Douro Continent

Chapter 624 Reappearance, King of Slaughter

That's right, it was blood mist. The heavy, nauseating smell of blood was exactly the same as the smell he had smelled in the forest before.

A scream rang out, indicating that someone else had been killed. Immediately afterward, a cry of alarm that Tang San recognized came from the blood mist.

Although he hadn't heard that voice for many years, Tang San immediately recognized its owner: Hu Liena? Was it really her? How could she be here?

The red blood mist before him was a domain-like entity, and Tang San naturally wouldn't rashly venture in. The intense killing aura was somewhat similar to his God of Slaughter Domain, but it was far more malevolent. Moreover, the heavy bloody smell itself was highly corrosive and poisonous, and the plants at the edge of the blood mist were severely corroded.

With a cold snort, a ring of blue light emanated from Tang San's body as he activated the Blue Silver Emperor technique, simultaneously unleashing his own Blue Silver Domain. As the King of Plants, how could Tang San stand idly by and watch so many plants be harmed?

The blue aura spread rapidly, not only enveloping the area reached by the blood mist ahead, but also completely encompassing the forest he had previously passed through. A surge of vitality was instantly unleashed, and stimulated by the aura of the Blue Silver Emperor, the great forest retaliated. All the plants began to grow wildly, the corrosive toxins accompanying the blood mist intertwining with the plants' vigorous life force. Each plant released a layer of blue-gold light as it grew, repelling the blood-red light that was invading it.

At the same time, the surging vitality and the evil bloody aura began to collide violently, constantly filtering out the harmful toxins. The blue aura full of vitality began to spread in the forest. With the support of Tang San's Blue Silver Domain, these plants exuded an incomparably huge life force.

Life and death are two extremes. When the life force suddenly becomes stronger, it will naturally affect the blood-red death aura. Soon, the scenery in front of Tang San became clear. Although the blood-red light still existed, the mist that had previously obscured his vision gradually disappeared.

Just a few hundred meters ahead in the forest, three figures were still clashing and attacking each other. In a corner, a mangled corpse lay there. Strangely, a crimson mist was constantly emanating from the corpse, as if its own blood were evaporating.

One of the three fighting in the arena was Hu Liena. At this moment, her six spirit rings shone brightly, and each swing of her enormous fox tail unleashed a surge of energy. A white halo enveloped her and the other old man, protecting them from the crimson light. But the one attacking them was a red figure. Upon closer inspection, Tang San was greatly surprised and inwardly exclaimed, "So it's him!"

A blood-red robe, a high-collared cloak, a pale face—Tang San recognized this person. It was none other than the ruler of Slaughter City, the King of Slaughter, whom he and Hu Liena had encountered during their time of carnage in Slaughter City.

The King of Slaughter had changed drastically since then. His pale skin was now covered in eerie blood-red patterns, and a sword-shaped demonic mark adorned his forehead. Behind him, a pair of enormous, blood-red wings spread, serving as both offense and defense, capable of attacking and acting as two shields. His speed was terrifying; in his blinking movements, Hu Liena and the other old man were already in grave danger.

The old man fighting alongside Hu Liena possessed eight spirit rings, and the ring configuration was quite good. However, the King of Slaughter had not a single spirit ring. Even so, each of his attacks left Hu Liena and the old man struggling to defend themselves, seemingly on the verge of being overwhelmed.

"You've finally arrived? I've been waiting for you for so long. I've let them live this long just to wait for you." The King of Slaughter's voice was devoid of any human emotion, filled only with endless coldness and malevolence.

A crimson figure flashed past, and the old man with the eight rings screamed in agony. His entire body seemed to be stained with blood, and with a deafening roar, his body exploded, becoming the same gruesome corpse Tang San had seen earlier. His blood boiled and continuously merged with the crimson light released by the King of Slaughter. The crimson light he created as he flew only managed to press Hu Liena's Killing God Domain closer to her, revealing the eight-ringed old man, but it failed to harm Hu Liena.

"Tang San?" When Hu Liena saw Tang San appear, she felt a sense of relief for some reason. Although the strange blood light had not killed her, the King of Slaughter's wing slapped her away, sending her flying and crashing into two large trees before she fell.

