The Asura Secret Realm—
Since the Sea God's trials no longer existed, the Asura God didn't simply hand Tang San a shortcut but instead had him diligently undergo the Nine Trials of Asura.
As a God King, the Asura God's trials were naturally far harsher than those of the Sea God or Angel God.
Thus, it was only natural that Tang San suffered immensely under the Asura God's watch. However, since the Asura God had already recognized Tang San as his chosen pawn, he secretly helped and occasionally went easy on him. This allowed Tang San to reach the final trial—the Trial of the Heart—without major mishaps.
In the divine palace of the godly realm, the Asura God's eyes brimmed with impatience and disdain.
"What a useless piece of trash. I knew from the start this fellow lacked ambition, but I've practically given him every advantage just to complete the trials. It's such a waste. Hopefully, it won't affect my exploration of the universe's depths later."
But soon, the situation the Asura God dreaded inevitably occurred.
Within the Trial of the Heart, Tang San's expression twisted grotesquely, constantly shifting. He muttered incoherently, "I'm not a thief! I am the hope of the future Tang Sect…" and other similarly hysterical phrases.
"This useless fool."
The Asura God sighed, though his tone carried little emotion, as if Tang San's worthlessness had sapped even his will to criticize.
Why Tang San behaved this way was clear to the Asura God, who had access to his memories. He even wanted to mutter, 'This Xuantian Gong cultivation method is indeed quite smooth.'
Yet, precisely because he understood why Tang San was like this, the Asura God grew increasingly frustrated. While he despised Tang San as a pawn with significant psychological flaws, he still manipulated him from the shadows.
As a being from the Dragon God era, the Asura God's experiences far surpassed those of Tang San. With a flicker in his eyes, he devised a solution. Raising his right hand slightly, the ominous Asura divine power within the inheritance realm surged into Tang San's body through his seven orifices.
At first, Tang San's expression was one of pain and struggle, but soon it shifted to euphoria and excitement.
At this moment, the Asura God became the Dreamweaver.
For someone like Tang San, whose psychological defects stemmed from life's hardships, the most direct solution was to craft a beautiful illusionary life for him. Even if this life was false, proving himself within the dream could, in some ways, heal his inner flaws.
However, after some time, the Asura God's expression soured again.
"This damn fool is still lost in the dream and refuses to wake up!?"
The Asura God gritted his teeth in frustration. If not for the substantial sunk cost he had invested in Tang San, he would have gladly replaced him with another successor.
"Calm down, don't let it affect you. So what if he's lost in the dream? Let him face major setbacks and all sorts of life's challenges—I can handle this. No need to get upset over such trivial matters."
After consoling himself, the Asura God manipulated the divine power once more. He made Tang San experience a smooth life in the dream, followed by significant failures and various hardships. Yet problems kept arising, so the Asura God ensured Tang San lived through ten lifetimes within the dream before finally shaping him into a relatively stable and perceptive individual.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, the Asura God exhaled deeply.
"It's finally done. With this personality, he shouldn't cause me any major trouble in the future. He'll serve as a reliable pawn in the godly realm to monitor this world's changes.
As for competing with that future God King… forget it. Without my level of cultivation and skill, it's not something this little brat can handle."
At this moment, Tang San slowly opened his crimson eyes. Clad in golden-red-black divine armor and with waist-length blood-red hair, he radiated an eerie yet oddly determined aura that inspired both unease and reverence.
The Asura God projected his consciousness once more, standing face-to-face with Tang San, clad in identical divine armor.
"Tang San, you've completed my trials. From today onward, you are the new Asura God of this world.
However, remember, your path to godhood has only just begun. You haven't reached my peak strength yet, so avoid offending other gods. Your task now is to cultivate to the level of a God King within a hundred years using the foundation I've left you. Work hard."
As he spoke, the Asura God extracted his divine position and inserted it into Tang San's body. He then transmitted a divine thought containing the rules and precautions of the godly realm.
Once everything was done, the Asura God, who had been thoroughly exhausted by Tang San, felt a sudden lightness wash over him. He then vanished without a trace.
