The freezing gales of the Frostfall Province howled relentlessly against the jagged peaks of the northern mountain ranges. Deep within the heart of the highest summit, entirely shielded from the harsh elements by profound spirit formations, Zhang Tian sat cross-legged upon a smooth slab of glacial ice. The cavern was silent, save for the rhythmic, pulsing hum of his Life Spirit Core rotating steadily within his dantian.
Having successfully defended Seven Treasure City and sent the remnants of the southern alliance scattering back to their borders in humiliating defeat, Zhang Tian had returned to his territory to enter deep seclusion. He had tasted the apex of mortal combat, and the experience had only sharpened his hunger for ultimate mastery.
Hovering gently above his open palms was a small, writhing cluster of pale violet energy laced with pulsing black veins.
This was the Spirit Origin he had violently extracted from Tang San's thigh using his Blood Silver God spirit during the final moments of the war.
Zhang Tian's icy blue eyes narrowed as he focused his immense, Limit Douluo-level mental force entirely upon the captured essence. He was deeply fascinated by the conceptual structure of the Death Attribute contained within this stolen origin. It was fundamentally, structurally distinct from anything he had previously comprehended.
'My own understanding of the Death Laws is intrinsically tethered to my Life Attribute,' Zhang Tian analyzed, his mind diving into the microscopic layers of the violent energy. 'To me, death has always been the natural, inevitable cessation of vitality. It is the autumn leaf falling, the withering of the branch. It is the absence of life, a passive void created when I forcefully extract the ambient life energy from an organism.'
He watched the pale violet energy snap and hiss against his spiritual constraints, trying to aggressively rot the air around it.
'But this... this is entirely different,' Zhang Tian noted, a cold smile of genuine academic appreciation touching his lips. 'Tang San's Death Attribute was forged in the bloody crucible of the Slaughter City and forcefully catalyzed by the venom of a ninety-thousand-year-old Death Demon Spider King. It is not a passive void. It is an aggressive, predatory termination. It does not wait for life to end; it actively invades, corrupts, and slaughters. It is a much deeper, more vicious manifestation of the Death Laws.'
This profound realization sparked a brilliant, theoretical cascade within his strategic mind. If he could successfully isolate this predatory Death Law and seamlessly link it with his own diverse elemental attributes, the resulting chemical and spiritual reactions would be devastating.
'If I fuse this aggressive Death Attribute with my Flame Attribute,' Zhang Tian theorized, his eyes gleaming, 'the resulting fire would not merely burn physical matter; it would consume the target's lifespan, reducing them to literal ash. Fusing it with the Ice Attribute would create an absolute, necrotic zero—a stillness that freezes the very flow of a Spirit Master's meridians permanently. And combining it with the Thunder Attribute... it would mimic the lethal, unforgiving nature of a heavenly tribulation, destroying the soul as effectively as the body.'
The possibilities were limitless, but they required a flawless, monumental foundation to execute without suffering a catastrophic backlash.
Using this stolen Death Attribute from Tang San's spirit as a foundational blueprint, and carefully combining it with his own profound comprehension of Death derived from the Life Attribute, Zhang Tian formulated an unprecedented plan.
He was currently standing firmly at the bottleneck of the Level 79 Spirit Saint realm. He could feel the threshold of the Spirit Douluo realm approaching. He would definitely break through to Level 80 within the next few months. When that monumental moment arrived, he did not intend to simply hunt a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast for his next ring.
Instead, he planned to use his newly perfected understanding of the Death Laws to actively manipulate the ambient energies of the world. He would draw upon massive, continental amounts of Death Attribute from the Heaven and Earth, funneling it into his own core to self-condense his Eighth Spirit Ring. It would be a ring composed purely of the Death Attribute, a perfect, dark mirror to his overarching Life Spirit Core.
He had a distinct, resonating feeling deep within his spiritual sea that his Blood Silver God spirit would be able to advance a step further toward true divinity if he could successfully accomplish this self-condensation.
However, manipulating worldly laws to forge a spirit ring from thin air was not a simple task. It required an overwhelming volume of simultaneous calculations, elemental balancing, and spatial anchoring.