When the crimson light returned, Hu Liena's body had already vanished. A blue silver sash wrapped around her waist, bringing her to Tang San's side.

If there's anyone in the Spirit Hall who could win Tang San's favor, it would probably be Hu Liena. Tang San always remembered the scene of the two of them sharing the same boat on Hell Road. Even when Xiao Wu was attacked in the Star Dou Great Forest, Hu Liena did not stand on his side.

He grabbed Hu Liena's shoulder with his left hand and channeled a powerful surge of Xuan Tian Gong internal energy into her body.

Hu Liena coughed up a mouthful of blood, her face turning deathly pale, but she managed to catch her breath.

"What's going on?" Tang San asked in a deep voice.

Hu Liena leaned on Tang San's shoulder, panting, and said, "I don't know what happened. This monster suddenly appeared and attacked me and my people. His blood-red light was extremely strange. Within its range, apart from me with my Killing God Domain, no one else could use any soul skills. Of the twenty-odd people I brought, five were Soul Douluo-level experts, and the rest were Soul Saints. However, their strength was greatly reduced within his strange blood-red light, and they were constantly being killed by him. This monster is too terrifying. He said he came to take revenge on us."

Hearing her say this, Tang San finally understood where the mental lock on the God of Slaughter Domain came from. It wasn't Hu Liena, but the King of Slaughter in front of him.

"Revenge? You two lowly lives destroyed the City of Slaughter. Even tearing you to pieces wouldn't make up for the loss. Tell me, which of you poisoned the great River of Blood? What kind of poison was it? Produce the antidote, and I'll give you a quick death."

The King of Slaughter walked slowly toward Tang San and Hu Liena, but with each step he took, he brought a powerful pressure that made it difficult for them to breathe.

Facing the King of Slaughter, Tang San remained calm. He had already passed the first trial of the Sea God, the Light of the Sea God, where the pressure was ten or even a hundred times greater than it was now, yet he still succeeded. Not to mention the situation before him.

Tang San calmly countered, "Has the City of Slaughter been destroyed?"

The King of Slaughter's cold, blood-red eyes were filled with hatred. "It was you, it was you who destroyed my Slaughter City. You caused my people to perish tragically at the hands of my great blood. It was you, wasn't it you...?"

Tang San laughed, "It's good that it's destroyed. At least my immortal herb wasn't wasted. That's right, I was the one who poisoned it. I poisoned that river of blood. Actually, it wasn't much of a poison. It was a Snow-White Swan's Kiss herb, with only one effect: activation. The Bloody Mary of the Slaughter City contains a slow-acting toxin that can make people stronger through killing, and can also subtly change a person's mind and body. So, I added this immortal herb to that river, making that slowly-acting poison exert its effects a thousand times more. It seems my judgment on medicine was very correct. I am honored to be the destroyer of the Slaughter City."

"Damn it, where's the antidote?" The King of Slaughter was already getting impatient, but in order to get the antidote, he barely managed to suppress his impulse and did not rush up to attack Tang San.

"Tell me your reaction first?" Tang San asked calmly.

The King of Slaughter roared impatiently, "I'm so hot! The great blood within me is constantly evaporating, and no amount of blood I drink can stop it. But I'm also becoming stronger; my body seems to be mutating. Yet, I can't control it. The antidote! Give me the antidote now!"

"Antidote? There is no antidote. Where would a beneficial immortal herb have an antidote? What a pity, why didn't you perish along with your corrupt world? The corrupt kingdom of the Slaughter City should never have existed in this world. Destroying it is doing justice. It's perfect that you're here today, so let's settle things once I've completely erased you from this world. Then that corrupt world will truly be gone."

"Bastard, I'll kill you!" Even the King of Slaughter, though foolish, now understood that Tang San was toying with him. A burst of blood-red light erupted, and in a flash, he was in front of Tang San. His two hands, covered in long, blood-red armor like claws, aimed straight for Tang San's chest. At the same time, the dense blood-red light on his body suddenly surged forth, rushing towards Tang San.

"Quickly use the Killing God Domain, otherwise you won't be able to use skills and you'll die instantly!" Hu Liena said anxiously, desperately activating her Killing God Domain to protect herself and Tang San. But at that moment, Tang San flung her body away, sending her flying dozens of meters away.

