Chapter 251: Leaving the City of Slaughter
Time passed swiftly, and soon a full year had gone by. Over this period, Yang Potian gradually adapted to life within the Asura Blood Sea, spending longer periods submerged in it each day. By the end, he could endure twenty hours per day.
His body seemed to be undergoing a profound transformation, with demonic patterns now covering his skin, blood, and bone marrow. The only untouched areas were his heart and brain.
On the final day, Yang Potian leapt into the Asura Blood Sea. However, he immediately noticed that the sea had changed. What had once been a simmering red pool was now a roiling, stormy ocean, with towering waves and swirling winds reminiscent of a hurricane. The mysterious energy in the blood sea crashed against him, testing his last defenses.
As time passed, he felt his consciousness and even his physical form melting, as though dissolving into the mysterious power surrounding him. He kept his mind steady, calmly reciting the Heart Sutra—words of detachment and transcendence: "Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form."
With his mind as unshakable as a mountain, all malice, temptation, and darkness in his path lost their hold on him.
After enduring this final day, his body and soul underwent their ultimate transformation. Emerging from the Asura Blood Sea, Yang Potian looked like a demonic god, his eyes blood-red, exuding a terrifying aura of slaughter.
The demonic patterns had now covered his entire body, his power and soul both elevated to a new level, as his soul power began to transition toward divine power. Even his spiritual and soul realms reached a godly stage.
Then, a voice echoed in his mind: "Second Trial of the Asura's Nine Trials complete. Reward: twenty percent Asura affinity, bringing your total to thirty percent."
Simultaneously, the red light in his mind shifted, revealing the next trial of the Asura's Nine Trials.
The Third Trial of the Asura's Nine Trials: Maintain Order
Objective: Reorganize the City of Slaughter and purge it of all dark influences within one year.
Yang Potian couldn't help but grumble upon reading the details. Does Asura really think I can do all that? These dark influences came from the Rakshasa God's interference. Even though my power has grown, how could I take on a god-level entity?
He then recalled the original story, in which Tang San destroyed the City of Slaughter, thus eliminating its dark influence. But that solution had its flaws; with the city destroyed, its sinister aura spread across the continent, eventually leading to the rise of the evil soul master faction.
Is Asura hinting that I should do the same?
But after some thought, Yang Potian realized that such a drastic action would bring disastrous consequences, potentially setting off millennia of chaos. He decided to consider his options carefully.
He collected some blood from the Asura Blood Sea and took up the Asura Demon Sword before departing from the altar.
Upon returning to the inner city of the City of Slaughter, Yang Potian observed the fallen souls around him, noticing that each seemed shrouded in a faint dark aura. This must have come from their prolonged consumption of Bloody Mary, the sinister drink given to inhabitants.
With his elevated senses after completing the second trial, Yang Potian could now discern divine energies and recognize certain underlying rules. In the City of Slaughter, alongside Asura's power, he could clearly sense the dark influence of the Rakshasa God. This corruption was most concentrated in the Asura Blood Sea—and within the Bloody Mary consumed by every resident.
Realizing that this corruption was deeply rooted, he pondered ways to counter it. The origin should logically be the Rakshasa God himself, yet the god was absent from the city. If the Rakshasa God were here, he would surely have been eradicated by Asura.
Yang Potian pondered deeply but found no clear solution. He decided to leave the city for now. He still had a full year to complete the task; if necessary, he could seek out Bibi Dong or Qian Renxue. Bibi Dong, as the Rakshasa God's inheritor, might know how to locate the Rakshasa's influence, while Qian Renxue's Angelic power could be the perfect countermeasure.
Having completed the second trial, Yang Potian noticed he now had a faint connection with the Asura Demon Sword. In his hands, the sword felt almost ordinary, without its original overwhelming weight.
Realizing the chaos that was likely sweeping the land, Yang Potian felt the urge to check on his home and ensure all was well.
Upon leaving the City of Slaughter, Yang Potian made his way to the nearest city to gather information, having been absent from the continent for nearly two years.
He also visited the city's largest blacksmith shop, tossing a sizable chunk of Deep Sea Heavy Silver onto the counter. He requested a scabbard for the Asura Demon Sword, as its sheer sharpness made it cumbersome to wield without one.
