Chapter 76: Passing the Hell Road, God of Slaughter Domain
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After defeating the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Snake and earlier the Dark Golden Three-Headed Bat King, Li Luochen had fought with all his strength. His soul power was somewhat depleted, so he decided to rest for a while, replenish food and water, and then make a final push to pass through the Hell Road.
The last trial was a sprint, and Li Luochen wanted to face it in peak condition.
After resting for half an hour, Li Luochen continued forward. As he advanced, the heat around him grew more intense.
What made it even harder to endure was a peculiar atmosphere in the air—a suffocating pressure that weighed heavily on his mind. His own killing intent also surged uncontrollably.
"It seems the final sprint is here. If I pass this, I'll be free; if I fail, it's over."
Li Luochen silently repeated these words to himself. The final trial of the Hell Road tested one's willpower.
Li Luochen increased his flying speed, drawing closer to the abyss. The air grew hotter, and his vision became increasingly blurred.
Even with the mental strength of a Soul Douluo, in the midst of the pervasive pale red mist, Li Luochen could only see about a kilometer ahead.
On either side of the narrow path, dark red liquid churned in the abyss—yes, it was blood. These fluids, exuding a bloody stench, burned with the heat of magma.
Fortunately, Li Luochen had consumed the Infernal Delicate Apricot fruit, giving him strong fire resistance. The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum had further fortified his body. Any ordinary Soul King would have already collapsed under such conditions.
After flying for nearly half an hour, his mind constantly assaulted by killing intent, Li Luochen finally spotted the exit.
Under the dual influence of the environment and his own killing intent, even someone as resolute as Li Luochen couldn't endure much longer. At best, he could hold on for another half hour. And just at this moment, he saw the distant exit.
The exit was unmistakable—a white, elliptical light barrier. It marked the end of Li Luochen's journey.
Important! It was almost over! Though the exit was above the narrow path, it posed no challenge for Li Luochen—he could fly. With maximum speed, he soared directly into the white exit.
Everything around him seemed to shift. The instant Li Luochen entered the white exit, he felt as though his body had stepped into a unique world. All around was a vast expanse of white nothingness, and the dragon wing soul bone he had activated was forcibly suppressed back into his body.
In this blinding whiteness, he couldn't muster any strength. The only sensation was cold—intense, penetrating cold.
It felt as though countless icy forces were converging onto his body, while simultaneously, icy energy was being released from within him. Amidst this white void, Li Luochen gritted his teeth and endured.
The sensation of cold, which shouldn't have existed, persisted—it wasn't a change in temperature but rather the chill brought by pure killing intent. The most refined killing energy rapidly invaded his body, causing him to tremble with each intrusion.
As the cold gradually froze his heart, his senses began to fade along with his consciousness.
Li Luochen knew this was the process of forming the God of Slaughter Domain. "The boat has passed through ten thousand mountains!" Not long after, he lost consciousness.
He didn't know how much time had passed before Li Luochen woke up again, lying on a patch of grass. The long-absent warmth of sunlight bathed his body, bringing immense comfort.
Li Luochen immediately stood up, spreading his arms wide to bask in the sun's warmth. Finally, he had left that inhumane place. He had spent a year and a half in the City of Slaughter—any longer, and he might have turned into something less than human.
Li Luochen extended his right hand and summoned his Coiling Dragon Staff. He wanted to examine his gains. On the staff's surface, a new white pattern had appeared. The pattern resembled the bloody markings on the ground during the activation of the Hell Road, only smaller and white.
When Li Luochen focused on sensing the white pattern, a surge of radiant white light quietly spread. The light emanated from the Coiling Dragon Staff but quickly turned colorless.
So this was the God of Slaughter Domain? The first trial of the God of Destruction. A spirit domain obtained through passing the Hell Road trial, formed from condensed killing intent, growing stronger as his killing intent intensified.
The God of Slaughter Domain would absorb his own killing intent, forming a domain tied to his spirit.
Within the God of Slaughter Domain, its effects included amplifying his own aura. Inside the domain, enemies' strength would weaken by ten percent, while the user could unleash one hundred ten percent of their power. As the spirit grew stronger, this percentage would increase.
