The two entered the council chamber of the Pope's Hall, each lost in their own thoughts. Su Cheng scrutinized Bibi Dong, who stood with her back to him.
Without mentioning the recent upheaval, he asked contemplatively, "Your Holiness, have you tried practicing the 'Innate Skill' that I previously imparted to the Spirit Hall soul masters?"
Bibi Dong was silent for a moment before turning around and calmly shaking her head. "No."
Su Cheng was somewhat surprised by her response. "Why not give it a try? Even the Title Douluos in the Elder Hall have started practicing it."
In truth, he found this hard to believe. Regardless of how much the simulated experiences had impacted Bibi Dong—whether she retained many fragments or only had vague impressions like Lorelei, knowing of a seemingly nonexistent person—some knowledge and insight would inevitably change, revealing certain things.
Of course, if Bibi Dong remembered more, she would clearly understand the significance of this technique for her. The danger of the Rakshasa God trials lay in the intense malice that invaded the soul master's spiritual world. Bibi Dong would certainly understand that the Innate Skill could greatly benefit her soul foundation, significantly alleviating the pressure from the Rakshasa God trials.
Moreover, if she hadn't practiced the Innate Skill, her emotions wouldn't be this stable. Aside from earlier, in the half-year he had been in Spirit City, he had almost never seen Bibi Dong lose control, let alone calmly discuss Qian Renxue with him multiple times.
"No." Bibi Dong shook her head again, seemingly seeing the doubt in his words.
She then explained in a deep voice, "With your knowledge, you should have already seen it, right? I have another inheritance."
Su Cheng's eyes flickered, but he remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"I mentioned to you before that Qian Renxue has the opportunity to inherit the Angel God from Spirit Hall.
"Similarly, I have a divine inheritance, called Rakshasa.
"With such an inheritance, why should I seek other cultivation methods? Besides, dealing with divine matters is no trivial affair, and I might not have another opportunity."
Su Cheng did not expect Bibi Dong to reveal such a secret so frankly.
"Isn't this something you shouldn't casually disclose?" he asked, hesitating.
"Indeed." Bibi Dong nodded lightly and said bluntly, "The Rakshasa God is a god of evil thoughts, naturally opposed to the Angel God. With my identity and position, it's not suitable to make this public.
"But for you, it's probably nothing. After all, haven't you been trying to stop Qian Renxue from inheriting the Angel God? You wouldn't harm her, would you?"
"So, you want me to help you complete the divine trials?" Su Cheng raised an eyebrow. "I'm just an ordinary soul master. Aren't you overestimating me? Besides, Your Holiness, the god you are inheriting doesn't sound very friendly."
"The divine trials are not that important." Bibi Dong shook her head indifferently. "But I am already deeply entangled and find it hard to extricate myself. Telling you this is just clinging to a sliver of hope."
As she finished, a hint of bitterness and vulnerability appeared on her face.
Su Cheng, however, paid little attention to her expression and continued to think aloud. "May I see your martial spirit?"
"Of course."
As Bibi Dong spoke, a deep purple light emanated from her body, revealing the massive and grotesque Death Spider Emperor behind her.
At the same time, nine soul rings hovered silently around her feet.
Watching the person and spider before him, Su Cheng's vertical brow mark glowed faintly.
In the True Sight, the massive Death Spider Emperor exhibited a powerful aura.
In addition, there was a faint trace of embryonic divine power within it.
Unlike the vast expanse of Sea God's divine power, this faint divine power carried an extremely strong aura of evil and malice.
"It turns out she really hasn't practiced it. How can this be?"
This unexpected situation made him frown.
Moreover, the familiar aura he had sensed multiple times before did not come from this martial spirit.
"Your Holiness, I remember you mentioned before that you are a twin martial spirit holder, right?"
"Yes," Bibi Dong nodded.
In the next moment, the Death Spider Emperor withdrew, replaced by a dark green Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor, with an even more astonishing configuration of seven black and two red soul rings.
Unlike the grotesque and bloated Death Spider Emperor, the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor, though equally fierce, exuded a kind of sinister, brutal beauty.
But Su Cheng was obviously not interested in these aspects at the moment.