"Blood Silver Mirage Clones," Zhang Tian murmured softly.
His deep red sixth spirit ring flashed. The air around him distorted as seven flawless, identical duplicates of himself stepped out from his aura. They surrounded the glacial slab, their eyes fixed on the writhing violet energy.
"Divide the elemental integration theories," the main body commanded. "I require the structural matrices for the Death-Flame, Death-Ice, and Death-Thunder fusions mapped out flawlessly before my breakthrough."
The seven clones nodded in perfect synchronization, immediately sitting down in a wide circle. They closed their eyes, plunging into a shared, hyper-accelerated state of meditative processing to help him speed up the complex integration of the Death Attribute. The cavern fell silent once more, the Lord of the North isolating himself to forge the key to his next evolution.
Hundreds of thousands of miles away, the atmosphere within the fortified, mountainous Dukedom of the Clear Sky Sect in the Star Luo Empire was the exact opposite of tranquil. It was a suffocating, deeply somber portrait of grief and shattered pride.
The central healing halls of the sect reeked of bitter medicinal herbs and the metallic scent of old blood. The invasion force had returned in absolute disgrace.
Tang Hao lay unconscious on a massive stone bed, his chest wrapped tightly in thick, spirit-infused bandages.
The backlash of the Ring Explosion had nearly torn his heart in two.
On the adjacent bed, Tang Xiao rested with a shallow, ragged breathing pattern, his ribcage having required extensive, painful realignment after being crushed by Zhang Tian's bare hands while the other injuries were from Ah Yin.
Even the remaining four elders, the only survivors of the eight who had faced the golden angel, sat in the corners of the hall, meditating desperately to purge the lingering holy fire from their battered meridians.
Tang Chen stood near the arched window of the healing hall, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared out over the rugged terrain of his sect's new home.
The legendary Limit Douluo possessed a deeply somber expression. The arrogance that had fueled their grand southern alliance had been entirely, violently extinguished in the courtyard of Seven Treasure City. He now knew with chilling certainty that with their current, fractured strength, they could not hope to even win a skirmish against Zhang Tian's group, let alone a full-scale war.
'That youth...' Tang Chen thought, his jaw tightening as he recalled the clash. 'Zhang Tian himself fought against Tang Xiao, a Super Douluo, and beat him effortlessly with nothing but his physical body. He even possesses a Self-Created Spirit Skill fusing multiple ultimate elements that flawlessly blocked Tang Hao's Great Sumeru Hammer—an attack that stands at the very peak of a Level 98 Super Douluo's pure destructive power. He fought to a standstill without losing a single breath, despite only being a Spirit Saint.'
Tang Chen's mind drifted to the other monsters surrounding the boy.
'And that crimson-haired woman, Ah Yin... she fought and thoroughly defeated Tang Hao. Her strength and combat power are far too profound. Then there was my old friend's granddaughter, Qian Renxue. She showed exactly how terrifying a true God-Level Spirit is. Her Seraphim spirit, wielding Ultimate Light and Ultimate Flame perfectly in the fight against my elders... she killed four Titled Douluos as if they were mere flies. She is a generational genius, her cultivation speed and combat power defying all logic.'
He closed his eyes, the image of his great-grandson being thrown around by a feline shadow flashing in his mind.
'And even that young woman with the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. At merely the Spirit Saint level, she completely suppressed and beat Xiao San, a Spirit Douluo. With just the Clear Sky Sect, the fractured remnants of the Star Luo Empire's sects, and the Imperial Family, it is an impossibility to win against Zhang Tian's faction. Spirit Hall, and that Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect.'
If the Spirit Hall fully committed its armies to the field, the Star Luo Empire would be erased from the map within a year.
Tang Chen knew that he had to secure the assistance of a top-tier, unassailable faction to balance the scales. And the only entity on the entire Douluo Continent that possessed the raw, divine power to match the Spirit Hall and Zhang Tian's monsters was none other than Sea God Island.
To secure this alliance, Tang Chen knew he would have to put down his legendary pride. He would have to travel across the treacherous ocean and personally seek the assistance of Bo Saixi, the High Priestess of the Sea God.
