Inside the dark room, the King of Slaughter stared at the image within the blood pool and could not help but crush the goblet of blood in his hand.
He had never expected that Oscar actually possessed such a bizarre ability. With nothing more than a flicker of a black hole, he had silently disposed of the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King.
Even a hundred-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King was no longer a threat to Oscar. This was something the King of Slaughter found hard to accept.
Looking at Oscar and Dugu Yan rushing toward the end of the Hell Road inside the blood pool, the King of Slaughter's scarlet pupils remained devoid of warmth. "So this is the one the higher powers have their eyes on?"
"Forget it. It only means there are more variables. As long as I am given another ten years, I can use this body to strike at that supreme realm."
The scarlet glow flickered, the last trace of light in the room disappeared, and the figure of the King of Slaughter vanished as if he had never been there.
…
In the deep underground passage, Oscar and Dugu Yan flew quickly toward the end of the Hell Road, hand in hand. Both possessed the ability to fly, so the narrow and winding path offered them no obstacles at all.
After eliminating the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King and the blood bats, they flew for two full quarters of an hour without encountering any more resistance or soul beasts.
The only real pressure came from the steadily increasing heat. The deeper they went, the hotter it became.
But with their current strength and constitution, such heat posed no real problem. Likewise, the faint toxins in the air were meaningless to them.
As they sped forward, a rustling sound suddenly echoed from ahead, forcing both Oscar and Dugu Yan to stop and hover in midair.
On the narrow path beneath them, a dark red body lay coiled, with a pair of fiery red eyes staring up.
Its full size could not be seen clearly, but from observation it was obviously a snake, its body entwined along the narrow path.
Its eyes were not large, but for some reason Dugu Yan felt that the light in them was even more terrifying than that of the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King.
"A snake?" Dugu Yan whispered.
With more rustling, the dark red snake slowly slithered forward.
As they drew closer, Oscar and Dugu Yan could make out its features. On its head and back were nine bulges, each resembling a blood-red mushroom, and within them seemed to flow liquid like blood.
Its belly was extremely swollen, pressing against the narrow path, and its length exceeded ten meters.
The monstrous snake had seen them as well. Its head lifted slowly, and its golden-red eyes shone like lanterns.
Seeing it clearly, Oscar quietly explained to Dugu Yan beside him:
"An ancient beast, the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Snake. It is extraordinarily venomous. As an adult it grows longer than ten meters and carries the strongest fiery poison of all serpents. After cultivating for ten thousand years it can form an inner core, hidden within the nine bulges on its back. When the inner core emerges, even heaven and earth change color. Possessing its core makes all serpents yield, for it is sovereign among snakes."
In the original story, Tang San killed this snake and obtained its inner core, which later became Ma Hongjun's spirit ring.
Oscar had once considered slaying this snake and giving its inner core to Dugu Yan for her seventh spirit ring.
But he abandoned the idea. Since Dugu Yan's martial spirit had already evolved into a dragon, the most suitable spirit beast for her was of the dragon kind.
Moreover, this inner core could help Ma Hongjun's Fire Phoenix evolve into a Seven-Headed Fire Phoenix, further elevating his martial spirit and strength. Thus Oscar decided that the core should go to Ma Hongjun.
For now, though, the problem was to defeat the snake first. Otherwise all plans were meaningless.
What surprised Oscar was that the pressure brought by the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Snake was no less than that of the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King.
He had not expected this. The bat king's strength had already been far greater than in the original story. Could it be that even this snake had changed?
If not for the fact that its core was important to Ma Hongjun, Oscar and Dugu Yan could have simply used their flight to bypass it without engaging.
After all, the snake's pressure was on par with the hundred-thousand-year bat king, and Oscar could no longer use the Death Arena again.
But Oscar had no intention of running. The snake's core was too valuable, and besides, he was no longer the Oscar of six rings.
Facing the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Snake, he had a real chance of victory. Even if they lost, he and Dugu Yan could still escape with flight. It was worth the gamble.
Dugu Yan saw Oscar's resolve and likewise focused all her attention on the strange beast.
The snake's golden-red eyes locked onto them as it slithered closer below.
From a hundred meters away, the snake let out a croaking cry like a baby's wail. The nine bulges on its back began to glow with golden-red light.
"Croak—"
Its call even resembled that of a toad.
When it reached directly beneath Oscar and Dugu Yan, it struck first. A fiery red beam burst from its mouth, carrying a scorching stench as it shot toward the two in midair.
The flames turned into a massive serpent of fire, jaws wide open to bite them, the heat raising the air temperature sharply.