Not bad at all. To gain such a powerful domain-type soul skill after enduring a year and a half of torment—it was worth it. Finally, he had made it through. Li Luochen felt like letting out a triumphant roar.
"Not bad—you actually passed the test. Her judgment isn't off," a cold female voice suddenly broke the tranquility.
Li Luochen felt a chill run down his spine. Who could approach him without being detected? Looking closely, he saw it was a woman.
This woman was petite, dressed in a black gown, with fair skin and near-perfect features that set her apart. The intangible aura of nobility and sanctity she exuded inspired reverence.
Li Luochen immediately recognized her—Pope Bibi Dong, the strongest love-struck mind in the Douluo Continent, and an extreme misandrist. Thinking of this, Li Luochen tensed up. Encountering her made him feel immense pressure.
"P-P-Pope, Y-Your Eminence?" Li Luochen stammered nervously.
"Hoh, what's wrong?"
Li Luochen immediately knelt on one knee and bowed deeply to Bibi Dong. Following Shrek's survival rule—to avoid trouble but not fear it—Li Luochen added a personal corollary: when faced with overwhelming odds, yield.
Bibi Dong was the ultimate boss, an extremely disillusioned individual. A mere level fifty-nine Soul King like him would be instantly crushed. Yield, yield—perhaps excessive politeness would spare him.
"Rise. You've done well. It seems her judgment was sound," Bibi Dong said, observing the trembling Li Luochen. She now had a clearer understanding of this prodigy.
Most people drooled over her beauty at first sight, only restraining themselves upon realizing she was the Pope and a Title Douluo. Yet Li Luochen's immediate reaction was fear, which puzzled her. Bibi Dong could confidently claim to be the most beautiful woman on the continent.
Why didn't this brat appreciate her beauty? Bibi Dong dismissed it, assuming his fear stemmed from her overwhelming presence.
"All for the Spirit Hall! Long live the Spirit Hall!" Li Luochen exclaimed nervously, raising both hands as he shouted "long live," appearing extremely "loyal."
"Hmph, the Spirit Hall hasn't misjudged you. Take this—if you can become a Soul Sage within five years, you'll become the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall."
Bibi Dong tossed a black token to Li Luochen, dangling the promise of becoming the Holy Son.
Li Luochen caught the token and was shocked to find it was the Pope's Token. Still, he bowed deeply to Bibi Dong.
"Thank you for your recognition, Your Eminence. I am willing to serve the Spirit Hall 'to the death'."
Internally, Li Luochen thought: 'To hell with dying! If you want my life, I won't give it to you. Hurry up and leave, you spider woman—I'm already trembling.'
"Good! I look forward to our next meeting." With that, Bibi Dong departed, needing to return to the Spirit Hall to handle affairs.
"Farewell, Your Eminence," Li Luochen bowed deeply until Bibi Dong was far away. After waiting a long while, he finally stood up, sat on the ground, and muttered to himself.
"Why is this crazy woman Bibi Dong here? Although gaining the God of Slaughter Domain has made me much stronger, facing this madwoman still terrifies me.
Love-struck minds hate bootlickers the most. How can someone so beautiful and well-proportioned fall for a useless man like Yu Xiaogang? I secretly checked him out once.
He's not even as good-looking as Ma Hongjun, and only slightly better than the bearded Flender. Why are two beauties so devoted to him? Is it because of his theories based on basic knowledge? Or his measly twenty-nine levels of soul power?
What's there to admire? He's ugly, weak, and arrogant—a total pushover who avoids everything. What a coward, and a scumbag too. He makes me so angry—I'll deal with him sooner or later."
After venting internally, Li Luochen headed toward Tian Dou City. It had been a year and a half since he last saw Dugu Yan—he missed her dearly.
But there were still things to do—rescue two people.
Being submissive to Bibi Dong was unavoidable. After all, she was the ultimate boss, unpredictable in her love-struck madness and intensely misandrist. Li Luochen's fear was justified—it was like encountering a tiger on the road, unsure if it would pounce and devour you.
Don't mention Bibi Dong's beauty—Li Luochen wasn't ruled by his lower instincts. Anyone with half a brain knew that admiring her with lustful eyes would get you killed. Li Luochen dared not appreciate her beauty. Someone as unpredictable as Bibi Dong was the most dangerous. Fear was only natural.
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