Douluo Dalu:Breaking Clan

The Emperor Xue Ye who had governed the Heaven Dou Empire for many years and established a strong foundation, immediately summoned Marshal Ge Long and the three members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Board. These four were among the rare powerhouses within the Heaven Dou Empire.

At the same time, he issued a decree passing the throne to Xue Ke, appointing Marshal Ge Long and Prince Xue Xing as her regents. The three board members, along with the majority of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's faculty and students, were called into the palace to assist Princess Xue Ke.

In this way, the Heaven Dou Empire's government was barely stabilized. Simultaneously, attempts were made to win over the Clear Sky Clan and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan. Tang San was conferred the title of Blue Vast King and tasked with assisting Princess Xue Ke.

Perhaps out of concern that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan might interfere excessively in royal affairs, Ning Fengzhi himself was not granted any titles. Instead, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and the Clear Sky Clan were both named Protector Clans of the Nation, pledging to advance and retreat together with the royal family.

In addition,Emperor Xue Ye sent a letter to the Heaven Dou Empire's guest elder Dugu Bo, hoping he would come to Heaven Dou City to assist in stabilizing the situation. Unfortunately, the letter seemed to disappear into the void, and Dugu Bo offered no response.

Despite all these measures, the Emperor Xue Ye himself was at the end of his strength and soon passed away.

With the support of various factions, Princess Xue Ke formally ascended the throne, becoming the first empress in the history of the Heaven Dou Empire.

However, the Heaven Dou Empire faced both internal and external crises. Within the empire, the stances of major kingdoms and duchies were unclear. This included the Barak Kingdom, the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom, the Silvis Kingdom, and numerous small duchies such as the Gore Kingdom. While these entities ostensibly supported Princess Xue Ke's ascension, they showed no actual commitment.

These kingdoms and duchies collectively occupied four provinces of the Heaven Dou Empire, which bordered both the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire. Although these provinces were smaller in area and population density compared to the central Heaven Dou region, their loss represented nearly 30% of the empire's territory.

Faced with this situation, the empire could not afford to send troops to subdue them, as the Spirit Hall remained the foremost enemy.

After the coup, Tang San and his companions felt an even greater urgency to improve their strength. Thus, the seven of them planned to head to Vast Sea City and set sail, with cultivating on Sea God Island becoming an obsession for Tang San.

Yang Podi, however, paid no attention to these trivial matters. He had already made ample preparations to return to the Slaughter City.

Regarding the Slaughter King, Yang Podi still harbored some apprehension. In terms of raw power, Yang Podi estimated that he now surpassed Tang Chen. However, Tang Chen had undergone the Eight Trials of Asura, allowing him to wield a portion of the power of the Asura God. To some extent, Tang Chen could already be considered a demigod.

Moreover, Tang Chen possessed the Asura Demon Sword, a true super divine artifact whose power augmentation was likely unimaginable.

In the original story, Tang San, merely a newly ascended Titled Douluo, managed to gravely injure Bibi Dong with the Sea God Trident, a divine artifact. The Asura Demon Sword was even mightier than the Sea God Trident.

In the original tale, Tang San narrowly defeated Tang Chen, who was already gravely poisoned, and even then, he relied on the Sea God Trident and the power of the Sea God's Light. This was undoubtedly one of Tang San's most challenging battles.

When Yang Podi entered the Slaughter City, the entire place was thrown into chaos. After all, Yang Podi had left the Slaughter City less than ten years ago, and many people still vividly remembered his unparalleled slaughter spree. His return was a living nightmare for countless individuals.

Even the Slaughter Knights trembled at his presence. After all, this was the God of Slaughter, a soul master capable of unleashing soul skills within the Slaughter City—someone whose very existence was forged in blood and carnage.

Inside the inner city of the Slaughter City, a young woman in black gauze approached Yang Podi. "Respected God of Slaughter, welcome back to the Slaughter City. May I ask the purpose of your visit this time?"

Yang Podi's expression was cold and emotionless. "Take me to see the Slaughter King. I have matters to discuss with him."

The black-gauze-clad woman trembled slightly, hesitation evident on her face. "Lord God of Slaughter, this might be difficult. Normally, only when the Slaughter King summons someone are they allowed an audience. No one dares to disturb him otherwise."

Yang Podi cast her a sidelong glance. "You fear the Slaughter King but not me?"

As he spoke, a terrifying killing intent burst forth from Yang Podi, turning the entire surrounding space blood-red. Both the black-gauze woman and the hidden Slaughter Knights began to quake in fear. Some of the knights even fainted on the spot.

The black-gauze woman coughed up blood and trembled as she spoke, "Lord God of Slaughter, please have mercy. I'll take you to the Slaughter King immediately."

Yang Podi nodded slightly and retracted his killing intent. In the Slaughter City, strength reigned supreme. Here, everything was governed by slaughter; mercy had no place.

Under the black-gauze woman's guidance, Yang Podi arrived at a peculiar gate made of a single thick slab of stone. It didn't resemble a normal door but rather a mechanism.