He was surprised that she indeed showed no signs of having practiced the Innate Skill deeply.
As the creator of the technique, he certainly wouldn't mistake whether someone had practiced its basics.
Unlike Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong couldn't manifest her soul externally, so he couldn't see the soul-level aspects.
But under the True Vision, her soul power flow upon revealing her martial spirit was clear.
The core of the second volume of the Innate Skill lies in using soul power to nurture the body and soul.
Bibi Dong indeed hadn't used her soul power for this purpose.
Moreover, he still couldn't locate the source of that familiar aura.
Suppressing his turbulent thoughts, Su Cheng said calmly, "Your Holiness, I suggest you practice the Innate Skill. The malice in your second martial spirit has grown so intense that it's eroding your nature. If left unchecked, you may become a completely different person in the future."
As he spoke, he kept pondering.
As expected, with Bibi Dong's current state, she couldn't grasp the power of the Innate Skill.
The wisp of Rakshasa divine power clung to her martial spirit like a parasite.
But this sight under the True Vision was only superficial.
Even if the martial spirit was tainted with divine power, it wasn't the most severe issue.
The divine power fluctuations in both martial spirits were identical.
This meant that the wisp of Rakshasa divine power truly resided in her soul.
Su Cheng sighed inwardly, finding the situation tricky.
The more people who could master the Innate Skill, the more beneficial it would be for him, potentially increasing his own source power.
With this goal, he naturally wanted more people to grasp it.
This included the elders of Spirit Hall, encouraging them to try.
But it was uncertain when those people could truly master it.
The integration of the Innate Skill isn't something achievable solely through strong soul power; the key lies in foundation and balance.
Take Dugu Bo for example.
Even though he has become a peak Douluo with the help of immortal herbs, he still finds it difficult to master the Innate Skill in a short time.
The reason is his physical shortcomings.
Although he used immortal herbs, the damage from snake venom in the past severely harmed his foundation.
Currently, the person with the best chance to master this power soon is Bibi Dong.
Followed by Zhu Zhuqing, whose foundation he greatly improved, and Chen Xin, who has an exceptional mindset, as well as Ah Yin, who has excellent innate conditions after rebirth.
But the existence of Rakshasa divine power is a huge stumbling block.
Thinking it over, Su Cheng looked at Bibi Dong and asked, "Where did you get the divine inheritance?"
"The Slaughter City."
"Alright," Su Cheng nodded. "A month from now, we'll go to the Slaughter City. I need to see it personally."
"Just to witness the divine inheritance?" Bibi Dong's expression was slightly odd.
"Of course not, there's also Zhu Zhuqing," Su Cheng said casually without hiding anything. "The time is almost up anyway. I don't plan to let her attempt Hell Road."
He continued, "Within this month, you need to get the basics of both volumes of the Innate techniques down. Don't worry, during this time I'll stay in the Pope's Palace to help you train quickly."
After saying this, he left the council hall.
After he left, Bibi Dong looked in the direction of the door for a long time. Her facial lines softened bit by bit, and her eyes became somewhat dazed.
In fact, she had never actually practiced the Innate Skill.
When she returned to reality, she had just tasted it briefly as a verification.
When Su Cheng made the technique public, she hadn't touched it at all.
In her heart, this technique belonged to Su Cheng.
Especially before, Bibi Dong had been hesitant about how to handle her relationship with Su Cheng and hadn't found a proper balance. Naturally, she hesitated and didn't dare to easily reveal this technique.
She didn't believe that after practicing, he wouldn't notice.
Additionally, Su Cheng had previously promised to help her solve the hidden problem of her suppressed power, so she hadn't been in a hurry.
Bibi Dong knew the significance of this technique.
Moreover, what she had was not the incomplete version that Su Cheng had taught to the members of the Spirit Hall, but the complete three-volume Innate techniques, which included purifying bloodlines and condensing innate power.
To her, even if she practiced this technique, its greatest significance would be to strengthen her soul's foundation, as Su Cheng intended.
But the little starlight in her soul had been constantly purifying and alleviating the pressure from the Rakshasa God's test, which Su Cheng didn't know about.
