Yang Xiong held the Asura Demon Sword, sitting where he was and gasping for breath. He didn't care about the blood flowing from his body, gobbling down the Super Recovery Big Sausages Oscar had made.
Beside him, Ning Rongrong quickly raised her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to provide Support to Yang Xiong.
His injuries from the fight with Qian Renxue this time were truly severe. He didn't know how many bones in his body were shattered, and cracks had appeared all over his Soul Bone Armor. More than half of the blood in his body had flowed out. If Yang Xiong hadn't trained his Body Refinement since he was young, strengthening his body countless times without limit, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on until the end.
Just then, a voice echoed in Yang Xiong's mind.
"Yang Xiong, Asura Nine Trials, Seventh Trial: Challenge a Deity with a Mortal Body and achieve victory. Assessment complete. Reward: Twenty percent Asura Affinity, total affinity ninety percent."
Only then did Yang Xiong breathe a sigh of relief. Among all his assessments, this trial was likely the most difficult, even harder and a hundred times more dangerous than defeating the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
Although the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was also close to the Million Year level, there was still a gap compared to a true Million Year Soul Beast. Moreover, it didn't possess a Divine Artifact like Qian Renxue. It could be said that if the Angel God Qian Renxue were to fight the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, it would likely be very easy for her.
This time, Yang Xiong had truly gone all out. Not only did he use Nine Rings Explode Simultaneously, but he also utilized the Thunder of the Heavenly Tribulation at the very end. A slight misstep could have resulted in his own Fallen.
Especially that last sword strike, it was the third form of the Asura God's inherited sword technique: Asura Pierces the Sun, a desperate attack that surged forward without regard for life or death.
With the help of Ning Rongrong and Oscar, Yang Xiong's injuries were recovering at an extremely fast Speed. Coupled with the rapid operation of his Dual Soul Cores, wounds all over his body were visibly healing quickly, and even his completely depleted Soul Power was rapidly recovering.
Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and Yang Wudi, among others, fiercely guarded Yang Xiong. They knew that this was Yang Xiong's weakest moment, and any unexpected trouble would be problematic.
After a full hour passed, Yang Xiong finally opened his eyes. "Rong Rong, Master Sword Douluo, Master Bone Douluo, I'm fine. Don't worry too much."
Ning Rongrong finally let out a sigh of relief. "Little Xiongzi, your state just now was too terrifying. I've never seen anyone suffer such severe injuries."
Yang Xiong smiled. "Perhaps my body is special, and my recovery ability is much stronger than others. Don't worry, I'll be fully recovered soon."
Although Yang Xiong said this, everyone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Body Sect stayed by Yang Xiong's side, quietly waiting for him to recover.
Yang Xiong spoke up, "Sect Leader, how is the situation outside now?"
Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "The situation is very bad now. Emperor Xue Ye has Passed Away, and Marshal Ge Long has also been killed by Qian Renxue. Now the entire Heaven Dou Empire's army and Soul Master Legion are in disarray. If it weren't for our Three Great Sects still having some strength and foundation, I'm afraid everything would have fallen apart immediately."
Yang Xiong was silent for a moment before speaking. "Now there's only Princess Xue Ke left in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. Where is Princess Xue Ke?"
A bitter smile appeared on Ning Fengzhi's face. "Princess Xue Ke is still in Heaven Dou City. Ever since the Heaven Dou Palace Coup that year, Emperor Xue Ye had already started training Princess Xue Ke. Unfortunately, Princess Xue Ke has always been exposed to aristocratic education. She herself prefers music and knows relatively little about power and royal duties."
"This time, Emperor Xue Ye personally went to war and let Princess Xue Ke take charge of Heaven Dou City, which was also a form of training for her. Now that Emperor Xue Ye is dead, Princess Xue Ke is also rushing to the front line, but I don't know if she'll make it in time."
Yang Xiong said helplessly, "Now she's the only remaining heir of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. There's no one else who can support this massive undertaking on the front line. I'm afraid only she can truly stabilize the situation."
Yang Xiong looked around. It seemed that all the people from the Clear Sky Sect were gone.
"Sect Leader, where are Tang Xiao and the others?"
Ning Fengzhi said helplessly, "The Clear Sky Sect suffered heavy losses in this war. Tang Hao has Fallen, and they also lost Seventh Elder Tang Lie. They are currently handling the aftermath and are considering burying Tang Hao and Tang Lie back in the Clear Sky Sect's Ancestral Land, but unfortunately, they can't leave due to the war."
Ning Fengzhi seemed to remember something. "Oh right, Little Xiong, what was the outcome of your battle with Qian Renxue? How badly is Qian Renxue injured, and how long will it take her to recover?"
Yang Xiong thought carefully before speaking. "In terms of strength, Qian Renxue and I should be evenly matched. My physical fitness and Soul Bone are relatively superior, while Qian Renxue is a true Level 100 Expert after all. Her body has been completely transformed into a Divine Body, and her recovery ability is no worse than mine, perhaps even better."
"This time, I used every method I had and only barely managed to win. Qian Renxue's injuries are slightly heavier than mine, but given her nature as a God, she will probably recover faster than I will."