Through his inquiries, he learned of significant recent events.
First, about a year and a half ago, the Wuhun Hall held an extravagant ceremony to select the new Seven Sects, from which emerged the new "Upper Three" and "Lower Four" Sects.
The newly appointed Upper Three Sects included the Elephant Armored Sect, Holy Dragon Sect, and Black Tiger Sect. The Lower Four comprised the Wind Sword Sect, Rock Antelope Sect, Fire Leopard Sect, and Wasp Sect.
Yang Potian smirked at the mention of the new Seven Sects, shaking his head.
The new Seven Sects, even combined, wouldn't match the strength of the Skywalk Academy alone. The newly appointed Upper Three Sects could only boast two titled Douluos: Huyan Zhen, known as the Iron Wall of Douluo, and Sacred Dragon Douluo Tuoba Xi. The remaining sects had only Soul Douluos as their most powerful members, far below the caliber of a true Great Sect.
The second major event was the Wuhun Hall's successful establishment of the Wuhun Empire, backed by the new Seven Sects. The empire's territory now extended beyond Wuhun City to neighboring duchies and kingdoms, including the Balak Kingdom, Sylvia Kingdom, Hagen Das Kingdom, and Grey Kingdom—all formerly part of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The Wuhun Hall now controlled around a dozen small kingdoms. In terms of territory alone, its reach nearly rivaled that of the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire. With its strategic location, the Wuhun Empire had effectively severed the main connection between these two great empires, significantly disrupting their communication and travel routes.
However, by establishing the empire, the Wuhun Empire had left itself without any natural defensive barriers. It now had to face potential attacks from both the northern and southern fronts as it was sandwiched between the two empires.
The Star Luo and Heaven Dou Empires each had amassed armies of a million soldiers along their borders with the Wuhun Empire. While full-scale war hadn't yet erupted, it was clear that all three sides were making their final preparations, ready for the imminent conflict.
When Yang Potian entered the blacksmith shop, the workers' eyes gleamed at the sight of the massive Deep Sea Heavy Silver he offered. But the lethal aura radiating from him made them wary. They quickly assembled their best craftsmen to prioritize his request for a sword sheath.
Within just half a day, the scabbard was completed.
Yang Potian secured the Asura Demon Sword on his back with a rope, spread his wings, and swiftly headed back toward Armo Mountain.
When he finally returned to Skywalk Academy, everyone was elated. They hadn't expected Yang Potian to be gone for a full two years, and his return was as sudden as his departure. However, the terrifying killing intent surrounding him left everyone shocked and slightly fearful.
His grandfather, Yang Wudi, regarded him seriously. "Potian, did you go to the City of Slaughter? This killing aura around you seems even more intense than before."
Yang Potian nodded slightly. "The killing aura isn't a problem; I'll have it under control soon. Has anything significant happened here recently?"
Yang Wudi sighed. "Both the Wuhun Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire have tried to recruit us, but we've kept our neutrality, and no one dares challenge us. Now that you're back, we're even safer."
After getting a general update on the academy's status, Yang Potian went straight to rest. Two years in the City of Slaughter had left him little time to relax, so being home brought a sense of relief.
As he entered his room, Ye Lingling appeared, looking more mature and beautiful than ever after two years apart.
After a tender reunion, Yang Potian finally fell into a deep sleep—one that lasted for two days. It was rare for him to experience such restful slumber.
When he awoke, he found Ye Lingling sitting by the bed, lost in thought. Noticing he was awake, she looked at him with a caring expression. "You slept so peacefully… You must have gone through a lot these past two years."
Yang Potian sighed softly. "Yes, it was exhausting. I didn't have much peace, but being back home makes everything feel so much better."
As he spoke, he felt the comfort of being surrounded by loved ones. Here, he had not only his beloved but also his family and friends. If not for his pursuit of godhood, he wouldn't push himself so hard.
"Lingling, have things been alright for you these past two years?"
Ye Lingling hesitated briefly but then shook her head. "Everything's been fine. Nothing major has happened."
"That's a relief. Everything I do is for us and our family."
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