At this moment, the Asura God in the godly realm felt the connection to his former divine position severed completely, a look of relief washing over his face.
As one of the five great powers of the Douluo God Realm, the Asura God could naturally leave on his own—no one could stop him. However, the godly realm and its subordinate planes were bound together, as was the divine position. Without transferring the divine position, the Asura God would remain locked to the Douluo God Realm, unable to achieve true freedom.
Thus, even after so many years, the Asura God cursed the Dragon God inwardly as he left the Douluo God Realm and its subordinate planes. That seemingly righteous bastard had essentially held hostage everyone who joined the Dragon God's domain.
But just as the Asura God moved beyond a certain range of the Douluo God Realm and its planes, his expression suddenly changed. He halted mid-air, shouting angrily:
"Who's following me?! Show yourself!"
At this moment, the universe around him began to distort. Upon realizing it, the Asura God was shocked to find himself forcibly pulled into a peculiar place.
To be subjected to such measures by someone—a top-tier God King like himself—sent his alertness skyrocketing. Though he knew there were powerful beings in the depths of the universe, he hadn't expected to encounter such a formidable opponent so soon after leaving home. His luck truly couldn't get any worse!
As the Asura God gripped the Asura Demon Sword, a voice sounded behind him.
"Welcome to my world, Asura God King."
The Asura God quickly turned, assuming a defensive stance while taking in the full view of his surroundings.
All around was nothing but void and darkness, much like the cosmic emptiness he had just been in. However, strangely enough, ahead of him in this dark void stood an eerie structure made of countless skeletal remains.
For someone like the Asura God, who had emerged from seas of corpses and rivers of blood, these skeletal remains held no shock value. To him, they were barely even considered mild fare.
Yet, these seemingly ordinary remains now triggered an unprecedented alarm in the Asura God's mind.
While remaining cautious of these deceptively simple remains, his gaze gradually rose to the figure seated atop the eerie structure, draped in a black robe.
"Who are you? Why block my path? If you're here to gather faith from this world, I won't stop you—I've already left this place and plan to explore the depths of the universe.
But if you intend to do anything to me, my divine sword is far from powerless!"
The Asura God feigned submission while subtly threatening the figure atop the structure, signaling that while he bore no ill intentions, he was also not someone to be trifled with.
At this moment, Ye Tianhun removed his hood, revealing his handsome visage.
"Our first meeting, Asura God King.
Though we don't know each other, before the strong, the weak have no room to resist. So, accompany me as I vent my frustrations.
Divine Domain Technique: Impermanence's Great Burial Cataclysm!!!"
With that, Ye Tianhun sprang into action, startling the Asura God King with his audacity.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly as Ye Tianhun dispersed his divine domain. By then, the Asura God King had vanished—he had been reduced to a mere skeleton within Ye Tianhun's divine domain.
Though Ye Tianhun bore no grudge against this world's Asura God King, the Asura God King from his own world had caused immense trouble for his family and was one of the culprits responsible for his father's current predicament.
It might seem like misplaced anger to blame this Asura God King across worlds, but considering the latter's questionable morality, Ye Tianhun felt no guilt in acting decisively. In doing so, he preemptively eliminated a potential crisis for this world's distant future.
Meanwhile, back on the Douluo Continent—
Tang San calmly walked out of the inheritance realm. However, his once vibrant eyes now carried the weariness of an elder. Clearly, the Asura God's illusory trials had not only strengthened Tang San's resolve but also taken something from him.
Upon exiting the inheritance realm, Tang San saw Tang Chen, who had sacrificed himself.
But Tang San didn't spare him a glance. He didn't even know Tang Chen's true identity, merely viewing him as a tool for achieving godhood.
If someone was just a tool, why should he bother mourning them? Just as he treated the enslaved Strength Clan.
Now, Tang San no longer found Slaughter City as offensive as before. All he thought about was how to manage this domain of faith.
After all, it directly impacted his future strength as a god.
Of course, Tang San wasn't going to manage it personally. Despite his growth, he still valued his reputation highly. Although he hadn't earned the title of purity and virtue in this world, he now aspired to become a respected and benevolent god.