'But the situation is grave,' Tang Chen reasoned, his dark eyes opening to stare at the distant clouds. 'The attack on the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect was nothing less than a formal declaration of war. They will definitely retaliate once Zhang Tian and his formidable generation have grown just a bit more. If I simply ask Bo Saixi for help, she might not come out to assist me. Her sworn, eternal duty is to remain at Sea God Island and protect the legacy from any external threats. She is bound by the laws of Sea God Island and to Lord Sea God.'
The only entity who could command Bo Saixi to step out of the Sea God Island and bring her vast, oceanic power to the mainland to help them was the Sea God himself.
But Tang Chen was a terrestrial warrior; he had absolutely no way to come into direct contact with the great Sea God, nor did he know of any current Sea God inheritor.
'That can only be done if someone successfully activates the Sea God Nine Trials,' Tang Chen concluded, a desperate, brilliant plan forming in his mind.
He turned his gaze toward the far corner of the room, where Tang San lay on a smaller cot, his breathing erratic. Tang Chen planned to have his great-grandson travel to the coast and try his luck at Sea God Island. He needed to see which level of God Trials the boy could receive. Given Tang San's twin spirits and exceptional willpower, it would be best if he triggered the legendary Sea God Nine Trials—a phenomenon that had never been seen in the mortal world. If Tang San became the recognized successor of the ocean, Bo Saixi and the formidable Sea Dragon Douluos would have no choice but to follow his commands and march against the north.
Well, for that grand scheme to work, Tang San had to physically and spiritually recover first.
The thing that Tang Chen found deeply disheartening was the state of the boy's foundation. During their hasty retreat, Tang Chen had inspected the wound on Tang San's thigh. He realized with a heavy heart that Zhang Tian had actually devoured a highly concentrated, vital bit of the Spirit Origin belonging to his great-grandson's Deathly Spirit Grass. The violent extraction had caused the foundational structure of the Death Attribute to become somewhat weaker and fragmented compared to before.
He first had to help Tang San recover this lost attribute before sending him to face the judgment of the sea.
Tang San woke up from his unconscious state a full three days later.
He gasped, his deep purple eyes snapping open as he instinctively tried to summon his vines, only to feel a sharp, hollow ache deep within his spiritual sea.
"Rest, Xiao San," Tang Chen instructed gently, stepping up to the side of the cot. "You are safe within the sect."
Tang San gritted his teeth, sitting up slowly as the memories of the crushing defeat flooded his mind. He looked down at his bandaged thigh, feeling the missing piece of his soul. When his great-grandfather asked him how he could possibly recover the volatile Death Attribute which had been stolen by Zhang Tian, Tang San's face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated anger.
"He stole it," Tang San hissed, his fists clenching until his knuckles turned white. "That bastard stole the very origin of my spirit to ensure I cannot recover to my peak."
He took a deep, ragged breath, forcing his anger down to focus on the pragmatic solution.
"Great-grandfather," Tang San spoke, his voice tight but analytical. "The physical wound will heal, but for the severe injury to the Spirit Origin of my Deathly Spirit Grass, mundane herbs will not suffice. To rebuild the foundation, I first need you to acquire the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng."
Tang Chen's eyebrows rose slightly. He knew of the legendary herb.
"It is currently kept closely guarded by the patriarch of the Speed Clan," Tang San explained, his eyes gleaming with a calculating light. "The Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng can be considered the absolute Ginseng Empress, standing second only to a mythical ninth-grade, ninety-thousand-year-old Ginseng Emperor. When the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng is naturally grown, it already inherently acquires the eighth grade of quality. It only needs ten thousand years of cultivation to automatically turn into the ninth grade, whereas other ordinary ginsengs require ten thousand years for each individual grade starting from the lowest."
Tang San detailed the specific, identifying features to ensure no mistakes were made. "It is a more than one foot long ginseng. Surprisingly, this ginseng possesses a body that is entirely blood red—a kind of sparkling, highly crystalline blood red. It has very slender, blood-colored ginseng roots that resemble veins. On the main body is a distinct layer of protrusions that smoothly connect together, forming a peculiar, natural design. This design looks exactly like a five-clawed dragon flying toward the ninth heaven."