A burst of intense blue light suddenly erupted from Tang San's body. In an instant, he became like a blue ball of light. Then, a powerful blue light burst forth, and Tang San's entire body turned completely blue-gold.

The Blue Silver True Form was activated, along with the Blue Silver Domain Evolution Skill, Myriad Manifestations.

The domineering blood-red light released by the King of Slaughter cannot be resisted by the God of Slaughter Domain alone; rather, it requires the power of a domain to contend with it, because that blood-red light is itself a domain power.

Tang San, through his previous observations of Hu Liena's battle with him, discovered that although the Killing God Domain could guarantee Hu Liena's use of soul skills, it was clear that the white light emitted by the Killing God Domain was completely suppressed by the red light emitted by the King of Slaughter. That was domain-level suppression. In other words, the domain released by the King of Slaughter was of the same origin as the Killing God Domain, but it surpassed the Killing God Domain, perfectly countering it.

That's why Tang San didn't use the Killing God Domain, but instead chose his Blue Silver Domain. This is a forest, the best battlefield for the Blue Silver Domain.

The world around her suddenly turned blue and gold, but Hu Liena's eyes were fixed on Tang San. When she saw the eight spirit rings spreading out from Tang San's body, she was completely stunned.

Nearly five years had passed, and he... he had become so powerful? Eight spirit rings, the strength of a Soul Douluo. Four 100,000-year spirit rings. Was this truly a realm achievable by human power? The situation Tang San had developed far exceeded Hu Liena's original understanding.

As the red and blue lights began to collide violently in the air, vying for control of the space, the King of Slaughter's attack on Tang San noticeably slowed down, while Tang San's upper body swayed slightly, releasing a layer of blue mist from his entire body.

Faced with his opponent's attack, Tang San did not dodge, or rather, he never even considered dodging. He held the Trident of the Sea God horizontally and directly blocked the attack of the King of Slaughter.

Amidst the deafening roar, the Trident of Poseidon emitted a faint hum, while the King of Slaughter was sent flying backward as if electrocuted, his blood-red eyes filled with disbelief. The intense shockwave caused his hands to tremble.

Tang San was equally astonished. He could feel the vibrations emanating from the trident. Since acquiring this divine artifact, this was the first time anyone had caused such fluctuations in the Sea God's Trident during a direct attack. Such immense power. It seemed that this King of Slaughter's strength was at least on par with the Sea Dragon Douluo. But why didn't he have any spirit rings?

The King of Slaughter roared in unwilling anger, raising his hands to his sides. Rings of blood-red light rippled out from his body, the powerful blood-red light not only filled with a corrosive aura but also possessing a special energy fluctuation.

In an instant, a series of explosions erupted from the point where the Blue Silver Domain and the Crimson Domain met. Tang San's expression changed drastically. Although the forest provided significant support for his Blue Silver Domain, he was surprised to find that his domain was still unable to withstand the attack.

The King of Slaughter cackled, "How's it going? How does my Slaughter Domain feel? Compared to the Slaughter God Domains you've obtained, mine is the strongest domain in Slaughter City, a smaller version of its magic-suppressing effect. Do you think your plant-based domain can withstand it? The Slaughter Domain is the most domineering domain in the world. Its magic-suppressing property is absolutely guaranteed. Use your Slaughter God Domain now, or all your spirit ring skills will be unusable."

Tang San was startled. Just as the King of Slaughter had said, although he hadn't yet come into contact with the blood-red light, his body had already begun to disengage from his Martial Soul True Body state. Originally, his Blue Silver Domain could barely hold its own against his opponent, but without the support of his Martial Soul True Body, he could no longer unleash the evolved skill, Myriad Manifestations, and was immediately forced into retreat. A powerful pressure came crashing down upon him.

But just then, before the King of Slaughter's triumphant laughter could subside, Tang San's body suddenly vanished from the spot.

The King of Slaughter reacted quickly, almost instinctively turning his body around, his two enormous wings lashing out behind him like sharp blades. However, Tang San appeared not behind him, but above him.

