Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

"I said, is this interesting?" Yan lay sprawled on the ground, talking to the sea god while upside down.

"Just because I spoke rudely before, you pulled this trick on me. Sea God, your mind is... well, I won't say anything more." Yan was about to complain a bit more, but then he noticed that the Sea God's eyes had become even sharper. A wise man knows when to yield. This Sea God was, after all, a first-level main god, and now that his true form was in front of him, his divine sense was different from before. Yan couldn't be too presumptuous.

"Hahahahahaha..." The sea god on the throne suddenly laughed and slowly stood up from his seat. As soon as he stood up, he gave people a feeling of Mount Tai pressing down on them.

In his true form, the Sea God was over a hundred meters tall, a colossal giant. The Sea God spoke again, attempting to make Yan his successor.

"Young man, I've found you to be quite to my liking. Really, why not consider becoming my successor? As for this little girl beside you, she can easily become your subordinate deity; there's no conflict." Yan simply looked at the Sea God calmly and smiled, "Your Majesty, Sea God, I think you should have guessed what I'm planning." The Sea God's gaze sharpened slightly.

"You want to forge your own path, but that doesn't actually conflict much with inheriting a godhood. In fact, inheriting an existing godhood might even allow you to grow faster." Yan shook his head.

“But your attributes, Sea God, are ultimately not a perfect match for mine, and even clash with my Martial Soul. The Martial Soul reflects a person's true essence, even if it doesn't affect the inheritance of a god.” The Sea God nodded.

"You're right, it's a pity. The most suitable one for you should be the godhood of that guy, the God of Fire. His godhood inheritance is also on the continent, you could try to find it." The Sea God's words revealed a lot of information. He clearly told Yan that the God of Fire's godhood inheritance was on the Douluo Continent. He also slightly explained that there is an influence between martial souls and godhood inheritance, but it is not absolute.

This can be seen from the fact that Tang San inherited two god positions in the original work. The Clear Sky Hammer inherited the Asura God position, which can be said to be the result of the engraved Killing God Domain subtly changing its attributes. However, the Blue Silver Grass and the Sea God position can only be said to be non-conflicting, not that they are so compatible.

However, in the original novel, Tang San went through many hardships and trials in order to increase the compatibility of the Sea God's Light. When he received the inheritance of the Asura God, he didn't have so many problems. It's hard to say that this wasn't due to the compatibility of attributes.

This is why Yan declined the Sea God's repeated invitations. The fire attribute and the Sea God's attribute are not only incompatible, but practically antagonistic. If he wanted to inherit this divine position, the ordeal he would face might be even more severe than that of Tang San in the original story.

Yan wasn't afraid of being tormented or anything, but he still had the God of Fire's artifact in his hand. After years of research, he had some clues about the succession of this divine position. Even if he really wanted to find a successor to the divine position, there were better options. Why should he suffer with the God of the Sea?

"Kid, your suggestion has really gotten me into trouble." Inside the Sea God's Palace, the Sea God spoke again, "I really believed your nonsense back then, and foolishly went to the God Realm Committee to propose including transformed soul beasts in the candidates for godhood. Then some guys went ballistic, especially the enforcers under the Asura God..." Yan glanced at the Sea God with a half-smile.

"Among the enforcers under the Asura God, the strongest I remember is only a second-level killing god, Shupros. Would such a guy dare to challenge the majesty of you, the first chief god? Below the five in the God Realm, you are the strongest. You have cultivated your martial soul trident to the level of a super artifact. This shows that your true realm should have already crossed that boundary. What binds you is only your divine position in the God Realm."

"Boy, there are some things you can't say carelessly. What 'First God'? Such words are hated by the gods." The Sea God reprimanded him with feigned authority, but the smile on his lips was so smug. Yan deduced a lot of information from his attitude.

The sea god before him might truly be as he said, having surpassed the divine level and reached the realm of a chief god, which is why he was able to upgrade his martial soul, the Golden Trident, to the super artifact stage. However, due to the constraints of the divine position, he was unable to break through.

