My dear readers;
Today I am here to announce a decision of mine. I will be changing the posting schedule. The new schedule will be: 1 Chapter from Monday to Friday and 2 Chapters on the weekends (Saturday and Sunday).
Reason for my decision: I am about 100 chapters behind the author of this work, so I want to write a few more chapters to keep as a backup. I will also be opening my Patreon in January, where I will be posting a second work that I started translating this week, called 'The World of Reincarnation Where Only I Know'.
You can guess from the name, but it is a work where the protagonist transmigrates to several anime worlds with other people, but only he knows the plot of the story. I want to change some parts of this work, but it will basically be what I do with this work here.
So, for this reason I will reduce my workload, so I hope for the understanding of my beautiful readers, I do not expect to stop at just two works, I have at least three more in the queue for translation.
Note: Apart from this work, all the other 4 works that I will be translating are already complete and so I hope to finish translating these works in one or two years.
-x-X-x-
**Chapter 128: Tang Hao's Current Situation**
Buzz—
As Gu Ziyi began attempting to refine the Sea God's Heart, he immediately felt his consciousness transported above a vast ocean.
Before he could steady himself, wave after wave surged toward him.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
Each wave was enormous, dozens of meters high, crashing into him relentlessly.
Gu Ziyi knew this was a test from the Sea God's Heart, so he did not panic but calmly defended himself.
"Tai Chi Domain!"
The Tai Chi Domain appeared beneath his feet, enveloping the surrounding area.
Once the Tai Chi Domain was unleashed, the impact of the external waves was immediately resisted by Gu Ziyi.
Buffeted by countless waves, Gu Ziyi's figure resembled a small boat on the ocean, seemingly on the verge of being submerged at any moment.
However, he endured it with determination. No matter how violent the waves became, he stood firm like a steadfast mountain amidst this apocalyptic scene.
This outcome seemed to exceed the expectations of the Sea God's Divine Consciousness residing in the artifact.
The waves, which had been testing Gu Ziyi, paused momentarily before even larger waves rolled forth. Each wave reached hundreds of meters high, presenting a truly terrifying sight.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
Gu Ziyi was startled by this development. The power had suddenly increased dozens of times over!
Boom—
In the next instant, he felt his vision darken and then lost consciousness.
"Cunning thief!"
Before losing consciousness, he seemed to hear a majestic voice.
The reason he failed to gain recognition from the Sea God's Heart was because the Sea God's Divine Consciousness knew he had stolen the artifact from the royal treasury!
Sea God, you bastard!
If Gu Ziyi were still conscious at this moment, he would undoubtedly be cursing the Sea God with every foul word imaginable.
You think you're so noble, huh?
Then why did you secretly assist Tang San repeatedly during the canon storyline?
He's just a bitch. If he doesn't like the person, then he doesn't like them. You're just a hypocrite.
After Gu Ziyi regained consciousness, he couldn't quite understand why Poseidon disliked him.
His current Soul Power level and mental strength weren't much worse than when Tang San received this artifact in the original story.
"Is it because of the configuration of my Soul Rings?"
After some thought, he realized this might be the biggest issue: the configuration of the Soul Rings on his body wasn't ideal.
Ultimately, the Poseidon's Divine Mind was just a remnant, not the real Poseidon, so it couldn't know everything about him.
The Divine Mind likely noticed that the configuration of his Soul Rings wasn't optimal for the Douluo Continent and rejected him as a potential divine inheritor.
Of course, it was also possible that the Divine Mind was as righteous as it claimed to be and refused to recognize Gu Ziyi because it realized he had stolen the Poseidon's Heart.
After all, this Divine Mind was just a fragment of the true god, unable to fully represent Poseidon's thoughts. The real Poseidon likely changed after ascending to godhood.
Gu Ziyi couldn't determine the exact reason.
The only certainty was that he was rejected by the Poseidon's Heart and deemed unworthy as an inheritor.
This left Gu Ziyi feeling quite frustrated and a bit disappointed.
The Poseidon's divine inheritance was one of the easiest to complete and one of the few he knew the location of.
Both the Asura God and Rakshasa God inheritances required him to go to the Slaughter City, which was currently out of his reach.
"I'll have to find a solution later."
Gu Ziyi sighed and stored the Poseidon's Heart.
Perhaps, after enhancing the quality of his fifth Soul Ring to the ten-thousand-year level, he could attempt to refine the Poseidon's Heart again and gain its approval.
Regardless, since the artifact was already in his possession, Gu Ziyi had no intention of returning or relinquishing it.
Even if he couldn't ultimately gain its approval, he would let it rot in his hands so that no one else could claim it.
"Master, Master, what's wrong?"
"Master looks so upset!"
Whoosh~
Xiao Tao, noticing Gu Ziyi's foul mood, immediately transformed and crouched in front of him.