His body fell to the side, a fluid movement that brought up his left leg, which, too, glowed with an evil aura of red light, descending from the sky like a giant axe. It was the Demonic Left Leg Bone imbued with a soul skill: the Orca Demonic Axe.

Tang San knew he couldn't let his opponent dictate the course of a battle. While the Killing God Domain might allow him to use his spirit ring skills, having it countered by his opponent's Killing Domain was definitely not a good thing. He could easily be suppressed indefinitely. Although the Sea God Trident was powerful, the King of Slaughter was incredibly fast, seemingly more like an agility-based spirit master. If he relied on speed to maneuver, it wouldn't be easy for Tang San's Sea God Trident to unleash its full power. Therefore, he chose this fighting style; after all, possessing five spirit bones gave him ample confidence.

Blood splattered, and the Blue Silver Domain shattered completely. Facing Tang San's attack, the King of Slaughter snorted disdainfully, raised his left wing, and actually blocked Tang San's extremely powerful single-target attack, the Orca Demon Axe, and even swung his body away. After spinning twice in the air, Tang San barely managed to dodge the King of Slaughter's pursuit by using another instantaneous teleportation.

Apart from Poseidon, the Sea God Douluo, no one has ever been able to withstand Tang San's attacks so easily, especially the extremely powerful attack of the Orca Demon Axe.

"Heh heh, using evil energy to attack the King of Slaughter, I have to pity your choice. Kid, you're now enveloped by my Slaughter Domain. If you can produce the antidote now, I might consider giving you a whole corpse. This is your last chance."

The King of Slaughter did not pursue, but instead stared intently at Tang San, his gaze lingering on the Sea God Trident in Tang San's right hand. Clearly, he harbored a strong sense of apprehension towards Tang San's weapon.

Tang San suffered two consecutive setbacks, yet his expression remained unchanged. Listening to the King of Slaughter's words, he suddenly laughed, "In that case, you shouldn't be called the King of Slaughter, you should be called the King of Evil. You're right, evil forces must be countered by righteous forces. Do you really think your Slaughter Domain is invincible? Unfortunately, your level is still far, far too low. Let me use the power of justice to purify you. You shouldn't even exist in this world."

As he spoke, Tang San raised the Trident of the Sea God in his hand, and the Trident of the Sea God brand on his forehead suddenly lit up. No matter how powerful the Killing Domain was, it could not stop him from using the power that came from the gods, the Light of the Sea God.

A brilliant golden light transformed into a pillar of light, shining directly onto the rhombus-shaped gem on the trident. Instantly, countless golden rays burst forth, their intense radiance even more dazzling than the sun, completely turning Tang San's body golden.

At this moment, a majestic and sacred aura filled the entire forest, and the previously ferocious blood-red light shattered in large swathes.

When Tang San said his realm wasn't high enough, he wasn't referring to the King of Slaughter's strength being inferior to his own. Rather, he meant that no matter how strong the King of Slaughter's Domain was, it was still merely a mortal realm. The Trident of the Sea God, however, possessed the radiance of a god.

Upon seeing the King of Slaughter, Tang San immediately began devising a way to deal with him. Undoubtedly, the King of Slaughter possessed extremely evil power, while the Sea God's divine power was undoubtedly righteous and honorable. Coupled with the difference in their cultivation levels, this was why Tang San hadn't unleashed his full power in his various attack skills earlier.

The divine power attached to the Trident of Poseidon erupted, instantly producing an effect of dispelling evil and forcefully breaking through the killing domain of the King of Slaughter. It swept away the evil aura in the air.

At the same time, this was the first time Tang San truly used the power of the Trident of the Sea God. Through the connection of the Light of the Sea God, a vast amount of information surged into his body from within the Trident. Tang San was completely enveloped by the golden light emanating from the trident, his brain frantically absorbing the information from it. Only now did he truly understand just how powerful this divine artifact, which he had obtained through the seventh trial of the Sea God, truly was.

Unlike the frenzied energy that Tang San felt, when the entire black of the Trident of the Sea God was replaced by gold, and dazzling golden patterns covered its entire body, the golden light radiating from the diamond-shaped gem, the Heart of the Sea God, was peaceful.

The peaceful golden light was filled with an aura of brightness, seemingly soothing all pain and awakening slumbering life. However, within this peace lay a steadfast and unwavering determination: the driving away of darkness.

