed!”

The two fell silent, their hearts filled with an unprecedented tension and excitement.

The significance of a living master craftsman belonging to the Blood God Legion is too great. They are unaware that similar scenes are unfolding in six other places on the continent at this moment. Some people have been stopped by Tang Hao, but as long as one place succeeds, all of Gula's avatars will share this experience and ability.

As the Blood God Legion approached the Abyss Passage, Tang Hao, the Lord of the Planes, dared not interfere at this time, lest he alarm the Abyss and ruin the millennium-long plan. This gave Bai Yuan the safest environment to complete the task.

ten minutes later.

"when--!"

As the final, clear tapping sound faded, it seemed to contain a sense of perfect Dao. The seven-colored thunderclouds in the sky began to slowly dissipate.

Inside the dormitory, Bai Yuan withdrew his Devouring Domain, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face. He felt his soul power and blood energy subtly increasing due to the absorption of a large amount of pure lightning tribulation energy, and murmured in amazement:
"Such pure and vast energy... It's probably comparable in quality to the energy of abyssal life forms."

He previously majored in mecha repair, and only had a slight interest in forging.

But after this hands-on experience and successfully completing the Heavenly Forging, he realized that in order to find this "shortcut" to quickly improve his strength, he would probably have to deal with forging in the future.

The lightning tribulation energy drawn by this Heavenly Forging saved him at least a month of arduous cultivation! This was even on the basis of the already rapid cultivation of the Abyss Gluttonous Martial Soul.

Now, he is absolutely confident that he can reach the Limit Douluo realm within five years.

After putting away the piece of Heavenly Forged Metal that had successfully advanced and was imbued with spiritual light, Bai Yuan straightened his clothes, pushed open the dormitory door, and walked out.

Outside the door, Zhang Huanyun, Cao Dezhi, Long Yuxue, and many high-ranking military officers who had been alerted were waiting.

Bai Yuan's gaze swept calmly over the crowd, lingering briefly on Zhang Huanyun and Cao Dezhi, before he nodded slightly: "And you two are?"

Suppressing his excitement, Zhang Huanyun cut to the chase: "Just now... were you inside undergoing Heavenly Forging? Did you succeed?"

Bai Yuan nodded frankly, his tone carrying just the right amount of humility: "It is indeed me. I succeeded by chance."

Despite having expected it, Zhang Huanyun and Cao Dezhi were still briefly shocked and overjoyed when they heard the confirmation with their own ears, and for a moment they didn't know how to respond.

"Good! Good! Good!" Cao Dezhi said three times, his tone complex. "Your becoming a master craftsman is a tremendous good thing, both for you personally and for... Shrek Academy!"

He secretly regretted that such a genius had not joined the Tang Clan. If he were to try to recruit him now, it would seem like he was reaping the benefits, so he ultimately kept quiet.

Zhang Huanyun stepped forward excitedly: "Lieutenant Bai Yuan! Are you willing to forge Heavenly Forged Metal for the Blood God Legion? The Legion will never let you suffer a loss! As long as it's within reasonable limits, you can make any request!"

He knew that in this era, apart from extremely rare immortal herb-level resources, almost nothing was more valuable than Heaven-Forged Metal.

Bai Yuan nodded, but then changed the subject: "I can complete Heavenly Forging commissions for a fee. However, each Heavenly Forging operation is extremely taxing, and I need time to recuperate. Moreover..."

His gaze swept over the crowd. "Within the Blood God Legion, there doesn't seem to be any Limit Douluo who urgently need Heavenly Forging Metal to forge their four-word battle armor, right?"

Zhang Huanyun quickly replied, "It's alright! It's alright! We can prepare in advance! I believe there will be many Limit Douluos on the continent willing to pay the price to ask a Divine Craftsman from the Blood God Legion to help!"

This practically opened up a completely new and powerful resource channel for the legion.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuan revealed a hint of "greed" befitting his "Abyssal Glutton" persona, and said without any politeness, "In that case, be prepared to satisfy the 'glutton.' I don't care for ordinary things; if you ask me to take action, the price won't be low."

Cao Dezhi frowned slightly, and out of lingering affection for Shrek Academy, he still offered a word of advice:
"Bai Yuan, for the sake of Shrek Academy's future reconstruction, you'd better maintain good relations with all parties. The price can be increased appropriately, but don't go too far... to avoid controversy."