In Tang San's view, the best candidate to govern Slaughter City was someone with the Killing God Domain.
Due to Bibi Dong's interference, Hu Liena in this world hadn't inherited the Killing God Domain. Currently, only Raksha (Raksha is the nickname of the Bibi Dong of this world, not the one that's Ye Wen's wife) and Tang Hao possessed it.
Raksha was immediately ruled out by Tang San.
A sinister smile played on Tang San's lips. Now that he was the Asura God, Raksha still carried traces of his influence. When the two sides clashed, Tang San would have the upper hand. And if he managed to defeat the Pope, the strongest in the world, his name would surely resound throughout the Douluo Continent.
The thought thrilled him immensely.
However, Tang San quickly recalled the message left by the Asura God: Raksha was the inheritor of the Raksha God. If he intended to act against her, he needed to do so quickly—otherwise, once she ascended to godhood, she'd be much harder to deal with.
Realizing this, Tang San felt a sense of urgency.
After brief contemplation, he decided without hesitation. The next ruler of Slaughter City would be none other than his dear father, Tang Hao.
Soon, Tang San returned to the Hao Tian Sect.
When Tang San's family had returned earlier, Tang Hao's possession of eight soul bones and cultivation equal to Tang Xiao's had forcefully silenced the sect elders, allowing his family to rejoin the Hao Tian Sect.
However, Tang San was dissatisfied with this. He had never intended to return to the Hao Tian Sect but had followed Tang Hao out of filial piety.
What Tang San truly desired was to reestablish the Tang Sect's legacy on the Douluo Continent, making its name resound throughout this world. At the same time, he harbored ambitions to declare himself the greatest genius of the Tang Sect to the elders of his unknown homeland.
Even after experiencing ten lifetimes of dreams, Tang San's resolve remained unshaken. The Asura God didn't know whether to commend Tang San's unwavering determination or label him as stubborn.
Previously, when Tang San couldn't overpower the Hao Tian Sect, he had endured silently. Now that he had ascended to godhood, his former reverence and humility toward the Hao Tian Sect had vanished entirely.
The guard at the gate of the Hao Tian Sect frowned upon seeing Tang San return, then his expression changed drastically as the overwhelming presence of Tang San's divine armor struck him.
Though the guard was weak, the Hao Tian Sect's pride ran deep in their bones. He shouted angrily:
"Tang San, what do you mean by showing up like this? Are you planning to attack our own sect?!"
Tang San glanced at him coldly. Though Tang Hao had forcefully returned to the Hao Tian Sect, this very forcefulness had alienated him from everyone except his immediate family.
But now that Tang San had returned as a god, he naturally couldn't be bothered with the likes of this mortal.
*Who are you, a mere mortal, to question a god?*
With this thought, the intangible killing intent emanating from Tang San materialized instantly.
The guard's eyes rolled back, overwhelmed by the killing intent, and collapsed unconscious. Moreover, this killing intent was highly corrosive, surging forward for a thousand miles and sending chills down the spines of everyone in the secluded mountain retreat of the Hao Tian Sect, causing them to turn their gaze toward Tang San's direction.
"Damn it, is someone attacking us?!"
"How terrifying! When did our Hao Tian Sect offend such a ruthless person?"
"This killing intent—it smells like the Killing God Domain. Has Xiao San returned?"
For a moment, panic spread throughout the Hao Tian Sect.
Fortunately, though Tang Xiao had become sect leader under urgent circumstances, he had gained some leadership experience over the years. Leaping into the air, he landed at the highest point of the Hao Tian Sect and bellowed:
"Silence! The mighty Hao Tian Sect, proud wielders of the Hao Tian Hammer! What kind of martial soul do you think you've inherited? How dare you lose your composure like this!"
With this declaration, the members of the Hao Tian Sect seemed to regain their bearings. One by one, the elders soared into the air, nine soul rings slowly emerging around them, declaring their status as Title Douluos.
In an instant, the Hao Tian Sect's morale soared to unprecedented heights. Their eyes gleamed as they stared toward the direction from which the killing intent emanated.
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