Chapter 163: The Fire Dragon King's Remnant Soul

"Human brat, what exactly are you trying to do...?"

Just as Xu Yang was about to use his Sun Sacred Blade to pry off a dragon scale, a deep and thunderous voice suddenly echoed in his mind. The unexpected intrusion startled him. He instantly activated his Sun Spirit Avatar, raising his guard and scanning his surroundings warily.

"Who's there?!"

Then it dawned on him—within such an extreme environment, the only possible entity that could remain was the remnant soul of the Fire Dragon King.

"Fire Dragon King?!"

Xu Yang tentatively called into the air.

"You... know who I am?!"

As the voice faded, a fiery-red projection flew out from the damaged skull of the dragon corpse. The projection wasn't large—only about two to three meters long—but its form was identical to the dragon corpse at the bottom of the spring. It was a crimson fire dragon.

Despite its smaller size, the fire dragon exuded immense majesty. A single glance made Xu Yang feel an oppressive weight on his chest.

However, it seemed that the pressure wasn't lethal—it lacked the sensation of imminent death. Perhaps because it was only a remnant soul, it couldn't unleash its full might. At this level, a cultivator's sixth sense often proved highly accurate. A sudden premonition of danger or a warning about loved ones could very well be true.

Confirming that he wasn't in immediate danger, Xu Yang slowly relaxed his tense posture. Looking up at the remnant soul of the true dragon hovering above the skull, he spoke in a steady voice:

"I learned about certain events that occurred in the God Realm through some... unique channels. I know this place was where you and the Water Dragon King fell, so I came to try my luck—hoping to find anything left behind by a god."

"So your way of trying your luck is to break off my horn... and pry off my scales...?"

The Fire Dragon King's expression turned cold, and his eyes radiated killing intent. If Xu Yang hadn't already refined his spiritual power—gaining some traits of divine sense—just this killing intent alone would've been enough to severely injure his soul.

Xu Yang chuckled awkwardly. "I couldn't find anything else… figured I should at least bring something back."

But inwardly, he was carefully analyzing the Fire Dragon King's divine sense—comparing it to his own current spiritual state. He wanted to see if he could use this encounter to help his own spiritual power fully evolve into divine sense.

"That's no excuse for trying to break my horn!"

The Fire Dragon King's voice turned even colder. In the next instant, his divine sense condensed into a needle-like strike—piercing at Xu Yang's mind like a bolt of lightning.

"Urgh!"

Xu Yang winced in pain. A sharp, stabbing sensation surged through his head, and he staggered several steps backward, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"A divine sense attack?"

Steadying himself, he shook his head. The momentary haze in his consciousness cleared, and he quickly realized what had just happened.

"What?! A mere Soul Sage actually resisted my divine sense strike?! How is that possible?!"

The Fire Dragon King was visibly shocked. Even if he was now just a remnant soul, his divine sense was still far beyond the level of any ordinary Titled Douluo. After all, divine sense and spiritual power were like steel and cotton—no comparison.

Yet somehow, Xu Yang had used pure spiritual power to withstand his divine strike.

The Fire Dragon King quickly extended his divine sense to probe Xu Yang—and was immediately taken aback.

"His soul is already undergoing divine transformation at the Soul Sage stage… That's something even demi-Gods rarely accomplish. No wonder he resisted my attack."

At that moment, the Fire Dragon King suddenly noticed the world around him shifting.

Everything turned gold and red.

Even his own remnant soul, originally crimson, began changing into that same golden-red hue. He felt his consciousness detaching from his soul, as if it were being dismantled, with crimson flames disintegrating into light particles.

 "Sun Domain: Pure White World!"

A soft voice echoed as golden-red light enveloped Xu Yang, cloaking him like a radiant battle robe. His steps were slow but firm, each one exuding a suffocating pressure.

As he moved, the Ultimate Fire energy—transformed from the Fire Dragon King's divine power—began to dissipate around him.

This searing, viscous energy that had once felt like molten mercury now recoiled like it had met its natural enemy. It rapidly retreated, transforming into pure soul power that rose like mist into the air.

Without even trying, Xu Yang absorbed it all into his body—his physique like a giant soul power conduit.

"Fire Dragon King... You struck first. Don't blame me for striking back."

Killing intent surged in Xu Yang's eyes. With a flash of power beneath his feet, he transformed into a golden-red streak of light and appeared directly before the Fire Dragon King's remnant soul. He slashed down viciously with his blade.

A golden-red arc tore through the void—this was the Sun Slash.

But it wasn't an ordinary Sun Slash. This one contained the power of the Pure White World domain—its energy imbued with a force of separation, capable of tearing apart the Fire Dragon King's consciousness from his soul, completely annihilating him.

"Wait!"

Sensing the danger, the Fire Dragon King panicked, frantically shaking his head in protest. But Xu Yang's expression remained cold and unmoved. His grip on the Sun Sacred Blade tightened, and the speed of his strike increased.

Even though the Fire Dragon King had fallen long ago, he had once been a god. Even reduced to a remnant soul, his strength was nothing to scoff at.

While the Pure White World domain could separate mixed powers and substances, Xu Yang's current strength was still too low to unleash its full potential. To completely sever the Fire Dragon King's soul from his consciousness would take time.

And that was the opening the Fire Dragon King needed.

As Xu Yang's blade came down, the dragon twisted its body and turned into a streak of crimson lightning, dodging the blow. Then, opening its jaws, it let out a deafening roar.

"ROOOAARR!"

A shockwave of sound, packed with divine sense, blasted toward Xu Yang.

"You think I didn't come prepared?!"

Xu Yang remained unflinching. His voice was ice-cold. He pivoted and slashed again.

This time, the blade shimmered with a crimson light. A horrifying killing intent gathered along its edge. Despite the sweltering environment, the Fire Dragon King suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

"Deathgod Domain! That's the Asura God's inheritance—you actually carry the Asura God's power?!"

For the first time, the Fire Dragon King's expression crumbled into fear. If the previous strike had merely posed a threat due to its attributes, this one could truly destroy his remnant soul.

The Asura God governed slaughter and judgment—not only did he possess immense physical might, but he also wielded terrifying soul-based attacks. Even if Xu Yang's Deathgod Domain was only in its infancy, the Fire Dragon King's current weakened state meant he wouldn't be able to endure it.