Bai Yuan shook his head, his tone carrying an almost cold pragmatism: "If you can't afford it, you don't have to buy it. If a Super Douluo can't even gather enough resources to exchange for Heavenly Forging Metal, then he shouldn't even dream of breaking through to the Limit Douluo level. Earning money is also part of strength."

Cao Dezhi was speechless at his undisguised "greed" remarks. Displeased, he ultimately felt that he was not "one of their own," so he flicked his sleeve, snorted coldly, and said no more.

Zhang Huanyun didn't seem to care. The Blood God Legion's resources were supplied jointly by various parties on the continent, with the safety of the defense line as the bond, and they were not lacking in top-tier resources.

Moreover, if he wants to adjust or strengthen his four-word battle armor in the future, only the Divine Craftsman can do it.

After thinking for a moment, he proposed a generous offer: "Bai Yuan, since that's the case, how about we adjust your mission? You no longer need to participate in frontline battles; how about you focus solely on forging? It's safer, and your military merits will still be calculated as usual."

To his surprise, Bai Yuan shook his head and refused: "Thank you for your kindness, Legion Commander. But if it's just for forging, what is the point of me coming to the Blood God Legion? My Martial Soul needs to fight, needs to... devour."

"It would be better for me and the legion to enter the outer perimeter of the abyss passage as soon as possible and try to devour and refine the energy of those abyssal creatures. This would be more beneficial for me and the legion."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huanyun pondered for a moment. He knew that Bai Yuan's martial spirit was special.

Exposing it to the energy of the abyss carries both risks and opportunities. But the value of a divine craftsman is too great to afford to fail. "Alright!"

Zhang Huanyun finally made up her mind, "I'll personally accompany you down there to test it at the outermost edge of the passage. If anything seems amiss, we'll retreat immediately!"

Upon hearing this reply, Bai Yuan finally revealed a smile that truly suited his wishes, a smile tinged with both anticipation and a hint of danger.

"Then... thank you very much, Commander."

……

Following Zhang Huanyun, Bai Yuan stepped into the legendary abyss passage that separated the two planes for the first time.

They entered one of the relatively safer levels of the lower thirty-six floors within the passageway. A faint grayish-purple mist permeated the air, which was filled with an unsettlingly thick and deathly stillness. Faint, unintelligible roars could be heard from afar.

According to Zhang Huanyun, the strongest abyssal creature on this level is roughly equivalent to a human titled Douluo. If it weren't for the abyssal creatures' "immortality" under the support of the abyssal plane's energy, they would have been wiped out long ago by the Blood God Legion stationed here year after year.

Not long after they started walking, three strangely shaped abyssal creatures blocked their path.

They resemble upright-walking octopuses, covered in slippery dark purple skin. Their lower bodies are thick tentacles, while their upper bodies wield several flexible tentacles covered with suckers. These are Tentacle Demons, renowned for their powerful physical control abilities and high resistance to mental control skills.

"That's them."

Zhang Huanyun stopped, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surroundings to ensure there were no other lurking threats, then gestured to Bai Yuan, "I'll watch, you try. Be very careful, their binding power is extremely strong."

Bai Yuan nodded and took a deep breath. He could feel that within this abyss passage, the flow of his soul power was indeed being suppressed by an invisible force, becoming somewhat sluggish.

However, its core power is not limited to soul power.

With a thought, a profound devouring domain quietly expanded around him. Although its range was compressed considerably, the power to devour all things remained.

At the same time, he shouted in a low voice: "Martial Soul Possession!"

A savage and greedy aura rose from his body, faint dark patterns appeared on his skin, his fingernails became sharp, and his bloodline, approaching that of a god-king, resisted the suppression of the abyss.

He pushed off with his feet, his body moving like lightning, and charged towards one of the tentacle demons!

The tentacle demon reacted extremely quickly, its several tentacles lashing out like whips, making a whistling sound as they tried to wrap around Bai Yuan's arms and waist.

Bai Yuan neither dodged nor evaded. With his left hand, he precisely grabbed the thickest tentacle, while his right palm had already condensed a tiny black vortex that seemed capable of swallowing light, and he pressed it hard against the tentacle demon's chest!

"laugh--!"

A strange sound, as if energy was being forcibly extracted, rang out.

The tentacle demon let out a sharp, painful screech and struggled frantically, but its power was quickly weakened and neutralized as soon as its tentacles touched the faint devouring force field on Bai Yuan's body.