Other benefits like strengthening the body were limited since she already had a full set of soul bones and an external soul bone. As for soul power cultivation, if not for the Rakshasa God's test, she would have already reached level ninety-nine, the peak of Douluo, with no further advancement possible, so it didn't matter much.
And the method of integrating innate power in the third volume was out of reach for her now.
Because her soul had major issues.
To master innate power, the most critical requirement was a pure foundation.
Not to mention her soul, tainted with malice.
Even the Rakshasa God's test had reached the later stages, capable of drawing some Rakshasa power. Under such circumstances, how could her foundation be pure?
The next day, before Su Cheng could visit, Hu Liena came to Bibi Dong first.
"Nana, why are you here? What's the matter?"
Looking at her personal disciple, Bibi Dong's face softened.
She hadn't seen her disciple, whom she treated like a daughter, for some time.
In the past six months, the young generation of Spirit Hall, who had gradually mastered the Innate Skill, had started practical trials.
Their trial site was the Death Canyon under Spirit Hall's jurisdiction.
That place was fraught with dangers and powerful soul beasts, providing excellent training for young soul masters.
"Teacher, I want to go to the City of Slaughter for training." At this moment, Hu Liena's gaze at Bibi Dong was filled with unwavering determination, devoid of any seductive charm.
"Why do you suddenly want to go there?" Bibi Dong was taken aback. "Nana, you are already outstanding. The City of Slaughter is extremely dangerous, and even you might not come back."
Hu Liena knew about the City of Slaughter.
As Bibi Dong's personal disciple, she wasn't kept in the dark about many things.
"Please allow me, teacher." Hu Liena didn't say much more, just knelt on one knee and earnestly pleaded.
At this moment, she recalled Qian Renxue's previous words.
Their so-called golden generation of Spirit Hall appeared talented but had undergone too little tempering, with their potential far from realized.
Indeed, to the current Spirit Hall's foundation, her strength as a young Soul King was insignificant.
But to herself, she didn't want to disappoint Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue.
"Have you really thought it through?" Bibi Dong looked down at Hu Liena kneeling in front of her.
Hu Liena nodded firmly, "Teacher, I've thought it through."
Bibi Dong sighed softly, her expression much gentler. "Actually, you don't need to work so hard. Like Xie Yue and Yan, training in Death Canyon isn't good enough?"
Hu Liena hesitated but then gritted her teeth and said, "Not just me, my brother and Yan also want to see the City of Slaughter."
"…"
Hearing this, Bibi Dong's eyes flickered, and she slowly frowned, feeling something amiss.
The existence of the City of Slaughter was secret information known only to high-ranking elders of Spirit Hall or those with prominent family backgrounds.
Although Xie Yue and Yan were talented, among the top of their generation, they were orphans with no means to access this information.
Given Su Cheng's character, he wouldn't bother with such unrelated matters, so they likely heard it from Hu Liena.
But...
Bibi Dong looked down at her pale-faced disciple and shook her head inwardly.
This child wouldn't have the courage.
A thought crossed her mind, and she squinted her eyes. "Did Qian Renxue tell you something?"
City of Slaughter.
Sitting cross-legged in her small room, Zhu Zhuqing felt waves of coldness throughout her body.
A vast amount of killing intent constantly surrounded her, trying to influence her mind.
In this dark world filled with blood and corruption, she had to win battle after battle and, most importantly, survive.
Three days after entering the City of Slaughter, Zhu Zhuqing had killed more than a hundred fallen ones.
At that time, she had only participated in two matches in the Hell Slaughter Arena.
The rules of the Hell Slaughter Arena were that each match paired opponents with a winning difference of no less than five matches.
So over time, as she participated in more matches, her opponents grew stronger.
Of course, she won them all.
Because in this place, losing meant death.
In the following year, she constantly endured external pressure and internal tests, honing her combat skills and mind.
In this process, she gradually unearthed the slaughter and battle desire from her Martial Soul, feeling the rhythm of the wind of freedom...
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes suddenly opened, a bloodthirsty gleam flashing in her dark red eyes.
"…Zhuqing, when you get there, don't get addicted to the pleasure of slaughtering the weak, but also don't reject killing. Hold fast to your heart and enjoy the battle.
"The Hell White Tiger is born for battle. In the City of Slaughter, don't worry about right or wrong. The most important thing is to hold on to your true self.