The black-gauze woman spoke towards the door, "Great Slaughter King, the God of Slaughter wishes to see you."

A furious roar came from within the room. "I told you no one is allowed to disturb me! Not even the God of Slaughter!"

The black-gauze woman's face turned pale with fear. "Lord Slaughter King, if you don't grant the God of Slaughter an audience, many in the Slaughter City might perish."

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a red beam of light shot out, decapitating the black-gauze woman. The Slaughter King's voice rang out coldly, "You fear the God of Slaughter but not me? I am the ruler of the Slaughter City!"

Yang Podi glanced coldly at the black-gauze woman's corpse and spoke indifferently, "Lord Slaughter King, I have something to discuss with you. Surely you won't be so inhospitable?"

The Slaughter King's tone grew icy. "God of Slaughter, you are the most esteemed figure in my Slaughter City. How could I possibly refuse you? Enter."

Yang Podi did not hesitate and stepped through the door. As soon as he entered, the massive stone door shut behind him, sealing the space like a cage.

Yang Podi surveyed the room, noting its complete enclosure. The dim lighting was even darker than the rest of the Slaughter City, and the faintly flickering flames added an eerie chill.

The ceiling bore strange markings, clearly unnatural. Yang Podi pondered silently. Even soul beasts, let alone divine beasts, could not escape the limitations of their nature.

Bats, for instance, had two peculiar traits: first, their extended sleep cycles. Normal bats required over twenty hours of rest daily, leaving only two to four hours for activity, if not less. Furthermore, bats preferred to sleep while hanging upside down, as evidenced by the marks on the ceiling.

Second, bats feared fire and light, usually emerging only at night or dawn.

From the clues in this room, it seemed to be the private living space of the deceased bat. The Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King likely required extended periods of rest.

Before Yang Podi could think further, the Slaughter King across from him took a sip of a Bloody Mary and spoke coldly. "God of Slaughter, it has been a long time since you left the Slaughter City. What brings you back today? What is your purpose?"

Yang Podi smiled faintly. "Recently, I've been searching the Star Dou Forest for suitable spirit rings. Now, I only lack a 100,000-year-old spirit ring of the mental attribute. I'm here to see if the Slaughter City has any such spirit beasts. If there are, it might help you eliminate a potential threat."

The Slaughter King's already pale face grew even paler, a hint of malice flickering in his eyes. "God of Slaughter, there are no spirit beasts in my Slaughter City."

Yang Podi shook his head slightly. "When I walked the Hell Road, I encountered the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Serpent and the Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King. Both were incredibly powerful. Let me ask you this: Why didn't they leave any soul rings after I killed them?"

The Slaughter King couldn't help but laugh. "Slaughter God, have you forgotten? This is the sacred domain of the great Asura God. As a result, no soul beasts exist here."

As the Slaughter King finished speaking, Yang Podi casually tossed a live Soft Bone Rabbit from his hand. He had caught it just before entering the Slaughter City. Although the Soft Bone Rabbit trembled in fear, it remained alive and well.

Yang Podi killed it with a single strike. Instantly, a white ten-year soul ring emerged from the rabbit's body.

Yang Podi narrowed his eyes. "Slaughter King, does the Asura God truly exist in this world?"

The Slaughter King's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. "Of course the Asura God exists! Even your killing God Domain was granted by the Asura God."

As Yang Podi observed the Slaughter King's altered expression, many things became clearer. It seemed this Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King had encountered the Asura God before—or perhaps had even been directly assigned to this position by the deity.

This raised a serious question: During Tang Chen's eighth trial as a successor to the Asura God, he was ambushed by the Rakshasa God. Was this Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King a subordinate of the Asura God, or the Rakshasa God? This was a critical point that required attention to avoid potential traps.

After some thought, Yang Podi continued speaking, "Slaughter King, in the past century, only Tang Hao, Bibi Dong, and I have obtained the Killing God Domain, correct?"

The Slaughter King's expression darkened. "Why are you asking about this? Yes, only you three have obtained the Killing God Domain."

Yang Podi shook his head slightly. "I recall that Tang Chen, the previous Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, also acquired the Killing God Domain. That should have been fifty years ago. While others might lack information, the Killing God Domain must be personally overseen by you. It's impossible that you wouldn't know."

The Slaughter King's face grew even more grim and cold. "Where did you hear such nonsense? I've never heard of anyone named Tang Chen, let alone granting him the Killing God Domain."

The Slaughter King was visibly tense now, speaking with a certain nervousness. He no longer resembled a master of unparalleled power.

Yang Podi couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. Soul beasts are, after all, soul beasts. In terms of intellect, they're still far inferior to humans, especially when it comes to handling complex situations. A bit of pressure, and they immediately reveal their flaws.

"I want to meet Tang Chen. Can you arrange that, Slaughter King?"

Yang Podi fixed his gaze on the Slaughter King before him, mentally prepared to act at any moment.