Yang Xiong was currently undergoing the Thunder God's inheritance trial, but anyone who looked closely at his condition would realize that something was seriously wrong.
Yang Xiong's body was in an extremely peculiar state. His inner self and spirit seemed to be floating outside his body, and every Soul Bone felt like it was being peeled away. Each Soul Bone shimmered with blood-red lightning, as if being endlessly tempered by the electric current.
However, Yang Xiong's body itself was in a bizarre condition: one half was blood-red, while the other was covered in lightning. Two distinct auras seemed to be subtly vying for dominance.
Especially the blood-red lightning, which gradually spread over Yang Xiong's entire body like a persistent parasite, slowly invading every part of him.
Yang Xiong's two eyes were in completely different states. One was relatively calm, though filled with a fierce aura, and its Slaughter Qi resembled that of an Asura.
The other eye, however, appeared utterly insane, beginning to fill with endless desire, yet also displaying an unwillingness to accept fate.
In the sky, a massive illusory Thunder Qilin appeared. The illusion gradually began merging into Yang Xiong's body, its eyes showing infinite longing.
"It's been hundreds of thousands of years, and I'm finally close to succeeding! As long as I occupy Yang Xiong's body, as long as I can completely take him over, then the entire world will be mine to command. I might even reach the realm of the Dragon God."
"Yang Xiong, from now on, everything you have will be mine. Your body, all your opportunities, even your women—I will treat them well!"
Even though a hint of pain flickered across Yang Xiong's face, the Thunder Qilin didn't care in the slightest. His eyes seemed filled with boundless hope, as if he saw a bright path ahead. His bloodlust and ambition were laid bare, completely unlike what a Deity should be.
The Asura Demon Sword in Yang Xiong's hand seemed to tremble, but the massive Thunder God's Hammer glowed with endless lightning, seemingly brimming with infinite destructive power, firmly suppressing the entire space.
...
In the God Realm, the Asura God and Sea God stared intently at the enormous light screen, their expressions becoming incredibly serious.
The Sea God's face showed a hint of reluctance: "Asura, aren't you going to help your Inheritor? If you don't, there might be extremely terrifying consequences."
The Asura God shook his head: "That shouldn't be right. I always feel like something's off. Given Yang Xiong's personality, how could he be suppressed so easily?"
The Sea God quickly spoke: "Is it because the Thunder Qilin is too powerful? Yang Xiong is just a mortal, after all. No matter how strong his body and soul are, he ultimately can't contend with a Deity, especially since the Thunder Qilin's spirit is extremely powerful, seemingly even stronger than mine. It has probably reached the peak of a First Level God and can barely step into the God King realm."
The Asura God said: "Indeed, as you said, the Thunder Qilin was a God King in its lifetime. Even though it fell countless years ago, its spirit is incredibly powerful this time, and it must have made many preparations for today. It even prepared a Super Divine Artifact long ago."
The Sea God's face showed a hint of confusion: "Although this Thunder Qilin is powerful, others might not know, but I know your strength. With your power, especially with the Asura Demon Sword in Yang Xiong's hand, helping him should be an easy matter. Severing this wisp of the Thunder Qilin's divine sense should be very simple."
The Asura God said helplessly: "I also find it a bit strange. I seem to be unable to completely control the Asura Demon Sword now. Even if this Thunder Qilin is strong, it shouldn't be able to do that."
The Sea God's expression changed in surprise: "This shouldn't be happening! Besides you, even other God Kings can't control your Asura Demon Sword, unless that person is..."
The Asura God nodded: "When Yang Xiong completed the Seventh Trial, his Asura Affinity reached ninety percent, which was already enough to perfectly wield the Asura Demon Sword. Now that he has completed the Eighth Trial, his control over the Asura Demon Sword is no weaker than mine."
The Sea God quickly spoke: "Are you saying that this was all intentionally done by Yang Xiong? Then why would he do it?"
The Asura God's expression was serious: "Yang Xiong's past experiences should be quite clear. To make his body stronger, he has repeatedly risked his life to break through his limits. To make himself stronger, he will stop at nothing. No matter how slim the hope, he will never give up."
"Although this Thunder Qilin is quite detestable, it was indeed a God King-level existence back then. If I'm not mistaken, Yang Xiong probably wants to use the Thunder Qilin's Natal Thunder to temper his body again. If that happens, his body might truly undergo another transformation."
"If that really happens, his body might truly break through to level 100. At that point, he would definitely be the strongest person in the world, perhaps even able to contend with you."
The Sea God swallowed hard: "Then Yang Xiong is too crazy. This Thunder Qilin is scheming against his body. Is he not afraid that if he fails, it won't just be a simple fall, but he might even become a sinner to both the human world and the God Realm?"
The Asura God snorted: "They're just scheming against each other. This Thunder Qilin is scheming for Yang Xiong's body, while Yang Xiong is scheming for the Thunder Qilin's God Position and inherited Divine Artifact. Both sides are gambling, and as for who wins or loses, it's hard to say."
