Time shifted back slightly.
At the very moment when the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, knowing it had no way to survive, released its hold on Tang Chen in a desperate attempt to perish together, allowing his evil thoughts to return
In the God Realm, within a majestic blood-colored temple, a towering figure seated upon the divine throne slowly opened his godly eyes.
"So soon, the Fifth Trial has already been completed?"
The towering figure muttered, his divine gaze piercing space to fall upon the Douluo Continent.
"Hm~? This little one has grown this quickly?"
Watching the god-level Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow unleashed by Mu Yang and Shui Bing'er, the Asura God could not help but be taken aback.
Then, the corner of the Asura God's lips curled into a faint smile. Without a trace, he slightly increased the difficulty of Mu Yang's divine examination.
Since the young man was proving excessively outstanding, why not give him a bit more burden?
Watching Tang Chen's lifeless body plummet from the skies to the earth, Mu Yang let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The Clear Sky Sect had long since been destroyed. And now, even Tang Chen himself had fallen by his hand. The once number-one sect under heaven had at last been reduced completely to the dust of history.
With a flap of the icy wings on his back, the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow descended. After dispersing the Martial Soul Fusion technique, Mu Yang stepped forward to collect the soul bones dropped upon Tang Chen's death—only to suddenly notice a red glow rising from Tang Chen's corpse.
In the next instant, a blood-colored orb floated up from the body.
Immediately after, the orb twisted and warped, transforming into a blood-red giant sword over two meters in length.
The long, broad blade was covered with dark-golden demonic patterns. The entirely blood-hued sword emanated a chilling aura of slaughter. Though it simply floated silently in midair without releasing overt pressure, it still gave the impression of a peerless weapon of destruction.
"What is that?"
Sensing the murderous aura radiating from the blood-red greatsword, Shui Bing'er could not help but ask.
"The Asura Divine Sword!"
Mu Yang recognized it at once.
In the original, Tang Chen's Eighth Trial had been to gain recognition from the Asura Divine Sword. After completing the Eight Trials, he would directly wield the sword. That it had resided within Tang Chen's body all along made sense.
And now, with the trial's candidate dead, the examination naturally ended, and the Asura Divine Sword emerged.
Studying the sword, Mu Yang prepared to step forward and take this super divine weapon into his possession.
If it had been the divine weapon of some other deity, he would never have dared act rashly.
For unless a god had already perished, every divine weapon had a master. To seize it for himself would be impossible. But the Asura Divine Sword was different.
As the super divine weapon of the Asura God King, the sword could not possibly harm its inheritor and next master, could it?
Yet just as Mu Yang's hand was about to touch the Asura Divine Sword, a low hum rang out. A gentle repulsive force burst forth, knocking his reaching hand aside.
Immediately after, the sword rose into the air, releasing a crimson slash. A black fissure tore open in space, and the sword turned into a streak of blood-colored light, vanishing into the rift.
Watching the rapidly closing crack in the air, Mu Yang's face darkened.
What an impolite sword! It didn't even give a single word of greeting before leaving.
Shaking his head, he cast the matter aside and instead stepped forward to collect the five soul bones Tang Chen had dropped.
The five bones glimmered brilliantly. None were hundred-thousand-year top-tier bones, but judging by the energy they released, each was no less than fifty-thousand years old.
A pity—there was no right arm bone.
Not because Tang Chen had lacked a full set. As one of the continent's strongest, Tang Chen had naturally been fully equipped with six soul bones.
But when the Ice Phoenix Flame Shadow had ascended to god-level, Mu Yang's Iceflame Spear that shattered Tang Chen's right arm had simultaneously destroyed the right arm bone.
The attacks of a god-level expert might not so easily shatter top-tier hundred-thousand-year soul bones, but for anything less, it was entirely possible. Under god-level might, bones under that level could indeed be broken.
After gathering his spoils, Mu Yang summoned a flame of ice to burn Tang Chen's corpse into white ash. Only then did he have the leisure to check his divine trial progress.
As early as when Tang Chen's evil thoughts had returned, his Fifth Asura Trial had already been completed—he had simply been too busy fighting to look.
Sinking his consciousness into his sea of awareness, Mu Yang saw words glowing across the trial's screen:
[Fifth Trial of the Asura Nine Trials: Eradicate the Evil Beast — Completed! Reward: Asura God Affinity +15%; Slaying the fallen King of Slaughter — Over-completed! Extra Reward: One God-bestowed Spirit Ring.]
The next moment, golden-red light burst from the sword mark at his brow, forming a shining screen before him. Then the screen shattered, the fragments of golden-red light flowing back into his body.
In that instant, Mu Yang felt subtle transformations once more taking place within him.
The first trial had given him +5% affinity. The second and third, +10% each. The fourth and fifth, +15% each. Now, with the fifth complete, his Asura God affinity had accumulated to 55%.
Excluding the final Ninth Trial, there still remained the sixth, seventh, and eighth. Once completed, without accident, his affinity would exceed 100%.
For the higher the trial, the greater the affinity rewarded.
Withdrawing his consciousness, Mu Yang saw a red beam of light descend from the sky before him. When the glow faded, it revealed a golden orb.
Seeing it, Mu Yang eagerly collected the god-bestowed spirit ring, his face alight as he turned toward Shui Bing'er.
Over-completing the trial had granted him an additional god-bestowed spirit ring. But would Shui Bing'er also receive such a reward?
If both did, then they need not worry about filling the eighth and ninth rings of their Iceflame Holy Shadow Spirit—they could simply condense two god-bestowed rings of 999,999 years each.
Sure enough, Shui Bing'er did not disappoint. As the divine trial screen appeared before her, it shattered into golden-red light and sank back into her brow. At once, her aura surged dramatically upward, and a red light descended.
When it dissipated, it revealed yet another golden orb-shaped god-bestowed ring before her.
"Hehe~. Lord Asura God said I over-completed the trial. My original reward of one level of spirit power was doubled to two levels, and I was also given a god-bestowed spirit ring."
Smiling, Shui Bing'er handed the ring to Mu Yang.
Her ninth ring already had a designated target, so she had no need of this.
"Then I won't be polite!"
Mu Yang accepted the god-bestowed ring with great delight.