Therefore, the Sea God was more eager to pass on his divine position than other gods, because as long as he passed on his divine position, he could directly break through his original realm and pursue a higher level.

Yan looked at the Sea God and suddenly said, "Lord Sea God, there shouldn't be any problems with Xiu Xiu's matter now, right?"

"You guessed it again." The Sea God's expression changed slightly, then he continued, "Although I don't know why, the two God-Kings didn't refute my suggestion, and As for Shura, he's silent. What can his lackeys do to me? As for the details of the conflict between the Beast God and the Human God back then, I don't know the specifics. When I ascended to the God Realm, it was all long gone, and I wasn't involved in those conflicts. These things have nothing to do with me. The Angel God is roughly from the same era as me, so he probably doesn't know much either. The God of Light might know. But kid, you must understand that some things, what you learn through other people's accounts, may not be true."

"Your Majesty, the Sea God, rest assured, I have no interest in these matters. What the Douluo Continent needs now is to look to the future." Yan understood the Sea God's implicit warning and responded with a calm smile. He truly had no interest in exploring the truth of history or understanding right and wrong, because there was no point in digging up those things hidden in the dust of history.

The truth of history is not important anymore; what matters is the outcome. The human gods defeated the beast gods, and even the strongest beast god, the dragon god, was forced to split in two, becoming the golden and silver dragon kings.

The human god currently holds the dominant position in the divine realm. He himself is also human, and the reason he has gained the recognition of the gods in the divine realm is because he is human—a fact he clearly remembers.

Although he has always had the idea and actions of winning over the soul beast lineage, all of this is done with himself at the core. Soul beasts are his vassals in the territory he designed, which is also the premise that the God Realm can accept.

The God Realm is indeed willing to accept aliens and even soul beasts again, but there are prerequisites. The mainstream of the God Realm must be in the hands of the human gods; this is the only situation they can accept.

The Sea God seemed quite satisfied with Yan's response, nodding as if he had just remembered something, then frowned and said, "Boy, have you ever met the two God Kings? At the end of that God Realm decision, the two God Kings actually mentioned you. Do you know what that means? Although Douluo Continent has attracted the attention of many gods, it has always been the responsibility of that guy Shura. The two God Kings and the three enforcers each have their own dimensional territories to manage, and they generally don't cross those boundaries."

"I see, I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Lord Sea God." Yan's eyes flickered for a moment before he raised his hand to bow to the Sea God. Although this deity was somewhat unreliable, he was indeed quite good to the juniors he respected, and knew how to give guidance to his own people.

"Boy, and that girl, summoning you here today is against the rules of the divine realm. I cannot reveal any further details. You may leave now. The Nine Trials of the Sea God still need to be conducted. However, that girl does not need to stay on Sea God Island indefinitely." The Sea God on his throne suddenly frowned, seemingly losing interest in speaking, and waved his hand to send Yan and Bai Xiuxiu away.

"Thank you, Lord Sea God." Yan and Bai Xiuxiu bowed and prepared to leave the Sea God's Palace.

Just as the two turned around, the voice of the sea god suddenly echoed in their hearts.

"Be careful of Poseidon." Yan didn't answer, but just nodded slightly. Then he took Bai Xiuxiu's hand and left the Sea God's Palace. Shortly after they left, a ball of red light blocked the main entrance of the Sea God's Palace.

"Poseidon, you have contacted mortals in the lower realms without authorization. This is an act that violates the rules of the divine realm." A giant in blood-red armor, as tall as Poseidon, entered the hall. His tone was extremely hostile. He was filled with an aura of iron-bloodedness and slaughter. He was none other than the Asura God, one of the three great enforcers of the divine realm.

"Shura, I'm practically retired, why should I care about the rules? What punishment can you possibly give me?" Poseidon, the sea god, lazily lay on his throne, pouring himself a glass of wine. His shameless demeanor was exactly the same as Yan's, who had just been lying on the ground.

The Asura God stepped forward, snatched the wine cup without ceremony, took a sip, and said irritably, "You know you're about to retire, so you shouldn't be making it so obvious. Do you know that my enforcement gods are all looking for trouble with you?" Poseidon smiled indifferently.

