Under the protection of five hundred Royal Knights, the various academies of the Heaven Dou Empire began their journey home.
Shining armor gleamed under the sun, the imposing formation exuding the full majesty of the Empire.
Yet, among them, the most eye-catching was undoubtedly the Seven Treasures Academy team, guarded at the very center by the Royal Knights. In this tournament, they had shattered the long-standing myth of the Spirit Hall team's invincibility head-on. Especially with Chen Feng's dazzling performance, the Heaven Dou royal family had already granted him the status of Guest Minister, placing him on equal standing with the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
The journey from Spirit City to the Heaven Dou Empire was no short distance. With so many academies involved and difficulty in mobilizing everyone, the procession's pace was inevitably slow.
Today marked the ninth day of their return trip.
For nine consecutive days, there had been no sign of the Spirit Hall assassins that Chen Feng had so confidently warned about. The Snowstar Prince couldn't help but let a mocking smile tug at the corners of his lips.
This Chen Feng… strong he may be, but isn't he far too cautious?
They were about to cross into Heaven Dou Empire territory. With Chen Heng's Iron Army stationed at the border, who would dare to attack?
He glanced at the carriage ahead, just about ready to ride over and offer a few sarcastic remarks—then remembered Chen Feng was still in seclusion.
Indeed, ever since they left Spirit City, Chen Feng had shut himself away. Eating, drinking, sleeping—everything was handled within that single carriage.
It helped, of course, that the Heaven Dou Empire's wealth ensured his carriage was of the highest luxury.
For nine straight days, Sword Douluo had stood guard on either side of it, letting no one disturb him—by Chen Feng's explicit instruction.
Inside the carriage, Chen Feng lay sprawled out in a most unrefined manner, seemingly fast asleep.
In reality, his cultivation was not yet complete.
After the finals, Chen Feng had successfully passed the second trial of the Shura God. The rewards were astonishing—an increase of five soul power levels, a 20% boost in Shura God affinity, pushing his cultivation to Level 68.
On top of that, all his soul rings and soul bones had their ages increased by ten thousand years!
This was why, even after so many days, he still hadn't emerged—he needed to fully master the sudden surge of power.
For someone else, such a leap in strength might leave them unsure how to use it properly. But Chen Feng was different—his experience as a peak-level 99 soul master in his previous life meant he could adapt to any amount of power with ease, unless it exceeded the pinnacle itself.
The Shura God trials were designed so that rewards stacked cumulatively. As such, the second trial's reward was even greater than the third. The ten-thousand-year boost to all rings and bones meant even his lowest-aged soul ring had now turned black.
An utterly terrifying concept.
Not to mention—he still possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, and another at thirty-three thousand years.
Even without touching the hundred-thousand-year one, his fifth ring—originally thirty-three thousand years—had now reached forty-eight thousand years after the two trials' blessings.
For reference, an average Titled Douluo's ninth ring was around fifty thousand years.
In total, the combined age of his rings now rivaled that of a Titled Douluo.
And that wasn't all.
He had also absorbed the Wisdom Skull Bone—his reward from Spirit Hall for winning the finals. That soul bone, originally at seventy thousand years, had been enhanced by the Shura God's blessing to a staggering eighty thousand years.
After absorbing it, his soul power had risen from Level 68 to Level 70, right in time to absorb his seventh God-bestowed soul ring…
And even then, the growth wasn't done.
After absorbing that seventh God-bestowed ring, Chen Feng's cultivation reached the peak of Level 72—already a Soul Sage at such a young age, a feat that would leave anyone speechless.
The Wisdom Skull Bone had done more than raise his cultivation—it had perfected his Sword Dao Heavenly Eye and awakened his Seven Kills Domain.
Seven Kills Domain: A domain exclusive to the Seven Kills Sword. Within its range, it reduces the opponent's attack, defense, and speed.
This wasn't the first time Chen Feng had awakened it—he had also done so in his previous life upon reaching Soul Sage.
But this time, something was different.
Inside the carriage, the dark red sigil on his forehead appeared again, crimson light intertwining with the Seven Kills Domain. White patterns began to emerge, and even his Killing God Domain was activated. Under the Shura God's radiance, the two domains began… to merge.
Even Chen Feng was stunned. Can domains merge?
He immediately asked the Shura God in his mind.
The Shura God's calm voice replied,
"This is nothing. When your affinity surpasses 50%, the domain will naturally evolve into the Slaughter Domain. Complete the next trial, and you will even gain the right to wield the Shura Demon Sword."
"Of course, the current sword is still in the hands of the King of Slaughter—he too is undergoing the Shura trials. But I will forge you a new one when I rebuild the Shura God Seat. Is your Seven Kills Sword not already evolving in that very direction?"
The words were precise, and Chen Feng's excitement grew.
With the Shura God's guidance, the two domains fully merged into a new one—the Seven Kills Shura Domain.
It was not purely the Slaughter Domain, for the traits of the Seven Kills Domain still lingered within.
Inside the carriage, Chen Feng slowly opened his eyes. With a thought, the dark red domain flared to life, perfectly controlled within the carriage's confines.
Seven Kills Shura Domain:
Domain Effect 1 – Forbidden Soul Skills: Any opponent with soul power less than ten levels above Chen Feng would be unable to use their soul ring abilities at all.
In other words, anyone at Level 83 or below would find themselves no better than in the City of Slaughter—utterly deprived of their abilities.
Domain Effect 2 – Suppression & Empowerment: All within the domain would have their strength, defense, and speed reduced by 30%, while Chen Feng siphoned 10% of their soul power to enhance himself.
Scaling Effect: The stronger Chen Feng became, the stronger the domain's effects would be. Against opponents above Level 83, the suppression rose to 40%.
For those below Level 83… they would be lucky to muster even 20% of their full strength.
Seven soul rings rose slowly around him.
Black, black, black, black, black, red, red.
Two hundred-thousand-year soul rings!
An unshakable confidence surged through Chen Feng's heart. Even as "just" a Soul Sage, he felt that without the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's boosts, he could already stand toe-to-toe with a newly ascended Titled Douluo on his strength alone.