"Well, I got the artifact, but I can't use it!"
Gu Ziyi stroked Xiao Tao's head, still feeling down.
"Then let Xiao Tao cheer Master up!"
Seeing his demeanor, she didn't know how to console him, so she decided to use her actions to comfort Gu Ziyi.
She lowered her head in initiative.
Not long after, Gu Ziyi, who had initially chosen to remain passive, shifted from passive to active participation.
Xiao Tao also grew more enthusiastic, ensuring she wouldn't face this challenge alone.
…
After Gu Ziyi's failed attempt to refine the Poseidon's Heart, half a year flew by, and his Soul Power level rose to 62.
After reaching the Soul Emperor rank, even his previously rapid progress began to slow down.
Nevertheless, for a Soul Emperor to gain two levels in six months of cultivation was an astonishing feat for most Soul Masters. If word got out, it would certainly shock everyone.
Ning Shuangjiang was also promoted to Level 56 during this time. Benefiting from dual cultivation with Gu Ziyi, her progress accelerated even more after her Martial Soul evolved. Now at only 28 years old, she has reached Level 56, which is truly astounding.
She still holds hope of becoming a Soul Emperor by the age of 30.
This achievement is remarkable. It's worth noting that Qin Ming, who graduated from Shrek Academy in the original work and later taught at the Tiandou Royal Academy, only reached the level of Soul Emperor at 34. Back then, before Tang San and the others rose to prominence, Qin Ming held the prestigious title of being the second youngest Soul Emperor on the continent.
Thus, it highlights just how much Ning Shuangjiang has gained from her dual cultivation practice with Gu Ziyi.
Li Chanfei also received the same benefits. In a letter from Li Chanfei, Gu Ziyi learned that in the two years since arriving at the Tiandou Temple, her Soul Power level had also increased significantly, and she was close to achieving the rank of Titled Douluo.
Yu Long, who was previously at the same level as her, is now only at Level 86. It will take at least another ten to twenty years for him to reach the rank of Titled Douluo.
After Level 85, advancing each level requires years of effort, even for those with relatively good talent.
Meanwhile, Yue Guan's best friend, Gui Mei, finally caught up to him this year and reached the rank of Titled Douluo.
Ghost Douluo also consumed an Immortal Herb previously, which explains his rapid progress in cultivation.
The Immortal Herb that Ghost Douluo consumed wasn't inferior to the one Yue Guan ate. However, the herb Yue Guan consumed was a perfect match for his Martial Soul, leading to more significant improvement and his earlier advancement to the Titled Douluo rank.
This difference suggests that Yue Guan's potential upper limit will exceed Gui Mei's in the future.
Currently, Ning Shuangjiang is at Level 56, while Bai Lu lags behind at Level 46.
A 23-year-old Soul Ancestor at Level 46 isn't bad, but as his woman, she won't be able to keep up with him at this pace.
Thus, Gu Ziyi decided that upon his return this time, he would request some Immortal Herbs from Qian Xunji to enhance Bai Lu's talent.
Indeed, after two years of cultivation, he received a summons from his teacher, Qian Xunji, to return.
During this return, he planned to request these Immortal Herbs for Bai Lu.
Considering that he not only provided strategic advice to his teacher about aligning certain sects with their side but also set an example by bringing the Elephant Armored Sect under their influence, he believed his request wouldn't be denied.
Moreover, these Immortal Herbs were originally discovered by Gu Ziyi himself. If he asked for some, Qian Xunji would likely agree.
"Really? Can I actually get an Immortal Herb too?"
Bai Lu was naturally very excited upon hearing his thoughts.
She already knew that the primary reason for Gu Ziyi's transformed talent was due to consuming an Immortal Herb.
So, upon learning that she might also have the opportunity to obtain such a natural treasure, Bai Lu could hardly believe it.
"Don't worry. If nothing unexpected happens, there shouldn't be an issue!"
Gu Ziyi promised with a smile, then turned to Ning Shuangjiang and said, "Shuangjiang, you won't need one. After practicing dual cultivation with me, your Martial Soul has evolved as much as it would have if you had consumed an Immortal Herb."
"Yes, I know!"
"Without Brother Yi, I wouldn't have been able to improve so quickly in the past two years!"
Ning Shuangjiang smiled sweetly, showing no dissatisfaction that Gu Ziyi planned to request the Immortal Herb solely for Bai Lu.
Besides, she would continue benefiting from dual cultivation with him in the future, so why would she have any complaints?
She considered herself very fortunate to have chosen to follow Gu Ziyi.
That night, an excited Bai Lu used all the skills she had learned to repay him in advance.
While enjoying himself, Gu Ziyi wasn't worried about whether he would succeed in obtaining an Immortal Herb from Qian Xunji this time.
What worried him was that Bai Lu and Ning Shuangjiang's presence might upset his elder sister, Bibi Dong.