"Whatever, I'm just a scapegoat. You should know about that matter too. Without the approval of the two God-Kings, how could that proposal have passed? You also know in your heart that the God Realm has gone too far in recent years, preferring to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free. It's an overcorrection."

"I know, that's why I didn't stop the proposal." The God of Asura nodded, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the events of that time are still vivid in my mind. I hope that this time we won't repeat the same mistakes. Reintroducing the beastmen—I wonder if that's really the right thing to do..."

Chapter 370 Slaughter City

Wuhun City, Papal Palace. Inside the magnificent palace, Bibi Dong, holding a scepter, sat on the throne. Below her, Yan and Hu Liena stood and knelt respectively, seemingly seeking Bibi Dong's consent to something.

"Clang!" The scepter that Bibi Dong had been casually holding was suddenly gripped tightly and plunged straight into the ground.

"I disagree." Bibi Dong, unusually angry, released her scepter and stood up abruptly, angrily questioning Yan.

"What were you thinking? Why did you send Nana to that place? You should know how dangerous it is." Hu Liena knelt down and hurriedly said, "Teacher, this is my own decision. It has nothing to do with Brother Yan."

"You don't need to speak." Bibi Dong didn't even look at Hu Liena, continuing to stare intently at Yan.

"If it weren't for his involvement, you wouldn't have even considered this. Your Highness, tell me. What are you thinking? Why did you send Nana to the City of Slaughter?" Yan calmly looked at Bibi Dong, trying to persuade her.

"I believe Nana can escape the City of Slaughter, and the God of Slaughter's Domain will be her best opportunity."

“I know that place better than you do. If I hadn’t held on by sheer willpower, I would have collapsed there.” Bibi Dong glanced at Hu Liena, pointed at her, and said to Yan, “Even if it were me, I might not be able to get out of there if I went back to that place again. What makes you so sure that Nana can? Why did you let her have such a risky idea! Why!” Bibi Dong was extremely agitated, and in the end, she was almost shouting at Yan. Over the years, her relationship with Hu Liena was almost like that of a mother and daughter. Now, her daughter was being arranged to go to the Killing City by this ruthless man. She simply could not accept this.

Yan continued to try to explain, "This is for her future. You don't want her to always be under your protection, do you?" Bibi Dong seemed somewhat agitated.

“Why not? I can always protect her, even if it's to the realm of gods, I can take her with me, you know that.” Yan glanced at Hu Liena kneeling on the ground, hesitated for a moment before replying, “However, this isn't the life Nana wants. She doesn't want to always be under your wing; she wants to build a future on her own. The Killing City is dangerous, but I believe she can make it out. And don't worry, even if she doesn't succeed, I can make sure she's safe. Before I came back, I met with the Sea God on Seagod Island, and he…” Yan lowered his voice at the end so Hu Liena wouldn't hear him, mainly because he was afraid that if Hu Liena knew too much, she might not be able to unleash her full potential and successfully escape the Killing City.

"Really?" Bibi Dong stared at Yan, trying to read something in his eyes. Yan nodded, and after hesitating for a moment, Bibi Dong finally made her decision.

"Are you really sure?" Bibi Dong turned her head away and quietly looked at Hu Liena, who was kneeling on the ground in front of her.

Hu Liena nodded firmly.

"Teacher, although I am now one of the few geniuses among the younger generation of the Spirit Hall, the gap between me and my senior brothers and sisters is still widening. I don't want it to stay like this; I want to break through faster." Bibi Dong's expression softened considerably.

“Actually, you don’t need to do this. You’re already outstanding. If you go there to train, you might not come back. There are many, many places in the Spirit Hall where you can train. Wasn’t Death Valley, where Xie Yue and Tuoba Hong went, also a good place? Besides, you don’t need to be too hard on yourself. Your senior brothers and sisters are special cases. Even I didn’t have their current level of cultivation back then.” Bibi Dong’s last words were sincere. She really didn’t want Hu Liena to take the risk.

Furthermore, this is also true; Yan and Qian Renxue are indeed far superior to her in terms of cultivation progress and other aspects now compared to her back then.