Within the fire serpent, red light roiled and crackled like burning stone. Even worse, a faint red mist clung to it, clearly infused with deadly poison.
On solid ground they could have dodged, but suspended in air there was no space to evade.
Oscar, however, had no need to dodge. Raising his hand, a jade sword appeared. With a sweep, an icy sword aura erupted.
"Frost Moon Sword Technique, Third Form: Frost Blossoms Fill the Sky!"
Though Oscar rarely used this technique since grasping his own sword intent, it was still the art he had mastered most deeply.
With his spirit bones transformed into martial spirit elements, his ice sword aura was far stronger than before.
The single strike froze the fiery serpent solid, ice spreading all the way into the snake's mouth.
The Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Snake had not expected such power, but quickly cut off its flames.
Oscar never imagined one sword would be enough. His right hand clenched, summoning six elemental forces into his palm.
Stabilized, the six fused into his jade sword, joining the icy-blue blade until eight elements surged across it, radiating annihilating power.
He raised the sword high. Terrifying sword aura blazed like a rainbow piercing the sun. One strike fell.
"Sword Dao: Evil God Annihilation Slash!"
At the same time, Dugu Yan unleashed her right arm spirit bone ability, Bone-Eroding Piercing Heart Arrow. The venom formed an arrow of light that shot toward the snake.
Facing such killing intent, the snake no longer dared hold back. Though fear flickered in its golden eyes, the nine bulges on its back shone ever brighter.
Without hesitation, its body arched and the nine bulges aimed upward.
Suddenly, all nine bulges burst, shooting golden-red liquid skyward. The streams converged in midair into a single mass.
But it was too late. Dugu Yan's poison arrow pierced its head, and Oscar's annihilation strike obliterated its body.
Even Oscar was surprised. Despite its terrifying aura, the snake's defense was pitifully weak. One sword destroyed it completely.
The fused golden-red liquid condensed into a fist-sized bead. Without the snake's control, it fell harmlessly.
Oscar swooped forward and caught it.
"Be careful, it may be poisonous," Dugu Yan warned urgently.
Oscar only smiled. "It's fine. Poison doesn't affect me."
Dugu Yan realized she had worried too much. With their current bodies, ordinary toxins meant nothing.
Oscar stored the snake's inner core in a soul tool, and the two continued onward.
The temperature kept rising. The dark red liquid in the abyss on either side grew clearer, rolling like molten blood.
As they pressed forward, the oppressive force in the air increased. Their own killing intent began to surge out of control, agitation taking root in their hearts.
Oscar knew this was normal. The Hell Road's final obstacle was to lure their killing aura into chaos.
The heat stirred their inner slaughter intent constantly. But Oscar, strengthened by the bat king's spirit ring and enhanced head bone, could resist better.
Passing the Hell Road required not just strength, but speed. The longer they lingered, the deeper the corruption.
He told Dugu Yan softly, "Stay calm. Let's accelerate."
Gathering her in his arms, his black wings flared, carrying them forward.
Heat and blood mist thickened as they neared the end. Soon, blood like magma surged below, releasing choking vapors.
After half an hour, through the haze they finally saw the exit.
A white oval barrier of light shone ahead. That was the end.
But between them and the exit a kilometer away was a lake of boiling blood, like an uncrossable gulf.
For others it might be impossible, but Oscar could fly.
He smiled to Dugu Yan. "We're almost out."
She smiled back. Two hundred meters above the lake, a three-meter opening glowed like moonlight.
Cautious, Oscar first sent wind blades to test the exit. When nothing happened, he carried Dugu Yan through.
As they entered the light, an unseen power pulled at them. Their killing aura surged uncontrollably.
With one last glance at the blood pool below, Oscar dove into the white light with Dugu Yan in his arms.
He had no intention of destroying the Slaughter City. In his view, its existence kept the continent's evil soul masters contained.
…
Everything shifted. The moment they crossed the light, Oscar felt his body enter another realm.
White nothingness surrounded him. His Evil God wings and hook were suppressed, returning into his body. Dugu Yan was separated from his embrace.
Here they could use no power, only endure the icy chill.
Endless cold invaded and seeped out of him, leaving only pain.
He reached for Dugu Yan but found only emptiness.
Though worried, he knew that since he still lived, she was safe as well.
The cold was not real temperature but the pure aura of slaughter. It pierced into him, numbing his heart and dulling his senses.
Oscar realized this was the birth of the Domain of the God of Slaughter.
A domain of killing intent, stronger than most domains, among the most powerful.
Dugu Yan was experiencing the same.
At this moment they were receiving the gift of the Slaughter City: the Domain of the God of Slaughter.
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