No matter how powerful the killing domain was before, even suppressing Tang San's Blue Silver Domain to the point of collapse, at this moment, in the face of the true divine aura, the evil killing domain rapidly disintegrated.

The King of Slaughter's body was completely bathed in the golden light emanating from the Trident of Poseidon, still maintaining his previous posture with arms outstretched and two enormous wings spread behind him, looking utterly ferocious. At this moment, his body was frozen there like a sculpture, even the evil expression on his face seemed to freeze. It was as if he had been infected by something.

Hu Liena had already gotten up from the ground. Seeing the scene before her, she quickly covered her mouth. If the evil and powerful King of Slaughter had brought her too much fear, then the strength that Tang San was showing at this moment gave her a strange and complicated feeling.

She was happy for Tang San's strength, but also deeply saddened by it. She knew perfectly well that the conflict between Tang San and the Spirit Empire was irreconcilable. He would only ever be the empire's enemy. Having such an enemy was clearly not a good thing for the empire. He was only in his early twenties, yet he could already contend with a Title Douluo-level powerhouse. What would he be like in ten or twenty years?

Hu Liena's mind was in complete chaos. She stared blankly at Tang San, feeling the peaceful golden light that warmed her whole body and dispelled her inner fear. She didn't know how she should face Tang San anymore.

The scene was somewhat bizarre. Both sides stood there motionless. Tang San was hit by a massive information shock from the Trident of the Sea God and was unable to move for a moment. However, the Trident of the Sea God seemed to have become one with him, coating his body with a strange defensive energy.

The King of Slaughter was frozen in the divine light emanating from the Trident of Poseidon, clearly affected by the energy that dispelled evil. However, his body was merely frozen in place without any obvious changes.

As time passed, the golden light emanating from Tang San grew stronger and stronger, and the Trident of the Sea God in his hand shone with countless rays of light, with every demonic rune on it becoming exceptionally clear.

At this moment, the King of Slaughter finally changed. The sword-shaped blood-red demonic mark on his forehead seemed to come alive, its red light gradually intensifying, and a layer of hazy red glow appeared on his body, actually blocking the divine light from the trident of Poseidon. The King of Slaughter's originally pale face also began to change, the white gradually being replaced by an unhealthy flush. His wings on his back shattered inch by inch, turning to ashes and disappearing under the light of Poseidon. His hair gradually turned from red to black, and the same change appeared in his eyes. The only part of his body that still retained its red color was the demonic mark on his forehead.

Tang San's eyes gradually regained their clarity, but upon regaining his senses, his eyes revealed a look of horror. He clearly sensed that although the bloodstains on the King of Slaughter opposite him had faded and his wings were shattered, the aura emanating from him was increasing exponentially, seemingly without end. The red light protecting his body also began to overflow, actually forcing the golden light on the Trident of the Sea God to slowly retreat.

How could this be? This is the exorcising light attached to the Trident of Poseidon! Although I am not yet the true Poseidon and cannot unleash its full power, this divine light is genuine divine power. It cannot even break through the strange red light surrounding the King of Slaughter... What is this...?

With his mental power fully unleashed, Tang San locked onto the King of Slaughter's body from all directions and finally discovered a fundamental change in him. The killing intent emanating from the King of Slaughter hadn't been weakened by the Sea God's Light; on the contrary, it had increased exponentially, just like his strength. However, the original evil aura on his body had vanished. That red light seemed to be the purest killing intent, far purer than Tang San's own God of Slaughter Domain.

He couldn't wait any longer. Tang San felt a strong sense of crisis. For the first time, the situation had exceeded his expectations. The King of Slaughter, whose strength was already no less than that of the Sea Dragon Douluo, was now beyond his ability to withstand after such a geometric increase in power.

With the Trident of Poseidon raised high above his head, Tang San slowly pointed forward until it was parallel to the ground before stopping. He shouted and his Blue Silver True Form reappeared, surrounded by eight rings. He stomped heavily on the ground in front of him with his left foot and charged towards the King of Slaughter like an arrow, the trident blade in his hand pointing straight at the opponent's chest.