"In that place, soul power isn't the decisive factor. So don't fear anyone; you have a fighting talent far beyond ordinary people's determination.
"You don't need to force a hundred victories. Before you go to Hell Road, I'll personally come to the City of Slaughter to get you out…"
Su Cheng's words echoed in Zhu Zhuqing's ears, softening her expression slightly, but revealing a bit of vulnerability in her eyes.
"Su Cheng…"
She felt like she couldn't hold on any longer.
She had done her best to follow Su Cheng's advice, seeking her true self through slaughter and tempering her will in battle.
Yet, despite her efforts, the pervasive stench of blood continued to infiltrate her body and mind, urging her toward madness and tempting her to fall.
The killing intent in this place was far from pure.
It was different from the inherent, resolute fighting spirit of the Hell White Tiger Martial Spirit, which sought to break free and pierce through everything.
Here, the killing intent was more of an indifference to life, filled with various impurities and malice that made her want to vomit.
Even the breezes around her carried a faint smell of blood.
"Ha..."
She exhaled a long breath, shaking off her fatigue, and stood up.
It was time to prepare for the next battle...
The City of Slaughter was suffused with a cold, bloodthirsty atmosphere that was suffocating.
In the Hell Slaughter Arena, ten people slowly entered.
Zhu Zhuqing, walking second to last, was the focus of the other nine participants' attention.
This was not because she was the only female participant or because of her stunning figure and extraordinary beauty.
It was due to her terrifying record.
Eighty-seven matches, eighty-seven victories—that was Zhu Zhuqing's current achievement.
She now held the most victories in the entire Hell Slaughter Arena.
Apart from Zhu Zhuqing, every participant here was eager to achieve one hundred victories.
A hundred victories would grant them permanent residency in the City of Slaughter, with immense authority and the potential to become a guest of the King of Slaughter, even though they could never leave.
Over eighty-seven battles, Zhu Zhuqing had accumulated a body count exceeding a thousand.
She had become a king-like figure in the Hell Slaughter Arena within just a year, ranking among the top three since the city's founding.
As Su Cheng had said, it was not just high soul power that enabled victory here.
Countless opponents with much higher soul power had fallen at her hands. Without soul skills, soul masters were like tigers without claws.
Moreover, Zhu Zhuqing's combat techniques had become an art.
Once, she had defeated several powerful opponents with soul power over seventy ranks and walked out of the arena severely weakened.
She was then besieged by nearly a hundred people.
In this place where domain skills were forbidden, Zhu Zhuqing, in her most frenzied state, generated numerous hurricanes around her.
Wind blades danced freely, and she moved like a raging wind, mercilessly reaping the attackers' lives.
After that, she earned the title "Wind King."
Now, the nine people walking into the Hell Slaughter Arena with her wore expressions of extreme tension.
Once everyone was confined in the arena, they almost immediately surrounded Zhu Zhuqing.
Roaring and howling, nine frenzied voices cried out from different directions as they charged at her.
In this dire situation, Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes and lifted her head, her black hair billowing in the wind.
The wind had started...
Meanwhile, in a dark, spacious room.
A tall figure sat on a giant chair adorned with blue and purple crystals.
Crystals formed a skeletal shape around the chair, amidst a backdrop of dark red.
"The Wind King is going to win another match," a cold female voice said from a dark corner.
"I know," the tall figure on the giant chair replied calmly.
"Great King, should we start contacting her? It's been a long time since a real strong person joined the City of Slaughter."
"Do you think she is a true strong person?"
"I don't know..." The woman's voice trembled slightly. "Her growth rate is astonishing, like she was born for slaughter. Her attack methods are simple but highly effective, almost artistic. I think even a Title Douluo would struggle to kill her without soul skills in the City of Slaughter."
The King of Slaughter was silent for a moment. "Do you think she can reach a hundred victories and challenge the Hell Road?"
"Yes," the woman answered firmly this time.
"No need to contact her."
"Why? Great King, don't you want our City of Slaughter to grow stronger? Even though we had an agreement with the Spirit Hall a thousand years ago, who knows when they might break it?"
"Do you know who sent her here?"
"Who?"