This was not a complicated or dangerous task for Tang Chen. The Speed Clan, having suffered devastating losses during the siege of Seven Treasure City, was currently sheltering under the direct protection of the Clear Sky Sect. Even though most of their elite elders had died in the attack, the few remaining elders were back at their clan compound, entirely reliant on Tang Chen's good graces to survive the political fallout within the Star Luo Empire. They absolutely would not dare to deny the Limit Douluo's direct order, even if they were demanded to hand over their most precious, ancestral grass.
"I will have it brought to you by nightfall," Tang Chen promised, turning toward the door.
"There is one more thing, Great-grandfather," Tang San called out, stopping the older man in his tracks.
Tang San's expression grew deeply serious, masking his underlying, ruthless ambition with a facade of tragic necessity.
"The Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng will just help me repair the physical damage and recover the base spirit origin of my Deathly Spirit Grass, ensuring that my overall cultivation talent remains as good as before the theft," Tang San explained carefully. "But that is merely returning to the starting line. I cannot defeat Zhang Tian by remaining stagnant. I need to actively strengthen my Death Attribute far beyond its previous limits."
Tang Chen turned back, a slight frown creasing his brow. "And how do you propose we achieve this rapid strengthening, Xiao San?"
Tang San looked directly into his great-grandfather's eyes, keeping his voice entirely calm and pragmatic. "It has to be done by killing at least tens of thousands of living beings and systematically absorbing the pure Death Attribute released immediately after their passing."
The request hung in the quiet healing hall like a heavy, suffocating shroud.
This was a shocking, deeply unsettling method which caused even the battle-hardened Tang Chen to be somewhat worried. The Limit Douluo frowned deeply, stepping back toward the cot.
"Xiao San," Tang Chen spoke, his voice carrying a stern warning. "What you are suggesting... this is far too similar to the depraved practices of the Evil Spirit Masters. To slaughter masses solely to harvest their passing energy... it is a path that courts madness and invites the wrath of the heavens. We are the Clear Sky Sect. We do not engage in wanton massacres for personal gain."
Tang San had anticipated this exact moral resistance. He maintained his hypocritical, pure and clean persona effortlessly, having long since convinced himself that his actions were always justified by his righteous goals. He did not view himself as evil; he viewed himself as a necessary instrument of justice against the true evil that was Zhang Tian.
"Great-grandfather, please understand," Tang San reassured him earnestly, his tone dripping with earnest conviction. "It is fundamentally different from the vile methods used by those Evil Spirit Masters that are locked away in the Slaughter City. They slaughter to absorb the victims' raw spirit power and tortured souls, which inevitably pollutes their own minds and mutates their bodies with impure resentment."
Tang San gestured to his bandaged leg. "I am not absorbing their cultivation or their souls. I am merely acting as a conduit for the natural laws of the world. When a beast dies, the concept of death briefly manifests. I am just capturing and strengthening the pure Death Attribute of my spirit rather than enhancing my raw Spirit Power. Because of this, my Spirit Power will not suffer any impurities or demonic backlash. It will remain perfectly clean. Having my Death Attribute strengthened in this manner will greatly, safely enhance my potential to protect our family."
He bowed his head slightly, playing the role of the burdened savior. "It is a heavy, unfortunate burden I must bear to ensure we have the strength to defeat the monsters threatening our sect. It is the way of nature; beasts die every day in the wild, and I simply intend to recycle their passing attribute so it does not go to waste."
Tang Chen stared at the young man. Despite his legendary pride and his strict adherence to orthodox martial honor, he found himself slowly accepting the flawless, logical acrobatics of this method. He understood the brutal, uncompromising reality of their situation: to enhance the potential of his great-grandson after their devastating loss, and to secure a weapon capable of killing Zhang Tian, this was something that simply had to be done.
Moreover, Tang Chen thought to himself secretly, looking at the boy's determined face. 'The higher my great-grandson's potential climbs, the better the chance for him to successfully activate the legendary Sea God Nine Trials through his raw aptitude when the time finally comes. The ocean respects power above all else.'
