The iceflames burned fiercely. Under the erosion of the biting cold, the Slaughter King was sealed within ice.
But Mu Yang did not stop there. While controlling the Iceflame Dragon to continue spewing its inferno, a meter-long Iceflame Spear condensed in his hand. Within the Killing God Domain, endless killing intent poured in, rapidly shaping the Slaughter Iceflame Spear.
The next instant, under Mu Yang's spiritual control, the formed spear, carrying boundless murderous intent, shot forth as a streak of icy-blue light.
"Whoosh—"
In a flash, the Iceflame Spear struck true, piercing the Slaughter King's right arm encased in ice.
"Boom—"
A muffled explosion sounded. Under the special impact formed by combining the Iceflame Secret Art with domain power, the Slaughter King's right arm, frozen solid by the flames, together with part of its right shoulder, shattered instantly into countless fine crystalline shards.
With just one Iceflame Spear blasting apart the Slaughter King's arm, the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow condensed another spear in its hand, preparing to continue, aiming to cripple all of the Slaughter King's limbs.
If the Slaughter King's four limbs were destroyed, then even if Tang Chen's consciousness returned and regained control of his body, what waves could he stir?
And the reason Mu Yang wanted to cripple the Slaughter King's limbs before taking its life was simple—he could not strike a fatal blow before rendering it helpless.
Faced with an unavoidable mortal strike, the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King would surely adopt the mindset of "even if I die, I'll drag another down with me," releasing its hold on Tang Chen. If that happened, Mu Yang's opponent would no longer be the so-called "trash" Slaughter King, but the half-god-level Tang Chen.
And Tang Chen's half-god strength was not comparable to the "pseudo-half-gods" Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi, whose strength came from divine trials.
Even in the past, before undertaking the Asura God's trials, Tang Chen's strength was already on par with the likes of Qian Daoliu. Now, with his Asura trial progressed to the Eighth Test, his power was assuredly far beyond what it once was.
Even though the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow had stepped into god level, Mu Yang dared not be careless. After all, the Great Sumeru Hammer was indeed formidable. If Tang Chen exploded his spirit rings, his combat strength could certainly reach god level as well.
At present, Mu Yang's goal was simple: while the "bronze-tier player," the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat, had stolen the account of "Land's Invincible," the king-tier player, he would cripple that king's account as much as possible. Then, when Tang Chen himself "logged back in," Mu Yang could claim the kill at the lowest cost.
But just then, an unexpected change occurred.
Through the raging flames, Mu Yang saw the frozen Slaughter King's body suddenly radiate a faint crimson glow.
As the crimson glow spread, its pale face was replaced with an unhealthy flush. The blood-red wings upon its back shattered inch by inch. Its long crimson hair and scarlet eyes turned pitch black.
What drew Mu Yang's attention most, however, was the golden-red sword mark that emerged upon its brow. It emanated a strange and dignified aura, identical to the mark that had appeared on Mu Yang's own forehead after beginning the Asura God's trial.
At this moment, Mu Yang clearly sensed it—the Slaughter King's aura was climbing without pause. In just a few breaths, it had reached the very pinnacle below god level.
"Boom—"
The next second, the Slaughter King shattered its icy prison. Its entire aura erupted, blasting away every trace of iceflame clinging to its body.
"Tang Chen…"
Seeing Tang Chen revived, Mu Yang's expression grew grave.
The instant he reclaimed control of his body, Tang Chen, exuding a sinister aura, raised his left hand. A flicker of dark light appeared—manifesting the pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer. Nine spirit rings of black, black, black, black, black, black, black, red, and red radiated into existence.
Then, the seventh ring glowed. Dark light surged, condensing the massive Clear Sky True Body.
"Despicable insects! To dare harm my body—you are utterly unforgivable!"
With a furious roar, Tang Chen, suffused with evil aura, swung the colossal black hammer of the Clear Sky True Body straight at the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow.
In response, the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow weaved rapidly through the air, narrowly dodging the overwhelming strike.
But staring at Tang Chen, whose body radiated unrestrained evil, Mu Yang felt perplexed.
This was not what he had expected.
Though Tang Chen had been parasitized for years by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, and as the Slaughter King had bathed in endless blood, now that he had regained his body—shouldn't the aura of one chosen by the Asura God be different?
After all, the Asura God was not a god of goodness, but neither was it evil. It walked the path of pure slaughter. Its aura was cold, merciless, but not tainted with corruption. Pure killing intent, yes—but never evil.
Suddenly, Mu Yang realized a crucial detail.
In the original story, Tang Chen's consciousness had returned only because Tang San used the Sea God's Trident to summon the Sea God's Light, purifying the evil aura upon the Slaughter King. That allowed Tang Chen to free himself from the bat king's parasitism, awaken from corruption, complete the Eighth Asura Test, and gain the recognition of the Asura God Sword.
But here, Mu Yang had not purified the Slaughter King's evil aura. Although Tang Chen had shaken off the bat king's possession and reclaimed his body, he had not escaped the clutches of the Rakshasa God. He had not yet reclaimed his true self from within evil.
Which meant the Tang Chen before him was not the one he expected. This was Tang Chen's evil consciousness!
The difference was just like Qian Renxue versus Dark Qian Renxue.
"Hmph! Without the Asura God Sword, relying solely on the Great Sumeru Hammer—no matter if you call yourself Land's Invincible—you're nothing to me!"
Having pieced together the truth, Mu Yang now felt an even greater certainty that he could claim Tang Chen's head.
"Bloodthirsty, wicked fiend! If you escape today, the world will drown in slaughter. For the sake of billions of lives across the continent, I, Mu Yang, will burn you to ashes this day!"
Seizing the moral high ground, Mu Yang declared loudly. With a thought, the Iceflame Spear in his hand streaked forth as icy-blue light, shooting straight toward the corrupted Tang Chen.
"Whoosh—"
The piercing sound of the strike echoed as the spear-light crossed the sky in an instant, slamming into the chest of the Evil Tang Chen's Clear Sky True Body.
"Boom—"
Blue light flared. Killing intent surged. With a violent explosion, Mu Yang saw cracks spread across the Clear Sky True Body, as though it might collapse completely in the very next second.
The countless shards of iceflame left behind by the spear's detonation clung tightly to the True Body, burning it further.
Tang Chen truly lived up to the title of Land's Invincible. Even without regaining his true self, he still possessed astonishing might. Though the Iceflame Spear was formidable, it had not been enough to shatter his Clear Sky True Body in a single strike.