Hu Liena shook her head.

“Teacher, I have thought it through very carefully. Although Death Valley is dangerous, I know that you have always had Elder Ju protecting us in secret, so we cannot truly experience the feeling of death. I hope that I can keep up with my senior brother’s footsteps. Only in the face of life and death can we unleash our full potential.” At this moment, there was not a trace of seductive charm on her face, only unparalleled determination.

She glanced at Yan beside her occasionally, and then became even more determined in her belief that she did not want to be just a pretty face forever.

Bibi Dong reached out and pulled Hu Liena up from the ground.

“Child, you really don’t need to demand so much of yourself. Alright, I agree to let you go. But remember, you must come back alive. Whether as the Pope or as your teacher, I want you to return. This is the task I give you, and also my requirement for you. Understand?” Hu Liena and Bibi Dong locked eyes. Looking into Bibi Dong’s stunningly beautiful eyes, Hu Liena’s own eyes welled up with tears. She nodded vigorously.

"Teacher, I will. I will definitely complete the mission." Bibi Dong reached out and gave Hu Liena a hug. She then glanced at Yan standing to the side and said coldly, "Let's go. Let's go to the City of Slaughter together. It can be considered as sending Nana off."

"Hmm." Yan nodded, knowing that Bibi Dong was still sulking with him, so he didn't show it too much. He simply reached out and grasped the two of them, and with a purple light appearing, the three of them disappeared into the Papal Palace.

...In the northern part of the Heavenly Dou Empire, there was a strange little town. The town didn't look big, but it was filled with an eerie atmosphere. The people in the town didn't look like ordinary civilians; almost everyone carried a trace of blood.

When the three figures of a man and two women appeared on the street outside the tavern in the center of the town, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.

The man among the three was a handsome young man, while the other two women were rare beauties, one charming and alluring, the other mature and captivating, attracting many admiring glances from both sides of the street.

"Nana, before you enter the City of Slaughter, I've prepared enough water and food for you in your soul tool, and you must practice that special technique every day to regulate your body and eliminate toxins." Outside the tavern, Yan was giving Hu Liena his final instructions.

"In this City of Slaughter, you can't trust anyone. And don't touch that Bloody Mary thing. That stuff is human blood, and it contains a strange poison that makes everyone in the City of Slaughter dependent on it, ultimately preventing them from escaping this city of sin… Once you're inside, don't worry about anything else. Killing is the only thing you need to do. Remember, there are no innocent people here, including those on the streets. They're either evil spirit masters or ruthless bandits. You won't kill the wrong person. Now, go…" With Yan's final instructions, Hu Liena's eyes sharpened. She silently turned and, under the watchful eyes of Yan and Bibi Dong, followed the crowd towards the tavern.

"This girl's accomplice has separated from her, everyone attack together..."

"I haven't seen such a beautiful piece of goods in a long time."

"Let me go first, let me go first! Don't push, get out of the way..."

"Ah...ah..." Hu Liena's actions naturally attracted a lot of attention. Several figures immediately stepped forward to cover her back, and more people rushed up to commit evil. But before they could be happy for long, screams rang out.

A spurt of blood suddenly gushed out from the crowd, and most of those who had surrounded them fell to the ground, while the rest were quickly slaughtered.

Hu Liena did not turn around, but in her hand now there was a chain sword wrapped around her wrist, and a drop of blood was quietly sliding down the smooth, mirror-like short sword.

Those who hadn't had a chance to go up earlier looked at her with fear in their eyes.

“Let’s go in too, and see the King of Slaughter.” Yan watched Hu Liena’s departing figure, and suddenly felt a sense of emptiness, wondering if what he was doing was right or wrong.

In the original novel, Hu Liena chose to enter the Slaughter City Trial because she was unwilling to be defeated by Tang San, but now she has indeed entered at his suggestion.

Rather than saying he had confidence in Hu Liena, it was more like he was bound by the inertia of the plot. Perhaps, deep down, he always believed that this world had a storyline, which is why he unconsciously pushed certain things forward.