"Very well, Xiao San," Tang Chen agreed, his voice heavy with reluctant resignation. "I will secure the ginseng first. Once you are healed, we will make the necessary arrangements."
He deliberately didn't tell his great-grandson about his grand, overarching plan to take him to the Sea God Island just yet. He wanted the boy focused entirely on his recovery, rather than feeling the crushing pressure of the sect's entire salvation resting on his shoulders.
The recovery process took several grueling weeks.
The patriarch of the Speed Clan handed over the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng with trembling hands, fearing the wrath of the Limit Douluo more than the loss of his clan's treasure.
Sitting in a secure meditation chamber, Tang San consumed the crystalline, blood-red roots. The medicinal effect was immediate and profound. The pure, legendary vitality of the ginseng surged through his meridians like a river of fire. It helped Tang San recover rapidly from his physical injuries, regenerating the torn muscle tissue in his thigh flawlessly. It replenished his lost spirit power, making his internal reserves noticeably denser and more refined than before. Most importantly, it successfully bridged the gap in his spiritual sea, fully recovering the lost, vital fragment of the Spirit Origin belonging to his Deathly Spirit Grass.
After ensuring his own foundation was completely stabilized, Tang San turned his attention to his family.
He utilized his unparalleled, past-life medicinal skills, combining the leftover remnants of the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng with various other rare, high-tier herbs that had been frantically acquired by the surviving members of the Clear Sky Sect. These herbs, which had been growing undisturbed for centuries in the various ancient, dangerous forests scattered throughout the Star Luo Empire, were refined in his smelting cauldrons.
Tang San spent days hovering over the fires, carefully regulating the temperatures to create highly potent healing pills and restorative elixirs.
He personally administered these medicines to his father, Tang Hao, his Uncle Tang Xiao, and the four elders who were deeply, fundamentally injured from the holy fire and the brutal melee.
Although the severe, foundational injuries suffered by Tang Hao and Tang Xiao meant they didn't recover their full combat strength immediately, the elixirs worked miracles on their shattered meridians. They were stabilized, and Tang San assured his great-grandfather that they would recover fully after a few months of quiet meditation without any lingering issues, completely avoiding any hidden injuries that could permanently cripple their future cultivation.
Once the immediate health of the sect's leadership was firmly secured, Tang Chen took Tang San secretly into the night. It was time to start the grim, bloody process of killing tens of thousands of living individuals to recover and even massively strengthen his Death Attribute.
For this daunting task, over the course of the next few weeks, Tang Chen deliberately took Tang San far away from the populated cities of the Star Luo Empire, traveling directly to the expansive, treacherous southern coast bordered by the vast sea.
Tang Chen served as an unwavering guardian and mentor, plunging into the crashing waves alongside the youth. He helped Tang San get used to the unique, challenges of fighting deep underwater, adjusting his hammer swings to account for the heavy aquatic resistance.
They began their systematic hunt. They didn't target humans; they targeted the sprawling, massive schools of Sea Spirit Beasts.
They ruthlessly killed more than tens of thousands of aquatic spirit beasts. Although the vast majority of them were only hundred-year-old or, at best, thousand-year-old creatures, the sheer volume of the slaughter was staggering. They destroyed entire, massive groups of Sea Spirit Beasts, turning the coastal waters a murky, frothing red.
True to his theory, as the beasts died, Tang San activated his Deathly Spirit Grass. The pale violet vines lashed out, absorbing the faint, lingering concept of death released by the expiring creatures. The continuous, steady influx of the Death Attribute successfully helped recover the volatile edge of his spirit, and soon began to actively strengthen Tang San's Death Attribute beyond its previous limitations.
Tang Chen, ever the cautious tactician, made absolutely sure they targeted schools of Sea Spirit Beasts located very far from the legendary coordinates of Sea God Island. He knew that if they recklessly caused some major ecological conflict or drew the ire of the Sea God Island's patrols before they were ready to formally present themselves, that would be catastrophically bad for their chances of securing an alliance.
In this bloody, repetitive process of aquatic genocide, they acquired a large lot of Spirit Bones from the fallen beasts. However, because the beasts were of such low cultivation age, all of the bones were mostly useless for combat enhancement. Tang Chen didn't discard them; he methodically gathered and stored them in his high-capacity Storage Spirit Tool. He planned to sell them in bulk to the Star Luo Empire's treasuries later to secure some much-needed capital to rebuild his impoverished Clear Sky Sect.