"However, Sect Leader, you can rest assured. Given Qian Renxue's personality, she shouldn't do anything to take advantage of the situation. Even if she attacks again, I should be able to barely handle it."
As Yang Xiong said, after Yang Xiong and Qian Renxue fought with all their might this time, their injuries were roughly similar. Yang Xiong relied more on his firm will and physical endurance to gain a slight advantage.
Moreover, at the final crucial moment, when both sides were giving their all in the last move, Qian Renxue transformed into a massive sun, but within this sun, there seemed to be a trace of black energy. This was Qian Renxue's biggest Rupture.
And it was precisely by seizing this Rupture that Yang Xiong finally defeated Qian Renxue in one fell swoop.
According to Yang Xiong's estimation, this should have been the Rakshasa God interfering with Qian Renxue's Angel Nine Trials, preventing Qian Renxue from being as perfect as the first generation Angel God.
Therefore, even though Qian Renxue used the Power of Faith of the Angel Clan, she ultimately lost to Yang Xiong.
However, this time Qian Renxue should have already realized the shortcomings in her character and the flaws in her Deity inheritance. She should be trying to find a way to compensate for them as soon as possible.
If that were the case, if he were to encounter Qian Renxue again next time, she would likely become even more formidable.
Of course, at the final critical juncture of this war, both Yang Xiong and Qian Renxue held back. If Yang Xiong hadn't reserved three parts of his strength in that last sword strike, it could have directly pierced through Qian Renxue's head, and the Asura Demon Sword could have directly penetrated Qian Renxue's Divine Soul. At that time, even a God might not have been able to preserve their life.
And Qian Renxue also held back at the last moment. Otherwise, with the Angel God's dying counterattack, Yang Xiong's injuries would have been several times more severe.
So, if Yang Xiong had insisted on killing Qian Renxue just now, it's likely both of them would have ended up one dead and one crippled. Yang Xiong would have likely suffered extremely heavy injuries that would take several years to fully recover from.
This made Yang Xiong think of the Asura God's instructions to him back then. Each subsequent trial was not a matter of ability, but a matter of his own choices.
Moreover, the Asura God had specifically instructed that the Angel Clan was very important to the Soul Master world and the God Realm. He had probably anticipated this scene long ago, and leaving a chance for Qian Renxue was also leaving a chance for himself.
Otherwise, completing the Seventh Trial would not have rewarded a full twenty percent Asura Affinity. This reward far exceeded the rewards of other trials.
After listening to Yang Xiong's words, a hint of confusion appeared in Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
"Little Xiong, what should we do now? The war has reached this point. Whether it's the Three Great Sects, the Heaven Dou Empire, or even the Spirit Empire, everyone has suffered heavy losses. It has become a pure war of attrition. If we continue fighting, I'm afraid all forces will completely exhaust their foundations, and then our two great Sects will be in trouble."
Yang Xiong smiled. "Sect Leader, it's not just us who don't want to fight anymore. The Spirit Empire probably doesn't want to fight either, and even the Star Luo Empire, which hasn't broken through Heaven's Gate Pass, probably doesn't want to fight either."
Ning Fengzhi's face showed surprise. "Has it reached this point? Is it still possible for us to withdraw?"
Yang Xiong shook his head. "It's not a matter of whether we want to or not. We are just supporting the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. The root of this war is the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire fighting against the Spirit Empire. They want to invade each other's territory. As for the specific situation, Princess Xue Ke can negotiate with Bibi Dong and the Star Luo Emperor then."
"Besides, the Clear Sky Sect has also suffered heavy losses now. Although they are determined to get their Revenge, the Clear Sky Sect no longer has the strength. They have already lost two Titled Douluo, and Tang San has run away. Even if they gather the strength of their entire Sect, they cannot contend with the Spirit Empire."
"On the contrary, if they continue fighting, it will likely deplete the Clear Sky Sect's foundation. At that time, they will truly suffer a net loss, and it might even be more miserable than it was back then."
As Yang Xiong expected, the war had progressed to this point, and both sides had basically lost more than half of their strength. The Clear Sky Sect, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Body Sect had lost at least half of their Soul Masters. Among them, the Clear Sky Sect had dispatched relatively few Soul Masters, and the number of ordinary Soul Master losses was also the lowest among the Three Great Sects.
Originally, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had dispatched two thousand Soul Masters to the front line, the Body Sect had dispatched one thousand Soul Masters, and the Clear Sky Sect had dispatched five hundred Soul Masters.
However, the Clear Sky Sect sent a full six Titled Douluo, the Body Sect sent four Titled Douluo, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect sent their Sect Leader plus the Sword Bone Douluo.
But the Clear Sky Sect lost a full two Titled Douluo, which was a much heavier loss than those two hundred and fifty Soul Masters.
How could someone as steady as Tang Xiao allow the Sect to continue suffering losses? Especially if Qian Renxue kept killing, the Clear Sky Sect would likely have nothing left.
One must know that among the Three Great Sects, the Clear Sky Sect was the one with the deepest hatred for the Spirit Empire, and Qian Renxue also hated the Clear Sky Sect the most.
After hearing Yang Xiong's words, Ning Fengzhi fell into thought and didn't say anything further.
-----------
Machine Translation by: beta.randomtranslator.com
Read 1400+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: www.randomtranslator.com