However, for his own benefit, he does need to change or even disrupt the so-called plot, which puts him in a bit of a dilemma.

However, nothing seemed to be a big problem for him at the moment. Bibi Dong recalled her previous meeting with the King of Slaughter, her expression showing a hint of doubt.

"The King of Slaughter? He gives me a very strange feeling, I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Don't overthink it. I just want to see him. I don't intend to kill him right now. Dealing with him won't be easy. Although he's not strong right now, if we really awaken him, it won't be good news for the Spirit Hall." Bibi Dong was quite confused by Yan's words to herself. She was certain that Yan was hiding some key information, but Yan was unwilling to explain in detail, and she didn't have any good ideas.

...In the city of slaughter, in a dark and spacious room, an exceptionally large chair was placed in the center of the room.

This chair is inlaid with blue and purple crystals. These crystals are outlined in the shape of a drum tower.

Everything here, except for this chair, was dark red. A tall figure sat down in the enormous chair.

In the darkness, his features were not clearly visible; one could only vaguely discern that he was tall and thin.

"Great King, the Spirit Hall has arrived, and it seems to be their Holy Son." A cold female voice rang out from the shadows, and one could vaguely make out a woman with a graceful figure and an exceptionally beautiful appearance and demeanor.

The man seated on the crystal throne frowned slightly, then finally nodded.

"The Spirit Hall? Bring them here."

Chapter 371 King of Slaughter

"Spirit Hall, Spirit Hall, they clearly reached an agreement with us a thousand years ago, so what are they here for this time?" Deep within the City of Slaughter, in a dark room, the figure on the crystal throne waved his hand as he spoke, and a thick, dark red liquid flew up in front of him. In the darkness in front of him was a huge pool of blood, filled with viscous blood.

This being, revered as a king, opened his mouth and swallowed the blood. In the dim light, two fangs were faintly visible in his mouth.

"Although I don't know what those people want to do, I finally got this satisfactory body, so I don't want any trouble." Deep underground, a pitch-black city gate gave people an extremely oppressive feeling. On the huge city gate, the four characters "Slaughter City" were hung high.

Before the city gate, two rows of black-armored warriors stood silently. Just as Yan and Bibi Dongfang appeared, a woman with a black veil on her face walked out from inside.

"Welcome to the City of Slaughter, Great King of Slaughter, I have come to greet you two envoys from the Spirit Hall." The woman in black veil had a very pleasant voice. She came to Yan and Bibi Dong and slightly stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter.

Yan glanced at Bibi Dong, who nodded imperceptibly. Then, the two followed the woman in black veil into the city gate, where they entered a blue-purple world.

In the outer city of the Killing Capital, the streetlights hanging on both sides of the street emit only two kinds of light. There are quite a few people here, and no one pays much attention to outsiders.

Aside from the fact that everything appears dark, at first glance it seems no different from an ordinary city.

"Gentlemen," the woman in black explained as she walked, "while you can use your soul power within the City of Slaughter, all soul master skills are unavailable. You can only survive by relying on instinct and your own strength. Furthermore, there are no rules within the City of Slaughter, and everyone is at risk of death at any moment. In a sense, it is a paradise of sin. However, you two are honored guests of the Spirit Hall. As long as you do not make a move, within the rules of the City of Slaughter, no one will dare to attack you. Once you enter the inner city, some scenes may be disturbing, so please do not act impulsively." As she spoke, the woman in black led Yan and Bibi Dong to a city wall. Along the way, they encountered some scoundrels, but when these people saw the woman in black, they seemed to have encountered something terrifying and dared not say anything, quickly disappearing into the shadows.

The inner walls of the Slaughter City weren't high, only about ten meters at their highest point. When the girl in black veils led Yan and Bibi Dong into the inner city, she specifically emphasized that she was an envoy of the King of Slaughter.

As Yan followed her into the inner city of the Slaughter City, she immediately had a different experience. The inner city was extremely chaotic, with excited laughter, painful cries, and many other chilling sounds everywhere, making people feel uncomfortable. Many scenes even made people want to cleanse the world.