During the third week of the hunt, a profound, unexpected anomaly occurred.
While floating in the blood-stained water, absorbing the death aura of a massive school of thousand-year-old swordfish, Tang San noticed a strange, cooling sensation flowing alongside the necrotic energy. The Death Attribute that Tang San had been eagerly absorbing actually also brought him distinct, pure traces of the Water Attribute.
Tang San paused his slaughter, examining the pale violet vines wrapping around his arms. They felt slicker, more hydrated. He quickly analyzed his internal energy flow and realized exactly why this was happening. He acquired this unexpected attribute through the continuous, subconscious circulation of his Mysterious Heaven Skill.
The profound, internal martial art from his past life was acting as a highly efficient filter. Because he had systematically killed and absorbed the Death Attribute from so many aquatic Sea Spirit Beasts, the Mysterious Heaven Skill had naturally filtered the ambient, dominant elemental affinity of those specific beasts, isolating and helping him passively acquire this Water Attribute, weaving it directly into his plant spirit's foundation.
Naturally, keeping his deepest secrets guarded even from his family, he didn't tell his great-grandfather that this miraculous adaptation was the direct result due to his hidden Mysterious Heaven Skill. He merely presented the shifting aura of his vines.
When Tang Chen saw his great-grandson unexpectedly acquire a potent Water Attribute out of thin air, the Limit Douluo was momentarily confused. But that confusion was instantly replaced by a profound, internal delight.
'The heavens truly favor our lineage,' Tang Chen thought, watching the water bend slightly around Tang San's hands. 'This makes the chance of my great-grandson successfully activating the Sea God Nine Trials much, much greater! A natural affinity for water is the perfect key to unlocking the ocean's legacy.'
But he maintained his stoic exterior, choosing not to tell his great-grandson about his grand plan or his joy just yet, not wanting to put unnecessary, distracting pressure on the boy's shoulders while he was focused on his evolution.
Seeing the incredible benefits of the aquatic slaughter, Tang Chen decided to escalate the difficulty.
"You are ready for the deep, Xiao San," Tang Chen declared.
Thus, Tang Chen took him further out into the treacherous, deep ocean trenches. They began to freely, aggressively slaughter some much more powerful Sea Spirit Beast groups. These apex predators boasted a formidable cultivation of ten thousand years old, and some ancient leviathans even stood at fifty thousand years old. The battles grew fiercer, testing Tang San's reflexes and the durability of his Clear Sky Hammer against crushing jaws and pressurized water jets.
The hunt continued relentlessly. Within the span of the next few months, their kill count reached staggering proportions. They methodically killed more than thirty thousand spirit beasts, and most of this recent haul were at the tens-of-thousands-year-old tier, providing a massive, overwhelming influx of high-quality death and aquatic energy.
And thus, bathed in the blood of the ocean, Tang San's Deathly Spirit Grass had once again undergone a profound, structural transformation.
This time, the mutation was not born of poison, but of the abyss. It was the flawless addition of the powerful, flowing water attribute. The very shape and texture of his Deathly Spirit Grass had changed dramatically. The vines lost their rigid, thorny appearance. They became much stronger, possessing the tensile strength of deep-sea cables, yet they also grew infinitely more flexible and strangely softer to the touch, capable of whipping and flowing like liquid currents.
It could be considered to have evolved entirely into a brand new Martial Spirit. As he meditated on the ocean floor, communicating deeply with the origin of his spirit, Tang San felt the resonance of the new laws woven into his soul. He received the profound, undisputed name for his new weapon.
Deathly Sea Vine.
It would be the new, terrifying name of his spirit, an instrument of slaughter perfectly adapted to conquer the ocean's depths.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels [Villain: Manipulating The Heroines Into Hating The Protagonist] and [Harem Master: Seduction System].
Also, check out 20 Chapters Ahead for this fanfic on my P.atreon. [Check Out Art Of Characters On My Patreon. It's Free To View btw.]
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