Tang San's soul power propelled the Sea God Trident, which weighed only 108 jin in his hands, to an instant high speed, even though the trident actually weighed a terrifying 108,000 jin. As Tang San wielded the Sea God Trident, the patterns on its surface rippled like water, extending from the end of the handle to the largest blade in the center. The tip of the blade shone with golden light like a small sun. His spirit, energy, and essence merged into one, his body becoming one with the trident. Although there were no explicit techniques, his spiritual power and the aura of the Sea God Trident were completely locked onto his opponent.

Unleashing the power of the Trident of Poseidon requires immense Poseidon's Light and Tang San's soul power as a backing. Even with Tang San's current strength, he can only sustain it for a short time. After all, he is not the Poseidon himself, and wielding the Trident's true power is no easy feat. With his current strength, he can only use this all-out attack three to five times at most. This all-out assault is aimed at achieving victory in one fell swoop, utterly destroying his opponent. No matter how powerful the King of Slaughter is, when he is pierced through the body by the Trident of Poseidon, a true divine weapon, even if he is a god, he will not escape unscathed.

Just as Tang San launched his attack, the King of Slaughter's eyes suddenly lit up. His eyes were black, an incredibly deep black, and his face seemed to have changed somewhat. Although he still looked like a middle-aged man, he had become much more handsome, and all the evil had been replaced by a surge of righteousness. His black hair moved without wind, and he stood there, no longer displaying the unsteady posture of the King of Slaughter before, but as solid and imposing as a mountain.

The claw-shaped object returned to its large palm, and red light surged forth, completely unaffected by the Trident of Poseidon's lock. At this moment, the aura emanating from his entire body had become indescribably powerful. A red phantom filled with boundless killing intent flashed behind him, and the red light in his palm condensed into a hammer shape—an enormous red hammer, gleaming with countless magnificent magical runes. Strangely, after appearing, the hammer quickly changed again. In the blink of an eye, the hammer seemed to melt, transforming into a blood-red giant sword over two meters long.

The King of Slaughter gripped his sword with both hands, advancing instead of retreating. His entire body was fused with red light, and the heavy sword rose from below with the force of a fire-wielding slash to the sky, meeting Tang San's Trident of the Sea God.

From Hu Liena's perspective, all she could see was a dazzling golden light colliding with a blinding flash of blood.

boom--

Gold and crimson mingled in an instant before erupting violently. Hu Liena felt an immense, overwhelming energy surge towards her, like a landslide or a tsunami. All she could do was curl up as tightly as possible, using her massive fox tail to shield herself. The next moment, she was tossed into the air like a bullet, sent flying far away. While still in mid-air, Hu Liena lost all consciousness. Fortunately, in the midst of the impact, she remembered to unleash her Killing God Domain, thus averting annihilation.

The energy fluctuations did not spread very far, only about 300 meters in diameter. However, within this 300-meter radius, all the plants, soil, and rocks completely disappeared, not turning into ashes, but simply vanishing into thin air.

On the ground, there was a crater with a diameter of 300 meters and a depth of 100 meters.

A golden beam of light, resembling a swimming dragon, shot into the sky from the deep pit. The golden light dimmed in the air, and by the time it reached the top, it had turned completely black. Even so, when it landed on the ground next to the pit, it still caused a violent roar and sank more than ten meters into the ground before stopping.

Without any flying dust, the scene inside the hundred-meter-deep pit was very clear. The golden figure had dimmed, but the red light was still intense.

The moment the Sea God Trident flew out, Tang San's body was slammed into the pit wall behind him. Even the hard rock couldn't stop his body from sinking inwards, a full five meters before it finally stabilized. But by then, blood was gushing out. His internal organs felt as if they had been turned inside out, and his soul power and mental strength were suppressed like never before.

If he had to describe the feeling of the collision, it would be like the battle he fought against Poseidon Douluo Poseidon before he obtained the Trident of Poseidon.

The moment the Trident of Poseidon clashed with his opponent's heavy sword was vividly etched into Tang San's mind. He felt no effect from the weight of his Trident; instead, the power unleashed by his opponent far surpassed his own. The crimson light, brimming with the purest killing intent, was in no way inferior to his own Light of Poseidon, and in fact, completely suppressed it upon impact.

(End of this chapter)