"One of the only two remaining Slaughter Gods in the world," the King of Slaughter said calmly.
"In this world, the only ones who can truly threaten the City of Slaughter are these two Slaughter Gods. Even I cannot easily offend them.
"What you don't know is that anyone who passes the Hell Road can still use soul skills within the City of Slaughter.
"Let's observe for now. There's no need to provoke the wrath of that Slaughter God before determining her future."
The cold female voice became anxious. "If that's the case, won't this Wind King bring unpredictable consequences to the City of Slaughter? In the past, every time a Slaughter God appeared, it caused a crisis for the City of Slaughter, causing significant damage..."
The King of Slaughter said solemnly, "Don't worry. When the time comes, I'll have my methods. You may leave."
As his words fell, the shadow in the corner dared not say more and quickly left the room.
When he was alone, he murmured to himself, "A Slaughter God can always return to the City of Slaughter, and in their Slaughter God Domain, any soul master can use their soul skills. If it comes to that, I can only resort to the last remaining divine sense of the great one..."
At the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, in a mountain range.
A majestic waterfall cascaded down with vigorous water vapor, creating a roaring sound.
The entire two-hundred-meter drop of the waterfall was interrupted at fifty meters from the bottom.
The falling water spread out above fifty meters, turning into a large water curtain that poured down from a distance, causing ripples to spread across the pool below.
In the water curtain, a figure resembling a flood dragon stood directly under the waterfall, his body rotating continuously, a small black hammer flipping in his hand.
With each swing, the waterfall ascended a little, gradually increasing the fifty-meter gap.
Sixty meters, seventy meters, eighty meters, ninety meters...
In the water curtain, the terrifying black light, like a black dragon, lifted the waterfall.
When the waterfall reached a hundred meters, the figure suddenly stopped, all movements converging into a single point, freezing there.
In the next moment, all the black light erupted.
"Boom—"
With a loud bang, the black dragon soared into the sky, and the massive waterfall scattered, no longer able to coalesce. The two-hundred-meter waterfall vanished from sight.
The mighty black dragon emitted a strong buzzing sound, showcasing its immense power.
Tang Hao stood quietly by the pool, watching the magnificent scene before him, his long-stiff face finally relaxing a bit.
The figure that made the waterfall reverse was none other than Tang San, who had been training here for a year.
Suppressing soul power, solidifying his foundation, practicing hammer techniques.
This series of special training was originally planned to take Tang San two years to complete.
But to Tang Hao's surprise, perhaps stimulated by Xiao Wu's death, influenced by his own and Ah Yin's story, and fueled by deep hatred for the Spirit Hall, Tang San had completed the two-year task in just one year.
Tang San was now thoroughly familiar with the use of his Clear Sky Hammer.
The scene just now was the culmination of the Chaos Cloak Hammer Technique's eighty-one strikes.
In Tang Hao's view, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda was unmatched in auxiliary capabilities, Sword Douluo Chen Xin's Seven Kill Sword was unparalleled in attack power, but in terms of dominance, strength, and explosiveness, the Clear Sky Hammer stood unrivaled.
Otherwise, why would the Clear Sky Sect be known as the number one sect in the soul master world?
Looking at Tang San in the distance, Tang Hao suddenly asked, "Xiao San, during the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, the technique you used to throw fragments of the Eight Spider Lances, was that your self-created soul skill?"
"Sort of."
Tang San's tone was flat, showing no emotional fluctuation even when answering his father's question.
It had been a year since the Soul Master Tournament ended.
In this year, he had never smiled once, becoming taciturn and brooding.
His slightly stiff face bore some resemblance to Yu Xiaogang.
Tang Hao nodded. "Don't neglect those techniques. Keep practicing them regularly."
After a pause, he continued, "You've mastered the essence of the Chaos Cloak Hammer Technique and stabilized your foundation. Next, I'll take you to a place where you can truly cultivate your killing intent."
Hearing this, Tang San breathed a sigh of relief.
A year of relentless training had made him deeply weary.
But he dared not stop for even a moment.
The pressure from the Spirit Hall was simply too terrifying.
"But before we go to that place, we need to see someone first."
"Who?"
"Your teacher, Yu Xiaogang."