For a long time, Gu Ziyi believed that Bibi Dong was already aware of the two girls following him.
However, she never mentioned anything about it.
He wasn't sure if she accepted their presence or was simply waiting for his return to settle the matter with him.
Regardless, Bibi Dong never reacted in any way.
Though he was somewhat concerned about this, he wasn't overly worried.
The best thing to do would be to persuade his elder sister when the time came.
The next day, after enjoying Bai Lu's premature "gratitude," Gu Ziyi took the two girls and Yu Long back to Spirit City.
…
"Congratulations to Player No. 7,424 for winning 100 consecutive matches!"
While Gu Ziyi was returning to Spirit City, Tang Hao finally achieved a streak of 100 consecutive victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena after four years of battling in the Slaughter City.
"So strong!"
"This Death Hammer really completed a streak of 100 consecutive victories?! He's so powerful!"
"Yeah, I came here specifically today to see if he'd manage to win the hundred matches in a row. All I can say is, he's truly deserving of the title Death Hammer. He's absurdly strong!"
"…"
Witnessing Tang Hao's accomplishment, the other onlookers exclaimed in awe.
They had witnessed the birth of another 100-match streak winner!
While marveling at Tang Hao's feat, everyone also sighed in relief.
Now that he had completed the 100 victories, they no longer had to worry about encountering Tang Hao when entering the Hell Slaughter Arena.
If they knew how the Hell Road truly opened, they might not have been so enthusiastic.
"Alright, another 100-match streak player has finally emerged!"
"7424!" (N/E: His registered number)
"Death Hammer!"
"Do you choose to start the Hell Road now that you've won 100 matches and leave the Slaughter City? Or do you choose to stay here and serve me?"
Amid the exclamations of the fallen, the Slaughter King, who at this time was not yet Tang Chen, appeared before Tang Hao and asked him about his decision.
As the Slaughter King, regardless of which iteration he was, he didn't want too many Death Gods leaving the city.
Therefore, if he could keep Tang Hao, the Slaughter King would do his best to convince him to stay.
"I choose to begin the trial on the Hell Road!"
Tang Hao's blood-filled eyes, brimming with murderous intent, looked straight at the Slaughter King as he calmly replied.
"Before you, hundreds in Slaughter City earned 100 consecutive victories, but so far, only six have managed to pass through the Hell Road and earn the title of Death God!"
"Are you certain you wish to start the Hell Road trial?"
Hearing Tang Hao's words, the Slaughter King continued to ask in a low voice.
"Sssss~"
"That's such a horrifying mortality rate!"
"There are so many people who won 100 consecutive matches before and couldn't pass the Hell Road test. How terrifying must this Hell Road be?"
"Of course, it's called the Hell Road. How could it not be terrifying?"
"…"
After hearing the words of the Slaughter King, the fallen present took a deep breath.
The players who managed to meet the requirements were already terrifying. They didn't expect the Hell Road to have such a high mortality rate.
Tang Hao's pupils slightly contracted upon hearing about this survival rate.
He hadn't anticipated the Hell Road to be this horrifying, something his grandfather Tang Chen hadn't told him before he entered.
"I still choose to start the Hell Road!"
However, Tang Hao clenched his fists and resolutely decided to take on the Hell Road despite its grim odds.
How could he give up before even obtaining his own Domain?
He had no desire to remain in a depressing place like the Slaughter City for the rest of his life. He also wanted to get out, find Gu Ziyi, and prepare to avenge the humiliating defeat he had suffered years ago!
"Very well, in that case, prepare to enter the Hell Road!"
After taking a long look at Tang Hao, the Slaughter King had no choice but to open the Hell Road for him.
Even though he was the Slaughter King, essentially the leader of the city, he was still bound to follow the rules set by the Slaughter City.
Buzz—
The Slaughter King then initiated the blood sacrifice technique, unlocking the Hell Road through the use of blood.
And the source of that blood? Naturally, it came from the fallen present!
"Ahhh..."
"No…"
"Help…"
"I don't want to watch the Hell Road anymore. Let me go..."
"…"
Screams echoed through the area as Tang Hao watched the scene unfold, his eyes cold and devoid of any sympathy.
Over the past four years of living here, he had killed more people than he could see before him. How could he possibly feel compassion for them?
He was relieved that it was him opening the Hell Road, rather than being an innocent sacrifice for someone else.
With the blood sacrifice completed, Tang Hao soon felt the ground beneath him vanish, and then his entire body began to fall.
…
Author's Note (N/A): Let me repeat, at this point, the Slaughter King is still not Tang Chen; the timeline doesn't match. In the original work, before Tang San went to Sea God Island, Tang Xiao mentioned that Tang Chen had left 30 years prior, meaning after the two brothers had set out to experience life on the continent.
(End of Chapter)
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