Visibly, wisps of grayish-purple energy were forcibly extracted from the Tentacle Demon's body and flowed into the vortex in Bai Yuan's palm, while the Tentacle Demon's body became shriveled and dull at a visible speed!
Bai Yuan was initially overjoyed: "It really works! Abyssal energy can indeed be absorbed by my martial soul to enhance myself!"

But then, he frowned slightly.

Although the energy surging into his body was immense, it was exceptionally mixed and violent, filled with various negative emotions and destructive characteristics, far from being as "pure" as he had imagined.

Let alone absorbing it directly, even with the adaptability of the Abyss Gluttonous Martial Soul, it would still require a lot of effort to purify and refine it.

"Is it because there's a lack of a 'filter' like the Golden Dragon Lance?"

He immediately thought of Tang Wulin's divine artifact that could purify the energy of the abyss into its own life force.

His devouring was more like a brutal "plunder," swallowing the energy along with its "impurities."

This means that his devouring has an upper limit and a digestion time. He hadn't encountered it before because the quality was too low, but the energy of the abyss is different from that of humans, and the plane is different.

He was ultimately a Soul Master, not an abyssal creature. Even if his Martial Soul gained the power of the abyss, his physical body was still human, requiring an adaptation process and time to assimilate.

With his current cultivation level and martial soul strength, the energy he can absorb and store at once is roughly equivalent to the total amount of an ordinary Title Douluo, and it will take time to refine it slowly, so he cannot absorb it indefinitely.

"However... it's enough for now."

A glint of light flashed in Bai Yuan's eyes.

Being able to devour and permanently "kill" abyssal creatures has already achieved the most basic and important goal.

He continued to absorb the energy for about ten seconds until he felt his body was nearing saturation, then suddenly exerted his power!
"puff!"

The tentacle demon completely lost all its energy, its body turned to ashes and dissipated in the passage, showing no sign of rebirth.

Seeing this, the other two tentacle demons let out terrified howls and tried to escape, but were scattered into basic abyssal energy by two condensed soul force attacks from Zhang Huanyun, who was on guard all along, and could not be condensed for the time being.

Witnessing Bai Yuan successfully devour and permanently destroy an abyssal creature, even with Zhang Huanyun's composure, an uncontrollable excitement appeared on his face.

He strode forward, his voice trembling slightly: "Bai Yuan! Your ability... is too important for the Blood God Legion, for the entire Douluo Star! Are there any limitations or side effects?"

Bai Yuan did not hide anything and truthfully told him about the "mixed nature" of the absorbed energy, his own "absorption limit", and the "digestion time" required.

Even so, Zhang Huanyun was still extremely excited: "It's normal to have limitations! Even limited permanent annihilation is enough to change the course of the battle!"

"This means we can systematically and continuously weaken the Abyss's forces! In the long run, the scales of victory will surely tip in our favor! The Blood God Legion's long-cherished wish will finally be fulfilled in your hands!"

He patted Bai Yuan on the shoulder heavily and solemnly assured him, "Bai Yuan, from this day forward, the Blood God Legion will never prevent you from entering the Abyss Passage for training. The Legion will provide you with all possible conveniences!"

"However, for your safety, and because this ability involves the abyss, you must be accompanied by an expert each time you enter, and you will need to be subject to certain supervision and regular checks to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. I hope you can understand that this is a necessary procedure."

Bai Yuan had anticipated this and calmly nodded: "I understand, Legion Commander. I will abide by the rules."

Seeing that Bai Yuan was so understanding, Zhang Huanyun's goodwill towards him increased even more.

The problem of immortality in the abyss, which has plagued humanity for millennia, finally saw a glimmer of hope for a solution in this young man.

"Okay! Good boy!"

Zhang Huanyun was in high spirits. "Let's go back. I want to formally introduce you to everyone in the Blood God Camp. From now on, you will be another sharp blade in our fight against the Abyss, and also our most special hope."

He led Bai Yuan and turned to leave the abyss passage, his steps much lighter than when he came.

Bai Yuan followed behind, feeling the vast yet complex abyssal energy within his body that needed time to refine. He began to plan how to make more effective use of this "canteen," and... perhaps he could find a way to improve the efficiency and purity of his devouring in the future.

His journey into the abyss has only just begun.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away in Shrek City, Gura was finally about to begin the next phase of his plan.

(End of this chapter)