The Sea God felt a chill: "They're betting too big! If this is the case, then before they determine a winner, anything is possible."
The Asura God shook his head: "They haven't yet determined a winner, but the outcome was already decided long ago. We just have to wait for the result."
"Perhaps this Inheritor of mine is even more outstanding than I imagined, even more cunning than I thought, his determination to become stronger even firmer than I believed, and his talent even more terrifying than I foresaw. Perhaps in the future, he can truly lead the God Realm to unprecedented heights."
...
In a certain world, Yang Xiong was currently staring intently at Qian Renxue, who was pointing a sword at him, and Bibi Dong, who stood beside her. Suddenly, a trace of a smile appeared in his eyes.
"This method is too clumsy. If these are your only tricks, then there's nothing fun about this."
Qian Renxue's expression shifted slightly: "Yang Xiong, what do you mean by that? Am I not right? Haven't you been provoking me again and again?"
Yang Xiong snorted coldly: "A beast is a beast. It will never understand the human world, never understand human emotions, never understand the complexity of the human world."
"You probably observed my past experiences to simulate this scene, but if you understood my personality, you wouldn't be doing such useless work."
Both Qian Renxue, whose face had drastically changed, and Ning Rongrong, who stood nearby with a look of love, now had utterly bewildered expressions, as if they completely failed to grasp what Yang Xiong was saying.
Yang Xiong continued: "Rongrong and I are deeply in love, not because we were childhood sweethearts, nor because Rongrong is beautiful, nor because Rongrong is the princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It's because of our mutual recognition and reliance on each other."
"Rongrong and I have walked this path together, attending school together, cultivating at Shrek together, and experiencing all sorts of dangers. We understand each other's needs, and we both know that we are each other's greatest pride. This is simply not something that mere romantic love can compare to."
"As for you, Qian Renxue, the reason I let you go was not out of any emotion, and certainly not out of love. It was for the sake of the entire world, and also due to the apprehension in my heart."
"Angels represent light and justice. I repeatedly let you go out of respect for your Angel Clan's contributions to the Soul Master world. Only foolish Soul Beasts would mistake that for male-female affection."
In truth, Yang Xiong had spared Qian Renxue all these years partly out of apprehension towards various factions—either Qian Daoliu or the formidable power of Spirit Hall. It had nothing to do with romance whatsoever, not to mention a deeper apprehension Yang Xiong harbored.
According to the original Douluo story, Tang San was the true Child of Destiny. If Yang Xiong had truly eliminated the Spirit Empire and Qian Renxue prematurely, it might have led to unforeseen changes, perhaps even creating unknown enemies.
At least for now, Yang Xiong understood Qian Renxue's character and the Spirit Empire's bottom line. Rather than benefiting Tang San, it was better to proceed at his own pace.
Yang Xiong knew that Tang San was not as gentle as he appeared. That man was definitely more stubborn and selfish than anyone Yang Xiong had ever met. Otherwise, he wouldn't have caused so many problems tens of thousands of years later, and the entire world would have been unified long ago.
It was precisely because of Tang San's selfishness that wars raged across the world, while Tang San's Tang Sect seized the opportunity to sell weapons, achieving its various goals, even making Huo Gua his pawn.
Qian Renxue's face darkened: "Yang Xiong, you're quite good at disguising yourself. Even on your wedding day, you still dare not face your feelings? I think you're just a coward."
Yang Xiong smiled: "There are some things you don't understand. Although you are a high and mighty Deity, you probably haven't experienced a god's trial, at least not the trial of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires."
Both Qian Renxue and Ning Rongrong's expressions drastically changed. Clearly, even the Thunder Qilin hadn't expected that Yang Xiong, even at this point, hadn't lost himself and still possessed his independent thoughts.
Yang Xiong continued: "The so-called Seven Emotions and Six Desires trial refers to the seven human desires: joy, anger, sorrow, thought, grief, fear, and fright. I imagine this current hurdle isn't merely a trial of joy. To achieve your goals, you've probably condensed all the trials together, which is why you specifically chose this current scene."
"A wedding is when humans are most joyful, most happy, and most easily indulged. Then, Qian Renxue appears, and a massive army approaches—that should be the moment of deepest apprehension in my heart, a time when fear and panic easily arise. If everyone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were wiped out, or even if all my loved ones died in this battle, that would probably be the most sorrowful moment for a person..."
"You painstakingly crafted this scene, but in my eyes, it's just a joke. You don't understand me, and you certainly don't understand the people around me."
"I forgot to tell you, I'm someone who doesn't bend to persuasion. In my eyes, I only believe in life never ceasing and battle never ending!"
-----------
Machine Translation by: beta.randomtranslator.com
Read 1400+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: www.randomtranslator.com